EQG: Sword Art Online - Ruby Palace

Chapters

Vignettes Arc - A For Effort
Vignettes Arc - Fun Raising
Pilot Episode 0.1 - Japan
Pilot Episode 0.2 - Orientation
Pilot Episode 0.3 - Iaido
Pilot Episode 0.4 - Something We All Could Do
Pilot Episode 0.5 - Surprises
Pilot Episode 0.6 - Competition And New Friends
Pilot Episode 0.7 - What’s In A Name?
Episode 1 - Link Start
Episode 2 - Chains of Fate
Episode 3 - First Steps
Episode 4 - Falling Flower
Episode 5 - Memories
Episode 6 - Goblins And Doom
Episode 7 - Goblin Diplomacy
Episode 8 - Baking And Breaking
Episode 9 - First Steps Towards The End
Episode 11 - Deliverance
Episode 12 - General Graardor And His Goblin Army
Episode 13 - The Price Of A Soul
Episode 14 - New Month, New Strategy
Episode 15 - Enhancing Procedures
Episode 16 - First Boss Strategy Meeting
Episode 17 - Illfang The Kobold Lord
Episode 18 - Beater
Episode 19 - Floor Two
Episode 20 - Udders and Stingers
Episode 21 - Rock Versus Candy
Episode 22 - Right To Fight
Episode 23 - One Too Many
Episode 24 - Lamenting War Cry
Episode 26 - Nerius The Evil Treant
Commercial Break One
Episode 27 - Flag of Valor
Episode 28 - Ode In Pink
Episode 29 - Vanargand The Father Of Wolves
Episode 30 - Path To Purpose
Episode 31 - Kagachi the Samurai Lord
Episode 32 - New Wondercolt
Episode 33 - Rescue Operation
Episode 34 - New Blood
Episode 35 - King Of The Oathbreakers
Episode 37 - The Steps Of Battle
Episode 38 — Trolls
Episode 39 — Wolves
Episode 40 — Adjusting Strategy
Episode 41 — Power Squad
Episode 42 — Beast Master
Episode 43 — Burning Heart & A New Edge
Episode 44 — A Grand Idea
Commercial Break Two
Episode 46 — This Evening Aria
Episode 47 — Ragnarök
Episode 48 — Star’s Knight
Episode 49 — Loving Dragon
Episode 50 — Thunder Versus Lightning
Episode 51 — Holly’s Eve
Episode 52 — Holly
Episode 53 — Storm Rising
Episode 54 — Halfway Home
Episode 55 — Duel
Episode 56 — Angry Voices and A Lullaby
Episode 57 — Qalphite Queen
Episode 58 — Harmonic Salvation
Episode 59 — Conventional Diemond
Episode 60 — Visions
Episode 61 — Dagannoths
Episode 62 — Blue Stones
Episode 63 — Flowers
Episode 65 — Kalzuk Dungeon
Episode 66 — Second Arrival
Commercial Break Three
Episode 67 — Diemond Success
Episode 68 — Rise of the Necromancer
Episode 69 — Catacombs
Episode 70 — Catacomb Cubed
Episode 71 — Coupling
Episode 72 — Main-gauche
Episode 73 — Blacklist
Episode 74 — We Were Wondercolts
Episode 75 – All In
Episode 76 — Necromancer Falling
Episode 77 — Mirror Mayhem
Episode 78 — Skill Slot Eleven
Episode 79 — Cutie Mark
Episode 81 — Operation Midnight Redemption
Episode 82 — Learning To Ride
Episode 83 — The Halter of Eiddin Klydno
Episode 84.1 — Back on the Front
Episode 84.2 — The Boys Are Back
Episode 84.3 — Plaudit
Commercial Break Four
Episode 85 — Operation Midnight Redemption (2 of 3)
Episode 86 — King Black Dragon
Episode 87 — Life Lessons
Episode 88 — Of Crabs and Commanders
Episode 89 — Guild Business
Episode 90 — Training Sasha
Episode 91 — Round Two
Episode 93 — Filling The Seat
Episode 94 — Operation Midnight Redemption (3 of 3)
Episode 95 — Meigibu
Episode 97 — Morning Meeting
Episode 98 — One plus One equals W
Episode 99 — Headquarters Hunting
Episode 100 — Expedition Exploration
Episode 101 — A New Era
Episode 102 - Magic Spark
Episode 103 — Wondercolts United
Episode 104 — Black Velvet Band
Vignettes Arc - Exotic Horizons Arc (+timeline)
Vignettes Arc - Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow
Episode 10 - In Her Father's Footsteps
Episode 25 - Between A Boss In A Hard Place
Episode 36 - Iron Bulwark
Episode 45 — Scorpia Queen Of The Arachnida
Episode 64 — Star Spiders
Episode 80 — A Questing We Shall Go
Episode 92 — Finishing What Was Started
Episode 96 — Preparing for the Future

Vignettes Arc - A For Effort

Author's Note

The Vignettes Arcs are compiled blog posts, placed here for convenience. The vignettes themselves are short stories pushed out while I was in the transition between EQG:SAO Aincrad and writing Ruby Palace, to keep the fans up to date. They are not the official start of Ruby Palace, that would be the Pilot Episodes, but they are part of it. Reading them is not required to understand the story. They received much less editing effort since they were originally blog posts. Still, they are fun, give some more background than the pilot episodes can cover, and were put here so that anyone who wanted to read/reread them wouldn't have to dig through my blogs.

Enjoy!

Vignettes Arc - A For Effort

Fall 2021- Deep Dive

Rainbow Dash knocked on the pink door. It was opened a moment later by a familiar face, but not the person he was looking for. It was Zephyr Breeze, Fluttershy’s younger brother.

He flashed Rainbow Dash a smile. “Hey, Rainbows. I’m not surprised to see you on my doorstep. Have you reconsidered my offer?”

“Hey, Zephyr,” Rainbow groaned. “No, I’m here to see Fluttershy. She is going to help me with my Japanese class.”

“Oh, well, the offer still stands,” Zephyr replied, still blocking the door.

Rainbow Dash gave him an annoyed look. “I don’t have time to be dating with how badly I'm falling behind in Japanese. If I don’t pass the upcoming quiz, I will be off the sports teams at CHS, because of my grades. In a single class. One class will do me in before any of the seasons even start!”

Zephyr sighed. “And we certainly don’t want that to happen. Follow me.”

Rainbow had not been to Fluttershy’s in a while, mostly because of Zephyr. The boy had always had a crush on her, and she found him insufferable. It was hard enough avoiding him since he was now a freshman at Canterlot High School, she didn’t need to go to a place Zephyr would certainly be.

Zephyr stopped outside a closed door painted yellow. “Fluttershy is inside,” he said as he knocked. “Sis, Rainbows is here to see you about Japanese stuff.”

“Coming!” Fluttershy yelled from inside the room.

“Good luck,” Zephyr said, chuckling as he walked away.

Fluttershy opened the door. “Sorry I didn’t see your text,” she immediately said. “I planned to meet you at the door.” She stepped aside. “Come in and let the experience begin.”

Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure what room she had stepped into. It had a bed, but the decoration didn’t seem to fit Fluttershy. At least not the Fluttershy Rainbow Dash knew.

On the wall across from the bed was a big tv screen and a desk with a computer, which was normal, but the bookshelves full of books that had Japanese names on the spine, another that was full of movie cases with Japanese titles on them, and another that was packed full of various figurines. Posters, all with Japanese letters on them, not English, were hung both on the wall and the ceiling since she was out of wall space. It was impossible to tell what colors the walls actually were.

“Uh…” Rainbow stammered as she dropped her backpack onto the floor. “Is this your room?”

“Yes,” Fluttershy nodded. “We won’t be bothered by Zephyr in here. He is scared of my room. Something about the posters and figurines watching him. I don’t get it.”

“I feel like I just dove into the deep end of the pool,” Rainbow admitted. “This is all…so…not you? You are like a Japanese nerd?"

Fluttershy sighed. “The term is actually otaku,” Fluttershy clarified. “I am a very big anime fan and read a lot of manga. It’s why I started learning Japanese freshman year and also how I plan to motivate you.”

“With reading in a language I barely know the alphabet of?” Rainbow asked, confused.

“No,” Fluttershy said, rolling her eyes. “By inspiring you. You said your biggest issue was that you didn’t find any of it interesting. I am going to help you get interested in the language.”

“No offense, but humanized horse girls that run derbies does not sound appealing,” Rainbow said as she focused on a particular poster.

“Uma Musume Pretty Derby is not for everyone,” Fluttershy admitted. “I only watched it because of Princess Twilight, being a pony and all. There are a lot of genres of anime, too many to go into. We just need to get you into something that you will want to watch and yes, I have the perfect thing.”

“And just what is that?” Rainbow asked wearily.

“Macross,” Fluttershy said with a sly grin. “It was released in 1985, so the animation style is older and much of what it did is now considered cliché, because of it. The basic premise, an alien starship crashes on earth. The setting is on that ship after it is rebuilt and it focuses on transforming space jet fighter craft and epic battles in the stars. The fighters can transform into battle suit robots for ground combat. I think you will find the mix of space battles and dog fights with the mechas to your liking.”

“So, no high school drama with love triangles?” Rainbow asked. Her interest was piqued.

“No high school drama, there is a solid love triangle story, but I won’t spoil anything,” Fluttershy said as she picked up the TV remote and turned the big screen on. The first episode was paused, waiting for Rainbow Dash so it could start. Fluttershy hit “play” and started Rainbow’s immersion into the Japanese language via pop culture.

Early Winter 2021 (midterms) - Flash Cards

Sunset double checked her slides. She flipped through each one, ensuring that the timing was correct. The others were doing well in Japanese 101. Rainbow Dash had recovered from her initial tailspin, all because Fluttershy had inspired her in a way that she learned to enjoy the language. In between her soccer matches, classes, and studying, Dash was finding the time to put a huge dent in the anime series Fluttershy had hooked her on.

Now it was time for Sunset Shimmer to help her friends study. It was almost midterms, so she had compiled the list of words they would need to know on electronic flashcards. Those cards would be used in a game to quickly buzz in the meaning of the word. They also have to pronounce the word in Japanese correctly. The points would be kept with candy, which would also be their reward.

Pinkie Pie was getting the candy. She would keep score since they were in the advanced class. Fluttershy would be present, but not a participant for the same reason.

This game would hopefully spice up the time-tested study method. Sunset had reserved a classroom for the contest as well as a projector, clearing away the desks except for the four they would need for each “contestant” and placed a buzzer on each.

None of them knew the actual game that was going to be played, only that it was a competition. Twilight was a master at flash cards, but hopefully the pressure would push her out of her comfort zone. Rainbow and AJ only had to be enticed by the promise of a competition with real stakes. Rarity was oddly competitive over the text exchange. Sunset was guessing that she was currently at the top of their class and wanted to keep her position.

Pinkie Pie skipped in with several overflowing bags in her hands and Fluttershy in tow.

“I’ve got the candy!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I even got each player’s personal favorite for extra enticement. Fluttershy brought the bowls.”

Fluttershy pulled out four dog bowls from her backpack. “The shelter got them in last night, but currently they aren't needed. They will be a sturdier base than a regular bowl in case someone knocks, kicks, punches, or jumps on their desk in the heat of competition.”

“Now I feel weird about the name tags I made to put on the bowls,” Sunset commented. She shrugged. “Oh well, too late to do anything about it. Let’s do this. I’ll be focused on the flash cards. Pinkie, if you can give out the rewards, and Fluttershy, if you can help moderate and figure out who buzzed in first, that would be greatly appreciated.”

“Sure,” Fluttershy said as she set a bowl on each desk and then taped their names, written in Hiragana, on a bowl. As a test to ensure they could read their names, Fluttershy mixed up the colors. Blue was Applejack, purple was Rainbow Dash, red was Rarity, and orange was Twilight Sparkle.

Pinkie Pie put a pile of candy beside Sunset, for snacking, as the others came in.

“So, what's the game?” Rainbow immediately asked.

“It’s simple,” Sunset said, joining everyone in the middle of the room. “You all know flashcards. On the screen I will project a card, the first person to buzz in gets to answer it. The catch is that you have to pronounce the word correctly and then give its meaning in English. If you get it right, I ring my bell and you get a piece of your favorite candy. If you don’t, I hit my buzzer and the next person to buzz in gets to answer. You have five seconds to buzz in and hands must stay flat on the desk.”

“Do we lose points for a wrong word?” Applejack asked.

“No, you don’t,” Sunset said. “Our setup isn't that sophisticated. We are borrowing clean, never used, dog bowls from Fluttershy’s shelter to hold the candy.”

“I was wondering why it was dog bowls,” Twilight commented.

“If there are no questions, take your assigned seats,” Sunset said.

The colors mixed up Applejack, who went for the orange bowl without thinking. Dash sniggered as she went to the purple bowl and sat at the correct desk.

With everyone seated, Sunset flipped the first card onto the screen.

Twilight immediately buzzed in. “It’s Nihõ̞ɴ, translated Japan, as in the country.”

“Correct!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, flicking a piece of candy into Twilight’s bowl from where she sat. “That was an easy one.”

Sunset chimed her bell and flipped to the next card. The words had been shuffled, varying the difficulty. There were several close ties for buzzing in as they progressed. As a group they went fourteen for fourteen. Fifteen was flipped up and no one buzzed in. Sunset hit her buzzer after 5 seconds, indicating time was up.

“Zasshi,” Fluttershy said. “Magazine or journal, as in I read the latest issue of the fashion magazine today.”

The next card tripped them all up again and Fluttershy answered it reflexively when Sunset hit the time buzzer. It was Akachan, meaning baby.

They took a break after thirty minutes to let everyone relax and go to the bathroom if they needed to. Rarity was in the lead by two candies over Twilight. Dash and AJ had a tied number that was respectable, but if they couldn’t react faster, they would be battling each other to not be in last place.

“Did you make these cards just for this game?” Twilight asked as she ate a piece of her winnings. “We have gone through a lot and I have a feeling you aren't close to being done.”

“This is what I use for my own studying,” Sunset explained. “The program randomly shuffles the cards for me. I just have to manually input the cards. I have them coded in by textbook chapters, so I was able to screen out the words you have not been taught yet.”

“That is a handy program,” Twilight said. “I would love to get a copy.”

“I can certainly provide you with it,” Sunset nodded. “How are you liking the competition side of flashcards?”

“Tests are kind of my thing, so I'm not worried about our midterms, but I am enjoying being pushed,” Twilight admitted. “I don’t want to hear the buzzer, I do want the candy, and three contestants ups the stakes and difficulty. I feel like I know the words, but am competing against the others, which I assume is the goal.”

“Yes,” Sunset nodded. “That is the goal, as well as learning.”

“Rarity has quick fingers,” Twilight added.

“It’s from years of sewing, Darling,” Rarity replied. “I am enjoying this competition. I am also surprised at our current standings.”

“Well, Applejack went to the wrong seat,” Dash goaded. “And I'm not close to an A in the class. I just got into the B range.”

“You know your grade?” Twilight asked, surprised and clearly a bit jealous.

“Yeah, Sakura Sensei’s letting me know where I sit and helping me get my grade up to an A for the exchange program,” Dash explained. “It’s been good motivation and she wants to see me be more than a jock. She likes that my eyes are on a prize that isn’t on a field or court. I’m just glad our midterm will have more time than this game has.”

“Your exam will be easy,” Fluttershy mused. “I have to translate poetry. Both into Japanese and into English.”

“That sounds like fun and not pointless like how most early language testing feels,” Twilight said. “I know it has a point, the exams are designed to build our knowledge up, but it can seem disjointed for certain languages like when you just turn a word into the proper tense and have simple, multiple-choice questions.”

“My test is in Kanji,” Fluttershy clarified. “Entirely in Kanji, except for what I have to translate into Kanji. And dealing with poetry always means that you will use words in slightly different ways than conventionally in order to fit the correct prose. Still, it should be fun. Translation exams do tend to be the best at showing the student’s grasp of the language as a whole.”

After a few more minutes of chatting, they went back to the competition. On the last card, Twilight buzzed in first. She pronounced the word correctly, but got the translation wrong. Rarity buzzed in before Sunset rang the “wrong” buzzer and got it all correct, taking the lead and winning. Dash had slid into last place but AJ didn’t have many more points than she did. There was a wide gap between Rarity and Twilight, and AJ and Dash.

“Honestly, you all did quite well,” Fluttershy said. “Not that I doubted you, but a four-way competition against time isn’t easy. You all seem ready for the midterm, assuming you have the grammar rules down as well as you do the vocabulary.”

Dash’s lips pursed in a mischievous smile. “We should pit Sunset, Pinkie, and Fluttershy against each other.”

“Sure,” Sunset shrugged. “But later. Our time in this room is almost up and I have other studying I need to do.”

“Same,” Pinkie Pie said. “Except I have baking to do. I bought plenty of candy for us to do rematches! Or new matches. Maybe teams?”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Sunset chuckled as she went to unplug her computer. She had no idea how teams would work.

June 10, 2022, Friday - Stress Sewing

Rarity guided the fabric through the sewing machine. She was only half focused on what she was doing. She was waiting for her acceptance letter. The stress made it impossible to do anything but sew, while also making it impossible for her to give her real projects the attention they needed. She was stress sewing; because that was the only way to calm her worries.

Their applications had been in for a month, before school was done. The letters of recommendation, resumes, biographical essay, and preliminary grades had been submitted. The program’s committee had to not only assess each student’s academic abilities, but determine if they believed they could make the transition to the foreign school and then back. They also had to believe the student could function in another country for several months. If the student failed, the burden of proof would first be on the committee to prove that they had chosen someone capable of overcoming those challenges. Success was the goal. They didn't want to send someone who would fail and suffer for it.

All of their biographical essays included the goal of attending the program with each other. They all argued having their friends would make their chances of success higher. That is what their Japanese Language teacher, Sakura Sensei, had instructed them to do. Pointing out that they would have a support group was information that could swing the decision in their favor.

Summer break wasn't that long, so they had to do things in advance of final grades. That included a video interview with the committee. Rarity had to do a portion speaking entirely in Japanese and so did Twilight, Applejack, and Dash, while Sunset and Pinkie had to do their interviews entirely in Japanese.

Rarity’s interview deviated at one point, shifting to fashion and her love for it. She hadn't realized until after that she had been fluently speaking in Japanese, she had been so caught up in talking about her love. She figured that it had to be a positive moment in the interview. They also deviated to ask her some atypical questions, in English, about her relationship with her friends, indicating that they had already interviewed Sunset, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie earlier in the day. It was nothing invasive, just trying to understand the group dynamics. Although it made Rarity nervous that she might screw one of their applications up by her interview.

Fluttershy had asked them about their interviews and learned hers was radically different. Fluttershy spent the bulk of it translating back and forth between the English speaking committee members and the Japanese speaking committee members. The entire committee could speak both languages, but having Fluttershy translate was an interesting tactic. It told them a lot about her language skills, while also getting the information required from her.

Nothing could be decided before final grades were submitted by the school, which had been done on Monday. Fluttershy, Sunset Shimmer, and Pinkie Pie had already received their acceptance letters three days prior, on Wednesday. The fact that they had taken more than Japanese 101 and scored A's in each level of the Japanese language classes made the decision easier. Paired with the interview, the committee didn't have to worry about the language being a barrier as much as they did with the others.

A knock came at her door. It was immediately opened by Sweetie Belle. "A certified letter just arrived for you," she said, holding it out but not entering the forbidden room.

Rarity abandoned the fabric, the sewing machine going dead as soon as her foot left the peddle as she tore across the room and snatched it out of her sister's hands. She closed the door in Sweetie Belle's face without thinking.

"You're welcome!" Sweetie Belle yelled through the door, but Rarity was entirely focused on the letter.

She resisted the urge to rip the letter open and sat down at her desk. She had a plan she had worked out. She quickly checked a pocket mirror to ensure she looked good and then started to record with her phone, propping it up with her in frame.

"Hello world! Rarity here and today, Friday June Tenth, I come not to you with fashion." She turned off the sewing machine. The hideous amalgamation of patches under the presser foot sitting in plain view made her cringe. "Sorry, I was stress sewing, nothing important or worthwhile. It was all I could do while I was waiting for this letter." She held it up for the camera to see. "This envelope holds my future! Or well, the future of my first semester of my senior year of high school. It will tell me if I either get to go to Japan on the foreign exchange program I signed up for, or not. Three of my friends are already accepted. Let's see if it will be four of seven!"

Rarity ripped the thick envelope open with no grace. She had none left in her after the stress of waiting.

She skimmed through the header listing the names on the committee and then read the decision out loud. "Our deliberations have found you to be in good academic and social standing and we have no outstanding concerns that the program will put undue burden on you. You are hereby accepted into the foreign exchange program to travel to Tokyo, Japan for study. Attached are the requirements for fundraising and cost, as well as details for getting your student visa, a list of what to bring and not to bring, and a note from the family you will be staying with. Congratulations on the achievement." Rarity squealed in excitement.

She looked at the other papers, forgetting that she was filming. The visa wouldn't be hard. Most of the work had been done by the exchange program. She just had to go to the consulate in Canterlot. The city was large enough that many nations had a consulate office in a shared building to make them accessible to the public to obtain travel visas.

The list of what to bring and not to bring was simple enough. They would be required to get uniforms particular to their specific school, but that was covered in the cost of the program. They wanted her to raise at least fifty percent of the tuition and had attached a list of ideas for fundraisers and tips for successful fundraising.

Rarity also had contact information for her "exchange family" and a letter written by them to the unknown student. It had a picture of their family.

All of what the program meant suddenly hit Rarity. She turned the phone to narrate her thoughts. "Suddenly, I realize all of what it means to leave. I don't intend to stop posting, you will absolutely get documentation of my time in Japan, but I won't get to sew when I get stressed…at least not like I currently do. The sewing machine will be staying here. I will be out of my element in more ways than just the language and cultural differences between Canterlot and Tokyo. I will not have my usual things to calm myself or wind down…I'll be living with strangers. I'll…need to develop a new routine.”

Rarity let out a sigh as the reality of her interpersonal situations came crashing down on her. “I…I won't get interrupted by my sister…which is…bittersweet…I just slammed the door in her face, preoccupied with the letter she had kindly brought. I…did not even think about it…or how rude it was. I knew I would miss my family at times…but…I am starting…” Rarity trailed off. She suddenly felt very hot as her emotions caught up to her. She fanned herself. “I am starting to realize how different it will be without my family constantly around.”

Rarity took a moment to compose herself. She was on camera. Emotion was fine, to a certain extent. Her followers did not need to watch her suddenly cry over the fact that in the future she would be missing her family.

"But enough about that. I’ll sort that out later. I must admit, I thought my first international trip would be to Paris or Milan or London, one of the fashion capitals of the world. Tokyo has a strong fashion scene and is a contender if you were to expand the capitals to include more than just the big four. Still, I'm not going to Tokyo for fashion. I am going for school, but also the cultural opportunities. I'll get to expand my horizons with a unique experience. I won't be a tourist. In many ways I'll get to see and understand Tokyo better than I ever could vacationing there. It will still make me a world traveler and I'll become a better person because of that travel. This experience will make those future ones easier and help broaden my horizons, including what I can do with fashion!

"These papers in my hand are not all show, fluff, or filler. Some of it is serious work I need to get done, such as fundraising requirements. I'm certain you will hear more from me soon about those endeavors! I have plenty of other things to do to get ready. Bye-bye, darlings!"

Rarity blew a kiss and then ended the recording.

She texted her friends, letting them know she had gotten accepted. The group chat lit up as Twilight also told them she had been accepted. Applejack chimed in a few minutes later with a picture of her holding her own acceptance letter.

It was down to Rainbow Dash. She was the only one without an answer. She had pulled off an A with a lot of help from Sakura Sensei and their teacher had written a letter of recommendation for Dash, something she was proud to do after all the work Dash had done, but out of the seven of them, Rarity's athletic friend had the weakest resume for acceptance.

Rarity suddenly realized what it would mean for Dash, personally, if she was accepted. Rarity was leaving a lot behind. Dash was going to be giving up on several teams, leaving them without a captain, and Japanese schools didn't do high school sports in the same way that Canterlot did. They were clubs, not teams associated with the school. The school wouldn't have a mascot for them all to rally to. Dash possibly had the most to give up by going and the least to gain. As a senior, especially for soccer, college scouts would be evaluating her. They would not see her in her final season, potentially eliminating any scholarship offers. However, a successful foreign exchange program on her college applications would be like a golden ticket. It would make her stand out among the crowd of other applicants. Scholarships could be awarded for walk-ons or follow up seasons.

Rarity couldn't worry about Dash. She had major planning to do for herself. She now had fundraisers to pull off. The others needed her expertise in areas to help them as a group fulfill the fundraising requirements. The more they worked together, the bigger the fundraisers they could pull off and the easier it would be on them all. Plus, if they didn't work together, the seven of them would trip over each other trying to raise the funds from the same group of people. It would also mean their parents had to pay less, and less was always better. Their parents had all agreed before they sent in their applications, understanding the costs involved. Twilight's parents had spent more a semester sending her to Crystal Prep, but anything they didn't have to spend was good for a variety of reasons.

Rarity posted the video update and then looked at the dress she had been making. It was hideous, made from scrap fabric, and not her best design anyway, but it was a western design. She would need to start looking into the Eastern fashion scene. Her semester abroad might provide crucial contacts in the international market. She would have to try and make some form of connection to the fashion scene while she was in Japan. Tokyo was in the top ten as a fashion capital. The land of the rising sun might be the true rise in her already surfacing fashion career.

Before any of that though, Rarity needed to go apologize to Sweetie Belle. Rarity left her room and stepped to the next door over. It was shut. She knocked on her sister’s door.

“It’s open,” Sweetie Belle called out.

Rarity opened the door. Sweetie Belle was sitting at her desk on her own laptop. Rarity couldn’t see what she was doing, but it didn’t matter.

“Hey, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said. “I’m sorry I was so distracted earlier and slammed the door in your face. It was rude of me and there is no excuse for my actions.”

Sweetie Belle let out a sigh. “I accept your apology. I know the exchange program is really important to you and that you were stressed. Since you’re not crying and I heard a squeal from your room earlier, I assume you got accepted?”

“Yes!” Rarity said, squealing a bit. “I have a lot to do to finish stuff for the program, but before that takes my attention, how about some sister time? Sugarcube Corner, my treat, for an apology? I know dinner wasn’t that long ago, but it’s summer. We get to stay out later.”

“Alright,” Sweetie Belle said, smiling at Rarity. “Let me change real quick. Meet you at the front door in five minutes?”

“I’ll see you then,” Rarity replied, sliding out of her sister’s room and closing the door.

Rarity smiled to herself, content for the first time in a week. Sugarcube Corner was more than an apology trip. The end of the school year was always a crunch for time and the past semester had been even more so. Sweetie Belle had finals too, so they seemed to drift apart every year over the last month of school. Ensuring it wasn’t a permanent shift was important to Rarity.

June 10, 2022 - Sister Time

“I have all of the rock candy ready to make our necklaces!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she entered the dining room where Maud was.

“While your candy making skills are exemplary, I thought we could use something a little more relevant for the necklaces.” Maud said. She reached under the table and pulled out a big brown box. “I had to special order these.”

Maud set the box on the table and slid over to Pinkie to open. Pinkie popped the flaps open with enthusiasm and then stopped as she looked inside. She pulled a bag of candy out.

“I don’t get it,” Pinkie said.

“It’s Konpeito, Japan’s version of rock candy,” Maud explained. “With you going to Japan, I think it is more appropriate to use it to mark the special occasion. It is special because you are leaving me for the first time. I may be one leaving tomorrow, but when I get back you will be the one gone.”

“Awe,” Pinkie said, tearing up. “That’s so sweet.”

"I’m proud of you,” Maud said, bringing Pinkie in for a hug. “Traveling halfway around the globe to spend a semester learning on foreign rock.”

“What about you?” Pinkie asked. “You're finally going to Sweden to examine the Viking runestones in person. You’re studying abroad too.”

“No, I am going to do fieldwork,” Maud said. “I am not learning from a Swedish university with all of the classes in Swedish. My school is here and I only have the summer break to gather data from the field. I will do lab work when I return or work on other facets of my dissertation. I wouldn’t even be going unless I had to, but understanding why they chose the stones they did to immortalize the information is important. Almost as important as what is carved on them. After all, not all stones can remember messages for a millennia and a half.

"Promise me you will bring me back a piece of Japan.”

“Cross my heart,” Pinkie said, as she crossed her heart. She didn’t skip any of the gestures. “Hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!”

“Come on, let’s make the necklaces before Limestone is done with her work and Marble is back from her job. We don’t want to delay the Pie sisters hitting the town.”

Pinkie Pie opened all four bags of colorful, pastel candy, pouring them out onto the table. The candy was small, bumpy balls. Pinkie Pie popped one in her mouth as she began to sort out the colors she wanted to use. The bumps made the candy both sweet and fun as she let it poke her mouth and tongue. It was stimulating to roll it around while sucking on the hard sugar.

As Pinkie finished up her necklace, she looked over at Maud, who was also done. Maud was organizing the candies in a particular pattern, but Pinkie couldn’t tell what it was. She got up and walked around to Maud, to see it from her point of view.

“What is that?” Pinkie asked.

“This symbol is called the Vegvisir,” Maud explained. “It’s a compass of sorts. It was believed it would bring good luck on journeys and to weather any storms met on the sea. Each arm is a staff, a direction, and has a meaning. All eight together are also said to help find the right path in life. It isn’t actually a Viking symbol. It is an Icelandic symbol with the earliest examples coming from the nineteenth century, although some people debate it might be much older. What matters is that it invokes imagery of the Viking era, as well as meaning. All Icelanders are direct descendants of Norwegian Norse, who first settled it in the ninth century.

“The runestones I’m studying will span six to eight centuries and will have changes in the culture impressed into the inscriptions by the techniques, symbols, and prose used. While the Norse may not exist anymore, their culture continues to live on symbolically, with some elements still in use today by their descendants, in popular culture, and by others who idolize them or enjoy their art. I find it to be an important symbol.”

“You are so smart,” Pinkie said with a content sigh. “I love listening to you explain these things to me.”

"You are smart too, Pinkie," Maud said. "Not everyone can learn a foreign language enough to spend a significant time there."

Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz came into the dining room. Igneous handed an envelope to Maud. “I see you girls are having fun. What do you have planned for the evening?”

“I wanted to see if we can get Pinkie’s curls into one of the traditional Viking hairstyles,” Maud stated. “The same for the rest of us. There are several other things I want to do with my sisters before I leave in the morning. I’m all packed and ready to go. We won’t stay out too late.”

June 13, 2022 - Stress Sewing Part 2

Rarity unlocked her phone, pulling up the camera. She propped it up, ensuring she was in view, and then double checked her makeup. With her looking as fabulous as she could, she started recording.

"Hello world! Rarity here and today. Monday, June Thirteenth, I again come not to you with fashion advice or anything I am designing, but an update on moi and the trip. I know I've been oddly silent the past few days. Once I got the acceptance letter, it put a lot of things in perspective. It's all good stuff…but my world, my life in Canterlot, has suddenly shrunk …now most places that used to seem far…don't. Because it is still within the city. If this was a trip, a vacation…it wouldn't shrink my world. I'm going to be spending months living in Japan!"

Rarity squealed a little. She didn't like squealing on camera because it wasn't composed and lady-like, but it happened. It was an expression of pure joy. Showing that, at appropriate times, to her followers was not bad.

"I'm so excited, oddly terrified, and…” Rarity paused, thinking about where she was compared to her plan. This wasn’t about her shrinking world. “And I am already off of my starting point. Bear with me, darlings. I’m preoccupied from my research, but I swear, I have an update, because I’ll be in Japan from late August to almost January. Four whole months. It’s not all about the academics, if it was, my world wouldn’t be shrinking. I’m realizing how small Canterlot is in the scheme of our world.”

Rarity slipped off topic again without realizing it. Speaking to a mirror or camera was often cathartic as she worked through things. In this case, she had herself she could see on her phone.

"Wherever your family is, that is the most important place in the world. My friends will be with me…but my family won't. I know she secretly watches these updates and will get annoyed, but as much as my little sister annoys me at times…I'm really going to miss that. All of the little inconveniences in life…I will miss those too…which probably sounds odd. And my parents…but I am once again off topic. I’m sorry, darlings, let me restart.”

Rarity took a moment to breathe and focus her mind, hoping it wouldn’t slip as she continued to her point. "So, I'm going for much more than the school. Actually, the school is probably more of an…inconvenience to the whole thing. I'll have to attend classes, daily, just like I would at home…and that isn't bad…but it will stop me from exploring and experiencing a brand new world to me with adventure around every corner. Things I am not familiar with and will get to learn about, firsthand. Things that, for the first time in my life, aren't practically in my backyard."

Rarity sighed. "This is why I haven't posted since my last video update. I'm so distracted and once again off topic. Home shrinking, world expanding, lots to explore, adventures to have, and back on track with some fashion talk!

"Okay…so I have been researching…a lot about a lot of different things. The list of what I could and couldn't bring sparked the research. I do not believe I have mentioned that I will be required to wear a uniform to school. I knew Japanese culture was very prim and proper, but I didn't realize how…different school would be. I don't move classrooms; my teachers change classrooms. I know everyone bows to each other, which I, quite frankly, find very charming. I could only learn so much about those difference while being in Japanese class at CHS. The focus is the language and only for an hour each day.

"What I had not understood was just how…much that prim and proper structure is seeded into everything. The uniforms are not severe. They are…classic. They have a certain, retro-historical charm that is reminiscent of either a British boarding schools with an Asian flair, or an early twentieth century sailor. Plaid or solid color pleated skirts, dress slacks for the boys, straight neckties for the boys and our school uses crossover ties for the girls, white dress shirts or blouses, dress shoes in a color that matches the rest of the uniform, stockings or leggings for the Ladies that fit in the guidelines, and jackets on top, with a big school patch. Many schools have standards for their hair styles too. The uniform colors vary depending on the school and this is a picture of a students in the summer uniform of our school.”’.

Rarity held up the picture she had printed so it could be seen. It was a few students. The girls were in plaid pleated skirts, navy and green, with several different lengths of white socks or leggings, while the boys were in navy slacks. The blazers were navy with two silver buttons and the school’s patch on the pocket and the penny loafers were also navy. The ties were also of the same plaid.

"Like I said, none of it is bad, but it…really has me shifting perspective. The cost of the program includes the uniforms, which I will get shortly after I arrive. I will have several sets. The winter uniform adds a sweater for the girls and white leggings. While I always like to present myself as best as possible, I will have to keep it in good order all day long or I could get in trouble. I don't want a reprimand for something as simple as my clothes. It's a lot of pressure that I didn't expect. A lot of the pictures I post while there will have me in a uniform.

“I have no idea how AJ or Dash will handle the uniforms, that is assuming Dash gets in. We still are waiting for word from her either way. It's been three days since Twilight, AJ, and I found out…it's getting…concerning. I don't think either Dash or AJ watch my video blogs.” Rarity shrugged. “I didn't say anything bad about either of them. I’m just off my topic…again.”

"The point I am once again getting away from, is that I'll have very little time for regular clothes. I have to conform, which has its pros and cons, but I'm not going to be swimming in fashion like I do every day. On some days, I'll change outfits two or three times, depending on the day and what I am doing, or what suddenly comes up that requires a wardrobe change. Beyond clothes, jewelry and accessories will be restricted because they don't conform to the uniform. That…” Rarity let out a sigh and bit her lip. “I am not happy about, because I love to accessorize. They reflect how I feel that day.

"Having some of this structure in my life will probably do me some good. No, it definitely will. Life can get so chaotic and I never intend to let it spiral out of control. The…price…for that structure means I have to wear a uniform. I’m not disgusted by the uniforms…more of a…disappointment that grew as I researched more.”

"I won't be able to be moi, to show off who I am, on a daily basis and they won't have casual days either. That is a huge change for someone like myself. It's not enough to make me rethink this amazing opportunity. Not even close. I'll make the best of it. I just wasn't expecting the…severity of Japanese schools. Severity is probably too harsh. It's…their culture. What I mean is, the kids grow up understanding that a uniform is a part of school, the same as the classes they have to study. From first day they go to school, they wear uniforms, and the little boys and little girls often look cheek-pinchingly cute in them. Uniforms are something expected of them and they rise to meet the challenge. I want to rise to meet that challenge too.

"I am sure some of you are thinking it is the same as many private schools. It's not. It is uniquely different from some of the private schools I have seen closer to home. For one, these are Japanese public schools, not private education. Public schools here might have dress codes, but they really just make sure people are properly dressed. The private schools, parents pay a lot of money to send their kids to. Not that I am disrespecting them in any way, they just are…well they have uniforms which tend to make me shudder, but they are not that different from some schools.”

Rarity let out a sigh.

“I think it is a cultural difference, where it is the expected norm that no one questions in Japan, here it makes you stand out. I do think, from what I have seen, that Japanese schools have the better uniforms, but that isn't necessarily a constant, since each school has a different one. You can tell where someone goes just by their uniform, and that is with everyone wearing uniforms that are very much the same… yet not, specifically if you line them up. I’m glad the school I am going to doesn’t have a sērā fuku, the sailor style, uniform. They may look cute on elementary girls, but they are not refined for a young lady in high school."

Realizing she was wandering again, Rarity shook herself. "But I got off on yet another tangent. Back to uniforms and Rarity. It will be a challenge, a change, but it has its benefits. I just don't want to lose myself among the crowd. I've always been able to make myself stand out in some way. After all, I am the beautiful and radiant Rarity! I am…concerned about getting lost…losing my identity…but I guess this exchange program will help me build an identity that is deeper than the clothes I wear, my love for fashion, and belief in always looking your best."

Rarity's phone had a notification pop up. Usually she ignored them while filming or swiped them out of the way. This one was a text and in the way. As she went to swipe it away so she could see herself in the camera, her finger paused.

Rarity didn't trust her eyes since it was half opaque from swiping it away. Lifting up her finger made it disappear and she had to scramble to get to her text messages. She forgot about the camera as she pulled the group chat up.

Dash: I'M IN! I'M GOING TO JAPAN WITH EVERYONE! SEVEN OF SEVEN! Now to figure out fundraisers.

"YES!" Rarity exclaimed, jumping out of her chair. She had dropped her phone onto the table as she jumped for joy. It didn't harm it, but as she picked it up, she saw the blinking red light, reminding her that she was recording and what she had been doing before the text.

"Sorry, darlings," Rarity said as she composed herself in her chair. She lost her composure and squealed again. "I just got notified that Rainbow Dash made it! She is in the exchange program! All seven of us are going to Tokyo! No best friend gets left behind! I knew Dash could make it, but I was most concerned about her. Her Japanese improved drastically from her very rocky start at the beginning of the school year, but she was still the one I was most concerned about.”

Rarity shook her head. "Oh my, if I am going to have a challenge with the uniforms…well Dash's challenge will be a lot different. I'm struggle with losing my identity and finding a much better, more solid and lifelong identity. Dash…she will struggle to keep it in shape throughout the day. My athletic friend won't like the tie, or jacket, or dress blouse, or the required stockings. The stockings will be an issue because she doesn't like to be told what stockings to wear. She will oddly be absolutely fine with the skirt. Dash also has an uncanny ability to winkle her regular clothes before the end of home period. I swear, I see her before classes start with everything looking great, and right after home period we have a class together. By then, everything is wrinkled. Maybe even a stain on it from something she ate. Home period isn't even fifteen minutes long!” Rarity brushed some hair out of her face before continuing. “It would be impressive if it wasn't a terrifying fashion disaster scene. It is why she tends to wear clothes that are made out of synthetic materials and more athletic. They don't wrinkle as easily as cotton or other fabrics. Seriously, she will have trouble keeping the skirt, jacket, and blouse from wrinkling by lunch, and I am pretty certain that she will find some way to wrinkle the crossover tie.

"Dash's final statement in her text messages was right, we have to look forward, towards the fundraising we have to do. For my followers in Canterlot and the surrounding area, keep a lookout about those. I'll be posting what events we are doing to raise that required cost.

"Okay, I have to go and do more preparations for the trip. I know, it is still weeks away, but as you all are aware, I am a planner. I want to be mentally ready to pack up and go when that day does come. Besides, we now absolutely need to get together and seriously plan our fundraiser events, not just theorize like before. It will probably happen sometime today. I need to be available.

"Bye, bye, darlings," Rarity said as she blew some kisses to the camera. "Sorry for rambling a bit. Rarity out!"

Rarity stopped recording and pulled up her social media account. As she went through the steps to post the video, she had the idea to make a joint account they could all post to. Their supporters could follow it and stay connected to them on their trip, as well as logging their adventures for their own records. It was an easy thing to set up and do, but they didn't have to do it right away. Rarity would work on it for the group in her spare time.

Rarity texted a congratulations message to Dash in the group chat. She followed it up with a second one, also stating that they needed to meet as soon as they could to start talking fundraising details. They had confirmation that everyone was going, so they have no excuse to not start. The deadline to raise the money would come up quickly if they were not careful. Since they had learned they had a minimum to fundraise, they had set a personal goal to fundraise it all.

Rarity got a text from Dash, not in the group chat. It simply said, "I saw what you said in your latest video."

Rarity sighed. She was surprised Dash was following her, especially closely. She had a lot of followers and she couldn't remember all of them. She had topped twenty-five thousand last month and that number was still climbing. People loved her fashion stuff; be it her showing off what she had made or the newest piece she purchased, or her tutorial videos on make-up or sewing, or her very popular series giving fashion advice, which had started as simple videos on general topics and had developed to include her answering relevant questions from her followers whenever the topic was appropriate.

She knew her observations concerning her friend were correct, but she also knew Dash was going to get her back for publicly commenting on Dash’s clothes. It would be well thought out payback, among friends, but payback. The focus on fundraising might distract Dash to the point where she forgot. Hopefully it would.

Rarity was excited to hear what the others were thinking about setting up. She had an idea for a fashion show, but it was rather complex and might not be worth the donations it would bring in. She would suggest it if they needed another idea.

Vignettes Arc - Fun Raising

Author's Note

Enjoy!

Vignettes Arc - Fun Raising

June 25 - B.B.S.C.H.H.

Pinkie Pie was both in heaven and in hell at the same time, and for a few reasons. Under her command, she had organized the biggest bake sale in Canterlot High's history. It was the largest by a very wide margin. She was in heaven because of all the sweets, while also being in hell because she had to sell them, with no taste testing allowed. It was also heaven because she had so many people volunteer to make stuff for her, but with it came the other hell side, because so many had helped, she was lacking the customers to sell her massive supply to.

It was still early on a Saturday morning. The sale was about to start, they were scheduled to open at 10am, but the line waiting for it to open wasn’t that long. They were routing all traffic through the gym’s double doors closest to the parking lot, not the main building. Pinkie Pie was realizing that her classmates were wanting their stuff to sell and most likely they had spent their money on the supplies to make the goodies, leaving none left to buy other people's goodies.

She had no idea how to overcome that. She didn't want it to go to waste. The Cakes had donated a truckful of cakes, cookies, multiple pies, and also an assortment of brownies. The cookies were in bags of six, twelve, and twenty-four, while the brownies were bagged individually, in a half dozen, or as a dozen. The Cakes were her biggest supplier for the fundraiser and having the cookies and brownies already bagged for them was appreciated. The customers, the few they had, would appreciate professionally bagged cookies and cupcakes.

Besides the girls, the other volunteers working the bake sale were Micro Chips, Lyra Heartstrings, Sweetie Drops, Sandalwood, Big Macintosh, Toe-tapper, Torch Song, and Bulk Biceps. Everyone who had donated things to sell was appreciated, but they only needed those extra pairs of hands to help sell this. Their volunteer sellers were crucial to smooth operation and their success. Lyra and Sweetie Drops usually helped Pinkie with any bake sales the school needed to have put on. Their trio was so well known for pulling off successful bake sales, that organizations they were not personally associated with would ask them to come in and help them organize their own fundraisers, either asking the trio fully lead the bake sale or helping the organization lead it.

Sunset was walking by after checking on something. Pinkie grabbed her, pulling her close.

"I have too much to sell and no buyers!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Everyone spent their money baking things for the bake sale. They don't have the money to buy other people's things! Most of them left after they dropped off their donated goodies. I've never had this happen before! WHAT! DO! I! DO!"

"First, you let go of me," Sunset kindly said. "And remember the talks we have had about appropriate and inappropriate ways to invade someone's personal space."

Pinkie obliged. "I just…I'm good at what I do, but apparently too good. This is a scale I've never done before."

"Keep it together," Sunset said. "Don't give up just yet. This thing hasn't even started. We still have seven minutes before the doors are opened. Applejack and Dash are guarding the door. We canvassed the area, spreading the word, we have signs up. You made a bunch of rock candy necklaces, right?"

"Mhm," Pinkie Pie nodded.

"That's just sugar, string, and water," Sunset said.

"And food coloring," Pinkie Pie added. “Plus the secret ingredient, but I can’t tell you that.”

"Yes," Sunset said, rolling her eyes. "The point is, you didn't spend much making them. Most of your cost was the time required to grow the rock candy crystals. You should give a necklace to each of your baking sellers who are here. As an appreciation gift, and it might help spark an idea or something you missed. Plus, it will hopefully entice the buyers more if they see the sellers wearing the necklaces. No one knows bake sales better than you, but this is larger than we ever expected. The other hurdle is a logistical one. Your other bake sales have been during school or right after school. Even the Saturday ones were during the school year. The school year has ended and been done for a few weeks.

"Last week our Saturday car wash was a literal washout and Sunday's 'pampered pet plash,' was a slow drip that didn't get us far either. It was no one's fault. I'm not blaming their organizers, but we have to remember that we are trying to do things outside of our usual fundraising times and reach the bulk of our target crowd that we can no longer easily reach, which makes it harder. At least we had plenty of people donating things. That is better than not having enough."

"What do we do?" Pinkie asked. "You are clearly the better general planner and problem solver. My mind is stuck on sugar and cotton candy."

"I wouldn’t say better," Sunset said. "Especially with this being a bake sale, your forte. We need a way to bring in more customers. That is step number one. Actually, step number one is to find out who is lined up and how many. Then we will know if we need to bring in more customers. I'll go check. Stand by. We are about to open those doors and it might get crazy. Hopefully it will."

Pinkie moped around as Sunset went to check on the line. They had so much to sell. Two thirds of the gym had tables on it for the bake sale. The loaded down tables were set up in groups, depending on the baked goods, with each item clearly marked about what it was so that no one was left guessing. The cakes were in all together, the same with the cookies, pies, brownies, breads, and then the miscellaneous items that only had one or two donors in small qualities. That includes fudge, toffee, licorice, and Pinkie's very own rock candy necklaces, to name a few in that category. The rock candy wasn’t the only thing Pinkie had made, but it was the only rock candy at the sale.

Dash and Applejack were their "bouncers," tasked with securing the line outside the door and keeping tight control on the number of people inside to prevent the sellers from being overwhelmed. Everyone else was manning a station with a buddy. The cake sales were being taken care of by Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps; the cookie hoard was being led by Twilight and Micro Chips; the pie tables were manned by Lyra Heartstrings and Sweetie Drops — who always made an absolutely amazing sales team, which was needed since pies were typically not the best sellers. Pinkie needed experts she could trust to man the pie sales — brownies were manned by Toe-tapper and Torch Song; the breads were covered by Big Mac and Sandalwood; and Sunset was doing the miscellaneous table with Rarity. Pinkie pie would float around and help where she was needed, but her job was the organizer, not a seller, and that was what the sellers and bouncers needed. Someone to keep things steady and on course throughout the sale.

The organizational layout was designed by hers truly, Pinkie Pie. It was a layout perfected over multiple bake sales, most of them having been a good to great successes. In her mind, it was a better layout than lumping them together by the baker. The problem with that method was that most bakers only made a small amount; usually a single item, maybe two. Anything was appreciated and the donations always added up quickly. Today the donations had gotten out of control, which as Sunset pointed out, was a good thing. Some people, such as the Cakes, had boxes or bags with their store emblems or names on them. The Cakes didn't have anything else to package them in, but people would see it and trust their goods better than an unnamed one. By organizing them by type, people who were only interested in cookies could easily find all of the cookie options, without the cakes or pies getting in the way of their search.

Principal Celestia came over to Pinkie Pie. "Are you alright?" She was dressed like she always was, in a pastel pantsuit, despite it being a Saturday and summer break.

"No?" Pinkie said, unsure of the answer. "I feel like I'm going to throw up. I never saw this getting so big and I don't know how we will have enough customers to sell it all."

"Well, if anyone can problem solve that, it is you and your friends," Principal Celestia said. "I wish I had advice or wisdom to give you, but you are a master at running bake sales. I am not. You should be proud though, because this is by far the largest bake sale we have ever had at CHS and the largest I have ever personally witnessed."

Sunset joined them. "There is a decent line," she reported. "The doors open in two minutes. I don't know if the people in line will be enough or not to sell most of what we have. We have signs out front too, inviting traffic to stop by. I don't know what else to do at this moment, but I'll pass the word along to see what solutions we can come up with. In the meantime, let's get the sale started and see how things progress. We can make adjustments as needed."

"Are the goods marked as suggested prices or fixed cost?" Principal Celestia asked.

"The bigger items, like the cakes and pies, are clearly marked with suggested prices to donate for them," Pinkie explained. "The price is significantly cheaper than if you order it from a bakery. Smaller things, like the bagged cookies, are a flat price. Red stickers are fixed prices, while yellow ones are donation suggestions. A white sticker above or below a yellow one is the retail value, which is only used for the big things that people donated and when I know the rough sale price. That way people can see the discount. Everyone coming through the door is getting a paper explaining the colored price tags and the layout of the categories."

"We should pull your rock candy and give it out free to the people as they enter," Sunset added. "I know it is a switch from my earlier suggestion, but it will be a nice incentive. Door prizes always are and with how cheap they are, it isn't a big loss. It should help encourage more sales, a long-term gain for a short-term loss."

"Alright, you take care of that," Pinkie said, taking in a deep breath before letting it go. "Delegation for running an operation like this is key."

Sunset went off to pass the word around about getting more people to come and set up the door prizes. It stalled them from opening the doors by two minutes, but it was worth it as Sunset handed them out. People absolutely loved getting something free, just for showing up. It brought a smile to their face. Smiling and happy customers were more likely to buy something. It didn't matter to them that it was the cheapest item, it was a free and fun gift.

After their first group was inside and browsing, Sunset passed the job of giving out the door prizes to their two bouncers. Sunset was needed at her post. They could only handle a set number of people inside at a time. The bouncers had to keep track of the crowd inside so it didn't get too crowded.

After an hour, no one else was in line. The handful of people left were deciding what to purchase.

Pinkie pie gathered her friends while the other volunteers helped the final customers. "We have sold a quarter of our goodies. That is an optimistic estimation. Now we are out of customers. How do we get more people to come?"

"We can extend the hours," Rarity said. "That will give us time to sell more. Say Five-pm, instead of Three."

"That's a great idea, Rarity!" Pinkie exclaimed. "How do we get more people in though? Extended hours don't really help if no one shows up."

"During the lulls, I have been blasting the news all over social media," Rarity added. "Most of my followers live outside Canterlot and can't make it, but they send their good wishes for our success."

"That's good news," Pinkie said, giving Rarity a thumbs up. "Thanks for taking that initiative. Good wishes are better than bad wishes or no wishes. Anyone else?"

"The shelter already had posters and fliers up," Fluttershy said. "I don't know how they could help us any more than that, especially since we already started."

Twilight sighed. "I'd say post stuff on the bus route so people can see it, but we haven't gotten permission from the company and they don't take too kindly to unapproved ads, even short-term ones. I think that option is too late to help us, even if we risked it by putting up fliers."

"Well, that is eliminating an option, which helps narrow things down," Pinkie said, trying to stay positive.

"We should have hit up social media more," Sunset suggested. "Outside of Rarity, the bulk of our followers live in town or nearby. We can take some pictures and do that right now. We should do it on the Rainbooms' page as well, not just our personal ones."

"Let's get to it!" Pinkie declared. "Meet back here in five minutes. Rarity can take care of the Rainbooms' account."

It didn't even take them three minutes to snap the photos and post the invite to their social media accounts.

Principal Celestia joined them. Vice Principal Luna had not been present at any time during the bake sale, even when they had started setting up. Since it was a Saturday and school was on summer break, both Celestia and Luna would be off today, but someone had to be here to unlock the gym and lock it back up after they were done. Most of the faculty could have done it, but Celestia had clearly decided to do it herself. She seemed very interested in their endeavor, beyond it being the biggest bake sale in the school's history, and despite having disappeared for a while.

"How is it going?" Celestia asked.

"Not too good," Pinkie admitted. "Our first wave is over and we sold only as much as you can clearly see. We just blasted our social media accounts, again, but we should have been pushing it all week. We have no other ideas on how to get more people to show up now that it has started. I wasn't prepared to counter the fact that it isn't the school season like my other bakes sales. It's a challenge I've never faced before, but should have been thinking about and ready to overcome. I guess I was so confident we would have a lot of customers because of the huge number of donors we had."

"Bake sales can pay off, but they can be difficult to get people to do more than donate," Principal Celestia said. "You have a good set of volunteers too, so be happy about that. Often these fundraisers are understaffed, even the successful ones, which forces people to wait to pay. That is never good. You seem to have kept that process short, another positive."

Celestia's phone buzzed and she read a text message while they all chewed on her words or thought of ways to get more people to show up. They were both encouraging and discouraging words.

"We could do this again tomorrow," Applejack suggested. "Maybe use the big city park where more people are likely to stop by since they were already visiting. Everything should still be fresh."

"That's an option," Pinkie said. "I always used the school and didn't think about other possible locations. We use the school for almost everything."

"I think we need a permit," Twilight said, pulling out her phone. "I'll check." She typed away, searching for the city park. "Yeah, we do. If we had done this a week ago, we probably would have gotten permission. On a Saturday, no staff will be present in the office to give us permission."

"The school is still a good location," Celestia said. She was done with her phone and slipped it in her pocket. "At least for today. If things don't turn around by the time you are done, we can talk about doing it here, again, tomorrow. For now, you have two new customers."

The girls turned around to find an older couple coming over. They were not senior citizens, but neither were they young middle aged. A little older than most of their parents, by a decade or so.

"Welcome to the B.B.S.C.H.H,” Pinkie said, greeting them. “The Biggest Bake Sale in Canterlot High History!"

"We heard this was a fundraising event or charity," the man said. "Tell us more."

Pinkie looked at Sunset, passing the question to her. Sunset took the lead, explaining the exchange program, why they wanted to go, how hard it had been to get accepted, and finally the fundraising requirements and reasons for those requirements. She tried to keep it short and simple, but the couple was unfamiliar with foreign exchange programs. She had to explain a few things in more detail than she wanted to, which took time. They didn't seem to mind though.

"I'm an old alumnus of CHS," the man said. "It sounds like you girls are real Wondercolts. I'd like to help out. Where are the cakes and the cookies?"

Rather than going back to her assigned spot, Sunset helped them because she had been the main one to connect with them. Pinkie Pie let her take care of them as more people started to show up. She shifted everyone back to their posts and tried not to hover as the couple made their purchase, but she paid attention.

They were an interesting couple who seemed quite interested in who the girls were and like the idea of the exchange program. They donated the retail value of the cake, thanks to the wife's quick eyes and light insistence, and they bought a total of three dozen cookies. He was going to bring the cookies to his business on Monday for his employees.

Another group of six, three couples, came in and Pinkie Pie happily greeted them. They appeared to be age old friends. They also wanted to know a lot more about what was going on. Sunset was now free, so Pinkie sent the group to hear it from her since Sunset appeared to have the magic mojo. They needed the same magic to happen again.

A more constant stream of people started to come in. They helped them as quickly as possible, but most wanted to also know more about the program. Most of them were also middle aged or a little older. Sunset was busy so Pinkie Pie had Twilight give the spiel, because she could do that as concise and confidently as Sunset while also having an air of business etiquette about it. Also, because Rarity was the other person stationed at the miscellaneous goods, and Sunset was tied up, so it was better to send them to Twilight who was free. Sunset and Twilight would have to pass the mojo back and forth.

That became the new flow. If the newcomers wanted to understand what the bake sale was for, they were sent to hear either Sunset or Twilight nail the sales pitch before they decided what to buy. The two of them had the mojo to hook their listeners into wanting to help out as much as possible.

In between helping Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps who were overloaded selling cakes, Pinkie Pie noticed a group laughing and talking with Principal Celestia like they were old friends, which was possible. Celestia was an alumnus and so were a good number of the people coming to the bake sale. Luna still hasn't hadn't shown up, which was perfectly acceptable, just suspicious. It was odd to only see one of the sisters. They were constantly together, but they did deserve their off days and down time to relax.

By 1 pm, three hours after they had opened the doors, they had sold half of what they had. It was a stark contrast compared to after the first wave and before the alumni started to show up.

Dash and Applejack were greeting people at the door and watching the numbers inside. They got close to capacity, but never had to enforce the limit. The people were coming and going pretty quickly, with most spending the majority of their time talking to Sunset or Twilight, not browsing the variety of items for sale. They were people with a pretty clear idea of what they wanted.

Everything slowed down by 3pm. By that time, they had sold almost everything.

Principal Celestia approached Pinkie. "Well done, Pinkie Pie," she praised. "You not only hosted the biggest bake sale in our school's history, but one so big that it will be hard to top by anyone else. Plus, it was successful. It had a slow start, but it didn't flop."

"I don't know," Pinkie said. "I feel like something was off about the whole thing, but I can't put my finger on it."

"Well, I think it was a great success and so did the people I spoke with," Celestia said. "Your supreme organization of the products made everything efficient. The hardest part for most people was trying to decide what specifically to get, not what type of baked goods they wanted. Your organization made their search and decision a whole lot easier for them, making the experience more enjoyable. It also helped you not reach capacity again, which is another great accomplishment."

"That is true," Pinkie slowly admitted. "Something still feels off about it, but we did pull it off."

"May I make a suggestion?" Principal Celestia asked.

"Of course!" Pinkie exclaimed. "I always want to hear good feedback. It's the best way to grow as a person, but it can't help you grow taller, only smarter and wiser."

"You had a good batch of volunteers today," Celestia said. "Volunteers who made this bake sale run smoothly. I don't know the actual total for funds raised, but I think you hit your goal and probably even went past it. When you finally close, you should let the volunteers take home some of the extra stuff left over as thanks."

"Sunset said something similar before we started," Pinkie mused. "About giving them rock candy necklaces. Then we ended up using them as door prizes and quickly ran out and I made a lot of necklaces. I used like fifty pounds of sugar to grow them. Anyway, that is a great idea! If there is a cake left, I want it so I can celebrate with my friends!"

"That is fair," Celestia said with a grin.

A woman came over and greeted Celestia. Pinkie could tell they were old friends. Before she could slip away so they could talk, Celestia introduced Pinkie Pie to her friend, Lavender. She was an alumnus from the same class as Celestia. Lavender was impressed to meet the person heading up such a big fundraiser. She wished she had been able to come sooner, when the selection had been better.

She also wanted to hear about Pinkie's hopes for the exchange program, as well as what she was most concerned about. Pinkie was an open book. She was excited to go someplace new and see the sights and visit a city that was not Canterlot; one that was significantly bigger than Canterlot. As much as she loved Canterlot, she was excited to explore a new place. Pinkie was most concerned about sitting in classes and listening to Japanese all day. She was confident in her ability to talk and hold a conversation with anyone, but sitting in Japanese class for an hour, studying the language, was much different than going to school most of the day and having various subjects being taught all in Japanese.

"Those are good things to look forward to," Lavender said. "And also a wise concern. I know that school will be different, but I don't believe they would have approved you for the program if you didn't have what it took to go through each subject in Japanese, for the whole school day. They believe in you, now it is time for you to believe in yourself. Look at what you have done here today, with this bake sale. It was a huge accomplishment. I remember our bake sales and they never were even half the size of what you pulled off. Besides, as I understand it, the best way to learn a language is through immersion. You know what you need to know about the language and culture, so immersing yourself entirely in it will help you rapidly grow in your ability to use it. I think that you will quickly adapt to spending all day in school only being taught in Japanese."

"Thank you, Miss Lavender," Pinkie said, bowing to show respect like they did in Japanese class and would be while in Japan. "I appreciate the encouragement."

Pinkie slipped away to let Lavender and Celestia talk. When Lavender was done chatting, she went to Pinkie to get the rundown of what was left and help make the decision on what to get. She settled on a peach pie, the last pie left from the Cakes. She didn't pay the suggested donation price or even the retail value. She paid twenty dollars more than the retail value.

Lavender was their last customer. It was fifteen minutes past 3pm and no one else was outside or in the parking lot, so Pinkie ordered Applejack and Rainbow Dash to close the doors to officially end the bake sale.

Pinkie Pie grabbed the biggest of the last two cakes on the table, stashing it with her backpack, before she called everyone to gather around. Celestia watched from the sidelines.

"Thank you everyone for helping pull off the B.B.S.C.H.H. the Biggest Bake Sale in Canterlot High’s History!" Pinkie said, jumping with joy. "And a really big thanks to our volunteer sellers, who had no stake in this, but still chose to give up most of their day to help."

"Wondercolts forever," Sandalwood said.

"Yeah!" Bulk Biceps exclaimed.

"Do we have a final tally?" Pinkie asked.

"Yes," Micro Chips said. He had helped Twilight run the books. "You exceeded your goal by nineteen percent."

There was a round of high fives between everyone for the success of the day

"We turned it around, y'all," Applejack said. "Great job. And again, thank you to our extra hands."

"It was fun," Lyra said. "It's kind of what Sweetie Drops, Pinkie Pie, and I are known for around the school, in a good way.

"I really love helping Pinkie with bake sales," Sweetie Drops added. "I guess in the fall, any bake sales will fall to me to organize and run."

"You can do it!" Pinkie encouraged. "As a special bonus thank you to our amazing volunteers, please, help yourself to what is left over. There isn’t much left and we certainly can afford to give away the extras. I already grabbed a cake to split with my best friends, so have at it! We had just the right amount of donations to make this day a success."

Their extra volunteers thanked them and went to choose their treats.

"My place after we clean up?" Applejack asked. "We just squeezed some fresh apple juice."

Everyone agreed. Pinkie invited Principal Celestia to grab something left over before the girls did. After all, she had spent the day she had off to keep the school open for the sale. She deserved something too. Celestia chose a bag of a dozen snickerdoodles and the remaining cake. There was still some stuff left over, which the girls then split.

Cleanup was easy and quick. The tables had to be put away and the floor swept, but that was all. They hadn't made a big mess.

Since they were done, they headed to Applejack's farm. The apple juice was refreshing and the double chocolate cake from Sugarcube Corner was divine. It felt good to relax and eat after the day's success and to celebrate their first successful fundraiser event.

As they enjoyed their cake, Fluttershy paused eating and spoke up. "Did anyone else find the sale odd after the new group came?"

"In what way?" Applejack asked. "Dash and I were at the door."

"I was doing the cakes with Bulk Biceps," Fluttershy prefaced before explaining what she had observed. "Almost every sale I made with the second, older group was higher than the suggested donation price. Most were sold for the listed retail value but plenty went above it. Nothing too crazy, but they still intentionally paid more than what they were listed for. It's their right to, that is how bake sales work, but I found it odd how often it happened."

"Well, they were all alumni," Sunset said. "I think. Everyone I talked with was either with an alumnus, usually married, or they were alumni."

"Yeah, but something was off about it," Pinkie said. "I still can't put my finger on it."

"I think you are looking for where they came from," Twilight said. "I know nothing official, but like Sunset, I was talking to groups. They were the same for me, alumni or with alumni. A bunch of alumni showing up out of the blue is rather odd."

"Why's that?" Dash asked.

"Because being alumni doesn't magically mean they know what is happening at the school or about our bake sale," Twilight clarified. "Most didn't actually know more than a bake sale was happening. It's not usual for a school bake sale to have a bunch of people show up who don't have a clue about what is going on, outside of the type of fundraiser. They usually know who the fundraiser is helping and have a general knowledge about the reason for it. A lot thought it was a charity, but they didn't have a problem that it wasn't. In fact, I would say they liked it better that it wasn't for some random charity. They could see and talk to the seven of us."

"What are you saying?" Pinkie asked.

"I think with how we stalled out, that Principal Celestia mass emailed the alumni," Twilight stated. "That is the only explanation I can come up with to explain why all of them suddenly started showing up. Unless the school sends an update, most alumni have no way to keep up with current events of their old high school."

"She did seem to know a lot of them," Pinkie said.

"Okay," Applejack said with a shrug. "Why is that important?"

"It's not exactly," Twilight said. "What matters is that we made our goal and then some, which makes up a bit for our other failures. It's just trying to sort out how we did it when we had run out of options to bring in more customers."

"I wouldn't ask her about it," Sunset said. "If she wanted to share, she would have. What matters is that their arrival was the boost we needed. Sending out an email to let alumni know or even asking for their help certainly isn't against the rules. We still did our best and worked for the money we earned. She did disappear for a while, a few times. Not that I was keeping track of her or that she had to be present the whole time. Also, an email letting alumni know that we had hit a pretty bad wall explains why they were consistently paying above the suggested donation price for certain items. They had answered a call to action and were there to help a younger generation of Wondercolts out."

"Well, if she did, I'm mighty thankful for it," Applejack said. "I just did my job, watchin' the door and how many people we had inside so we didn't overload y'all."

"Same," Dash said. "If she did, that was pretty cool of her, especially since they were really pitching in to help us."

"So, what's next?" Pinkie asked.

Everyone looked at Sunset and Rarity, who had yet to lead an event. Fluttershy and Twilight had spearheaded the pet wash, Applejack and Dash organized the car wash, and Pinkie had just led the bake sale.

"Well, I have an idea," Rarity said. "Honestly, I'm not sure if it will be very profitable, but we seem to be out of ideas.”

“Tell us,” Dash encouraged.

“I could organize a fashion show,” Rarity said.

"That sounds good," Twilight said. "Definitely unique. Unique in a good way that will draw people's attention and help bring them in."

"Will you have time to do it?" Sunset asked. "We would have to do it in two weeks. We're getting close to having to send in our first payment. We don't have a lot of time."

"Darling, two weeks is more than enough time for me," Rarity said. "I have a line I have been working on, two actually, which are almost done. It would be a good time to debut them. I know some other high school and college students who are into fashion and in the area. I'll reach out to them to see if any of them are interested in showing off their designs and have the time to make or finish a line."

"Just let us know what you need us to do," Sunset said. "We can organize and set up whatever we need to for you."

"I'll get you a list tomorrow," Rarity said.

"A fashion show it is!" Pinkie declared.

"How will it raise money," Applejack asked. "I can't figure that part out."

"Oh, that's simple," Rarity said. "Probably the easiest part of the whole thing. A tried-and-true method is the show being free, but having a suggested donation price for the ticket, so to speak. People will donate what they can afford. Depending on the suggested price, some won't be able to donate that much while others will donate more. The donations will add up quickly."

"Tried-and-true sounds good," Sunset said. "I really like that method. It is flexible. Flexibility is good. It's similar to the big items in the bake sale."

"That is likely where the method developed out of," Rarity said. "I think this can work."

"Sunset, do you have an idea?" Dash asked. "You've been quiet in each planning session. You haven' even pitching a single idea for us to discuss."

"Yes," Sunset nodded. "Well, that is, I think I do. It's complicated though and might be too much. That's why I haven't said anything yet. It's all I have and I haven't solved some issues with the idea. I’ve been slowly building on it in my mind."

"What is it?" Twilight asked. "More minds to share the burden and solve those problems is a good thing."

"Well," Sunset said, dragging out the word as she weighed the pros and cons of telling everyone. If she told them, it would give them a heads up so they could work on some ideas in their head, but it also might distract them from the fashion show, which could be disastrous. "Look, I don't want to shift our focus from the fashion show. We only have two weeks to pull it off and make sure we nail the advertising this time. We can't have repeats of the car wash, pet wash, and almost the bake sale."

"We promise we’ll keep our focus on the fashion show an give it our full attention an effort," Applejack said. Pinkie made her do a Pinkie Pie swear, including the gestures.

"Alright, just so you can mull around the idea in your head if you have any spare time," Sunset said. "Like I said, it's a complicated event to correctly put together and I'm still coming up a bit short in some areas. We have a band, the Rainbooms, and I really think we should use it to put on a show. I'm talking as big of a show as we can, with more songs. We typically don’t play very long, so we would need to do a lot more. Rarity’s suggestion for the fashion show’s ticket sales is exactly what I needed to know for how to raise money with the show, so we would do that. The biggest hurdle is that this show would require us to go all out. We would need a big enough setlist to make sure people feel like they got their money's worth out of the donation they gave. It wouldn't be easy, not by a long shot."

"But we could do it," Dash said. "After all, we are the Rainbooms, champions of CHS' battle of the bands. I can't believe I didn't think of that!"

"It would be complicated," Twilight said. "A lot of moving puzzle pieces that we would have to problem solve beforehand or we will fail and embarrass ourselves. We don't want that, especially since it's a fundraiser."

"What moving pieces would we need to grab for our puzzle?" Pinkie asked. "We already have our instruments."

"For starters, we'd need some volunteers to run sound and possibly lights," Sunset explained. "That means we would need to reach out to people who know that stuff and directly ask for their help. We haven't done that yet for any of our fundraisers. When we notified people we were going to do a bake sale, people started volunteering to make stuff and some to help sell. Asking other designers to help put on a fashion show is a little different too, because they get something out of it by displaying their designs. People are free to say 'no', but we would have to ask some people with special skills to volunteer their time. They get nothing out of it, other than helping us, which some people really enjoy doing, but someone who can run sound for us might have a paying gig at the same time.

"And when I say more songs, I'm talking about a setlist of like twenty songs, to make it worthwhile for the audience. A ten song setlist is about a half hour show. That is too short. I feel like that cheats them out of their money for our purposes. For them to feel they got their money’s worth, we need to be on stage an hour and fifteen, or longer. By bigger, I mean we will have to be super energetic and pull them into the music. That is no small feat, especially with a show over double the length we have ever done. It’s going to exhaust us if we do it right."

"We don't have that many songs," Fluttershy said. "I'm not sure I could write even ten new songs in the time we have."

"We would have to cover songs from other artists," Sunset clarified. "Like the crowd pleasers that have topped the charts. We can use some of our original songs, the school favorites we already know, but to make that large of a setlist, for our small time, still relatively new band, we would need to cover other famous artists' songs. Bands do it all the time. There are whole bands that just do covers of other songs. A mix of original songs and covers would be fun for the crowd."

"Posters and fliers," Twilight added. "I agree with you about the setlist size, show length, and energy required. We would have to really, really, really work to promote it. We don't want the effort you are talking about to go to waste; to end up playing for a small crowd and not raise much, if any, money."

"We could ask for volunteer promoters," Pinkie suggested. "While we learn the songs, they could make sure everyone in Canterlot knows. And I mean everyone in Canterlot."

"That is a good idea," Sunset said. "We would have to work out promotional materials for them to use if we are going to that scale. Maybe a poster making day?”

"A theme," Rarity said. "We would need a theme and outfits to match it, which would obviously fall to me to make. The theme should be on the posters too."

"Family friendly would be nice," Applejack pitched. "Also not goin' too late for the families with young kiddos who can't stay up too late. They would have to leave early and we don't want that. I'm thinking we'd want to provide a show that can be considered quality family time, while also bein' enjoyable for all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life. If we cast a wider net, we'll catch more fish."

"A summer community event would be a good promotional pitch too," Fluttershy said. "Along with the family friendly part. It would be nice to reach a wide audience, not just our fellow students."

“I did say everyone in Canterlot out loud, right?” Pinkie asked. “Because that includes families and all other kinds of people, not just CHS students.”

"Yes, Pinkie, you did," Sunset said with a laugh. "We just were clarifying the demographics we would target with our advertising. Like I said at the start, a musical show would be a complex operation. We need to focus on the fashion show first and give that our energy. If we need to, we go big on the show."

"Not to be a raincloud on a sunny day, but we will need it," Applejack said. "We failed two of our fundraisers. I'm not sure any fashion show we can organize could make up for that. Not like we need it to. The music show probably ain’t gonna cut it either. We’ll need more if we want to raise the full cost of the program."

"I'll certainly give the fashion show a run for…" Rarity paused to think for a moment. "I was going to say a run for its money, but that doesn't quite work for a fundraiser. You all know what I mean."

"Fashion show fundraiser first," Sunset said. "That's the plan for our focus."

Everyone agreed.

July 10 - Creating Chords

The morning after the fashion show, the girls rallied at Pinkie Pie's house. It was looking like it would be a slow Sunday, which wasn't entirely bad, considering how hard they had worked on the fashion show. A day of rest, calmly planning the next fundraising move, was a welcomed relief. The fashion show was a success, however, it was a minor one. No one was celebrating. The show only brought in twenty percent of what their event goal was. It had gone smoothly and been a good show, with seven lines from four designers, but they learned a hard truth; while it was for a good cause, most people were not interested in attending a fundraising fashion show.

Tomorrow was the deadline for their first installment for the foreign exchange program. Between the bake sale and the fashion show, they had just enough to cover it. The first installment was for twenty-five percent of the cost for the program. They still had to raise twenty-five more to meet the fundraising minimum. They were running out of ideas to bring in the money they needed to raise, let alone their personal goal to fully fundraise their time in Japan.

As they sat around the dining room table to plan, Rarity opened her laptop. She had launched their joint social media account, “Wondercolts in Japan,” the week prior. Because they each had pushed it out on their own social media accounts, almost, if not all, of the CHS student body was already following the account. They had picked up over a thousand followers in a week, which was a lot more people than they had in the school. Rarity really wanted to use the platform to also push out information about upcoming fundraiser events. Using the account to publish those updates would help their followers to remember to keep an eye on the account so they didn't miss anything the girls posted while in Japan.

It took only seconds, once they started discussing it, for the seven of them to reach a consensus. They would put their energy into a music show, like Sunset had pitched two weeks prior. Since it was her idea and she hadn't organized an event, it was up to her to be its organizer. She had “lead” on this fundraiser. As much as she would need a consensus at times, especially for big decisions, Sunset knew there would be times when she would have to make executive decisions.

Time was now against the girls for raising enough money. The earliest they thought they could be ready for a show, knowing that they would need to learn more songs, was three weeks. They settled on a Saturday for the event. Rarity worked out the post. It was going to be just the basics.

NEXT FUNDRAISER:
EVENT: The Rainbooms will put on the biggest and longest show they ever have performed.
COST: “Free,” using a "donate what you can" policy for the tickets. The suggested donation per ticket TBD.
DATE: Saturday July 30 – Evening – specific time TBD

Everyone approved of it and Rarity posted it.

They started to go back over what they had been throwing around after the bake sale. They quickly all agreed with Applejack's suggestion to make it an event that was family friendly and wouldn't go too late. That way, families could attend the concert for a fun evening together, getting in important quality family time, and parents with younger children wouldn't have to worry about leaving early to meet bedtimes. The end time was set at 8pm. Making it family friendly also meant that parents wouldn't have to worry about any of the songs having inappropriate content for children. It still meant they could have plenty of fun, they just had to be wise about their song choices. The other goal they settled on was to make the concert available to everyone as a community event. The wider the net they cast, the more people who would hopefully attend, which would drive up their donations.

The next step was to sort the moving pieces required to run the concert. Once they knew the roles they needed, they could approach people with the correct skills. The open laptop chimed. The joint account had a direct message sent to it. Rarity went to read it as Sunset's phone buzzed. It was a text from Flash Sentry.

Hey, the rumor is that the Rainbooms are putting on a fundraiser concert. The band agreed and Flash Drive is available for the posted date to be a supporting act, if you need us!

Sunset sat there, rereading it a few times. She couldn't believe the offer. They hadn't really given out any information and they hadn't posted the update that long ago. Their conversation had been slow because they were tired, but not even a half hour had passed since Rarity had posted that little bit on the joint account. Flash most likely didn’t have any of the other’s number, but it was interesting that he chose to text her, rather than DM the account. Texting was more direct.

The laptop started chiming nonstop. Everyone looked at Rarity. Her eyes were wide in panic. She looked at them as her laptop kept chiming.

"We are getting a flood of inquiries about helping out for the concert," Rarity explained, trying to not panic. "They just keep coming in. I don't know who to answer first!"

"We don’t have to answer their messages right away,” Twilight said. "Even if that is the instinct. First we should finalize the roles we need to make this work. Once we have that list, we can start to reply with our specific needs, and put names by those roles.”

Applejack got a text. "Uh, yeah, about that. The Crusaders want to try being 'roadies.' I don't think they know exactly what a ‘roadie’ is."

"Stagehands might be useful," Sunset said. "Also, Flash Sentry texted me, saying Flash Drive is available to be a supporting act, if we wanted them."

"Say yes," Dash exclaimed, almost begging. "Having another band playing with us will help give us that length you want, plus it will feel more like a full concert, not a music show. If you go to see anyone play, the headline act usually has two supporting acts that each play for a half hour or so first."

"Speaking of supporting acts," Rarity said. "I have a message from Trixie. Trixie and the Illusions are also offering to be a supporting act."

"Then this just went from a show, to a concert," Sunset said, not needing to think any further on it. "Like Dash just said, a real concert has two supporting acts. If we want to give the audience the best we've got, we can't turn down their offers."

"Replying and accepting," Rarity said.

Sunset typed a response to Flash, officially accepting their offer and thanking them. She added that more details the band would need to know would be sent as soon as they had worked them out. Flash's response was a thumbs up emoji.

Sunset made the next executive decision. "AJ, tell the Crusaders they are officially our roadies slash stagehands, since we are not going on the road." The Crusaders were little sisters of two of the Rainbooms' members and a de facto sister of a third. She couldn't say 'no' to their reasonable request.

"I've got another good one," Rarity said. "Vinyl Scratch wants to run the sound for the concert, but she has to do it as DJ-PON3."

"Absolutely!" Sunset exclaimed. "We need a sound technician. She is who I had in mind to ask."

"Replied!" Rarity said as she continued to screen who was sending messages to them.

“This is faster than expected, but good,” Sunset said. “Our volunteers are ahead of us, we are tired, but we can push through and do this. What other special roles do we need to pull this off?”

"Lights," Dash said. "And someone watching our timing. That is even more important now that we have supporting acts. They could also manage the stagehands, like ensuring they are ready to move stuff on and off stage as bands switch. Really, we need a show director, someone we can set the plan with and then give them the authority to run it for us. They would coordinate all of the moving parts; lights, sound, stagehands, the acts, and everything else.”

"Got the lights," Rarity said. "Micro Chips is volunteering his expertise with anything technology related that we might need help with."

"Tell him we are glad to have him on board," Sunset said. "To at least run the lights. Also that Vinyl has the sound covered. Now, what else?"

"Posters," Twilight said. "Posters and fliers. If we have any digital artists offering to help, we need to take them up on it. The more professional the promotion material looks, the more it will catch people's eye and convince them to come."

"Good call," Sunset said. "Speaking of posters, it sounds like we have a lot of people who are volunteering who may not be the most well suited for what we need during the concert. Two weeks ago, Pinkie floated the idea of having promoters. If we have people promoting for us in the weeks, really days it’s so close, leading up to the concert, we can focus more on learning the new songs we have to. It’s an invaluable role, albeit probably not what they have in mind."

“It doesn’t have to be on a set schedule,” Pinkie added. “It can be whenever they are free.”

“Flexibility is good,” Dash said.

"That brings up the theme question," Rarity said. "Having one is a wise idea. For the supporting acts, 'family friendly community event' should be all they need. I really don't care about what they wear and honestly, I don't think I will have time to make them anything."

"We need to focus our efforts on learning the new music," Sunset said. "We don't have long, so anyone volunteering we need to snatch up to help relieve anything we can from our shoulders. We have some time today before we need to respond to most of their inquiries, so let's use it to make sure we have the details ironed out as much as possible before we let them know what we need."

"Anyone got a theme?" Applejack asked.

Fluttershy slowly raised her hand. She had been quiet all morning. She hadn’t even spoken a word, only nodding in agreement a few times. Sunset had figured it was because she was tired. They all were.

"Yes, Fluttershy," Sunset said, calling on her shy friend. It felt weird to call on her, like Sunset was the teacher and Fluttershy was an elementary student, but she had politely raised her hand, leaving Sunset no other option.

"I've been thinking about themes since you first pitched the concert," Fluttershy explained. "I couldn't help it. The best one I came up with directly ties in with why we are even doing this fundraiser in the first place. It's simple too, only one word. The theme is 'Japan'."

Rarity perked up, ignoring the laptop, which was still occasionally chiming. "That is an interesting proposal. It's loose, yet refined. Very appropriate too. When you said it, I instantly saw Japan's national flag flash in my mind, which gave me ideas for white outfits, accented with red. It's a good patronage to the country's flag. One of us needs to be the accent to the rest of us. I'm afraid that with seven of us, too much white on stage will wash us out as a band because of how bright the stage lights are. I can reduce that possibility with the accents on the clothes, but we need someone to offset the other six in white by running the colors in reverse."

"I'll do it!" Pinkie said.

"You are already separated from us because you are on the drums," Rarity replied while thinking it over. "Making you the accent member isn't a bad idea. Depending on how long we actually make this setlist, we might be able to get a wardrobe change in. I know, I know, a wardrobe change means more work for me when I already have so much on my plate."

"That's not a bad idea," Sunset said. "If we can work it in, yes. The crowd would love it. We will need to ensure we have good pacing to play as long as we are planning. We are used to putting out a lot of energy over a short setlist, but we will need to calm down at points to rest while still performing. Sliding a break into our setlist would be beneficial, but I don't want downtime where no one is on stage."

"Maybe a supporting act could come back out for a few songs?" Dash proposed.

"Or," Applejack said, preparing her counter proposal. "Since we are the headline act, most people, if not all of 'em, will have purchased their tickets by the time we get on stage. We'll be able to know how much we raised. Someone could update everyone on how we did."

"That's better," Twilight said. "By doing an update, it gives the audience members a second chance to donate if we don't hit our goal. We have never had the opportunity for people to go back and donate more in any of the other events. Well, the fashion show, but not many people showed up.

“Fundraising ventures often give an update to the people present. Since it is our break, we need to be sure that we trust whoever comes out to talk. They need to build everyone up, thanking them for us. That is really important if we are short on reaching our goal. We don't want to make people feel bad, especially if they couldn’t match the suggested donation we set. That would discourage everyone from donating a second time.

“Something I observed from working ticket sales last night, we need to have some form of visual aid at the table to gauge the goal we have set for the fundraiser. The other fundraisers didn’t have a place to make use of it until last night. It would help people visualize what their donation is doing, compared to our goal, as they are deciding how much they can donate for the ticket. If it could be brought on stage to show the crowd the tallied progress that would be even better.”

“Thermometer,” Applejack said. “It’s used all the time for fundraisers and it's easy to see cause it's red.”

"Then we go with that," Sunset said with a nod. "Keep it simple. About the donation update, who do we trust to do that and also makes sense to be able to speak for us?"

"I know who I trust," Fluttershy said, speaking up this time instead of raising her hand. Sunset nodded to her to continue. "We have a lot of great faculty at CHS, but out of them all, I really trust Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna. They have been watching us closely as we fundraised and were involved in the discussion with the committee about each of us for the exchange program. They have been very supportive too. They also have been taking care of what we earn. I know it is required by the program, but they have been very involved in the entire process. I would even say more involved and attentive than they have to be and more than they typically are in school organization fundraisers. They know the seven of us well and could easily speak for us. The crowd would trust them too.”

"Celestia did come in on a Saturday to open the school and chaperone the bake sale," Pinkie said. "Any faculty member with keys could have done that. She was very helpful at times and also very encouraging to me when I needed it. She mostly watched from the sidelines, but I felt like she wanted to do more than just watch."

"They would be appropriate people to speak for us," Twilight said. "When I state that, I'm not factoring in the requirement for the school to take charge of the funds we raise. That is a separate matter; a smart logistical failsafe, so we don't accidentally do something stupid with the money. The cost is high for one person, it's a lot of money to hold onto, but even more so for seven friends working together. The school’s account is much more logical and safer. The point is, as our school principals, that makes them the optimal people to give that type of announcement."

Twilight started to write something in the notebook she had but then stopped. "Another thing to consider. We have always had extra hands during an event, allowing one of us to receive the donations. This time, all seven of us will need to be backstage. If we ask them to also work the ticket booth, they could directly accept the donations, making control of money per the rules easier to maintain. Plus, anyone who is considering donating more than the suggested amount will be more likely to do so because an adult is accepting the donations for us. They will be seen as mature and trustworthy, while one of us, or another student volunteering, would not be seen to the same degree of maturity and trustworthiness. It's a good, subtle message to send and possibly will coax some higher donations out of people. We already saw at the bake sale that alumni are willing to drop some good money to support us, and interestingly enough, Celestia was there and visible. She wasn’t at the other events.

"I'm working out the math right now for the optimal prices we would need to set to make our goal, the other half we technically have to raise, not the full cost of the program."

“Oh!” Rarity exclaimed with sudden inspiration, clapping. “We could give them an actual ticket when they donate. It could have the information needed to follow the joint account. Big and bold so they can’t miss it. It could be the sole purpose of the ticket. Also, at some point in the night, we could announce it to ensure they absolutely know about it, probably during the update.”

“That’s a great idea,” Twilight said. “Everyone has smartphones, so they could do it right away if they wanted to. The account connects us with donors. We need to make sure we are constantly updating it while in Japan. At least daily because there are seven of us. It doesn’t even have to be a particularly special update, just the stuff we are doing, experiencing, and especially anything ‘Japanese’ we don’t have here in Canterlot. Even the most mundane things in Japanese culture are foreign and therefore almost assuredly exciting to those following us.”

“We can absolutely update it at least daily,” Dash said. “We also should snap and post pictures of us getting ready for the concert, so people don’t see a dead page. Having a history is a good thing to show our commitment to posting.”

"Twilight mentioned alumni," Sunset said, shifting the topic so she didn’t forget to bring up her thoughts. "I'll check with Principal Celestia tomorrow to see if we can send a mass email to them, inviting them to come out if they are available. Or if she will send it for us. As long as a well written email goes out with the invitation, that is what matters."

"I like the email plan," Applejack said. "Anything we can do to promote the concert is good. We saw what they were willin' to do at what appeared to be a spur of the moment notice. If they had more of a heads up, more alumni would probably be able to attend."

Fluttershy spoke up. “All of the big donors for the animal shelter are older. I’ve met many of them. Their kids are grown up and their longer careers have moved them into higher pay positions. With more income and no kids at home, they can finally give to the shelter like they always wanted to. They are the demographic typically capable of donating more to fundraisers and where we could make up for our failures.”

Fluttershy let out a tired sigh. “At the bake sale, selling to the alumni, I learned that they liked having a way to easily connect their money to who and what it was going to. They saw it sort of like an investment into our lives. The social media account will easily allow them to stay connected with that investment. As Twilight pointed out, there are seven of us, so we should be able to update everyone daily, which will really make them feel connected to their donation. Dash made a good point about ensuring we don’t have an account that looks dead by the time of the concert.”

"Well said, Fluttershy," Applejack said. “A family of four has to buy four tickets, compared to the older alumni who have to buy one or two. People are more willing to donate more when they have to buy less.”

“Those are good points,” Sunset said. "I think people will struggle to put a value on the concert that they can translate into a donation, especially if they don’t know us or our skill. To fix that, we need to make sure the crowd knows three things. First, that we really just want to have everyone come out and give what they can. Second, that we value the donations equally. And third, that we are going to give them our absolute best.”

“Larger donors will balance out those who can't donate the suggested amount for whatever reason,” Twilight said. “Besides, I am certain CHS, from time to time, sends requests to the alumni asking for donations. That is pretty common for schools to do. It's really no different than what we are hoping to do, except they get to see and know the exact student their donation is going to. Oh, and they get the show out of it. Most donation requests to alumni don’t come with anything. It’s about school pride and keeping the traditions going."

Rarity interrupted with an important update. "We just got a message from the digital arts club at CHS asking if there is anything they can do! I’m already starting the conversation with them about what we are thinking and our theme. I know you are doing the math still, but I think it would be beneficial to list the suggested price on our fliers and maybe the posters. Those might be better off with something like 'donate what you can, but free to attend'."

"Keep on that," Sunset said to Rarity. "We don't have a lot of time for them to put stuff together. I know art takes time and we all want to see them help us with their unique talents, but we are very short on time."

"It's the whole club," Rarity added. "Which, if I recall correctly, is eight members, maybe nine, to split the work between. They said turnaround time for the poster is two days max, so tomorrow since it is still early, at least for the first design. I'm talking through some design aspects with them and making sure we highlight what we need to, like the family friendly attitude, the end time, and our supporting acts. They seem to have a similar vision as I do." Her laptop dinged with another message. "Oh, they just suggested starting with the fliers, which are quicker to design and that will make it easier for them to step up to the poster and have it match our vision on the first go. The fliers can have the details, while the posters will need to run the highlights."

"I don't actually have a vision for the posters," Applejack stated. “Or the fliers.”

Sunset shrugged to her cowgirl friend, to let her know she wasn't the only one unable to see the vision Rarity was crafting.

"So, who do we have onboard so far?" Dash asked. "And what are they doing? It's getting strung out. I'm tired and losing track."

"Me too," Pinkie added, yawning.

"No worries," Sunset said as Twilight handed her the list she had been keeping. "We could all use the recap. We have DJ-PON3 on sound, Micro Chips on lights, the Crusaders as stagehands, Flash Drive and Trixie and the Illusions as supporting acts. The graphics club is going to be designing the fliers and posters we will use to promote the concert. We are hoping to get Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna to do two things that night: work the ticket table and also give the crowd an update on how well we reached our goal as we switch sets and take a short break. Also, we are going to ask if we can contact the alumni to invite them to come out. And by we, I mean me, since I’m lead."

"We have a lot of the moving parts covered," Applejack said. " Any other critical ones missing?"

"Yeah, one," Sunset said. "A director for the show. They need to balance the timing for the acts, lights, sound, presenters, and direct the stagehands. Between the three bands, I'm certain the CMC will be critical."

"Another question," Applejack said. "Where are we hosting the concert?"

"Dang it!" Sunset groaned, putting her head in her hands. She knew she was skipping something important. She was tired, everyone was tired, and today was supposed to be planning the simple stuff, like the venue and theme, while they recharged. The explosion of support from the announcement post had changed everything from light planning into work.

"I know!" Pinkie exclaimed. She whipped out her laptop and began typing away. "Just as I suspected," she finally said. "It is available. Very suspicious. The Canterlot Amphitheater, where the battle of the bands finale took place, is available to be booked for the thirtieth. It’s in a good location for people from all over the city to attend. It’s a Sunday, so no one is in the office today, but we can reserve it right now, online. All we need is a deposit of fifty bucks."

Despite how casual she had been about the deposit, it was clear Pinkie Pie didn’t have that much in her account. No one spoke for a minute. No one dared to make the first admission about their finances.

Dash finally broke the silence. "We have been spending a lot of money on stuff for the fundraising events. I don't have that much in my account. I'm guessing they don't allow us to split the cost between a few cards?"

"Nope!" Pinkie replied, still not worried about the deposit.

"I'm almost out," Fluttershy said.

"Tapped out," Rarity said. She let out a heavy sigh. "I'm going to have to borrow from my parents, again, to make our show outfits. It won't be a problem; I borrow from them all the time to cover the cost of materials. I usually make four times more than the loan in sales and pay them back with interest. They are nice about it and supportive, but I do hate borrowing from them. Apparently, a lot of small businesses are forced to borrow money each quarter, just so they can afford the stock for the next quarter, and then sell it to pay off the loan, only to have to turn around and borrow again because they are out of stock and money. That’s fine for when I am on my own, it’s business, but with my parents, I feel like I am taking advantage of them."

No one knew how to support Rarity. She was most likely being accidentally extra dramatic about the situation because she was so tired. With her added talk about business, they were left without any idea what their fashionista friend needed for support.

Applejack finally moved them on with a shrug, "I’m dryer than a desert well."

Sunset sighed. Her account was well below the deposit cost too. "Not enough either."

Twilight stopped writing and grabbed her backpack. She pulled out her wallet and wordlessly gave Pinkie Pie a silver card. Twilight went back to writing like nothing had happened.

"Wait, this is a credit card!" Pinkie exclaimed after examining it closely.

"So?" Twilight asked, not stopping her work.

"Well…how do you have one?" Pinkie asked. "Also, why do you have one? You’re not an adult. Right?"

Twilight sighed as she paused her calculations. "I’m not an adult, but my parents are. They got it for me a while ago. It's for emergencies. Like everyone, I don't have much left in my checking account. I think this situation counts as an emergency. We need the amphitheater if we are to pull this concert off properly. I can justify it to them if I need to. 'Emergency' is a term that can allow for some looser interpretations. I'll have to tell them when I get home, because I don't want them to be surprised when they get the bill, however, in all the time I have had the card, I have never once used it."

Sunset almost laughed. She could tell that Twilight was extra annoyed. She wanted to do the important calculations they needed and she didn’t like being interrupted in the middle of her work. What annoyed her even more was having to explain the credit card.

"Okay," Pinkie said, shrugging as she let it all go. She began to type in the information into her computer. "And it's ours!" Pinkie exclaimed. "From six in the morning to midnight. That will be plenty of time to set up and tear down."

"That's great," Sunset said, relieved that they had made it over that hurdle. "Alright, any other key logistics we are missing?"

“Speakers,” Dash said. “Like, big ones. Our amps won’t cut it at that venue. And we may need longer cables than what we have.”

“Included with the amphitheater,” Pinkie explained. “Also, included are mics, stands, soundboard, lights, and switchboard. What do you think the school used for the battle of the bands?”

“That solves that,” Dash said. “Anything else?”

"Is there anyone else of immediate importance for unique skill sets who has contacted us?" Sunset asked, clearly asking Rarity.

Rarity sighed. "The graphics team is running a sketch up right now for the fliers. I've got at least twenty more new DMs I haven’t looked at, plus people commented on our post. Plenty were just excited over the update, others were asking how they could help. I think we have everyone, but the graphics club will need an open line as they work."

"Okay," Sunset nodded.

“What exactly are they doing?” Dash asked. “We don’t have your vision.”

“We discussed the theme, so they know what they are working with,” Rarity explained. “And they know what we are going to try to do for promoting the concert. I know they have split up the work and that colors, font, sizing, layout, and such all are different layers and pieces they will design separately and then simply snap together for the finished product. Color Wheel, their president, is working on a ‘Rainbooms’ name graphic. That’s all I really know.”

“Are we doing anything more than just the colors for our theme?” Fluttershy asked.

“No,” Rarity said. “They thought it was best, and I agree, if we don’t unveil the theme of our concert until that night. We need to push the concert and fundraising, not splash images of Japan. Most people won’t understand why it's there if we and the music are the focus. We don’t want to confuse them or drive them away because of a miscommunication through the design of our flier.”

“We cannot confuse people with the posters,” Sunset said with a nod. “I trust them and their expertise and you, Rarity. Keep on it as they update you. In the meantime, we have a few volunteer positions to fill. I think we just need someone to direct the concert’s timing and the promoters. The promotion team doesn't have a size limit or any special qualifications."

"We probably could use a few more stagehands," Dash added. "They can easily wind up split up from each other and find themselves on the wrong side of the stage, especially when they are inexperienced. Not that I would necessarily do any better. Three can run out really fast since there are seven of us on stage."

"Now that you mention it," Rarity said, turning back to her laptop. "Snips and Snails both contacted me about helping. Let me read their messages." They waited patiently for Rarity’s update. "Yes, both want to help somehow during the concert. I don't think they would make good members of the promotion team, but they probably could handle being stagehands. At least as well as the Crusaders. They all are young, energetic, and willing to try just about anything, but they often rush when they shouldn't, and they get a bit clumsy because of it. If they just slowed down, they would not be so clumsy."

"The director also has to be someone that they would respect," Sunset said. "Someone who can slow them all down and help them be professionals."

Rarity looked back at her computer. "You know," she mumbled as she checked the messages. "Yes!" Rarity exclaimed. "Octavia Melody asked in the comments if her concert expertise was needed. It is all classical music, but she has more stage experience than the seven of us combined. I am certain she knows how things need to be coordinated between the stage crew and the acts, and she should be able to lead inexperienced stagehands.”

"Send her a direct message, asking if that is something she is confident doing," Sunset said. "Make sure to add who the stagehands are, so she knows who she would be in charge of. I can understand it if she doesn’t think she could juggle their needs with the rest of her job. We might need a separate manager just for the stagehands, but hopefully not."

Rarity typed away with impressive speed and then they heard the sound of the DM being sent.

"I also just thought about my fellow Wondertones singers, Torch Song and Toe-Tapper," Rarity said. "Neither of them has reached out yet, it still is early, but if Octavia isn't available, one of them might be."

"Alright, then we have two backups we can ask," Sunset said.

Pinkie Pie's mother, Cloudy Quartz, came into the dining room. She was wearing a green plaid skirt and matching top. She had a tray with mugs on it and a few other things. "I know you girls have all been working hard and running on little sleep.” She set the tray down as close to the center of them as she could. "I brought you all coffee, with sugar cubes and cream available to suit your individual tastes.."

Cloudy Quartz departed to let them continue. They all grabbed mugs and mixed in their desired amount of cream and sugar, or none in some cases. Pinkie Pie also decided to suck on sugar cubes.

"I don't have a plan for music just yet," Sunset prefaced. "I really want to hear your thoughts for the setlist, but I do have a vision for the concert as a whole. I want us to smoothly transition from one song to another, without there being a full stop of all the instruments. I want something to be logically playing at all times the Rainbooms are on stage. I think it looks and feels better when the music flows like that. It might add a fair bit of extra work and burn some more energy, but I think it will be worth it."

"I don't like full stops either," Twilight said as she slipped on her coffee. It was almost as white as the cream. "I understand why bands have to do it, but if we can run transitions, even just a few strums of a guitar to keep it going while everyone sets up for the next song, that would be great. You set the goal of us doing a performance bigger and better than anything we had done before, and smooth transitions with no downtime fits the bill. The little details like that matter when you go big. It would really give the crowd a different energy vibe from us. A positive, energetic vibe that there is no stopping us."

Applejack was in agreement. Fluttershy was neutral since she didn’t play a major instrument. Rainbow Dash didn't think it mattered and didn't want the extra work. For someone who loved a challenge, Dash could be really lazy at the most random times. Pinkie Pie had no opinion. She could keep playing or stop. A drummer could do a lot to create great transitions. She just needed to know what to do: play or not. Rarity was engrossed in something on her computer, typing a response to someone.

Applejack's phone buzzed. She checked her texts. "The Crusaders are asking if Babs can also be a roadie."

"Yes," Sunset nodded. "Tell them yes, but also point out we are using the term stagehand since we are not going on the road."

"I already said it a few times, but I'll do it again," Applejack said while she typed. "That gives us six stagehands."

"Six is good," Sunset said. “Trixie’s band has three total and the Flash Drive's are four. For us, six stagehands would almost give us one for each Rainboom, which would probably work out if someone split their responsibility between Fluttershy and Twilight, although I’m not sure what the two of them would need. Also, I know Pinkie will have a stock of sticks with her kit in case she breaks one, so I don’t know if a designated stagehand would be beneficial for her."

“Mics could go out,” Dash said. “Either needing a new one or a simple battery swap. Depending on what Rarity has us in, a possible wardrobe malfunction. Fluttershy’s tambourine could break. Those are not as cheap as people think. The point is, stuff can go wrong, but six should be more than enough. Unless Pinkie breaks a drum head or worse, I break a string.”

"That’s why you bring your old guitar," Applejack said. "As a backup to easily switch. If Pinkie breaks a drum head there ain’t nothin any of us can do about it. Except her, being careful.”

“Hey,” Pinkie Pie shrugged. “I’ve only busted one and it was during a practice. I was in the process of replacing it anyway. All my current drum heads are solid.”

“Except we’ll be doin’ a lot of practicin’ in between now an then,” Applejack pointed out. “Also, there really is a lot for people to do for us during the show, isn't there? We ain't just filling slots."

"We are not just filling slots," Sunset confirmed. "I've been thinking through this plan since before we all were accepted. It started out really small, like us in the gym with just our amps, but I slowly continued to build the frame into the massive project it has become. I got the frame finished on my own. Now, together we are putting the walls and roof on this house of music and decorating it. Which I guess we already have the decorations planned with Fluttershy's theme."

"Ah yes," Rarity said with a content sigh. "I can see our outfits now. Color coordinated, while also reflecting the person wearing it. The white and red on Japan’s flag is bold. The white makes for a great base that really pops the red, even small bits of trim. And Pinkie Pie being in all red with white accents to contrast us will be the cherry on top."

"Can I wear a hat?" Pinkie asked. "The stage lights can be blinding. I need to be able to see what I am hitting."

"I can add a red hat to your ensemble," Rarity said with a nod.

"I've got some ideas to trick out my drum kit to match the theme," Pinkie added. "It's still its original blue. I’ll have something better for the show.”

"Speaking of that," Sunset said as she grabbed her phone. "I should update Flash Sentry, and we also need to notify Trixie, about their theme, to confirm the location, and let them know about the other supporting act."

“On it,” Rarity said, turning back to her laptop.

Sunset typed the message to Flash and sent it. She sipped on her coffee as she looked around at her friends. This was getting exciting. It was still early in the day and they hadn’t even started planning their setlist.

Rarity was once again typing on her computer, responding to someone. Sunset felt like she should say something, to keep the planning session rolling, but she was tired. It was okay to take a moment to breathe and adjust after the explosion of support.

Sunset got a response back from Flash.

Sounds great! I love our theme and the family idea. That is a great goal for the concert. I know a lot of the families in my neighborhood will appreciate it and I’ll spread the word. Flash Drive is looking forward to playing with both bands and to seeing the Rainbooms’ special theme. You will get Flash Drive’s best.

"Alright," Twilight said, sitting upright. "I've done the calculations and I think I've found the optimal donation suggestions, with two other possibilities. Thankfully, the website gave the number of people the amphitheater could accommodate. I've stuck to whole numbers and easy ones for donations. That way, cash, check, or card, people will easily be able to remember the cost and calculate their final tally if they need more than one ticket. Honestly, thank goodness for portable card readers that can turn a regular smartphone into a cash register and for the school having some the student organizations can borrow.”

"Hit us with it," Sunset said, suddenly getting nervous. The volunteers were important, very important, but setting the "price" would likely dictate the turnout and the turnout would certainly impact their donations. They had to have a good turnout to meet their fundraising goals. They had learned that the hard way last night at the fashion show.

Twilight explained her methods as she flipped her notebook around for them to read. "For simplicity's sake, I used 'price' in my calculations. You all know what I mean when I say 'price'. Also, these calculations are assuming everyone pays the same amount.

"I'll start with what I think is the least favorable of viable solutions. If we set the price at twenty, to reach our goal for the evening, we only need to fill the amphitheater to thirty-five percent of its capacity. That is the lowest number of people attending out of the three options. In the middle with a price of fifteen a ticket, we need to fill up the amphitheater to fifty percent capacity. The most optimal, in my opinion, is also probably the riskiest. With a price of ten a ticket, we need to get the amphitheater to seventy percent capacity."

"It's a tradeoff," Rarity said. "A gamble with real stakes. We could win big or we may go home broke. The higher price means we have an easier quota to hit, however the higher price will also be harder to entice people to come. On the other side, the headcount quota is harder to achieve, but the price is more enticing and obtainable for people, which hopefully will increase the number of people who come to attend."

"This is all based on everyone paying the same price," Twilight reminded them. "You are right, Rarity, it is a gamble. All of this is a gamble. The question really is, ‘to the average person we want to attract, how much do you think we are worth?' Yes, it is a fundraiser, but we are not a famous band. Canterlot is large city. Many people who don’t have a connection to CHS haven’t heard of us, so they don’t know our skill, or the supporting acts. Fundraiser shows are great and they can attract people to attend just to help out, but it all comes back to the same question, ‘do they think we are worth the price we are setting for ourselves?’”

"How we set up the posters and fliers will impact that too," Sunset said. "We will probably want to put the names of our supporting acts on them, somehow, making it easy for people to catch at a glance while not overpowering our name or the suggested donation price. We also need to, somehow, promote the community and family friendly atmosphere. We can leave that for the artists to spatially solve as they lay it all out. By promoting our supporting acts, we will make more people feel like they are getting their money's worth, since they get to see three bands perform, not one. I'm really excited and grateful to have them joining us. They are fleshing this whole event out for us in a way we never could do ourselves."

"So am I," Dash said. "It’s a real concert thanks to them. To cut to the chase, I think we gamble hard and go cheap. People can donate more, they know that, and I think we will get more people donating above the ticket price if we keep it lower. Yeah, we have to put more butts in the seats and the amphitheater is big, but I think we can do it."

"I gotta agree with Dash," Applejack said. "Lower price, more for their buck, and no matter how we slice the price pie, it's up to us to ensure that we get enough butts in the seats. Us and our volunteers. This also doesn't calculate what we know and the audience won’t; exactly what we are going to do to rock their world. They ain’t necessarily gonna know we are doin big and long, just our best. Not knowin’ our plans adds hidden value to each ticket. That's a good thing. If we hit our goal, or heavens to Betsy if we surpass it by a good margin, we are going to want that hidden value as extra thanks.”

"That is a good point, AJ," Sunset said. "That hidden value is important. We need to ensure that people know we are going to rock as hard as we can for their enjoyment, that puts butts in seats, but we also want to have a good amount of hidden value in the tickets to give them that extra thanks, no matter where we land on donations. I also think ten is our best strategy."

"I think we can market it as being a great value, but not cheap," Rarity said. "People don’t want cheap live music, they want live music at a great value that doesn’t hurt their wallets. As long as we convey that in our promotion strategy, I too think we are better off with the price at ten."

"Okay," Fluttershy nodded. "I was thinking ten before you all made those arguments. They are all good points, very good points, but it's not how I see the question. I don't want people to turn away because they feel obligated to pay more than they can afford or want to pay. With a goal of it being a community event that is family oriented, we need to look to our lowest financially capable demographics to set the price. That is families and students. To get them in seats, our strongest move is ten."

"Well said, Fluttershy," Twilight said as everyone looked at Pinkie Pie.

Their drummer was sucking on yet another sugar cube. She shrugged to them. "I'm the drummer. My sole opinion is whatever lets me hit things as loud as I can while keeping you all timed correctly for the songs. I get to do that at whatever price we set."

"Well,” Sunset shrugged. “We already were at six votes for ten. That will be the price.”

Rarity's computer chimed. As she went to look at the sender of the new message, she asked her question. "Should I update the info or make a new post with the suggested donation price? Or leave it where it’s at, no update yet?"

"Do a new post and also edit the other one," Sunset decided. "Let's start pushing the price and location out now, so that while we are waiting for fliers and posters, people can spread the word verbally."

Rarity made a new post, updated the previous post, and finally looked at the new message. It was from Octavia. She was very happy to join the stage crew as the director and felt confident in handling the stagehands. Rarity announced the good news to everyone.

"I guess we should sort out the promoter team," Applejack said. "I know we are waitin' on the digital graphics club for materials, but I'm afraid that if we don't do it now, before we tackle the setlist, we’ll forget. We should get the team psyched up to help us as soon as possible, so they can mentally start to plan out how to execute everythin’ as they’re waitin’ for the posters and fliers. Then we can relax and plan the setlist."

"I agree about the order, but it won't be relaxing," Dash said. "If you really think that the setlist will be easy and fun to organize, you are in for a shock. We have seven people in this band. Seven very different people with different approaches to music and who each do something different in the band. Together we are the Rainbooms, but we are going to argue over what songs to cover. Accept that now, before we start. We will all love and hate different songs and for different reasons. It's only going to be harder because we are not picking five songs to learn, or even ten, but twentyish."

"We could rotate," Fluttershy suggested. "We each pick one and cycle through."

"And what if the song you pick, the guitarists can't play?" Dash asked. "Or the drummer can’t keep us on beat? It's a fine idea and great sentiment, but choosing cover songs gets complicated and messy fast. We each need to be confident that we can learn it and put out the right energy, otherwise we need to toss that option into the trash. We don't have time for a long debate either. Not with the amount we have to learn, costumes to make, and some of us really should help the promotion teams get kickstarted."

"Dash has some good points," Sunset said. "If Dash could pick, we would be playing stuff like punk and metal, which won't go over well for Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight. They are loud, fast, and sometimes screaming songs that are also not built for the keytar to play."

Rarity sighed. "Okay, point made about the music. We can think about how we want to approach the setlist after we settle the promotion team."

Rarity focused on her computer. They started to go through all of their volunteers, sorting them. Some people would not be good fits for the promotion team, so they were skipped. They didn't want to say they didn't need them yet, in case they were needed later. It was too early to write them off without being concerned they would have to recant the sentiments sent.

Bulk Biceps was an automatic pick because of the energy he brought to whatever he was doing. Not everyone had to be energetic. They needed people who could also talk smoothly and explain to others the basics of the concert and exchange program.

Twilight started writing points down to help them "train" the promotion team members with the information they needed to be able to answer. They would be approaching businesses, asking if they could put up posters or leave fliers for customers. That required some charm by a steady person who was confident, not someone who was a bouncing ball of energy.

A total of twenty-six promoters were chosen. They knew most only in passing. The ones they knew well, besides Bulk Biceps, were Lyra Heartstrings, Sweetie Drops, Amethyst Star, Blueberry Cake, Raspberry Fluff, Pixel Pizzaz, Roseluck, and Violet Blur. By the time they had screened everyone, a few others had messaged them. Torch Song and Toe-Tapper were among the new requests and were added to the list. There was the potential, since it was still early, that other good candidates would offer their time. It would be easy to add them to the list, especially if it was before the orientation they were planning.

They sent out a form acceptance message to the chosen volunteers. Rarity wrote it as elegantly as she could, but everyone was adding suggestions to ensure it was a well-rounded message that didn’t miss something. There was too much to say and explain in order to keep their volunteers’ interest. Most people were expecting to help on the day of the concert, not the weeks before, so the importance of the role could not be undersold. The Rainbooms really had to rely on promoters in order to get the headcount they needed to meet their goal.

With the messages sent, Rarity sent the third update for the morning, officially letting everyone know they had added the two supporting acts. She added a public “thank you” to the bands for volunteering. She also updated the first post.

July 11 - Favors

It was weird for Sunset Shimmer to walk into Canterlot High through the front door. Weirder than going to school on a Saturday. It was mid-summer and school had been out for a while, making going inside feel wrong. It didn't help that it was a nice, sunny day that wasn't too hot. Another factor was knowing that she wasn't going to be walking these halls in the fall semester. They would not be her halls to walk until January. Next year.

Yes, Sunset had been on school grounds since summer break had started, but that was typical. The school grounds were a central meeting place for many of CHS' students, no matter what time of the year it was. She had been inside the gym too, but they had entered through a side door and left the same way. She also stayed in the gym the entire time, not going near the main building or the classrooms, like she was right now.

What was really different was that she was there on a very specific mission. It was a two-pronged mission, maybe three, depending on if Pinkie Pie was measuring and what system she was randomly using. How Sunset felt was exacerbated by the warzone at Sweet Apple Acres.

Yesterday they had planned the bulk of their upcoming concert. The moving pieces had been locked in place because of their bountiful volunteers. Things turned sour after that and they were quickly made worse by how tired they all were.

Dash has predicted it; the setlist was a hotly contested topic. However, Dash had come up short on exactly how bad it would become. Sunset was glad she had to leave for a bit to complete this mission. They were often researching songs on their computers, headphones on, listening to them to decide if it was one to pitch to the group. More songs could be examined if they worked individually rather than as a group.

That isolation had a dark side. Backroom deals were being made to trade support or disapproval for songs. At least a dozen formal alliances had been formed between bandmates and all had been broken up by backroom deals that caused someone to stab another member, or members, in the back. Sunset absolutely wasn't blameless. She had taken part in several alliances and spearheaded the destruction of two. She was currently in one with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, but without her there to defend it, the alliance probably wouldn't be standing once she got back from her mission.

Fluttershy could be a fierce fighter when tested and when she wasn't afraid to get personal. It was a very different side than they had ever seen from her. It was vastly different from how she got angry. Fluttershy knew how to destroy enemy alliances and she had stabbed her own allies in the back more times than anyone else had. It was pure manipulation with a noble goal: to produce the best concert they could. Sunset had a sneaking suspicion that Fluttershy was “shy” more so because she knew how easily she could destroy someone's self-esteem, except she was too kind hearted to do it under normal circumstances. Her kindness let her see the vulnerabilities of others, which could be exploited. At one point, Sunset would have exploited them, but she was not that person anymore.

The mission mattered more than losing the alliance did. It was time sensitive, somewhat more so than the raging setlist battle. Yes, they had less than three weeks until the concert, and they needed to decide on the new songs and learn them, however, they could battle all night if they needed to. Even if things went longer than that and looked like they wouldn't be able to start practicing in time, or the rivalries and backroom deals started to affect the core of their friendships, instead of the aggressive but still good natured state they were in currently, as lead on the concert Sunset could put her foot down and make a final executive decision on everything if she had to. Principal Celestia wasn't in her office all night. Sunset had a much shorter window to speak with her and hopefully get some things rolling.

Celestia's office door was wide open, something that Sunset had never seen before. During school hours, it was always closed. That didn't mean you could not approach her, but she kept it closed for a variety of reasons. Sunset heard a familiar voice laughing with Principal Celestia. Vice Principal Luna was in the office, which made her mission a lot easier. It absolutely was not a three-pronged mission now.

Sunset knocked on the doorframe and was immediately beckoned in by a laughing Celestia. When she got a hold of her laughter, she asked a question Sunset wasn't ready for, gesturing for her to sit down with them. "How is the concert planning going?"

Sunset had to reset from the question as she took the second chair facing Principal Celestia's desk. "Actually, that is why I'm here. I'm surprised you know about it."

"I've been a follower of the joint account since the day after it was launched," Celestia explained.

"Me too," Luna added. "I actually introduced her to it."

"I'm surprised, that's all," Sunset admitted. With the two of them already following their joint account, it removed some pressure on Sunset. They at least knew the basics of what was happening. "It went well yesterday, for the first half of the day.” Sunset paused as she yawned. “We are all tired, working hard, so I hope I don’t ramble or over explain things, I just want our plans to make sense when I ask the questions I have for you.”

“Luna and I would be happy to hear your plan to make sure you are not missing something,” Celestia said.

“Thanks,” Sunset said, flashing a smile as she felt unexpected relief from hearing those words. “Honestly, yesterday backfired. The plan to relax and only do light planning after a tough two weeks putting the fashion show together. We thought we were wise to put out the pure basics, to start hyping people up, but if only we had waited another day."

Sunset sighed. She was tired. Tired of the arguments, tired from the effort put into these fundraiser events, and tired of failing. "Our classmates are amazing. After a handful of minutes, we were getting offers from so many people wanting to volunteer, we had to choose how we proceeded wisely. We didn't even have time to sort out the roles we needed before the offers began to pour in. We have the moving pieces secured with some things to finish out, but we are out of ways to use the volunteers. Having two bands with us is amazing.”

"That will certainly help how the concert is viewed by prospective audience members," Luna stated.

"We didn't ask, they offered," Sunset stated. "And those offers were just as fast as the others were. We are very happy and grateful to have them on board. The concert has a goal, outside of fundraising. We want it to be an accessible community event that is family friendly, able to be attended by everyone of all ages and to end before eight that night for the kids. That includes making sure song content is appropriate to a six-year old. Promoting it is going to be key and we are getting the team finalized.”

"That is an admirable goal," Celestia said. "I like it. It should help draw in a large crowd. I read on the account that it's being held at the Canterlot Amphitheater?"

"Yeah, we booked the Amphitheatre about halfway through getting everything else sorted out," Sunset explained. "So not the school this time. We won't need someone to unlock it and watch over the event."

"It's a much better location than anywhere at the school," Luna stated. "Especially to bring in a crowd like you want."

"Exactly," Sunset nodded. "Which brings me to why I am here. The concert was my idea, so I'm lead on it. We have a few favors to ask both of you." Both Celestia and Luna perked up at this. "The first thing is, we were hoping you would send out a mass email to CHS alumni, inviting them to come out?"

"Sure," Celestia nodded. "I can do that. Send me what you want sent and I will take care of it. That way it comes from my school email address, which they already know. That increases the likelihood they will open it. Most of our alumni live in Canterlot or the surrounding area."

"That's perfect," Sunset said, smiling. That was one thing down, but it was the easiest thing to ask. "I'll have an email for you by Wednesday. We currently are in…discussions about the setlist. We have to expand our song repertoire to cover the time we want to be performing. Bigger and longer is one of our goals. We want the concert to be seen as a great value, not cheap. People don't like cheap live music, and our fliers are going to be designed to reflect that. They will also have the suggested donation price but that it’s 'donate what you can'. Flexibility for everyone's financial situation.

"Anyway, my point is, there will be at least one moment where we will need to take a step back for a breather, however, we want to have the crowd to always be engaged. That downtime is for us and may be crucial as we change sets. Instead of bringing out a supporting act for a song or two, we decided the better idea is to have someone give the crowd an update on our progress for reaching our goal for that evening. We still want to fundraise all of the cost of the program, but the goal for the evening is the other twenty-five percent we are required to. We will have a thermometer gauge for people to see with the goal that can be filled in.

"Our other fundraisers have not allowed us to update donors because we didn’t know until the event was over what our tally was. The supporting acts really help here too. By the time we do the donation update, everyone will have been in their seats for a while, allowing us to know exactly how much was raised. It also will give them the opportunity to donate more if they want to."

"I suggest that you have the gauge also show the total needed for full coverage of the program, individually and as a group,” Luna said. "You are correct, you have not had the opportunity before this event and doing the update is wise. That flexibility for them to donate again is an opportunity you can't waste, even though you are not directly asking for a second donation."

Sunset nodded and continued. "We will add that. We need someone, or a pair, we trust and who knows us well enough to properly speak for us when giving the update. Also, someone that the crowd will find appropriate. We know you have been keeping track of our progress and it seems like beyond what the program requires of you. You also know us very well and are our principals, plus this is a fundraiser for an academic program. So, to make it plain and straightforward, we are asking you both to come out on stage when our break is planned and give the crowd the update. Will you do that for us?"

"I look forward to the concert," Celestia said. "I think we can do it. Luna?"

"It would be an honor to represent seven of our finest students in such a manner," Luna said.

"With that answered, I have one other thing to ask," Sunset said. This one was the hardest, but there was hope from their response to the previous question. "This event will require us to be backstage from the start. Before, we always had enough hands that one of us could receive the donations. The bake sale worked a little differently, but we were still very much present and not far away if we were needed. Someone has to run the ticket table taking the donations. If the two of you could do it, it would send a powerful message to the donors. They would trust you more than a student. You are mature adults."

"While your volunteers are children," Luna finished. "That extra trust may help some people donate more."

"We considered that," Sunset said, nodding and then yawning. "We want everyone to be comfortable with donating whatever they can. The suggestion is just that, a suggestion. We never thought people would try and shortchange us, but they might go really low if we don't give them a recommendation for how much the concert is worth. How much we are worth. Plus our supporting acts really add value to the ticket. It should serve as a great way for people to judge our performance and if they got their money's worth. Again, we want it to be seen as a great value, not as being cheap."

Celestia nodded. "With the price at ten, and knowing your skill and your supporting acts, I don't think you will have a problem with leaving people feeling like they wasted their money. As you indicated, it will take a lot of proper promotion to bring in the crowd you need, but we have never seen you girls take the lazy way or not put the effort in required. I think the suggested donation is a very good choice, but I am curious about what your other thoughts on the price were?"

"Twilight ran the calculations," Sunset explained. "She kept the prices simple so people could remember them and easily calculate the cost of multiple tickets. The other options Twilight highlighted were twenty, which needed thirty-five percent capacity, and fifteen, which needed fifty percent capacity. Ten needs seventy percent capacity to meet our goal. Not bad, but we thought the other suggestions would drive people away or discourage them. Especially if they can't afford those suggestions. I think the concert is worth twenty, but I don't think we can get enough people to come at that price. We've noticed people seem to feel embarrassed or ashamed if they donate below the suggested amount. We would much rather have someone donate a dollar and come than not come. People are free to donate more if they want to. That is the beauty of 'donate what you can’ strategies.”

"I think it's a great price," Luna said. "Maybe a little low, like you said, but you are right about people feeling ashamed or embarrassed if they donate below the price. At ten, it is low enough that people who donate below are less likely to feel embarrassed. Twenty would almost certainly make them feel embarrassed if they could only donate ten."

"I'm honored you thought of us, for both," Celestia said. "That you trust us to represent you and to take the donations. I'd be honored to also run the ticket table."

"Likewise," Luna said. “Will we be giving out actual tickets?”

"Wonderful!" Sunset exclaimed, finally having some relief off her shoulders. "Thank you so much. We are actually going to have tickets. They will have our joint account information on it so donors can follow us while in Japan. With seven of us, we want to have at least one post a day while in Japan.”

“Those are good tickets to give out,” Luna said.

“Anything else you need to ask?” Celestia inquired?

“One other,” Sunset said. “We also would like to once again check out the school’s portable card readers for the show."

"We will make sure to bring them," Celestia said. "Sunset, you seem…more than tired. Care to talk about it?"

Sunset shrugged. "We expected more rest yesterday, but that wasn't possible with the flood of volunteers, which is better than no one wanting to help. We were expecting to ask specific people to volunteer, once we had sorted out what we needed done, so we are happy we don't have to now. That's all good stuff. Positive.

"But then we moved onto the setlist. We are going to have to cover songs. We don't have time to write enough new ones. Saying it became a warzone is appropriate…but also an understatement. Everyone wants the same end goal; the best concert we can put on for the crowd…except that we each see a different way to obtain that goal. We can't agree on the music. The fighting has become…fierce."

Sunset yawned again while rubbing her eyes, "It's certainly been fueled by our exhaustion. As lead, I have a lot of executive power, but this is something that we need to decide as a group. I can set goals for the night and approve of themes and other things, but I don't want to force the others to learn to play music they may not be able to or don't like if I don't absolutely have to. It would mean we have the wrong energy on stage. I just wish I had some…direction to steer us."

"I don't have advice about figuring out the music," Celestia said. "But I do have advice about the situation. Take a break. You said you need one. You will be no good if you don't step back and recharge. Put the music aside for another day. Pick it up on Wednesday. You all love listening to music. You know a lot of great bands and songs to cover. By stepping back, you can calm down this unexpected storm and perhaps someone will have a breakthrough as everyone gets the rest they need."

"That is good advice," Sunset said. "You're right. We're rushing ahead because we don't have a lot of time, spurred on by the jolt we got with volunteer offers, but we are tripping, badly, because of it.”

Sunset pulled her phone out and sent a group text. "I'm following Principal Celestia's advice and ending the setlist discussion. We need to recharge, so I'm making an executive decision. Work on the setlist in to be immediately dropped. We will finish tonight's orientation, but then we will rest. On Wednesday we can start again, this time with calmer heads and maybe someone will have thought of a solution. All alliances and pacts are hereby voided. Any songs agreed upon will be revisited again."

"Alright, I texted them," Sunset said. "We are at Sweet Apple Acres. It's a bit of a drive to get there, so I didn't want to wait. I just hope they see it."

"Good luck," Luna said. "We have confidence you can do this with the right rest and clear thinking."

Sunset stayed for a while longer with the sisters, ironing out more of the details for their roles as ticket masters and fundraiser announcers before she bid them farewell and began the trip back. They had been in the barn and still were, but they were thankfully not arguing.

"We stopped," Dash said as she entered. "How did it go?"

"They are on board," Sunset said with a relieved sigh. "Fully. Celestia will send the email so it comes from her trusted account, they both are happy to give the update, and they both are thrilled at the idea of running the ticket table. Also, they will bring the card readers."

"Well done," Twilight praised.

"Has anything important happened while I was gone?" Sunset asked.

"Yes," Rarity said. She was sitting on a hay bale and working on her computer. "The graphics team just got us the poster. I'm downloading it right now."

It took a bit to download due to the large size of the file and the weak wi-fi signal this far from the Apple's house router. The image opened up on the laptop, but it was very slow to load.

“What size is this poster?” Sunset asked.

“This is designed to be printed at twenty-four by thirty-six inches,” Rarity explained. “Which is basically the same size as a movie poster. If the design is good, they will properly scale the images to other standard poster sizes. eight-and-a-half by eleven, eleven by seventeen, and eighteen by twenty-four. The poster sizes add or lose a little height between the sizes. Poster scaling is only by the width. You will gain or lose the bottom if you scale wrong, so they are going to send us files that account for that and can be printed at any of the sizes. They say it won’t take them but a few minutes to make those adjustments.”

“Honestly, that’s a bigger poster than I was thinking,” Sunset admitted. “I was thinking of just printing on a regular printer on basic paper. That’s going to be bad, won’t it?”

“How often do home printers streak?” Rarity asked. “A big issue is the paper, which is pretty thin. Trying to print a full colored image on it…you just end up with it soaked in ink. Wrong paper and wrong method of applying the ink. That doesn’t even cover coatings. Simply put, all paper is not the same.”

“Are any of y’all wonderin how we're gonna' pay for this?” Applejack asked. “Ain’t these gonna' be expensive to print?”

“I didn’t think this through,” Sunset admitted, sitting down. “Or rather, I thought I had, but the artists have taken this to a whole different level. I don’t want to not use them, after their hard work…”

“Color Wheel, the president of the graphic arts club, has been elusive about that,” Rarity said. “I asked her the same questions you asked, which is why I know all of that, and more, about paper and printing. Something is going on, but I can’t get an answer from them. They are aware of our limitations. The fliers we agreed on yesterday are sized as a ‘rack card’, which is four by nine, and double sided. You saw them and loved them. I don’t think any of us have a printer that can do double sided.”

“Our home printer can,” Twilight said. “It's becoming a common feature. It won’t be able to print those fliers, not to the quality they designed, but it is a nice feature for printing double sided documents, saving you some paper.”

“Color Wheel is going to be coming to the orientation tonight,” Rarity added. “Maybe some of the others in the club too. She…sort of invited herself, which isn’t a problem. While trying to understand how we were going to push the concert so the fliers could be designed correctly, I explained our tactics with using promoters, and she said it would be a perfect time to meet face to face, which, I of course, agreed as well.”

“I’m glad she is coming,” Sunset said. “We will be able to personally thank her and figure out the printing.”

“Picture’s up!” Pinkie exclaimed.

They looked at the poster. The bright red center faded to a thin edge of white, with more on the corners to round it out. The seven of them were standing in a V line, in an outfit they had worn while performing. Rainbow Dash was front and center with her guitar and Sunset and Applejack on the wings, with their guitars. They had used the guitar players to frame the band. Pinkie Pie clearly had a drumstick, in her left hand, and Rarity’s keytar could barely be seen from the pose. Above them said “RAINBOOMS” in the sparkly rainbow color emblem the team had designed. Under their feet in gold was “Fundraiser Concert” and below that, “With Flash Drive and Trixie and the Illusions.” The next two lines were “Saturday July 30 – 5pm to 8pm” and then “Canterlot Amphitheater.”

There was no mention of the suggested donation, but the poster was running out of room without making it look cluttered. The fliers would hopefully be nearby and the Rainboom’s social media account was easy to find. The account had all of the concert’s information pinned at the top.

“What is the gold thingy behind us?” Pinkie asked.

“That would be the outline of Japan’s imperial seal,” Twilight explained. “The chrysanthemum, although it isn’t just the imperial seal. Usually, it’s filled in, not an outline. Almost all of it is blocked by how we frame it and it is missing the second layer of petals behind it. That’s why you don’t recognize it.”

“It’s a subtle geometric pattern,” Fluttershy said. “It gives the poster a level of depth that it would otherwise lack. It pushes us out from the background, almost as if we are stepping out of it.”

“It does add an extra level of depth,” Sunset admitted. “The posters will look amazing, if we can get them printed. They certainly won’t look good using my printer.”

“Not even the school’s would do the job,” Twilight said. “Theirs are basically larger, faster versions of a home printer that can carry more paper. Or rather, our home printers are simplified versions of the office ones. The office ones came first.”

“We can solve the printin' later, y’all,” Applejack said. “It’s gettin' close to orientation time. We need to set up.”

“That I can agree with,” Dash said. “What do we need and where do we get it?”

“We keep the extra tables and chairs in here,” Applejack said, heading to a door. “For family reunions and all.”

Everyone went about setting up for the orientation. With seven pairs of hands, plus Big Mac and Apple Bloom, everything was set up with ease. They still had an hour, so the snacks and drinks would wait until they got closer. They didn’t want the cold stuff getting warm.

Without the setlist being discussed, they found themselves sitting around a table, waiting. It was good to have the rest before the orientation. It had been too long since they had chit-chatted as a group.

A knock came at the open barn door. Standing in it was a slender, baby-faced woman in dark blue jeans and a graphic T-shirt. Her bob was dyed a pastel rainbow. Her backpack’s strap framed her shirt’s graphic, a cloud beside a pine tree.

“Color Wheel, Darling,” Rarity said, hopping up.

“I hope this isn’t too early,” Color Wheel said.

“Nonsense,” Rarity replied. “You’re fine. It will give us the chance to talk. Come on in and sit down.”

Color Wheel beckoned to someone outside. A middle-aged man with a strong family resemblance to Color Wheel and wearing black jeans with a red polo that had an old-fashioned printing press embroidered on it stepped into view.

“Rarity, this is my father,” Color Wheel explained. “Type Set.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir,” Rarity said, reaching out to shake his hand.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” he said as he shook her hand. “My daughter has a lot of positive things to say about you and your friends. You have made quite the impression on her and it sounds like at your school as well.”

“Thank you, sir,” Rarity replied. “We do our best to be our best for everyone. Please, come in and sit. No sense standing up, right?”

They joined everyone at a table and introductions were made.

“So, you seven are raising money to go to Japan?” Type Set asked. “For a whole semester?”

“Yes, Sir,” Rarity nodded. “We are really lucky all of us got accepted. We were not just competing with students at CHS, but internationally as well. I don’t know of anyone at CHS who applied this year, but others have before us. There are only so many slots in the program. You also have to meet the academic requirements and possess the language skill necessary for having class in whatever country you are going to. The program has a lot of schools in all participating countries connected to it. We had one last fall from Japan and this fall four are coming to CHS.”

“I would imagine getting into the program includes an impressive resume of extracurriculars and letters of recommendation,” Type Set said.

“Yes, Sir,” Dash said. “I was the last to get my acceptance letter. We’re pretty sure that is what got me to squeak into the program. My grades are solid, but nothing too impressive. I’m the captain of every sports team at CHS. I have to have good grades or I can’t play. I have to set a good example too. Anyway, I had great letters of recommendations, we all put in our essays about going as a group, and during our video interviews they asked us about each other. That also set us apart from other applicants. The committee knows we will have support while we are there. Best friends level support.”

Type Set nodded. “I played ball in high school, so I understand the requirements the school must enforce for its players to be eligible. You don’t have to graduate summa cum laude to get your diploma. You remember that, all of you, the grade isn't necessarily a good judge of the knowledge you have learned from the class, especially when there is only a limited number of questions you can ask on a test.

“I had a friend in college, his thing was history. He knew that subject so well, but he failed the first test. If it had been an essay test, he would have nailed it. What the teacher thought important were details his mind didn’t. Two approaches to the same set of facts and lessons that had radically different results when it came to the test. He now teaches history at the collegiate level and he tells his students that story on the first day of class. It also helped him shape his tests to be better judges of their knowledge.

“You girls certainly sound like you will take this opportunity to heart and ultimately use it to better the community. Color Wheel showed me some of the videos of your band. I’m impressed. You have skill. Music is something I enjoy, but was never good at making. I’m sure your concert will go well, if you have the right materials to get the word out.”

“That’s the big question,” Sunset admitted. “At the top of the hour we will be meeting with the volunteers we are hoping will join the promotion team, but honestly, I’m not sure how we are going to be able to get it done with what your daughter and the rest of the graphics art club has put together. It is amazing artistry, but printing them is going to be a problem. None of us have printers that can handle their details, let alone the size of the posters. We don’t want to waste their effort, so we are trying to sort out how to overcome that hurdle.”

“I thought you would say that,” Type Set said with a nod. “Yesterday morning, when I got up, I found my daughter at my computer, fully engrossed in a project. That’s nothing out of the ordinary, especially on the weekends, as the computer is used for rendering art. It's the only one powerful enough in the house to run the software and it has a drawing tablet. What caught my eyes was that she wasn’t drawing. It was texts and messaging while at the computer and that breaks the rules for its use. It is my work computer and those tasks are what she has her laptop for. When I enquired what had her so preoccupied, that’s when she explained she was trying to help you by volunteering her art skills. Then I learned who you are and why you need to fundraise. Quite frankly, I am impressed by the seven of you and I am happy to have my daughter using her talents to help others. Good art is worth a lot of money and many artists don’t have a way of knowing who they can help. Many charities and nonprofits have need of it, but never ask because they either don’t think of it, or like you said, printing gets expensive. If they can’t print it, why bother getting the artwork donated.”

Type Set nodded to his daughter and Color Wheel grabbed something from her backpack. She laid the flier that had been designed on the table. It was a high-quality print. Rarity was the first one to gingerly pick it up and look at both sides before passing it to Sunset on her right.

“That looks absolutely gorgeous and eye-catching,” Rarity said. "Everything about the fundraiser was spot on, our social media account info looked good, and the framing was perfect."

“I’d like to help you girls out,” Type Set said. “If you look on the back side at the bottom, you will see my mark. I own a print shop in town and I saw an opportunity.”

“Printed by Type Set Graphics,” Sunset said, reading the bottom. “In support of the Rainbooms' fundraiser.” Sunset looked at Type Set. “Are you saying you want to donate the fliers so long as it has your mark on it to advertise for you?”

“I’d love to help you without any strings attached, but it sounds like this job will be massive,” Type Set explained. “The only way I could justify doing this is if the posters and fliers have that added to them. It’s out of the way, doesn’t detract from your information, and I can justify it as advertising costs. Honestly, I need to do more advertising for the business, but it is something you have to constantly manage, so it usually gets put on the backburner. Your volunteers are about to plaster the city with posters, so why not?"

“That’s a tiny string to be attached,” Sunset stammered. “A thread really. It’s…” Sunset was at a loss for words.

“Absolutely!” Rarity exclaimed, accepting the offer since Sunset was speechless. “Sir, it would be an honor, really our pleasure, to use the designs of your daughter's club and your fine services.”

“I’m at a loss for words,” Sunset admitted. “Thank you doesn’t seem like enough.”

“Add in five tickets to the show and we will call it even,” Type Set said.

“Done!” Sunset exclaimed. “With these designs, we can really make this thing happen. We are not going to let the crowd down when we perform.”

“Wonderful,” Type Set smiled, extending his hand to be shook. As lead on the project, Sunset shook it first, then Rarity for her work with the artists, followed by everyone else. “I don’t doubt that you will put on a performance of a lifetime. I also don’t doubt that you will have the time of your life in Japan, while also learning a lot."

“Color Wheel, Darling, I can’t thank you enough,” Rarity said. “The designs are gorgeous. The club did such a great job.”

“Thank you,” Color Wheel said, blushing a little. “We were thinking simpler until my dad made his inquiry. He is the one who came up with the idea of having the shop print them and told us to go big or not at all. He wanted to meet you all to properly discuss it before we moved forward.”

“That’s why you kept it from me,” Rarity said. “I admit, I was getting worried from our talks and seeing what you were making, but you clearly were holding something back. The others were not until they saw the poster and realized how big you had gone. This is better than I ever could have dreamed. And you, Sir, thank you, again. I’m very glad you thought of the idea. We are indebted to you."

Type Set let out a laugh. “I’d love to say Color gets her art from her mother, but the woman can’t draw even a half decent stick figure. She can cook though, boy can she cook.”

“Um, Mr. Type Set, Sir?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes, Fluttershy?” Type Set replied.

“Color doesn’t have any siblings, so why did you ask for five tickets? If you don’t mind me asking?”

“I don’t mind at all!” He said with a laugh. “The other two are for my two employees who will be doing a lot of the leg work on the actual printing process. Actually, it’s technically one employee and an unpaid summer intern. I have a few big designs I have due this week for customers, logos and such, so I won’t be in the shop much.”

“We will be very glad to have them come,” Fluttershy replied. “And grateful for the work they will be putting in.”

Type Set stood up. “Well, I know you girls have an orientation to do here shortly. Color has some more fliers with her and can cover anything else. The ones she has are drafts, of us making sure the color and coating was good, so a few are bad prints. That happens, but they are perfect for tonight's training. We will have the first set ready on Wednesday. I came separately from Color. I came from the shop and have to go back there for a bit, then home to work on those designs I mentioned. You all have a good evening. It was a pleasure meeting you and I am happy that I can be helping you out in this way.”

They bid him farewell and thanked him again.

Sunset turned to Color Wheel. “Color, your dad is cool. Amazing really."

“Thanks,” Color Wheel said. “I was explaining who you were and such while I worked on the first draft of your name emblem. I knew we could use the outline no matter what we printed it on. That was when he said that he would love to help, depending on how many you would need printed, and then it all clicked for him. He is good like that, a quick thinker, on top of being an artist.

“He went to school for art, but the market for what he likes to do is…well basically it's non-existent. He needed a stable job after the degree and stumbled into working for someone who did signs. He made so many horrible signs because people didn’t know what they were doing. Out of that pain, and necessity, he decided to open his own graphics studio. Having the printing services along with designs allows him to do most things for customers, and plenty of people come in for printing needs that don’t require him to make graphics. The people who just need his copiers are the bulk of his business.

“Still, I know it takes a lot for him to operate and he doesn’t have much of a profit margin. Otherwise he would have another employee or two. His biggest issue is competing with the big business print shops that are popping up. There used to be a handful of print shops and sign makers in the city. Now it seems like every package delivery service does printing as well. They can undercut his costs for printing on a lot of things, pulling away his main customer base."

“And that’s where people think of first,” Rarity finished. “I know how that feels. Boutique fashion has the same problem. Quality works of art trying to compete with mass production. When you have to spend all of your time working on the art, you can’t advertise like you should. You also typically have to flip that profit back into the business for supplies, not advertising.”

“Exactly,” Color Wheel nodded. “I love doing art, specifically working with pastel chalks, but there is little market for that. I’ve seen my dad do them, but I have never done emblem graphics before. I enjoyed doing yours and playing with the colors. Once I had the design, I came up with a dozen different color schemes. A few were gold, to fit with the rest of the lettering, and I was playing with the lighting angle. The others were rainbows, but then you start asking questions like pastel or bold colors for the rainbow? Sharp or blended color transitions? What angle for the rainbow? Does the rainbow repeat? If it does, how many times? Where is the light coming from? How much sparkle? How do you not let the red in the rainbow blend into the red background? I think you get the picture.”

“I do, I do,” Rarity nodded. “Wonderful work on it. I really do love it. You can’t tell it was your first one. There is just enough sparkle to it, without it being glitter.”

“Thank you,” Color Wheel said. “I’ll make sure to send that file to you, all of them, for you to use. With my dad owning the graphics company, and how much I enjoyed doing the emblem, it really made me think about following in his footsteps. It’s not something I had really considered, outside the fact that it would be fun to work with my dad, but now I see where I could be doing more than running the copiers for him.”

“If either of my parents were in the fashion industry, I absolutely would follow them,” Rarity said. “Of course, they would have to be into fashion in the first place.”

“Rarity,” Sunset said. “We have to finish setting up. Everyone will start arriving in about ten minutes. No need to stop talking with Color. We can cover it. And thanks, Color, we appreciate it. All of it.”

"Ah yes," Rarity sighed. "Orientation. I look somewhat forward to that. It will be much better having these copies of the fliers. I'll be busy making our outfits while they canvas the city. We still haven't settled on a setlist and the war over songs caused Sunset to put us in a timeout to cool down and rethink the approach to that problem."

"You have solved so many others, I am certain you will figure it out," Color Wheel encouraged. “The whole school is behind you because we believe in you. We know you will come up with something amazing.”

It’s music time and the Rainbooms had to learn a good deal of new material! The vignette is detailed well, but I needed to build their setlist to properly write it. I’m not putting lyrics in the vignette, so in case you don’t know the songs and want to listen, I put together a Ruby Palace Playlist on YouTube. The playlist is purely supplemental. The songs are in order of their appearance in the story. I did my best to find uploads with lyrics on the screens, but that wasn’t always possible, however, if you set YouTube to play English CCs, sometimes it will add the lyrics to the videos.

July 30 – Schoolhouse Rock Ruby Palace Playlist on YouTube

Sunset watched from the sidelines as Rainbow Dash rocked out on stage, supported by Pinkie Pie on drums, Twilight on secondary vocals, Rarity on the Keytar and backup vocals, and Applejack on bass guitar and backup vocals. Right now, it was just the five of them out on stage, rocking out for the crowd as they played their usual songs. The first and second setlists required the band to be split. Now that the Rainbooms had wireless mics, Dash could use the full stage to perform. She didn’t have to be back at a mic stand when it came time for her to sing. Her only limitation was her guitar’s cable.

Tonight was the big night. Music filled Canterlot’s Amphitheater to raise money for their semester abroad. It was a nice, mid-summer, Saturday evening. The sun was basically down, but it would still be light out for a few more hours. The concert had been marketed as a family friendly community event, suitable for all ages. By starting at 5pm and ending by 8pm, families with younger kids would be able to stay for the whole concert. Since the idea for the concert had been Sunset’s, she was their organizer and leader for the event and all of its preparatory stages.

The concert was “free,” but they were asking for donations for each “ticket” to go into their fund for the foreign exchange program. It wasn’t only the Rainbooms performing tonight. They were the headline act, but Trixie and the Illusions had started the evening, with Flash Drive, Flash Sentry’s band, playing second. The Rainbooms were very thankful the two bands had volunteered. It expanded the fundraiser from a music show, to a full concert, and was a better value for people’s donations.

They had a solid volunteer stage crew too. Octavia Melody was their director, helping time the stage crew and ensuring the acts stayed on the Wondercolts’ schedule. Vinyl Scratch was running the soundboard for them, as DJ-PON3. Micro Chips was on lights and some other things. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Snips, Snails, and Babs Seed were their volunteer stagehands; all six were wearing the obligatory all black outfits of stagehands to blend in whenever they had to do something on stage. All of the stage crew were plugged into a separate communication channel. Only Octavia had a microphone, the others were only wearing earpieces to hear her directions. Although she was not a member of the stage crew, Photo Finish was a volunteer; capturing the entire event for the girls with her camera.

People from all across Canterlot had come to the show. Their promotion team had canvassed as much of the city as they could in sixteen days, getting permission from businesses to leave fliers and sometimes put up posters in their shops. Some businesses had passed out the fliers while others decided to leave them in a place for customers to see and decide if they wanted to pick up one. Either strategy was fine and appreciated. Principal Celestia had even sent out a mass email for them to the alumni of Canterlot Highschool with an electronic copy of the flier attached.

With the suggested donation price, they needed to fill the amphitheater seventy percent to hit their donation goal for the night, but they were far from seventy percent. It was packed as tight as it could be for the seats and the standing room in the front was also full. They were at full capacity, basically ensuring they had hit their goal. From what Sunset had been able to see of the crowd, the bulk of people attending were their classmates and many had brought their families with them, but a lot of families without kids attending CHS had come out for some summer fun and there was a significant “older crowd” without kids in attendance as well. The diversity was thanks to their promotion team, CHS’ graphics arts club who had designed the professional fliers and posters they used, and Color Wheel’s father, who printed the fliers and posters for the small “fee” of having his shop’s info on them as an advertisement.

The Rainbooms’ supporting acts wore what they wanted, but Rarity had made the Rainbooms outfits that matched the theme: “Japan.” It was a bit of a loose theme, allowing for Rarity to design them each an outfit that matched both the wearer and the theme. The outfits were white with red accents, with Pinkie Pie as the “accent member” wearing the opposite as everyone else.

Pinkie also was the only one in a hat, to help block the bright stage lights so the drummer could see what she was hitting. It didn’t help that her drums were on a tall platform so her kit could easily be seen by the crowd. She had turned it into the theme. Her kick drum had Japan’s “Rising Sun” flag on the head and there were several other mini flags sticking off of the top of the hi-hat and her cymbal stands. She had switched the color of her drum kit from blue to white and red. Pinkie was even using drum sticks that had red shafts and white shoulders, heads and butts. If the crowd could see them, they looked amazing as Pinkie played the drums or twirled them during one of Dash’s guitar solos.

The stage also had two standing Japanese flags flanking it. They were planning to project on the backdrop later, so they couldn’t hang the flags up, but it looked great having them on stage. All of those details, big and small, came together to add an extra, deeper, layer to their performance. It would only get better when the seven of them finally performed together.

Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna were helping too. They were the ones at the table for the ticket “sales”. All of the Rainbooms had to be backstage getting ready, making them unable to collect the donations. Having students volunteering would have been fine, however having the two adults, already trusted to run a high school, sent a subtle message to donors that they could be trusted with the money. That was an especially important message if they had any large donors.

Sunset’s vision had the Rainbooms with no downtime. Everything was supposed to flow smoothly once they had started their first setlist. Someone would either be on stage entertaining the donors, or playing a transition while they changed songs in a set. There would be no silence in between songs. Even the transition between supporting acts were very short. Dash had started playing before the Flash Drives were even off the stage.

As the five of them finished the last song on the playlist, Snips and Apple Bloom brought out microphone stands and mics to center stage. It was a smooth transition between the musicians and the two principals who were coming onstage to update the crowd. Vice Principal Luna was carrying the board with their thermometer donation gauge on it, which was currently covered until they did the reveal. The switch was so short, the audience was still applauding the performance.

“Thank you, everyone,” Principal Celestia said, which quieted the crowd. “The Rainbooms will be out again shortly. They are changing sets. In the meantime, we have an update for you about the donations received. I know we have plenty of people attending who know nothing about the girls or the foreign exchange program. We are so happy to have community members from all walks of life in attendance and are thankful for your support of the girls. For those who do not know me or my sister, I am Celestia, Principal of Canterlot Highschool, and Luna is our Vice Principal. Canterlot High is a public school serving our city. It has been a joy to have Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Twilight Sparkle attending CHS. The Rainbooms is the name of their band.

“For those who don’t know about the girls or the fundraiser, participating students in the foreign exchange program get to spend a semester in another country, going to school there, learning the culture firsthand, and experiencing all that the place has to offer. They will live with their ‘exchange family’, people who have opened their homes to have an exchange student stay with them for that semester. The program also requires accepted participants to fundraise at least half of the costs. The program is competitive and has high entrance standards, most students who apply get denied, yet all seven members of the Rainbooms were accepted to go to Tokyo, Japan for the upcoming fall semester.

“Raising funds helps the participants take ownership of the program and their own success while they are studying abroad. So far, to raise money, the seven of them have done a car wash, pet wash, fashion show, and the largest bake sale Canterlot High has ever seen. Outside of the fashion show, they have been your typical fundraising event. With how skilled at music the girls are, I am so glad to see them taking advantage of their band to put this concert on. It is a unique fundraiser many students can’t do, and as principal, I love seeing our students come up with unique fundraisers and school events. The girls have certainly been working hard and everyone’s support has been amazing. It has been a real pleasure to watch the community come together and support them in this endeavor. As their principal and vice principal, we want to personally thank all of you for your donations and support. Each of you gave what you could and you have made a big impact on their lives. I know they won’t waste this opportunity.”

Luna presented the thermometer board to the crowd. It was still covered. Sunset couldn’t see how filled the thermometer was from where she was standing, off the stage. None of them could. They all had to wait for Principal Celestia to announce it.

“As you may have seen while getting tickets, their suggested donation per ticket would have filled the meter halfway,” Principal Celestia said. “Thanks to all of you.” Luna pulled away the sheet and held the board high for the crowd to see, “They have exceeded that mark and made it all the way to not only a hundred percent, but well above it! Tonight, you broke the thermometer!”

The crowd cheered for their collective success in breaking the thermometer. The Rainbooms couldn’t cheer, because they didn’t want to be heard while backstage. They ended up just hugging each other and high fiving. Sunset had her acoustic guitar on, so she could only high five her friends.

“Because of everyone’s generosity,” Principal Luna said, pausing to let the crowd quiet down and hear the announcement. “They didn’t just exceed what they were hoping for tonight, but now they have each raised enough money to go without having to pay anything out of pocket! Your donations mean that they are on a nonstop flight to Japan!” Luna was forced to wait as the crowd roared in celebration. “As a school and their principals, we will miss them in the fall and look forward to their return for the spring semester so we can hear all about their adventures. However, the girls have set up a social media account you can follow to get their updates while they are in Japan. It is a joint account, so they will all be posting stuff to it as much as they can. The information on how to find it and follow them is on your tickets. Thank you everyone!”

The girls had some issues with their early fundraising events, setting them far behind their goal. Reaching their final goal tonight was unexpected and it really put the pressure on Sunset Shimmer. She knew she wasn’t alone in feeling that pressure. They now had to make sure this was an epic concert which everyone in the crowd would all remember fondly. They had a good shot at meeting that new goal because of their supporting acts and what the Rainbooms had in store.

Sunset turned to Fluttershy who was beside her. “This is it, almost time for us. Come out after I do the transitional talk, setting the crowd up for the next set. I will specifically introduce you and call you forward.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy nodded.

The second setlist was just Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy. Delaying Fluttershy’s arrival on stage kept her out of the spotlight as long as possible. She didn’t need to be on stage, in front of everyone, while Sunset spoke to the crowd. The less time that Fluttershy was in front of people without performing, the better to combat her stage fight. What she was about to do was big and Fluttershy wanted to push herself. It had been her suggestion to help her succeed. They were fighting her stage fright smartly, not with brute strength. I would also make her entry even better.

Principal Celestia gave the transition. “Now it’s time for some more music! Give it up for the Rainbooms!”

The crowd applauded as the two school principals left the stage and Sunset walked out to the center. The crowd was clearly on the edge of their seats in anticipation for what was coming. Sweetie Belle and Snails had been ready for the principal’s exit and brought out a tall stool, setting it just off center on the stage, on a blue painter’s tape mark on the floor that the crowd couldn’t see. Then the two of them took away the microphones as Sunset got to the center of the stage. It was a flawless transition facilitated by Octavia.

Sunset sat on the stool and pulled the cable off of where it had been taped to the underside of the seat. DJ-PON3 turned Sunset’s mic on and Sunset saw her flash a thumbs up to let her know she was live. Sunset’s acoustic guitar was part electric, meaning it could be fed into the sound system without losing its iconic acoustic sound. She plugged the cable into her guitar.

“Thank you everyone,” Sunset said to nicely silence the applauding audience. She began softly strum some notes for background music while she spoke. “The Rainbooms have some special things planned for tonight. The others came out as Flash Drive finished, kicking off their entrance with as big of a bang as they could, immediately launching into Rainbow Dash’s favorite song, ‘Awesome as I Want to Be.’ So, please forgive the short speech I would normally have done during the transition between bands.

“For those who don’t know me, I am Sunset Shimmer and the lead organizer for this event. In the Rainbooms, I typically am playing rhythm guitar and am a secondary vocalist. I see a lot of faces I don’t recognize, which is awesome to know that we succeeded in reaching out across the whole city to touch each of you and that we have all of your support. We wanted everyone and anyone to feel comfortable coming to the concert and it looks like we achieved that goal."

Sunset shifted her strumming from random notes to a simple arpeggio in C Major, “A semester in Tokyo, Japan will not be easy, so knowing we have your support is crucial to our success. I know it was just said, but the donations really mean a lot to us. Saying thank you just doesn’t cut it. I hope the rest of the concert we have planned will convey our gratitude. Before we move into our next setlist, I wanted to take the moment to publicly thank our volunteers."

The arpeggio took on more complexity, adding another octave and additional ups and downs in the middle of the ascending and descending chords. “As soon as we let our classmates know we were putting this on, we had a bunch of people wanting to volunteer. We were swamped with requests. Our final volunteer list has too many people on it to name them all, but we are very grateful for everything done to help us tonight and make this show more than we could do alone. From designing the fliers and posters, to the people promoting the concert, or our amazing stage crew and supporting acts, they really took this concert to the next level and we are very thankful that we can provide as much as we can to our audience. The same for Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna helping tonight. The two of them have been a big positive influence in all of our lives."

The arpeggio evolved again, adding sharps and flats as her fingers traversed the fretboard. “I also wanted to take a moment to highlight someone else special in the seven of our lives, our Japanese Language teacher, Sakura Sensei. I see her out there, sitting in the crowd! She has been supportive of each of us and really put a lot into helping some of us reach the required proficiency in Japanese to be eligible for the program. Without her help, all seven of us would not have been eligible for the program. Going together as best friends was what would make the exchange program extra fun and special. I don’t know if we can ever fully express our gratitude to you, Sakura Sensei, for all you have done to prepare us for the program.

“There were rigorous academic requirements we had to meet to ensure that we can handle the switch. The last thing we need to be worried about is failing our classes. If we are, we can’t take advantage of the rest of the unique opportunities we will have presented to us on this four-month exchange. There will be enough challenges to overcome. We don’t need to have academic ones, that could have been averted, added to the list. We look forward to facing those challenges, overcoming them, and growing through the experience, both individually and as best friends. We also look forward to sharing those experiences with you on the social media account you heard about."

The arpeggio evolved a final time, the entire down progression shifting up two octaves. “But onto the reason why you are really here; the music. The Rainbooms had to learn new songs for this concert. A good number of new ones and what’s next is one of tonight’s gems. Since we are going to be in Tokyo, the theme for the Rainbooms has appropriately been ‘Japan.’ As you probably noticed, the others were wearing white and red and so am I, the same colors as the national flag of Japan.

“The seven of us are more than bandmates. We are best friends and we decided as a group, while we were picking classes for our junior year, to work hard and try to get into the exchange program, so we could go to Japan together. To be eligible, we needed to have taken at least a year of Japanese. This isn’t a vacation. Our entire school day will be in all Japanese, so we had to become proficient in the language. Pinkie Pie and I started Japanese our sophomore year, before we even considered the exchange program, while everyone else had to start taking it their junior year.

“That is, except for Fluttershy. Fluttershy started taking Japanese freshman year because that is how much she loves Japan and Japanese culture. She is probably the most excited out of all of us for this exchange program, although you would never guess it. She hides it well. All seven of us are proficient in the language while Pinkie Pie and I are considered fluent in Japanese, but Fluttershy is smooth; exceptionally fluent. It is second nature to her.

“I say that to preface the next music set I’m about to start. Speaking in a language is different from singing in it. While singing, you often have to do things with syllables in each word to match the song, like holding a syllable for the exact timing of an extra-long note. Hitting each note in Japanese isn’t easy either. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, and Rarity currently can’t sing in Japanese. They just need more time with the language and the exchange program will give them that time. Pinkie Pie is a drummer who can’t hit the right notes in any language.” The crowd laughed at the friendly poke at the red headed drummer. It was commonly joked that drummers were only drummers because they couldn’t sing or play the guitar. “As for me, I can’t consistently hit the correct notes while singing Japanese lyrics. At least, not enough to sing a full song, only short lines and bits. However, Fluttershy can absolutely sing in Japanese.

“So, to fit with the theme and at her own suggestion, Fluttershy is going to come out and sing some of Japan’s biggest acoustic hits, which are also some of her personal favorites. We know listening to songs in a foreign language you can’t understand can take away from the experience, but we’ve got you covered. On the stage’s backdrop, we will be projecting the artist’s name, the song title, and the lyrics in both languages, so you can follow along and fully enjoy the music."

Sunset built the arpeggio into a crescendo, matching the notes to her words and accompanying the final syllable with a strum of the entire chord that reverberated and resonated throughout the entire amphitheater, “Without any further ado, making her debut as a soloist, give it up for Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy walked out to the center of the stage to stand beside Sunset. Her cheeks were beet red because of the crowd’s cheering and certainly some of it was nerves. The bright stage lights made her red cheeks more obvious. The crowd was not only cheering because of how special the upcoming set was going to be, they were also loving Fluttershy’s outfit.

Fluttershy was wearing a komon, a women's casual kimono. The one she was wearing was made of cotton and was dyed a sharp sapphire blue with some strings of white flowers patterned around it. Fluttershy had gotten the kimono for Christmas and it had been special ordered from a company in Tokyo who specialized in making kimonos for both domestic and international sales. This was the third time she had worn it; the first being on New Year’s Eve and the second being her birthday party. Not many people had seen her in it. It was a treat that fully immersed the concert goers in the theme and took the upcoming set to a whole new level.

Sunset didn’t wait for the final resonating chord to quiet before she began to strum her guitar again, this time the melody for the next song. This was a huge step for Fluttershy to take and they didn’t want to give her a moment where her usual stage fright might take over. They had to keep things flowing so Fluttershy could focus on the songs and didn’t overthink the rest of what was happening. Overthinking sank all of their boats at times and Fluttershy couldn’t afford to sink right now.

Fluttershy had been the one to suggest doing some songs in Japanese to fit their theme. The only problem was as Sunset said, none of them could learn to sing the foreign language lyrics in the short time they had. That was why Fluttershy decided to take this big step. She wanted to do this for the crowd and for herself, more than she feared being in the spotlight.

“The first song is by TORi and is called ‘In the Rain’,” Fluttershy said. She closed her eyes so that she could make it through the song without freaking out. To her, it was like she was singing just to herself, but her voice was crystal-clear as she sang each note perfectly.

The lyrics on the backdrop helped everyone in the crowd. They would have been lost otherwise. Sunset lightly tapped the stage with her foot to signal to Micro Chip when to change the lyrics.

Sunset transitioned into the next song, “Stella Rium” by Kano. Then it was onto the faster paced song, “Daybreak Frontline,” Kano’s cover version. Sunset played a longer transition to allow Fluttershy to regain her breath before she started playing “Futariboshi” by ShounenT and then she flowed into “Yūhisaka” by Chōcho. Sunset was proud of Fluttershy for literally stepping out into the spotlight. It was amazing to be physically beside her friend as she made such a big, personal step in her life. It had been huge just to have her on the stage singing backup and none of them had ever expected to see her intentionally step into the spotlight. Fluttershy had come a long way and the crowd was loving the experience she was giving them.

Fluttershy’s eyes were still closed, but her voice was gripping as she sang everything with a voice that was full of passion, yet still crystal-clear. The crowd only saw her in her kimono and heard the passion in her voice, not that her eyes were closed. Sunset transitioned into the last acoustic song, which was a longer song at a little over five minutes in length. It was a slower love song, “Kanade,” by Sukima Switch. As Fluttershy sang it, the rest of the Rainbooms slowly and quietly came out, taking their positions on the stage. Any instruments were also plugged in.

As the final guitar note ended, Pinkie Pie began a fast beat with her kick drum. Sunset stood up, unplugging her guitar before swapping it with Scootaloo for her electric guitar. Snails got the stool out of the way. Having stagehands, and ones being given great commands by a director, made everything flow so much smoother. They couldn’t be even half as smooth as they were without them.

As Sunset plugged the cable into her electric guitar, she spoke to the crowd, mustering all of the energy she could to pump them, and herself, up. “No concert with a theme of ‘Japan’ would be complete without some J-pop songs! That’s right! The Rainbooms have a surprise setlist to play for you!” The crowd cheered and Sunset strummed out a power chord on her guitar, holding the note as she continued to address them. She didn’t have long to transition the crowd without messing up their rhythm. Pinkie was still pounding out the same quick beat on the kick drum. First, Sunset had to introduce the members for all of the people who didn’t know who they were. It mattered a lot more than usual since these people had just donated their hard-earned money to them. Each member would wave when Sunset introduced them. “On drums is Pinkie Pie; on lead guitar is Rainbow Dash, who also is usually our lead vocalist; bass guitar is played by Applejack; rocking the keytar is the beautiful Rarity who also makes almost all of our performing outfits; and last but certainly not least, on backup vocals is Twilight Sparkle. Everyone, we are the Rainbooms!”

Sunset let the crowd cheer for a moment, but then she had to run a quick explanation for their next setlist. “For those of you who don’t know anything about Japanese pop music, the songs often are a fusion, using English lyrics at times for a variety of reasons. Rock and pop music has a special place in Japanese culture, but is seen as a western thing they imported into their culture. Using any English words in a song is a powerful connection that boosts a performer’s image. Fluttershy is going to cover essentially all of the Japanese lyrics in the songs for us and, like before, the lyrics and such will be displayed for you to enjoy.”

Dash knew that was the last thing Sunset would say and immediately began with some lead guitar power chord riffs, which became a short guitar solo, all the while Pinkie kept the same quick beat going on her kick drum. The solo hyped the crowd up like the Rainbooms wanted. Since Twilight didn’t have an instrument, she was in charge of the small remote to change the lyrics. It was easier than having Micro Chips try and balance the light show and the foreign language lyrics he didn’t understand.

The backdrop changed to show Miyavi’s song, “New Gravity,” which started off in English. Rainbow let loose, jumping into the song. As Rainbow played and sang, it gave Fluttershy the time she needed to reset her mind for the big shift in music styles. “New Gravity” was a “blistering rock track” that had almost a minute and a half of singing and playing by Rainbow Dash before it switched to Japanese lyrics, where Fluttershy seamlessly took over.

Rainbow Dash always loved power rock songs and Sunset enjoyed using her pedals to distort her guitar’s sound to match the original song as best as she could. Applejack was rocking out with her bass guitar, literally rocking to the music while she played their bass rhythm. Rarity was more reserved as she stood back-to-back with Twilight, who had no instrument and wasn’t singing backup. It was why the remote was in Twilight’s control, but she still had to look good on stage.

All of the Rainbooms had worked hard to learn the songs. The notes were not hard to learn. The tough part was also the most important. The songs originally were performed with instantaneous switches between the two languages that flowed smoothly. To the artists, the song was essentially in one language. The Rainbooms had to be just as fast and smooth switching between whoever was singing lead and Fluttershy.

During the third set, they were not doing any background singing or switching the English lyric singer in the middle of a song. Instead, with the exception of Pinkie Pie, they each had picked a song to learn to sing with Fluttershy. It gave each Rainboom a moment to shine in front of the crowd, although they had to share the center stage spotlight with Fluttershy.

Fluttershy had the most difficult job. Not only because of the fast changes, but because the songs were covering a variety of genres. Japan’s pop music scene was full of boy bands and each song had a different beat and feel. Fluttershy had been amazing while singing the acoustic songs, but she began to shine even more as the beat was kicked up and she truly lost herself in the music. The kimono didn’t fit with such upbeat music, but no one watching cared. The crowd liked seeing her in a kimono.

Rarity sang after Rainbow, having chosen Daichi Miura’s song, “Be Myself.” The song was mostly in Japanese and heavy on the electronic sounds, which was perfect for Rarity’s keytar. Rarity had chosen the song because it gave her the opportunity to leave her usual spot in the back and come out to the center stage.

Applejack had picked Fantastics’ song, “Time Camera,” because it was a synthetic beat that was better on the keytar than the bass guitar. The song allowed her to pass her guitar to a stagehand, so she could focus on singing lead, which wasn’t normal for her. She too had fun taking the opportunity to be in the spotlight for once. She even danced a bit.

Sunset chose to go with a J-pop love song by King & Prince, “Cinderella Girl”, because she could sing the Japanese parts in the chorus. She too passed her guitar to a stagehand to focus on singing. The chorus for “Cinderella Girl” often flipped every other word between Japanese and English, which couldn’t be sung smoothly if they switched singers for single words. Sunset didn’t want to split her focus between the guitar and singing. She needed to be focused entirely on her vocal lines. Sunset nailed her dual language chorus and Fluttershy flawlessly covered the verses for Sunset. Even when Fluttershy had to flip to English words, she was as smooth as the original artists were.

Twilight picked the song “Paprika”, which was such a hit internationally that it was covered by another Japanese artist, Foorin team E, who recorded an all-English version of the song. The lyrics had been professionally translated for the band’s cover so that they still fit with the song’s melody with some minor adjustments to account for the differences in the two languages. Even being sung in English, the song still had the distinct J-pop feel to it. It gave Fluttershy a much-needed break from singing.

With Twilight singing in center stage, Fluttershy exited the stage, disappearing into the back. They had been unsure how long Fluttershy could be in the spotlight. It had been a shared spotlight, which helped, but as excited as Fluttershy was, as much as she wanted to push herself, she had made it clear she was unsure how long she could last in the limelight. That was why they had broken up their master setlist into a few setlists. It allowed them to be fluid and adjust the master setlist on the fly, if necessary, in order to support Fluttershy.

Fluttershy hadn’t left the stage because she couldn’t take the spotlight anymore. They had a fourth setlist to play and Fluttershy hadn’t signaled that they needed to cut anything. She had only left to change into a new outfit that was better suited for the fourth set than her kimono. It might have been a casual kimono, but the crowd saw it as special and the equivalent of black-tie attire. Plus, it was impossible to dance to pop music in a properly fitted kimono. With Twilight’s song being last, it gave her the time to change. Fluttershy was ready on the side of the stage before Paprika was over.

As their Japanese lyric singer, Rarity had designed something fitting to make Fluttershy pop from the rest of them. Fluttershy was now in a red tracksuit accented with white and sporting an extra-long jacket that she left unzipped, exposing her red tank top. The back of the jacket had Japan’s “rising sun” flag on it, outlined in gold to separate it from the red fabric. The jacket reached all the way down to Fluttershy’s knees. It was loose enough to allow for modern dance movements, and the fabric would also have a delay to any pops and smoothly flow as she danced. Whenever Fluttershy’s back was to the crowd, the “rising sun” flag would be displayed, loud and proud, covering for her. With her back to the crowd, Fluttershy could take the moment to outsmart her stage fight if it popped up. It would look planned; not like she was covering up her fear or recomposing herself.

With Fluttershy ready and the crowd cheering them on, they once more kicked the concert to the next level. Fluttershy came back out to center stage while the others launched into the song which started in English, and turned her back to the crowd to intentionally show off the flag. Snow Man’s song, “Snow World,” was an energetic, bouncy song which was chosen because it started with the English lyrics: “Let’s go, We are “Snow Man.” So we are gonna make a story! So let’s go, We are Snow Man, So Let's show you how we party.” The lyrics were a perfect match for their upcoming trip. Plus, they had been able to smoothly swap the band’s name, Snow Man, for Rainbooms. The projected lyrics had “Snow Man'' crossed out with “Rainbooms” written above it in a different font and color so that the crowd knew they had changed it and what the original lyrics were. Minus Pinkie and Fluttershy, the rest of the Rainbooms sang the English opening. Fluttershy spun around to face the crowd as she began to sing the Japanese lyrics. The crowd cheered at the dramatic vocal entrance by Fluttershy.

After the song finished, the Rainbooms moved into “Backwards” by Daichi Miura. The Rainbooms slowed down after the second song. They had gotten a great jump on the fourth setlist, but now they needed to conserve their energy for the upcoming finale. They had six more songs planned in between, starting with “Kami Wa Saikoro Wo Furanai” by Meguru Meguru and then “Born to be Wild” by JO1. The other four were by Dizzy Sunfist: “Into the Future,” “So Beautiful,” “Diamonds Shine,” and “Summer Never Ends.” The songs were not slow paced, but the Rainbooms calmed their on-stage energy while still putting on a good show. They knew slowing down a bit would pay off during the finale.

Dizzy Sunfist was a three-person, girl led rock band who produced songs that were much closer to the Rainbooms’ normal repertoire. It was easier to cover them without worrying about how they sounded since it was a female singer; compared to the other songs that originally had male singers. Since they were covering the songs, they could and did add their own flair, but they also were introducing the audience to these bands and J-pop. They wanted to give the artists and the genres their due. They had skipped plenty of amazing songs and bands because they couldn’t do them justice, especially with Fluttershy being their only Japanese lyric vocalist.

The songs chosen from Dizzy Sunfist were written by the band entirely in English, allowing Fluttershy to step back, out of the spotlight, and take a well-earned breather and rest her voice for the finale. Rainbow took the lead with Sunset, Twilight, and Rarity providing backup vocals. Every Rainboom needed the mental break from switching between languages as they prepared themselves for their finale. Even if they were not singing, ensuring they were playing together required them to follow the lyrics as they switched between both languages, which was an extra strain on their minds. It was fun to cover a Japanese band that did songs entirely in English. It was also nice because everyone in the amphitheater could easily enjoy and fully appreciate those songs.

“Grandeur” was their “finale” for the concert and where they had to put the bulk of their energy. It was an electro swing dance song with fast lyrics and beat, by the Japanese boy band, Snow Man. It had a lot of flipping between blocks of Japanese lyrics and English lyrics, giving the Rainbooms plenty of opportunities to switch singers during the short burst of English lyrics, in an attempt to mimic the nine-member boy band. They “simply” had to match the energy of the dance song, which wasn’t an easy feat after everything they had played.

Since it was their finale, they were going big, but the Rainbooms needed some help to pull the finale off. As Rarity started “Grandeur” on her Keytar, they were joined by Run-CHS, Canterlot High’s resident modern dance experts. They cartwheeled and flipped out onto the stage to start dancing. Rarity had the five members — the twins Pop and Lock, Moonwalk, Rhythm, and Party Machine — in red hoodies, white sweatpants, and white ball caps. Run-CHS would be providing the bulk of the dance energy for the song, the exact boost the Rainbooms needed.

As a bonus, Run-CHS could do the complex modern dance moves the Rainbooms couldn’t. Modern dance with instruments was basically impossible and the Rainbooms had different levels of ability when it came to modern dance. Run-CHS was not on stage to be backup dancers. They were a critical part of the choreography for the finale. They often were in front of the Rainbooms so the crowd could enjoy their amazing, flowing, popping and locking, moves. They gave the crowd and the Rainbooms everything they had.

The Rainbooms were not leaving all of the dancing to Run-CHS. At different points of the song, they each handed off their instruments to a waiting stagehand so they could dance center stage for a segment, often working with one of the members of Run-CHS. Even Pinkie Pie left her drums for a brief dance. Fluttershy snuck her dance in during the first chorus’s drawn out English lyrics. It had taken a lot of time to learn the choreography that Run-CHS had planned for them. For their individual showcase dances, each Rainboom danced within their comfort zone, but gave it their all. The crowd loved watching the Rainbooms be fully immersed in the song.

The last verse had a big chunk in English, but none of the Rainbooms were going to sing it. The original two singers had a deeper voice with an aggressive edge. None of the girls could make the lyrics sound right. They could do a lot with the seven different voices in their band and they had specifically picked songs they could pull off covering with their range, however, “Grandeur” was a song they couldn’t pass up. Because of the lyrics and energy, it was the perfect song to cover for a finale.

The song slowed down, shifting pace before it rose to where it would explode into the climax and where the last block of English Lyrics would have to be quickly whipped out. As the music peaked, Flash Sentry slid into center stage, in an all-white outfit and a microphone in his hand. On cue he rapid fired the final English lyrics to the beat: “I'm gonna survive, I wanna catch my dream. So, let's get it started with you. We can fly, unbreakable. I can show you my brightness.” The crowd roared, loving Flash Sentry’s bonus moment. Flash Sentry had nailed the lines and the tone. He was gone as quick as he appeared while the Rainbooms and Run-CHS finished out the song.

The last bit of dance choreography was while Pinkie Pie and Rarity finished playing the song out. There were no lyrics to be sung and they only needed the drums and keytar, so the rest of them danced in a line at the front of the stage, in tandem with a member of Run-CHS. It wasn’t too complicated of dance moves, but it was a perfect finish to the song. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were kneeling in the back, holding their guitars for them so they could dance freely.

They were all tired, outside of Pinkie, but they had a “going away song” planned for after their finale. That way, they didn’t have to worry about doing an encore. “Grandeur” was the perfect finale, but it was not a good song to suddenly end on, at least not without an encore. They knew they wouldn’t have the energy for a proper encore if the crowd called for it, so the “going away song” was their planned sort of encore to finish out the night, while not distracting from their big finale.

Their “going away song” was an inspirational J-pop song full of great motivational messages. As planned, Run-CHS stayed out with them, this time truly dancing backup for them. “Stop for Nothing” by Fantastics was chosen to let everyone know that despite the challenges they would face in the exchange program, as the lyrics said, they would “stop for nothing.” It also gave Dash a final guitar solo which she ensured was epic. Like in her earlier song with Fluttershy, Sunset was able to cover some of the chorus lines that flipped back and forth between languages, reducing the load on Fluttershy.

The song had an abrupt end, which was a good thing. Because of their flowing transitions between every song, it was clear that the Rainbooms were done for the night. Run-CHS made a quick exit to keep the focus on the Rainbooms. The crowd gave the Rainbooms a standing ovation with a louder roar than they had gotten all evening, which was impressive considering the noise the crowd had made several times over the concert. DJ-PON3 had cut their instruments and mics off from the speakers, so they didn’t have to worry about them making unwanted noise. The Rainbooms quickly lined up at the front of the stage and bowed together, three times, to thank everyone as they were applauded. They needed to get off the stage quickly, without looking rushed.

As they moved to exit the stage, Flash Sentry came out, microphone in hand, to cover their exit with some closing words.

“Thank you everyone, for coming out,” Flash Sentry said. “I know the Rainbooms had fun, to put it lightly, and so did the supporting acts. As I am sure you noticed, or maybe you didn’t because they did such a great job, the Rainbooms are exhausted. They gave it their all for you with a significantly longer setlist than they have ever played before! With the effort they put out tonight, I gladly took on the responsibility of saying their closing words for them.

“First of all, a special thanks to all of you, their amazing donors who not only got to the concert’s donation goal, but exceeded it to the point that they now have their exchange program fully funded! Also, a big thanks to all of the volunteers who helped pull this off. That includes the surprise dancers for the finale, Run-CHS!

“Remember, the girls have a social media account where they will be posting updates while they are in Japan. If you want to follow them, that info is on your ticket or you can find it by searching for the Rainbooms’ social media page. I’m happy to say that we finished a few minutes before eight. That was the Rainbooms’ goal, to make the concert available to everyone, including families with little ones who go to bed earlier. They wanted you all to be able to stay for the whole concert and have good, quality time and fun as a family. Regardless of age or who you are with, it sounds like everyone had a great time. That’s all the Rainbooms had for me to say. Have a good evening and safe travels home!”

July 30 – Afterparty

Off stage, with their equipment properly set aside, Rarity was the first to squeal out of joy before they all brought it in for a group hug. They posed for Photo Finish so she could snap several group photos before she wrapped up for the evening. That final group image would be a good one to post to the joint social media account with another “thank you” message to their donors.

They didn’t know what to say for a bit. They had worked so hard over the past three weeks, daily and for hours each day, to learn the new songs and choreography, but now it was over. All of that work had come down to less than two hours on stage. They just stood there as best friends, arms around each other, while they tried to regain their breaths and calm their rapidly beating hearts.

Saying it was “fun” didn’t do the evening justice. It was a thrill that would be tough to beat. On top of everything, and certainly adding to their endorphin high, they now had what they needed to cover the entire cost of the exchange program. In one epic move, they had made up for the failed fundraisers. That was a very good feeling.

An “afterparty” at Sugarcube Corner was scheduled. It was a reward for their volunteers for their hard work making the evening a success. It wasn’t just the stagehands and supporting acts, but everyone who had volunteered. The promoters had done so much legwork before the concert, that it was as much the promoters' victory as any of the volunteers on the day of the concert. And the promoters wouldn’t have had the fliers or posters they needed without the work put in by Canterlot High’s digital arts club. Run-CHS was not being left out either. The only volunteers not going were Celestia and Luna. They had kindly declined the invitation.

“Congratulations, Rainbooms,” Trixie said, as everyone who had helped tonight gathered around them. “Trixie is happy you exceeded your goal and loves that she and her band was able to ensure the concert was a success!”

Everyone gave a round of applause for their success tonight.

As the clapping and cheers finished, Principal Celestia joined them. Vice Principal Luna was with her sister, but it was Celestia who spoke for them both. “Congratulations, everyone, for the successful concert. Luna and I were very impressed. We have seen each and all of you do amazing things as Wondercolts, but, once again, we were left stunned at what our students could do. Our current student body is very talented. We got to see so many people shine tonight as you pulled together for an event that will be hard to top. Future generations of Wondercolts will find it difficult to beat today’s success.”

“And with no demons or screwy magic messing it up!” Pinkie Pie added. “All one hundred percent sugary good memories!”

“Absolutely!” Sunset said, grinning with pride from their accomplishment. No magical catastrophe was a very nice change of pace.

“It was nice to not have an interruption,” Celestia said with a laugh. “The way you all pulled together was special compared to any other event CHS has put on. Most events support the school or student organizations, which impacts all of the students at CHS. After all, every student organization is open to anyone who wants to join. Today was distinctly different though, because only seven of you had a stake in the concert, yet a sizable percentage of our student body joined them in order to make sure it was successful and I know a lot more volunteered who were unfortunately unable to be used.

“I know you all want to celebrate and the night is certainly still young enough to do it, but Luna and I need to speak with the Rainbooms, privately.”

The others went to start packing up their equipment. Some people would be dropping stuff off at home before going to the sweetshop so they didn’t have to worry about expensive equipment being in their vehicles. Not everyone could drive or had a car and they were sharing rides with bandmates or friends.

Sunset looked at her phone to check the time. It was barely past eight. Five to eight had been the promoted time for the concert. It was early enough still that the true summer night hadn’t fully set in. They pulled off making the concert available to everyone, including families with younger kids.

Everything had gone perfectly. Better than perfect.

“First off,” Celestia said, once the final volunteers had left and they were alone. “It was a great pleasure to be at the ticket table, taking the donations and talking with different people. So often, we are on the sidelines, watching the students run the fundraisers, as we should be, but it was fun being a direct part and to see how the community beyond our school came together to support you. I am glad you asked us to help because I know it helped ease the mind of some of your bigger donors.” Celestia held out a piece of paper. Sunset took it because she was the closest. “That is a list of the people who spent at least fifty on an individual ticket. I listed how much they spent per ticket and the total tickets bought. There are quite a few names on the list. I only brought it up because, from my experience, you would be wise to send them a special thank you on top of everything you already did during the show. They are not expecting anything extra, but you would still be wise to send something personal. As much as you did tonight, it was for everyone. It is courteous to not single donors out in a public performance, but, if you can, it is also courteous to follow up with the special ones.”

“And this list is the ‘can’ in your statement,” Sunset said with a nod.

Sunset looked at the paper. Fifty wasn’t a lot for a ticket to a full concert, especially for some of the famous performers, but they were not famous and more importantly that was five times what they were asking to be donated for each ticket. The Rainbooms, specifically Twilight, had crunched the numbers before they set the suggested donation at ten. They appreciated every donation, no matter what the size. They knew some people would be able to donate more and others who couldn’t donate the suggested “price” for various reasons, but they also knew that the donations would quickly add up if they got a lot of people to come. That was the beauty of having the event be free, but asking for some form of donation for a “ticket.” It was flexible to meet the financial situation of everyone attending, while also raising the funds they needed.

However, spending five times the suggestion was a big shock. Sunset had expected a big donor to be someone who spent twenty on a ticket, twice the suggested donation. The people on the list either really believed in the girls or in the exchange program. They saw a value in the fundraiser that went far beyond getting to hear live music. There were names on the list that had spent ten, fifteen, or twenty times the suggested donation and even a few who spent up to fifty times the suggested donation per ticket. The list was proof of how they completed their total fundraising goal, not just the goal for the evening.

Sunset began to regret not pushing the idea of the concert at their first planning session. Then she remembered that a huge part of their success tonight came from lessons learned at the previous ones. The idea of inviting alumni came from meeting them at the bake sale and they still didn’t think to invite them to the fashion show. They spread the word so aggressively to ensure they would have people show up, unlike other events. The same with having it open to a much wider audience, including families. The whole point of the program requiring them to fundraise was to learn the lessons they did along the way, from both their successes and failures.

“Oh!” Rarity exclaimed, clearly having a great idea. “I know what we can do! Photo Finish was taking pictures all night. I know she got a great group shot of the seven of us right after we finished. We can pick the best and have them made into a custom postcard to send to our special donors with a personal message written on the back. Like people do with Christmas cards. Or maybe something like an adjusted wedding invitation, with a layout that has a main picture and some smaller ones. We can figure that out later, but there are a variety of designs available to pick from and adjust to our needs.”

“That is a wonderful idea,” Luna said. “I recommend that you pick one of you all performing together but before Run-CHS joined you. The finale was amazing, to say the least, but for a custom thank you card, you will want the photo to be just the seven of you since you were the focus of the night. If the design you choose has more than one photo slot, you can pick what you want for the extra photo slots, but as much as the supporting acts were a huge help to you, I still suggest choosing ones that focus on the Rainbooms. The other acts were there to support your headline act as much as the donors were there to watch it. This night was all about you and it is you who will be sending the cards, not your volunteers.”

“I’m bringing my computer to Sugarcube Corner,” Sunset said. “Photo Finish will be downloading copies of what she took to it while we celebrate. I understand she has a new digital camera that can take Four-K photos, but that they also are big image files and can be slow to transfer. Four-K means what she got will have a very good image quality and that is better when making custom cards.”

“That is great,” Celestia said. “You couldn’t have guessed you would need them for this.”

“We almost didn’t have her here,” Rarity explained. “She didn’t contact us about photos until last week. We didn’t think to ask her because we were a little busy trying to not just handle the logistics of the concert, all while also learning the new songs. I still can’t believe we learned that many in less than three weeks.

“Scrambling this together felt like it was more last minute than it was. Still, I barely had time to make the outfits necessary. I actually didn’t do anything except the outfits and learn songs. I’m so happy Fluttershy had that kimono because it really brought the whole theme together, more than anything I could make, especially since the second setlist was acoustic and slower. I took a look at it and kimonos are quite complicated to sew. The irregular shape takes a special set of skills to learn how to properly form it and that one is a simpler style. I never would have had time to make one and it was the best thing to have her wearing on stage for that setlist.”

“It all looked great,” Celestia said. “From the cleverly coordinated outfits, to the stage set up, and the choreography. It didn’t look like three weeks of preparation; more like three months. Fluttershy, I was aware that the Rainbooms had some Japanese songs in the setlist, but I didn’t know it was your suggestion until Sunset said it on stage. That was a great idea. The second setlist was very unique and special. Splitting up for the first half was a wise move. The show had great pacing and you gave Fluttershy the breaks she needed. It was very well organized and executed.

“Playing songs with both languages in the lyrics…” Celestia smiled coyly. ”Well I know it couldn’t have been easy for any of you, but bringing an element of Japanese musical culture to the people who just donated to your upcoming trip there made the concert extra special. Talking with some of your big donors after, they expressed how impressed they were that the Rainbooms pulled off singing in two different languages. It doesn’t matter if you personally only sang in English, or not at all in Pinkie Pie’s case, what matters is that you did it as a band. People were very impressed.

“Also, Fluttershy, it was good to see you step into the limelight for once. You did an amazing job in it. You owned the stage, like you belonged there. I hope to see you doing more in the future, perhaps even giving Rainbow Dash a break from lead vocals when you perform as a band.”

“Thank you, Principal Celestia,” Fluttershy replied, blushing. “It was a lot of fun singing in Japanese. Wearing my kimono was also fun and more importantly, it helped give me the strength to be able to do it. We chose to fight my stage fight smartly, rather than trying to muscle through it. We did a lot with the organization of the setlists, and in other ways, to give me those moments where I could fight smarter, not harder. Personally, I just had to close my eyes and forget I was singing in front of other people. I had to sing for myself. Well, until the fourth set when I was on a roll and nothing could stop me. Then I was singing for the crowd more than I was singing for myself or the Rainbooms. Maybe I will challenge Dash on lead vocals.”

“Hey, let’s not get too crazy and take away my spotlight just yet,” Dash playfully shot back. “I’m the awesome one people come to see. You all are there to help me look good.”

Everyone laughed. Dash was obviously joking with the over bloated ego talk.

“Well, Fluttershy, your smart tactics worked,” Luna said. “No one knew that was what you were doing. The people that know you were impressed and happy to see you taking such a big step. Public performances are not easy, but you made it look easy. That is what counts. All of you, you all made it look natural and second nature, which fully immersed everyone in the music, giving them an amazing experience. One they will surely remember.”

“Sunset laid down some seriously awesome double language lines,” Rainbow praised. “I mean, before you did the second set, you knocked yourself down about not being able to sing in Japanese. Plus, we all were practicing together and we saw you make a lot of mistakes, even two days ago in our final practice before we rested our voices. Honestly, I wasn’t sure going into the concert if you were going to try, or pitch them to Fluttershy, but then you seriously nailed it out there.”

“Thanks,” Sunset said, feeling her cheeks flush as she smiled. “I just had to let go and go with the beat. I know the lyrics backwards and forwards, my problem during practices came from trying to be perfect. About when I was talking to the crowd, I had to build Fluttershy up some more so they were extra hyped for what we had planned. They needed to understand that it wasn’t easy to do and why we would have to rely on her so much.”

“And you did just that,” Celestia said. “We will leave you to pack up and then go celebrate. Again, congratulations on the concert’s success and on meeting your total fundraising goal. We are proud of each and every one of you.”

They bid Celestia and Luna goodnight and got to packing. They each had plenty of stuff to break down and pack up, but that was also what their stagehands were for. That and almost everyone else from the other bands were still around. A few had to bolt since they were rides for others and getting to the afterparty on time meant they needed to leave sooner. Everyone available helped the Rainbooms pack up so they all could get to Sugarcube Corner sooner. As the saying went, “many hands make for light work.”

Sunset took her guitars home before she headed to the afterparty. She didn’t bother to change. She was enjoying the outfit she had performed in, even if she was a little sweaty. No one would care and they probably wouldn’t even notice.

It was just before nine when she got to the sweetshop. The door had a sign that read “closed for a private event.” The Cakes had to rely on their already limited staff during the concert so they could attend and then they “closed” early, on a Saturday, just so they could host the celebratory afterparty.

The Cakes were not losing money though. Twilight’s parents, Night Light and Twilight Velvet, had found out just how big their volunteer base was and how much effort they were putting into the concert. Without telling them, they set up the afterparty so the girls couldn’t pass on it. The cost couldn’t have been cheap, but they had wanted to do it so that the volunteers were thanked for going above and beyond like they had. Now that the trip was fully covered, they didn’t have to pay anything to send Twilight. The afterparty couldn’t have cost anywhere near the other half of the exchange program.

The Cakes had been really kind to them, not only for letting them put up posters, but they were handing out fliers with every order and putting one on each and every delivery they made. Every day they delivered a lot of orders all over the city. The Cakes had been crucial for spreading the word.

Sunset looked around the shop, doing a quick count. Not everyone had arrived yet, which didn’t surprise her. Sunset walked over to Photo Finish and pulled out her laptop. She unlocked it and the photographer pulled out her camera's SD Card and a USB card reader to begin uploading the photos from the evening.

Vinyl Scratch came over and handed Sunset a CD case. She lifted her glasses and winked. Then she was gone, back to where she had been sitting with her ice cream sundae and laptop. She was probably mixing some tracks.

Sunset looked at the CD. On it was written “The Rainbooms: Exchange Program Fundraiser Concert (Live).” The sly disk jockey hadn’t spent the night simply running the soundboard; she had recorded the concert. Having a recording of their performance was an amazing gift. There was a good chance they were not going to perform the songs they had learned for the concert again because they had Japanese lyrics. It only worked for tonight because of the appropriate theme. There was one possible exception: the songs by Dizzy Sunfist because they were written in English. Sunset hadn’t asked about recording the concert because she knew recording live music could be very tricky and required special equipment to capture it. Equipment that wasn’t cheap. There was a very good reason why most things were recorded in a studio, where they could account for every sound, but apparently their DJ friend had the equipment and skills to pull off recording a live concert, while simultaneously running their sound.

Pinkie Pie hopped into Sunset, wrapping her in a hug for greeting. “Whatcha lookin at?”

“Vinyl recorded the concert,” Sunset, showing Pinkie the CD.

“Wow!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “I’m going to go thank her!”

Pinkie Pie hopped away and Sunset went to get a malt while the computer did its thing. The Rainbooms were going to say a few words once everyone had arrived, but there was no reason not to get something before then. While she was waiting for her order to be made, Sunset replayed the highlights in her mind. She didn’t notice Flash Sentry join her side as he waited for his order.

“Hey, I see Vinyl gave you a copy of your performance,” Flash said, pulling Sunset back to the present. “She gave me one too. I had no idea she had the equipment for that.”

“Neither did I,” Sunset said with a grin as she picked the malt Misses Cake set in front of her. “But I am thankful she did.” She looked around. They were down Applejack, Apple Bloom, Rarity, and Sweetie Bell. Otherwise, everyone else was there.

“Care to join us?” Flash asked as he picked up his banana split. “At least for a bit.”

“Sure,” Sunset shrugged, following Flash over to the table where his bandmates, Brawly Beats, Ringo, and Sandalwood, were chatting with Micro Chips, Octavia Melody, and Color Wheel. It was fun hanging out with a group that came from radically different backgrounds and talents, yet could still be friends.

“Sorry we’re late, y’all!” Applejack said, extra loud from the doorway. It caught everyone’s attention. “Is anyone missing?”

Sunset saw Rarity, Sweetie Bell, and Apple Bloom by the counter. Sunset was sure everyone was there and no one spoke up.

Applejack continued. “Well then, y’all, I know that as organizer of this event, Sunset would like to say a few words.”

Sunset stood up and moved to the middle of the sweetshop, malt in hand, where she could see everyone. The Rainbooms gathered together near the counter.

“I think saying that today’s concert was a success is an understatement,” Sunset said. “Each of us wants to thank each and every single one of you. We had the donors we had and they felt confident in donating what they did because of you. This party is for you. If you missed it, we exceeded tonight’s goal so much that we also reached the point where our semester abroad is entirely covered!”

Everyone clapped. Cheering inside the shop would have been too loud.

Sunset continued. “As I look around the room, I recognize everyone, but I don’t know you all. CHS is large enough that even as much as we have come together as Wondercolts, we may not really know everyone in the school. Especially when a new batch of underclassmen join us every year. That is what makes our Wondercolt bond so amazing. It doesn’t matter if we directly know each other or not, we all share that bond. I know that the school in Japan won’t have a mascot or school teams to rally to. That’s not part of their school system. It’s hard to compare the somewhat radically different systems, but I can confidently say that having a mascot for the student to rally to is a strength we have with our system.

“A strength that directly gets reflected in the numbers. Unlike a dance or other fundraisers, the only ones with a stake in the success are the seven of us. Club fundraisers still help the student body because CHS clubs have an open-door policy. Our numbers, just for this event, was a total volunteer count of fifty-seven!” Sunset let them clap for a bit. “Breaking it down; we had nine in the stage crew, seven total for our supporting acts, twenty-six designated promoters, and another fifteen in other roles. That isn’t counting people like Type Set, Color Wheel’s father who donated the promotional materials or the Cakes, who added our fliers to their deliveries.” Sunset turned around and saw both of the Cakes standing behind the counter. “Thank you, Mister and Misses Cake, for all you did.”

“Oh no worries, dearie,” Misses Cake said. “It was no trouble, and fun!”

Sunset nodded back and continued. “Those numbers also don’t include Principal Celestia and Vice principal Luna, who we are very appreciative of the direct role they played in the event. The numbers are impressive, but I wanted to go past that. We had volunteers who worked before the show and then a separate set that were during the show. It was said to the crowd, so they knew the volunteer support we had, but it wasn’t said by us to you. So, thank you, each and every single one of you, for all you did. We got to bow to the crowd as they showered us with applause, you didn’t. So, the Rainbooms wanted to applaud you all for your hard work.”

Sunset clapped and so did the rest of the girls.

Flash Sentry spoke for his band, “It was a blast to be a part of it. We all have watched you each work so hard; first with the grades and classes, then in the fundraising. How could we not want to help out our fellow Wondercolts with our best skill, music, while you put on the concert of a lifetime?” His bandmates echoed his sentiments.

“All y’all’s help is still very appreciated,” Applejack said. “Wondercolts or not, well, bein’ Wondercolts helpin’ each other is what makes it so special. We have an amazin’ community. We are glad y’all had fun helpin’ us.”

“I never had time to say it before, but you guys rocked the house,” Rainbow added. “Both bands. Seriously, I was afraid that we had bitten off more than we could chew and that the people would be left wondering why either of you weren’t headlining while we supported.”

Everyone laughed at Dash’s admission.

“The stagehands did a great job,” Octavia added. “I know I made the six of you nervous when we had our talk a few days ago, going over the expectations and commands, but tonight you all were sharp and listened well. You were invisible yet always present, just like professionals.”

It was clear that Octavia’s words meant more to the six of them than thanks from the Rainbooms. That was perfectly fine. They had ended up working much more for her than they did for the Rainbooms.

“Everyone rocked their roles!” Moonwalk exclaimed. “I’m just psyched we could be a part of the experience. Since Run-CHS doesn’t sing, we usually get left out of the musical stuff. The Rainbooms may have been low on energy, but you still had enough beat left in your steps to rock the ending.”

“We had no idea you had that many Japanese song’s planned,” Pop added. “Even after working almost daily with you for the last week and a half on the finale, we had no idea you had kept so much hidden from us. We knew you were doing some other J-pop songs, but it was jaw dropping what you pulled off.”

“That was the plan,” Rainbow said, winking. “We couldn’t show anyone our full hand. Or rather, we didn’t want to show anyone our full hand. Octavia, Micro Chips, and Vinyl needed to know for timing, so they were exempt from that rule.”

“It would have been groovy if we had been able to dance for you in a few of the earlier songs,” Rhythm said. “But I get why you wanted to reserve us for the finale. It was the right move.”

“It was a lot more epic having you come out at the end to surprise the crowd,” Sunset said. “We were already wowing them enough as we started the J-pop setlist. It would have blunted how amazing you were if you had joined us earlier, but I agree, it would have been fun if you could have been out there longer with us. Especially after all the hard work you put in to help us.”

“We really needed your energy for the finale,” Rarity added. “The same with your help, Flash, delivering those lines. Of course, the concert was more than the finale. It was sort of the finale to our fundraising. A finale in which you all participated and performed your roles phenomenally. We appreciate everything done to help us.”

“To everyone, for our success,” Sunset said before lifting her half-finished malt up high. “I raise my malt to you! Enjoy the afterparty!

Quite a few people laughed at Sunset’s closing pun. The Rainbooms split up, going to hang with a variety of people. Sunset went back to Flash and the others. The night was still early. She would celebrate with everyone before it was finished.

Pilot Episode 0.1 - Japan

Episode 0.1 - Japan
August 19 – 4 p.m. JST

Japan. Sunset Shimmer walked off the plane and through the jet walk, adjusting her backpack as she walked. Customs was ahead and she needed to focus on getting through. It wouldn't, shouldn’t, be too hard. The flight had been long and it was the last thing she wanted to deal with, but it was a necessary, adult, step.

She was a senior in high school and she was in Japan for a foreign exchange semester. Canterlot High School was partnered with the foreign exchange program and often had an exchange student attending the school. The program was a once in a lifetime opportunity and only available to seniors. Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Twilight had also qualified for the program, but were on different flights to Tokyo.

Besides being a Senior, to be eligible to go to Japan, the student had to take at least Japanese 101 over Junior Year. The semester would count as a year of language credit, and they needed at least two credits to graduate. Sunset Shimmer and Pinkie Pie had taken J101 as a sophomore and J102 a junior. Neither had planned on taking advantage of the exchange program when they chose Japanese for their language credit. Fluttershy had started Japanese as a freshman, although nobody had realized that she was taking it until they had begun to talk about the exchange program.

The three of them had their language credits for the school’s graduation qualifications satisfied, making the exchange less stressful, at least for Sunset. She wouldn’t have stress over the language proficiency test at the end of the semester because she didn't have to take it. She felt confident that she could handle being in class all day long learning only in Japanese. She hoped her accent would dwindle in the short time she would have here.

The rest of the others had taken J101 the previous school year. Over the last few weeks, they had been spending time talking and texting in Japanese to stay sharp. They all had varying degrees of success at grasping the language, but each one had passed the test enough to qualify for the exchange program. Learning any language in just one year was difficult and Japanese was no exception. This exchange would provide a full immersion into the language and culture and help solidify the language in their minds.

Pinkie and Sunset were carrying out entire conversations in Japanese, without the need for a lexicon or help. Pinkie was quick with the language and worse, she was already able to do word play with it. Fluttershy, as usual, kept pretty quiet in the group chat, until she had to correct Pinkie Pie’s attempts at a word play. It never failed to shock Sunset when Fluttershy explained everything in Japanese like their teacher, but better.

Thankfully, if any of them began to struggle, they had a safety net. Japan required their students to learn English all throughout the various levels of school. How well they could speak it varied from person to person, but if they had trouble communicating verbally, they could at least do it over a written exchange. Their fellow students and many of their teachers could help if they needed it.

There was more to qualifying for the exchange program than language credits. Students had to have good grades for their other classes. They needed recommendation letters and good ones that impressed both schools. They had to go through a video interview with the acceptance committee, which had both English based members and Japanese based members on it, and at least part of the interview had been in Japanese. The program had to believe the students could handle the transitions, especially back to their home school after winter break. Japan used trimesters instead of semesters, making that transition an interesting hurdle for students. The student’s success was the most important thing being gauged, even if it didn’t feel like it, but that didn’t matter anymore because she had already been accepted and so had her friends.

Sunset was called forward to the next customs counter. She presented her passport, opened to her student visa. She was asked a few basic questions and then welcomed to Japan. She stepped past the counter, officially entering Japan. Haneda Airport was an international airport and Tokyo's main terminal for air travel. It served many different nationalities and languages. Many of the directional signs were in Japanese, Korean, Chinese, English, and a few other languages for the convenience of the travelers. It made it easy for Sunset to navigate to the carousels where her luggage would be. She needed easy after the grueling flight and as her nerves began to heighten.

More important than her luggage was the fact that her exchange family would be there, waiting for her. They knew her name, had her picture, her basic questionnaire file, and had agreed on the flight time. They also had sent a few emails back and forth since they were matched, getting to know each other more.

Her “exchange parents” were Mister Nakamura Isoraku and Missus Nakamura Riko. They had a twelve-year-old daughter, Himari, and a nineteen-year-old son, Haruki, who was out of the house and going to a university. Isoraku worked for the government and Riko enjoyed cooking and caring for their home. They had wanted to be exchange parents for several years, but decided to wait until Haruki was in college and out of the house.

Japanese schools were just getting off summer break and starting their second trimester. School wouldn’t start for her until Monday, September 5th, almost two weeks away, with an orientation day for the international students on Friday, the 2nd. The extra time would allow her to adjust to living with a new “family” before the stress of a new school and a school structure that would be dramatically different. The Nakamauras had a plan to show Sunset around Tokyo and help her get accustomed to the culture, city, and most importantly the vast public transit network.

Sunset was looking forward to seeing the city. The Nakamura family lived in the Minato Ward, Akasaka district, not far from the Imperial Palace. It was a good location for a government employee to live since Chiyoda Ward was home to most of Japan’s federal government and they were right on the boundary to it. What exactly Nakamura Isoraku did wasn’t discussed and it was obvious it wasn’t a topic to discuss further.

Sunset spotted the Nakamura family by the handmade sign with her name on it. The colorful sign was held by a Himari. She headed straight for them. Her luggage wouldn’t be available for a little while longer. She waved to them as she walked over, and then choked, unsure what to say or do. She was going to be living with these people for a few months, like their own kid, but not.

They bowed and it reminded Sunset to bow back. “Sorry,” Sunset apologized in Japanese. “I thought I was more prepared than I am. The shock is sinking in.”

“That’s understandable,” Mister Nakamura replied with a smile. “It is for us too. But it is wonderful to meet you. We are very excited to be able to extend our house and this exchange opportunity to you.”

“It is very appreciated,” Sunset replied. “I promise I will make the most of it.”

“We are certain you will,” Mister Nakamura said. “But there is more to life than school and that is what this program is also about. We can’t wait to show you the city and our heritage. I know the school system is different and will take adjusting, but I do hope you take every opportunity outside the classroom to expand yourself.”

“I will keep that in mind and do my best,” Sunset replied.

The carousel buzzed and began to move. It changed their focus to getting Sunset’s bags. She only had one suitcase. School would require a uniform and she would be getting that during orientation. There was a good chance she would leave with a second bag, but for her arrival, it was just one suitcase and her backpack.

Sunset grabbed her luggage off the carousel, but Mister Nakamura took it from her and led them all out of the airport. They didn’t head to the parking lot.

“I know the flight was long, but I figured this would be a good time to introduce you to our public transit system,” He explained. “There is a subway station right by our home.”

“That’s fine,” Sunset replied. “I need to learn. We have a decent bus system in Canterlot and I am used to walking places, but our infrastructure just isn’t built to handle anything but cars.”

Tokyo had a train, subway, monorail, and bus system connecting the very large city. The area around Chiyoda was all subways and buses. They had to take the monorail to a station where they could get on a subway. All of the information was written small to get it on the maps and maximize the information available at the stations. There wasn’t a lot of room to give that information out. For now, Sunset only made a few mental notes, but let the Nakamura family guide her.

They got off at their stop and only had to walk five minutes to their home. It was a multi-tenant building, but from what Sunset understood, they owned their portion of it. It was basically a condominium. Sunset was shocked at how nice the inside was. She had seen pictures, and she knew they lived in a nice place, but the pictures didn’t do it justice. Mister Nakamura had to make some good money to afford what she was seeing.

They entered the unit and the Nakamura family had a pair of slippers for Sunset. They were not the guest slippers. They had purchased a personal pair just for her. Sunset would have to get used to the shuffling walk of the slippers, rather than the “stomping around” she was used to.

Her bedroom was very nice. It had been their son’s room, but it was cleaned up nicely for her and most of his stuff had been removed. Everything was modernized. The closet opened with a sensor, hands free. The desk was very nice as well. The room even had a private bathroom.

Sunset was left to settle in and put her clothes away. She met the family in the living room. It was a more traditional feel than the bedroom. They were all having tea and had a cup ready for Sunset.

They laid out the goal for the rest of the day and the following day. The jet lag would be a tough battle. They would stay inside, enjoying a nice dinner and some family games, before Sunset would retire early. The next day was Saturday, and they would hit the town. They would show her the local’s spots, not the tourist locations. On Sunday, they would do the touristy stuff, like visiting the imperial palace grounds. They wanted Sunset to see the “real” Tokyo first.

Missus Nakamura was an amazing cook. She had made ramen for dinner. It wasn’t a cheap dish you microwaved. She had made the noodles from scratch the day before and everything else was fresh. Traditional ramen was not an easy dish to make right; not that Sunset would be able to tell the difference. Missus Nakamura attended a culinary school in Tokyo soon after she married. She had always enjoyed making food and with someone else to cook for, she wanted to follow that personal passion. With her husband’s stable job in the government, she had been able to follow that dream. It was a very good return on their investment, bringing the family joy almost daily.

While eating dinner, Sunset learned that her school didn’t have a cafeteria, which was very common in Japan. Himari’s school also lacked a cafeteria. They took a lot of space if you tried to seat all of the students at once and they were empty the rest of the day. Instead, students would eat lunch in their classrooms.

Missus Nakamura would be making a bento, box lunch, for Sunset along with Himari’s bento. It was something she enjoyed doing and not seen as a chore. She had been waiting for Himari to enter lower secondary school so she could make her lunch. Elementary schools had heavily subsidized lunches and getting a student exempt was nearly impossible, but high schools did not have subsidized meals. Sunset’s school did have a lunch program students could opt into rather than bringing their own. Healthy eating was a strong focus at school for all levels, junk food was not allowed, no matter if the student brought their own or ate the school lunch. The school lunches rarely had processed foods, they were never cafeteria style meals, and if the school didn’t have a kitchen, they were made off campus and brought in. At least for Sunset, she would not have to worry about lunches and she knew they would be delicious and nutritious.

Before bed, Sunset took a shower and then prepared to post to their social media account. The girls were sharing an account to document their time in Japan. They were required to fundraise at least half of the cost, but they had fundraised the entire thing. The social media account would allow their amazing donors to walk through the girl’s journey with them. They planned on sending at least one update each day, which with seven of them should be easy, but more was always better. Even normal stuff in Japan that was foreign to Canterlot would be great to post and share. Sunset was the first one in the country, so she got to be the first one posting from there.

Her post right before boarding the plane had a lot of likes and comments, but it was not the most recent. Rarity had posted an hour ago about last-minute packing “problems.” She was going to be heading to the airport soon, if she wasn’t already there. Rarity and Twilight were on the same flight and would be posting their joint pre-flight update soon. Pinkie and Fluttershy would be leaving the day after, also on the same flight together. Dash was coming the day after that and Applejack would be the last to arrive a few days after Twilight.

Sunset had to switch her phone’s keyboard to English so she could write the update. It was all basic stuff about getting to Japan safely and a description for the photos. She added pictures of tea with her exchange family, real ramen, and one of her bedroom. The bedroom was cool because it was a different furniture style than anything that could be gotten at the stores in Canterlot. The Nakamuras loved that they had a joint social media account and had not only been very accommodating to having pictures taken, but were encouraging it. Normally, phones were not something to bring to the dinner table, but there would be exceptions to allow Sunset to snap photos of cool food to post. Sunset double checked her update for spelling errors and then posted it.

Day one in Japan was a very good day.

Author's Note

Check out my most recent blog for full info, but I launched a Locals community for the writing I do.

Pilot Episode 0.2 - Orientation

Episode 0.2 - Orientation
September 2 - Friday

The Nakamura household was less than a twenty-minute walk to school. Even if it was raining or very cold, it wouldn’t be a bad walk. She was the closest to school out of her friends. Unlike back home, their exchange parents didn't have to live in the same school district as the school. The requirement was simple: the student had to be able to get to school on time and safely within a reasonable amount of travel time. None of them were too far, but they were more spread out than back home.

On Monday, classes would start. Today was their orientation for exchange students. Then they would have the weekend to make their final preparations. They would get their school uniforms today, which was covered in the cost of the program. For orientation, they just needed to dress nicely.

Sunset snapped a quick selfie outside of the school before heading inside. The school was ready for them. There was a sign welcoming them with each of their names and they had uwabaki slippers for them to wear. Even at school, outside shoes were not worn in buildings and the school had lockers for the outside shoes to be stored in. The pair of slippers with her name above them was the only ones left, meaning the others had already arrived.

As Sunset was changing footwear, a man came down the hall. He smiled at her. “And you must be Sunset Shimmer,” he said, in English.

Sunset finished getting the second slipper on before bowing to him. She reciprocated his chosen language. “Yes, sir, I am.”

“I am Mister Sasaki, the head of the exchange program here,” he explained as he opened a locker for Sunset to store her shoes in. “We are glad to have you with us for our second trimester. We will get your locker assignment later and those are your slippers. The rest of the uniform we will get at the end, after we come back from the orientation lunch.”

“It is an honor to be here,” Sunset said. “I am looking forward to it.”

“Orientation is this way,” he said, starting to walk there. “Your friends are already here. I’ve read your exchange program file, but it has been a while. You are staying with Nakamura Isoraku and Nakamura Riko, correct?”

“Yes, Sir,” Sunset said.

“It’s been two years since their son, Haruki, graduated from here,” Mister Sasaki said. “And Himari still has a few years until she comes here. It is good to have someone from their house walking these halls again. My son, Yoshiro, is friends with Haruki. It has been a while since I have seen either of them, but I am sure they are making you feel very welcome and comfortable.”

“They are, sir,” Sunset said. “They didn’t mention that Haruki came here, but they did tell me that the school doesn’t have a cafeteria and that Missus Nakamura would be making me a lunch to take. I guess that is how they knew.”

Mister Sasaki chuckled. “I remember her cooking fondly, so I am sure she will be providing you with excellent lunches.”

It was Sunset’s turn to chuckle. “She is thrilled Himari is out of elementary school so she can make her lunches. From what she has already made, I am certain that I will be well taken care of. I know she isn’t trying to show off or impress me. She did enough of that the first night I was here.”

“What did she make?” Mister Sasaki asked.

“Ramen, from scratch. It was fantastic.”

“I’m certain it was,” he said as they stopped in front of a classroom. “Orientation is inside here. I’ll give everyone a tour of the school, after you meet some faculty and such.”

Sunset knew it would, but she was still not ready for the door to slide open, rather than swing. It was a stupid thing to get excited about, but it made everything feel permanent as she entered the classroom. A few teachers were talking together in the front by the chalkboard and the others were sitting at desks, chatting. It was good to see them.

"Sunset!" Pinkie Pie yelled, waving frantically. "Over here!" she called in Japanese. She got some concerned looks from the teachers. The noise level and enthusiasm were out of place for a Japanese school. Students reportedly got rowdy, but few people were ever at the level of Pinkie Pie.

Sunset rolled her eyes with a smile. "Pinkie, I'm twenty feet away and no one is blocking us from seeing each other."

"For being the closest you certainly took your time," Rainbow Dash retorted in English.

Sunset kept with Japanese, as was proper. "I'm still ten minutes early, which is what matters."

"But this is the first time we get to hang out together," Rainbow Dash whined. This time it was in Japanese.

"And we still have a whole day ahead of us," Rarity shot back.

Sunset wasn't the only one to hang her head in shame and embarrassment as they got another scolding glance from the teachers present.

The door slid open and in walked Kudo Kōchō-Sensei, the principal of the school. He was a few minutes early as well. The girls bowed to him in greeting and he came over to them.

"Good, all of you are present," Kudo Kōchō-Sensei said. "We are happy to have you with us. We have never had more than four exchange students at once, so it took some adjustments, but we got it done. We also have never had the exchange students all from the same school, let alone friends. I know you will bring something special to our student body. These are your room assignments and the order of your classes."

They each got a piece of paper. Unlike back home, students didn't move classrooms. The teachers did. Applejack and Fluttershy were in the same room, Pinkie Pie and Twilight were together in another, Rarity was with Sunset, and Rainbow Dash was alone. Most of their classes were at the “junior” grades because senior year was very different in Japan. Most seniors were prepping for college exams, and filling sporadic classes. Only up through junior high school, ninth grade, was required in Japan. Upper secondary school covered grades ten, eleven, and twelve, and had a heavy emphasis on preparing students for universities.

Principal Kudo explained the assignments. “Miss Rainbow Dash, several of the students in your room are all in the volleyball club. That is why we chose you, out of your friends, to be in a classroom alone. I was told that you are already getting along well with the club during the meetings you have had. You will still have ample time to see each other. Besides, during school, your focus should be on your studies, not who you are sitting beside.”

“They are amazing people, Sir,” Rainbow Dash said. “They have made me feel very welcomed.”

“Wonderful!” Kudo Kōchō-Sensei exclaimed before heading to speak with the other teachers.

Rainbow Dash gave them all a concerned look. Every weekday, since arriving, she had been practicing with the volleyball club. Many of the clubs continued to meet even when school was on summer break. That is especially important for the sports clubs when students were competing. Dash had been making friends and doing well with the club, but she was the weakest when it came to the Japanese language. Being the only one without a friend in the class was not making her feel any easier about it.

“You will be fine,” Rarity assured her. “We all will be.”

“We were accepted because both schools believed we could handle it,” Twilight added. “Yes, there will be differences and trials, but we can do this. And when we go back home, we will handle the transition just fine.”

“It’s natural to be worried,” Sunset said. “I don’t think they would expect any less. But like Twilight said, everyone thinks we can do it, or we wouldn’t have been accepted. I’m sure it looks worse on paper than it really will be.”

Several more teachers came in with seven students, all girls, and the orientation officially began. The teachers gave a brief overview of their job, as well any school clubs that they advised. After school programs were led by students, but they still had faculty advisors.

Along with being the head of the exchange program, Mister Sasaki taught math. Mister Shinmi was their history teacher and also the homeroom teacher for Sunset and Rarity. Miss Ono taught music and would be Dash’s homeroom teacher. Mister Hirano was in charge of the physical education classes in the school, as well as the Volleyball Club’s advisor. Home Economics was taught by Missus Maeda, who would be the homeroom teacher for Applejack and Fluttershy. Their science class would be with Mister Nakagawa and he was also the homeroom teacher for Twilight and Pinkie Pie. They would be expected to address their teachers by their last name followed by “Sensei,” something they were all used to from taking their Japanese language classes at CHS. A homeroom teacher also served as the councilor for the students in their homeroom.

They were kind about spelling out the decorum differences expected by the school. Students were expected to keep their uniforms in good shape all day and they were reminded of social norms in Japan that others would automatically expect of them. The teachers were well prepared for them to make mistakes as they made the transition, but outside of the school, others would see the uniform and expect them to behave like typical Japanese students, not foreigners. Poor behavior by any students would reflect badly on the school they attended and their uniforms would have school patches on them.

They also were introduced to other students. Each had volunteered to mentor them through adjusting to a new school, schedule, and anything else they needed. The students were in the same classroom as each of them. Sano Fusae was paired with Fluttershy, Egawa Atsukon was paired with Applejack, Shinozaki Ichika was matched with Pinkie Pie, Izumi Mayumi was matched with Rarity, Amemiya Katsu was paired with Dash, Chiba Honoka was paired with Twilight, and Natsume Kure was paired with Sunset.

They were given a tour of campus by Sasaki sensei, along with their partnered mentor, so they could get to know each other. They found which rooms they had been assigned to, other rooms they would need to know, and went through some other suggestions that Mister Sasaki or the students had to help them make the adjustment. They also got their shoe locker assignments. Mister Sasaki would be available if they needed anything and, unless they were in class, he preferred that the exchange students address him as mister, rather than Sensei.

"Now for the fun," Mister Sasaki said. "The Tokyo Exchange Program Lunch. It will take us a bit to get there, but it isn't that far."

Along with Mister Sasaki and Kudo Kōchō-Sensei, Ono sensei, and Shinmi sensei led them and their mentors to the train station. They took it to Shinagawa Ward. The lunch was being held in a hotel conference room. Each school had a designated table, or tables, for them to sit at. There were students from all over the world and walks of life in attendance.

There was a brief ceremony at the start, welcoming everyone and congratulating them on making it into the program, but everything was centered around lunch. Sunset remembered the head speaker because he was on the acceptance committee that interviewed her. Kudo Kōchō-Sensei and Sasaki sensei made their respective rounds to exchange pleasantries with several other heads of schools, other exchange program heads, and important individuals. They wouldn’t be seeing any other exchange students unless they attended the same school. The committee members also made the rounds, using the lunch to meet the students they had accepted face to face. They were excited to have them in Japan for the semester.

After the lunch, they headed back to the school. Their mentors would be free to go for the day and the girls just needed to get their uniforms before they were released.

On the train ride back, Sunset sat next to Mister Shinmi. "Shinmi sensei, you said you were the advisor for the Iaido club, which was a Japanese Martial Art, but I am not familiar with it."

"Iaido is the art of the sword, specifically the Katana," he explained.

"I thought that was Kendo," Sunset replied.

"Kendo wishes it was Iaido," Mister Shinmi laughed. "But in all seriousness, Kendo is about combat with the sword. Now-a-days, that combat is strictly regulated and has been reduced to a point system for hits. Iaido is about the form of the sword. Typically, the forms are centered around quickdraws from the sheath. The individual and the sword start sheathed and unready. Kendo doesn’t worry about the draw of the sword.

“Iaido does have competitions and while I enjoy them and believe in them, there are others who do not. For those, they are performed before judges, where two individuals do the same form at the same time and are judged on all aspects of the form. But it is more than just properly swinging a piece of steel. There is a respect for the blade, an art to how you handle it, and a reverence for what you are doing. The student must be disciplined, strong, agile, and quick to perform the forms properly. Iaido has many aspects applicable to life. We use real swords and the advanced students use sharpened blades. There can be no error."

"That sounds cool," Sunset replied. "I looked at the club list ahead of time, but none had caught my eye."

"Our students are well skilled," he warned. "But they can teach you a lot. I know they would gladly welcome you to join them. They will initially be distracted with final preparations for the upcoming exposition and competition. It is an individual competition and the competitors will come from all over Tokyo, but the club is dedicated to each other and making sure they are ready, even if that means some of the members have to face each other in the competition. I would be happy to step in and help you begin your journey while they focus on what they need to do."

"I think this is an opportunity I can't waste," Sunset replied. "I can't do this back home. I don't even know if there is a dojo or school or whatever it would be called near me. Even if it is only for a few months, it sounds like I will be building more than just good memories."

"I have practiced since I was young, both Iaido and Kendo,” Mister Shinmi said. “I was nationally ranked in Kendo in my younger years, but Iaido became my real passion. I love the bond between the practitioner and the sword. Kendo didn’t give me that. I believe, even in the short time we have, we can pass on the philosophy of Iaido to you in a way that you will never forget it.”

“I would like that very much,” Sunset said.

“Miss Natsume is your mentor, correct?” He asked.

“Yes, Sir,” Sunset nodded.

“She is a member of the Iaido club,” Mister Shinmi explained. “She will be the most appropriate person to use to contact the head of the club, Mister Sugieda, about joining. She has his number and it is Friday afternoon. He won’t be hard to get in contact with at this time.”

Once they were off the train, Sunset spoke with Miss Natsume about joining the Iaido club. She got very excited. Iaido wasn’t a popular club. It was niche, which is why Natsume had not mentioned it. Kendo was practiced in most schools, but Iaido was rare to have as a school club. The only reason they had one was because of Sugieda Masazumi, who had been practicing it for several years independent of any school programs. Without Mister Shinmi also being a practitioner, Sugieda never would have started it. The club had grown, but was still small. Adding Sunset, even just for the semester, was exciting. Sunset gave Natsume permission to give out her phone number if he needed it. Natsume had a family engagement she had to attend in the evening and had to leave, otherwise she would have waited to see if they got a quick response back, but she was certain that Sunset would be accepted.

The teachers headed to wherever they needed to go. Mister Sasaki took the girls to get their uniforms. They were given enough sets to make it through the week. The pleated skirts were a navy and green plaid with matching crossover ties. The blazers were navy with the school’s green and silver patch on the front pocket. They had white blouses and white leggings, but the leggings could be swapped for any standard white socks or lighter weight leggings, so long as they were tight fitting, not loose. For the colder months, they had a white sweater to wear under the blazer. The last part of their uniform was the navy penny loafers to be worn to and from school. They already had their uwabaki slippers for inside the school.

Mister Sasaki followed them to the front to ensure they remembered their locker combinations, and then they bowed to him and said their farewell. They were free until Monday morning. They were going to take their uniforms home and get them in the wash or hung up before meeting up again. All seven of them were finally able to spend time together in Japan and they were not going to waste the moment.

Pilot Episode 0.3 - Iaido

Episode 0.3 - Iaido
September 5

The first day of school had gone well, all things considered. Yes, Japan was coming out of their summer vacation, but unlike back home, it was their second trimester, not the start of the year. There was a slight skewing of the classes. In some ways, Sunset and the girls were behind and had to catch up. Thankfully, they had been as prepared as possible and the school was used to this hiccup for the exchange students.

While they were the only exchange students, they were not the only new students. Across the globe, summer vacation was a time where families could easily move locations for jobs and other reasons. Two other students in Sunset’s and Rarity’s classroom were new to the school.

With their final class finished, Rarity waved goodbye to Sunset and was gone before Sunset was finished packing up her stuff. Rarity was headed off to her first school club meeting, while Sunset was going to the Iaido club. Sunset would be at Iaido on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Since they were not all in the same classrooms, they had decided to individually pursue the clubs of their interest, to get the most out of their experience. They were treating the clubs more like an elective class at the end of the day. Dash’s volleyball club also made it impossible for them all to join the same club. They knew they would still have plenty of time to see each other outside of school. To help with that, they had decided to meet every morning before school started for fifteen to thirty minutes. This morning they had snapped a group selfie in their uniforms in front of the school, and posted it to their social media account. They also discussed what clubs they had joined.

Clubs were split into two categories: sports and culture. Not every club met each day. For the sports clubs, there was a difference between a recreational club and one that actively competed. Recreational clubs met two or three times a week, while the competition ones met between four and six days a week for practices; depending on tournament schedules. Volleyball was the dominant team sport at the school for both boys and girls and during the second trimester was when several big volleyball tournaments happened. The football club at the school was not a big competitor. That was why Dash was playing volleyball. Dash was doing something with the club Monday through Saturday. The school’s non-competing volleyball club was co-ed and only met on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. They would sometimes do practice matches against the competing clubs, both boys’ and girls’ teams.

Applejack was also in a sports club. She was taking Judo and she was not alone. Twilight was joining her in learning the traditional Japanese martial art. That club met on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie learned this morning that they had joined the same clubs, but for different reasons. Since the culture clubs they had joined only met once or twice a week, many of the students joined other culture clubs that met on their off days. Eighty percent of the members were in all three clubs because of similar interests and the timing. They often identified one club as their “primary” club which they took slightly more seriously than the other two clubs. Mondays and Wednesdays they would be at the calligraphy club, Tuesdays and Fridays was Japanese tea ceremony, and Thursdays was Ikebana, the art of flower arrangement.

Japanese calligraphy focused on the Kanji characters of Japanese writing, but it was not like English calligraphy. Calligraphy in Japan was not restricted to small fancy letters. Exhibitions included the artful writing of some very large words. Fluttershy’s main focus was the calligraphy club, although she looked forward to the tea ceremony club.

The tea ceremony club was more than just tea. Tea in Japan had huge cultural significance. There was a traditional way to do tea that included a complex ceremony, but the club focused on many other aspects of Japanese high-society culture learned through the club and tea. Pinkie had joined because a part of the tea ceremony included traditional sweets. Rarity had joined to get a deeper understanding of the historical culture that had shaped modern Japan.

Flower arrangement, Ikebana, had its own deep roots in Japan’s culture going back to the Heian period, the eighth to twelfth centuries. It had started for floral offerings made at Buddhist altars and later expanded to have a special place in the home for an arrangement. The club also was the only club to meet just on Thursdays. Half of the members of the flower arranging club did not do calligraphy or tea ceremony, but were there because their main club did not meet on Thursdays and they wanted another club on their file. Which was most likely why it was on Thursdays, as a bulk of club schedules did not meet on Thursdays, so that students could add it to their resumes.

Applejack and Twilight were considering joining now that they knew the others were in it. Sunset was also entertaining the idea as well because Thursdays were the one day the Iaido club did not meet after school, but as much as it would be fun to see her friends, she was unsure if flower arranging was her speed, no matter how traditional it might be or how unique the opportunity.

Many schools in Japan did not have locker rooms. Students would change, if they needed to, in classrooms before their club, or athletes would wear their clothes under their uniform. Fortunately, their school had recently renovated a first-floor corner to serve as locker rooms. They were little more than a place to change and neatly store the student’s uniform. The space was cramped, packing in as many lockers as possible. Lockers were three high with just enough height to fit the jacket on a hanger. Their skirts were shorter than the jackets and easily fit, but the boys would have to neatly fold their pants over hangers to make their slacks fit.

Sunset had been instructed to meet Miss Kato in the locker room for help with the Iaido uniform that she would be borrowing. Miss Kato was a junior and had been a practitioner of Iaido for two years. Sunset caught sight of Twilight and Applejack in their white judo gis. Miss Kato was easy to spot in the locker rooms. Sunset’s locker was by where Miss Kato was. She was in a black uniform, but with a dark gold obi belt under the hakama

Sunset walked up to her. Miss Kato smiled at her as she approached. Sunset bowed first. Miss Kato bowed back, but not as low, because for the purpose of the Iaido club, Miss Kato was the senior rank and it was unbecoming.

“It is a pleasure to have you joining us, Miss Shimmer,” Miss Kato said.

“Thank you,” Sunset replied. “It is an honor to be included.”

“We have never had an exchange student join us,” Miss Kato added. “Everyone is excited. Which locker is yours?”

“86,” Sunset said, pointing to the locker with her thumb.

“They did put you close to us,” Miss Kato said. “There are eight girls in the Iaido club, and they all are assigned lockers between 80 and 95. They are starting without us because they knew it would take time to get you dressed, but we shouldn’t tarry. The upcoming competition has us all on edge.”

Sunset had to be careful with the school uniform as she got undressed. It had to stay as perfect as possible. She had enough, but the school was strict about some of the tinier details. A wrong crease could cause embarrassment. A sloppy uniform would land disciplinary actions. Presentation was everything and the goal was to teach the students the importance of first impressions and lasting impressions. Right or wrong, you were judged by how you looked.

Out of her school clothes and into a sports bra, white tank-top, and white shorts, Sunset was ready for the black Iaido uniform. First was the white underlayer known as the Juban, which looked like the white judo gis Applejack and Twilight had worn, only not as thick. The left side went over the right and was secured by a thin cotton wrap. Over that was Uwagi, or upper shirt, which was, again, left side over right. It looked like a kimono top, but there were differences in the sleeves and it was only about half as long. Over it all to ensure it stayed properly in place was the obi sash. Sunset’s was a dark blue obi with the same white weave pattern that Miss Kato’s gold obi had. The hakama, pleated trousers that almost looked like a skirt, were put on last. They went over the obi and were tied on the waist, one knot in the back and the other at the front.

“There,” Miss Kato said. “That does it for the practice attire. There are a few other things done for competitions.”

“I hope someone will be able to help me tomorrow,” Sunset remarked. “The knots are going to take a few times to learn.”

“It won’t be me, but someone will,” Miss Kato assured her. She picked something up and handed them to Sunset. “I forgot the tabis. We are not allowed to walk barefoot through the halls, so we wear these or the uwabaki, but everything is done barefoot, so we tend to use the tabis as they are more comfortable than the uwabakis are without socks.”

Sunset slipped the traditional split-toed footwear on and followed Miss Kato out into the hall and to one of the first-floor classrooms. The chairs and desks had been pushed to the walls and Mister Shinmi was sitting off to the side watching the others. There were only four boys, compared to the seven girls, all in the same black uniforms except for the obi under the hakama, however, Mister Sugieda, as head of the club, was dressed in a striped grey hakama and dark blue uwagi.

Sunset followed Miss Kato’s lead, setting her backpack along the wall with everyone else’s and then patiently waiting by the door as Mister Sugieda led the others through their current activity. When they stopped and he could be addressed, Sunset and Miss Kato bowed to Mister Sugieda.

Mister Sugieda’s bow was only a slight tip. “Welcome, Miss Shimmer. As we have not formally met, I am Mister Sugieda and I lead this club. We are honored by your presence and choice to join us while you undergo the foreign exchange program.”

“The honor is mine,” Sunset replied.

“I must ensure the others are ready for the upcoming tournament,” Mister Sugieda said. “We only have five weeks to prepare and not everyone was able to practice over the summer. Five weeks isn’t as much time as it might seem, not when the tiniest details are being judged. Shinmi sensei has advised me to focus on the tournament, otherwise, I would gladly begin instructing you. He will instruct you over where you are right now so that neither of our practices collide.”

“Thank you,” Sunset said, bowing.

Miss Kato rushed over to the others and Mister Shinmi stood up. Sunset realized that over his dress pants and shirt, he was wearing an obi. It looked out of place, but his confidence dispelled that notion. He slipped a sheathed sword through the obi and grabbed something before walking over to her.

“Take this,” he said as he respectfully extended a solid wooden sword to Sunset. “Everyone starts Iaido using a wooden sword until they have earned the right to move to a blunted sword. Safety is important as you learn the fundamentals.”

Sunset respectfully took it from him with both hands.

“The right hand is very important,” Mister Shinmi said. “It is what draws the sword and at times is the only hand on the sword. It must be complete, firm, but not overly tight. You are not trying to hold onto it for dear life, but if you were to meet resistance, it shouldn’t move as you make the cut. The grip needs to be loose enough to flex and transition the sword.

“Today, and all week, we will focus on the basic mechanics. Master these, and the rest will come easier. Proper grip and swing are our focus. Then we can move to drawing and sheathing the blade, which is the start and finish of all forms. It will be a slow start, and may not be exciting, but it will pay off after a few weeks.

“This is an ancient art, dating back to the Sixteenth century. Everything done has a purpose and meaning. Nothing is extra. This is the formalized training of the samurai, for their defense, and typically from the seated position like they would be in their homes. The very beginners don’t have to worry about the seated position. They start standing so they learn to build a firm foundation. The key to remember is that you are just a guide, not the muscle. Let the sword flow. Don’t force it.”

Sunset was shown the correct standing position. The bend in the knees and placement of the feet created a comfortable and stable stance. Then she was taught how each hand was to grip the handle. After some adjustments, she was taught how to make the basic cut. It started with the sword at shoulder height and stayed parallel to the floor. It was a smooth motion that ended with the tip facing forward, not a full swing through, because the next step would start with the sword in that position. Even being a wooden sword with girth in the blade, the action was smooth and powerful as it cut through the air.

Those three basics - grip, stance, and cut - took up the hour they had left. The time flew as Mister Shinmi worked her through everything, making adjustments here and there. Sunset’s muscles were feeling the constant use of an action they were not familiar with. It was not weight training, but it would certainly build strength all through her body and core.

At the end, Sunset bowed to Mister Shinmi. “Thank you, Sensei. It was a great honor to begin learning from you.”

“You are a pleasure to teach,” Mister Shinmi replied as he bowed back. “It was a joy to give you instruction. If you keep a level head and stay this course, without rushing forward, you will have a very good grip on the basics by the end of your time here, as well as an amazing understanding of the honor and respect of the sword, culture of the warrior, and humanity as a whole.”

Sunset was going to help put everything back in place, but Mister Sugieda joined them. He bowed slightly to them in greeting since he was now giving them his full attention. “Miss Shimmer, your form is looking good. Tomorrow, Miss Ishii will assist you with getting dressed, but I do hope it doesn’t take too long for you to not need assistance.”

“The knots will be the hardest part, but I will do my best to learn it as fast as possible,” Sunset assured him. “I know your upcoming competition is more than just a performance. You are defending your honor by a show of your skill. Win or lose, no matter where you rank, all in attendance must know that you possess the highest skill possible.”

“Several of us will be tested for rank as well,” Mister Sugieda added. “But your observation is correct. Let us talk as we walk back to the locker rooms, so that Shinmi sensei can go home.”

Everything had been quickly put back in order with impressive speed. The club members were very efficient. Sunset would make sure she pulled her weight for cleanup as expected, but that was clearly not expected of her today.

Sunset and Mister Sugieda both bowed to Mister Shinmi and bid him farewell until tomorrow. They slipped on their tabi shoes and grabbed their backpacks before leaving.

“Forgive my question,” Sunset said. “But while Mister Shinmi was in western clothes, he made the obi and sword seem so natural, almost like you couldn’t tell him he was wearing the wrong clothes because you were the one wrong.”

Mister Sugieda nodded. “He enjoys a quiet life, but that is why I wanted to let you know something that we all know, but none of us acknowledge. He will let others know he practices and that he was internationally ranked in Kendo for a while, but what he won’t readily admit is his family heritage. Like I said, he enjoys the quiet life, and teaching. He finds it the most valuable use of his time teaching history and social studies to the next generations.

“He comes from a very powerful and influential family, mostly on his mother’s side. Arranged marriages are not sanctioned and the classes were abolished in the Meiji Restoration, but there is a lot of history and tradition that still exists, especially in the elites of Japanese’s society. All I know is that his father’s family was important enough that his mother’s family was satisfied that passing the family business on to his father would be safe and beneficial. That, and both his parents love each other deeply.

“Mister Shinmi is second born, so the company goes to his older brother, and it allows him to focus on the future of Japan in an honorable way. His family is old and while they may not be one of the samurai clans, their name is listed as a samurai surname during the Edo period.

“The sword, to him, is more than an art form or cultural heritage. It is a blood heritage. It is family. It is his right. He has a spiritual connection with the steel of a warrior that spans generations of ancestors. It was their job to protect the people of Japan.

“He keeps to that ancient role now by not only teaching Iaido, but the next generation. Teachers in Japan do not major in education like other places, they major in the subject they will teach. He picked history because if you don’t know your history, you are doomed to repeat it. Outside of the classroom, he was one of my first instructors in Iaido. I started when I was eight, barely old enough to hold a sword, and over that time, I have only gotten a little from him about his life. From what I know, it would have been expected of him by his family to earn higher degrees than a simple baccalaureate, but he is not the kind of man to tout a degree title with his name.”

They stopped in front of the entrances to the locker rooms.

Sunset was sure of what he meant, but wanted to respectfully ensure that she understood him. “I was being taught not just by an important person in society, but by someone who has heritage in the art,” Sunset said.

“Exactly,” Mister Sugieda nodded. “I told you this because I believe that you will make good use of it. I believe that you will learn more than just how to swing a sword in our club this semester and that by quietly understanding his heritage, you will be able to take what he says to heart even more. It is one thing to respect an elder and another to respect a practitioner of the art who has the rank to back up his position, but neither of those means that the lesson being taught is taken to heart. But a practitioner who has the blood connection...that is something our club honors. When he speaks, we listen and learn. It also is why he can pair the obi and sword with western clothing and be so comfortable that he makes it look natural.”

“Thank you,” Sunset said, bowing in thanks.

Mister Sugieda bowed back. “I look forward to being able to teach you in a few weeks, Miss Shimmer. There is something very special about you, beyond being able to qualify to be an exchange student. I look forward to determining for myself what that is.”

Mister Sugieda turned and headed into the boy’s locker room. Sunset watched how he confidently glided with purpose over the floor before he disappeared. She headed inside the women’s locker room to get changed and head home after a successful first day of school.

Iaido Club Members
Boys
1. Sugieda Masazumi
2. Yamamoto Niko
3. Hara Tameichi
4. Okumiya Masatake

Girls
1. Kato Rin
2. Akaza Ryoko
3. Hirose Sana
4. Ishin Sara
5. Torii Aika
6. Watanabe Bashira
7. Natsume Kata
8. Abe Tatsuo
9. Shimmer Sunset

Pilot Episode 0.4 - Something We All Could Do

Episode 0.4 - Something We All Could Do
September 30 - Friday

The bell chimed, and Sunset Shimmer found herself once again dumping everything she needed into her backpack to head back to the house and study. She wasn't having a problem with the language, but the curriculum and school structure was different enough that it had her on edge. She felt like she was on ice, without skates, and one wrong step would send her face first into the ground, leaving her with a big headache or worse. She was basically caught up from the skewed semester, but one misstep and she would fall behind again. Determined not to let that happen, Sunset threw her backpack on as she left the classroom.

"Sunset! Wait up!" The call wasn't in Japanese and even if it was, the voice was unmistakably Rainbow Dash's. Their classrooms were right by each other, so it wasn’t uncommon for any of them to run into each other after class, but Dash had clearly been looking for her.

"What's up?" Sunset asked in Japanese as Rainbow Dash caught up to her.

"Can you cut that out? I hear Japanese all day long! I get sick of it. It gives me a literal headache."

Sunset rolled her eyes. Rainbow Dash was not handling things as well as she was. Even Applejack had adjusted better than Rainbow. AJ’s countryisms hadn’t transferred well, but she stubbornly kept using them in another language. At least it got some good laughs from understanding students. Dash’s grades were good and her skills on the volleyball court were spot on, but she was having trouble adjusting to some of the game plays and calls being in Japanese.

Sunset gave her a break, despite the hallway being full of their fellow students. "What's up, Rainbow? Shouldn't you be at practice?"

"My uniform is under my school uniform,” Dash stated. “I’ve got some time. Less now. Anyway, Natsuki has invited us over tomorrow to hang out. It would be awesome if you came."

Sunset's mind immediately began to list out all she had to do. The top of the list was the special dinner that was tonight. Mister Nakamura was bringing home a guest from work. Most likely it was a boss of his. However, that was tonight, Friday, and the invitation was for Saturday. Plus, a little away time from the books would be a welcome break and wise idea. Mister Nakamura liked that she did Iaido, but at the same time, it was only an hour and a half each day, and she didn’t have much of a social life outside of that. He would be thrilled for her to do something away from school with the other students. "Sure. Text me the details and I'll be there. But if I am going to-"

"Yeah, yeah," Rainbow Dash interrupted. "I gotta go!"

"See you tomorrow and good luck," Sunset called after her athletic friend with a grin as she watched Dash bolt down the hall. Some things never changed, no matter what country you were in.

"I make my own luck!" Dash shouted back.

Sunset rolled her eyes with a grin at Rainbow’s attitude, only to jump as Fluttershy spoke up from beside her in Japanese. “Dash seems happy today.”

“Where did you come from?” Sunset asked, switching back to speaking Japanese as well.

“From class,” Fluttershy said. “Why?”

“I didn’t see you,” Sunset said. “Anyway, yeah, she is happy today.”

“It will be fun to hang out together,” Fluttershy added. “Anyway, I’m heading off to tea ceremony.”

“See you tomorrow,” Sunset said to Fluttershy as she started to walk away from her. “Wait, I have to go this way too.” Sunset caught up with Fluttershy and they walked to the stairs together. They parted ways after they were on the ground level and Sunset headed to the lockers and then Iaido.

Iaido was enjoyable. Mister Shinmi was still working her through the basics while the others worked hard to perfect their forms, but the club always started with stretching and basic fitness, something they could all do together. By now, Sunset had also found the rhythm with the others for setting up and cleaning up the room.

The walk home was easy. She enjoyed living with the Nakamura family. Himari was always a joy to talk to. She was using Sunset to practice her English on. It was a fun (and sometimes hilarious) exchange usually done at dinner, with Mister Nakamura often joining in to stay sharp.

Missus Nakamura didn’t greet Sunset, if she even was aware that she was home, because she was clearly busy in the kitchen. All of her culinary training was being put to the test for this dinner.

Sunset started on the math homework that was due. It was her only real homework that had to be done. She was on top of the reading. She didn’t have long before dinner would happen. Sunset got the text to the whole family, letting them know they were almost here.

Sunset double checked that her uniform was in good order and then lined up with the rest of the family. It was important that they all be there, ready to greet the visitor. Missus Nakamura was in a formal kimono and makeup, but Himari was in her school uniform. Sunset’s school uniform was exactly what she should be wearing. Haruki had even come home for the evening. Sunset had met Haruki one other time and today he was in a business suit. From what Sunset understood, his studies were in commerce and economics and they required him to be in business attire for every class.

The door opened and a non-descript Japanese man in a black suit and tie was shown in. The only thing that was notable were his elongated hexagonal glasses. The three of them bowed to the guest. Mister Nakamura was obviously nervous. Sunset still had no idea what he did in the government, but it didn't matter for the dinner.

"This is my family; my wife Riko, our son, Haruki, who is attending Hitotsubashi University, my daughter Himari, and then our foreign exchange student, Sunset Shimmer. Everyone, this is Mister Kikuoka."

"Foreign exchange student," Mister Kikuoka said in perfect English, with only a bit of an accent. "What year are you and where are you from?"

Sunset gave a short bow before responding back in English. He was her superior and it was best to match the language he chose. "Highschool, Sir, and senior year. I come from the city of Canterlot, specifically the public school Canterlot High School. Our school is one of many in the program that sends and receives students from several countries. This year, seven of us came from our school to Tokyo. The other six are all good friends of mine."

"It is good to hear that you are not alone," Mister Kikuoka replied with a soft smile. "It is a difficult transition. I hope it has been going well."

"My grades are solid and I am caught up with the curriculum," Sunset replied.

"That is wonderful to hear,” he said. “I hope you are learning more than just books and school work."

"The Nakamura family has ensured I have been able to enjoy Tokyo and am learning more than just the language and school subjects,” Sunset said. “It is a pleasure and honor to be invited as a part of the family for this dinner. I have also been an active member of the Iaido club at school, and I am making friends there too. Tomorrow I will be visiting with my friends from home at another student's house. We were invited for the day."

"Good," he replied with a smile.

Mister Kikuoka turned his attention to Himari, to learn where she was in school. He was very personable, but outside the fact that he spoke English very well, he gave no information about himself. After that, he grilled Haruki about his college studies. Haruki stood there and answered all the questions quickly and respectfully, no matter what they were. Still, it all made Sunset feel like she was closer to this new man than she actually was. His job, or his relation to Mister Nakamura’s job, was never discussed, let alone hinted at.

Missus Nakamura certainly had made excellent use of her culinary training. She had spent the past two days making sure everything was made from scratch and as fresh as possible. Outside of sitting at a modern table, it was as traditional as possible.

The night before, they had taken Sunset through some of the finer points of etiquette to ensure she was ready. Of course, she would be forgiven if she made a mistake, since she was in Japan to learn, but she didn’t want to have to ask for forgiveness.

The dinner went off without any glitches and Mister Kikuoka didn’t stay long. Haruki didn’t linger either, needing to get back to his studies. He had a paper that was due the next day. He had been granted an extra day because of the importance of the dinner. He wasn’t the most thrilled that his father had approached his teacher, without his knowledge, when he found out about the paper’s due date, but it proved that whatever was happening at his job, it was very important.

Everyone retired to their rooms early to relax after the stressful dinner. Sunset was asleep not long after only to bolt awake in the morning feeling rested but also as though no time had passed from when her head hit the pillow the night before. She smiled at the ceiling. Today wasn’t a normal day. Plenty of Saturdays she had gone out with the Nakamura family to do things, but today she was going out alone to meet up with her friends at another student’s house. She had hung out a few times with the others outside of school and even spent some time with a few of the girls from the Iaido club, but the seven of them had not gathered together since their orientation. That had not even been a month prior, but it was fresh and exciting.

Sunset put on something other than her school uniform and got breakfast. Weekend breakfasts were a “make your own” deal. Missus Nakamura joyfully cooked them breakfast all week long, but the weekend was her days off for breakfast duty and she slept in if she could.

The invitation was for 10am, after volleyball practice was over. Whatever they had planned for them, it was going to be an all-day thing. Sunset was gone before Mister and Missus Nakamura were out of their bedroom. Himari was enjoying some TV show as Sunset departed.

Sunset hopped on the subway for a stop and then walked several blocks to Ota Natsuki’s house. It was another condominium style home, but nowhere near as nice as the Nakamura’s. Sunset knew Natsuki in passing only and always in context with Rainbow Dash. The two of them hung out a lot since they both were sports fanatics, in the same class, and Natsuki was a part of the volleyball team.

Sunset lived closest to Natsuki and the school. The others were not far, but they were spread out. It depended on where their exchange family lived. The program only ensured that the exchange students had an easy commute to the school and there was a metro station very close to the school. The maximum travel time for the average commute could not exceed an hour. A lot of high school students traveled a good way for school, which was easy because of Japan’s public transit system.

Tokyo Metropolis was composed of twenty-three wards, now known as cities, and the school was located in Chiyoda at the heart of the metropolis. Sunset and Fluttershy lived in Minato. Fluttershy had a short subway trip to the school. Sunset was in between her and the school if Fluttershy walked. Applejack was in Bunkyo, also not far of a trip. She had to take the same line as Fluttershy, but in the opposite direction, to get to school. Twilight was the furthest from the school, in Kita. She would run into Applejack on the ride to the school. Pinkie’s and Rarity’s exchange families were siblings who lived in apartments in the same complex. They were in Shinjuku and an easy ride to the school. They often joined Rainbow Dash, who was living in Suginami. Dash lived with a family right across the street from the station.

Sunset got to the door and found a note written in English. It said “come on in” and listed their names. It was signed “Natsuki.” Sunset shrugged and opened the door. She saw Rainbow’s shoes off to the side and six pairs of slippers were already prepared. Sunset transferred her feet to the slippers and announced her arrival.

“Back here!” Natsuki called out, also in English, from down the hall.

It wasn’t hard to find them from the noise being made. Sunset found her and Rainbow Dash in a bedroom, playing a video game. They were leaning up against the footboard of the bed, with some pillows to cushion their backs.

Sunset was used to the more neat-and-tidy Nakamura house, but while it wasn't messy, the room was definitely personalized. Multiple tiger posters and pictures were hung on the wall, the pillows were tiger stripes, as well as the bed linens and window treatments. The TV stand was painted in orange and black stripes as well. Even the game controllers were striped like a tiger.

“Yo,” Rainbow said, in English, focused on the game.

“Uh, hey.” Sunset replied in English.

“My parents are out of town for the weekend,” Natsuki added, also in English, as she focused on the game. “You have permission to be here, so don’t worry about that. Dash is spending the weekend here.” Rainbow Dash groaned as she lost and Natsuki looked at Sunset for the first time. “And trust me, we could not get rowdier this weekend than the twins make it on any given day.” Natsuki snapped as she remembered something “Right! You don’t know my parents or family. Both of my parents teach English in schools, so this house’s native tongue is English. In here, English, out in the real world, Japanese."

“Now I get why Dash clicked so well with you right away,” Sunset chuckled. Natsuki laughed as the next round of the game started. It was obviously a true statement.

“Also, before you drive me nuts, in this house, my name is Nats. I go by my full name at school and out of the house, but in here, well usually the breath needed to say the rest of my name has to be put to better use dealing with the twins. Also, if you ‘Miss Natsuki, me, I will punch you in the face, and heavens help me if you even dare to start calling me ‘Miss Ota.’ Formality has its place, but not here and not among friends.”

“It’s two sets of twins,” Rainbow added. “Things get very rowdy. It’s never a dull moment. I do homework here pretty often, since it's English here, and they can help explain some things in ways I get."

“My parents don’t make me care for the twins,” Natsuki clarified. “When they go out of town to conferences and such, like this weekend, they get shipped up to the grandparents. One set of twins goes to one set of grandparents, the other set to the others. They flip back and forth so both sides get to see the grandkids and I get a free weekend. Usually I don’t have anyone over, but I have been waiting for this weekend to get you guys together and have some fun."

“You have this well planned out,” Sunset said, sitting down beside them.

“Oh yeah,” Natsuki chuckled. She lost and looked at Sunset while Rainbow celebrated to an imaginary crowd. “This weekend is an annual conference, so I knew when I would get my break months in advance and could plan accordingly. My parents would love to play host to an exchange student, but the twins make that dream impossible. At least for another decade or so.”

“How old are they?” Sunset asked, not wanting to get stuck on them for Natsuki’s sake. Still, she wanted to know since it had been brought up enough times."

“Second Grade and Sixth Grade,” Natsuki answered. “One boy and one girl each, so the boys share a room and the girls share another. The age differences, yet room sharing, creates an interesting dynamic between the four of them. They are respectful kids when they need to be, but they easily get rowdy. I guarantee they are the perfect image of children this weekend for our grandparents. I would love to say they are that way in school, but they are a bit too loud for that to be true. Good enough grades, but I don’t think they have ever not gotten a school report that didn’t state they were too loud or a bit disruptive. Not that my record with that is clean. Last report I got ‘distracted,’ ‘a distraction,’ and ‘an instigator’ on my report card. The instigator was one time, right as the teacher walked in."

Natsuki snatched the controller out of Rainbow’s hand. “Care to see if you can beat me?”

“Sure,” Sunset grinned. “I hosted my own game channel for a while. I’m no Dash or AJ, but I can play a solid game.”

It was an old school fighting game. Sunset got a run down on the controls and the match started. She adapted well, giving Natsuki a good challenge, but she ultimately lost. They played four more rounds, Sunset won once, and then Sunset and Rainbow Dash faced off. Dash won three of the five games.

Sometime during the last round, Natsuki got up to greet the others as they arrived. She could greet them since she wasn’t playing a match. Sunset barely beat Rainbow in a very heated contest of wills that had each character’s health down in the single digits. Their friends arrived to find a griping Rainbow Dash and grinning Sunset Shimmer.

“No need to worry about food,” Natsuki said. “My parents left me with plenty of cash for us to get stuff and we are well stocked on snacks and drinks. My dad teaches at UTokyo, which is who sent him to the TSLC, Teaching Secondary Language Conference. They are happy to have you guys over and they wanted to cover this fun weekend."

“Uh, not to pry,” AJ started before hesitating. “Well, your room ain’t cluttered so I can see everything. What’s this helmet on your desk by your computer?"

Natsuki’s face lit up. “That is something I was planning on addressing after lunch, but since you brought it up.” She paused for dramatic effect. “That is the coolest piece of tech this entire world will ever see! Even though it will get improved upon. That is a NerveGear rig. It is newly released and has a few games and programs, but the real one is just about to come out.

“Basically, you wear it on your head, and ‘dive.’ You go into a purely virtual world, where you move your body in that game, not your body in this world. It is the best thing ever! I was lucky and got to beta test it this summer. Sword Art Online is the game of the century. Only one-thousand people got to test it. It officially launches in a few weeks, and I was hoping you guys could try and score some of the limited copies so we could all play it. Even after you left Japan.”

“It sounds sick,” Rainbow Dash added. “Nats showed me screenshots she took. As a beta tester, she couldn’t share certain things, it was in the contract she signed, but what she can talk about, it was amazing. Is amazing. You get to reinvent yourself in this unique world called Aincrad.”

“It's a giant floating castle of iron in the sky,” Natsuki continued. “You play in the castle. It is divided into one-hundred floors. However, it isn't a castle in the traditional sense. Each floor is different and special. To get to the one above, you have to beat that floor’s boss. All the way up until you beat the final boss on the hundredth floor.

“But unlike most fantasy RPGs, this one is more realistic. And not just because you get to move your body inside an actual game. Sword Art Online is a game of swords, no magic. Not even bows are available. It has to be a weapon you can wield in your hand. There are a few types of throwing weapons with short range, but outside of that, combat is purely you against the other player or the monster, with whatever is in your hand. Spears, knives, daggers, axes, maces, war hammers, and all the different types of swords are all present.”

“That sounds barbaric,” Rarity stated, a bit put off at the idea.

“No blood,” Rainbow pointed out. “It’s a clean game that way. And like most MMORPGs its-”

“A MMPRC?” Rarity interrupted so she could understand what was being said.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at her fashionista friend. “A massive multiplayer online role-playing game. M-M-O-R-P-G. Everyone plays in the same world at the same time and can interact with each other. And a part of that roleplaying is the ability to craft. It’s not all about hack and slash and killing. A large part of any RPG, but especially MMORPGs, is the non-combat stuff like smithing, tailoring, and cooking. To get anywhere, you usually need to be able to make the stuff, or at least someone has to. And SAO is in a league of its own when it comes to those skills.”

“There are an unlimited number of skills,” Natsuki continued. “And the things you can craft with, well everything has a use. It doesn’t exist if it doesn’t have at least one use. You just have to learn how to use it. The game replicates any taste, smell, or texture you can think of. You feel alive inside it. That is how realistic it is. You get to explore it all with quests and the materials to make things which are as numerous as they are in real life. Just don’t expect them to be named the same.

“And the whole thing, it is unlike anything I have ever felt. It’s like a lucid dream, but infinitely better. The game has a combat assist system to make sure your weapons hit the target, and the higher level that combat skill is, the better attack combos you can unlock. You can become a powerful player, unlocking abilities, and doing things you can't in real life. Anyone can!

“Want super speed? You can learn Sprint and train that until you can run at unimaginable speeds. Super strength? Lifting boulders isn’t unthinkable in SAO. The weapons, especially blunt ones like maces, get super heavy so they hit harder. You could soon be swinging a two-hundred pound hammer with ease. Can any of you do that in real life? No. Agility can have you bouncing off walls, jumping up twenty feet and higher, all while attacking bosses three times your height. No magic or levitation, but there should be the ability to tame monsters so that you can have a sidekick. A pet that helps you in combat and such. No one was able to do it in the beta, but knowing MMORPGs, I expect it to pop up, eventually. There are some really cool creatures in SAO that would be epic to tame. I’d love to tame a tiger.”

Natsuki was left looking at everyone in confusion as they all shared amused looks.

“Yeah, some of us can do that,” Rainbow Dash said, breaking the silence. She lifted up her geode necklace. “We have to use them sparingly, we are trying to keep a low profile while in Japan, but we don’t exactly come from a regular world anymore. I can run faster than sound, AJ is already really strong from growing up on a farm, but I have seen her lift a car with a single hand. All of us have some sort of ability that we have used to save our school a few times.”

“It’s complicated,” Sunset said, trying to figure out how to explain it. Rainbow Dash hadn’t made it easy. “There’s a portal to another world with actual magic, and things come through sometimes...”

Natsuki looked stupefied for a moment before she shook it off and shrugged. “Cool. I always believed in other dimensions. I love SAO because I can do things I can’t do in the real world. If you guys have special powers like anime characters to save the world and such, you better not hold back.”

“We mostly use it to combat any magic that crosses over between the portal between our world and the one the magic comes from,” Sunset explained. “But thankfully, despite some of the things we have faced, it hasn’t gotten too violent. So far, Japan seems too far away from that portal to have need of our abilities, which I am perfectly fine with. Even when we have tried to get a break from it, trouble always seems to find us. Back home has been quiet too, which is good because they currently have no one protecting them. We can't just pass these abilities on."

“Is it cool over there?” Natsuki asked. "On their magic side?"

Everyone left that to Sunset. “It’s very different. They are not human over there, or even humanoid. It's primarily ponies, unicorns, and their winged variant, pegasi. They live in harmony together."

“Interesting,” Natsuki nodded. “I assume from the looks the others have, that only you, Sunset, have been.”

Sunset sighed and leaned against the footboard. “Long story short, I was born there, and left for reasons I’d like to keep behind me.”

“Different language?” Natsuki asked.

“No, but yes,” Sunset explained. “Where the portal joins both worlds, we speak the same language. Here it is called English, but on the other side, it’s called Ponish. There are other languages spoken in other regions. The portal might convert our brains so we understand the local language, I’m not sure. Over there, it is a whole lot more varied, and unlike this world, it has real races.”

“Dragons? Or Minotaurs? Or Cyclops? Oh! What about Centaurs?” Natsuki asked in rapid succession.

Sunset rolled with it and answered the questions. “Yes to dragons and minotaurs, although both are not creatures you really want to sit down and have a chat with, especially as a pony. And they don't live nearby. No Cyclops or Centaurs, well not native. Historically a single one of each showed up at one point in time. There are also Zebras, Griffons, and Hippogriffs, and that is really just barely getting into things. The Zebras have their own language. I was a student of magic and learned a bit about it and the world at large from my studies. Most of Equestria doesn’t have that wide of a world view outside of the three pony races.”

“Cool,” Natsuki said, nodding as she was obviously thinking through some stuff in her head. “Anyway, you guys may be more accustomed to some of the abilities in the game, but let me show you the screen shots.”

“This is going to be an all-day thing, isn’t it?” Rarity asked, almost whining.

“Well, AJ started it,” Rainbow Dash shot back. “Accidentally. We were going to pitch us all playing towards dinner, but now we can get it out of the way and focus on other stuff after.”

They crowded around Natsuki’s computer as she woke it up from sleep mode. She had several hundred different images she could show them, all taken from her perspective. It was all first-person view, which made sense. They saw a beautiful stone city, at least two different forests, a large field with various boars, as well as a wide variety of weapons and equipment. If it could be held in the hand as a weapon, it was available in SAO.

One picture was burned into Sunset’s memory. A single oak tree, strong and mighty, on a small hilltop and surrounded by a field with mountains in the background. It looked to be sunset, as the sun radiated around the tree and through the leaves. There was something striking and beautiful about that image of the landscape that grabbed her mind. She wanted to be there. To sit under it and just enjoy the view.

“I never got off the first floor,” Natsuki explained. “As good as I got, I couldn’t beat the boss. I finally found him with less than a week of the beta left. The first time, his minions killed me. The second time, I got the better of them, but was left unable to face him. The third time, I was in better shape, but didn’t even clear a third of his total health before he killed me. After that, I gave up to test out more things, rather than try to get to the next floor. I only had a few more days until the beta closed anyway, so it wasn’t a total loss.

"For the beta, I was running alone, but if I was in with a group, like playing with you guys, we could easily crack the floors above, especially with me giving you guys a boost acclimating to the system. I tried all the starter weapon classes, as well as a ton of the crafting and support skills. We could have you all up to speed and solid warriors in three weeks, tops.”

“And if we just want to craft?” Rarity asked.

“From what Dash says, you would make sure we look epic and stylish,” Natsuki said. “I’m all for that. Your real-life experience means you will be better than me when it comes to crafting. To get yourself into a position to do that, in a game like SAO, crafting isn’t your best opening start. SAO reformats some older methods in games by going with a limited number of skill slots. You start with two and at specific total levels you unlock another slot. If you remove a skill from the slot, it resets it to 0 to stop players from swapping, so the only way to get anywhere, even as a crafter, is to get more slots. The more skill slots, the more types of crafting you can do and the more you have to find awesome combinations mixing them. Combat levels you up faster than any other method. If you have a sword and armor, that is two skills being trained when you fight, compared to a single crafting skill. Higher total level also means higher stats like your health points and unlocking more combat combination attacks.

“For crafting, you often have to harvest or gather your own materials. Sometimes that is from monster drops, other times it's from areas with monsters protecting it. Or buy it from other players who did stuff to get it. Things cost col, the game’s money, and it isn’t cheap to do certain things, so you need a way to raise col, and combat is usually the fastest method to get that col. More col, more ability to buy what you need to craft. You want to fight the monsters that drop more col than others. Otherwise, your only way to make money crafting is selling to other players. The game’s NPC stores always buy dirt cheap. At some point, you will need to fight to get what you want, so you will want all of those levels for those stats too.

“I do love crafting, but adventuring and questing is always a fun thing to do. For quests, you are playing a story, and with a game like SAO, the answer isn’t always clear. The answer might require crafting too. Some quests might have a variety of outcomes, depending on what you choose. The game is like real life, meaning oftentimes, things are complex and there is no simple fix. It also means that sometimes you get unexpected results because of the complexity of the game itself.”

“I’m sold,” Applejack said. “I think it would be fun. It would be a good way to unwind and have fun.”

“I obviously want to play,” Rainbow Dash said.

“I’m game!” Pinkie Pie said, intentionally using the word play.

“I always enjoy a good game,” Sunset added.

“I would love to see what animals they have,” Fluttershy said, speaking up.

“It would be fun to be a classical knight,” Twilight added, almost squealing at the idea.

“There are no classes like in some RPGs,” Natsuki explained. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t get weapons and armor to be a knight in shining armor, or a samurai, or any other type of warrior. You choose your weapon class, your armor class, and how you will interact with the world. Some players will roleplay harder than others and try to be that knight, paladin, samurai, rogue, ranger, and whatever other ‘class’ they want.”

Everyone looked at Rarity, the sole holdout. She sighed. “I guess it will be up to me to bring some civility and grace to this world called...what was it again? An-cried?”

“Aincrad,” Natsuki fluidly said. “Aine-cr-ad. Like Line, but with an A, cr as in crunch, and ad, as in advertisement. And while I know that you all have a better grip of Japanese than Dash does, much of the written game is in English. Spoken, almost all Japanese, but the game names use English characters for player names and other stuff.”

Sunset, Rarity, and Applejack chuckled at the fun poke at Rainbow Dash.

"Now comes the hard part," Natsuki said. "Only ten-thousand copies are being released to start; in store and online. We don’t know when more will be released. It could be a week, two weeks, four weeks, or a few months. They will want to get more copies out as quickly as possible, but Argus has to make sure the game’s servers can handle the load. It is unexplored territory with the NerveGear, so starting a bit slow is wise.

“I have my copy. As a beta tester, I was given the opportunity to purchase it once the beta ended. Getting you guys copies will be the hardest part. People are going to be lining up early at storefronts, trying to snag a copy. It goes on sale in a couple of weeks, November Fifth, and it launches the next day, November Sixth. That is a Sunday. Every gamer in Japan wants a copy, and at least half of the everyone else wants to try out this new technology and the full dive, whole new world deal. It's one thing to sit behind a screen and play the game, it's another to be in the game. SAO is a non-gamer friendly game. That hype won’t die easily unless their servers crash and buckle, then no one will trust it.”

“Seven copies are a lot,” Sunset said. “Well, for that small of a release it is.”

"And if we all don't score, the others will have to wait until they release the next set of copies," Rainbow Dash said. "And yes, Rarity, AJ, I know I may not get a copy and the rest of you might. It's a chance I am willing to take to play something so cool with my friends."

“We will have to be tactical,” Natsuki said. “Scoping out what places will likely get copies and where it is best to line up at. I can vouch for how worth it the work will be. Argus will do what they can to stop a black market of pre-buying or bribing from popping up and protect the location of shipments and numbers of copies sent. A store probably won’t know if they get any copies until the Fourth, the day before."

"We can plan that later," Sunset said. "I want to enjoy the rest of the day without school and with my friends. We haven't all gotten together since orientation!"

"With that conversation out of the way, the real party can get started," Natsuki said with a wicked grin. "I've got a place you have to try for lunch. And after that, I'll introduce you to a whole different side of Tokyo than you know existed."

"Why does that prospect concern me?" Rarity said with a sigh.

"Don't worry," Natsuki said. "This side has fashion. Underground fashion, with a mix of traditional. I am sure you will find something you like."

"The whole eastern style is a bit lost on me," Rarity admitted. "There just are so many layers, and meaning to each one. I’m in several culture clubs, including the kimono club that meets once a month on Saturdays. Last weekend I got to try a formal one on and learn all about the design and layers, but there is a lot of fabric and folds.”

"Ugh," Natsuki groaned. "I know. I have my traditional Kimono. I have to have one for my dad's job. UTokyo is an elite school, so if it is a function where he can bring the family, and there usually is at least one faculty one a semester, then yes, I go in traditional clothing; traditional hair and makeup too. The twins dress up as well, although the makeup is not something the girls are required to wear at their ages."

“Before I leave, I want to try to make one for the club to honestly judge,” Rarity added.

“That’s a good goal,” Sunset said. “You have plenty of time to learn.”

“I hope so,” Rarity said. “Anyway, let’s hit the town!”

They left the apartment and headed out to eat. Sunset was surprised they were actually leaving. The vibe she got when she first arrived was a day inside. But it was lunch time and they were all hungry. Looking at all the images blew through the morning.

The place Natsuki showed them too was not the most attractive, either inside or out.

"Looks can be deceiving," Natsuki said in Japanese.

Inside, Natsuki was greeted by her first name and they were shown to a table. The cafe of sorts had a variety of authentic Japanese cuisine. It lacked sushi, but it had a wide range of soups, dumplings, ramen, and kare raisu (curry rice). But the house specialty was monjayaki, a "pancake" with whatever you want in it. Pinkie Pie was in nirvana and adventurous in her selections.

After the delicious lunch, they went two blocks over. It was a small set of shops at the ground floor of the apartment buildings. There was a convenience store, an electronics store, a cleaner, a store that just said “clothes” and several other retail establishments. They followed Natsuki into the electronics store. The door rang a tiny bell to alert the owners that someone had come in.

“Hey Nats, how is it going?” the shopkeeper asked. He was a middle-aged gentleman on the portly side.

“It is going,” Natsuki replied. “Yukio, these are my friends. They are exchange students at my school.”

He bowed politely to them. “It is a pleasure to have you in my store. What brings such travelers as yourselves here?”

“You wouldn’t happen to be on the list to get any copies of SAO, would you?” Natsuki asked.

“I am not,” he replied. “I didn’t even put in to try and sell it. You are one of only a handful of people who come to me for games. I don't even have one of their helmet things on my shelves."

“I figured it was a long shot,” Natsuki nodded. “But I still wanted to show them where I get my electronics. Especially Dash here since she knows the specifications of the computer I just built. And my TV.”

The store had a wide variety of technology, from base components like wires, to full computers, TVs, and other electronic appliances. It was more varied in what it carried than in each category of its inventory. All three of the TVs sizes they sold were from the same company.

“If you are looking for copies of SAO, I can poke around to some of the other guys and see what information we can score. One for each of you?”

“I have one, since I beta tested,” Natsuki clarified. “But the goal is seven copies. If you could ask, it would be appreciated.”

“I’ll be discreet,” he said. He turned to head into the back. “Call if you need me.”

They stayed for a bit, mostly Natsuki showing Rainbow Dash some things. At some point, Pinkie Pie had a bag of various candies, which hadn’t come from the store. Sunset hadn’t heard the bell ring at all.

The clothing shop across the street was an interesting adventure. Inside it was a hodgepodge of various styles and mixes. Nothing was the same. Rarity picked up a shirt with an odd printing on it with only two fingers, disgusted at the colors.

“Everything in here is handmade,” Natsuki explained. “And the owner, she does this for fun, not profit. Still, she somehow moves a lot of this stuff.”

“I have no idea how,” Rarity stated, put off by another “unique” piece.

Sunset found a small section of basic, solid-colored shirts and jeans, tucked away in between a fusion of traditional kimonos and what Sunset could only guess was Celtic in influence. Plaid was not a good mix.

They finally went back to Natsuki’s home.

“Well, that was a bust,” Natsuki said, in English since they were back inside the house. “I was hoping for more adventure, but I feel like I just dragged you guys through the mud.”

“I wish I had my equipment,” Rarity said. “I could show you what real fashion design is. Not that…whatever that was.”

Everyone laughed a bit.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was fun. Dinner was ordered in, they played some board games, and had some real, unbridled fun. They even got Rainbow to paint her toenails.

The fun only ended with just enough time for everyone to catch the trains they needed. It was a safe neighborhood with plenty of lighting. The Nakamuras had texted her earlier in the evening to not worry about the time, just to have fun, and that the door would be locked, but that was why she had a key. Sunset was quiet as she slipped into the house and went to bed.

Pilot Episode 0.5 - Surprises

Episode 0.5 - Surprises
October 2
Sunset was the last up after her late evening out with her friends. It was almost lunch time by the time she dragged herself out of bed. She was greeted cheerfully by Himari and Missus Nakamura, Mister Nakamura was on an errand. When he got back, he had lunch in his arms.

“I assume you had a good day yesterday?” Mister Nakamura asked Sunset as they sat down to eat.

“It was a blast,” Sunset replied with a wide smile. “It was good to see my friends and it was good to not focus on school. Just eight teenage girls doing what we do. Natsuki’s parents are at a job-related conference this weekend and her younger siblings were with the grandparents, so Natsuki had a break and we had the house to ourselves.”

“That sounds like a relaxing time for you all,” Missus Nakamura said.

“It was odd for a bit, because they have an interesting house rule,” Sunset said. “They don’t speak Japanese inside the house. Both of Natsuki’s parents teach English. Her father teaches at UTokyo, so they keep their dual linguistic minds sharp by designating the house as an English zone. Of course, that is what helped Dash and Natsuki bond. That and the volleyball team. It was interesting switching back to English for a day.”

“It sounds like it was a good break for the seven of you though,” Mister Nakamura stated. “It can’t be easy to make such a switch. And the time Natsuki got with friends sounds like the break she needed from her family.”

Sunset chuckled. “Two sets of twins. One set in second grade, the other in sixth. Apparently, it gets rowdy.”

“I can imagine,” Missus Nakamura said. “I grew up with four siblings and I was the middle child. It is a very different lifestyle than only having a child or two.”

“Did you make any other follow up plans?” Mister Nakamura asked.

“Well, sort of,” Sunset replied. “There is a new video game launching in a few weeks. Natsuki and Dash convinced us to try and get copies so we can all play together. It’s not direct contact, but the game system is that new NerveGear and its premier game, Sword Art Online. We’d be together, virtually. Kind of the same thing, but not.”

“I didn’t take you for a gamer,” Mister Nakamura commented. “Not that being a gamer is bad. I remember when video game systems were first coming out. I was in college when the home systems hit the market. I spent my fair share of time in front of the TV, exploring the new and exciting worlds that were brought to life with the new media. And that was well before you could play with friends from the comfort of your own home. The NerveGear system really changes that interaction between the player, game, and friends. People can really connect with the NerveGear unlike before.”

"It does," Sunset Shimmer shrugged. "Gaming is only a part of my life. I often prefer to pick up my guitar rather than a controller. I was running a gaming stream, but that is on pause while I am here. It would be interesting if I could stream playing SAO when I get back home.”

“That would be very interesting,” Mister Nakamura said. “You would become pretty famous, quickly. A lot of people would want to see that.”

“It would,” Sunset said with a chuckle. “I have to get a copy first. The whole plan hinges on us being able to score seven copies of a limited release all across Japan. Ten-thousand are being sold to start. Natsuki was lucky, she got to be a beta tester for Sword Art Online and it also meant she could buy it when the beta was over. She just has to wait for the server to be opened up to play. Our consensus is that it would be fun and allow us more of an opportunity to get together, since we are so busy with clubs and school, and we are a bit spread out in our locations. If we don’t all get copies, they hopefully will release another wave of copies before we leave when they know if the server can handle it.”

"I think it is a wonderful idea," Mister Nakamura replied with a grin. "It will give you something else to do outside of school. And time with your friends is key. Plus, you will meet people from all over Japan, not just Tokyo. The gamer culture in Japan is an interesting one as well. You will learn a lot.”

“I just hope we can get copies,” Sunset replied. “It sounds like half of the population wants one.”

“I have heard of the game,” Mister Nakamura admitted. “The entire system is revolutionary. Ten-thousand players all logging in at once will be a huge stress on any server because of the amount of data exchanged between the rig and the server. They want to prevent the system from being overloaded and crashing, which would hurt sales and the hype they have been crafting. I hope you all can get copies. I don’t think they will run another release before you leave.”

October 4

Sunset put her backpack on after changing back into her school uniform following the Iaido club ending for the day. She had gotten a text mid-morning from Mister Nakamura saying he had a surprise for her. It was a Tuesday. Usually, a surprise came on Thursday or Friday, and had something they would do the next day or night. On a Tuesday, or Wednesday, a cultural event was unlikely. And if they were going to attend a dinner, he wouldn't frame it as a surprise. For both dinners they had attended, he had always texted her a straightforward message. One dinner had been meeting Missus Nakamura’s parents.

Sunset made it home before Mister Nakamura, as usual. Missus Nakamura had not heard anything about a surprise, so she was no help. Sunset just went to her room to do some homework while she waited.

It wasn't long before he came home at his usual time. Sunset found him at the door juggling the car keys he was trying to put away and a big gift bag. He had taken the car to work, like he did every Tuesday to keep it running well. It was the most use the car had ever gotten since Sunset had come to visit. The road trip to visit his parents was still being planned. They lived in a small, country village which would be a very different side of Japan to visit.

Mister Nakamura finally stepped into his slippers and into the house proper. His smile was big as he saw her. "Now, to preface this, it isn't just for you. I have enough for everyone."

Sunset took the extended gift bag and opened it. She pulled out a big grey cardboard box. It was a NerveGear rig. They were on the shelf and had been for several months. Taped to the side was a plastic case, slightly smaller than a DVD case but the same design. "Sword Art Online" was on the face with a fantastic digital image of a fantasy setting with a floating castle of iron in the sky.

Sunset looked up at Mister Nakamura. The game wasn't set to release for sale for three more weeks. Copies were not even shipped out to stores yet, so that they didn’t get stolen or held to the side for customers. A store wouldn’t know exactly how many they got until a few hours ahead of the opening. There was no way he could have gotten one.

He replied to her stunned and questioning look. "I may have mentioned to my co-workers yesterday about your interest in the game, as well as your friends’ interest. One of them must have talked to someone they knew in Argus. This was dropped off today for me, well you, with two stipulations. First, Argus wants a review from each of you. They will schedule that for a time before you leave and after you have had some time to play. The second is that it has to stay a secret outside of the eight of you knowing, because it is technically an early release. It seems that someone in Argus wanted to take advantage of seven foreign exchange students to help breach the market outside of Japan over the next year or two."

"A review?" Sunset laughed. "A review is the least we could do for this gift. The same with staying quiet. We can keep that a secret."

Sunset squealed a bit and then her reflexes kicked in and she hugged Mister Nakamura. She composed herself and apologized with a slight bow.

"No worries," he replied with a warm smile. "I am happy for you and your friends. Why don't you invite them over for dinner tomorrow, plus the other one you will be playing with? I believe her name was Natsuki. I know we met your friends briefly, but we should have had them over well before this date. For our next exchange student, I will make sure we do that."

"I will," Sunset said, whipping out her phone. "But I think we will leave the reveal of the surprise for after you get home from work."

"I would enjoy that," Mister Nakamura replied.

"I don't mean to push a topic, it seems no one breaches for a reason," Sunset said, hesitating to calculate if it was worth it. "I mean no disrespect, but I don't know what you do, outside of working for the government. How does that have anything to do with Argus or Sword Art Online?"

"I work for their telecommunications bureau," Mister Nakamura explained. "My job is pretty quiet and peaceful. I am a bureaucrat, plain and simple. Argus has been hot news because of the NerveGear's impact in the telecommunications sphere, and we have been working with them on some network logistics and other regulations and such they had to meet. There are not many regulations yet because it is all so new, but someone from Argus always seems to be around on some business, even if it is just sweet-talking us or making us feel important. I didn't ask anyone at Argus for the game or NerveGear rigs, I don't know who did, but I was chatting with several coworkers about your interest yesterday, just catching up over the weekend, and there is a chance one of Argus' employees may have been present in the area? My coworkers are always wondering about how the exchange program is going. It is the most exciting interpersonal thing to happen in the office in the past five years. Before this, the big talk was two co-workers in different groups of the telecommunications bureau dating and then getting married. I do believe some others are thinking about becoming exchange parents from our conversations.

“Either way, someone at Argus believes it is a smart investment to get some exchange students' input and reviews. It will help them prepare for other nation's markets. It is a wise play on their part."

"I'm glad I'm entertaining," Sunset playfully rebutted. "My friends will be thrilled and certainly will agree to give them reviews or any follow-ups about it. I can see how it is valuable information to a company. My game stream would get sponsorship offers all the time for new releases. I didn’t take very many, but they asked for the same kind of input."

Mister Nakamura chuckled happily. "Not much excitement happens in my job. Fiber optic cables were exciting and the next generation of cell phones always has us talking for a few days, but Argus has caused a storm. It will pass, but not anytime soon. You have been a fun light to bring to the job. It has been a pleasure having you join our family. We all talk about our kids and spouses, but an exchange student is a first. It is fun being the popular one for having a life that isn’t normal, in a good way."

"I am honored to be a part of your family," Sunset replied with a bow. "It is nice to hear that you brag about me to your coworkers like I am your own daughter."

"I am honored to be able to,” Mister Nakamura replied with a slight bow back. “I have the rest of the rigs and games in my car. Will you help me get them? And then it should be time for dinner."

"Of course," Sunset replied with a nod. "I can text my friends about tomorrow's dinner on the way down to the car."

The others got back to her quickly. They were all on board for dinner the next night. Sunset had neglected to tell them she had a surprise, because it was hard enough not blowing it to her friends. It was not going to be an easy day at school tomorrow either.

October 5

It was nice having her friends over to the house, but difficult to not spring the surprise. Staying silent all day at school had been difficult too. Staying focused on school was also tough. Sunset hadn’t even hinted that there was a surprise coming. That had been really grueling.

Once Mister Nakamura got home, Sunset went to get the gift bags hidden in the closet. He helped and they gave each of them one except for Natsuki. They assured her she would understand in a minute. The others waited for permission and then together opened their bags. Natsuki understood immediately why she hadn't been given one. They all were shocked and grateful.

Mister Nakamura let them celebrate briefly and then calmed them down to explain how Argus most likely learned about them, and the two stipulations on the gift.

"That sounds like a lopsided trade, in our favor," Rarity stated.

"They will use the reviews to break out into international markets," Mister Nakamura explained. "I believe they are getting the better deal out of this. Your information will pave the way for their initial marketing tactics in new countries. Marketing research is very expensive, breaking into a new market is even more so. I don’t think I could put a price on the value each of your reviews will be worth, but they are getting a very fair deal out of it. It is a win all around."

"A review is certainly the least we could do," Applejack said.

All of their phones buzzed or chimed except for Rainbow Dash's. Everyone looked at the odd one out. Dash shrugged. "I just set up the group chat for the game because you know we will have to talk about this. We can't tell other people but we can plan. And we have our very own booster, Natsuki, who was a beta tester! We can totally start off ahead of the others because of it."

"A reminder,” Natsuki stipulated. “I never made it off the first floor. I fought the boss three times, and failed each time. If I hadn't been running solo, I would have gotten to higher floors, but I never bonded with anyone in the game. My info will be limited to the starting area.”

“Well, you have a good group here to make a big party so we can beat that first boss,” Applejack said.

“Party size is restricted to six members,” Natsuki added. “But we can use two parties of four when we are all online together and, at some point, guilds will be able to be created. Then we can really be together, regardless of party structure.”

They were unable to continue as Missus Nakamura announced that dinner was ready. The dining room table had to be used to seat all of them. It was a fun meal and Missus Nakamura made sure she made an impression on them with her culinary skills. Rarity had been jealous of Sunset’s school lunches and had been looking forward to dinner. Pinkie Pie was asking a lot of food questions, trying to learn from her.

Having copies of Sword Art Online was fun, and important, but it was much more satisfying having her friends over. The house had never been as lively as it was, but it wasn’t a bad lively. As still as he often seemed, Mister Nakamura knew how to laugh and make jokes. After dinner, they even pulled out his original game console and things turned old school. There was experience in his hands and mind that shocked everyone as he outperformed them all with practiced ease.

Things didn’t go too late because they had school in the morning and Mister Nakamura had work. They were able to post up a lot of fun photos taken over the evening to their joint account. They couldn’t share the news about playing SAO, but that was okay. They would be able to make posts the day of the release and after. So far, they had not missed a day posting to the account and their followers were adoring all of the updates; be they friends, CHS classmates, family, or others who supported them in their fundraising endeavors.

Pilot Episode 0.6 - Competition And New Friends

Episode 0.6 - Competition And New Friends
October 1 - Saturday

Sunset checked herself in the mirror. Everything was perfect. She was in a very nice black uniform for Iaido, borrowed from Kato Rin. She even was wearing the overcoat, haori, and the fancy lace himo which kept the haori together. Today was the big tournament for the others. Sunset wasn’t participating, she had barely begun to learn the first form, but she was going to support them. There wouldn’t be any cheering, but silent support was always welcomed. Mister Shinmi had been the one to suggest that Sunset wear the full uniform. It would let everyone know that she practiced Iaido.

The train ride was quiet and easy enough, despite having to change lines a few times. She got a few odd looks, but most people recognized a traditional uniform, even if it was on a foreigner. The tournament was being held in a multipurpose center, which wasn’t far from a station.

As soon as Sunset got off the train, she noticed more people in uniforms and carrying cylindrical cases. Openly wearing swords in Japan was illegal, but they had to be carried somehow. In a case, unable to easily be drawn, was the correct method.

The event center had two lines; one for competitors, the other for anyone else attending. In between them stood Mister Shinmi, along with several other men about his age. They were all dressed in traditional attire, with black tops but varying traditional patterned hakamas. Only Mister Shinmi was brazen enough to wear a sword out in front of the event center. There were a few police officers around to ensure the safety of the crowd, but they didn’t seem to notice him, or if they did, they didn’t care that he was wearing it.

Mister Shinmi saw Sunset and she could tell by his look that he wanted her to approach. Sunset took a deep breath in. She knew that whoever he was talking with, they were important people. It was clear by how they all stood, as well as their age. She had to make sure she presented well, or it would reflect poorly on Mister Shinmi. She strode over to them as confidently as she could and then bowed, going lower than normal, but not too low.

“This is a student of mine, both in class and in Iaido,” Mister Shinmi said. “Miss Shimmer is an exchange student here for the second trimester. Miss Shimmer, this is Honda Narishige, Ishin Suden, Amano Yasukage, and my brother, Shinmi Tadayo. Outside of my brother, they are highly respected Iaido senseis. My brother doesn’t teach, but he is a well-respected master.”

Sunset Shimmer bowed again. “It is an honor and pleasure to meet each of you.”

“How are you enjoying our country?” Amano Sensei asked.

“Japan is a beautiful country and Tokyo is full of life in a way I am not used to,” Sunset explained. “As big of a city as Canterlot is, it isn’t a huge metropolis like Tokyo.”

“Ah, Canterlot,” Honda Sensei smiled. “I visited there once. A nice place. I was only there a day or two, but it has a charm of its own that I have found nowhere else. The air felt magical, if you know what I mean.”

“I believe I know what you mean more than you do,” Sunset replied, unable to resist smiling.

Mister Shinmi started to laugh and then the others joined in. Sunset was unsure what to do.

“Miss Shimmer might have the reverence down, but she has some wit and fire,” Ishin Sensei laughed. “I wish some of my students were a bit sharper. Some of them are like the swords they wield; beautiful, well balanced, perfect in every way, but lacking an edge.”

Sunset couldn’t help but laugh with them. It was weird laughing alongside people who were her superiors in a culture that had strict rules about the interactions between a youth and her elders; between a student and masters of the practiced martial art.

“I need to go inside and check on my students,” Mister Shinmi said. “I was waiting for Miss Shimmer to arrive.”

“I suppose I need to go too,” Amano Sensei said. “I am a judge after all. But Matsuo, you should bring the club around to the dojo some time and you need to stop in to see an old friend more often.”

“I will.” Mister Shinmi assured them before bowing slightly.

Sunset bowed to them all and followed after Mister Shinmi. She got to skip the line since she was with Mister Shinmi, who had already been cleared.

“I grew up with them,” Mister Shinmi explained. “We all trained together for a while and also found ourselves facing each other in kendo competitions. In one way or another, they all either own a school, or teach at a school when they can, as well as doing tournaments. My brother may not actively practice, but he maintains his presence so that if he once again picks up the sword, he won’t have been forgotten.”

“This may be prying, and not my place to ask, but you say that like your brother is ill?” Sunset said.

“My brother is a...focused…individual,” Mister Shinmi explained. “His job keeps his mind occupied elsewhere. He got sloppy and as skilled as he is, with his mind split, he can’t get himself settled for much beyond the basics. He is too proud to go back to a blunted blade. Iaido was developed and practiced by the samurai, whose main job was to defend their charges. Their focus was on combat and although they often had legislative and other duties for ruling territory, combat was a major factor of even that.

“They practiced the fine arts, like poetry, calligraphy, music, and painting, in a balance to the aspects of war. The art of war in the right hand and the art of peace in the left. They needed both to survive their responsibilities.

“I have confidence that my brother will once again pick up the sword. Until then, the best thing for him is to be a part of things even if that means just being present.”

“That is logical,” Sunset said. “An artist may not have time to paint, but that doesn’t mean they should not go to art galleries when they can. Rarity is a fashion designer. Even if she didn’t have time to design for some reason, keeping her away from staying in touch with the fashion scene would be impossible. If you succeeded, it would be cruel to force her to live as such.”

“You have wisdom for your age,” Mister Shinmi said. “I know many who can fake looking older than they are. They know what to say, how to act, but it is just a facade. You have experience and understanding.” He smiled warmly at her. “But I guess I should not be surprised. After all, you were accepted into the exchange program. Still, you are ahead of many others of your age and even those out of college lack what you seem to have.”

He had no clue what Sunset had gone through to learn those lessons. There wasn’t an easy way to explain it.

“I’ve lived an interesting and diverse life,” Sunset said as they sat down in the chairs Mister Shinmi had led them to. They were in the very front and center, the best seats, because he had students in the tournament and she was one of his students. Sunset continued. “I’ve made my mistakes and I learned my lessons, often the hard way. The things I once desired I no longer do. When I didn't get what I wanted, I went down a darker path. I gave up all I had worked for, all the good in my life, and turned my back on it. In the end, it only caused me more pain and my true desires were further from my grasp. The other exchange students, it was through them and their friendship that I was saved from my darker self. Now, I want more than anything to help others and shine a light, like the sun, and warm up this world. The more I experience, the more I know, the easier it is for me to empathize with others and help."

"That is a noble goal in life, although a bit vague,” He said. It was a clear challenge to get her to think more critically about what she really wanted.

"How do I define that goal then?" Sunset asked. "I feel like I have wasted too much time already. I'm almost out of high school, which means I will have a lot of paths available to me, but how do I know which one to choose?"

"Well, since we are here, at a tournament which is centered upon the martial art of the samurai, let me draw from their wisdom. We have time before the tournament starts and it probably will take an hour before any members of our club are reached. They always start with the junior kids and lower ranks first."

"There are a lot of people here," Sunset said, looking around at the stadium seating that surrounded the main floor. That wasn't counting the chairs on the floor.

"This is the big tournament for the region,” he explained. “It hasn’t always looked like this, but now it draws in a good crowd who just come to watch. Iaido has a cultural heritage to its tournaments and expositions that Kendo does not have. Of course, Kendo has people hitting each other with swords. It is hard to compete with the action and excitement Kendo has. But, back to your question. The text Hagakure was written long ago and already had decades of the samurai codes being applied before it was written down.

"It states: 'I’ll give you the answer to the question ’What is most important to the heart of a warrior?’ The answer is, 'To desire with one’s very soul every second of every day to accomplish one’s aim.’"

"Good, but what is my aim?" Sunset asked.

"That I don't know," Mister Shinmi said, smiling warmly at her. "Let's try another from the same text. The first statement is 'Life is not so important when forced to choose between life and integrity.'"

"I wish I had learned that lesson a long time ago," Sunset snorted.

"And yet, at your young age, you have,” he remarked. “The first part of this next one you have down, but what about the rest? 'Wisdom comes from paying attention to wise people. Love comes from always striving for the good of others and placing others before oneself. Bravery is developed by simply gritting one’s teeth and with determination crashing through any barrier in one’s way without regard to the circumstances.'"

"I think so," Sunset replied. "I think I have learned all of them. I don't think I would have put bravery like that, or used love in that exact way, but I can see how I have applied both in a similar manner."

Mister Shinmi was clearly enjoying this discussion. He looked very much like the samurai who he was quoting. The only thing off was the modern chair he was sitting in.

"Listen to the next two and tell me what you think. 'There is certainly nothing more important in life than what we do at the present moment. A person’s entire life consists of nothing more than one moment piled on top of another, over and over again. Once enlightened to this, the warrior has nothing else to worry about, because he realizes that he has only to live in the present moment with the utmost intensity.' And the other is: 'A man’s life is only a vapor that vanishes in an instant. One should spend his life doing that which he enjoys. As short as life is, it is foolish to spend it doing only the things one hates.'"

"I don't disagree with them," Sunset said with a sigh. "But for the first, I'm not a warrior, or trying to be one. I might be dressed like one today and I might be learning Iaido for a short time, but that doesn't make me a warrior or mean I am striving for that. None of my future paths include law enforcement or a military life either."

"I think you misjudge yourself," Mister Shinmi said. "The way of the warrior can be applied to many aspects of life, not just a battlefield. Budo is the lifestyle that one lives while practicing bujutsu, the physical side of the art; in this case, Iaido. If you wish to spread light to people, that means you have to combat the darkness, whatever that may be. As the Hagakure puts it, 'a warrior is worthless unless he rises above others and stands strong in the midst of a storm,' and I believe that you have already done that."

Sunset involuntarily touched her geode necklace that was hidden under the uniform. "Yeah, I have. A few times. What else?"

"Every morning a warrior should recommit himself to death. In morning meditation, see yourself killed in various ways, such as being shredded by arrows, bullets, swords, and spears, being swept away by a tidal wave, burned by fire, struck by lightning, dying in an earthquake, falling from a great height, or succumbing to overwhelming sickness. An elder warrior said, ‘Once out of your front door you are surrounded by death. Once you leave your gate you are surrounded by enemies.’ This saying is not merely a parable, but a way to prepare for your fate."

"Bullets?" Sunset asked. Bullets and guns were modern tools for warfare. Nothing about the samurai invoked modernism, which is part of why they were so beloved around the world. They had not modernized, sticking to the old ways of combat. It was seen as the epitome of honorable. "When was this written?"

"Teppo firearms were introduced from China in the late 13th century,” he explained. “It wasn’t until after the Portuguese met with Japan in the middle of the 16th century, that early matchlock guns were developed and produced. Their use in battle during the Sengoku period, the warring states from 1467 to 1615, shaped the Edo period and Japan's samurai. Their use was the deciding factor in some key battles. The text was written during the Edo period. Even during the relatively peaceful Edo period, they were still around and sometimes employed on the battlefield. Arrows were more sustainable and easier to train regular people to use, but firearms had their place in some battles. Many samurai during the Edo period never fought in a battle, let alone a war, and dueling had been significantly reduced as well. Things happened, but the Hagakure was written to solve the odd juxtaposition of a warrior class with no wars to fight, yet who had to remain relevant and also ready to fight, but not cause conflict during a time of peace.

"Those words of wisdom are not just applicable to warriors. They are very applicable to someone who chooses a life of service. Once you decide what light you will shine and how you will shine it, you will have to commit to carrying that light. Every day you must wake up and reaffirm that commitment, so that no matter what happens, you follow through. Not for just the day, but every day after it as well."

"I see your point," Sunset admitted.

"I doubt you will be able to shine a light in the darkness without being out front. You don’t seem like the kind of person to sit back and follow others either. Whatever your path, you will be out front, and probably gain a following, increasing the light and warmth you spread. It is not easy being a leader. It requires you to put others before yourself. You might be the one out front, but in order to ensure that they follow you, and you all complete the goal you all want, you must put aside your own needs and desires. Selfless duty requires you to sacrifice your own spiritual needs and do whatever it takes to protect the world.

“A real leader doesn’t force others to follow them, rather they inspire them to follow and to complete the same goal. A samurai defending his home could order the soldiers under him to march out across the open ground, exposed to arrows and bullets, and they would do it, but they would be afraid. Even if the samurai was leading them from the very front, they would not fight well because of that fear. But a samurai who inspires the soldiers under him, will find himself at the head of a heroic charge, fighting beside brave men, men who can break the enemy’s line and win the battle. While they may be afraid, they are able to see the greater purpose in their actions. There is a time and place for direct orders, but if you are consistently inspiring those under you and around you, they won’t see them as harshly, and they will listen and follow your orders well, because they know that you are not forcing them to do it unless you yourself are forced to."

"I never saw leadership like that," Sunset admitted.

"It is rarely taught like that," Mister Shinmi retorted. "It is a lesson that comes from my own studies and wisdom from my own life. I was not quoting anyone, but I am not the only one to agree about leadership being selfless and that it works best when you inspire others. Do you want to know my favorite lesson, which comes from the Hagakure?"

The question was coy and it excited Sunset to see him in this playful, yet serious, light.

"What?" Sunset asked, smiling mischievously.

“If you are caught unprepared by a sudden rainstorm, you should not run foolishly down the road or hide under the eaves of houses. You are going to get soaked either way. Accept that from the beginning and go on your way. This way you will not be distressed by a little rain. Apply this lesson to everything.”

"That is a good one," Sunset said, nodding. "I never thought of it like that."

"Balance your mind and your body, and little will be able to shake you,” Mister Shinmi advised. “When everyone else falls down, you will still be standing and be able to help pick them up. If you wish to learn more, you can read the Hagakure yourself. We have several copies in the school library. They also have copies of the Book of Five Rings, another important thing to read."

"Can you teach me?" Sunset asked. "Beyond just reading some books. You are as close to a real-life samurai as I will ever know and you also are a student of history and the social sciences. That is a combination that is unique."

"I have time on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, after Iaido," Mister Shinmi said. "But I will have to open it up to the others in the Iaido club. We could discuss things as a group for a half hour or so after the club finishes."

"That is fine," Sunset agreed. “I think that would be good for us all.”

The conversation ended as the tournament’s opening ceremony started. It was short and to the point as they turned their attention to the reason why they were all there. Sunset got to see the form she was working on from several different angles and approaches. One even included a left-handed practitioner who had to do everything opposite.

In many ways, they all were just kids, middle and high school youth putting on a performance. In other ways, they were warriors. Some were imitators, others were obviously destined to be more.

Sugieda was a judge for these early forms. There were significantly more competitors at the early ranks than the later ranks. He was put to good use judging. To be a judge meant that they trusted him a lot. There were a lot of flashing swords and quick but sturdy movements, but it was very quiet for a competition.

Kato Rin was the first from their club to compete. She would do the form side by side with her competition, and they would be judged both alone and against each other. They bowed in unison to the judges, turned to face each other, bowed, and then turned back towards the judges. They both went down into the seated position. The head judge dropped his hand like a flag and they began.

It was a brilliant display as they both moved at the same pace. The forms had their own rhythm, yet they flowed smoothly. In a competition, you had to stay with that rhythm and if you broke from it, it would be obvious due to your opponent. They stayed together and Sunset couldn’t see any real difference in the forms. Kato Rin received the higher score. They both bowed to the judges and then to each other and exited the floor.

The next of her schoolmates to compete were Hara Tameichi and Torii Aika, and it was against each other. Iaido didn’t separate males and females for competition since there was nothing physical about it. Hara Tameichi received a slightly higher grade than Torii Aika.

Out of the boys, Yamamoto Niko also won, but Okumiya Masatake didn’t. The girls had less success. Only Ishin Sara won. Akaza Ryoko, Hirose Sana, and Watanabe Bashira lost by a small margin. Natsume Kure and Abe Tatsuo lost by larger margins. Abe Tasuo slipped and fell, on the initial move, and there was no way to recover in score after that. For those that moved on, only Yamamoto Niko won an award.

Although there had not been any open cheering, people were talking as they watched. It was low background noise, but enough to notice as the crowd went silent. Three boys came out and Sugieda Masazumi was one of them. With only three in such an advanced bracket, they tested all three against each other.

The other two were good, but Sunset found herself on the edge of her seat as she watched. Sugieda Masazumi’s movements were graceful and precise, yet each strike was powerful as he let the blade do its job. The strikes would clearly slice through his imaginary opponent. He was a very gifted practitioner.

It was a fairly close scoring between the three of them, but Sugieda Masazumi had a full half point above the other two. He bowed to each of them and the two of them departed. Sunset watched him take several steps back, where he regulated his breathing, and then strode forward. He bowed to the judges and then went into the seated position.

“He is testing for his next rank,” Mister Shinmi explained.

From the first form, to the next, he progressed smoothly with the sword audibly splitting the air. He wasn’t forcing it, but the sword sang under his meticulous guidance. At the end of each form, he smoothly transitioned from the ending, feet together, and then back down to the seated start with a poised grace. When he reached the form he had just performed, he did it for a second time and even better than in the competition.

There was little need for deliberation. The judges awarded him his next rank.

Mister Shinmi leaned over to quietly explain something to Sunset. “Mister Sugieda is now the highest ranked youth in Japan. At the end of the school year, after he graduates, he will be moved into the adult brackets. His competition will increase, but he will still be ranked well above most adults. The greater question was whether or not he should be allowed to progress so far as a youth. It isn’t just about if he could perform the forms, but they had to think about if he can uphold the responsibilities of the next rank at his age. Obviously, the committee decided he could.”

“How long has he practiced Iaido?” Sunset asked. The crowd’s noise was back since the demonstration was over.

“Almost twelve years working with the sword, since he was six,” Mister Shinmi stated. “He first spent some time with Kendo, but it bored him. There was no challenge for him, even sparring others. He could read their moves before they knew what they were doing and usually he would avoid the strike before striking them in the head and quite hard. He would get warnings for hitting too hard. His strikes were deliberate and quick; however, they were not good for young kids. By the age of ten, he was striking to kill with very good form. That mentality is not good for Kendo’s sparring and it is scary to see in a kid.”

“Do you think he will run his own school?” Sunset asked.

Mister Shinmi began to laugh a bit. “Will? He already is. I am technically just the advisor to the Iaido Club at school. He runs it, he teaches the others, and he has gotten them ready for this competition. Considering their primary training is from a school club, they did very well this time around. He isn’t worried about the college entrance exams because he doesn’t plan on going to college. This year he is just biding his time, using his senior year to ensure the club is ready for his departure. Amano Sensei, who you met when you arrived, is his primary teacher and he is looking forward to having him all to himself. He will be opening a second school for Young Mister Sugieda to run.”

“That is impressive,” Sunset said.

“He looks forward to teaching you, a lot,” Mister Shinmi added. “As much as I have enjoyed it, it really is his place. He was thrilled to hear about your interest, but in this competition, he had a lot to prove.”

“He proved he could produce good and honorable students, didn’t he?” Sunset asked. “That was part of why they agreed to test him for rank, along with showing he could be a fair and impartial judge. Wasn’t it?”

“That he did,” Mister Shinmi nodded. “They did much better than they did during the spring tournament. All of the masters know that they are being trained in a school club. Most of the competitors do this after school, often on top of Kendo, and of course they are being taught by a master ranked higher than Mister Sugieda. Your assessment of their allowance for his testing is correct. Now there is no difference in rank between him and the lowest ranked masters.”

They stopped talking as the short closing ceremony began. After it was over, Mister Shinmi stood up and led Sunset through the crowd, around to where the competitors staged. The others gathered around, except for Sugieda who was absent.

“Well done, all of you,” Mister Shinmi said with a broad smile on his lips. “All of you performed admirably. Miss Abe, your slip happens. Remember, you were not the only one to slip today.”

Sugieda joined them. He had a big smile on his lips. “My family is waiting for me, but how about a late lunch on me? Shinmi Sensei, you are welcome to join us as well.”

“Thank you, but I think I will pass and leave the celebration to the youth,” Mister Shinmi said.

“Miss Shimmer,” Mister Sugieda said with a sly grin. “I look forward to beginning your instruction on Monday, but I do hope we can do it as friends. I prefer that for the club. I was teaching all summer, but it wasn’t the same as the club.”

“I would love that too,” Sunset said as she smiled back.

“The others know where to go, but I need to speak with my family.”

Sugieda bowed to them and walked away, making a beeline to what had to be his parents, grandparents, and younger siblings. Mister Shinmi also bade them farewell and departed, leaving the kids to be kids.

Miss Kato nudged Sunset with her elbow. “Do I detect a bit of an infatuation in that smile?”

“What!” Sunset exclaimed, taken aback. “I-wel-” she sighed. “Maybe. I don’t know. It was impressive to watch him do all of the forms. He was so smooth and graceful, yet there was power and purpose through it all. He was, is, so confident. A peaceful confidence that I am not used to seeing, especially in someone our age. If that is what the samurai were like, then I really understand why they were one of the most feared fighting forces in the world.”

“You wouldn’t be the only girl in the club with eyes for him,” Hara Tameichi said with a chuckle. “He is impressive. It is a good thing he has a younger brother, so that he can follow his true calling.”

“I think I am missing something,” Sunset said. “I really don’t know much about him, other than that he is a senior and in charge of the Iaido club.”

“Founder of the club,” Ishin Sara corrected. “His great, great, great grandfather joined the Satsuma Rebellion. While he wasn’t from the region, he left his wife and young sons to fight in the last stand of the samurai. His sons would never know that life, so they were spared from the strike to their honor that the Meiji Restoration caused. They were not stripped of what they were. The family was able to stay under the radar long enough to avoid much of the struggle of the transition the samurai had to deal with. Masazumi has a deep connection to the sword. There were things passed down, from father to son, about conduct, honor, and life that is reflected in the way he stands. Still, that matter is best kept quiet, even this far from the rebellion and restoration.”

“Impressive,” Sunset replied. “I’ll keep it quiet. I’m surprised his family is here though. In a Chiyoda Ward public school.”

“The restoration may have ended the class system, but the elites with the money were the former samurai,” Yamamoto Niko explained. “It wasn’t spoken of openly, but they still held positions of power and influence in the new empire, and those lines still exist today among the social elite. Lawyers, doctors, corporate managers, university professors, many of them have surnames that can be matched with late Edo Period records. Chiyoda has a lot of those elites living in it. But I always got the feeling that he was at the school because of Shinmi Sensei.

“Of course, before the Meiji restoration, many families lacked a surname. When it became important, they took on the surnames they knew, which were often from the samurai who had been the ruling elite in their area. It isn’t a guarantee, only family records can tell if the family line came from a real one. The honor and reputation that is our surname is passed down from a father to their sons. The honor passed on is reflected in how we carry that name while it is our time to bear. Carrying it poorly does not give your children a good future and disrespects all of those before you who bore it well.”

“Do you speak from experience?” Sunset asked.

Yamamoto Niko gave a silent nod.

“Let’s move on to the celebration,” Okumiya Masatake said, a sly grin growing on his lips.

“And what exactly does that entail?” Sunset asked as the others began to smile.

“Do you sing?” Kato Rin asked.

“Yes,” Sunset nodded. “I left my guitar at home, but I play rhythm guitar in a band and am also a secondary vocalist.”

“Then you will be fine,” Kato Rin winked. “We have a favorite karaoke box that serves great food and drinks while we sing our heads off! They will get a kick out of us being in our Iaido uniforms.”

Sunset laughed. “Our last fundraiser for the exchange program was a concert. ‘Japan’ was our theme and we decided to learn a bunch of J-pop songs. Most of the others couldn’t learn the Japanese lyrics in time and I could only do some because of how fast they sang. Now I am very confident in being able to sing.”

They were excited to see what Sunset could do. The others quickly spoke with any family members they hadn’t, passed on their swords so they didn’t have to carry them with them, and then they were off. They ran freely, not to the closest train station, but down the street laughing and having a good time, like kids half their age. The others had a lot of pent-up energy and stress from the competition. It felt good to let it go and be free.

They boarded the metro at the next station and soon got off. The karaoke place wasn’t far from there. Sugieda Masazumi caught up with them as they got to the place. Their choice to run had allowed him to catch up.

“We have one rule you have to agree to,” Sugieda said to Sunset as they entered. “Friends mean first names.”

“Okay,” Sunset nodded. “That is a very fair rule. Plus, I am getting sick of hearing ‘Miss Shimmer’.”

Masazumi laughed as he went to the front desk to get them a room. The rooms were rented in time blocks, with the karaoke machine being free and with unlimited songs. Few people went to a karaoke box without ordering at least drinks, if not food. Thirteen was on the large side for a party, but the place had a few party rooms available for the larger groups. The staff did love them being in their uniforms.

Sunset knew she was going to get to take a lot of pictures that would be perfect to post to the joint account. Their donors would love to see her doing karaoke in the nation that had started the craze. Plus being in their Iaido uniforms would make the post even more awesome. More importantly, it would be great photos to have for her own memories.

Iaido Club Members
Boys
1. Sugieda Masazumi
2. Yamamoto Niko
3. Hara Tameichi
4. Okumiya Masatake

Girls
1. Kato Rin
2. Akaza Ryoko
3. Hirose Sana
4. Ishin Sara
5. Torii Aika
6. Watanabe Bashira
7. Natsume Kata
8. Abe Tatsuo
9. Shimmer Sunset

Pilot Episode 0.7 - What’s In A Name?

Episode 0.7 - What’s In A Name?
November 3 - Thursday

Sunset sat in front of Sugieda Masazumi, ready to perform the first Iaido form. Now, she was on a first name basis with him and the others. They were having fun and she had been really welcomed into their group. But for this test, it was back to formalities.

Sunset’s hands both moved to the sword at her side in unison. The left wrapped around the sheath, while her right gripped the handle. Her left thumb pushed against the tsuba of the steel blade, beginning the draw. The draw wasn’t a pull, but a push as she moved her right hand forward, while also pulling the sheath back and out of the way so the katana could clear it faster. At the same time, she stepped forward with her right foot, staying low and on her left knee. The sword sliced through the air, parallel to the ground at her imaginary opponent’s shoulder. The cut ended with the tip forward.

That ended the first movement and the second started there. She bent her right hand, pulling the sword tip back at the proper speed. As it was raised up above her head, her left hand smoothly moved to its position on the handle. The second movement finished as the sword was raised above her head and back, parallel to the ground.

Sunset didn’t hesitate to bring the sword straight down. The sword whooshed through the air. It was a brutal move, designed to kill, but also to give the opposing samurai a swift and honorable death.

The next step had Sunset release the sword with her left hand and put it on her hip. She loosened her grip and turned the blade out as she slid it to the right, but kept it down. She bent her elbow, sweeping the handle up to her temple and the sword back. She swung it counterclockwise, down and out to the right, in a move that was known as the Chiburi, or blood removal. As she let the sword’s weight move the blade, she stood up with her left foot. With the sword down and to the right, Sunset continued moving her left foot until it was beside her right.

The last move was the re-sheathing. She slid her right foot backward, keeping the sword in place. Her left hand moved to cover the opening of the sheath. Her left thumb and forefinger formed a slit over the opening. Sunset pulled the sword in toward her body, resting the spine of the katana along the groove formed by her fingers. She slid the sword forward, keeping the spine in the groove as she guided it. The tip was smoothly guided into the opening and Sunset slid the sword back in place. As she slid it in place, she slowly brought herself down onto her right knee.

With everything secured, Sunset slowly stood up, bringing both feet together. This signaled the end of the form.

Sugieda looked over at where Mister Shinmi was always sitting. Sunset didn’t look anywhere but at Mister Sugieda. He looked back at her. “Not bad, but you got sloppy at the end. What did you forget?”

Sunset thought, but came up with nothing. “I don’t know, Sensei,” Sunset admitted. “What did I forget?”

“You forgot the last step, gliding your hand over the handle to check for any damage after use. You also stood all the way up, but the form ends with your knees still slightly bent.”

Sunset nodded to him.

“For your first time testing a form from start to finish, well done,” Sugieda said. He let a smile slip. “That is one of the fastest progressions I have seen. You moved slowly, but with purpose. Train that precision until your body memorizes it, and then, when you speed up, it won’t deviate.”

Sunset bowed to him. “Thank you, Sensei. I will not only remember, but practice that.”

Sugieda bowed back and Sunset stepped off to the side. Kato Rin moved forward and knelt down. She was doing a different form than the basic one that Sunset was learning. While Iaido didn’t use belts like other martial arts, it did use ranks, and she had progressed a rank at the last tournament. Today was the first time she was going to perform her new form, start to finish.

Mondays and Wednesdays had become interesting since the tournament. All of the Iaido club had decided to join in on the leadership lessons Mister Shinmi was giving. After that, they usually got dinner together before heading home to do any homework before bed.

Sunset watched Rin begin her form, but her focus shifted to Sugieda. Even after becoming friends, on a first name basis, her admiration of him hadn’t slipped. It had only increased. His skill as a teacher showed a kind and generous side, along with the graceful and strong warrior he was. She had never known anyone her age that was like him and there was something very attractive about it. His handsome features didn’t help any.

When all of their testing was over, they grabbed chairs and formed a circle. Mister Shinmi moved his chair over to the circle. The extra lessons had gone beyond simple leadership advice, but into wisdom, honor, planning, and other important lessons for a successful life, grounded in the wisdom of the samurai and other great leaders and philosophers.

They had worked their way through the Hagakure, The Book of Five Rings, and were in the middle of The Art of War. Despite being written in ancient China, Sun Tzu’s book was an important text to the war doctrine of ancient Japan and its warriors. It was even quoted on the battle standard of Takeda Shingen, an infamous daimyo during the Sengoku warring period that preceded the peaceful Edo period. The banner had the characters for Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain to symbolize the quote, “as swift as wind, as gentle as forest, as fierce as fire, and unshakable as mountain.” That was what the warriors were supposed to be, as swift as the wind, as gentle as the forests, as fierce as fire, and unbreakable like a mountain.

“Miss Shimmer,” Mister Shinmi said. “You have been distracted all day, even earlier in class. Something is weighing on your mind. Perhaps it is something we could use as a teaching point?”

“Uh,” Sunset stammered. “Yeah, something is on my mind, but I don’t know what you all could do.”

“Would you consent to at least trying?” Mister Shinmi asked.

“Well, it contains a secret,” Sunset said. “But I guess you could say it is a question of identity?”

“Whatever it is, it stays here,” Rin assured her.

“Okay,” Sunset nodded. “For reasons I don’t fully understand, Argus, the tech company, made a deal with me and the other exchange students in the school. Through the grapevine, Argus found out we wanted to try and snag copies of Sword Art Online and play together. They got us seven copies and in exchange, we will give them reviews so that they can take the information and use it to break into our home market.”

“You seven have copies?” Masazumi asked, surprised. He wasn’t the only one. Everyone was shocked and some even a bit envious.

“Yes,” Sunset nodded. “We do. Part of the deal is not letting it be known because of the limited release, but it’s more an informal agreement. No one has signed anything. We plan to play with Ota Natsuki, who is on the volleyball team with Rainbow Dash. She was a beta tester and got us interested in the game. If you saw the images Miss Ota snapped in game, the ones she could share...well-”

“Hey, I will be trying to snag a copy,” Niko said. “The game is supposed to be awesome. I don’t think you have to justify wanting to play to anyone here.”

“That info is worth a few free copies,” Ryoko added. “My father is in marketing. Companies drop billions a quarter researching new and existing markets. I too have entertained the idea of playing it as well.”

“What is your identity issue?” Rin asked.

“My game name,” Sunset shrugged. “I know it is just a game.”

“Names have power,” Mister Shinmi said. “You get to reinvent yourself into what fits for the setting and build your honor around that. A poor name will make building a reputation, good or bad, difficult.”

“Exactly,” Sunset nodded. “SAO’s is using English characters for game names. I don’t know what to do though. I’ve tried to do different combinations of my name, or portmanteaus, in both languages, but I just don’t have anything. And the game launches Sunday. On Saturday the server opens to allow players to make their accounts and avatars.”

“Play style?” Niko asked. He was obviously more than a casual gamer.

“Uh,” Sunset stammered. “I’m not sure.”

“You saw pictures, what caught your eye?” Mister Shinmi asked.

“Well, a few things did,” Sunset said. “First when I recall them, is this gorgeous old oak tree on a hill, surrounded by a field of amber grass. It stood strong and proud, and in the background was a mountain range. The next thing I think of is a few images with big swords. The Katanas are okay, but I am wanting a large, two-handed straight sword. That is what is drawing my eye.”

“Not a bad pick,” Niko encouraged. “The warriors of the Scottish Highlands, as well as the Landsknecht in middle Europe, and the entire Bolognese Sword school in Italy, all are perfect examples of how effective a large, two-handed straight sword can be both in single combat and against enemy battle formations. They lasted into the 16th century in Europe. They were very effective against cavalry and the biggest ones could lop through pikes, which was their specific purpose: destroy the enemy’s pikes so yours could survive and do damage to the enemy.”

“It is a game,” Mister Shinmi said with a laugh. “We might be the Iaido Club, but that does not mean any of you have to use katanas in a game. You can apply some of the same strategies and techniques from Iaido to the way you play SAO.” He nodded, “Yes, I am familiar with the game and the technology. I think I will wait for them to release the next set of copies before I try it. From what I understand, there is no quickdraw action like Iaido practices. For the bulk of the fighting, you use a system assist and combination attacks, rather than the power of the sword itself.

“Still, how you approach your weapon will be influenced by what you have learned here. Iaido is a good foundation for that. Respect for your weapon, wielding that weapon in an honorable and proper manner, the art of combat, the way of thinking about combat, and being able to calm yourself in a tense situation, that will be crucial in a game that you play in your mind.

“There are many various weapons a samurai learned to use, but only they could carry a sword. In fact, the sword was a very common symbol of a warrior around the globe and many cultures restricted swords use to only their chosen warriors. For the battlefield, there are better weapons than a sword. A spear has better reach and capitalizes on the action of a thrust better than any sword can, but it lacks the ability to slash and it is long. If the enemy gets inside your spear’s reach, it is useless for your defense. A Kanabo or Otsuchi crushes armor, which a sword can’t cut. Just as a sword cannot crush armor, neither can they cut. An Ono can hack better than any sword, but it cannot stab. Kusari-fundo, kusarigama, and Chigiriki are flexible weapons and fast, but they are not rigid enough to block another weapon.

“But a sword, it has a fluidity and refined style that is more versatile than those one-trick weapons. Its versatility is its strength. The possibilities for a warrior while wielding a sword is unlimited. The only limits are the ones you place on yourself. Creativity is a key trait for a warrior. Likewise, that is what samurai were supposed to be: fluid, refined, and versatile. As you all should know, the sword should be an extension of yourself, another part of your body, not just as an extension of your arm. You must be one with it, especially for a sword that is as tall as you are.

“When I did kendo, I knew the way I set my feet determined how I could attack, just as how my opponent set their feet limited how they could attack. The same for how and where the sword was held. Sugieda knows this well; when you can read your opponent’s plans ahead of the strike, your options open up. Then it comes down to either being creative enough to counter it in a way that keeps you as free to address any other opponents, yet making sure you go for the kill.

“We have previously discussed the use of the arts to balance out war. Some were for relaxation, others to keep certain skills sharp. Calligraphy was used as a metaphor. When you write your name on the page, you place your identity there. If no one knows you are there, then you are useless and in the way. But I warn you all, you cannot take back a stroke of the brush, and neither can you take back a stroke of the sword.

“In battle, you only have an instant to take everything in. Landscape painting was used to help a warrior sharpen that skill. Take it in, turn around, and paint it. It trained the mind to retain the battlefield as it unfolded so the warrior could better move. Rock gardening was used to think about terrain and how to use it to the warrior’s advantage.

“But while all of that is great to consider, we still have to figure out what name you will stamp on the battlefield. And I don’t think there is a better group to do that with than with the Iaido Club. After all, it is they who have been teaching you the way of the sword.”

“That’s right,” Niko said. The others voiced their agreement.

“Let’s think critically about this,” Masazumi said. “Oak tree was the first thing you think of when you think of Sword Art Online. That and the landscape.”

“Okay,” Sunset nodded, unsure where he was going.

Masazumi stood up and drew his practice katana. It wasn’t sharp, but it was hand forged using traditional techniques. He presented it to her for inspection.

Sunset immediately saw the skill put into the sword. It wasn’t the same as the mass produced one she was using. The way the steel flowed spoke. This sword had a soul. Its hamon was alive, hers was chemically etched in. The hamon was the line on the sword where the clay had been applied at the end of the forging process so that when the sword was quenched, the edge hardened quickly, but the spine cooled slower, keeping the steel softer. The technique made for a stronger sword which could sustain greater impacts before it broke. It was a staple for any real katana. It wasn’t a straight line though, which is what gave the sword its soul and character. The clay was put on in a way that created a beautifully dancing line, sometimes sharper, other times more rolling.

Sunset saw where he was going. “The hamon looks like a mountain range.”

“That is one aspect of your name,” Masazumi stated. “You said landscape first and I always think of how a hamon looks like mountains dancing along the sword.”

“So what?” Rin asked. “Oak for the other? Tree? Wood?”

“There is a character whose last name is Oakenshield,” Sana said. “So, Oakensword?”

“Still missing the landscape aspect,” Sunset replied. “And no offense, but I think both oaken names are dumb.”

Masazumi respectfully returned his sword to the scabbard. It was so smooth, but graceful. Even the way he turned to go back to his seat was refined, yet strong.

“Do that again,” Sunset said.

Masazumi stopped, turning to look over his shoulder. He was unsure she meant him.

“Can you draw your sword and put it back?” Sunset asked.

He turned fully to her and bowed. Masazumi slid his right foot forward. In an instant the sword was flicked out. The light danced across the blade as he performed the simple waist height slice. Masazumi elegantly sheathed the blade again.

"The light off the blade was beautiful," Sunset said. "For a brief moment, the whole thing lit up and you could clearly see the hamon. It was beautiful. Like there was a living landscape on the sword itself."

"Sunblade?" Ryoko asked.

"Sunsword?" Niko suggested.

"Bladescape," Masazumi firmly said. "An artful name for an artful warrior. There is nothing prettier to you than the landscape on a sword. The soul line. You will tell the whole world of that beauty as you cut down your enemies and gain strength. It also harkens to your training. You don't have to tell them how far along you are, only that you are a practitioner of Iaido."

"I like it," Sunset grinned. "Bladescape. It has meaning. It is artful. It feels strong, like a sword. And like Shinmi Sensei said about calligraphy, my sword will be the brush I use to I stamp my name on the battlefield. A field is part of a landscape. The sword is part of battle. I just need to ensure I don't bring dishonor to my name."

"I think your identity crisis is over," Mister Shinmi stated. "And I think our time is up for the day. I hope you all were thinking about more than just a game. The aspects of our names apply to this world too. Masazumi has many meanings depending on the kanji used to write it, but ‘pure,’ ‘elegant,’ ‘refined,’ and ‘graceful’ are among the meanings. Niko means ‘conquest of the nation’. Tameichi means ‘for one’. Masatake means ‘positive.’ Rin means ‘motivated’. ‘A woman who is like the dragon,’ is the meaning of Ryoko, and likewise, Tatsuo means ‘a female dragon.’ Sana means ‘brilliant’ as in, ‘exceptional talent or intelligence towards things’. ‘Princess’ is the meaning of Sara and Aika means ‘love song’. Bashira means ‘protector of good news’. And last, but always shining spectacularly, we have our two sunsets, Kura and Sunset. All of you have good names.”

“What about you, Shinmi Sensei?” Kata asked.

“My given name is Matsuo, which means ‘pine.’ Pine trees are strong, straight, and always in bloom.” Mister Shinmi stood up. “This has been a good talk. Think about your names and discuss them. That knowledge can unlock power inside your mind, strengthening your ability to fight, as well as do anything you set your mind to. After all, Sun Tzu says that if ‘If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.’ So go, learn about yourself more. Often the best way to learn about yourself is with the help of your friends, from their insight into you.”

They put the classroom back into its ordered state. After that, they headed to the locker rooms. Everyone changed into their school uniforms and then headed out to eat. It was quiet as they thought about the lesson. Game or real life, they were beginning to realize the power in a name.

Episode 1 - Link Start

Episode 1 - Link Start (Ruby Palace)
Sixth day of the Month of Cypress (November 6) in the Year of the Hawk

Sunset Shimmer was reading ahead before SAO launched. She didn't expect to have much of the day left after they played the game. It was quiet in the house, particularly for a Sunday. Himari was at a friend's house and Missus Nakamura was over there as well. Mister Nakamura had stepped out of the house to run a few errands.

The doorbell chimed, which was an unusual occurrence. Sunset checked her phone to see if one of them had forgotten their keys or something, but no new texts had come in. The doorbell rang again, so she got up to see who it was.

Behind the door was an elderly couple. They looked her over and the woman leaned over to double check the number on the door.

"Forgive me, we are looking for our son, Isoraku," she explained.

Sunset suddenly remembered the family portrait and bowed low. "Forgive me. I should have recognized you. I am Sunset Shimmer, the foreign exchange student staying with your son's family." Sunset stood up. "Please, come in. Mister Nakamura is running some errands and Missus Nakamura and Miss Himari are at a friend's house."

They stepped inside and Sunset offered them the guest slippers. "Let me get my phone and send them a message that you have arrived. I wasn't aware you were coming."

"It's a surprise visit," she explained. "And thank you. We knew Sundays were usually a quiet, family day for them."

Sunset rushed off to her room and grabbed her phone. She messaged both of them in the group message. As she hit send, she heard the door open.

"Mother! Father!" Mister Nakamura exclaimed. "This is a surprise."

Sunset went out to talk to Mister Nakamura. He was standing by his parents, who had sat down on the couch.

"Your exchange student let us in," his mother said. "She is a pretty girl and respectful."

Sunset ignored the compliment. She had no idea how to respond so she rolled with not hearing it. "Mister Nakamura, you can ignore the text message I just sent you."

"Thank you, Sunset," he replied, glancing at his watch. "It's almost one O’clock. Doesn't everything start then?"

"It does," Sunset nodded. She didn't want to be rude. Even though she was technically a guest, she hadn't had the ability to meet his parents. They deserved her attention.

"What is at one?" His father asked her.

"Oh," Sunset said, blushing. "I have a copy of a new game and I was going to be playing it with some friends from school. Some are exchange students with me, one is from here. The official launch is at one o'clock today."

"You got a copy of Sword Art Online!" He asked, surprised. "You know, I looked at getting a copy, but I decided against fighting all the youngsters for it. When they release more copies, maybe I will. I hear a man my age can feel like he is in his 20s again, and enjoy a whole new adventure in life. Go! Play!"

"Oh, are you sure?" Sunset asked.

"Listen here," he said with a kind, wise smile. "Every generation has its own adventures, its own new experiences that no other generation can ever have. I got to have mine in the fledgling Japanese Self Defense Force, Isoraku got his in University when he did an exchange program."

"I didn't know he did an exchange program," Sunset said, accidentally interrupting.

"It was different from yours," Mister Nakamura explained. "I was already living on my own, and a junior in college when I went abroad. I had my own apartment there and my transition between school types was not as severe as yours has been. We did semesters, not trimesters, even back then.

"It was fun. It had its ups and downs. Your experience has been better than mine, and I suppose that is because you have exchange parents, while I had none. I had to find my own way and make my own friends. I still talk with Jason quite often and would love to take the family to visit his. Probably in a year or two, when Himari is older and able to get more out of such a big trip."

"As I was saying," Mister Nakamura's father continued, not bothered by the side track. "Each generation gets their own experiences. You are certainly taking the time to gain your own. Living in another country while going to school is an amazing opportunity. But you also get to be the first with this technology. It is a unique opportunity, and one so rare it is one of only ten thousand. So go, play, enjoy, explore, make memories you can tell your grandchildren and learn the lessons that you can from whatever that fantastical world has to offer. And swing your sword a few times for me."

"I will," Sunset assured him, adding a respectful bow. "And I would love to play with you if we ever got the chance."

He chuckled. “I would enjoy that opportunity.”

Sunset rushed off to her room. Natsuki had given them all pointers on the best diving atmosphere, specifically for when you exited. You didn’t want to be too cold, or too hot, and keep things comfortable. She double checked the temperature in her room, making sure it was good. She also had eaten an early lunch, since diving on a full stomach wasn’t suggested. She went to the bathroom one last time and then threw on looser clothing as advised, strapped on the NerveGear, and laid down in bed.

She touched her geode for good luck and gave the command, “LINK START!”

Colors flashed and streaked by as Sunset was transported away. When it stopped she was at the starting menu. Yesterday, Argus had opened the server for SAO’s character data. They allowed players to register and create their character ahead of the launch. It had taken Sunset nearly an hour to go through all of the options for her character and design Bladescape. She logged in and the colors began to fly again.

Before she could create her character, she first had to calibrate the NerveGear. The calibration was simple, it walked her through touching her major joints and body points as it directed so the rig could read the signals her brain sent along the nervous system. The character creation menu loaded up her actual dimensions as the base. Sunset had stuck with Natsuki’s recommendation and kept her body shape and size the same. If she adjusted those parameters too far in either direction, it could throw off her perception of her body and make it hard to move and fight.

With her body dimensions settled, the hard part began. SAO was more hands on with avatar creation than any other game on the market. The hairstyles alone had over a hundred to choose from with forty-seven natural shades to decide on. There would be more available once players were in the game, Sunset had seen other colors in Natsuki’s pictures, but for initial character creation, this was what they had to work with and it was more than most games could manage. It explained why they had to limit the launch to just ten thousand copies. Sunset chose a dark auburn in the “Double Dutch Rope” style; two Dutch braids starting on either side of the crown which merged into one braid at the base of the neck to dangle. It would keep her hair from falling into her face while fighting.

There were twenty preset faces, with each preset able to have one of six skin tones, plus the choice of one of the three undertones. That equaled three hundred and sixty preset faces. From any of them the player could cycle through other presets for specific facial features like eye shape, brow style, chin shape, jawline, and nose. Further manual adjustments to fine tune the avatar’s face could be done. Sunset had settled on a stronger jawline, slimmer nose, thin yet bright lips, and a stronger brow ridge but thinner eyebrows. She also had settled on a skin tone that was lighter than her normal with a warm, rosy undertone.

For clothing, Argus gave players four bases that could be chosen from. Two different shirts, paired with the same pants; a dress with a primary and secondary color; or a shirt and skirt combination with optional stockings. Each had preset color combinations, but players could customize with an RBG sliding scale. Still, they were more muted colors. The leather boots came in a variety of colors, but only one basic style. Their chest protector and belt were matching and only were natural leather colors. The clothing would be the first thing most players would end up changing anyway. Sunset had gone with a wine-red shirt and tan pants, with a black belt and chest protector. Her boots were also black. Since she had chosen a straight, one-handed sword for her starting weapon, she had two options for where it could be mounted: her hip or her back. Sunset had settled for her back since she planned to evolve the skill to two-handed sword, which would force her to wear it on her back due to their size.

Her view shifted and Sunset blinked into the new world. She was in the town center. It was all made of stone, even the pavement. The center plaza was surrounded by a decorative stone wall, and only had a few exits. The center had a spire which acted as the main jump point for the teleport plaza system. The background music was a fun fanfare with some wind instruments and strings.

Plenty of other players were popping up in blue lights. Sunset looked ahead, which was north, and to the entrance to the Black Iron Palace. It looked exactly as it was named. Inside was the Room of Resurrection, where players respawned when they died.

For now, she was concerned with the meet up. Sunset rushed west, out of the town center. As she ran, it felt just like real life. She felt each muscle move as she took the long strides and her arms moved to her pace. Her focus slipped to just experiencing the feeling of being in another reality.

Crossing over from Equestria into the human world, it was a whole different experience. She had changed forms. Now she was still human, but in a different body. There was also a different set of natural laws, albeit not too different.

The circular city was laid out like a wheel with spokes. It was a straight shot to the western gate where Natsuki had told them to meet her.

She saw the exit and seven players. None of them she recognized, but that was expected. All she could see was a green cursor above their heads, signaling they were a player. Red was a monster and blue was an NPC. Names didn’t automatically show up, unless you were friends with the player. Despite no names and no recognizable faces, Sunset could pick out who was who. Each of her friends still stood the same way they did in the real world and they all chose their obvious colors.

Natsuki was the smaller male in the group. She hated getting harassed by the gamer guys who were desperate and lonely. To solve that, she typically played as a male character for MMORPGs. No doubt, her avatar was the picture of what she found attractive: semi buff, fair skin, and blue eyes with silver hair that was short and spiky. She was wearing a light orange shirt with black pants, plus black boots and gear.

The very lean girl with black hair was clearly Rainbow Dash. She had a straight sword on her hip and had chosen black boots and gear to go with the sky-blue shirt and navy pants. The shortest of them all, sporting an auburn pixie cut, pink shirt with yellow skirt and yellow stockings, had to be Fluttershy. The girl in the ivory dress with flowing black locks was obviously Rarity. She wasn’t wearing any of the starter armor or a weapon and her facial features were an expertly sculpted picture of beauty. Rarity had spent several hours on her avatar and it showed.

The blond-haired bodybuilder was Applejack. She was using one of the first preset avatars with no alterations. Two other big clues to her identity were her burnt-orange shirt, with tan gear, and how she was leaning against the wall; her left foot was crossed over her right. A war hammer was thrust through her belt. Twilight was the one with the purple and lavender dress under the armor, but what really gave her away was that she was trying to fix her glasses, which were not present. She also had her weapon equipped, the same basic starter sword as Sunset and Rainbow Dash.

The final player was a hulking giant with a black afro. Pinkie Pie had bragged about maxing what was allowed for avatars and she had also decided to play as a male character. Somehow there was a pink shirt large enough to fit that body size, as well as a pair of sage pants big enough for those sculpted glutes. A basic one-headed battle axe was thrust through her brown belt, but the hulking giant had told them all she wanted to use the biggest war axe possible. She had built an avatar to do just that.

"What gives? I thought you were all set?" Rainbow Dash asked. “Even Rarity got here before you.”

“Sorry," Sunset Shimmer replied. "I was ready, but Mister Nakamura's parents dropped by unannounced. I was the only one home at the time. He wasn’t much longer and then they sent me off to play.”

Natsuki’s voice matched her avatar’s look. “Since you were the last to arrive, you can start with introductions. What is your name?”

“I am Bladescape,” Sunset declared. “I learned a lot from Iaido over the weeks. A warrior stamps his identity on the battlefield, much like when we write our name on a paper, we are putting our identity on the page. I must be intentional about what I say with my sword. I kept seeing that single tree on the hill that you, Nats, said was outside of town and the hamon of a Katana reminds me of a mountain range. Landscape, plus sword, equals Bladescape. With each stroke of my sword, I will change Aincrad and put my identity on it. I can't waste a stroke or it will ruin my stamp on this world and you can never take back the stroke of a sword.”

“Of course you would go with a name like that,” Rainbow Dash snorted.

“Hey!” Sunset protested. “Just because I wanted more of an artistic name, one with subtlety and class, that shouldn’t diminish my choice. What did you even choose?”

"I'm so fast, I give birth to thunder," Rainbow Dash flaunted. "So I chose Thunderborne. Borne as in 'to carry,' the one that ends with an E. How is that for subtlety and class?"

“Oh please,” Rarity snorted. “That isn’t subtle or classy. It's brash. I’m Diemond, with an E instead of an A. Both beautiful and deadly, subtle yet flashy, a high society name for a high society lady like moi while also being a name worthy of a paladin.”

“How is this for class, Diemond?” Applejack asked. “I went with Malus. As in the genus of trees we know as apple trees. Which also makes for a good warrior name.”

“I’ll give you that one,” Rarity said. “It is clever and full of tact, and, dare I say, classy in its strength.”

“Since we are currently judging our names off class,” Twilight started, reflexively going to adjust her nonexistent glasses. “Well how about this? Knightstar, K N I G H T S T A R. Stars of the night, switched with the warrior.”

“It’s very you, darling,” Rarity said. “The word play is smart with its own classification of elegance. I do like it. It lacks the haughty flair of Thunderborne.”

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash protested.

Natsuki broke down laughing. “She got you there! So far, the names are good. They fit you and are strong ones, be it artful or more brash. I guess it is my turn. I took Natsuki and smashed it together with Tora, the name I wish I had been given. I’m sure Thunderborne forgot that Tora means tiger and you all know I have always been fascinated by tigers. I think my parents actually wish they had named me Tora, except it is clearly a boy’s name in Japan. Anyway, in SAO, I’m Natora!"

“And I’m Konpeito!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, bouncing over to her and shaking her hand. “Japan’s version of rock candy. Delicious, hard, and tantalizingly prickly. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

Natsuki didn’t know what to do with Pinkie Pie. “Uh, it’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Konpeito.”

Applejack came to Natsuki’s rescue. “We have just one more name to learn, Fluttershy, what did you do?”

"I um...well…" Fluttershy stammered.

"Sugarcube, we’ll find out soon enough,” Applejack encouraged.

"I'm Doombunny in SAO," Fluttershy declared, decently confident. "I love bunnies and I'll bring the Doom of anything that harms my friends! At least...I hope so."

"You were thinking about Angel, weren't you?" Twilight asked.

"I'm always thinking about him," Fluttershy replied. “The exchange program is amazing and fun, but I do miss our cuddle sessions and being able to hold a soft, fluffy bunny.”

"I'm always thinking about Spike," Twilight admitted. "So, I understand. It won't be much longer until we see our pets again."

“Beast taming is a thing in SAO,” Natsuki reminded her. “I’m not sure how it works. Maybe that can be your thing. I hope it is, especially if it’s a tiger beast. That would make our team awesome.”

Natsuki stretched and cracked her knuckles. “If we are going to get the jump on the ten-thousand other players, we need to get moving. For now, most of them will be staying in the city, experiencing things there, but the real stuff is outside the walls. The fields will provide us with enough enemies to learn how to move and fight, plus the XP to gain a level or two before the others stop marveling and begin to wander out in search of something actually exciting to do. So, equip your gear. If your weapon or shield isn’t a chosen skill, make sure to do that as well.”

BLADESCAPE: Sunset Shimmer
NATORA: Ota Natsuki
KNIGHTSTAR: Twilight Sparkle
MALUS: Applejack
THUNDERBORNE: Rainbow Dash
KONPEITO: Pinkie Pie
DIEMOND: Rarity
DOOMBUNNY: Fluttershy

Author's Note

Check out my most recent blog for full info, but I launched a Locals community for the writing I do.

Episode 2 - Chains of Fate

Episode 2 - Chains of Fate
Sixth day of the Month of Cypress (November 6) in the Year of the Hawk

Sunset didn’t need to equip anything, but she hadn’t set any skills. She made the swiping movement with her right hand, which pulled up her menu. She opened the skills list. It was impressive, but currently, it was short. As they gained levels and higher stats, as well as the other floors were unlocked, more would become available. What she saw was just the starting skills. The rumor said that there was an unlimited number of skills, but while that was obviously over exaggeration for hype, the message was clear: SAO would be the most realistic when it came to trainable skills. Sunset chose One-handed Sword for her first skill, but that left her with an open slot since she wasn't going to be using a shield. She would need an armor skill, but for now, she couldn't afford armor, so there was no point in setting one.

She settled on Search for her second Skill. Search would allow her to see enemies further out and identify objects, monster facts, and other things as she leveled it. That would be valuable not just to her, but the group as a whole.

She would have to raise her One-handed Sword high enough to unlock the Two-handed sword. Pinkie Pie would have to do the same for her axe, since she wanted to wield a giant two-handed one. Rainbow Dash would also need to develop One-handed sword for a while, but she didn’t want a big sword. She wanted to be the fastest fighter, wielding a lightning quick rapier. Natsuki was holding a short spear. She wanted a longer two-handed spear, but that also needed to be developed through the one-handed skill first.

“A quick review,” Natsuki said. “There are four types of damage you can deal: Slash, Thrust, Blunt, and Piercing. Every weapon in Aincrad falls into one of those categories. Your one-handed swords are slash, the mace and hammer are blunt, and my spear is thrust. Not all swords are slash. Rapiers are thrusting weapons. Some spears, like a Naginata, are slashing weapons because of the curved head. Daggers will fall into either slashing or thrusting.

“Just because it deals one type of damage doesn’t mean that weapon can’t deal another. It just will have reduced effectiveness to varying degrees. Sword Skills for a one-handed sword will be both slash and thrust attacks. A katana will provide better slash and weaker stab, while a rapier will provide superior thrust and low slash. A blunt weapon only deals blunt damage, but might also do bonus piercing if it has spikes, like a kanabou or morning star. For the throwing weapons available, they all fall into either slash, thrust, or pierce.”

“What separates pierce from thrust?” Rarity asked. “I think I missed that lesson.”

“The DOT effect,” Natsuki explained. “Damage over time. A piercing weapon inflicts continued damage upon the target for a specified length of time. Typically, it stops once the weapon is pulled out and it is always significantly lower than the initial strike. A thrusting weapon deals the damage with the strike and usually is a harder hit than what a piercing weapon will inflict upon impact.

“Each type of damage category has its strengths and weaknesses. I won’t say any is better than another, because that depends on the enemy’s weakness. A hard enemy with strong armor will make slash weapons less effective, but blunt weapons will inflict heavy damage on them. Not all enemies are strong in one area and weak in others. Plenty are balanced and can take damage from all types without a difference. So, don’t get too caught up in the type of damage you deal. Focus on how to capitalize on your damage dealt for your weapon against a variety of enemy types. And if you are a shield user, focus on using that shield to protect the others when your damage type is not effective against that enemy. That’s the advantage of being in a group with a variety of weapons. We will overcome any challenge because we’re versatile in the damage we can deal. We will have plenty of slash, thrust, and blunt damage. We probably won't have much piercing damage, which is fine.”

Sunset’s mind was triggered by the word versatility. That was a key point for the art of the sword that Shinmi Sensei had taught her. She hadn’t doubted his wisdom was going to be applicable in SAO, but it was already looking like it would be very applicable to it and life. Their group had all their bases covered for types of damage and playing styles, and it would make playing very fun.

“Another thing to remember is range,” Natsuki continued. “You have three types of range. Long, Mid, and Short. That is pretty self-explanatory, but it does matter for more than the actual distance you can strike something. A dagger is short range and has low attack stats. It requires the fighter to be up close and personal. That risk and the stats is offset by higher attack combos and faster attack speed, while also having lower delay periods after a Sword Skill has been executed. The bigger, heavier weapons will hit harder, but have lower attack combos and longer delays. My spear…well this starter one is mid-range, but the long-range ones give me a reach that if applied properly can be the determining factor in a battle, yet it is significantly slower for me to thrust my spear over that long distance than for a dagger to be slashed or stabbed at an enemy. It’s a balancing system between them. They all have their uses, but what we choose now will most likely be our primary combat style. Remember, choosing another type of combat skill, any skill, by removing what you already have, will wipe the skill and reset any progress. It’s not something to be done lightly. Of course, once you level up and gain more skill slots, you can try another without wiping a skill. Having a backup combat skill isn't bad.

“Let’s head out and try these Sword Skills out. I tried most weapons, so I can get all of you started. Oh, but we need to send friend requests and set up parties of four. I’ll lead one, what about the other?”

“I guess I will,” Sunset said.

They all swiped up their menus and began to send and accept friend requests. After that, Natsuki sent party invites to Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. Sunset took Applejack, Fluttershy, and Twilight.

Sunset’s health bar was at the top left of her view. The clock was off to the top right. To really see the clock, she had to want to look at the time. It would enlarge it for her to better see it. Her party member’s health bars popped up under hers, although they were smaller and each had their game name above them. Each of them could see the other party members' health bars without looking at the player. It didn’t show level or the actual HP, only a sliding gauge to keep a rough eye on party members.

“I think this is the perfect time to remind you all of perhaps the most important thing for an MMORPG,” Natsuki warned. “I am not Natsuki here. I am Natora. And the players in my party are Thunderborne, Konpeito, and Diemond. Which means Bladescape is leading Malus, Doombunny, and Knightstar. It’s more than just breaking character, especially in a game like SAO. We are new people here. Who we are as players is reflected not just in our attributes and character like in real life, but in our stats and levels. We are players, not people.”

“Okay,” Diemond said. “I sort of understand, especially seeing the other names in my view. But I don’t entirely see the difference.”

“The outside world doesn’t exist,” Natora explained. “At least not while we play. All that exists is us and Aincrad. At times, sure, the real world may spill into here, like when you suddenly have to leave because you have homework to do, but we try to keep them separate. One reason is that it helps foster a realistic feeling to the game. For others it's a security issue, keeping personal information out of online systems so cyber stalkers or hackers have a harder time targeting them. Another is that a lot of people play to escape or get a break from the real world, so we should do our best to not break that out of a basic courtesy. I play for fun, but also to get a break from the twins.”

With the explanations given, they followed Natora out into the fields. Sunset was excited to try combat. As they left the actual gate of the city and walked out into the field, her vision had a warning flash. Tucked away off to the side, she saw OUTSIDE FIELD flash for a moment and then fade to an opaque grey to avoid being a distraction. It was the system telling her she wasn’t in a safe-zone and would lose hit points if she got hurt. When she focused on it, it grew in size so that she wasn’t left guessing. Then it faded away again when Sunset looked back at her HP bar. She had 250 HP at Level 1. That was the base HP everyone had.

They stopped not far away and lined up. Natora began to show them each the Sword Skills. Each attack required the player to put the weapon in the initial motion to tell the game they were using it. Each one had a different start point to differentiate them from each other. For One-handed Sword, they had two to start: Horizontal and Vertical. Horizontal was a slash to the side, vertical was a slash up. The best damage dealt for a weapon was with a Sword Skill. You could swing it without a skill and do some damage, but the game was designed to use the sword skills to do the bulk of that damage.

They all spent a little time learning to start their beginner Sword Skills. Once Natora was satisfied they had it down, they headed further out. Sunset scanned the area and saw boars among the grass. Search highlighted them for her to more easily spot. It was a more passive training skill than a direct training skill like her sword was, but it would still require her to use it to train it. She could use it outside of combat too, at any time. As long as it was active, it would slowly accumulate points. Every Skill started at 0, and maxed at 1000. It didn’t seem that far away, but the higher it got, the harder it became to raise the numbers. It was projected that, even playing daily, it would require a year for a player to max a skill. That was the best projection for Skill mastery by the beta testers.

Their parties split up to focus on different boars. Four on one was lopsided, but it would keep them safe. Even though they could respawn, they didn’t want to while learning. And it wasn’t necessary to take any risks.

Malus, Applejack, and Knightstar, Twilight, both had shields in the party. There were other skills to allow for defense without a shield, but they would require more training with that weapon. Malus charged the boar, war hammer held up high and shield forward while she yelled a war cry.

Sunset ran after her, getting her sword almost in position to slash the boar. It charged at Malus and tusk met the shield in a heavy thud. Malus wasn’t tossed back though. She had spent too many years on the farm doing manual labor to be tossed back, even in a game. The mentality of the person came with the player into SAO. Applejack was a strong-willed person, who could be stubborn and unmovable. Malus would be the same way.

Sunset yelled and moved her sword into position, the skill triggered and she sliced the side of the boar, carving a large chunk of HP off its bar. It went from green to orange as it slid from right to left. Sunset was left frozen, unable to move. It was the delay from using the Sword Skill. It wasn’t long, and they had felt it when they were learning the skills, but in combat, with the boar turning from Malus towards Sunset, it felt like an eternity.

It never got to charge at Sunset as Malus’ hammer came down on its head. The HP bar slid down further, into the red. Only a tiny bit was left. Knightstar wordlessly came at it from behind and slashed it across the rear. Its HP bar lost all of the pixels and the beast shattered. It sounded a bit like breaking glass. All that was left were colorful polygons floating for a moment before disappearing. That was what made up SAO, those polygons.

Menus popped up in front of them. Parties shared XP, col, and drops. Sunset got a dozen Col, and the boar hide. The XP she got was a decent bump for her to get to level 2, but that was a good way off.

They laughed, enjoying the fight, and went running off after the next boar. They killed it quickly, in a similar fashion.

“Hey, where is Fluttershy?” Malus asked.

Sunset glanced at her party health bars. She had full health, but she didn’t see her. What she did see was the tree on the hill that was burned into her mind.

“I’m right here,” Fluttershy said from behind Sunset. “Sorry girls, I was trying out the Skill called Hide. I guess it worked.”

“Of course you would choose that,” Sunset chuckled.

“Aincrad is a dangerous place,” Fluttershy shrugged. “And a bit scary. If there is a Skill for what I already want to do, why not?”

“It only works against players, not monsters,” Natora said, coming over. “Plenty of beta testers tried to hide from monsters, but it doesn’t work like that. Still, it has its uses, although I never personally tried it. Actually, at higher levels, it might work against monsters if you possess a higher skill level than they do. Anyway, I came over to show you something I forgot. The switch.”

Switching was a tactic used to take the aggression, “aggro”, or focus off of one player, and onto another. Players would tag-team a monster, with one going in, either blocking or striking. Since they were stuck in the delay, they were exposed to taking damage. Often the monster was focused on the last attacker, leaving it vulnerable to the other player. The second one would switch in, usually ordered by calling “switch”, and strike or block. It also was used to help players to be able to back off from a boss or strong enemy and down a health potion to recover some HP in the longer battles.

Switch tactics placed players into three categories. The Tank usually had the big shields and it was their job to soak up a lot of the damage on that shield. They were the defenders. Then there was the Forward. They would sometimes have a shield, but were more fluid than Tanks, switching between offensive and defensive roles, and trying to draw the aggro of the monster. The third was the Damage Dealers. Their entire job was to deal damage. They relied on the Tanks and Forwards to provide them with protection. At the most opportune moment, they would switch in and strike fast and hard, and then they would switch back out to be protected. Their low defense was offset in a party by the Tanks and the damage they dealt made it worthwhile for them all while working in a team. With the three tactics a team could make quick work of an enemy and handle bosses within their skill reach.

Doombunny with her dagger was clearly a Damage Dealer. Malus was naturally protective and already wanted a larger shield. She would make the perfect Tank. Knightstar would make the ideal Forward. Sunset was playing like a Forward, even without a defensive skill. Natora was a Damage Dealer. She liked using her spear’s range to strike out from behind a Tank.

Forward, Tank, and Damage Dealer were combat tactic roles, but Natora explained that they were not always the same as play styles. If a spear user also equipped a shield, they were known as a lancer. Someone with a rapier, like Rainbow Dash wanted, was known as a fencer. A Tank was anyone with high HP who used that and their defensive skills to defend the others in battle. Shield users were typically Forwards, but they were a loose definition that meant anyone who used both a shield and a one-handed weapon other than a spear.

Natora went back to her party after making sure they understood the roles. They were having a tougher time since they only had one shield. Diemond was being used as a Tank, but she was holding up well, and when Pinkie was actually focused, they made quick work of a boar.

“I’ll play Forward, and so will Twilight,” Sunset said. “That way, Fluttershy can stay behind AJ and play Damage Dealer. Sound good?”

“It’s Doombunny,” Doombunny said. “We should use the names we chose in here. It’s more than just etiquette, but about mentality. I don’t have to be meek Fluttershy in here. Aincrad and all of the players and NPCs, they don’t know Fluttershy. I get to make myself who I want to be in Aincrad. I can be more assertive here. The same for you three and everyone else. You, Bladescape, talked about the art of the sword. Sunset is just learning that and she doesn’t own a sword, but Bladescape can paint the battlefield with her sword, stamping her new identity on it. I doubt you want that identity to include a stroke about breaking game etiquette.”

It was a sharp, and unexpected, cut from her friend, but Sunset just nodded. She had to stop thinking about herself as Sunset and become Bladescape. There was no other game that allowed you to actually become your character. SAO did though, and Sunset was going to capitalize on that and become Bladescape better than any other player took on their own identity. Sunset had once become a monster, literally, bent on taking over an entire school and then Equestria. Bladescape had made none of those mistakes.

It was almost 5:30 when the four of them hit Level 2. They wouldn’t get another Skill Slot unlocked until Level 6.

“For all the learnin we’ve done, I am satisfied,” Malus said as she thrust her hammer in between her belt and hip. “And none of us died and had to respawn. That saved time.”

“Let’s rally at the tree,” Bladescape said. She walked off towards the tree that had been burned into her memory. Even with it only being a slight height advantage, the others could see them and headed over to join them.

“Level Two?” Natora asked.

“Level Two,” Bladescape said, flashing a thumbs up. “And we are gaining experience in our skills well enough.”

“Good,” Natura nodded. “Then-”

A bell rang out across the field. It came from the city. Bladescape’s vision turned blue. It cleared up and she was standing back in the square of the Town of Beginnings where she had first logged in. She glanced around. Her friends were in the same relation to her as they had been on the hilltop. All around them was a sea of players. All ten thousand players who were logged in were packed into the square. Their group made sure to gather back together before they got split up.

“Someone forced a teleport,” Natora said. “It had to be a GM to have that much power in the game. I am guessing we are about to have some sort of opening ceremony. The game is high profile enough, I expected something. That is why I wanted us to get to Level Two. This will spur the others to start combat, instead of exploring the city. After all, Aincrad was designed to be conquered.”

Bladescape looked up to the sky as the lighting turned red, which was actually the bottom of the Second Floor above them. It was now checkered with red, glass-like panes which had English Text on them: "WARNING" and "SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT."

"Here we go," Natora chuckled. “I wonder what they have in store for the opening ceremony?”

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," Malus gulped.

"Where is his face?" Doombunny 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," Natora said loud enough for their group to hear. It was no longer a confident voice having fun. "But the males had white beards, looking like gentle, but skilled magicians. And the women were beautiful and radiant beings. That is nothing but the robe and gloves."

"Maybe something is wrong?" Diemond 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 empty, filled with a void of space to keep them puffed out. The other sleeve moved, so that both swept over the entire crowd, emphasizing them as the players.

Bladescape 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 her heart rate shifted as her mind prepared itself for a fight. A fight she could never win as a 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, losing the Bladescape complex she had been building all afternoon. 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. He was a genius and an artist. Japan was too far away from the portal for him to be influenced by Equestrian Magic. Besides, SAO and the NerveGear had been in the works for years, well before she had come through the portal. Also, this was in a game, not real life. A demon in the game was a coded enemy, just like the boars outside the town, 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 certainly 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."

Sunset’s heart stopped. Something was very wrong. They had been too busy having fun and learning combat. It was only 5:30pm. They were planning to play for a while longer before they logged out to get food and go to bed. No logging out meant they were trapped. That didn’t make any sense. Why create a game that no one could leave?

Kayaba continued. "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. She couldn’t even imagine the eight of them making it to the top of the castle. The Second Floor was even out of their sights for the time being. They had school and lives to live.

The pause ended and Kayaba continued. "The high-powered microwaves emitted by the NerveGear will scramble your brain and shut down your vital processes."

Sunset had dived with her geode on, but it didn’t work in the virtual world. In the real world, she and her friends had power they could use to 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, if they could even find him. He would have prepared himself for that ahead of time. The Japanese self-defense force and police could handle him. If what he said was true, she had to handle her friends and their survival.

"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. "That would only hurt his brand pulling a stunt like this, not grow it. It's simpler to believe that he is a maniac intentionally doing this. But what're we supposed to do?"

The demon king 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 NerveGear, 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."

Conquering the castle didn't seem like a good idea to Sunset. But what else could she do? What else would she want to do? Was there any way for a rescue party? It didn't sound like it. He was prepared.

At the core of this avatar called Bladescape was Sunset Shimmer. 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.

None of them were prepared for this, 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. They had Natsuki, but she hadn’t gotten above the first Floor. It was their only leg up in what was now a trap.

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."

They could not go back. They could not stop themselves from joining. They had come to Aincrad and they were here to stay. They could not fix their situation. Their only way out was to fight and, no matter what, they would be stronger and safer together.

Sunset, Bladescape, turned to Natsuki. She grabbed her avatar by the shirt and pulled them in face to face. She wasn’t angry with her exactly, but it probably looked that way.

Sunset never got to speak as Akihiko Kayaba spoke 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."

Sunset's heart stopped and she felt her senses being choked out from the outside world. She started to lose her grip on Natsuki’s shirt. She was left with just her thoughts and what she saw in her mind. And it wasn't good.

"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 the Ruby Palace. In that instant, all surviving players will be able to safely log out once again."

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. They had gotten lucky outside the city and not died. Sunset had never played a "perfect game,” but that was what Kayaba was requiring of them now in order to free themselves.

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. So, what was their move?

Maybe a group could dive in to specifically try and clear the game, but it was a huge risk and they would be without backup. They would be on a suicide mission. It would be hard to authorize that mission. Sure, if it was authorized, it would be military or police with combat training and who had sworn to protect lives, but they had veteran gamers among their ranks in Aincrad. They understood games better than a strike team focused on real world combat would. Besides, it was a game of swords. The only thing the others could bring was a mentality about combat, one that the players currently trapped could learn and would have to.

Sunset realized she still had Natsuki pulled in close. She still wasn’t angry with her, despite what it looked like. It wasn’t her fault at all. Sunset realized she had to make a decision.

“Grab your party,” Sunset ordered her. “Grab them and we meet back at the west gate to plan. Got it?”

“Yeah,” the male head nodded back at her. “Got it.”

“Don’t lose Pinkie,” Sunset growled. Her tone lightened up. “Seriously, she is a slippery one. You probably need to actually hold her shirt.”

“Right,” Natsuki nodded.

Another declaration was made, which stopped them from acting. "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."

Sunset let go of Natsuki. 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 work with the strong jawline she had chosen. The light, rosy skin was alien to her eyes, but what she had chosen.

Sunset Shimmer's mirror shattered, blinding her in the process.

BLADESCAPE: Level 2 — One-Handed Sword — Searching
NATORA: Level 2 — One-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 2 — One-Handed Sword — Shield
MALUS: Level 2 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield
THUNDERBORNE: Level 2 — One-Handed Sword — Sprint
KONPEITO: Level 2 — One-Handed Axe — Cooking
DIEMOND: Level 2 — Mace — Shield
DOOMBUNNY: Level 2 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide

Episode 3 - First Steps

Episode 3 - First Steps
Sixth day in the Month of Cypress (November 6) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 1

Sunset Shimmer stood there in shock as her vision came back to her from the mirror exploding. She immediately noticed her hands. They were her own hands, down to the pigment of her olive skin. She wasn't in her Avatar's body anymore. Her clothes and equipment were the same, and they fit her exactly like they should, but she was now in a copy of her own body. She couldn’t immediately tell that it wasn’t her real body. Her hair was no longer braided and it too was her normal red with yellow highlights.

The first question was how? How could the NerveGear know her body size and shape? The inside of the helmet could see her face, to read her eyes upon start up, but it didn’t have the visuals of the rest of her body. Then Sunset remembered the calibration she had to do the day before. It required her to touch various parts of her body, to read the brain signals her body sent, but it also gave size and shape data.

Sunset Shimmer had just been pulled through a portal, without her approval, and so had her friends. They were now here, in Aincrad, with it as their only lives, or the only ones that really mattered. If their hit points reached 0, they would be dead; in any reality, any dimension, totally and utterly dead.

Kayaba spoke again, the blood red sky accentuating his words. “You are likely asking yourselves, why? Why would Kayaba Akihiko, developer of SAO and the NerveGear unit, do such a thing? Is it an act of terrorism? An elaborate kidnapping to extract ransom money?”

The tone of his voice shifted a bit, adding in a bit of color to the faceless voice from the sky. It almost sounded like it had a deep longing to it, but Sunset was sure that couldn’t be right. Her ears had to be mistaken.

“What I seek is neither of these things. I have no goals or justifications at this moment. In fact, this very situation was my ultimate goal. I created the NerveGear and SAO precisely in order to build this world and observe it. I have now achieved that aim.”

The voice paused, and shifted back to the monotone it had originally held. “This concludes the tutorial phase of Sword Art Online. I wish you the best of luck, dear players.”

Sunset watched as the crimson robe silently ascended back into the ceiling, where it melted into the system warning octagons still displayed in midair. The rest of the robe was sucked up with it. Then the red warnings disappeared, letting the light return to its normal golden evening colors. The background music of the floor swept over the crowd as well, as if nothing had happened.

Sunset looked at her body. The change was absolute proof that what the giant robe in the sky had said was true. They were trapped here until they beat the final boss, who awaited them all the way at the top of the game in the Ruby Palace. And they had to do it without dying.

Her mind went into overdrive now that Kayaba was gone and she could think without being interrupted. They had to get out of the game. 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.

Except, they were not. None of that existed except in their minds now. Who they were was just that, a past life. It was no different than her having once been a unicorn: it was in the past. Now they were players in Sword Art Online, whose lives were in Aincrad. Any magic they once had was gone. Now they would need to learn the sword, the axe, the hammer, the mace, the dagger, and the spear to get out of here.

Sunset grabbed Natsuki by the shirt and pulled her face to face. Natsuki looked like she did in the real world. “Get your party to the rally point and in all seriousness, don’t lose Pinkie Pie on the way!”

“Right,” Natsuki nodded as Sunset let her go.

Sunset focused on her party. She glanced around to see where they were. They hadn’t moved much. Twilight was standing there, mumbling and lost in her thoughts. Fluttershy was on the ground weeping. Applejack was trying to comfort both of her friends and was torn as to how to do that as she battled her own fears.

Sunset put her hand on Applejack’s shoulder. She jumped, not expecting the touch. She looked at her friend and Sunset nodded slowly at her. “We are rallying at the Western gate. Grab Fluttershy. Carry her if you have to. We stay together, the four of us. Natsuki will get the others to the rally point. Then we stay together, the eight of us. No one gets left behind. Safety in numbers. We are stronger together. We have proved that multiple times already."

Applejack nodded and bent down to Fluttershy. Sunset put her hand on Twilight’s shoulder. She didn’t jump, but she was shocked back into the present moment. She looked at her friend and Sunset told her the plan. They looked at Applejack, who had decided to just pick up Fluttershy.

“Let’s go!” Sunset declared, as she grabbed Twilight’s hand. Twilight grabbed Applejack’s shirt so they were all together and they began to push and weave their way out of the sea of players. Most of them hadn't moved. They were afraid, crying, shaking in panic. Sunset felt bad for them, but she could only care for so many people right now. Her priority was her friends who she knew. She could meet their needs. She may not be able to meet the needs of complete strangers. They got free and began to sprint to the meeting point.

They were passing by a group of stalls when a vial caught Sunset’s eyes. She slid to a stop. The others ground to a halt as well, confused.

“Health potions!” Sunset declared.

She had just enough Col to buy one. Each of them was barely able to cover the cost of a minor health potion. Fluttershy did it from Applejack’s arms, but they were able to get her present enough to buy one.

As they turned to get back on track, a player collided with Sunset and they both fell to the ground in a tangle.

“Ow,” the boy groaned. He was only a few years older than Sunset, probably barely out of college. He had a red bandana on his head and his scruffy face meant that he hadn’t shaved in a few days. Probably since Friday morning, before he went to work last.

“Sorry,” Sunset said.

“You should really--” he froze, staring at her. “Hey, I know I am handsome, but you didn’t have to literally fall for me.”

Sunset rolled her eyes and got up. “By you, not for,” she grumbled. “You physically knocked me down.”

“Now where are you four lovely ladies off to in such a hurry?” he asked, sitting up but not standing.

“To rally with our friends,” Sunset said as she picked up her foot. She used it to lightly shove him onto his back. He needed some "punishment" for trying to pick her up at the start of a death game. She was doing him a favor. If his mind stayed on girls like it was, he wouldn’t last a week. Probably not even twenty-four hours.

The three of them sprinted away from him, down the street. “Well, I have friends I have to meet up with as well!” he yelled after them from the ground.

“Now I see why Natsuki wanted to play as a guy,” Applejack stated. “I sure hope that doesn’t happen more often.”

“I’m sure it won’t,” Sunset said. “I think we just happened to run into one of the problem guys who ruin it for everyone else. Plus, did you notice how many women were playing? This isn’t a bunch of hardcore gamers. Many of these people would never be considered gamers. That will leave a different feel on the game.”

They got to the gate and reunited with the others. “Sorry,” Sunset immediately said. “I saw a potion stand and we each could afford one each. So, we have four health potions. And then I accidentally got knocked down by a guy who wasn’t paying attention to where he was running.”

“Nice job snagging the potions,” Natsuki said with a smile. “Unfortunately, we are going to need them. I'd say we should go grab more, but four will have to do since you said you are almost out of Col. We will need the rest of ours to cover food and lodging."

“Now what do we do?” Rarity asked. “I was prepared to do a little fighting, but not for my life. Uncultured swine.” Rarity actually spat after insulting Kayaba.

“We fight,” Sunset said. “It won’t be easy, it will be scary, but what other option do we have? We have never backed down from a fight before. Sure, no magic, but we can learn to use our weapons and level ourselves up. We have to do it for our safety. Our current HP isn’t enough. But I think the eight of us can get the levels and make a run at this game. I don’t know how, but we can’t beat it unless we first gain more levels. Again, we need more HP and, Rarity, if you are to help support us by crafting, you need more skill slots. That is our only option. He made it our only option.”

“I don’t think I can do this,” Fluttershy squeaked from Applejack’s arms.

“I’ll protect you,” Applejack said. “Sugarcube, we all'll protect you.”

“We are stronger together,” Natsuki said. “I know this Floor well enough that we have some advantages. We already are up to Level Two, which is important. Plus, we have three-hundred HP, that is fifty points safer than what we had at the start. We also are a strong group with a variety of weapons, attack types, and ranges and that will expand even more soon enough as some of us switch to our unlocked combat skills.”

“Let’s do it!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“First goal, Level Six,” Natsuki said. “We get our third Skill Slot then. The next is at Level Twelve, then the fifth at Level Twenty, and after that, we get a new slot every ten Levels. Thirty, Forty, Fifty and so on.”

“What gets us to Level Three safely and quickly?” Sunset asked, shooting even shorter in her goal setting.

“It already took us a few hours against these Level One boars to get to Level Two,” Natsuki pointed out. “We need a better source of XP. The next village, Horunka, is small, but it has a quest for a good sword. Eight of us will attract attention from monsters, but numbers will be on our side. We can fight our way there, staying safe in our group and gaining XP with each kill, and then we do that quest so our sword users can get upgraded swords. We may not get any sleep tonight, working to get there, but I think it is a safe risk. Plus, the enemies are Level Three and give more XP per kill, which will level us up faster. If we stay in teams of three or four, we should offset most of the risk, while reaping the shared XP.”

“Then let’s get going,” Sunset declared. “We won’t let this evil overlord crush us under his toe. We are--” Sunset stopped. She almost said Wondercolts, but with Natsuki in their group, that wasn’t 100% true. “--we are warriors.” Sunset declared. “And as warriors, we will do what we can to free ourselves from the iron shackles placed upon us today!”

Sunset extended her hand into ‘the center.’ “Level Three,” she said.

The others put their hands in. Fluttershy stood on her own to do so. They all said “Level Three” together as they raised their hands up to a strong rally.

They didn’t rush blindly out into the field. To get to Horunka, they would need to be smooth, focusing on the longevity of their ability to fight. There would be no other safe zones until they crossed into the village.

They still had their parties set up. Sunset looked at the three extra health bars in her vision. Each had their game names. She sighed. The Real World wasn’t a short hop away anymore. She really was Bladescape, for better or worse.

Malus was on point, with Thunderborne, Natora, and Bladescape on her flanks. Knightstar and Diemond were on the wings, shields ready to protect the others. Doombunny was on the inside, safe. She was at least moving and staying with them. Konpeito was skipping along with them and humming. She too was with them. So long as Doombunny and Konpeito stayed with them, Bladescape was calmer. Doombunny freezing and getting separated from them was a real concern, as much as Konpeito being Pinkie Pie and wandering off without them, or without her realizing she had left the group.

They quickly killed a boar that crossed their path and continued to follow the path that would take them from the Town of Beginnings to Horunka. The next thing they faced was a wolf, which was standing dead center of the worn dirt path.

“It’s cute,” Doombunny commented.

“And it will readily bite your head off,” Natora warned. “It isn’t smiling at us. They are more agile than the boars, but they don’t have the same strength. They do have a higher attack and are a lot faster, but less health.”

Malus led Bladescape and Natora out to meet it. They left Thunderborne back to be the offensive defender. Bladescape leaped out from behind Malus and she swung her sword, keying up the Sword Skill Vertical. It slashed a red mark along the shoulder of the wolf as it leapt at Malus’ shield. As the wolf’s paws landed on the ground, Natora struck from behind Malus, keeping her as a buffer while using her spear’s reach to her advantage. The stab knocked the rest of the HP off the wolf and it shattered into polygons.

“Clean and efficient,” Natora declared. “And most important, safe.”

“How did you survive solo with a spear?” Bladescape asked. “That wordless switch move was perfect.”

“I didn’t,” Natora shrugged. “I died. A lot. I also didn’t start with a spear. I started with a sword, tried an axe, hammer, mace, and finally found my love with a spear. I still want to get that spear back.”

“Can you?” Bladescape asked.

“Well, it was a quest reward, so most likely. It wasn’t an iron spear like I have now. That one was called the Spring Evening Spear. I had it all of two days, but it was a great spear. That quest was on the other side of the map, in Tolbana, and it’s way out of our safety range and skill at the current moment. I doubt they changed the location of the boss labyrinth, which was near Tolbana."

“Then we have another goal,” Bladescape said. “Let’s keep moving for us to make it to Horunka before midnight.”

They stayed in their formation, taking on anything that came in their way. Sometimes it was one wolf, other times it was a small pack. Their defensive pattern kept them safe as the field shifted to a forest. They didn’t earn a lot of XP in their effort to get to the higher yielding monsters.

“These guys are Level Three,” Natora warned as they entered the forest. “One above us. And uh, they look like flowers. Deadly, walking vine flowers that will eat you alive?”

“How can they eat you?” Konpeito asked. "I thought it was for eating. That is why we grind it up to make it into bread.”

“Flowers, with petals and pollen, not bread flour,” Natora clarified after a sigh.

“Ooooooh,” Konpeito said. “Thorn Flower.”

“The Korean Film?” Natora asked.

“So, no?” Konpeito asked.

“NO!” Natora exclaimed.

“Guys!” Bladescape yelled. “Search just lit up a whole bunch of enemies on either side of us. They are coming for us and, Pinkie, they look like giant flowers with mouths! They are called Little Nepenthes.”

“They are nasty buggers,” Natora growled as she took a defensive stance. “They are fast, lashing out with the very vines they move on. They are vulnerable to slashes at their stalks. They also are the first multivariable enemy. There are three types, all level three. The normal variant you see. The second is rare and it has a poison sack hanging on its head that if popped, attracts even more to you. A lot of players died in the beta because they got overwhelmed. That is how bad it is. They are rare, just like the third type. It has a flower on its head. The quest needs the flower. The drop rate is...well I gave up in the beta.”

“And we will need three, right?” Bladescape asked.

“One for each of you,” Natora confirmed. “However, we need to deal with these guys in front of us. New plan; Thunder, you put Sprint as your second Skill, right?”

“Yeah?” Thunderborne replied. “Why?”

“I spent the least amount of time in this area. Sprint ahead, avoid combat, and find out how far away we are. Just follow the path. We will probably get stuck here. Now run! Before they cut you off!”

Thunderborne nodded and sprinted off down the path. She nimbly avoided several of the Little Nepenthes and disappeared into the dark.

Sunset set their strategy. “I’ll work with AJ; Nats, take Rarity; and Twilight and Pinkie can work together,”

“We will work on game name etiquette later,” Natora said, stepping over to Diemond and raising her spear. “Survival first. And Doom, now would be a good time to claim your namesake. You did it this afternoon and, as you can see in the moonlight, these things are anything but cute.”

There was no more time for words as the first vines lashed out. Bladescape stacked up behind Malus who took several strikes against her shield. Malus yelled “switch” and Bladescape jumped out from behind her friend, unleashing Horizontal on the stock of the flower monster. It left a red line across the narrow green stalk and the HP dropped a good amount.

A vine stabbed into Bladescape’s shoulder. For the first time in Sword Art Online, Sunset felt real fear. She had been afraid during the tutorial. She had experienced various forms of fear from going through the portal to a new world unlike anything she knew. She knew the various types of fear except this one. This time, it was an adrenaline-fueled fear of imminent death making it impossible to move.

The strike took off a good deal of HP, but that wasn’t what sparked the fear. Before the opening ceremony, getting hit hadn’t hurt. When Kayaba officially changed the game, pain was added. This new element was what sparked a deep fear in Sunset Shimmer. There was no ignoring how real this world was.

A second vine pierced Sunset in the kidney, the other creature having circumvented the defenses of Knightstar and Konpeito. They were outnumbered by one or two, with more on the way.

Malus blasted apart the one Bladescape had struck. She slid herself in between another, taking multiple strikes on her shield in rapid succession.

Malus looked back at Bladescape questioning her frozen actions. “It hurts,” Bladescape coughed. “Real pain.”

Knightstar was knocked off her feet. She had frozen after hearing Bladescape’s warning. Konpeito was left trying to deal with two of the creatures at the same time.

Bladescape tried to stand and stumbled. She fell into Malus, sending both of them to the ground. Natora yelled a war cry and jumped over them, trying to draw aggro. It left Diemond trying to balance three of the Little Nepenthes. All she was able to do was put up a defense.

Natora let out a cry of pain as her arm was slashed by a vine. The strike led to an involuntary discard of her spear. It clattered to the ground. Natora looked her killer in the face and smiled.

It shattered. The polygons floated through the air rather than end Natora’s life.

The others began to shatter. They were left without any enemies. They all looked around. Thunderborne slid up to them.

“What gives?” Thunderborne asked. “I thought I would have to rescue you?”

“You didn’t?” Malus asked from the ground.

“No,” Thunderborne replied, readying her sword and looking for the attacker.

“Um, that would be me,” Doombunny sweetly said. She flashed her dagger and then sheathed it. “I couldn’t let you all die. Like Natora said, they are not cute. That and I have to own Doom at some point. Against these things...I can.”

“The chilling speed of daggers and knives,” Natora said. “When used properly, in an all-out attack…well nothing beats it in my opinion. I just don’t have the right mindset to pull it off.

"My advice to you, Doom, is simple: own it and hone it. What you just did, well it's not a skill you would apply to dragons or most of the larger beasts, but it's a special skill that has its places. When you find them, it defies the limits of the game. It's also a skill few can handle, especially day in and day out. You apparently have that skill. Carving up one or two monsters is one thing, okay, but nine? Find your center, what anchors you despite your fear, and never let it go. Use it to hone and drive that skill. And that is skill as in natural ability, not the system defined One-handed Dagger Skill."

Doombunny just quietly nodded back. She didn't look at all like a ferocious warrior. And not at all like someone who had just carved up almost a dozen monsters in quick succession. Then again, none of them really looked like warriors at this point. Their starter gear didn’t help.

"Thunder," Natora said with a sly grin that was even more concerning in the moonlight. "You better watch yourself, or she will be the fastest player in our group."

"No one is going to be faster than me," Thunderborne declared. "Not in our group and not in the whole game."

"How far is the village?" Bladescape asked as she was pulled to her feet by Konpeito.

"It's not too far,” Rainbow Dash replied. “But I passed plenty of the creatures on the way. No doubt they are making their way towards us, or at least will stand in our way. But what happened? How’d you guys fall apart?"

"Pain was added to the game," Bladescape growled. "I got stabbed and it felt worse than I ever could imagine."

"Oh," was all Thunderborne said.

She didn't want to go down that line of thought. None of them did. But like the real world, pain was a part of the game now. To survive the battles would require them to learn to push past it and still fight. Unlike the real world, a stab was not as debilitating. It wouldn't sever muscles or cause them to bleed out, because their virtual bodies lacked both.

Sunset finally spoke. “We stick together, protect each other, and when we fall, help each other up. Together, we will learn what real pain is and how to fight despite it. Survival doesn’t seem like it will let us get by without learning that lesson. I know that means we will need to build an iron will, just like the iron exterior of Aincrad. That won’t be easy, but we are--” Sunset almost said Wondercolts again except that Natsuki wasn’t. “--warriors. Aincrad lets us be warriors so let's be warriors of Aincrad."

“That’s the spirit,” Natora said. “That’s what a warrior does. The old battlefields of sword and spears left warriors cut, bruised, and broken. Yet they fought on so they didn’t fail their friends, allies, and families. We can’t fail each other in SAO. Plus, Thunder keeps talking about the magic of friendship you all have. I want to see the power that is your friendship.”

“Let’s go,” Bladescape said, swiping her sword down the path. “We have a safe place not too far away. We need rest and time to think. Our friendship is stronger than Aincrad but we need to settle that in our minds after everything that just got thrown at us.”

“Better drink one of those health potions,” Natora reminded her. “And could I get one? I know that leaves us with two, but the rest of you only got knocked off your feet.”

Malus passed Natora a potion. Potions regenerated health over a period of time. It was pretty quick, but not instantaneous. The amount depended on the strength of the potion. Their low levels meant that at even 100 points, it was a significant restoration.

As they healed, they continued on. They killed anything in their path, fighting to be faster than the vines unleashed at them; a strong offense in their dash to safety. They broke through a few assaults and then stumbled into the small village.

Even in the darkness, it was easy to tell there were only a dozen buildings, if that.

“That’s the inn,” Natora said, pointing it out. “I recommend we get two rooms. We don’t have a lot of Col and, in our parties, we can share the room. It's only going to be a single bed though, and it won’t fit all of us. Also, the inn only has a half dozen rooms to rent. Other players will need them. We can order the rooms for several nights at a time."

“What about the weapons shop?” Malus asked, pointing at it. “And potions?”

“Potions are limited,” Natora admitted. “We need to snag what we can before more players come. And they are in that building, the general store.” Natora pulled up her menu. “I haven’t had a chance to use it, but for my second skill I put purchase negotiations. It’s particularly helpful to have, as it gives discounts at NPC shops and such. Diemond and Bladescape, go get us two inn rooms. The rest of us will get some potions. We can sell the hides and such that we got this afternoon at the shop for more Col. The two of you can keep a hold of your items for now, to help us be able to have something to sell later. Short term, while we get our feet under us, we should pool our resources, after we are established, we can stop pooling it. The inn has food and we need to eat, so we meet there and then head to the rooms for a little rest. The town is about to shut down for the night. We can grab the quest tomorrow morning.”

They agreed and went their separate ways.

“Hey,” Malus said to Natora in the general store. “What about new weapons? This spear looks good. And the sword.”

“Nah,” Natora shrugged. “They are bronze, only slightly better than what we all have, but they have less durability than our starter gear and are more susceptible to the plant's slightly corrosive bodies. For now, the starter gear is wisest. We can’t stay like that way long, but for the time being, in our teams, this is the best use of our limited funds.”

They made their potion purchases, buying up the limited stock of health potions and antidote potions, and then headed to the inn. They got cheap bread and water. It filled their stomachs and curbed their hunger which was all that they needed. They ate it in silence around the table. They were done quickly and headed to the rooms.

Sunset laid down on the floor. She had elected to take it, along with Applejack, leaving the small bed to Twilight and Fluttershy. The two of them were not doing well by the end and needed a good night's sleep after the trauma of the day. They all needed sleep.

Since she hadn’t gone to the store, she used the boar hides as extra pillows for her and AJ. Another one also provided a decent buffer between the hard wooden floor and her body.

Still, Sunset laid there, wide awake despite being tired. Her mind wouldn’t go into sleep mode. She wasn’t dwelling on anything in particular, or overly anxious, but sleep would not find her. Something was missing, and she couldn’t figure out what, and neither could she pin down why a little memory recall issue was even a problem. The feeling came and went all night. Sunset laid there, pretending to sleep as Applejack snored loudly beside her and Fluttershy purred from the bed.

Episode 4 - Falling Flower

Episode 7 - Falling Flower
Seventh day in the Month of Cypress (November 7) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 1 - Horunka

Sunset patiently waited for the others to wake up. She hadn’t been able to fall asleep. This whole getting trapped was a severe stressor. She felt like she was missing something, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. It was probably just her missing home.

The system allowed them to set personal alarms that no one else would hear, to help wake up and other things. Sunset’s would go off in two minutes. Then, it would be time for them to all grab breakfast and start the quest for the sword.

Her alarm went off in her own head only and Sunset sat up. She yawned involuntarily and it annoyed her. As soon as she tried to get up, her body cried for the very sleep it had denied her. Sunset stood up despite it and stretched. The others were still sleeping. She continued to stretch for a bit.

Sunset sighed. She didn’t want to wake them, but she had to. They had to get going in order to survive. She clapped loudly. “Alright, time to get up!”

Applejack snorted awake and sat up, grabbing her hammer. Twilight rolled over and promptly fell out of the tiny bed. Fluttershy just sighed, not moving.

“I know,” Sunset said. “Waking up here...let’s go get breakfast and then get moving on the day. The only way is...up. Forward and up.”

Applejack helped Twilight to her feet. “Come on, y’all. We ain’t really gotta choice. We’ve gotta get stronger, but we get to do it together.”

Sunset extended her hand to Fluttershy. She took it, hesitantly, and was guided out of bed. A knock came at the door and Applejack opened it. It was Natsuki.

“Good,” Natsuki nodded. “You four are up. It’s going to be a tough day, but we need to capitalize on what we can, while we are still ahead of the others. Before long, those creatures are going to be picked clean to get at the rare chance of the special flower for the quest. We can’t let that happen. If we are forced to wait for respawns, it will be a bad use of our time and it means no leveling up, which means less HP and more risk to us.”

“Right,” Sunset nodded. “We’re coming.”

They met in the attached tavern. Breakfast was cheap porridge, because that is what they could afford. It was a solid, albeit bland, way to start the day. Before they headed out, they temporarily disbanded their parties in order to be able to get the quest started for just the three of them. Otherwise, the others would have it listed as an open quest.

They followed Natsuki out into the quiet village. She stopped at the door of a house. “Go in and when she says she only has water to give, tell her water is fine. Ignore what she is cooking in the pot. You will hear a girl cough upstairs. It will trigger the quest. Her daughter is sick and she needs a flower for that medicine.”

Sunset stepped in first. A woman was stirring a pot in the kitchen. Like Natora had said, the woman claimed all she had was water to give to a tired adventurer. Sunset replied as instructed and the woman soon explained that she had a sick daughter, and would give up the family sword for the flower needed to save her daughter. Sunset agreed and the quest “Secret Medicine of the Forest” started.

Sunset stepped out and Twilight went inside. Some quests could be done by anyone and had no limits on the number of times it could be completed, others were one shot quests that only could be completed by one person or party. This one any player could do.

Rainbow Dash came out after starting the quest for herself. They set the parties back up and headed out into the forest.

“Remember, if it has a poison sack on the head, don’t pop it,” Natora reminded them. “The flowering one has a very low chance of spawning, the same rate as the poison sack, so that is to our benefit. Still, I spent hours trying to get the flowering one to appear and gave up. Also, remember that slash is the best attack and at the stalk.”

They split into their two parties and fanned out a bit into the forest. Far enough to be able to fight separate enemies, but close enough that they could provide quick support if needed. They never faced a lone Little Nepenthes. There were always two or more, but rarely more than five.

It was three shields split between two parties. Bladescape was bouncing between Knightstar and Malus, aggressively attacking the multiple monsters, and letting them block for her. Doombunny was mostly behind Malus. She struck sometimes, but only ever at enemies already damaged and ones who would die without question, giving her the chance to jump back to safety. Knightstar would occasionally attack, also when the kill was certain. Malus just focused on the defense. Her hammer was not effective against these soft creatures.

Bladescape leaped out and slashed the last HP off of a Little Nepenthes before ducking under a lashing vine. She dove out of the way of another, hitting the ground hard. Another vine came at her. She got her sword in between her and the vine. It slammed her sword into her chest, but she avoided getting run through.

Doombunny jumped out, slashing through the stalk of one, and then jumping to the next. Malus blocked Bladescape and Knightstar blocked Doombunny and then slashed one down. Doombunny dashed out across the area and then slid under a vine. She came out of the slide and savagely sliced up the last Little Nepenthes.

Doombunny stood up, proud and strong. Her look over her shoulder at Bladescape was kind and sweet, like the Fluttershy they knew. Yet the Fluttershy they knew wouldn’t be able to pull off that sliding attack. Her adaptation was necessary, but Bladescape was concerned that they would lose Fluttershy to this reality.

With the enemies cleared, fanfare played as they leveled up to Level 3. Malus offered a hand to Bladescape and pulled her up.

“Good job,” Sunset said, nodding to each of them. “Two hours down and…” Sunset shrugged. “Well, we are zero for three on the flowers, but this quest wasn’t easy in the beta. However, we are Level Three, which means more HP. We are learning well.”

“The chance of a spawn is at most, one percent,” Knightstar said, trying to adjust her missing glasses. “At least, that is what my calculations are drawing. Between our luck here and the knowledge that Natora gave us...well she warned us one would be hard, let alone three.”

“Yeah, but she also led us here,” Bladescape said. “So, it is worth it.”

A cry from the other team had them sprinting through the trees and brush. They found the others getting swarmed. They ran straight into the fray.

Malus rammed her shield into one, forcing it into another and pinning them against a tree. Natora struck, piercing the stalk with her spear tip in a fury that showed them all why she liked the thrusting weapon. The first one popped and then Doombunny finished the next.

Bladesape came at a Little Nepenthe from behind that was having Konpeito hopping in avoidance, not for fun. Her agility was remarkable as she barely avoided all of the lashes and strikes. It turned towards its new attacker, but Bladescape came out of her delay in time and sliced it into polygons.

The reinforcements were necessary as they were continually swarmed by more Little Nepenthes. There was no break as the hoard came down on them. Bladescape was ducking and diving as she tried to avoid four at once. Konpeito was right on her flank, killing two of them before Bladescape was able to launch her first attack on the new wave.

Bladescape and Konpeito were not the only ones in that position. The others were having just as hard of a time, if not worse, trying to deal with a mass number of Little Nepenthes descending on them. Sunset watched her party’s health bars slide lower and lower, from green, to yellow, to orange, and then into the red. Even Doombunny slid down into the red. They had no option but to continue to fight and hope they made it out.

Sunset dropped to her knees, her sword sinking into the virtual ground, as the last of them were killed. Her Search Skill identified no enemies in the area. They had survived the slaughter, it took half an hour and it left them all barely alive, but they were alive.

“What happened?” Sunset huffed.

“I popped a poison sack,” Natora replied back, in between breaths. “We need to take health potions, quickly in case they respawn, but it was my fault. I failed you all.”

“Don’t give yourself that much credit,” Malus said. “It could’ve been any of us, really.”

“Thanks, but we’re all almost dead,” Natora stated. “Dead dead. And we’re no closer to getting even one flower dropped.”

“Statistically speaking, we are,” Knightstar said as she drank a health potion. The empty vial shattered into the same polygons that made up everything in Aincrad. “And this game is full of statistics and algorithms. The longer we are fighting and killing them, the greater the chance a flowering one will spawn. Especially at the rate we are currently killing them at. And if we want those chances to increase, we need to split back up.”

“Just be careful,” Sunset added. “It can happen again, to any of us. So be mindful. I’m not placing any blame on anyone.”

“Thanks,” Natora nodded. “Be safe.”

Sunset led her team, who were back at full health, off into the forest. She worked to circle them around the town, rather than go towards or away from it, since the creatures hung out around it. She soon picked up more of the plant creatures. The flowers targeted them and pushed them all into a new battle.

It was nearly noon when the next break happened. They had fought for over two hours without any lulls. That welcomed break came with Level 4, which securely put them above the level of the Little Nepenthes.

"Sugarcube," Malus said, looking at Doombunny. "What’s wrong?"

"I don't want to do this anymore!" Doombunny declared. "I'm tired, I'm hungry, I’m sore and bruised, I'm scared, I'm not cut out for this. For clearing the game with you all. I know we just leveled up again, but I'm not a fighter. Sure, they aren’t cute, but I know there will be other amazing animals in this world. What then? I will have to fight them. My life or theirs."

"You could switch weapons," Knightstar suggested. "It isn’t too late. We could get you a sword and shield, or a spear and shield."

"I don't want to hide behind a shield," Doombunny stated. A tear slid down her cheek and she tried to pull it back in with a wet sniff. "I'm not strong enough mentally to be a tank, and I wouldn't go on the offensive when I need to. The big weapons are too much. The dagger is exactly what I need to fight with, I'm just not cut out to be a fighter in this game.

"I don't want the same things you all want. I wanted adventure, but this is a nightmare. I can't find adventure here. You, Bladescape, are having as much fun as you can and so is Malus. I know Diemond and Konpeito also don't want to fight. It serves their purpose, for now, but it won't always be like that. I just want to quit and live in the Town of Beginnings."

"Fluttershy," Sunset said.

Fluttershy interrupted her. "My name is Doombunny! Fluttershy is not here, but I'm still the same weak, meek, coward who would prefer to hide than fight."

"This is the perfect time to conquer that," Sunset pushed. "It is a fresh start, in a new place, where only seven, well eight, of us know who you are IRL. Use it, because right now, we can't get you back to the Town of Beginnings. At least not without drawing attention to ourselves and our strategy. And right now, we need that leg up to survive. So, stay ahead and gain the levels for being in a party with us."

Doombunny took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. "Fine," she stated. "I'll stay, for now, and I will fight as best I can. But I will give no guarantees about things once we get back to Horunka."

"We will discuss this more later, but more enemies just spawned over there," Sunset said, redirecting them as Search notified her of the enemy presence. “I'll walk over and draw them over to us. We are already further away from the others than planned."

"I'll come with you," Malus said.

"No," Sunset said, shaking her head. "Stay here so I know exactly where to come back to."

It wasn't hard to lure the Little Nepenthes back to the others. They had a larger targeting range and larger following algorithm than the boars around the Town of Beginnings. She was able to stay out of their attack range as she drew their attention.

Back with the others, another long battle broke out. There seemed to be no end to the enemies as they kept respawning close enough to be drawn into the battle.

"Now I’m really hungry..." Malus growled as the last of the Little Nepenthes was killed.

"Same," Knightstar said. "Our kill count is three-hundred and sixty-eight, without counting our joint clash. I couldn't keep track of that one. That puts the drop rate well under one percent."

Sunset groaned. Both in mental exhaustion and in physical agony. She hurt. She was sore. The multiple puncture wounds she had received throughout the day still throbbed dully in the back of her mind, despite her best efforts to block them out. Full health didn’t take away that feeling.

Sunset was distracted from the other's conversation as Search alerted her to a new presence. It wasn't an enemy though. It was players. It was just their friends, but it was good to know that her passive search fields were working. The battles had been confusing, but situational awareness was a very important skill. With Search, she could set up fields, so that if something broke it, she would get notified. Nothing could sneak up on her if she used it properly.

“Any luck?” Natora asked.

“None,” Knightstar replied.

“Well, I gave up in the beta for a reason,” Natora replied. “That and I wasn’t enjoying using a sword. I also had a lot of other places to explore. I didn’t have to rely on it. I could afford to quit.”

“Can we afford to quit?” Knightstar asked.

“Think of how hard we are working,” Thunderborne said. “If it’s this hard to get a simple flower, then it has to be worth it. No game makes useless items this hard to get.”

“Thunder has a valid point,” Natora said. “I’m sure you all are as tired and hungry as we are, but if we can just push a little bit longer...a spawn has to be soon.”

“And there are more enemies,” Bladescape groaned. “Come on, just a little longer. Then we can get dinner and figure things out from there.”

Bladescape, Natora, Malus, and Thunderborne were the only ones who went after the enemies. Bladescape didn’t blame the others. She wouldn’t even mention it. It wasn’t worth it. They were all tired.

“Hold it,” Natora said, blocking them with her spear. “That one has the flower. Thunder, take the one in the center, I’ll go for the one on the left. Malus and Blade, go for the one with the flower. Thunder, I’m sure you will kill your target before I do, so come back me up. Be aggressive. Let’s end this day’s nightmare on a win.”

“Right,” the three of them agreed in unison.

They roared as they rushed towards the enemies. Thunderborne was sent diving as her target launched its vines at her. Malus got in front of Bladescape and took the vines with a calmness that was almost scary. Bladescape didn’t miss the opportunity as she struck, landing a solid slash with Horizontal to the stalk which also added critical attack damage. Bladescape was frozen as the vines switched targets. She unfroze just in time and triggered Horizontal again. The Little Nepenthes lost almost all of its health from the second strike. Malus’ hammer smacked the last of it off.

The pretty polygons were of no concern as Bladescape rushed to Thunderbrone’s aid. She had not landed a hit on the Little Nepenthes and had taken a hit of her own. Bladescape sliced the flower with a precision honed from Iaido club. The cut also was a critical attack, but it left her frozen. As the flower turned to her, Thunderborne jumped in and carved it up.

They both turned to the other creature. Malus was on one knee, staying low and solid as she took the lashing vines on her shield. Natora stood up from behind her and rammed the spear into the stalk, ending the Little Nepenthes.

“Did you get it?” Natora immediately asked.

“Yep,” Bladescape nodded as she swiped up her menu. She scrolled through her items and clicked on it. The flower popped out into her hands.

“Put it away and let’s get back to the others,” Natora said.

They rushed back to the others.

“We got one!” Bladescape exclaimed as they ran up to the group. “We got one flower.”

“Come on,” Natora said, beckoning to them. “Back to Horunka for a meal and rest.”

Everyone rushed after her, as fast as they could, and they all breathed a sigh of relief when they got inside the safe zone of the village.

“Great job, everyone,” Bladescape said. “Well earned levels and skill points.” Bladescape pulled the flower out of her menu. “Knightstar, you need this.”

“Me‽” Knightstar exclaimed. “You got it and Thunder was there as well. I wasn’t in the fight.”

“Yeah, but Thunder and I want different weapons,” Bladescape explained. “Soon, hopefully, we will move to them, making the sword useless to us. The only one of us who will actually use the sword long enough to make today worth it is you.”

“She is right,” Natora panted. “Logically, you are the best one to have the sword. Sure, Blade could give you it later, but it makes more sense for you to become familiar with it now.”

“Besides,” Bladescape said, extending the flower to Knightstar. “The way I see it, we may not have gotten three flowers, but we all worked equally to get this one. It doesn’t matter who got the drop. We did this as a team and we will do more as a team. All of us are stronger together. We clearly saw that today when the poison sack was popped and we handled the swarm together. So, take it, Knightstar. You certainly earned it.”

Knightstar gingerly took the flower and looked towards the house. She tried to adjust her glasses to calm her nerves, but this was Aincrad, they were not here. “Alright, I will, for the good of us all.”

Knightstar and the others walked off to the house. Diemond stayed with Bladescape, who was looking through her menu.

“What are you looking for?” Diemond asked. “You play more of these games than I do. Can you explain it to me?”

“I’m looking to see how much col we got dropped,” Bladescape explained. “From that, I can estimate all of our finances. I'm not as good as Knightstar, but I'm competent in math. I also can estimate our experience, both skill experience and level experience. We are moving past level four at a good rate. Our party hit level four in the middle of combat, so our stats are not fresh. We earned a good amount of XP past it.”

“I was wondering if you all did make it to level four,” Diemond stated.

“Come on,” Bladescape said. “I want to see what the general store has besides health potions. I know Malus said they had slightly better weapons that were not worth the cost, but I want to see for myself. And check the cost of doing repairs. We can’t afford to have our weapons or armor break tomorrow in the middle of combat.”

In the NPC shop, Bladescape found the weapons easily enough, but while the attack stats for the sword were better than the starter one, its durability factor was low, making it a risk. In their teams, with freshly repaired equipment, they could go longer, be safer, and save money for more important upgrades later.

Bladescape spotted a brown leather half coat. It was basic, with nothing fancy, made out of five pieces of leather. There were four armor classes in SAO: No armor, Leather Armor, Light Metal Armor, Heavy Metal Armor. All clothing had an armor statistic to it, which anyone could wear. The metal armor was crucial for tanks, specifically the heavy armor, because of the defense they provided, but they were heavier and slowed the wearer down, which wasn’t good for a more fluid attack style. Being made of leather didn’t necessarily mean the armor was under the Leather Armor class. That was what their leather starter chest plates fell into, the no armor category. No armor equipment could have decent stats and, coupled with the right play style, it could provide solid protection.

For now, Bladescape didn’t have an armor skill. Search was taking up her second skill and it was proving to be very useful. The half coat had better stats than her basic chest piece, so Sunset bought it.

“Really?” Diemond asked as the coat popped onto Bladescape.

The game fit it over her other armor chest plate, something Bladescape had not expected. The defense stats stacked together.

“What?” Bladescape shrugged. “It has better stats.”

“It’s just so…” Diemond just finished with a disgusted face. Despite that, she turned to the NPC and bought the same coat.

“Smart thinking,” Natora said entering the shop. The rest of the others were with her. “But next time, let me do the buying. Purchase Negotiations, remember?"

“Quest complete?” Bladescape asked, ignoring the question. She had forgotten Natora had that skill.

“Yeah,” Natora nodded.

Knightstar drew her new sword. “The Anneal Blade. It has eight enhancement slots that can be attempted. The stats...they are worth all we went through today.”

It was a pretty nondescript longsword. There was no fuller, the blade was a bit longer than their starter sword, it was also narrower than their starter sword, and its blocky crossguard had tips that jutted forward at a right angle. The pommel was a disc, barely larger than the black leather handle was. The whole thing was more of a dull steel, rather than the flashy, well-polished, high carbon steels, but the carbon count of steel didn’t matter in Aincrad. The sword was a good one no matter how it looked.

Bladescape nodded to Knightstar. “If my skill keeps on this progression path, by the end of the week I will be using a two-handed sword and Dash will be using a rapier. I’m sure both Nats and Pinkie will also be using advanced weapons by then as well.”

“Game etiquette,” Thunderborne said. “Use the game names, what other players will see. They won’t know who you are talking about otherwise. It’s a common courtesy.”

“Right,” Bladescape said with a sigh. Actually being the actor, not sitting behind a controller, made that part harder for her to switch. She wouldn’t have a problem with anyone else in the game, just her friends. “Right. I’ll work on it.”

“Come on,” Natora said, finishing up buying out the stock of potions. “Let’s get our equipment repaired so its durability is maximized, and then grab dinner and crash. We made a lot of progress today. More players are showing up here.”

They went across the street to the building next to the inn. It was the village craftsman. For a fee, he repaired their weapons, shields, and armor. Ready for battle, they headed to the inn.

They got some basic bread and cheese, saving their money for more important things, and ate it while sipping on an ale. Alcohol didn’t exist in SAO. Ale, beers, and wines couldn’t get you drunk. It was an interesting feature, considering they had been forced to exchange one reality with another. Food only satisfied the hunger in the game, doing nothing except eliminating that feeling. What it was didn’t matter as long as it cut out that pain.

Before bed, Sunset told Diemond and the others how to use the pelts Diemond still had to make the floor feel more comfortable. Sunset laid down on her own pelt. She was tired, exhausted even, but sleep didn’t come. Malus was snoring away almost as soon as she laid down, but there was no rest for Bladescape. Nothing was particularly on her mind and maybe that was what was bugging her.

BLADESCAPE: Level 4 — One-Handed Sword — Searching
NATORA: Level 4 — One-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 4 — One-Handed Sword — Shield
MALUS: Level 4 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield
THUNDERBORNE: Level 4 — One-Handed Sword — Sprint
KONPEITO: Level 4 — One-Handed Axe — Cooking
DIEMOND: Level 4 — Mace — Shield
DOOMBUNNY: Level 4 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide

Episode 5 - Memories

Episode 5 - Memories
Eighth day in the Month of Cypress (November 8) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 1 - Horunka - 5 AM

Bladescape couldn’t stay asleep, if she even slept at all. The floor was comfortable enough, her mind just wouldn’t let her rest. She was exhausted, and despite two days with no sleep, under extreme stress, it eluded her.

It felt like she was forgetting something, or couldn’t remember something, but she couldn’t remember it enough to remember she forgot it. There had been no gaps in her memory that she could tell, either. It was most likely the stress of their situation causing her to feel on edge.

Eventually she got up and slipped out of the room, careful to not wake the others. It was right before dawn. She walked down the easterly street. It stopped at the edge of the safe zone and became a dirt path, a clear visual marker for the transition from safety to danger. Sunset stepped outside the safe zone a few feet so she could lean back against a tree and watch the sun rise.

Aincrad had an external sun that rose from east to west every day. It was only visible for a short time as its rays slipped between the Floors, bathing their lands in its warm light. The rest of the day, the ceiling, which also was the bottom of the Floor above them, served as their light source, producing its own sun in the day, and a moon and stars at night. At least, that was what happened for the First Floor. Higher Floors might be different, depending on their theme. The First Floor lacked a direct theme, but Natora had mentioned that other beta testers had reported that some of the other Floors had unique themes.

As the sun finally began to peek its way into the First Floor, Bladescape felt a presence join her. She didn’t flinch as she glanced to her right. A man was beside her. He looked a bit translucent at first. Sword Art Online had amazing resolution and detail, but it required the player to focus on that object or get closer to reveal its true detail. Otherwise, all that data would overload the system. The man lacked a cursor; be it green, blue, or red. That meant he wasn’t a player, NPC, or monster, yet he was still beside her.

She turned her head a bit more to get a better look at him. He stood there, confidently looking at the same sun she was. He was wearing a dull grey kimono, with a lighter grey underlayer. The outer layer was clearly silk. It was thicker, typical of the winter kimonos rather than a summer one, which was fitting since it was November. He was wearing warm tabi socks, but they were paired with the informal geta. The wooden clogs were not usually worn by a higher status individual like his silk kimono suggested. His obi belt was simple, and through it was thrust both of his swords.

Despite the fact that he looked to only be about 30, he was bald. It wasn’t a shaved bald, but a natural bald, although it was neat and clean with a shine from some oil. He also lacked a beard or mustache, with his face being more devoid of hair than his head was.

The way he stood commanded a presence similar to the one Mister Shinmi exuded and with more wisdom than what Masazumi’s presence expressed. It was refined, yet there were informalities that made it apparent that his status was one not just of social class, but also earned. His forlorn look had an odd strength to it. He was a man that was obviously comfortable in any situation he might find himself in.

Bladescape went back to looking at the rising sun. That was why she was there. That and to escape the insanity of not being able to sleep. The calming sunrise was her admission of that defeat.

She needed some form of calming rest in order to be able to function. Earth or Equestria, they didn’t have stats and numbers showing how frail they were. In Aincrad they could not avoid those stats. There was no doubt that the upcoming day would be fraught with real danger. They would fight for their lives in an attempt to get the upper hand in a world that was out to consume them. There was no guarantee that all eight of them would survive to watch the sun set and that was unacceptable to Sunset, but she had no idea how to fix that. She was devoid of a solution. The sun didn’t hold that guarantee, but she wanted it to. Or, at least to give her the answer on how they could survive against the hoard they faced.

The sun was fully visible, for a brief few minutes, when the man suddenly spoke. It was a calm, cool voice that reminded her of Mister Shinmi, but was still different. It was full of the wisdom of a man who had walked a road of a thousand miles a thousand times in his lifetime. “The sun is beautiful this morning. It is always beautiful. You look to it for strength, because the night gave you none. Why?”

“I don’t know,” Sunset calmly explained, still focused on the sun. “There is a lot going on, but nothing specifically was weighing on my mind. Nothing, yet everything. This isn’t how it was supposed to go. I wasn’t ready for a death game and neither were my friends.”

“Why not?” he asked. “You have faced great foes before, together, and won. Even you were one of their foes. Now they are scattered and scared, yet you look to the sun, forward into the drawing day, for the answer. You do not share the same fear they do.

“Doombunny is on the verge of hiding until it is all over. If she runs, you will never find her. Konpeito is scared and anxious and she can’t bake that anxiety away. She has lost her laughter because of it. Malus is so far out of her league, the one thing that was a constant in her life, the seasons, is not here. She fears it will always stay the same, seasonless. Her life revolves around the seasons, the planting and the harvest. That and dirt, but she can’t feel the dirt of Aincrad either. Diemond is the creative one and without an outlet, it is locked in her mind, driving her insane and causing her to lose focus. The dresses, designs, and other things on her mind usually calmly dance onto the page, relieving her from the burden of keeping it all in order. Knightstar fears that her friends that she recently made will abandon her. She feels like the outsider, the new person, even if that is not how she is viewed. If Doombunny quits, it will be true. Thunderborne still thinks this is a game. She is in denial about the severity of your situation, despite checking for the log out button every time she opens her menu. And your new friend, Natora, feels swallowed up, like a little kitten, not the roaring tiger she felt in the beta. She doubts she can regain what she was, yet she also knows that even if she does, there was a ceiling to what she could do in this world. That ceiling can be raised, but she lacks the hope to do so.”

“What exactly are you saying?” Bladescape asked, narrowing her eyes at him. What he said was exactly how she would have described her friend’s current situation. “I know all of that. It is part of what is weighing on my mind. Who are you?”

“Yes, you do know all of that,” He calmly stated. “You know a lot. A lot about the way of the warrior, about the sword, about battle, about honor, about life.”

Bladescape sighed. “Yes, I do. The way of the sword is…” Bladescape trailed off. She couldn’t remember. “Or did. I can’t recall it.”

“Why not?”

“Why not‽” Bladescape exclaimed, frustrated at his question. “Why not‽ Why...not…?” Bladescape crossed her arms and snarled. “I have to make sure each of them stays together. They are very close to going their separate ways. Still friends, but if we fall apart...if we fall apart as a group, I don’t think we can get free. This is a fight for survival. Yeah, I would love to conquer the game and be the one to free everyone.” Bladescape snorted. “If we can’t survive to the point that we can live in SAO, conquering the game doesn’t matter. I’m so scattered inside my own head, that I can’t remember the lessons I was learning. How am I supposed to keep us together if I can’t remember?”

“With this,” he said, reaching into his left sleeve. He pulled out a brown book and extended it to her. The cover had a shield with her Cutie Mark on the face, and two swords crossed behind it; one a European knight sword, the other a katana.

“What is this?” Bladescape asked, as she hesitantly took it. It was just as translucent as he was.

“Our memories, the ones that were locked away in the shock of their new reality.”

“Our?” Bladescape asked as the book turned fully opaque.

He gave a single nod back. “I am you, or rather, the perfect image of a warrior in your mind. I know what you are thinking, so to answer it, I don’t know how I exist. I doubt it will be for much longer. All I know is that you needed your memories unlocked, so here I am.”

“So, if you are my perfect image of a warrior, can I...become you? Instead of, uh, me. I’m not very imposing.”
He laughed jollily. “I am you. You can’t take my form, but you do have me inside you, for I am your memories. You can become a great warrior and you can become an even greater warrior than me, than what you think is possible.”

Bladescape sighed. “Okay. Then I have a question for my memories. What do I do next?”

“You read them, like a book,” he said. “It is indexed for quick reference.”

“I mean, about my friends,” Bladescape said with a frown. “Yes, I have the book to read, but I don’t have time to do more than thumb through it. If you are my memories, and I am having problems remembering things, I should use you to get the information I need. A simple memory recall, except I am talking aloud to myself. How do I make sure that we don’t break apart?”

“You may not be able to remember, but just giving you the answer will not help you retain your memories.”

“Training,” Bladescape nodded. “Like muscle memory.”

“Exactly,” He nodded. “Tell me, what does an army need?”

“Soldiers,” Bladescape said, knowing that it was too simple of an answer.

“What about them?”

“Well, soldiers are in units. They have equipment, depending on the unit.”

“What about the units? For simplicity’s sake, focus on the ancient Japanese order of battle, rather than any and all time periods.”

“There is cavalry, and foot soldiers, and archers,” Bladescape said. “Against another clan, Japanese units employed battle banners, carrying the symbols of their clan so that they didn’t attack their own allies. Typically, archers were the first units used in battle. What happened next depending on terrain, the soldiers the enemy employed, and where your cavalry was.”

Bladescape let out a smile. “My friends are the units. Each has their specialty. That also means we need a banner to rally to.”

He became translucent. “Good. The more you remember, the less I am needed. Besides, you have the book, and it is getting rather late. Your friends, no doubt, are awake.”

"I'm surprised I haven't even heard them calling out my name. Especially Konpeito."

"One last thing," he said. "It is what really is plaguing you. The information you can't recall."

"Please," Bladescape said, letting out a tired sigh. "Give me some peace. That reprieve. Let me know the information."

"I don't think it will give you peace," he advised. "But, you need to know it, because after all, you are a leader. A leader can't stand not knowing what to do, even if that means you turn to another for the answer, it still falls on the leader to point the way.

"What you need to remember is that you don't have the option to fail. If you fail, you will bring them down with you. You are the cornerstone, the keystone, the lynchpin. You can't be the weakest one. You have to ensure that they have something to anchor to. Even if that means sacrificing some personal aspects, you must put them first, not yourself."

"Why did I become the leader again?" Bladescape asked. "And how?"

"We became the leader because as everything fell apart, you made a choice. When Kayaba made his declaration, you put your friends first as you got them to move and assemble. You gave them a plan. Not all leaders ask for the role. Some are just born to carry that mantle. You have experience that the others don't have.

"Besides, we don't like to lose. No one tells us when to quit. We fight until there is nothing left to fight. We go until the job is done. That job is currently in that inn."

Bladescape glanced back into the village. She could see the inn from where she was. When she turned back, she was alone. Bladescape sighed and looked at the book in her hands. She opened it. The first few pages were the listed contents. It was more than just random memories. Lessons were listed, every Iaido form she had seen had the move written down, even conversations were recorded by date, topic and people involved; but so were books. Whole pages she would never remember, but had read, were there to be once again perused. She knew the subconscious was powerful and could store a lot more than the active memories, but this was remarkable how much it stored.

The book also should have been thicker than it was and when she wanted to read a page, she automatically flipped to the page she wanted. It was the center of the book, allowing her to move forward and back from that point with ease. Bladescape didn’t know how books in SAO worked, but it didn’t matter. This was not really a book, since they were her memories. It was no different than thinking back on them in her head, except that she got to hold them in her hand as she recalled them.

But it also was risky. The conversations held personal notes. As she skimmed through the day of the Iaido competition, it had her private thoughts about Masazumi clearly written on the page. Those she didn’t want anyone to read.

Bladescape stopped to read a lesson from earlier that day. It was one of her first leadership lessons from Mister Shinmi at the tournament.

"I see your point," Sunset admitted.

“A real leader doesn’t force others to follow them, but inspires them to follow and to complete the same goal. A samurai defending his home could order the soldiers under him to march out across the open ground, exposed to arrows and bullets, and they would do it, but they would be afraid. Even if the samurai was leading them from the very front, they would not fight well because of that fear. But a samurai who inspires the soldiers under him, will find himself at the head of a heroic charge, fighting beside brave men, men who can break the enemy’s line and win the battle, because they may be afraid, but they are able to see the greater purpose. There is a time and place for direct orders, but if you are consistently inspiring those under you and around you, they won’t see them as harshly, and they will listen and follow your orders well, because they know that you are not forcing them to do it unless you have to."

Bladescape knew what she had to do; give them a banner to rally to, and then inspire them to stay together and survive. She put the book in her menu, noticing that it didn’t go into her inventory as an object, but created a new category with a name as ghostly as the book and her warrior self had been, and walked back to the inn, making note that Horunka was getting more crowded with players along the way. She opened the door to the inn and saw her friends around a table, eating breakfast.

“BLADESCAPE!” Konpeito yelled, jumping up and waving at her.

Bladescape couldn’t resist a smile as she walked over to them.

“Good to see you,” Natora said. “We were worried. You were not in the room when we woke up. When we found you, Malus said we should just let you think. Doom said you have been sleeping even worse than she has and backed her suggestion.”

Bladescape gave a slow nod of approval. “That’s right, I haven’t been sleeping. I’ve had stuff weighing on my mind, or rather, eluding me.” Bladescape leaned on the table. “You did the right thing, not disturbing me. This morning, I had a breakthrough of sorts.”

“What did you have in mind?” Malus asked.

“Bear with me, I have an analogy to use,” Bladescape explained. “An army deploys under one banner, but it’s composed of different units. The archers support the swordsmen, the swordsmen need the spearmen to block the cavalry. The cavalry needs the swords and spears to engage the enemy lines so they can flank and break it. The archers need the others for protection. The one thing they all have in common, is the banner that they fall under. One army, separate units, yet one goal and one result.”

Bladescape took a deep breath in and looked at Natora. “Natora, as you know, the seven of us all go to the same school. I’m sure you know plenty about our school from Thunderborne, but in case you didn’t know, CHS has a mascot. Japanese students don’t have the same connection to their school as we do. At Canterlot High, every student, regardless of their status with any sports program, is a Wondercolt. If we are going to survive, we need all of us to be under the same banner. I've almost called all eight of us Wondercolts multiple times the past two days.

“I’m extending the offer to you, Natora, to become a Wondercolt. It is about more than a name or team colors. It’s about Friendship and Honor. Loyalty, Laughter, Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, and Empathy. Those create a powerful magic of Friendship which nothing can rival.”

Natora’s lips parsed into a sly grin. “I am honored to become a Wondercolt. I accept that code, and pledge to you all that I will be the most loyal friend I can be; one who speaks with honesty yet kindness; one who is both empathetic and generous; one who will at least laugh with you, if I can’t make you laugh; all so that I can manifest myself with the magic of friendship you all have. A special bond I have seen over the past two days multiple times.”

“Then that brings me to the second matter,” Bladescape said. She let a sly grin come over her face as she looked at Diemond. “Diemond, that means we will need a war banner to rally to. Until we can create guilds, we will need to rely on our parties and more importantly on our colors. Every player in Aincrad needs to know who we are with by how we look. And even after we form our guild, we will need uniforms, banners, and other identifiers. I think you know what colors they are.”

“Blue and yellow,” Diemond grinned. “Well, probably more of a navy and gold. The softer tones of the blue and yellow were not my choosing and while they work for school colors, we need something bolder for Aincrad. But, darling, I can’t do any sewing yet, or any other crafting.”

“Then we get you to level six,” Bladescape stated. “All of us to level six. Together, we can survive and more than that, we can live. No! We can thrive. But we have to stay together, as Wondercolts. And the fact of the matter is that we will have a better life when our levels are higher. More skill slots means more things we can do and most importantly, it means more health.”

Sunset, Bladescape, made sure she locked eyes with each of her friends as she continued. “We take this one day at a time. One battle order at a time. Half a day if we need to. An hour if that is what it requires, but we stick together. We are stronger, safer, and better together, because we have the magic of friendship. For today, we need to move on. There are more people in Horunka and they will be hunting for that flower. We won’t get good XP staying here.”

“Medai is north of here,” Natora suggested. “We can head there. It doesn’t have much to offer, but it will make for a good next step. The enemies are forest goblins, armed with either a spear or a short sword. Their defense is high, but their attacks are slow. Since they are humanoid and carry a weapon, they can use some Sword Skills, but their crude weapons won’t hit us too hard. They are level six, but if we stick together, we can safely win each encounter. All of you can. Levels are not the most important thing in SAO. You have to know how to use what you have and the goblins can barely do anything except die. So, to keep with the theme, no matter if you are a cavalry unit, sword unit, spear unit, archery unit, or even a scout unit, you can all not only hold your own, but you have your place on the battlefield and in the Wondercolts!”

"I'm not so sure about this," Doombunny squeaked. “I just want to go back to the Town of Beginnings and wait this out. Surely someone will be able to save us?”

Bladescape turned to try and encourage her friend but Natora spoke first.

"Doom, an army's scouts are the most important unit. They won't always be the best fighters, but without them, the rest of the army is blind. We saw your skill yesterday. You have it in you to fight, to own your name. You don't have to believe in it right now, but you do have to believe in us, that we can see what you can’t see, and trust us. We won't lead you astray."

Doombunny looked around the table at her friends. Each one gave her some form of some supportive gesture. "Okay. I'll stay. I'll do what I can."

"Let’s move,” Bladescape ordered. “Same parties.”

"Hold on a moment," Natora insisted. "First off, you are sleep deprived. I know we can’t fix that, but we can ensure you go into this day with a full belly. I have no problem following you as my daimyo. After all, you have a plan and I don’t. You have given me a hope that I have not had since the tutorial. But you need to have a good head on your shoulders and that starts with food. Second, I'll take Doom and Malus today, and you can have Konpeito and Diemond. We all will need to know how to work with each other and although switching things up can come with some risk, I think we will be fine.

"Plus, I think today I can help Doom out better than you can. She responds well to Malus as her tank. That is why we will switch. Now while you eat, the rest of us will go get what supplies we can and all grab coats like you did. That should be enough time for you to eat."

"Alright," Bladescape nodded. "That is a good reason to switch and food is a wise idea."

"I'll stay with her," Diemond said. "I already got a coat yesterday. Ugly thing, but functional."

Bladescape ordered porridge as the others left.

"Ugly and functional, but you will soon be making better pieces,” Bladescape said to Diemond to encourage her.

"I'm not sure how soon," Diemond admitted. "I'm going crazy not designing, but I'm not sure if my next skill should be a crafting one."

"Oh?" Bladescape asked.

"I'm practically a tank," Diemond explained. "You will see today. Knightstar is certainly a shield user, but you know how stubborn I can be. That and making crystals IRL...well we have had enough adventures for me to become familiar with using them as a shield. I'm not as strong or sure footed as AJ, I mean Malus, but Natora keeps saying I will make a good tank if I want to be."

"And do you want that?" Bladescape asked as a bowl of porridge was placed in front of her. Her friend was obviously turning to her for advice.

"I think that we could use it," Diemond said. She sighed. "If I am going to fight, I need to be the best for us. I don't think one tank for eight of us is enough. We are a bit light on the numbers. We could use another shield or two. I don't think anyone, not even Doombunny, should switch. Natora is right, we have a diverse group, which will help us succeed, but that also means we will benefit more from a second tank over a second shield user."

"I think your assessment is correct," Bladescape said in between spoonfuls.

"Which means I need an armor skill," Diemond added. "My third skill needs to be that."

"Let's worry about that when we get to level six,” Bladescape advised. “For now, prepare to craft. We will get you your creative outlet as quickly as possible."

"I already have a dozen ideas," Diemond mused.

"Oh!" Bladescape said. "I thought of something last night, while lying there. Could you take the furs we have been laying out on the floor and make them into something like a sleeping bag, maybe with some padding?"

"I'll think on it, but I bet something can be done," Diemond nodded, lost in planning.

They had a long way to go, but Bladescape realized they were out of the first phase. They were not reacting to the news anymore, defending their right to exist. Bladescape had the answer to their questions. She had a plan. They were now on the attack, making a move that would teach them to live in this world.

And as their leader, that meant she couldn't fail. Sunset Shimmer had to be put away. Bladescape’s personal goals had to be put aside too. She had to become the Wondercolt for them to imitate. So, she would, because Sunset Shimmer, or Bladescape, didn't lose.

Episode 6 - Goblins And Doom

Episode 6 - Goblins and Doom
Eighth day in the Month of Cypress (November 8) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 1 - Horunka - 9 AM

Bladescape smacked the goblin spear with her sword. Since she lacked a shield, or any of the weapon defensive skills, it was not an attack or defense. Still, it knocked it out of its intended path and the spear harmlessly slipped past her shoulder. Another advantage of it not being a skill meant that she wasn’t in a delay. Bladescape unleashed Horizontal on the forest goblin, leaving a red slash across its chest and carving off a good amount of hit points. Konpeito hopped out of nowhere and hacked the rest off with a well-placed attack. It was a critical attack too, not that the goblin had the health left to handle even a regular one. Konpeito was really good at pulling off critical hits.

Medai wasn’t much further ahead. They had sidetracked a bit to fight the goblins in the surrounding forest. There was no immediate rush to make it to Medai. They needed XP and that was their entire reason for heading here. The goblins were more intelligent and agile than the Little Nepenthes, but they only had a single point of attack, their spear or sword. Neither were too difficult to deal with.

“I could use some help!” Diemond called. She was dealing with two goblins.

Bladescape rushed over to her. Diemond wasn’t just taking the attacks on her shield, she smacked one, hard, with her mace, knocking it into the red. Bladescape leaped forward, triggering Vertical as she flew forward. The attack finished the goblin.

The remaining goblin’s sword scraped along Diemond’s shield. She shifted, forcing the blade away from her body. Diemond triggered a skill and blasted the goblin to polygons.

“Nice,” Bladescape said with a nod. “You’re quite good. You’re fierce. Fashion show fierce.”

“Thank you, darling,” Diemond said. “Better watch out for Konpeito. She is skipping through these woods with little care.”

“I noticed,” Bladescape chuckled. “She didn’t stay with Knightstar. It’s pretty boring being her partner. That Anneal Blade is strong. It’s only taking a single strike to eliminate a goblin. Still, Konpeito doesn’t seem to be in trouble, or causing it. She shows up when needed, and her health is still in the green.”

“That was fun,” Knightstar said, joining them. “Well, refreshing is probably a better word. After the struggle yesterday, these goblins are a breeze.”

“I’m glad that one of us has a weapon that can make quick work of them,” Bladescape said.

“Oh,” Knightstar said, realizing that she was the only one not struggling. “I...well I-”

“Stop,” Bladescape said. “We got one sword and that is what matters. You having an easier time means we all are having an easier time.”

“There you are,” Natora said, leading the others over. “Wait, where is Konpeito?”

“No idea,” Bladescape shrugged.

“Frolicking,” Diemond added. “She is literally skipping through the woods.”

“They are lovely,” Doombunny added. “If this wasn’t...well they would be lovely woods to skip through.”

“FOUND YOU, KNIGHTSTAR!” Konpeito yelled, jumped out from behind a tree. “I win! Now you go hide and I will try and find you.”

“Focus!” Bladescape ordered. “We need you with us, together. And we should get to Medai. I know we will probably just end up back here, fighting goblins, but there might be quests we can do and we should consider getting lodging.”

“The others, probably beta testers like me, are not far behind us,” Natora added. “We need to stay ahead of them. Some might go for Tolbana, but others will head to the other towns. I have my spear to get, so it's pretty linear for us, but we still want to stay ahead of the pack."

“Can I say something?” Diemond asked.

“Of course,” Bladescape said with a nod. Natora also nodded in agreement.

“I have a bad feeling about leaving so many others behind,” Diemond stated. “Surely there is something we could be doing?”

“I know, Diemond,” Natora nodded. “But there are over nine thousand of them, one of me, and seven of you. You are relying on me, which has me at my max. That is neither good nor bad, it just is a fact. A lot is going on in my head and I can only keep track of seven others. A thousand others were also beta testers. Sure, some will strike out on their own, but others will help. Right now, the best thing the eight of us can do isn’t an ‘everyone for themselves‘ situation, rather we need to be concentrating our focus and energy on our survival, as collective Wondercolts. We can’t help anyone else out if we are useless. We have to be strong enough to get past basic survival before we can begin to help others.

“Think of it like this. We are not denying them anything or harming them, but I only know a little bit. I am not a master of this game and most of my knowledge is map data and monster types. It is only relevant at specific times and locations, which is where we end up. If I could share that information with everyone at once, I would, but it is locked in my head. It would take me a long time to put a guide together and it wouldn’t be very good.

“Guide or no guide, players are going to die. Some will have bad luck, others will take chances they shouldn’t have, others will let fear rule their battles and freeze. I know I almost wet myself a few times early on in the beta and I didn’t have pain to deal with. I froze a few times in the beta and it always got me killed. Unfortunately, that isn’t something you can teach others. However, if you are working in a party, it raises your chances of survival. That is about the only advice I could really give to help players out.

“We are not responsible for the dead. We can’t hold ourselves responsible for any of their deaths. If we did, that means eight of us are responsible for ten-thousand players’ actions. That is unrealistic. Focus on getting stronger and safer, and then we can expand and help others.

“Besides, I saw the faces as we got out of the crowd. Most of them won’t leave the Town of Beginnings, at least for a few days. And those that do will most likely leave in groups. It’s the ones who rush out that will be at the most risk. I’d put a heavy wager on this statement: the majority of the deaths over the first two weeks will be the beta testers.”

The cold statement shocked everyone and left Doombunny quivering.

“Why do you say that‽” Thunderborne exclaimed.

“Simple logic,” Natora replied. She let out a sigh. “The fact is, if I wasn’t with you, I would be out alone, flying by the seat of my pants in pursuit of that spear from the beta test. I would be without backup or assistance. Knowing the map and knowing the monsters gives me some advantage, but I’m just as susceptible as any of you. The beta test is over and while it is still a very similar game, some changes were made. I lost all the levels and skills I had. I have to learn or earn them again. That is a harsh lesson I keep getting taught in almost every battle. If I’m having to relearn that lesson, then logically, so are they.”

“She’s right,” Bladescape said. “We can’t worry about the others, not yet. What is that saying, like the blind leading the blind? We have to learn to see first. Only then can we help the others. We won’t steam roll anyone, or take anything by force, but we have to use what little advantages Natora can provide us, to set us up for success in our new lives here, while we have to be here. I don’t want to live here anymore than any of you do, but I do know one thing: no matter what world, reality, or dimension you are in, survival is not living. Survival is hard work. It is scary. You are always on edge, always looking over your shoulder. Let’s not live that way. Alright?”

Bladescape put her hand out. Natora immediately put hers on top.

“Alright y’all,” Malus said, adding her hand. “If we’re gonna to save the world again, we’ll need to get stronger.”

“Again?” Natora asked. “I ‘heard save the school,’ but I thought Da-Thunder was being dramatic."

“Nope!” Malus shrugged. “Yeah, it started at the school, but each time it would’ve spread and caused a worldwide issue. We were at the start of world altering or ending plans.”

“We will catch you up later,” Thunderborne said, adding her hand. "As a group, so you get the right...perspective."

“Darling, why do you think we all have the geode necklaces?” Diemond asked as she put her hand in.

“I didn’t notice you had the same necklaces,” Natora replied. “I knew Dash wore a special one, but I thought it was for luck.”

“Hardly,” Thunderborne laughed. “I make my own luck.”

Knightstar rolled her eyes at Thunderborne as she sheathed her sword. She put her hand in as well. “I’m in, but we will need to get me writing materials. If we are going to help others and ensure we have the statistical advantage we need to maintain, then I will need to be taking proper notes.”

“Does this involve cupcakes?” Konpeito asked. “Or pie? Or any sweets, candy, or other confections?”

“The answer to that lies with you joining us,” Bladescape said, unsure of how else to answer the ridiculous questions. “And I honestly don’t know the answer, but if anyone can figure it out, it would be you. After all, you’re named for the candy.”

“ROCK CANDY SMASH FOR THE WIN!” Konpeito exclaimed as she sandwiched their hands between hers.

“And that noise alerted goblins,” Bladescape groaned.

“Sugarcube, we’ve got your back,” Malus said to Doombunny, their holdout.

“Statistics will be on your side and they never lie,” Knightstar added.

“Darling, what would Angel Bunny want you to do?” Diemond asked.

“Well,” Doombunny thought. “I think, no, I know, he would jump out, kicking his way into battle alongside his friends!”

“Hand in then!” Bladescape ordered, as she looked over her shoulder at the changing goblins. They all were looking at the incoming foes and waiting for the unifying gesture.

“Go Wondercolts!” Doombunny yelled as she slapped her hand onto theirs.

They all twisted out to fight the goblins. Knightstar blocked one and Natora ran it through with her spear. Diemond blocked another and Konpeito cleaved it apart. Malus struck with her hammer first and then used her shield to block two others. Thunderborne dashed around, behind them, and stabbed the goblins repeatedly in the back. Knightstar cut the head off the impaled goblin and cut down two more with Horizontal. Natora and Bladescape finished off the ones who survived their initial attacks and were left bashing on their shields.

They all turned to the last goblin. Before they could attack it began to float away as the polygons that made it up. Behind it was Doombunny, with an angry look in her eye and her dagger out in front where it had stabbed the goblin in the back, ending its virtual existence.

Doombunny stood up, free from the sword skill delay, and cut an X in the air before slamming her dagger in its sheath. “They are rather ugly things,” She casually stated, sounding very much like Fluttershy. Her eyes iced over as she glared at her friends and her voice left them all with a chill. “Plus, they are in my way. Anything blocking me from getting back to Angel Bunny and my animal friends will regret it.”

Episode 7 - Goblin Diplomacy

Episode 7 - Goblin Diplomacy
Eighth day in the Month of Cypress (November 8) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 1 - Medai - 12 p.m.

Medai was a larger village than Horunka. It was predominantly farms, but they had an inn and a general store. Natora had been here only once in the beta, and only for a short time, so she knew virtually nothing. They divided up the immediate tasks: Bladescape and Thunderborne went to the inn and got two rooms, Knightstar and Natora went to the general store for supplies, Diemond and Doombunny went to look for quests, Malus had to look out for Konpeito and ensure she didn't run off, while also getting lunch. She had mentioned a lasso and Bladescape was afraid that they would find Konpeito tied up when they all got back together.

The inn rooms were not hard to get. They rented them for three days, since Medai was in the center of the Floor. There was more around it and that probably meant they would spend some more time here. It wasn’t a village most players would consider “next” on the list to get to and many would slow down at Horunka, trying to get an anneal blade. The girls would not have to jockey for XP with other players, at least not yet.

Bladescape spotted Doombunny first. She was leaning up against a fence by a farmhouse. Bladescape tapped Thunderborne to get her to follow and went over to Doombunny.

"What did you find?" Bladescape asked.

"Just sheep," Doombunny softly replied, before sighing. "Cute sheep. Virtual or not, they are cute."

"And in desperate need of a haircut," the farmer stated. "But I don't have time with the list of chores I have to do, like fixing the wagon and the roof needs repairs."

Bladescape perked up. It sounded like a quest. "We could help. If you would like us to help."

"I'm not sure how much I could pay yah," the farmer said.

"We can settle that after we get what we can done," Bladescape said. "You said shearing the sheep, fixing the cart, fixing the roof, anything else you need help with?"

"Plenty, but nothing major like those,” he said. “I could use a real farmhand for the others, but adventurers like yourselves, you wouldn't want to live here, doing boring stuff like that. Just see what you can do about those three tasks, and I will see what I can come up with for payment."

"Deal!" Bladescape said. She elbowed Thunderborne.

"Oh, yeah, deal! I'll help too."

"I'm Farmer Brown by the way."

"I'm Bladescape, and this is my friends Thunderborne and Doombunny. Nice to meet you, Farmer Brown."

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well," he replied.

The quest was started for each of them. They each got a notification for it and the rest of their party would have as well. It didn't take them long for them to make it over to them. They were only missing Diemond, but no one knew where she was. Malus distributed the fresh bread she had bought at the bakery and they ate a bland, but satisfying, lunch.

Once they were done, Doombunny, Thunderborne, and Knightstar hopped the fence and began to shear the sheep. Thunderborne used her speed to catch one. Doombunny kept it calm and still while Knightstar did the shearing.

Malus and Bladescape took a look at the wagon, leaving Natora in charge of Konpeito and the roof. Konpeito, distracted on a roof, was not a good mix, but all of the tasks had their level of risk when it came to her “helping.”

"The axle is cracked," Malus stated.

"I can see that," Bladescape sarcastically said. "Anything useful?"

"Well, we would need to get a new one and then put the wheels on,” Malus explained. “They are a simple design. Just a pin through the hole to keep the wheel in place. The question is where to get the axle."

"Let's try the general store," Bladescape said.

They went to the store and Bladescape did the talking. "We are helping Farmer Brown and looking to get his wagon repaired. We need a new axle. Do you know where we can get one?"

"You will need to talk with Jack, the logger, and Casper, the carpenter,” the NPC shop owner said. “Jack can cut a tree and Casper can shape it."

They got direction to both and headed first to Jack.

"I've got a few logs that should work," Jack said. "Already cut too. For a sack of Farm Brown's potatoes, I will gladly give you one."

They agreed and went to Casper.

"I'll need to see the original axle," Casper stated. "So I can match it. I don't mind helping Farmer Brown, but I could use a sack of cabbages that he grows. A man has to eat to live."

They agreed and went back to the Farmhouse. On the way, Bladescape got a notification that the quest "Goblin Diplomacy" had been started. That had to be what Diemond was up to.

At the farmhouse, Farmer Brown was happy to make that exchange, but they had to pick the crops themselves. Both sacks could only hold ten of each vegetable. Malus took the potatoes so she could dig in the virtual dirt. Bladescape took a sack and began to harvest the cabbages. The potatoes turned out to be simple, just pulling the stalk and they came out. Not having dirt under her fingernails to clean was driving Malus crazy. The cabbages were likewise easy to “pick.”

They unhooked the axel and went to Jack. They traded him the potatoes for the log and Malus easily carried it and the axel over one shoulder to Casper. Casper accepted the cabbages and then the log and axle. It would take him some time to make the axle.

In the meantime, Bladescape and Malus headed back to the farm. The sheep were almost sheared. Natora and Konpeito were leaning against the fence of the sheep pen.

Natora nodded to Bladescape. "Waiting for stuff to be made by NPCs?"

"Yep," Bladescape nodded. "You?"

"Same," Natora nodded.

Diemond finally joined them. "Sorry, girls, that took longer than planned."

"What is the quest?" Bladescape asked.

"I'm afraid it is an ugly one," Diemond said. "We have been asked to eliminate the Goblin camp to the north of the village. They are harassing the villagers and threatening to pillage their homes, so we need to stop that. It does come with a handsome col reward."

"Doom, Thunder, and I will stay to shear the sheep," Natora said. "Malus can join your party. It should be pretty easy to eliminate them."

"You can go too," Doombunny said. "We are almost done. I need Thunder to catch the sheep, but I can shear them. You should have a full party, to be safe."

Natora nodded and disbanded her party. She joined Bladescape’s and so did Malus. They headed north, out of the town. They quickly cut down any goblins in their way. It was a longer walk than expected, but they easily found the camp.

The path at the camp was very open, providing no cover or ability to hide their approach. A big goblin, identified as General Wartface, aggressively approached them. "What brings you here?" He asked as the goblins gathered around him. They were outnumbered four to one, at least.

"We come to end your assault on Medai," Bladescape declared, as strongly as she could.

"Is that so?" General Wartface replied, challenging them.

"Yes," Bladescape nodded.

"I guess we could be persuaded to end the attacks, if you help us,” He said.

That was not what any of them were expecting. The others left the talking up to Bladescape since she had started. "Help in what way?"

"General Bentnose thinks we need to redo our armor’s color, to differentiate us Forest Goblins from the Mountain Goblins, but I don't agree with him. Help us come up with a solution and we will not attack the town."

"I think I can help you," Diemond said, stepping forward.

A goblin as big as Wartface joined General Wartface. He was obviously General Bentnose with how crooked his nose was. There was a smaller goblin with him.

"Tell us which one looks better," General Bentnose gruffly ordered. "Grubfoot will wear the choices."

"I have a knack for these things," Diemond said. "Show me what you have in mind."

"Goblin mail with blue," General Bentnose said. "Blue is my favorite color and I want our armor to be blue."

Grubfoot showed them the blue trimmed armor. There was only a little colored trim added to the bronze mail.

"Honestly, it doesn't go with your complexion," Diemond stated. "Next!"

"I think orange armor," General Wartface said. Grubfoot came out in Orange trimmed armor.

"Better, but not you," Diemond said. "What else?"

"Ugh," General Bentnose droned, thinking. "Brown."

Grubfoot came back out wearing the same armor that all of the goblins were wearing.

"Now that is a powerful look which also goes well with your complexion," Diemond said, intentionally playing it up. "He looks good in that. Like a warrior, strong and proud. It fits with who you are."

"Brown always has been good," General Wartface said.

"I agree with that statement," General Bentnose added.

"Brown it is then," General Wartface stated. "A deal is a deal. We will not attack the village. But the mountain goblins have kicked us out, so we have nowhere else to go. We won't go south to the village though, as promised."

"Fine," Bladescape nodded. “I am glad we could stop that from happening and I am sorry to hear you lost your homes.”

“Civility from a human is different,” General Bentnose stated. “I think I like it.”

They turned and walked away. Bladescape stole a glance back at the two goblin generals who were arguing about something else.

"Did that seem too easy to y'all?" Malus asked.

"Anticlimactic, but not easy," Diemond said. "After all, we had to walk all the way out here and do some fighting. Besides, without me, you would not have come to such a decision."

"I would have said orange," Malus admitted.

"Same," Natora said. "Orange for tigers, although I thought the blue looked better. Not necessarily on them, but in general. The orange was more of a burnt orange and didn't pop like the blue did. It doesn't matter though. The quest log is updated. We have to report back to the mayor. The town won't be attacked by goblins. Or well, those goblins."

"That's good," Bladescape said. "But did you catch the end of their conversation?"

"What do you mean?" Natora asked.

"A hundred col says that we will end up back here on a quest,” Bladescape said. “Either helping the mountain goblins or the forest goblins."

"Deal," Natora said. They shook on it as they walked all the way back to the village. A few goblins appeared, which they easily dispatched. There hadn't been time for most of them to respawn.

They reported in with the mayor. He was happy to hear that they would not be attacked, albeit disappointed the goblins were not slaughtered. They received their col and XP. It moved the six of them to Level 5.

Malus and Natora exited the party. Natora and Konpeito headed to get their materials, while Bladescape and Malus went to get theirs. Diemond and Knightstar headed back to the farm.

The axle was ready for them. They took it back to the farm and easily installed the new axle onto the cart. Farmer Brown was elated to have it fixed.

Doombunny and Thunderborne had sheared the last of the sheep and Farmer Brown was happy to have that chore done. Natora and Konpeito had the roof fixed in no time.

"I can give you this," Farmer Brown said. "This knife has been in my family for generations, but I think it will serve you better. And this is the col I can spare."

They accepted it and all of them received a good boost in XP. Doombunny and Thunderborne reached level 5. Doombunny was given the Shepherd’s Seax to use. It was significantly better than her starter dagger.

"Let's go hunt more goblins," Natora suggested. "They had decent XP. I bet by the end of the day, we can all be at level six."

They all agreed and headed out. It didn't take long for them to reach level six. They headed back to town to celebrate and plan.

Around the table in the tavern, they made their plans. For skills, they had to be smart if they were to survive. Early on, collective strength mattered most, but they also had to look ahead, so that they stayed a diverse but balanced group.

Bladescape chose Weapon Defense which gave her counter attacks and specific blocks to use since she didn't have a shield. Knightstar chose Light Metal Armor, giving herself a solid base to build from at the later higher levels. Diemond was convinced to choose Sewing, rather than an armor skill. They thought Konpeito had chosen Acrobatics as her second skill, but she had chosen Cooking, so she picked Weapon Defense to be her third. Malus chose Light Metal Armor for the time being. She needed to raise her strength parameters and train the skill before she could unlock Heavy Metal Armor. Doombunny chose Fighting Spirit, which appeared to be a combat booster, except no one else had it on their list of available skills. Natora selected Sales Negotiation in order to help with selling their loot. It was a big risk for her, having only one combat skill. She would have no choice but to set her fourth skill as a combat one. Natora was confident in their group and their ability to keep her safe while she took the extra risk. Thunderborne picked Acrobatics as her third skill to complement her speed. She was relying on speed and agility to offset not having a shield, weapon defense, or armor skill. Once she had a rapier in her hands, those three skills would be a deadly combination.

"That keeps us well balanced on multiple fronts," Natora said.

"Diemond, do you think you can make those bed rolls?” Bladescape asked.

"I can certainly try,” Diemond said. “If I had wool, that would make a great padding layer."

Natora took all of their drops from the goblins and sold them. She bought a large spool of thread from the shopkeeper, as well as a needle. Before Natora could redistribute the col from the sales, they told her to give it to Diemond, to help cover the costs of the materials since the bedrolls were for the group collectively. Diemond settled on half of the col, and the rest was split evenly.

Diemond went to Farmer Brown and he agreed to sell her four bags of wool. Diemond took the thread and needle and quickly had a sleeping bag sewn together. The bottom layer was boar hide, then the wool was laid out and a wolf pelt was sewn to the boar hide, with the fur on the outside. Another wolf pelt was sewn on top, with the fur facing inward. It was easy for her to make and duplicating it would also be easy. She got a good skill XP boost from making the four sleeping bags. Diemond bought six more bags of wool, the most Farmer Brown could sell her, and made four more sleeping bags and eight pillows. Those took up the last of the hides and furs they had from their pre-tutorial hunting.

"Now we have some spare bedrolls," Diemond declared. “We could give some away or sell them cheap.”

"Not really," Bladescape said. "Sure, we double up on the beds, but if we get stuck in the field, we each should have one and set a watch. We might even be in parties of four, separated from each other, and then we will definitely need each of us to have a bag."

"Fine," Diemond huffed.

"Great job though," Bladescape said, encouraging her friend. "That is exactly what we needed and I like your forward thinking about others. Your generosity never ceases to amaze me."

They went to bed early with the intent of getting an early start to a full day of goblin slaying. Bladescape was given the bed, alone, so that she could finally get some rest. With the sleeping bags, it made the floor more comfortable and Bladescape was too tired to argue. For the first time in three days, she fell asleep.

BLADESCAPE: Level 6 — One-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense
NATORA: Level 6 — One-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiations
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 6 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor
MALUS: Level 6 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield — Light Metal Armor
THUNDERBORNE: Level 6 — One-Handed Sword — Sprint — Acrobatics
KONPEITO: Level 6 — One-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense
DIEMOND: Level 6 — Mace — Shield — Sewing
DOOMBUNNY: Level 6 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit

Episode 8 - Baking And Breaking

Episode 8 - Baking And Breaking
Ninth day in the Month of Cypress (November 9) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 1 - Medai

Sunset's alarm woke her up. She had slept straight through the night and felt rested. Mostly. It was more like she had blinked, closing her eyes as she laid down and opening them to the alarm. She figured the fatigue she felt was going to be a constant, at least for a while. A simple side effect of their stressful situation, to frame their quandary lightly.

"How did you sleep‽" Konpeito immediately asked.

"A little loud for this early in the morning," Bladescape replied with a groan. "But I slept well. Ready to go. You?" She regretted that question. It was a common courtesy, but Pinkie Pie was not known for making good small talk and Konpeito had already proven to have the same issue. It was a loaded question to ask her.

"Well, for the most part, I was skipping through the candy apple forest, but then the marshmallow peeps swooped in and took me to the dark chocolate witch. I had to fight my way out of her clutches with nothing but a straw and cup lid! I woke up right as I escaped."

Bladescape saw Diemond shrug, unsure how to help Bladescape.

"I calculated our projected leveling," Knightstar stated from the table she was sitting at. Most, if not all, of the inn rooms came with a table and two chairs in the room.

"Good," Bladescape nodded. "I would love to see that, but after breakfast."

"That I can agree with," Knightstar nodded.

They met the others, who were also exiting their room at the same time, and they went to the tavern for a simple meal.

Bladescape looked over the data Knightstar had compiled. Natora took a look afterwards.

"How high did you get in levels during the beta?" Knightstar asked Natora.

Natora shrugged. "It was only out for a month and I didn’t dive like some of the others, but over that time, I only made it to level ten. Ten was a push. I played plenty, but I didn't do any serious level grinding. So far, we have been more efficient in that regard. I doubt we can stay more than another day in the area without losing our momentum, so we should look for more quests and then head out to fight the goblins."

"Statistically speaking, I agree," Knightstar replied.

"Then we know what to do," Bladescape said. "Knightstar, take Diemond with you. I'll be in charge of Konpeito. You four can split up how you think is best."

"As much as I would like to follow that plan, I think we need to adjust parties again," Natora said. "I’m the most vulnerable, as well as Thunderborne. I should take Diemond and Knightstar, you can take Malus and Doom. That gives us a tank, a shield, and two damage dealers. You and Konpeito should be able to handle things with just Malus for a shield."

"That is logical," Bladescape said with a nod. She swiped up her menu, and ended her party. They set up the new parties and departed.

Bladescape and Konpeito entered the bakery, looking for any form of quests or work. They found one, but it was a cooking quest. Konpeito accepted the quest without thinking and skipped into the back to help the baker fill his orders.

Bladescape sighed and sat down on a chair in the front. She pulled out her book of memories and began to thumb through them. As she read them, they were helping her to remember the lessons she had been taught. Outside of her initial examination, she hadn't had an ounce of privacy. She didn't want the others to know about her memories. They would worry in the wrong way. She wasn't crippled and she had the answers in her hand and head.

The bell chimed as the door was opened. Bladescape looked up from her book to see her friends. She quickly slipped it under her leg before they could catch her reading it.

"Told y'all they would be here," Malus taunted.

"Yeah, yeah," Thunderborne griped. Thunderborne handed over a few pieces in col for losing the bet.

"I assume by the lack of Konpeito, that you found something?" Natora asked.

"A baking one," Bladescape explained. "Help the baker essentially. Konpeito is putting her skill to good use, but I'm not able to do anything. I also don't want to leave her unattended."

"Why don't I stay and watch over her, while you go out with the others?" Doombunny offered.

"Level grinding is often referred to as hunting,” Natora absentmindedly stated. “Because we are, well, hunting the monsters."

Bladescape stood up, keeping the book pinned on her thigh, blocked from view. "Sure, that sounds good. Konpeito is looked after and we continue to move forward in our levels." It was easy to be last and stash her Book of Memories back in her menu without the others noticing.

They headed east and quickly found more goblins. The fighting was fast and fierce. Bladescape found herself needing Malus' shield most of the time. They hadn't condensed their parties after the split, but the six of them were staying together. Weapon Defense was a great skill, but it was not the same as a shield. It worked in a pinch, but it was an active defense you had to set up. A shield was passive, you just had to keep it in between you and the enemy.

Killing the goblins quickly became routine. They had seen the handful of attacks the goblin AIs had, so their tactics reflected that. They were quickly learning to read how the AI would attack by the goblin's starting position. Switching became easier too.

Bladescape switched, cutting a red path along a goblin’s shoulder as it uselessly rammed its spear into Malus' shield. Malus swung her hammer, triggering a skill, and knocked off the last of its HP.

Bladescape was on the far flank, exposed, as a goblin charged her. She triggered a Weapon Defense skill and blocked its sword. As she triggered Horizontal, her mind slipped to the crappy iron sword it had in its hand. That was where the skill was released to — the sword. It connected and the sword shattered from the blow. Bladescape immediately set up a downward cut before she entered the delay. It sliced open the goblin. Malus finished it off.

Chaining sword skills was a difficult thing to do, and risky. As long as the initial motion was started before the delay kicked in, the skill would trigger. With their limited number of attacks, each having a very different starting point, it wasn't easy to get the weapon into position before the delay froze them. It also left them in a longer delay, a steeper penalty for chaining the skills.

Bladescape wasn’t sure if the others noticed that she had shattered the sword. She would keep it quiet for now and look at other ways to exploit weak points. Eliminating an enemy’s weapon could be useful, but it wasn’t the right time to throw another thing onto the pile to learn. Bladescape would see if it panned out before trying to teach the others.

They stayed in combat for a little while longer. It didn’t allow them to get their drop screens until their next break. As the last goblin in the area was abolished, the fanfare played as both Knightstar and Bladescape leveled up.

“What gives?” Thunderborne asked, looking at her menu. “Why didn’t I level up with you guys?”

Knightstar had an immediate explanation. “That is because while we have been staying as a group, we have been in two different parties. I completed the Secret Medicine of the Forest quest which gave me XP, but no one else. We have changed up party compositions over the past few days, but even if we hadn’t, each party isn’t necessarily killing the same number of monsters as the other is. It isn’t equal. In fact, an MMORPG is primarily fueled by that inequality, which drives players to strive to become better than the others. Without it, there would be no interest in the game, no matter how amazing the world, story, or mechanics was. Our XP levels are not that different and it certainly won’t change our performance.”

The fanfare played as Malus leveled up. “I didn’t do nothin,” Malus said, hands up in innocence. “Y’all saw that, right?”

“You didn’t, but Konpeito is in your party,” Knightstar explained. “Parties share XP. I postulate that it will be rare for us to be split up like we are; half a party involved in a quest, while the other half is out in the field, hunting. It seems like she is either done, or just finished a specific task.”

Bladescape was looking at her stats while she listened to Knightstar’s explanations. She was already feeling her competitive side being ignited by the fact that she was a level above Thunderborne, one of her most competitive friends. They were sliding from survival to living, which meant she could get competitive so long as it didn’t threaten to hurt them as a group. Bladescape glanced at her skills to see how competitive she could get. Several more had been unlocked, including Two-Handed Sword. For now, it didn’t matter because she didn’t have a weapon to use. Hopefully Medai would have one in their shop.

“We should consider improving our gear,” Bladescape said. “Several members just added new equipment skills, and currently, their equipment doesn’t reflect that.”

“We are bringing in a decent amount of Col,” Natora said, thinking. “We have to be careful, smart about our finances, but that does mean we need to be well equipped so we can hunt in more lucrative locations, which often means stronger enemies, and proper gear is important to staying out in the field longer and reducing potion use. I am concerned about upgrading some of our weapons, specifically if we are going to be switching weapon Skills soon.”

“Not to make a fuss over anything,” Diemond said, pausing to make sure she worded things correctly. “Well, I need gear, that isn’t negotiable, but I also need materials to level up sewing. We are not a guild yet, and even if we were, I don’t know how it would work financially, for funding projects, or contributing our drops.”

“The best method is what you get is yours,” Natora said. “Honesty is appreciated, but the fact is, none of us can see what the others got in the drops unless we are physically peeking over their shoulder. When we get to the bosses, things get interesting. You will start to get weapons and other big items dropped.

“From what I understand, guilds will automatically skim some of the col earned in drops by the members, so that the guild can make larger purchases like housing and such. Yeah, we should maximize what we sell through my skill, but I will give that sale back to you. Buy the weapons or items you need to get your job done, fighting or crafting. We all will end up with something outside combat that we do and spend our excess col on.

“Blade, your thoughts?”

Bladescape looked at Natora. She was half surprised she was asked, but then not. She had taken charge, and had the plan, even when Natora knew more. Bladescape looked at the others.

She nodded slowly. “Friends stick together and help each other, but we don’t get to determine the drops we get. The game engine deciding is more or less random. There are more factors than what we do behind the scenes in the coding. I’m sure we will go hunting for crafting materials for a specific member, and of course then we will be giving them those materials, but for the regular day to day, you get it dropped, it's yours. No need to do anything about it. We don’t know what you got and we shouldn’t ever pressure anyone to declare their drops.

“Yeah, if you start using a new piece of equipment we will know. If you want to share, share, because rare items are cause for celebration and we are friends, we should be building each other up, not getting jealous. But there shouldn’t be an obligation to report your drops, especially if we know someone, or multiple people, will struggle at not getting lucky.

“But our goal isn’t items, it’s XP. You maintain your gear, you upgrade as you want, but even as a guild, I don’t see why the guild should pay for those. I doubt we will make that much as a guild. From the games I have played, more or less you get the same thing as everyone else, even the MMORPGs. The probability that anything we are hunting will have something valuable or rare is low."

"You never know," Natora said. "But I would agree. These guys have nothing special. The col they drop is the best thing."

"Well, we may not officially be a guild, but should we be pitching anything in now?” Diemond asked. "To one of us as the treasurer?"

"Not yet," Bladescape said. "We barely have any cash coming in as it is. We are sparingly using it for lodging and food, and risking it with equipment, maintenance, and potions, but until we can create a guild...well we need to focus on our individual performances and upgrades first. Besides, if for some reason, we don't become a guild, I would rather not have to go through the books to redistribute the funds. I don't think that will happen, because I know you all, but if something bad happens...well until we are official, we should not be worried about it at all."

"Blade, have you checked your skills list?" Natora asked.

"Yes," Bladescape nodded. "I did right after my level up."

"What about you, Thunder?" Natora asked.

"Uh, no," Thunder said. "I didn't level up. Thanks for rubbing it in."

Natora rolled her eyes. "Thunder, you were also increasing your One-Handed Sword Skill, even without making it to a new level. They are separate factors and scales. You can't be much further behind me."

"So what?" Thunder asked as she swiped her menu up.

"I think you have Rapier unlocked," Natora stated.

"Oh," was all Thunderborne replied. She definitely did.

"Like I said," Bladescape said. "When we are done for the day, we need to look at equipment upgrades."

Goblins respawned around them, ending any further talks. The others leveled up soon after. By the end of the day, they were all solidly on their way to Level 8.

Back in Medai, they headed to the bakery. Inside, they found a bored Doombunny sitting on a chair.

"Is she still baking?" Knightstar asked, voicing all of their surprise.

Doombunny shrugged. "At some point, the quest ended, but it allowed her to use his kitchen, so she has been in a baking fury since then. I leveled up though and I know I heard her level up as well."

"Good," Bladescape nodded. "Malus, as the strongest of us, would you please drag, or carry, Konpeito to the general store as soon as possible."

"Roger that," Malus said with a nod and a grin.

"Come on, Doom," Bladescape said, extending her hand to her sitting friend. "Let's go look at equipment that might be relevant to you. We all are going to be looking at upgrades."

In the shop, they had a two-handed sword. It was significantly better than her starter sword, but that was no surprise since it was a different weapon class. It was a nameless iron claymore. Bladescape also found a dull red wool shirt that had higher stats than her starter shirt. She bought them both, along with new boots and leather gloves to replace her cotton ones. It was a nice bump in her defensive stats. Her starter breastplate and brown half coat were still usable.

The others pitched in to help Konpeito and Doombunny get upgraded. It had cost them, but everyone was in their weapon and armor classes and the best they had available. Knightstar, Diemond, and Malus now had chainmail shirts to go with their leather jackets. The rest got the same wool shirts, but in different colors. Natora took orange, Doombunny got a navy blue, Thunderborne chose a lighter blue, and Konpeito chose a green shirt. Tan and black were the colors they didn’t choose.

Natora and Thunderborne also got weapons. Thankfully, once a Skill was unlocked, it couldn't be lost. Removing their starter weapon Skill meant they restarted at 0 for their respective weapon Skill, but they could switch to the newly unlocked one without needing a free Skill slot.

Konpeito hadn't unlocked Two-Handed Axe yet, since she had spent the day baking, but she bought one anyway in preparation. At most it would only take her a day of fighting to unlock it. Cooking had apparently been raised a good amount over the day.

The upgrades left them with very little cash. Diemond bought what she could, but it wasn't much. It was a bolt of cloth and more thread. She made several shirts out of it. Nothing she would ever let anyone wear.

Dinner was fresh bread that Konpeito had baked, as well as cheese and a round of cheap ale.

"Unless more players come here overnight, I think another day here is wise," Natora said while they ate. It was an open statement, but Bladescape knew it was directed at her.

"I agree," Bladescape nodded. "Another day fighting goblins. Besides, Doombunny has a new and untested knife. She should try it out. I'm sure she will notice a difference."

"Okay," Doombunny agreed. "I'll try it. I'll do my best, for Angel and the others who are missing me. All I thought about today was them. I am willing to fight to see them again."

It sounded good, but Bladescape heard the slight quiver in her friend's declaration. She was scared. Then again, so was Bladescape. They all should be afraid. Fear was natural. Being crippled by fear was a problem, but fear helped keep you alive.

At bedtime, Bladescape took the floor. It was a lot better with the sleeping bags. They had a decent amount of padding. For the bed, Malus was tired from the hard work as a tank, and Doombunny was better off with a comfortable bed to curb her anxiety. Konpeito could likely sleep anywhere and had no problem claiming a spot on the floor.

BLADESCAPE: Level 7 — One-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense
NATORA: Level 7 — One-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiations
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 7 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor
MALUS: Level 7 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield — Light Metal Armor
THUNDERBORNE: Level 7 — One-Handed Sword — Sprint — Acrobatics
KONPEITO: Level 7 — One-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense
DIEMOND: Level 7 — Mace — Shield — Sewing
DOOMBUNNY: Level 7 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit

Episode 9 - First Steps Towards The End

Episode 9 - First Steps Towards The End
Eighteenth day in the Month of Cypress (November 18) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 1 - Tolbana

Outside the Town of Beginnings, there was only one major settlement on Floor One: Tolbana. It was about 200 meters from one side to the other, and featured a wall around the outside that resembled a castle wall, except it lacked a castle or citadel. It was here that the quest for Natora's spear from the beta was obtained. As soon as they arrived, Natora had rushed off to start it.

Tolbana had a lot of stone architecture. There were many large windmills around the outside of the city, all made from the same white stone that the city walls were made of. The walls were needed to keep the goblins and hobgoblins out. Tolbana had a variety of NPC guardsmen walking about.

The city was also the first location, outside the Town of Beginnings, with multiple inns and restaurants. It was a pretty town, with a few town squares and fountains all around, as well as a stone amphitheater.

They were some of the first to make it to the city, if not the first. Over the week on their way here, they had made it to Level 10. The monsters on Floor One capped at Level 8, which had stalled their growth.

The town would make an excellent base of operations. Bladescape was with Doombunny, looking for quests. Knightstar and Diemond were together, leaving Malus to wrangle Konpeito and Thunderborne. As planned, Natora had rushed off, but it left Thunderborne without her usual partner.

Bladescape entered an NPC house. It was two stories. The bottom floor was open and included the living space and kitchen. A hearth with a pot suspended over it provided both warmth and a solid cooking method.

A woman was doing repair work on a torn shirt. She looked up from it upon their arrival. "What can I help you with?" She asked.

"We are looking for odd jobs and things to do to earn money," Bladescape explained.

"I'm sorry, I don't have anything you can do," she replied. "As it is, we are very poor and I wash laundry to help us make it day to day. If you need a modest place to stay, the upstairs is unused. My husband and I use the downstairs bedroom and we have no children. I could rent it out to you for cheap. Cheaper than the inns that is."

"Can we see them?" Bladescape asked.

"Of course," She said, standing up.

Upstairs there were four rooms. They were sparsely furnished, but each had a bed and one also had a plain table with four chairs.

"How long can we rent it?" Bladescape asked.

"I can go as long as two weeks at a time," She replied.

The NPC gave her price. They had spent more on a single night for a single room in the smaller villages than they would per night here. Bladescape accepted the offer and the two of them departed to rally with the others.

Natora was waiting for them at the main square, which predominantly featured the largest fountain in the town. She was the only one there at the moment and sitting on the edge of a fountain.

“Where is Doom?” Natora asked.

Bladescape looked around her. Doombunny had been right there. She wasn’t Konpeito or prone to wandering off. She usually stuck close to her partner.

"I'm right here," Doombunny said.

Doombunny appeared sitting beside Natora. Natora screamed and slipped backwards, into the fountain. Bladescape rushed over and helped Doombunny fish her out.

"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to frighten you," Doombunny sweetly said.

"Your words are so sweet," Natora said, spitting water out. "But they don't help anything. I know you didn't mean it, but I hate your Hide Skill."

"I didn't mean to switch it on," Doombunny added. "I'm truly sorry. I thought you saw me. I had skipped ahead of Blade and was sitting beside you when you asked."

"How do you not know if it is on?" Natora asked. “It’s an active skill, not passive.”

"You have it wrong," Bladescape said. "Natora, back home, Fluttershy is the quiet type. I know you saw some of that when we hung out. On the foreign exchange program, she has been extremely outgoing, but she is someone who can, at times, blend in, especially in a crowd. I would not be surprised if the Hide Skill just activates for her when she naturally feels invisible."

Doombunny just shrugged as Natora looked her over. "Fine," Natora grumbled. "Your name is so sinister, yet your personality is so sweet. Well, when I say it like that, your name is perfect. You are learning to fight — the Doom — but you are the sweet Bunny the rest of the time. Anyway, did you guys have any luck?"

"I got us lodging," Bladescape said. "Paid for two weeks and it's cheaper than the inns. It's the second floor of an NPC house. Four rooms, four beds, and one table with four chairs."

"That is a good find," Natora replied.

"Did you start your quest?" Bladescape asked.

"Yep," Natora nodded. "I would love to go after it ASAP, but we need to see what else was found and something might be more urgent. In a town like this, there is a lot of potential; from retrievals, to kill quests, and everything in between."

"What other kinds of quests are there?" Doombunny asked Natora. “I really don’t know much about games and have been learning on the go.”

Natora nodded with a sweet smile. "Well, for retrieval or gathering quests, they require a single, or multiple, item to be brought back. I'd break them down into gather quests, which requires you to actually work to get the items, whereas a retrieval quest could be as simple as going to get a specific item, in a specific location, from a specific NPC. The Anneal Blade was a hybrid gather/kill quest. We only had to gather one item, but it was a monster drop, so we had to kill at least one.

"Kill quests, sometimes called slayer quests, either require you to rack up a certain number of kills, clear out a location, or kill a specific thing. If it is a lone creature, you can expect them to be a flag mob.

“Help quests, like the baking one Konpeito did, or helping Farmer Brown, they usually require you to work in one place for one NPC. Sure, we had to do a little retrieval, but none of what we did meant we left the city.

"Then you have delivery quests. You are asked either by the sender or receiver to pick up a package and deliver it for them. Sometimes it can send you to dangerous places, more often than not, they are just long and boring treks."

As Natora continued her in depth explanation, Bladescape sat down beside her. It was clear the answer was not going to end soon, Doombunny needed to know these basics, so she might as well sit and listen instead of standing. Some of what Natora was saying was way further than Bladescape had ever thought about quests.

"An escort quest requires you to escort an individual. It almost always involves combat, because otherwise they wouldn't need an escort. There are a variety of reasons for an escort quest, but they all depend on the quest's storyline. I’m not sure how an escort quest would fit into SAO. I don’t expect many of them with the dynamics of the game. They are usually found in more stable RPGs where everything is controlled easier.

"Finally, there are the hybrid quests that combine two or more types. You might be required to kill a monster but need something special to kill it that a smith makes, who then sends you to gather materials for the weapons, and once it is made, you go kill it.

“There are a variety of ways the quests can be worked. Some are short and easy, others are long and complicated, then there are the short but complicated, and finally, the long but simple.

“With the way Aincrad is set up, there will no doubt be quests that span multiple floors. Some might even be multiple floors and multiple quests stacking up into a much larger quest, like chapters in a book. And in SAO, there are quests that anyone can do and then there are one-shot quests that can only be done once. Those one-shots are highly prized because they often have greater rewards and the pride knowing that only you got to do it. Or at least, more valuable rewards because only one of the items can be obtained. Gamers have big egos.

"Then you have pseudo quests, like guessing games, puzzles, and other things that are more tasks and short things, without any real story. Possibly gambling too."

Doombunny had a follow up question. "You said flag mob, what does that mean?"

"Right," Natora chuckled. "You are one of the players without real game experience. It's not a problem or a bad thing, I just forget that some of you lack knowledge and experience even with RPGs. That is what is so cool, or was, about SAO. It got non-gamers excited about a game. Our non-gamers have been learning quickly and doing well too, so I forget half of you have knowledge gaps.

"Anyway, SAO has four boss types. Flag, Dungeon, Field, and Floor. The first floor, thankfully, lacks field bosses. They block off certain parts of the map and have to be beaten to gain access to that area. The flag mobs basically are a normal creature on steroids. Sometimes they respawn, other times they do not. That depends on the creature and the designer's choice. It also depends on if they are part of a quest.

"Dungeon Bosses are the final thing that you have to beat when you clear a dungeon. The first floor lacks dungeons as well. Typically they are well defined and you know when you are going in. You usually want to finish it in one go and they vary in length, size and complexity. The first time through always has the most enemies and that means the best XP and drop rates. The big bad guy at the end needs to be beaten to fully clear it and victory comes with some great rewards being dropped. Some dungeon bosses will respawn, allowing that dungeon to be fully cleared again, others won't. How much of the creatures in a dungeon respawn also varies.

"Floor bosses are the thing between us and the floor above. They are going to be the toughest thing on the floor, and they are deep in a labyrinth that is like a dungeon, but worse. The boss labyrinths are in the pillars that surround a floor and support the structure above. Since they are in a pillar, they have their own internal floors that you climb up and clear.

"The first Floor labyrinth is in the nearest one to Tolbana, I don't know where the other ones are and changes may have been made. The best beta testers I heard about barely got to the sixth floor.

"Unlike in the beta, from what I understand, is that once a floor boss is beaten, it's dead. In the beta, I had to go and beat the boss to unlock the floor for just me or anyone in the party. That means, we logically need to figure out a way to band together and get that done." The last bit was directed at Bladescape. Natora had shifted her gaze to her.

Natora continued. "I don't know how to do that, because if I know one thing about gamers, especially MMORPG gamers, it's that we are competitive. As much as we love rallying to an amazing leader and being in a great guild, what that means for each player will be different. We are probably not going to get much bigger than the eight of us. That's cool. I love working in small, close guilds who have a lot of energy and fun dynamics. You guys are varied and fun to be around. However, none of you would want to fall under a single leader, even if it meant getting free. You, we, still want to be Wondercolts, and there will be plenty of other players who want smaller guilds with their own personalities. There will be big guilds, but keeping them functioning and operating smoothly will take finesse and skill. Until we can figure out how to create guilds, which is supposedly quest oriented, we are too loose of a group. And even after, getting the guilds to agree on anything for this game, that won't be easy.

"The colors are a great idea to bind us together for now. Diemond is coming along well with sewing and soon she either will have colored fabric to work with, or will be able to dye her own. That is one thing I don't look forward to, collecting materials to create dyes. SAO's complexity will mean that there will be a wide variety that can be mixed successfully, or unsuccessfully, to create dyes. Finding some of them won't be easy."

"Thanks," Bladescape said. "I'll keep that in mind. You're right, we will be fragmented. We will need a way to come together for the clearing part and have fun the rest of the time. It will be fun to help Diemond get what she needs and see what she creates. For now, I wonder where the others are?"

"Hopefully dragging up more quests," Natora chuckled. "I'd rather have too much to do than not enough."

The others were not much longer. Several more quests had been found, all by Konpeito who had basically dragged Malus around the city as she skipped through it and poked her head into everything.

"Sorry we were not more helpful," Diemond said. "I sidetracked us with a shop. It had a wide variety of fabrics and supplies for crafting. But! They had a nice navy blue, and I bought plenty of material to work with."

"That's okay," Bladescape said. "We need those colors. I know that what you make us will be fabulous. I think our next move should be Natora's spear quest."

They all agreed.

BLADESCAPE: Level 10 — One-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense
NATORA: Level 10 — One-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiations
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 10 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor
MALUS: Level 10 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield — Light Metal Armor
THUNDERBORNE: Level 10 — One-Handed Sword — Sprint — Acrobatics
KONPEITO: Level 10 — One-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense
DIEMOND: Level 10 — Mace — Shield — Sewing
DOOMBUNNY: Level 10 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit

Episode 11 - Deliverance

Episode 11 - Deliverance
Nineteenth day in the Month of Cypress (November 19) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 1 - Tolbana - 8 a.m.

8 a.m. had both parties waiting outside the NPC's house. Just to be safe, Natora waited three minutes to ensure that the game recognized the time. She knocked on the doors and anxiously waited.

"Hey!" A big male NPC said, coming around from the side of the house. "You must be the ones who saved my sister."

"Yes," Natora replied with a nod. "I'm Natora."

"Koth," he replied, extending his hand. She shook it. "Mom's out, getting some supplies. Anara has been recovering well enough. I can't believe you managed to save her and get the sword at the same time. She told a pretty fantastic tale of your fight."

"Just doing our job," Natora calmly replied. "We tried to get her to go back, with our help, and then we would go get the sword, but she insisted on getting the sword first and being there with us to get it. We are glad she was tough enough to make it."

"She can be hard headed like that," Koth chuckled. "But where are my manners? Come on in, all of you."

He let them into the house.

"So, what do you do for a living?" Natora asked. "Anara seems to have chosen the warrior life."

"Yeah, she wants to follow in our father's footsteps,” Koth answered. “I don't blame her. The two of them were close. I just wish he had time to train her properly. He kind of hoped she would grow out of it, like I did, because the life of a guard isn't an easy one. When I was a young lad, I wanted to protect the city and slay all the goblins.” He chuckled to himself. “I was so naive. Dad made sure I learned what it would actually mean to fight, and he did the same with Anara. I'm sure right at the end, his only regret was not training her earlier like she wanted. But me, I went off to be a smith. I didn't get these muscles by baking."

Anara's mother came in through the door. "Oh good, you are here. I am so sorry, I had to grab some things at the market for Anara and it took longer than planned. She won't be getting out of bed for a while, or well, at least not to do anything strenuous. Keeping her in bed, even when she was sick, was always a chore. Have you eaten this morning?"

"We have not eaten," Natora replied. "We were going to eat breakfast after we checked on Anara."

"Then sit down at the table, all of you,” Anara’s mother said. “I have some fresh bread, as well as honey to spread on it and milk. Koth can cook up some bacon."

"Sure," Koth said, heading to where the stove was. "Bacon, coming right up."

Anara's mother put out the bread and milk and then went to check on her daughter. She wasn't gone long. Koth was serving them a huge plate of bacon as she came back down.

"It's been a while since we had such good food," Malus said. "It's mighty appreciated."

"I'm glad we could feed you something enjoyable," she replied.

"It really is appreciated," Bladescape said. "It's not been an easy few weeks, not with the work we have been doing. It's been a lot of bread, hard cheese, and porridge."

"Well then, eat up,” she said in her motherly tone. “We can't have adventurers like yourselves, who go off saving people, go without a proper meal."

"We plan to stay in Tolbana for a little while," Natora added. "There are a lot of things that need doing in and around the town."

"Good," she said. "I hope one of those is dealing with the mountain goblins. They have been troubling us for ages, but the city can only mount defenses. There are not enough citizens who are willing to go out after them."

"We noticed," Natora said. "Defense is the most important thing, but I think that we will end up with a task on our agenda to take the fight to them."

They hadn't noticed that Koth had stepped out until he came in through the back door. "I know you came for more than a meal," he said with something long and narrow, but covered in cloth, cradled in his arms. "I spent all night on it, putting in everything I had, with my best materials. Hopefully it is good enough for your hands."

Natora stood up and stepped over to him. She pulled back the cloth to reveal a spear.

"I call her Deliverance Doru," Koth said.

It wasn't the same spear Natora had in the beta, but she took it in her hands, gripping it well and feeling the balance. "It is a good spear," she proclaimed. "A very good spear. I will make good use of it and I know it will slay many goblins. If only it was named Goblin Slayer."

“That’s why I named it Deliverance,” he explained. “You delivered my sister, you delivered our family sword, you have delivered a mighty blow to the goblins already, and I know you will do more.”

“Then it is a well named spear for sure,” Natora declared. “It will live up to its name, I will make sure of it.”

"We also have this," Anara's mother said, extending a small sack. "It is all the col we could spare. You deserve it after bringing our daughter back, as well as my husband's sword."

"Thank you," Natora said, taking the sack. "This will go a long way to ensuring that we help others in the city."

"Good," she said, with a smile.

They heard something on the stars. It was Anara, hobbling down despite her condition. "I had to come say thank you,” She explained, leaning against the wall and holding her side where she had been cut. “So, thank you. For my life, for my father's sword, and for killing all those goblins. You were the arm of justice, delivering the long-awaited vengeance on their heads for all the crimes they have committed. Our father was not the only death on their heads and they can rest easier in their graves now."

"Who should we speak to about the goblin issue?" Knightstar asked.

"The captain of the guard, Captain Markus," Koth said. "And I would definitely address him as captain. He will ignore you or turn you away for disrespecting his title. He usually is at the southern gate, since it has a guard house. You will know him when you see him."

They were done eating and ready to head out, but the family had one last gift for them. A jar of honey to spread on bread and sweeten their day.

"Thank you," Bladescape said, taking the jar. "We will make good use of it all. And the meal, it was wonderful."

They exited the house and all eight of them leveled up to Level 11.

"That meal was a nice bonus," Malus said as they high-fived their successful level up.

"How does the spear compare to the one in the beta?" Knightstar asked.

"It's similar," Natora said. “A little lower in attack, a little higher in accuracy, higher attack speed, and it has a definitive advantage when it comes to durability. So, it’s either a wash or slightly better. Combat will be the determining factor. But what is Doru?"

"It's an ancient Greek spear and the predominant weapon of the hoplites," Knightstar explained. "It is also known as a short spear, but that is mostly in reference to the later, extra-long spears used by the Macedonian phalanx. The doru was much longer than many spears of its time and even for many later armies. This spear fits the profile to a T. A leaf shaped spear head, with a total length of about three meters, or ten feet, and with a brass counterbalance on the end that is also a spike."

"How do you know that?" Thunderborne asked.

"I brushed up on weapons before the game," Knightstar shrugged. "It wasn't hard to quickly learn the various historical weapons in each classification. Then I started studying the fantasy variants. That was a completely different monster to learn."

"I bet this Captain Markus will be able to tell us if any of those weapons we picked up are missing," Bladescape said, keeping them on track.

They started making their way there.

"I'll probably just call her Deliverance," Natora stated as they walked. "It sounds better. The spear I was after was a greenish metal color, rather than the iron blue color this has. The Spring Evening Spear was unique and special with four enhancement slots, but so is this in its own right. Plus, it has eight enhancement slots. I never did any weapon enhancing in the beta. I switched weapons too often. Either way, I have a great spear that I can’t wait to do that with. If it isn’t owned by someone that needs it returned, Bladescape will have a good sword as well."

"10 enhancement slots," Bladescape added. “It has no owner, or rather, it didn’t until me. I’m the identified owner. The chief said he killed the owner and it sounded like the guy wasn't from around here.”

They headed to the southern entrance. Like Koth had said, identifying Captain Markus was easy. He was the only guard wearing a cape, which was clearly a symbol of rank.

“Captain Markus,” Natora called out. “May we have a word with you?”

"What can I do for you?" Captain Markus asked.

"Captain, we raided a goblin cave last night and inside were some weapons," Natora explained. "We were wondering if they have owners who deserve to have them back."

"I heard about your adventure and saving young Anara," Captain Markus said. "It sounds like she will recover, thanks to you. As to your question, outside of their family sword, we haven't lost any weapons of value. What you found is yours to do with as you please."

"What about the rest of the goblins?" Natora asked. "We hear they are a plague to Tolbana and you could use someone to go after them and strike them at their home."

"Yes," he replied with a slow nod. "I'll give you a handsome reward if you can bring me the head of General Graardor, their current leader. But if we just kill him and drive them off, a new leader will rise up, and probably seek revenge."

"We might have a way to fix that," Bladescape said, confusing her friends.

"I would be most grateful if you could end their reign of terror,” the Captain said. “I'll even add more to the reward. On top of col, I will give you a Tolbana Round Shield like the guards use and a mace that has been in my family for ages."

Their quest logs were updated, signaling the beginning of the quest “Goblin Diplomacy II.” They headed back into the city to plan and prepare. They circled up, eager to hear what Bladescape was thinking.

"I say we strike a deal with the forest goblin generals," Bladescape explained. "They help us kill Graardor and they get to come back to rule the mountains, so long as they promise not to target Tolbana."

"That is an interesting idea," Natora said, thinking. "I like it. Take Diemond and Konpeito with you and see if you can set that up. They were not hostile to us, so I doubt the camp will turn on you since we are in their good graces. The road isn’t difficult, and with your new sword, it should be safe enough. A smaller team will be easier to go unnoticed, by monsters and players. We will prepare here."

"That is a long walk," Diemond said.

"If you start now, you can make it back by nightfall," Natora added.

Diemond sighed. "I guess the sewing will have to wait, while I go make nice to those ugly creatures."

Bladescape swiped up her menu. She set up a party with just Diemond and Konpeito. The others would make a team of five, still within the six-member max for a party.

Bladescape moved to the other logistical matter. "Natora, I'm transferring the items I have to you, so that I am not burdened by unnecessary weight. You can figure out what to do with them, but I suspect that one of the rapiers is better than Thunder's. Check Doom's knives, I have no idea if they will be better. Konpeito might benefit from the axe, but Knightstar will be the better judge of that, same with the knives. I think Malus should take one of the helmets and the chest plate since she needs the defense as our primary tank. I doubt the chainmail is better than what we have, but I figure, unless it is trash, we should keep it on hand for when some of you add in armor skills."

"What about you?" Thunderborne asked. "Aren’t you going to pick up an armor skill?"

"I plan to go with leather armor," Bladescape replied. "Not any of the metal armor skills. The chainmail will be in the wrong class."

"I'll get on it with Knightstar," Natora said, taking the items Bladescape had.

“Uh, primary tank?” Malus asked. “What about Diemond?”

“Oh please, AJ,” Diemond said, waving it off. “I mean Malus. Force of habit still, darlings. Yes, I am working to be a tank and coming along well, but when it comes to battle, if we can only take one tank, that will be you. Every time it will be you because you are better at it. You are as stubborn as a mule and, in this circumstance, that is a very good thing.”

“I reckon I can accept that,” Malus replied, leaving it there.

“Is that it for gear?” Natora asked. “You're all as light as possible?”

They all agreed, however, Bladescape hadn’t transferred one item, the katana. It was named Ancient Mountain Sword. All of the weapons and equipment they had found in the pile had the prefix "ancient" to their names. What that actually meant, or if it even mattered, was unclear. But the katana looked exactly like the one Mr. Shinmi wore during the tournament: a mokko-gata shaped tsuba, with a landscape scene of water and cranes carved into it, and a slate grey tsuka ito wrap. Since no one in their group could use it, Bladescape was not going to give up that sword. She could practice Iaido with it in her spare time. Even without it being a skill, Iaido would be a good way to relax and focus her mind.

Diemond had passed off her crafting supplies. Doombunny offered to care for it. Diemond didn’t trust Thunderborne or Malus with them.

Unburdened, they headed south, back to the center of the map. They kept up as fast a pace as Diemond could handle. She had the heaviest gear and it slowed her down. That was why Natora had not suggested Thunderborne go with them. She would get impatient waiting on Diemond. Konpeito seemed to be content just going on a fun adventure with two of her friends.

It was midafternoon when they got to the forest goblin camp. They avoided Medai completely, which was easy since the camp was north of the town. It was no doubt more popular with the players than when they had left it. Keeping Tolbana to themselves for a few more days was wise for their personal survival, as well as making sure no one else got ahead of themselves and out of their safety margins.

"What brings you back?" General Bentnose asked as they walked up to the camp. He didn't sound pleased to see them.

"We have a proposition for you and General Wartface," Bladescape said. “A mutually beneficial proposition.”

General Bentnose scrutinized them for a moment. "Follow me," General Bentnose said, turning around and showing them to the largest tent. Inside was General Wartface. "What is this proposition?"

"A human proposition?" General Wartface asked, standing up. "And from the ones who solved our great dilemma."

"Yes, we do have a proposition for you," Diemond said, speaking in an attempt to keep them on their good side. They liked her in particular. "One that can reclaim your lost glory and get you out of the woods."

"We are listening," General Wartface said, getting excited.

Bladescape took over. "Tomorrow morning, we are going to attack the mountain goblins. I remembered that you said they kicked you out. General Graardor is our primary target. Now, you can benefit from this, but you have to agree to one thing."

"Yes? And that is?" General Wartface asked.

"Join us in battle against him. After we wipe out the resistance, you take control, and then you use your cunning and skill to ensure the goblins don't attack Tolbana or any of the other human settlements."

"That's it?" General Bentnose asked.

"Straightforward and simple," Bladescape said with a nod. "We need to ensure that Tolbana is no longer attacked by the goblins."

"With General Graardor out of the way, we could seize control," General Wartface stated. It was unclear if it was to himself, his fellow general, to Bladescape, or anyone else. "But, we are independent beings. We will do what we can, but smaller bands of goblins will do as they please. That is the same now as it will be after. They will be small and disorganized, not like us."

"If you can agree to the terms and wish to accept our proposition, then you know where you will find us tomorrow," Bladescape said. "We don't need an answer right now. I know that generals over armies need to plan the right course of action and that can take some time."

"Graardor is bigger, stronger than either of us," General Wartface warned. "He could crush us with his bare hands. You might stand a chance. You are tougher than we are."

"I am certain we will win," Bladescape stated. "Especially with your help. Let us deal specifically with the General, but the choice is yours. We need to get back to Tolbana to prepare for tomorrow's battle."

Bladescape exited the tent, not waiting for a response. Diemond and Konpeito followed her. They didn't speak until they were further away from the camp.

"Is that wise, not having an answer?" Diemond asked.

"It's the best we can do," Bladescape said. "Bentnose wasn't convinced. This will give them time to think. Either way, we are going to face this Graardor and his army tomorrow."

They got back as the sun was almost gone. The others had gotten an errand quest completed. The reward was a good chunk of col. They split the rewarded col eight ways.

Malus and Knightstar were wearing the Ancient Barbuta helmets, which were closed-faced helmets with a T opening in the front for the eye and mouth. Malus was also wearing the Ancient Cuirass of Verity. Thunderborne was sporting the Ancient Wind Fleuret rapier, a narrow sword with a green guard.

Natora had decided that Konpeito and Diemond also needed some of the equipment. Konpeito was given the Ancient Dark Steel Dane Axe and Diemond was given the Ancient Chainmail of Durin to wear once she got Light Metal Armor as a skill. Like the Ancient Wind Fleuret and Ancient Cuirass of Verity, they had eight enhancement slots. Higher grade armor could also hold enhancement slots to boost their durability, reduce weight, or increase their defensive properties.

The longswords were not better than the Anneal Blade, although they were very close, and like the swords, the knives had only slightly lower stats than what Doombunny was using. For unclear reasons, she took one that she liked, the Ancient Kissaki-moroha Tanto. The one-handed axes and the curved sword were of no use for the time being.

The unused weapons might be beneficial to some other players, and the general consensus was to hold on to them and see. They hoped to find a deserving player and keep the sale cost efficient, so that everyone profited. There was no reason why they could not start now as a “guild,” building a reputation for generosity and kindness.

Outfitted with their new equipment, and with plenty of potions, the girls grabbed dinner. Konpeito hadn’t been able to cook for them since she was gone. After the simple dinner, they headed to bed.

BLADESCAPE: Level 11 — One-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense
NATORA: Level 11 — One-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiations
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 11 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor
MALUS: Level 11 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield — Light Metal Armor
THUNDERBORNE: Level 11 — One-Handed Sword — Sprint — Acrobatics
KONPEITO: Level 11 — One-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense
DIEMOND: Level 11 — Mace — Shield — Sewing
DOOMBUNNY: Level 11 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit

Episode 12 - General Graardor And His Goblin Army

Episode 12 - General Graardor And His Goblin Army
Twentieth day in the Month of Cypress (November 20) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 1 - North Northwest of Tolbana - 8 a.m.

The sun had moved from between the floors, to the artificial one on the ceiling. They were close to the mountains, north northwest of Tolbana, and very close to the outside of Aincrad. Malus and Thunderborne were arguing about whether or not they could actually get to the outside of the floating castle, and if they could, would they, theoretically, be able to jump or would the system have a barrier preventing that. It had started with the idea of climbing the outside to get to the next floor and deteriorated from there, not that the argument had any merit to start. It was all conjecture but they were probably trying to distract themselves from the fear of the upcoming fight.

It was annoying Bladescape, but she kept it pushed out of her mind so that at least one of them was focused on their task. They were here to kill General Graardor, take his head back to Tolbana, and hopefully bring peace to the area by installing General Wartface and General Bentnose as the reigning officers of the goblins of Floor One.

“Right there,” Knightstar said. She was the first to speak, outside of Malus and Thunderborne, since they left the city, and it shut both of them up. “That canyon has the goblin war camp.”

“That will make it difficult to maneuver,” Bladescape said. “I was hoping it would be more open, but that is a highly defensible position. I don’t see our Goblin friends either.”

“It was a good shot,” Natora said. “But we all knew it was a long one. Now for the real focus. Graardor won’t be alone and he likely won’t come out without us killing enough of his underlings. There is no way he isn’t a boss.”

“I agree, '' Bladescape said. “So tactics; Three squads, focused on our shields. Diemond, Konpeito, and Thunder, take our right flank. Malus, Doom, and Natora will hold the center. Knightstar and I will take our left.

“The goblins will probably have enough room to flank us, and we won’t be able to stop them. Shields, focus forward, because Graardor will be coming. The rest of us, try and not let them flank us, but if they do, go back-to-back so none of us are hit from behind. Let’s not rush in, but we need to push forward, as best as we can. If we are too cautious, it will take more time, and more time means more chances that we can get badly hurt, or worse.”

“We have to commit,” Natora agreed. “We all have good weapons and equipment, the best in the game at the moment, and our levels are at the top of the curve too. We can do this.”

Bladescape put her hand out. The others put theirs on top of hers and they rallied, “Go Wondercolts!”

They took up their battle formations and moved forward into the canyon. It immediately widened out, giving them plenty of room to fight, but also exposing their flanks more. Barely a hundred meters in front of them was a wooden fortress complete with towers and with stakes along the bottom to prevent the walls from being climbed. Goblins walked along the wall of the fortress, meaning they had a rampart, not just a wall. A long row of stakes were set up halfway between the entrance, and the fortress, with an opening in the center. They were spotted immediately and drums began to beat. Goblins poured out of the fortress, whooping and hollering as they did their weird hobble-skipping run.

“Malus! Hold the center between the stakes!” Bladescape ordered.

Malus charged forward with a reckless abandon only she could muster. Her shield didn’t matter, or her hammer. She had to get herself to that spot before they did. She had a new chest plate and helmet to give her the confidence to hold the line.

Malus didn’t make it. The goblins got there first. She didn’t stop though. Malus put her shield up, bracing it with her shoulder, and rammed into the goblins. Quite a few skipped around her, but the others behind them hadn’t seen her coming and she slammed into them, forcing them to pile into each other as she stopped their charge. She held them at the gap between the stakes.

Thunderborne and Natora attacked the goblins that made it past. With their new weapons, they killed them with ease. Konpeito and Bladescape were slower, but while Natora and Thunder were busy, the two of them got themselves in between Malus and the other goblins, keeping them from striking her in the back.

Diemond went to support Malus by adding another shield. She rammed into them like Malus had, and bounced off them, falling backwards without any grace. She immediately rolled up onto her feet and this time stayed up when she rammed into them.

“Not bad,” Malus laughed. “For a dainty fashionista, yah make a pretty good tank. I'll have to teach yah how to keep your feet planted proper.”

“Well, someone has to bring grace and elegance to the role,” Diemond replied.

“Yah certainly do,” Malus laughed.

Knightstar added her shield on Malus’ left. She was more calculated in her approach. Over her shield she began to stab the goblins, in an effort to break the shoving match.

With the goblins behind their line killed, the other Wondercolts turned their attention to supporting their shields. It didn’t matter as the goblins began to go over the wall of spikes. It was designed to keep enemies out, not the goblins in.

“Thunder!” Natora called. “Go right, I’ll go left. Pick them off as they jump over. They are most vulnerable then, so use your speed to your advantage!”

“Konpeito and I will take the shields’ immediate flanks,” Bladescape added as she grabbed Konpeito by the arm before she got distracted.

Goblins vaulted around their shields as they rushed to get their friends’ aid. It was too late as one swung its ugly sword. It shattered into polygons and then the next one shattered.

“Huh?” Konpeito asked as Bladescape dragged her to the fight. “What killed the gobs?”

“I’m assuming it was Doom, with Hide activated,” Bladescape replied.

“But Hide doesn’t protect from monsters, only players.”

“I didn’t say they couldn’t see her,” Bladescape said. She spun Konpeito around a few times, like they were playing pin the tail on the unicorn, to reset her mind and pushed Konpeito off to battle. “Now go protect our friends.”

Bladescape joined Knightstar’s side. Knightstar was doing major damage against the goblins, but she needed her side protected as two slipped over the barricade and charged her. Bladescape blocked one and shoved the other into the spikes to stop its advance. There were very light creatures. The goblin stuck its head directly on a spike and became polygons.

The Goblins suddenly backed up, breaking contact.

“Boss!” Natora yelled, warning them.

The drum beat changed to a rapid pounding like a thousand horses galloping past. The walls created an echo that easily doubled the sound. Out of the open gates came a vomit yellow behemoth. It looked like an oversized goblin that was the spawn of a cave troll, sired by an ogre, and raised by giants. A well-muscled body covered by fat, extra long arms, a beak-like nose on a small head, and carrying a boulder lashed onto a tree limb, at the fork. It bellowed an odd screech that was somehow deep.

Two health bars popped up above its head, along with “General Graardor.”

“Multiple health bars!” Knightstar exclaimed.

It laughed at her. “Scared, little human? You are thin, not good for eating, or fighting. Your bones will still make a good broth for our stews. But I am rude. Why have you come here and disturbed me?”

“We came for your head,” Bladescape declared. “To literally bring it back to Tolbana, and stop the attacks on the city.”

It laughed at them all. “You can certainly try! But my army will continue to fight you. Leave now with your lives, while I am still lazy.”

“No!” Bladescape stated. “We stated our purpose, so do your worst!”

“Foolish humans who are easy to squish. There are not enough of you to win against me.”

“Back the shields up,” Natora ordered. They followed her orders, making a steady retreat but never turning their backs. “Everyone step back a bit more. We will need the room to maneuver.”

“You can’t outwit me. I am general for a reason! A-” General Graardor paused. “What is this? The two rats who scampered free have come to try and leech off the battle.”

Bladescape glanced behind her and saw General Wartface and General Bentnose standing side by side in the entrance to the canyon.

General Wartnose raised his sword. “We come for what is rightfully ours. Goblins of the New Order-” he swiped his sword down as he yelled “charge!”

The two of them rushed forward. Behind them was the entire forest goblin army. General Graardor howled and charged at the girls. His army attacked the other goblins, forgetting about the humans.

"Strategy!" Natora yelled. "He is clearly slow and lacks agility. Hit and move! His strengths are well, strength and none of you want to get hit with that rock he is swinging! Not even with a shield!"

Since she was talking, his first swing was at Natora. She skipped out of the way, just in time. The thud from the rock caused her to slip and hit the ground hard.

Bladescape did the only logical thing, she struck with the Red Sun Sword. The slice along his arm turned his attention to her, not at an exposed Natora. As the General swung his club up to bring it down on her, the head smashed one of his own goblins. He didn't care as he brought it down on Bladescape. She had no problem dodging it. He had such a big wind up for the attacks, it was easy to dodge.

Malus, Diemond, Knightstar, and Thunderborne all scored hits while he was trying to pick up the club again. They were quick and efficient, keeping to simple skills to not get stuck in longer delays, and then they split back up to try and keep him busy as long as possible.

On the other hand, Konpeito was doing her own thing. Bladescape watched her use the beard of her axe to pull a mountain goblin's leg out from under him while he was fighting one of the forest goblins. She buried her Dane Axe in its back, ending its time in Aincrad, and then skipped off to whatever target found her fancy.

Bladescape charged General Graardor as he tried to smash Diemond. She slashed at his blubberous butt and he howled in agony as she retreated to a safe distance. Two goblins fighting were in her way, so she took a cue from Konpeito and ran the bad one through. Eliminating the enemy goblins in the chaos was not a bad idea. Especially if it helped in the long run. The forest goblins might be able to lose, regardless of the Wondercolts’ progress.

The others were also killing any enemy goblins that got in their way, but the forest goblin battle quickly shifted to the fortress, with General Bentnose in the lead. General Wartface was dealing with the stragglers outside the fortress.

The girls took off the first HP bar after several minutes. His attacks were limited to an overhead smash with a big wind up, and a low swing. They were both easy to see coming and dodge if you paid attention.

Knightstar misjudged an overhead attack. She was close enough to Malus that General Graardor had to decide who he wanted to hit with the stone above his head. At the last moment, he switched targets. He was denied as Malus pushed Knightstar out of the way, taking the blow in her shield. Metal groaned under the weight of the rock, but Malus held her shield overhead, bent down on one knee for stability. Her shield snapped in half, shattering into polygons, and Malus rolled to the side, avoiding the club's final descent.

"Well, that went better than expected," Malus stated. She was deep in the red. Her taunt was focused on the General. "If I had another shield, I could do that all day." She downed a health potion and backed up, out of his immediate target zone. Without a backup shield, she was useless as a tank, but she still had her hammer. Knightstar and Diemond needed theirs, although they would not have the mental strength to stop such an object.

Natora stabbed Deliverance deep into the General's side and then withdrew it. That ended the pause in their fight. They continued with the same strategy, getting General Graardor almost in the red of his second health bar.

Bladescape was once again targeted. She stood still, waiting to move as he brought the rock club down on her. Out of nowhere, Konpeito slid in between his legs on her back and swung her axe up, right between his legs. She slipped away as quickly as she came.

General Graardor groaned and let his weapon go as he clutched at his groin, and then dropped to his knees. The hit brought him into the red. Bladescape surged forward. Her sword glowed as she triggered a Sword Skill that was an overhead slash. She jumped, kicking off his fatty body and turning to bring the sword down over his neck. It sliced clean through and Bladescape was left trying to break her fall. She did a half decent job landing in a roll and was able to turn around in time to see him floating away as the colorful fragments that made up this world.

The others had all landed hits as he went down, including Doombunny and Konpeito. They cheered as the fanfare played and “Congratulations” appeared above them. Windows popped up in front of each of them. Bladescape had an extra one on top of hers for Graardor’s head.

General Wartface and General Bentnose strode out of the wooden fortress.

"It is ours!" General Wartface exclaimed. "You held up your end, and so will we. We will not attack any human settlements and work to bring all of the goblins under our banner. Like we said, we are rather independent, but we will do our best. We don't want you coming to hunt our heads."

"No, we do not," General Bentnose confirmed, shaking his head at the idea. They clearly knew how it would end up.

“Here is a treaty with our signatures, declaring peace and our intentions,” General Wartface said, handing Bladescape a rolled-up piece of paper.

"As added thanks, we have some things we think you should have," General Bentnose said. "Graardor killed many adventurers over his reign and he collected their stuff as trophies. He no longer needs those trophies and we can’t use them. This is the human stuff you might find useful."

Two goblins came out with sacks full of stuff slung over their backs.

"Thank you," Bladescape said, bowing to the two generals. "It is appreciated. This has been a most fortuitous arrangement for us all."

"We agree," General Wartface replied. "Good luck with your adventures."

The two generals walked back into their newly claimed fortress.

"Let's take it and go," Natora said. "We can sort it out back at Tolbana."

"Agreed," Malus said as she grabbed a sack and threw it over her shoulder.

"Are we done here?" Konpeito asked.

"Yes," Bladescape said.

"Who got the baddie's head?"

"I did," Bladescape said. "Now we have to take that other sack of loot back with us."

"Okay!" Konpeito exclaimed. She grabbed it and slung it over her shoulder like it weighed nothing."

They began the long trek back to Tolbana. It was slow, with everyone’s inventories full of loot. Crappy loot, but loot. They made it back just before noon. They immediately went to Captain Markus.

"Am I to believe that, from the bags you are carrying, you were successful?" He asked before they could say anything.

Bladescape swiped up her menu. She pulled out the General's head and the peace treaty. "As promised, General Garrardar’s head. Also, the goblin generals, Wartface and Bentnose, have agreed to not attack any human settlements. This is the treaty, with their signatures. They advised that while they now have control over some of the goblins. Smaller, independent bands will exist outside their control."

Captain Markus took both and read the treaty. He rolled it back up. "We can deal with the small bands," Captain Markus stated. "They rarely dare to attack since they are smaller in number than our guard units and much weaker. It was their army that had the power to fight us head on. I can't believe that you succeeded in brokering peace."

"We happened to settle a disagreement between the two generals several days ago,” Bladescape explained. “From it, we learned that they had been kicked out of the mountain settlement. We offered them their position back, if they wanted it, so long as they don't attack Tolbana. They know what we did. They saw us kill General Graardor. They know we will easily do the same thing to them if they break their promise."

"You have done this city a great service and you have done me personally a great service. Take this col as reward, and then as promised, here is a Tolbana Round Shield and my ancestor's mace."

"Thank you," Bladescape said, taking the items. "We will be in town for several more days, if you need any more help."

"I wish I had more I needed done," he said. "Because I know you can get it done. I don't know of any tasks at the moment. If any come up, I will send a guard to find you."

The fanfare of leveling up played, as each of them moved to Level 12.

"Let's grab food and meet at our accommodations," Bladescape immediately said. "Doom, and Thunder, can you please get us food. Diemond wants to start sewing, and the rest of us either have gear to carry or need to sort it out."

"Sure," Doombunny said. "We can do that. We will grab something good, because I think we deserve it."

"I agree," Bladescape said.

They split and headed to the house. In the room with the table, they laid everything out. Most of it ended up on the bed or leaning against the wall. Knightstar had put her fourth skill as Item Appraisal. It was leveling up quickly as she looked at each one and wrote down the details in the journal she had bought.

All in all, the two sacks gave them four sets of Ancient Chainmail shirts, two Ancient Barbuta Helmets, two Ancient Chainmail Coifs, one Ancient Leather Chest Plating, one Ancient Leather Vendel Helmet, a Duster's Cloak, a pair of Ironwalker’s Boots, a pair of Ancient Lancer’s Bracers, one Ancient Telmarine Shield, one Ancient Telmarine War Hammer, six Ancient Solder Swords, two Ancient Soldier Axes, one Ancient Soldier Great Axe, one Ancient Soldier Great Mace, one Ancient Soldier Falchion, and one Ancient Soldier Mace. The Great Axe and Great Mace had the prefix of "great' because they were two handed weapons.

After a quick check, the mace given as a bonus reward, simply named "Engraved Mace,'' was the best weapon for Diemond. Statistically speaking, the larger Tolbana Round Shield was best given to Diemond, rather than Knightstar. She needed the larger and stronger shield to play her role as a tank.

Malus didn’t need the shield because she got a double upgrade, the Ancient Telmarine Shield and Ancient Telmarine War Hammer. The Telmarine Shield and War Hammer had griffons on them. The shield was an orange kite shield with a black griffon on its face, while the hammer had the orange griffon embossed on the side of the head and orange leather grip. The stats for the shield outclassed the Tolbana Round Shield by a decent amount. The hammer was significantly better than her previous one as well.

The Ironwalker’s Boots were a classless armor leather boot; a cross between an equestrian boot and a modern combat boot. They boosted the wearer’s speed and agility. Thunderborne was the one who would benefit most from them. She was happy to be given them.

The Ancient Lancer’s Bracers were a classless armguard. They had a significant defense boost and came with an enchantment. They would not allow the arms to be severed. The armor would break instead. Natora was given them to use along with her spear because her arms were the most exposed.

The Duster's Cloak was given to Doombunny because it boosted both the Hide and Search Skills, while also providing great defensive stats for a classless armor piece. She easily wrapped herself in its folds and the center slit became indistinguishable when she secured it with the hidden buttons and loops. It was almost as if she was wrapped in a dusty tan curtain. With the hood up, it put a shadow over her face, making it hard for anyone to see it. It was also light enough that she could sweep it behind her shoulders like a cape if it was in the way. It even came with a button and loop hidden under the cloak that could secure it open and behind her for battle.

Out of all the weapons they got from the day’s loot, Knightstar's Anneal Blade was still better. Konpeito's Ancient Dark Steel Dane Axe was the same way.

When they sat down to look at their fourth skill slots, several of them had already made their choices. They were, of course, free to do so, but they were trying to be smart in their early survival. Level 12 was the last time they expected to need to focus their Skills for the collective good. Knightstar taking on Item Appraisal had already been discussed. The surprises came from Malus, who had chosen First Aid, and Doombunny, who chose Blade Throwing. Throwing knives, ninja stars, and other such weapons were the only "ranged" weapons. It was a smart move for Doombunny, albeit unexpected.

Natora chose the much-needed weapon defense skill. It was a tossup between that, and an armor skill. For the time being, her classless leather equipment was sufficient for the job. Thunderborne also chose Weapon Defense, but that was because she didn't want armor slowing her down until she had built up her Sprint and Acrobatic Skills a little further. At level 20 she would be forced to adopt an armor skill.

Konpeito and Diemond chose Light Metal Armor. Diemond's goal was to get to Heavy Metal Armor as soon as possible, just like Malus was planning. Konpeito and Diemond were both given an Ancient Barbuta Helmet. Diemond was able to equip the Ancient Chainmail of Durin. Konpeito was given an Ancient Chainmail shirt, and so was Knightstar.

Bladescape had chosen Leather Armor for her Skill. It was decided that she would take the Ancient Leather Chest Plating. She didn't want the helmet, which was okay with Thunder since she wanted it for when she unlocked Leather Armor. The plating was clearly weathered and worn, with faded impressions of very elaborate decorations that had once been stamped into the hardened leather pieces. It almost looked like bronze armor, but the color wasn’t uniform due to the wear and tear of the ages.

Every Wondercolt now had gotten some form of armor upgrade from the goblin loot. Knightstar and Doombunny were the only ones who didn’t get weapon upgrades. Doombunny’s reason for taking the second dagger the day before was still unexplained, but it was extra and Bladescape was sure that outside of her and Knightstar, everyone else had forgotten about it. Natora probably had let it go as well since it wasn’t relevant.

The extra weapons they now had was one Ancient Soldier Rapier, nine Ancient Soldier Longswords, four Ancient Soldier Axes, one Ancient Soldier Great Axe, one Ancient Soldier Great Mace, one Ancient Soldier Falchion, one Ancient Soldier Mace, One Ancient Soldier Dao, and five ancient knives of various names. Plus the extra armor; three Ancient Chainmail Shirts and two Ancient Chainmail Coifs.

"We have plenty of equipment now," Bladescape said. "We should see who comes first while we do more quests. Then we can start to sell or trade these spare ancient weapons. Our target will be the players who could most benefit from them.

"I think that, for the rest of the day, we should take a break. We have pushed hard today, the past few days, and really, the past few weeks. Since we got stuck in SAO, it has basically been non-stop combat, focused on survival. I think we can say that we are out of survival mode, and now need to find what it means to live in Aincrad. It still is dangerous, we must never forget that, but we are not struggling financially, for equipment, and our health and stats are in good standing. We have some more quests we can do in Tolbana, but nothing important.

“Getting to Level Thirteen should be a focus, but we won't be able to easily do that with the quests left and the monsters available. For our crafters, we need to push forward on that angle.”

The others agreed and most of them left. Before they did, Knightstar took their individual goblin drops, listing them out on a receipt, so that Natora could sell them for the most profit.

Bladescape and Diemond went with Natora. Natora sold Diemond's stuff first, so the fashionista could go get materials for sewing. Then she sold Bladescape's and finally her own. Bladescape didn't rush off though. She stayed with Natora, looking at the weapons and equipment while Natora finished the rest of the transactions.

There wasn't anything worth buying, even for armor. Bladescape still had to check though, for her own mind’s sake. Once she was satisfied, she grabbed durable food for dinner and retired to the room. She sat at the table and opened her book of memories, to continue relearning what she had forgotten.

Bladescape missed Natora coming into the room.

"So, what did you get?" Natora asked. She wasn't even interested in the book.

Bladescape closed it and set it face down to hide her cutie mark on the cover. "What do you mean?"

"A boss always drops good loot, but they drop something special for the player who scored the final hit. In SAO, like many other games, it's known as the Last Attack Bonus, or L A B. You don't have to tell me, but I am curious. You got the goblin head, so it is safe to assume you got the LAB."

Bladescape let out a sigh and pulled up her menu. She pulled the item out of her storage. It was a pair of leather gloves. There was nothing fancy about them, although the leather looked like it had a red tint to the brown. "Gloves of Quickness," Bladescape said. "They drop my delay time by two percent for any attack while wearing them."

"That's a good drop," Natora said. "And Graardor was a low-level boss. Think about what a dungeon boss will drop, or better yet, a floor boss. They are the ones who will give a guaranteed unique drop for the Last Attack Bonus."

"I want it," Bladescape said, a feeling rising up inside her. It wasn’t greed, but it was a strong desire. "Teamwork is important, but I want every single one I can score."

Natora nodded to her. "You will have competition, especially from our group once they learn. But it's good competition, centered on us all becoming better for our collective sake. Thunder is fast and, as a damage dealer, she will often be in a position to score the LAB, but Konpeito...she has a knack for putting her axe exactly where it needs to be to do the most damage. She seems so distracted but don’t be fooled by it. She was one-shotting the goblins, meaning she was scoring critical hits.”

“I never noticed,” Bladescape admitted. “Although, now that you mention it, from what I recall she does have a knack for putting that axe exactly where it needs to be.”

"Another question?” Natora asked.

"What's on your mind?" Bladescape asked.

"These ancient weapons,” Natora said, looking around the room where they were scattered about. “They were not in the beta.” She tossed a small book on the table. “The item shop has been giving these out for free. It's a guidebook. It looks like, while it took a few days, some of the Beta Testers pulled together a really good guide for this floor, along with tactics, and other basic stuff. Stuff I taught our group. It's built for players to use for their survival. They even have a list of weapons in the shops of each town, and other weapons found throughout the first floor, including my old spear.

“However, there is no mention of any ‘ancient’ weapons. I'm surprised such powerful weapons were so easily collected by us. All of them were in two large caches, not spread throughout the floor like a typical game would do. I don't really get why though. It is a big change from the Beta. I expected changes, like my spear which I still am sore about, but this change is more like a restructure, and the weapons almost nullify the Anneal Blade and that quest, ignoring the XP. Knightstar almost switched so she could have an ancient weapon like the rest of you. Plus, there are a lot of them, but no spears. It doesn’t make sense. A sensible change was the shift in the reward for my quest, not these though.”

"You want to know my thoughts," Bladescape asked. "My real, unfiltered thoughts?"

"Of course," Natora said with a nod.

"I dove with my geode around my neck. I'm certain the others did as well. I know we covered the major stories and I am certain Dash told you others. They all involve magic, our magic, but there is no magic in SAO. It's a computer game, based in code, zeroes and ones, and it doesn't even have magic scripted in to be used by us. But the magic we have, it’s tied to us, our soul. We hoped to escape it during our trip to Camp Everfree, but that didn't work. The distance from our school, the epicenter of our magical abilities, didn't matter because it's inside us, it's changed us.

"There is no direct way the magic can assist us, but there are indirect ways. If it works with the coding and the game engine, not against but with, to give us better drops and such, it would be helping free us and therefore be protecting us. It would have to be small enough to go unnoticed. Anything more would risk the game reading it as outside tampering, causing it to kill us, or doing something to us for cheating, or even other players catching on and calling us cheaters. That is a possibility, and we don’t want a bad rep because we ‘might’ have a little extra luck. It doesn't explain the addition of the ancient weapons though, so my immediate thoughts could easily be invalid. Or I could be grasping at straws, hoping for something that is impossible, since we are governed by different laws in SAO. There are too many unknowns and, from inside, we can't know. We are very limited in our field of view."

"That is a valid observation," Natora said, thinking it over. "It does explain when we basically got this ancient gear dropped on us in the quantity it did, because it got the drops worked into it without the game realizing it. It also explains why it only gave gear you all could use, since I don’t have a necklace. You also are right that it has to be careful not to get caught, because it could easily cause us to be harmed.

“I think that it is wise to hope for small assistance. If we are to get out of here, we will need every advantage we can get. Besides, I know from Thund-, from Dash that you girls are not going to live in this world without helping where you can. If you get a little extra help, it will be pushed out to help as many others as possible. You can’t not help people, which is great! And even if the magic isn’t helping, hope is a strong force in its own right. So, hope, hope that we are getting the high end of col drop statistics, but stay anchored in here.

"A third question. What are you reading? Not a lot of books are available. I’m sure others will write and publish stuff to sell soon, and some other novels from the outside might be available to purchase soon, but very little, if anything, is currently available, outside the guidebook."

Bladescape sighed. "Stress induced amnesia. Nothing too terribly important, but all my Iaido lessons, and specifically the leadership lessons, were locked away by the shock of being stuck in SAO. The morning before we finally got me to sleep, I had a visitor. It was my memories. It gave me a book with them all transcribed. It's not cheating since they are my own memories. I'm sure it sounds crazy. I was pretty out of it."

"Not really," Natora shrugged. "Yeah, you were out of it, we all were, and we were getting concerned about your sleep issue, but we all had issues and were wondering who was really on the verge of breaking. Considering that our brains are hooked up to devices that read them, it's not illogical to think that our memories could influence the game in certain ways, or be read by the game engine for its use. This is a very complex system with little understanding of how it works. Kayaba was really the only one who understood the full scope of what SAO was capable of and after beta testing, I think he was so silent about it because a lot of what it really could do, or would do, was untestable."

"Let's keep the memory thing quiet,” Bladescape said. “We wouldn't want the others getting concerned over nothing."

"My lips are sealed," Natora assured her with a nod. “Like you said, it was nothing dangerous and you sprang back really well that morning. Obviously, it helped.”

“I sort of had a direct conversation with myself and it could answer back,” Bladescape said, unable to resist laughing.

Natora joined in. “Oh gosh, that is crazy. What was it like, looking at yourself?”

“Well, it wasn’t myself exactly,” Bladescape explained, chuckling a bit more. “It was my memories, in the form of what I found both comforting, attractive, and ultimately, what a warrior was, because that is the path in SAO I chose.”

“Young samurai who looks like he is very wise?”

“Absolutely,” Bladescape nodded. “Auspiciously bald, yet strong; confident, but serene. He had a sword, but he was in a silk kimono, not armor, and sandals.”

“I wish I had seen this,” Natora chuckled. “But at least I hear about it now.”

“Just picture a young, bald samurai and you will get an idea of what I saw.”

BLADESCAPE: Level 12 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor
NATORA: Level 12 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 12 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal
MALUS: Level 12 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield — Light Metal Armor — First Aid
THUNDERBORNE: Level 12 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense
KONPEITO: Level 12 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor
DIEMOND: Level 12 — Mace — Shield — Sewing — Light Metal Armor
DOOMBUNNY: Level 12 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing

Episode 13 - The Price Of A Soul

Episode 13 - The Price Of A Soul
Thirtieth Day in the Month of Cypress (November 30) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 1 - Tolbana - Evening Time

Bladescape was leaning against the wall of a windmill outside of the city. She was not in the safe zone, but she was training Search, so nothing could sneak up on her. Besides, at level 13, nothing in the area was a threat to her and her back was against a wall, eliminating an attack from behind. Earlier in the day, they had been in the Boss Labyrinth in the nearest pillar. They had been trying to clear it for three days.

Because the first floor lacked dungeons, it was a lot different than anything on the floor. They were unprepared for the difference between the field and a proper dungeon. Many more players would have died in dungeons if they had them on the first floor. The boss labyrinths were supposed to be dungeons on steroids. Since they were located in the pillars that supported and connected the floors, it was a different feel as well. They had to contend with internal floors of the labyrinth, literally climbing and clearing their way to the top where the boss chamber was hidden. Finding it at the top was another challenge. The estimates from Knightstar had the Wondercolts about halfway up the pillar.

Everyone was on break for the evening, mostly so they could craft. Konpeito was cooking. She hated following Knightstar’s guide, because it was boring making the same basic bread bun over and over, but it was netting her the fastest XP possible and for the cheapest cost possible. Diemond was in a similar situation. She was following Knightstar’s advice for the fastest XP, which was currently making leather boots. Diemond had made them all narrow capes to wear, blue and trimmed with yellow, so they were publicly calling themselves the Wondercolts.

Everything Diemond made was maximized for return and not just in her own XP. Knightstar used each item to raise her Appraisal skill and Natora was then selling them to recoup some of the cost of the materials, as well as gain her own XP for Sales Negotiation. She also was buying the raw items or ingredients for Diemond and Konpeito, to reduce the cost while also raising Purchase Negotiation. It was a fluid cycle that was highly profitable for all involved. They were not making money, but that was expected at their early stage. What mattered was the XP rate they were gaining for four players.

Bladescape, Malus, Thunderborne, and Doombunny lacked a crafting skill to train, so they typically teamed up and casually targeted the goblin bands outside Tolbana while the others did their thing. Bladescape needed to be the best she could be to lead them all, not just in combat ability, but in levels. Malus wanted to be the strongest she could be, unyielding even. After the fight with Graardor, Malus was convinced that she could become an unmovable tank, and that was her goal. Thunderborne wanted to be the fastest player. She often was off training Sprint instead of combat, but when she was with them, she was counting kills to compete against Malus. The two IRL were evenly matched in almost everything, but in here, there was no denying that, even unburdened, Thunderborne was the faster player. Likewise, Malus was undisputedly the stronger player. What they could compete for was kill count. Malus used a slower weapon that dealt significant damage, while Thunder used a fast weapon that only could deal a small amount of damage in each attack. Their overall damage output was about equal to each other, making kill counting a good choice to compete in.

When Doombunny joined them, she usually took the opportunity to train her Blade Throwing Skill, and she had started sniping kills from both Thunderborne and Malus, as well as keeping track, just to annoy them. It fit her name, but it was odd seeing Fluttershy intentionally poking something with a stick to annoy it, however, it only made Thunder and Malus fight harder for the kills, which was a win all around.

Tonight, the four of them were not fighting. Malus was tired and decided she didn’t have it in her if they were going back into the labyrinth the next day. She lacked even a passive skill to train and was planning on an early bed. Thunderborne was attempting to ride the windmill blades. Apparently, it trained Acrobatics. Doombunny was off somewhere, probably training Hide.

That left Bladescape standing outside, passively training Search while she enjoyed the scenery. It was quite beautiful. Artists had made this world, not coders. It was so lifelike. Even the things that only existed in Aincrad seemed so natural. It all was one giant, moving, complex piece of modern art mixed with stunning landscape paintings and other scenery portraits. If it wasn’t their prison, with death around every corner, it would be immensely enjoyable, and probably the next World Wonder.

Tolbana was now the hub for all the top players. More were arriving every day and places to stay were almost all booked. Still, less than a hundred players were in the city. A lot of the ones who had started leveling up immediately after the tutorial were out in the other parts of the map, still making their way north. The other towns lacked a teleport plaza, so they had to come the hard way. Some players were trying to cut costs by staying in cheaper hovels in the Town of Beginnings and teleporting to Tolbana each day.

The Town of Beginnings was where the majority of the players were and most hadn’t even left the city. The word from the other players was that less than two thousand had dared to venture outside the Town of Beginnings. Worse, the city was against the southern edge of the floor, and players could gaze out from a few spots to the clouded sky world that Aincrad floated in. Those spots were also where a lot had jumped from, choosing to end their lives rather than face the challenge Kayaba had given them, or even attempt to make a new life here. A lot of players had died, in the field or by suicide, and they were not even a month into the game.

Bladescape saw the players before Search picked them up. It was a wide-open field, meaning her visual range was better than Search’s range. In the woods, dungeons, and labyrinths, Search kept them informed of enemies outside Bladescape’s immediate field of view and had saved them from some nasty surprises over the past few days.

It was a group of five and they were running as best as they could. They probably were coming from Medai by their trajectory, which meant it had been a long day for them to get here. A band of goblins spawned nearby, but it was only seven. It was a larger band for the area, but if the five of them had made it here, the goblins would not be a problem.

Some things came down to instinct. As much as their Sword Skills were useful, and the variety of ways they could be paired with other Skills, the game came down to instinct and willpower; things that could not be taught but had to be learned. In here, she was looking at the world through Bladescape, not Sunset, yet despite the difference, they were intertwined, almost one in the same. Life had taught both Sunset and Bladescape to recognize fear. Those five players were afraid as they tried to not fight the goblins. One put up his two-handed mace to hold them off, trying to allow the others the opportunity to sprint to Tolbana, but there was no way for that to happen.

He was there and then he wasn’t. At her distance, Bladescape only saw a faint glitter of a polygon or two.

The four of them went back-to-back in a desperate attempt to fight. Bladescape didn’t think as she rushed out across the field. There were four players in trouble and she was the only one who could see them, and therefore, she was their only salvation. She couldn’t stand by and do nothing.

It was a long way to charge. Bladescape kept the Red Sun Sword sheathed to help her run faster. As she got close, a hammer wielding hobgoblin broke the players apart. One fell to the ground.

Bladescape drew her sword with a war cry. It caught the attention of two goblins. That still left five on four. One player was taking hits on his shield, while trying to protect the player on the ground. The other two were back-to-back, furiously fending off spears.

Bladescape triggered a skill that jumped her forward to cover the last bit of ground faster than she could run. Her sword pierced the goblin, killing him in a single blow as she also scored a critical hit. Bladescape was in a longer delay, the price of the heavier hitting attack. The second goblin stabbed her while she was frozen. The attack left it in a delay as Bladescape was released. She cut him down with ease and set herself up to chain another Sword Skill. It was triggered and Bladescape slashed the next one open, ending its life, but putting her in a longer delay.

Four more goblins. Two attacking the standing players, and the two going after the downed player and her protector.

Bladescape remembered Natora’s saying, “slow is smooth, smooth is fast.” Stuck, she had the moment to slow down and plan. Her best course of action was to go for the closest target, which also freed the two standing players. That would tip the scale in their favor. She couldn’t easily reach the other two.

Bladescape unfroze and executed her plan. She leaped over to the first goblin, letting an uppercut strike slash him to pieces. It set her up for a downwards slash that cleaved the other in half. Bladescape turned, attempting to trigger a third skill, but she didn’t get in position in time.

The player shielding the one in the fetal position blocked the hobgoblin sword and lashed out with his axe at the regular goblin. He scored a hit, but not the kill. The hobgoblin got behind him and ran him through with its rusty sword.

Bladescape unfroze and jumped the five feet with her sword Skill triggered. The hobgoblin didn’t stand a chance and neither did the regular goblin as Bladescape chained a second Sword Skill. In the split second before she froze, Bladescape twisted so she could see the others.

She regretted it as she watched the player drop his axe and fall to his knees, the rusty sword still in his chest. He shattered. It was no different than any other creature or object in this world. His life was the same as the goblin’s was to the system, but his was worth something. His life was an insurmountable fortune that could never be bought because you can’t put a price on a soul.

Except he did put a price on a soul, he paid for the woman’s soul with his own.

Bladescape hated herself for her second thought; that he was the one they really needed, not her. He had the instincts to make it, to clear this game, and now it was gone along with him.

Bladescape unfroze as the woman, who was really a teenage girl, began to cry in front of the pile of his possessions. All that he had was now in a pile, and twenty feet away, was a second pile. Because of Bladescape, there were only two piles, not five. The other two were boys, not men. None of them could be older than 15.

Bladescape stood all the way up and sheathed her sword. There were no enemies around.

“I have a question you three need to answer right now,” Bladescape said, more forcefully than she meant. “What are your HP levels? I can’t see them.”

“All in the red,” the boy with a curved sword and no shield said.

“Potions?” Bladescape asked, already knowing the answer.

“All out,” he replied.

Bladescape reached into a pouch at her waist and pulled three out. She passed them to him. He was shocked at the kindness and didn’t take them.

“They’re cheap compared to your lives,” Bladescape said.

“Th-thanks,” the other boy stammered as he grabbed one.

The one with the curved sword took the other two, sheathed his sword, downed one, and bent down to coax their bawling friend to drink it.

With them out of immediate danger, Bladescape walked over to the pile of gear that was the remnant of the first of the fallen. It was his mace, a shirt of mail, and a small pouch of col. She picked them up as reverently as she could.

“What are you doing?” the kid with the shield asked.

Bladescape knew she was sounding cold. She didn’t mean to, but she wasn’t even sure how to handle the situation. “Either it sits here, in this field, and soon loses its durability and disappears, or your friend gives you one last gift. I don’t think he would want you to leave it to waste when you could sell it for the col needed to stay alive.”

She carried it back over to them. “Second question you have to answer. What levels are you?”

“Six,” the boy with the curved sword said. “We made it to six yesterday.”

“What are you doing out here‽” Bladescape snapped.

“We thought we could make it,” he said defensively. He sighed, defeated. “Nothing was working. The Town of Beginnings was so crowded that getting a respawn was difficult and pointless. We tried Horunka, but that was just as bad. They were picked clean. We got what we could, tried for three days to do the secret medicine quest, and then gave up. We weren’t even getting good XP hunting because there were too many others around. So, we moved on, and found ourselves in Medai. We had the guidebook, so we knew where Tolbana was, and we thought we could make it. We thought, because of how it had been elsewhere, there would be less resistance on the way, but there wasn’t. What few health potions we had were quickly used and then it was just running.

“We don’t want to hide though.” It was a strong statement as he found his confidence again. His voice still quivered, but he was confident as he made his argument. “We don’t want to be afraid. The five of us decided that we would do all we could to beat this game. Please, Onee-san, don’t send us back to the Town of Beginnings. It’s depressing there.”

Bladescape sighed. This was a disastrous situation. It also made her feel old, when he addressed her as “big sister” and asked her not to send them back, like he was some little kid and she was an old grown up. It was the proper title given their ages, not knowing anyone’s names, and the situation, but it nagged her more than it should have. The weirdest things became a priority during stressful situations.

“I’m Bladescape. I’m not going to send you back like little kids. None of you are little, but you all are out of your safety margin. Let’s get you into the city, safe, before any other goblins spawn, and then let's get you fed. All that running has to have you hungry. I know my friend will have fresh bread either just baked, or almost ready, from leveling up Cooking. We can only eat so much of it.”

Bladescape bent down to pick up their other friend’s remnants. He left his shield, axe, and a tiny sack of col. The girl latched onto his shield, hugging it tight, despite having a shield on her arm. Bladescape let her keep it as she took the rest and the boys helped the girl to her feet.

“I’m Kiefer,” the curved swordsman said. “He is Reisenki, and she is Soryuto.”

“We really should have thanked you earlier for saving us,” Reisenki added. He bowed low. “Forgive us. Thank you, for risking your life to save ours.”

“No need,” Bladescape said with a sigh. She wanted to add something about only needing thanks if she saved them all. She held her tongue and directed them towards the city. She wanted to get them out of danger before any other enemies showed up. Their HP couldn’t be full yet since the potions were slow acting. Even with topped off health, they were at best equal in level to the goblins. Plus, Soryuto was not in fighting shape.

The silence as they walked to Tolbana was agonizing on multiple levels. She had to fill it for their sake, and for her own. “I’m an exchange student, having a semester of school in Japan. While I know the language and English is my first language, Japan’s approach to naming your character in SAO is different than I am used to. Mine refers to the hamon on a katana and the way it can look like a landscape on the blade. What about yours?”

“Mine is...a long story,” Kiefer said. “Too long of one to really explain. It’s been something I have used for a character name for several years now, over several different games and online profiles. It is who I am, as a gamer, separate from my... well my real life.”

“We know each other IRL,” Reisenki added. “We all go to the same school. My name can be broken down into rei sen ki.”

“Zero Fight?” Bladescape asked, confused.

“Eh, more like ‘fighter who zero can beat’,” he explained. “Soryuto literally means Green Dragon Fight, but it is better expressed as ‘fights like a green dragon.’ Clearly, ours were more thought out and clever.”

Kiefer playfully shoved Reisenki and even laughed a bit. Soryuto was still silently clutching the shield to her chest.

Kiefer caught Bladescape looking at her. “Yeah, I guess we owe you an explanation about that as well.” He sighed and gathered his courage. “We started with seven of us, all scoring copies. Two are too afraid to leave the Town of Beginnings and I doubt they ever will. Our mace wielding friend was Lessa, a veteran MMORPG player. The other was Joltron, another veteran gamer. He wanted to play as our group’s tank, to protect us. Even after this game stopped being a game...well he did just that.”

Bladescape saw her vision flash SAFE ZONE, indicating that they were inside Tolbana’s zone. She could relax, at least for keeping them safe against monsters. The rest, she was still trying to process.

Bladescape screamed as Doombunny appeared beside her. Everyone in the area froze, looking at them, and justifiably concerned about the scream Bladescape let out.

“Sorry! I’m so sorry!” Doombunny stammered, sounding very much like Fluttershy. “I forgot I had Hide on. I thought you saw me. I really should have known better.”

Bladescape took a deep breath in and held it, trying to force her body to regulate its breathing and beating heart. She let it out slowly.

“It’s-” Bladescape started. She didn’t feel fine. “It’s over.” She stammered. “I’m in control again.”

“I’m guessing your reaction has to do with them,” Doombunny said, referencing Kiefer, Reisenki, and Soryuto.

“Back to the house, first,” Bladescape said.

Thunderborne slid to a stop beside them. “I heard Blade scream! What’s wrong?”

“I scared her, accidentally,” Doombunny explained. “Come on, we are meeting back at the house.”

“Uh, okay,” Thunderborne said, confused. She complied without asking any more questions.

The house wasn’t far. Bladescape finally felt safe as she entered the house. Konpeito was baking by the fire, Knightstar was slaving over her journal, Diemond was sitting on the stairs, sewing and talking to Natora who sat on the floor in front of the stairs.

“Where’s Malus?” Bladescape asked.

“Probably asleep,” Natora said, standing up. “She grabbed bread about twenty minutes ago and went upstairs. I’ll get her.”

Natora stepped past Diemond and went upstairs. Bladescape just nodded in agreement with Natora. It was clear that the visitors were important enough to warrant waking Malus up. Still, Diemond kept sewing and Konpeito had food she was in the middle of preparing. Until Malus was with them, nothing had to stop.

Natora came back down, slipping past Diemond and leaning against the wall where she had been sitting. She stayed standing for the time being. Malus came down the stairs yawning. She stopped right above Diemond as she stretched and yawned even bigger than before. She leaned against the wall, present and able to see everyone but Konpeito in the kitchen.

“Why was I woken up?” Malus asked, a bit edgy over the disturbance.

“I was training Search, when a group of players came towards the city,” Bladescape explained. “They got attacked by a band of goblins. Kiefer, Reisenki, and Soryuto are the survivors. Two died protecting the group. I got there as fast as I could.”

“Of all the!” Malus exclaimed. “I shudda been out with yah, but instead I went to sleep!”

“It’s not your fault,” Kiefer said, stopping her from continuing. “We overextended our abilities, trying to reach a place where we could actually earn XP. Even if you had been there, at the very least, Lessa wouldn’t have made it.”

The inevitability of the admission hung over the room like a storm cloud. The NPCs were unfazed, but the Wondercolts were unsure how to handle it. Life hadn’t prepared any of them for these emotional challenges and they lacked parents and other adults they looked up to for guidance.

“That explains your scream,” Doombunny finally said. “I, uh, accidentally scared her as they came into the city. I forgot I had Hide active.”

“Mo Ghile Mear Bread?” Konpeito asked, holding out several loaves. “It’s fresh and warm. It’s all Knightstar will let me bake, but it still is good.”

The three of them each took a loaf.

"I let you make bread, but it isn't named that," Knightstar said. "I'm not even sure what that means!"

"Mo Ghile Mear is Celtic meaning 'my gallant hero'," Konpeito explained. "Bladescape is the hero today. A clear winner! It's an old poem that was later put to a new tune, but still a ballad. I.R.L. Blade is trying to adapt it to a rock song with some success. Drums are easy, guitar has been the hardest part."

Bladescape chuckled. "I heard the song at Konpeito's house and it stuck with me. The beat has something primal to it and the meaning is powerful. So yeah, I'm trying to adapt it for our band."

"Mo gil meet," Natora said, raising her bread since she didn't have anything else to toast with.

"We will work on the pronunciation later," Konpeito said. "For now, new friends!"

“Yes, new friends," Diemond said. "However, darlings, none of us have had to deal with the loss of a player in our group. We are unsure what to say, or do, or how to help, or help by not helping.”

“So are we,” Reisenki said with a shrug. “And we knew them. I can’t believe they are gone. But the bread, a hot meal, is very appreciated. We are quite low on col so the free meal is appreciated. More than I think I can express, especially as tired as I am."

“You three can share a bedroom,” Natora said. “We have the top floor rented, so we can at least give you a place to stay tonight, along with the meal. Your immediate needs are taken care of. We can sort anything else out in the morning. If you want to retire now, you can, or you can stay up and talk with us about, well about anything really. The choice is up to you.”

“I’d really like to go to bed,” Soryuto said, speaking for the first time.

“Soryuto, I can get the shield repaired,” Bladescape offered. “That way its durability doesn’t run out. It probably won’t last the night in its condition.”

She slowly relaxed her grip on it. She trembled as she passed it to Bladescape.

“I’ll leave this in your room as soon as it is repaired,” Bladescape assured her.

“I hope we are not a burden,” Kiefer added.

“Nonsense, dear,” Diemond said, waiving the idea off. “We love helping others in need, and the truth is, we have been ahead of most players, so no one has needed our help. It has been rather boring because of it.”

“I’m going back to bed,” Malus stated. “I’m sure y’all know what I would say about anythin y’all might discuss. I’ll let ‘em into the first room and give ‘em a sleeping bag. Hospitality first, bed second.”

They let all of them go to bed before speaking up, so they didn’t distract their guests from doing so.

Natora immediately spoke up when they heard the second door close. “I’m actually more concerned about Malus. Something is weighing on her more than the game.”

“I have no idea what that would be,” Thunderborne said. “But it isn’t like she will open up about it without some prying. She can be stubborn.”

“We can solve that tomorrow,” Doombunny said as she walked over to grab another loaf of bread. “Right now, I am more intrigued about the kids we are on the verge of adopting. They say if you give it a name, you are stuck with it, and you, Blade, named them.”

“I-!” Bladescape stammered, trying to protest. She gave up and just ran with the explanation. “Okay. I did state their names. I saw a group of players, didn’t realize they were level six and in danger until too late, rushed all the way out there, killed all seven goblins, and then made sure they got to Tolbana safely. It was a long walk back, I had to break the disturbing silence somehow. Oh, and I gave them health potions since they too were almost dead and I promised them bread because I knew Konpeito would have extra. That’s as far as I got in planning, which really was no plan!” Bladescape crossed her arms, frustrated. She felt attacked, she felt on edge, she felt a lot of different things.

“Here,” Doombunny said, holding out a loaf. “Eat. You also don’t have to justify your actions to us. You did the right thing, the Wondercolt thing, but seeing them die...that isn’t an easy thing to process.”

“Thanks, Doom,” Bladescape said, taking the loaf. She took a big bite out of it, ensuring she couldn’t speak.

“They are level six?” Knightstar asked.

Bladescape nodded in reply. She swallowed her bite and then took a drink of water from the glass Doombunny brought her. “They said the fields in the safer areas are picked clean and respawns are scarce. Hunting was a problem. They made it to Medai with little issue. They thought there would be less enemies than there were. All they have been trying to do is get strong enough to make a run at clearing the game. That spirit might be broken, but it was there. They asked to not be sent back to the Town of Beginnings.”

“What is up with the shield?” Natora asked. “I feel like we are missing something.”

“I recovered the...remains,” Bladescape said. “It’s just what items you had on you. They will need to sell them for col. She latched on to it because Joltron, her, their, IRL friend, was literally standing over her, protecting her after she fell to the ground. He gave his life for her.”

“Then we definitely need to get it repaired,” Diemond said. “I have enough materials that I can easily whip up some more protective gear than what they currently have.”

“I’m not against this,” Natora said, pausing. “Look, I just want to ensure we are thinking, and not acting on emotions. So far, everything done has been logical and helpful. Level six is half of ours, which means way less HP, and in a party, it’s impossible to see exactly how much HP they have, only the bar. We all have right about the same amount, theirs will drop a lot, lot faster than ours in our vision. It would be a big risk taking them with us, but at the same time, if they were to join us more permanently, it would flesh us out a bit more. For the immediate future, if they can stand with us as damage dealers, not as forwards and tanks, then they will quickly gain XP while we do the work. Work we already have to do.

“Plus, we have that Ancient equipment. If there is anyone who deserves it, it’s them. They made it all the way to Tolbana at level six. That shows dedication. While it won’t boost their actual level, that gear will bump them up so they are more like level eight or nine.”

“Natora is correct about the effect the armor would have on their perceived level,” Knightstar said. “And the weapons I saw were subpar and they will easily benefit from our excess. It does feel like we are adopting them, but they are not some lost puppies. They might be young, but they are old enough to play and understand the risks involved with the changes. Something they just learned the hard way.”

“I think,” Bladescape said, trying to gain command of the room. They couldn’t act too quickly. “I think that we should speak with them in the morning, after we all have had time to think on the matter. We can’t be looking to adopt them and I don’t think we should offer them to join us as Wondercolts, but we will offer them the ancient gear they can use and let them decide if they want to try coming with us. We can work our way from there.

“Maybe it will be short term and we helped them out, which would be great, or maybe we will gain new friends that will last a lot longer, and perhaps, we will gain allies who will join our future guild. If we jump straight to joining our guild, and they can’t perform with us, then that is a problem. We need guild members who not only match our ideology, but can also stand beside us in a fight, every day.

“I think Malus would agree with that.”

“That is a good plan,” Natora said.

“Statistically, it is sound,” Knightstar added.

“Either way, I get to make them gear,” Diemond said.

“More friends equals more fun, right?” Konpeito asked.

“We have a finite amount of resources,” Doombunny stated. “As kind as we want to be, as generous as we want to be, we have to remember that. We can’t help everyone. We focus on the fight ahead and freeing everyone. That is the best we can give everyone and it is really all we can give most of the players. If the three of them can help us do that, and want to, then we form an alliance for the greater good. We absolutely should equip them with the spare gear. We kept it for someone like them and here they are.

“With that said, they may need a day or two before they are ready to hit the field again, and that is okay. We just have to give them space and let them accept our offer. On top of losing two friends, there are eight of us, and we are a daunting group to meet and get to know.”

“Daunting?” Diemond asked, appalled. Diemond turned to Knightstar. “Twilight, dear, and I mean Twilight, were we daunting to you?”

“Friends were daunting to me,” Knightstar said with a flat and logical tone. “You all were so wonderful, and we did meet on a more open playing field, so I knew everyone first, and as bad as things were, we were all there for a reason. But Pinkie alone can be a challenge to get to know. There is no easing in to her. She is made of sugar and even her game name is a pure sugar rock candy. Meeting her, it is zero to sixty in 3.14 seconds.”

“3.14?” Diemond asked.

“Duh!” Konpeito said, drawing it. “3.14 is the mathematical number known as pi, which is the ratio of the circumference of any circle to the diameter of that circle. And zero to sixty is the common standard for measuring engine performance in a car, specifically its ability to accelerate that car to the 60 miles per hour, or if you are going metric, 100 meters per hour, or 62.2 miles per hour. 3.14 seconds is a tough time to hit for most sports cars. And it is also my name!”

“I should have figured that one out myself,” Diemond said with a sigh. “The name part, not the car part.”

“Okay, it is bugging me more than it should be," Natora said. "I know it's rude, but Blade, you didn't happen to get the meaning of their names, did you? Kiefer is obviously something else, but the other two have elements of Japanese that seem contradictory to me."

"I did," Bladescape chuckled. "It was a weird walk to safety and the silence was unbearable, so I told them my name and why I chose it. They reciprocated."

Konpeito interrupted. "Oh! I know this! Reisenki means one who none can beat, and Soryuto means fights like a blue, or green, dragon. Probably more of a blueish green sea color dragon."

"She is right," Bladescape chuckled. "Her ability to play with the Japanese language is both impressive and annoying."

"And I know that Kiefer is a German last name that means cooper," Konpeito added. "A cooper is someone who makes barrels and casks for a living."

"Why, how, do you know that?" Knightstar asked. "I don't even know that! Well, I know what a cooper is, just not the German last name."

"Duh, because of German chocolate cake!"

"And that has to do with Kiefer how?" Thunderborne asked, getting impatient.

"How does it not?" Konpeito asked.

They all groaned involuntarily. They had lost Konpeito again. She was on point when they needed her to be and that was what was most important. The rambling disconnects were tolerable so long as she stayed focused in the fights.

"I'm going to get this shield repaired before the shops close," Bladescape said.

She left the house without any objections and walked to the closest smith. The repair work was quick enough. The NPC shops cost a lot more and we're slower than what players were reported to do. For now, Bladescape didn't know any smiths who she could go to. They needed to sort that out and start working on enhancements, but smithing was a slow skillset to build. It wasn't as bad if you didn't refine the ore yourself, but that was also more costly because someone had to refine it. And then the different types of weapons each had a corresponding skill for making them. Making a sword and making a mace were two separate skills. Even a straight sword and a curved sword required different skills. Repair work was another skill. Player-made weapons of any good value would be slow to hit the market.

Enhancements could be done by a smith so long as could make the weapon. NPCs could not do enhancements. It was a strictly player only ability. That was all she knew about enhancements.

When Bladescape got back, everyone had gone upstairs to bed. Bladescape slipped into the room their guests were using. Reisenki was on the floor in a sleeping bag at the foot of the bed. His axe was right beside his pillow, ready to be grabbed. Kiefer was on the bed with Soryuto, and closest to the door, as a barrier to protect her.

Bladescape almost got Doombunny to put the shield on the nightstand by Soryuto, but decided she could sneak her way over to the other side of the bed. She made it past Reisenki with no problem. He was out cold.

As she got to the nightstand, Soryuto's eyes slowly opened. She hadn't been sleeping. Bladescape held out the shield and she took it, once again cradling to her chest. Her eyes were heavy and closed before Bladescape could back away. Hopefully its presence would ease her mind enough to let her sleep.

Bladescape made it out with relative ease and went back to her room. She was not surprised that Natora was still up, but today she was looking out the window and up at the artificial moon and stars. The two of them had found a rhythm of breaking down the day, or just sitting without speaking, before heading to bed. It was a wind down that they accidentally found and it was working, so they stuck with it.

"You looked like you went through hell when you stepped through the door," Natora said as soon as the door was closed. "I'm not sure what is eating Malus, hopefully just a bit of exhaustion, but you I am concerned about. I already know you don't dream in SAO and we all know Konpeito's dreams are wild, and they oddly continue on from where she left off last. That has sparked the others to state that they do dream, but not so...Pinkie Pie."

They both chuckled.

"I still haven't had a dream," Bladescape admitted. "Close my eyes, fall asleep, wake up like I only blinked."

"It’s only dreams,” Natora shrugged. “So, I don't believe it is a problem. Anything you want to talk about, or should but don't want to?"

"I think I would handle it better if there was a body," Bladescape admitted. "Their existence ended just like any other monster or item. The same sound, like breaking glass, and the same polygons. It was unnerving having them just...disappear."

"You did well," Natora said in the same calm, cool, factual tone they used for their talks. "You saved three players. That is something to be proud of. We cannot afford to lose a single player; friend, unmet friend, or enemy. It is a human life. It’s a travesty that they lost two of their group, but a miracle that three survived."

"I'm not saying the others are not good-” Bladescape sighed, preparing to admit the truth. “But Lessa and Joltron were the best of them, at least by instinct. That is why they sacrificed themselves. They could put up the best fight and hopefully the others could get free. I hate myself for wishing they had survived and places had been swapped."

"That is an understandable wish," Natora replied. "I wasn't there, but we all want the best at the front. I think they will be fine. I believe they can contribute well to us as a guild, if they want to. They have the guts. Something else is bothering you though."

Bladescape sighed again. "A question I don't think we can answer. What is the price of a life? To our situation, are some lives more valuable than others? More specifically, when you save the life of another at the cost of your own, is it a waste, or a gain? Answering that might determine how I react in the future and that concerns me."

"Again, understandable concerns,” Natora said with a nod. “You have posed a deep philosophical question. I don't have an answer. I know this though, if we treat it as a waste or a loss, we devalue life. I'm not saying go off and sacrifice yourself, or to sacrifice yourself unnecessarily. We need you, so maybe right now some lives have more value than others, but you can't count it as a waste. The price of a human's life is worth the life of another, if not more. That sacrifice is a difficult thing to choose."

Bladescape slowly shook her head. "And yet I believe that I have to choose my stance on it now, before I end up in a position that might require it."

"Did you get hurt saving them?" It was a bit of a switch from their topic.

"I did," Bladescape said. "A goblin stabbed me while I was in a delay from a chained Sword Skill. It was only a small amount of HP though."

"Small or large, you risked your life to save them and you won. It was a pyrrhic victory, but a victory nonetheless. Take pride in that victory. They are here and we are trying to figure out how to help them, all because you choose a course of action that got them here. I would rather have these questions come up than not. Eleven against this iron castle is better than eight."

"That it is," Bladescape said. While she continued, she swapped out her armor for sleepwear and sat on the bed. “Why did you call it an iron castle and not a prison? I’ve caught you saying that a few times and never a prison, and I have heard the others who made it to Tolbana. They call it a prison.”

“Is it a prison or a world to live in?” Natora asked as she sat down on the other side of the bed. “We have no shackles or bars. We are not serving a sentence for a crime we committed or were unjustly convicted of. We were trapped, kidnapped, but not imprisoned. No one had to die. We have a clear goal, clear the game, beat the boss on the Hundredth Floor, and we get set free. Nowhere did Kayaba say we had to die. He said it was our home now, but he doesn’t see it as a prison and neither do I, and I am guessing, neither do you.”

“I catch myself marveling at the beauty of this world,” Bladescape admitted. “It was crafted by artists, not wardens.”

“And that is why I was looking out at the moon and stars,” Natora explained. “I know they are not real, yet they are as tangible to me in this world as back home. They were crafted by a creator who knew how to make beautiful things.” Natora slipped under the covers. “Now go to sleep, and look forward to the beauty that tomorrow will bring. Enjoy what you can. It’s what I am doing, or trying to do.”

“It really makes that hard when you get impaled,” Bladescape stated as she slipped under the covers.

“Yes, but now, shut up, close those eyes, and everything will magically be morning for you.”

Bladescape took a deep breath in and let it all out slowly. As soon as her lungs were empty, she closed her eyes and let everything go.

BLADESCAPE: Level 13 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor
NATORA: Level 13 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 13 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal
MALUS: Level 13 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield — Light Metal Armor — First Aid
THUNDERBORNE: Level 13 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense
KONPEITO: Level 13 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor
DIEMOND: Level 13 — Mace — Shield — Sewing — Light Metal Armor
DOOMBUNNY: Level 13 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing

Episode 14 - New Month, New Strategy

Episode 14 - New Month, New Strategy
First day in the Month of Holly (December 1) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 1 - Tolbana - 7 a.m.

Malus was not in the house when they got up in the morning. It was not like her to be absent and there were no messages left either. It was causing a commotion in the narrow hallway of the space they were renting. So far, their guests had not been woken up from the noise.

“Let’s just go downstairs and start breakfast,” Bladescape ordered, trying to calm everyone down. “She went to bed early, she probably just woke up a bit early and didn’t want to bother anyone and just took a walk in the morning air."

Bladescape got them all downstairs and Konpeito quickly got a simple porridge going. It was their usual breakfast meal. Inexpensive, easy and quick to make, and it was filling.

Konpeito was almost done when the door opened and Malus came in carrying two baskets.

"There you are!" Thunderborne exclaimed. "You had us worried!"

"I'm sorry y'all," Malus said with a shrug. "Truth is, I didn't think I would be gone so long, or that y'all'd be up by the time I got back." She let out a sigh. "Look, I'm tired of all this. I'm down for fightin and beatin this game, but I'm a country girl. I gotta have good food to keep me goin." She held up one basket. "So I went out and bought fresh fruit, and this basket has milk, fresh from the cow's udder. I squeezed it myself, which is why I took so long. Konpeito's cookin is comin along nicely, I ain't blamin her for anythin. I know she needs to maximize her XP so she can begin to make us better meals. I just need more and, outside of a few occasions I can count on one hand, food has been about efficiency, not flavor."

"Darling, why didn't you say something?" Diemond asked. "I think we all can agree with the current state of our meals."

"None taken!" Konpeito said.

"None taken what?" Thunderborne asked.

"Offense," Konpeito replied. "I decided to say it before one of you tried to apologize. You were bound to at some point."

"Okay," Bladescape said. "We can look at expanding our menu. I haven't had a problem with it, but I understand your logic and I’m only one person. Still, why didn't you say something?"

"Cause I only realized it when I woke up," Malus explained. "Now, let's eat."

Konpeito'a porridge was done. It was good to have fresh berries in it, as well as fruit by itself. The milk was bottled individually and they drank it straight from their bottles.

"I needed that," Bladescape said. "I just didn't realize it."

They all heard the footsteps on the stairs. Kiefer, Reisenki, and Soryuto joined them. They bowed to them.

"Thank you for having us," Kiefer said.

"Well, sit down and eat," Malus added. "There's plenty left, an it'll go bad otherwise. I got milk for y'all too."

Reisenki eagerly took up the offer. Keifer and Soryuto were more refined about accepting it. They were not going to turn down a free meal though.

"So now what?" Kiefer asked as they finished. "You are all here. We appreciate all you have done and we don't want to be a burden. If you could point us to the safest training area, that will suffice."

"Well, we can’t do that exactly,” Bladescape said. “At your levels, there are no safe areas for you to train that are close to Tolbana, but that isn’t a problem for a few reasons.

“First off, we have something else for you. We have been waiting to see if anyone was deserving of what we got in loot a few quests ago, but everyone here is well equipped, except for you. We want to get you set up with better equipment from our excess. Second, the safest training spot is with us while we tackle the boss labyrinth again. If you stick with us, you can play damage dealer while you reap in the shared XP. It will help you climb the ranks faster and make your future expeditions safer."

“That is if you want to join us,” Natora added. “You have no obligation to take us up on the offer. We believe it will be safe for you to come with us and that you can contribute solid damage as well.”

“I don’t have a better plan,” Kiefer said. “And I think the three of us want to press on. If we back down now, Joltron’s and Lessa’s sacrifices will be worthless.”

“That is a logical observation,” Knightstar said. “So, let's get you outfitted."

Bladescape swiped up her menu, and so did Natora. They still were storing the excess ancient equipment in their room but they had grabbed what they needed before they got the panicked knock on their door.

"We don't mean to pry, but it would be useful for us to know what your current skills are," Bladescape said.

"We haven't chosen our third yet," Keifer said. He was clearly the one now in charge of their group. "I'm Curved Sword, with the goal to move to the Katana. I also have Slash weapon forging so I can eventually make my own Katana."

"Shield and Sword," Soryuto said. "I want Musical Instrument as my next Skill, to have some fun."

"Axe and Shield," Reisenki said. "I want Light Metal Armor, with the goal of replacing it with Heavy Metal Armor and being a tank."

"Smart moves," Natora said. "I know you, Soryuto, want music, but pushing it back to your fourth Skill and going with an armor skill is the wisest course of action. It covers your combat basics, which means safer fighting and leveling. Higher levels means more skill slots to do fun things with. That has been our strategy, with a few exceptions, but the exceptions have made us better as a unit."

Soryuto swiped up her menu. After a few clicks, she clearly added a skill. "Done. I chose Light Metal Armor, because I don't want to fall again and be so helpless. I want to be able to take a hit and be able to hit back harder."

"I guess my best bet is also Light Metal Armor," Kiefer said.

"We agree on that," Knightstar said. "Mostly because we have armor that would raise your perceived level to be eight or nine."

"You eight plan on forming a guild, right?" Kiefer asked.

"We do," Knightstar said with a nod. "And we had planned on it from the beginning, from before SAO launched."

Both Kiefer and Reisenki opened their menus and added it as their third skill.

"Three Ancient Chainmail shirts," Bladescape said, giving them each one. "All of the Ancient gear have eight enhancement slots.”

"We only have two Ancient Chainmail Coifs," Natora said. "The best bet is Kiefer and Reisenki. Reisenki so he can be a tank and Kiefer since he lacks a shield." She passed them the coifs. "We have weapons too. For Kiefer, this Ancient Soldier Falchion is classified as a curved sword. It will serve you well. The Ancient Soldier Axe will serve you, Reisenki, just as well."

Bladescape had the last weapon. "Soryuto, this Ancient Soldier Sword is only a little below the Anneal Blade. I know you tried getting that sword."

"Thanks," Soryuto said as she took it. "I will make good use of it."

Thankfully, they all were high enough in skill that they could use the Ancient equipment. It didn't seem to have a minimum requirement, such as strength stat like Bladescape’s two-handed sword, but Knightstar's appraisal skill was still new.

Bladescape switched gears to focus on the rest of the day. "How are our potion stocks?"

"High," Natora said. "I restocked us last night. Although you need three more, right?"

"Yes," Bladescape said with a nod.

"Here," Diemond said to their new friends. "I made these belts with my Sewing Skill. The pouches on the belts can hold your potions for quick access in battle. I eventually want to make us our own armor. For now, it is just matching capes for us and things like these belts." Diemond also gave them gloves, boots, and to Soryuto a leather arming cap.

They were thankful for all the new equipment and the items made just for them.

Natora passed out potions, restocking everyone and filling Kiefer’s, Soryuto’s, and Reiseki’s pouches. They set themselves up in two teams. Bladescape led Malus, Konpeito, Doombunny, and Reisenki. Natora led Thunderborne, Diemond, Knightstar, Kiefer, and Soryuto. Diemond had progressed very well as a tank, but they had learned that she was a better tank with Knightstar playing forward beside her. The second shield gave her more confidence. Malus could handle anything fine enough as a lone shield and Bladescape and Konpeito could hold their own as Forwards due to Weapon Defense.

It was a thirty-minute walk to the entrance to the boss labyrinth. It wasn't a bad walk, and they passed the time getting to know each other more. If a group of goblins spawned, they quickly dispatched them with ease.

Getting back to their ending location was the same way and it wasn't hard. From there, the two parties split and began to clear and map in different directions. They would swap map data when they got together again. Once they were in a guild, map data would be shared. For now, it stayed as party data unless given to another player.

The Ruin Kobold Troopers that roamed the labyrinth were mostly level 6, but there were some level 8 variants. They were a humanoid beast, with a large, red body, thick tails, and ears like a rabbit. They only wore pants, no armor, and carried an axe. The level 8 variant used a two-handed mace instead. Since they were humanoid, like the goblins, they could use certain Sword Skills.

It wasn't long before Reisenki shifted to playing as a Forward, giving Bladescape's party a second shield. He was serious about becoming a Tank, but wisely playing it cautious at his lower level. He leveled up to Level 7 relatively quickly.

The fighting wasn't bad. They could handle it well in their team, even without Reisenki. It just took time to map the labyrinth. They mapped their path to a dead end and then backtracked to another fork and cleared the path until they hit another dead end. After a third dead end, they had nowhere else to explore.

They went back to yesterday's end point to find the others were already there.

"We found the stairs," Natora reported. "At least one other group came through here. Our enemies were too light to be the first ones here."

"We know other teams are hitting the labyrinth," Bladescape replied. "Let's swap maps and head up."

The top of the stairs had three paths to choose from. Out of the left one came a figure cloaked in red. With the hood up, it was hard to tell if they were male or female. The player ignored them, not even giving them a glance, and headed down the right path.

“I guess we go center,” Bladescape said.

“Yeah,” Natora shrugged. “But I’ll take my party left to speed map it, and then we can catch up with you.”

“We will stick with left turns then,” Bladescape said. “That way, you can find us.”

“Good plan,” Natora said as she started down the left path.

Bladescape’s party ran into a level 8 trooper at a split in the path. It charged them with its mace. Bladescape took point, letting it target her and trigger a Sword Skill.

“Switch!” Bladescape yelled, spinning out of the way.

Malus slipped in front, shield blocking her friend. Konpeito and Bladescape retaliated in unison and the fight was over.

Someone clapped. Bladesape turned around to see a man leading a full party. He had blue hair with long bangs and a long blue shirt, the same shade as his hair, under his bronze plate armor. His kite shield was also bronze and it had a steel cross dagger on its face. “Well done,” he praised, his voice smooth and soothing. “We saw it charge you and then noticed that there were four of you, so we didn’t think you were in trouble. Still, that was better than I expected, and your fourth didn’t even have to attack. We probably would have been a hindrance if we tried to join. You were very fluid and quick.”

“Thanks!” Konpeito exclaimed.

Bladescape was wary of him. Something felt wrong, but she had no idea what. They said keep your friends close, and enemies closer. He was one to watch. “Thanks,” Bladescape said, stepping towards him a bit to assert herself as the one to be speaking to, not the others in her party. Konpeito was liable to run her mouth and Malus could be too trusting. “We have been doing alright. I’m not sure about you guys, but they put up a good challenge for us. I’m Bladescape.”

“Diavel,” he replied. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. It’s good to meet another strong party. Far too many in the labyrinth are solo or in smaller groups. A full party can make easy work of the troopers. A full party is always stronger, although you seem to be the exception.”

“Can you blame them?” Bladescape asked. “There are a lot of unknowns, trying to sort out who is a friend and, well, who isn’t going to be helpful, can be a bit difficult. Trust goes both ways.”

“I guess I can agree to that,” Diavel said. “However, the way I see it, no party of six will be able to easily beat the floor boss. Even if they could, it’s a huge risk. We are going to need to combine forces in a coordinated effort. First, we have to find the boss chamber though.”

“From what we have heard about the game, that sounds like what we will need to do,” Bladescape said. “For now, we have just been trying to map the labyrinth and find that chamber, and of course, survive.”

“Are you guys set up in Tolbana?” Diavel asked.

“Yep,” Bladescape nodded. “You?”

“We have inn rentals there as well,” Diaval replied with a nod. “It won’t be much longer until we find the boss chamber. Tolbana has that amphitheater. It would make a good place to organize a group to raid the boss. If we become friends, it will be easier for me to get a strong party like yours into the raid group with us.”

Bladescape swiped up her menu and extended a friend request to Diavel. “My friends and I would be happy to be a part of the team effort.”

The telltale sound of a respawn materializing echoed off the labyrinth’s stone walls. Bladescape gripped her sword as she searched for it. Diavel drew his sword. It popped up just inside the other tunnel. Before they could do anything, Konpeito slid in front of it and unleashed a two combination Sword Skill with her axe, eliminating the level 6 kobold trooper with ease. Both hits were critical attacks.

Diavel sheathed his sword. “Impressive. Very impressive.”

Metal hitting stone turned their attention back to Konpeito. She had dropped her axe. She picked it up and began to balance it on a single finger, moving around as she fought to keep that minute balance point. She had instantly flipped from an epic fighter, to a distracted kid playing around.

“Anyway,” Diavel said, focusing on where he could make progress. “We are heading back. We spent all night in here and need some rest. Good luck.”

“The same to you,” Bladescape said.

She watched them head back towards the stairs. They were soon lost due to a turn in the tunnel.

“He had a bit of a silver tongue,” Malus said. “Good idea, but I can tell you were as nervous about it as I was.”

“I’m not sure what was poking at me,” Bladescape said. “But it still is.”

“None of them noticed me,” Doombunny said, unveiling herself along the wall where she was out of the way. “He was very intent on judging our strength, but in a dark way. I don’t think they would have attacked, but he clearly wants to be on the top. A charmer who can lead and also desires to be the best no matter what, is a dangerous combination.”

“Yeah,” Bladescape sighed, understanding what Doombunny had picked up on. “I know what you mean. In that mentality, that type of person will manipulate things to have the threat help, but stay out of the way.

“He kind of reminds me of some of the-” she paused a moment as she glanced at Reisenki, “High-society types from where I’m from, or how I used to be before all of you knocked some sense into me.”

They were tactics Bladescape knew well; no matter what reality or dimension the individual was in. Sunset had always gone the more direct route when it came to getting what she wanted, but manipulation had been one of her tools. Typically, it was more direct, but she had done plenty of work in the shadows to conquer and divide the school and drive it the way she wanted to over her dark reign.

Their other party came around the bend while she was thinking and joined them. “I take it with your lack of progress, that you ran into that other party?” Natora asked.

“Yeah,” Bladescape nodded. “We had a chat.”

Natora glanced around and kept her voice low. “His name was Davil, right?”

“Diavel,” Bladescape said, keeping hers low as well. “Did you recognize him?”

“I did,” Natora said. “I don’t really know anything about him. His face and body build were different, but he wore the same bronze and blue set up he has now, and the same hair. He probably changed his hair back to the same style as in the beta, even dyeing it blue again. I saw him several times, always as a party leader and never with the same group. The beta testers took a huge hit after this stopped being a game. I don’t know if he knows anyone else from the beta, or all six of them could have been beta testers.”

“He spoke about getting the strongest players together to team up against the boss,” Bladescape said. “We became friends so we could be kept in the loop. He saw us cut down a trooper with ease and then another one respawned while we were talking. Konpeito obliterated it, solo. Then she went back to doing what she is doing now. He was very interested in her ability to cut it down so easily.”

Konpeito dropped her axe, making them all wince from the sound. “Whoops! My bad.”

“He never saw Doom,” Bladescape added. “He said four strong players.”

“Or he did, but he knew she was using hide,” Natora said. “So, he said four to see how you would react. The good thing is that he met you first. Three players wearing the same cape, obviously player made, plus one more, is less threatening than running into our full part of six, four plus two. I’m certain he noticed our capes.”

“We could spend all day deliberating it and not come up with an answer,” Bladescape said, bringing her voice back up to her normal level. “We should keep going. You didn’t run into anyone, did you?”

“Saw another party,” Natora shrugged. “Looked like it was led by a spiky haired guy in scalemail armor. They saw us taking our path, and went down the path Red Riding Hood took.”

“It's getting busier,” Bladescape said. “We should move out before players come our way.”

They kept up the clearing and mapping for the rest of the day. At times, they could see evidence of recent activity, in other parts they were fighting the first spawned troopers. They climbed up six more floors. Knightstar was certain there were twenty floors, which put them three quarters of the way up the pillar.

They got back later than normal, leaving no time for crafting, but that was fine with Bladescape. They made enough cash that they skipped Konpeito cooking and got a good meal at a tavern.

Kiefer stood up, mug in hand. “A toast, to Bladescape, for all she did for us, and to all of you, for helping us spring back from our loss yesterday. Because of you all, we each leveled up twice!”

“Thank you, Dear,” Diemond said. “But really, all we did was help you back on your feet and give you a shove in the right direction. You did it on your own. You chose to. You all pulled your weight today.”

“Diemond is right,” Bladescape said. “But we appreciate it. We did work well as a team.”

“I believe that the three of us would enjoy staying a team with you if you would have us,” Reisenki stated.

Bladescape looked at Natora, who nodded once to her. “Reisenki, Kiefer, Soryuto, we would be glad to have you along with us. No obligations, but we will be glad to have you with us as long as you want. And if you leave, that doesn’t make it permanent. You will be welcomed back with open arms.”

“Absolutely,” Natora echoed.

“Then to our future together,” Reisenki said, raising his glass in a toast.

After dinner, they headed to bed, back to the same rooms as the night before. Bladescape and Natora were still paired up despite the shift. Bladescape had something specific she wanted to discuss with Natora.

Natora spoke first, right after Bladescape closed the door. “Seeing Diavel make a power move concerns me. We know it and all the top players know it whether they want to admit it or not, but we will have to come together to beat each floor boss. However, what concerns me, is that he will use the success to launch himself to the head of the guild for clearing. I think that diversity will be key for our success, not lumping together into one or two, or even three big guilds.”

“If we do end up as eleven, we can help balance that back out,” Bladescape said. “But yes, that is a concern and a position he could easily slingshot himself into if we have a huge success and breakthrough because of him. We won’t know until we get that run at the boss.

"However, right now we need to think a little more short term. We need to look at getting a round of enhancements done on our weapons. Especially since we are close to the boss, we need every edge we can get."

"I agree," Natora said. "I'm a little low on the enhancement knowledge, so I think we need to track her down. You, Knightstar, Doom, and I can take care of that, Diemond and Konpeito can focus on their skills, so we take their weapons with us, and Malus and Thunder can take the others out to clear goblins and level grind. We can sort out what we need to get, get it, and then in the evening, or earlier if it doesn't take us too long, we can get the fighters to enhance their weapons."

"Sounds like a plan," Bladescape said. "But who do you mean by 'her'?"

Natora held up the guide book. "Argo, AKA The Rat. We can start there. It will probably cost us, but you are right. We need to ensure that we take our weapons to the next level before we face the boss."

Bladescape just nodded in understanding and agreement. They said nothing more as they swapped out their armor for the sleepwear Diemond had made them and went to bed.

Episode 15 - Enhancing Procedures

Episode 15 - Enhancing Procedures
Second day in the Month of Holly (December 2) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 1

Natora, Bladescape, Knightstar, and Doombunny were on the hunt for “The Rat,” Argo, who wrote most, if not all, of the guidebook and who was the first “information broker”. Konpeito and Diemond were crafting, while Malus and Thunderborne had taken Kiefer, Reisenki, and Soryuto out to hunt goblins for XP and technique training.

An information broker, or info broker, sold information. That was their job; to acquire and then sell that information to anyone who wanted or needed it. Locations of items, quest help, monster stats, if it could be formatted as information, it could be sold. They were like a game guide, but on the inside, and information would be key to surviving.

Natora spotted a group of five guys talking by the main fountain in Tolbana. They were all young, likely younger than the high school senior. She walked up to them. "Excuse me," she said, putting forth some feminine charm. "Can I bother you gentlemen for some information?" The added emphasis to “men” was an obvious ego booster as their demeanors immediately changed.

"Uh, sure," one said. "What do you ladies need to know?"

"Me and my friends are trying to find Argo, the creator of the guidebook,” Natora explained. “We have a few questions about the enhancement system we want to ask her."

"I am sure she could help, but I don't know how to find her,” he stated. “But I can send you to the guy who enhanced our equipment yesterday. He should be able answer your questions, as well as knowing where to get materials from. And he can enhance them too.”

“That would be very helpful,” Natora said. “I would really appreciate it.”

“His name is Koricata, and he runs with three others. He is an older guy, brown hair, slicked back. You can find him in the Town of Beginnings, south around the reflection pool. A lot of vendors are setting up there because it is a central location. He was in the northwest corner yesterday.”

“Thank you,” Natora said, flashing them a smile.

Natora rejoined the others. “Looks like the Town of Beginnings is our next stop.”

“I am not looking forward to that,” Knightstar said.

“I’m not thrilled either,” Natora agreed. “But it is a central and safe location for the crafters. Many may not have left the city yet, so they won’t really have any options. Either here in Tolbana, or the already established player market location in the Town of Beginnings. The Town of Beginnings currently makes more sense than Tolbana.”

“At least we have the teleport plaza,” Bladescape said.

“That is a positive,” Natora replied. “Let’s move before we lose our nerve.”

They teleported to the Town of Beginnings. The central plaza was basically empty. Players didn’t want to be where they had been told the rules had changed. Even if they were stuck in the city, they could at least avoid it. Any who did enter quickly skirted along the sides until they could slip out.

The Black Iron Palace was directly off the town center to the north. It had a wide entry between the plaza and the palace’s courtyard. Just as wide of a road was the south exit, which led to a reflection pool with a small island and house on it. It was a serene escape from Aincrad, or it was supposed to be.

Players could buy a vendor’s carpet, the first item that allowed merchants and craftsmen to get started. It was about the size of two tatami mats and the only one who could move an object on it was the owner. It could be rolled up, magically storing anything on it without adding weight, but it couldn’t be put in a player’s inventory and it only worked inside the safe area of towns and villages.

Bladescape looked at all the vendors spread out around the outside of the square the reflection pool was in. All different types of players were working to become merchants of some kind. Some were reselling items, others were selling materials, others were crafters trying to sell what they made so they could make more and continue to level up.

“Specialty items!” A woman in bright red robes called. “Only the rarest and best can be found here!”

“There,” Natora said, pointing to the northwest corner. “Same location.”

Bladescape followed Natora to the person. Four mats were laid out. Two had a small furnace and baby anvil, one had a different furnace, and one had a small circular sharpening stone. They had a few basic weapons laid out that had been produced by them which were ready to be sold.

It was three older men, in their later 30s, maybe 40s. The dapper one with slicked back hair was in a mustard tan shirt and his starter gear; the skinny one with a buzz cut was in his starter gear and a grey shirt; and the short one with curly hair was in his starter gear and a navy blue shirt. He wasn’t actually short, his friends were above average height. The fourth was not present.

“Hello,” the one with slicked back hair said from where he was sitting on his mat. Just by his accent it was clear he was upper class. “You don’t look like you are in need of any weapons today.”

“Are you Koricata?” Natora asked.

“Yes, I am. What can I help you with today?”

“We are looking at getting enhancements done on our weapons,” Natora stated. “Outside of the system existing, we don’t know anything about it. The guidebook gives only a limited amount of information on it.”

“Well, have a seat and I will tell you everything you need to know,” Koricata said. They sat down in front of him. “Oh, and I should introduce you to my other associates. The one in grey is Nataszo, the one in blue is Nemus, and then we have our friend, Lisbeth. She is around somewhere. I think she went to get something for Nemus.”

“I’m Natora, and that is Bladescape, Knightstar, and Doombunny. We are going to be forming a guild, with some other friends, as soon as that ability is unlocked.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you all,” Koricata said, bowing a bit in his seated position. “I guess that explains why you three are all wearing the same capes, and your friend with a unique cloak has a blue shirt.”

“Our friend, Diemond, made them for us,” Bladescape said. “But we don’t exactly have smiths yet, and even the one who wants to do smithing...combat is where we are focused on. It's our survival. We have been clearing the first floor’s boss labyrinth, so I am glad to see that others are thriving in ways other than combat.”

“Oh, we have done some fighting,” Koricata said. “If you need materials, you need to be able to protect yourself while getting them. But it is good to hear that players are making a good attempt at clearing this game. Fighting is one thing, clearing the game is another.

“But you are here about enhancements, which you will need to clear and fight bosses. I’ll be covering weapons, but armor is the same system, with some minor differences. Knightstar, is that an Anneal Blade you are carrying?”

“Yes,” Knightstart said, drawing it and presenting him with the sword.

“This is a great example,” he said, holding up for them all to easily see it. “Because a lot of players have this sword. It is probably the best sword in its class right now. Enhancements are best thought of as slots, so the Anneal Blade has eight slots. The types of enhancements that can be applied are Accuracy, Durability, Heaviness, Quickness, and either Sharpness or Toughness. Sharpness for edged weapons, toughness for blunt weapons. You can add any combination up to the number of enhancements, so eight for the Anneal Blade. Once a weapon’s enhancement limit is reached, it becomes an ‘end product.’ Trying to add another enhancement will automatically break the weapon.

“That becomes important, because while the Anneal blade has eight enhancement slots, that doesn’t mean all eight will take. Enhancements can fail. After four successful enhancements, the failure chance increases by a good margin. When you have a weapon with twenty or thirty enhancement slots, that can be a big factor in the calculations because of what a failed enhancement can do. There are three things that can happen if an enhancement fails. The first is that nothing changes for the weapon, but the materials are used up and the slot is taken up. The second result can be the item losing a level of enhancement. The third is that the enhancement level stays the same, but the exact properties of the weapon change.”

“It is a calculated risk,” Bladescape said.

“Yes,” Koricata nodded. “But it can make a good weapon great, and really stretch out the longevity of the weapon. If you were to take this Anneal Blade, and get eight quickness enhancements, you would have a sword that is almost like a rapier, but with the durability and stoutness for slashing that a rapier lacks. Quickness improves the speed of the sword, both Sword Skill attacks and your own swings. Accuracy improves the critical chance rate, and it helps you hit it more often. Durability increases the weapon’s ability to withstand damage. I’m sure you guys are repairing your equipment every day, or every other day. Durability increases the length of time before your weapon breaks. Heaviness increases the chance that the weapon will break an opponent’s armor. Sharpness or Toughness increased the weapon’s damage.

“While yes, it can be a gamble, there is a way to help increase the success rate. A weapon requires a base material, depending on what it is, to enhance it, and it also needs additional materials. The additional materials depend on the enhancement you want, but they also can help increase your success chance. The more material to work with the safer it is. There is no guaranteed method for enhancements, and the more you do, the more of a risk it is, especially if you get a penalty for a failed one. I am not saying to be stupid, but it is often worth the risk to improve your pride and joy, especially if it is saving your life in the field.”

“That is a very valid point,” Bladescape said. “Is there anything else about enhancements that we should know?”

“Not really,” Koricata said. “But I can tell you ladies would actually care to know the smith’s side of the system. Once the materials are melted down, and the weapon is heated up, the smith has to perform ten strikes on it, within three minutes. The clock starts when the first blow is landed. After three minutes, it will automatically fail. Three minutes is plenty of time for a competent smith to perform ten strikes.

“The last thing is naming. You will notice a difference in the name to reflect the enhancements. This Anneal Blade, as an example, with two Sharpness and one Durability would be seen by the system and in the item menu as ‘Anneal Blade Plus-Three, Two-S, One-D.’ You won’t see any failed attempts, so you will need to keep track of that yourself to prevent you from going over your limit and breaking your weapon.”

“Do you have any recommendations for enhancement strategies?” Knightstar asked.

“My personal thoughts are my thoughts and not something I have gotten to test,” Koricata stated. “So don’t take it as something you have to follow or blame me if it doesn’t work. I don’t know how you play, and how you play will determine the way you enhance a weapon. Durability is something I will almost always recommend raising. The last thing you need is for your weapon to break in the middle of a fight, especially for weapons like spears and rapiers, which have lower base durability statistics. If you are good at scoring critical hits, Accuracy could stack up to be a powerful advantage, but the same is true if you struggle with accuracy, it will help you land more hits.”

Knightstar began to get specifics for what she would need to enhance her Anneal Blade. Then they checked the other weapons. Knightstar wrote a detailed list.

“Thanks for the lesson, Koricata,” Bladescape said. “We will track this stuff down, and then be back. You earned our business after kindly helping us.”

“It is appreciated and I am glad that I was able to help,” he replied. “We won’t close up until about Nine tonight. We stay open later, like a lot of the crafters and merchants, for those who are fighting all day. Most can’t afford the day off.”

“Great,” Natora said. “Our group might need the slightly later hours. It all depends on how fast we can get what we will need.”

They reconvened at the northwest corner of the pool, not that far from him. That way they could plan their strategy, without being in Koricata’s way. They had taken up a lot of his time and space already.

“Split up or stay together?” Bladescape asked.

“We probably should stick together, but I am interested to see what could be learned,” Natora said. “Why don’t Knightstar and I stick together and focus on the list, while you two can either stick together, or split up, and see what we can learn. I’m sure Doom’s Hide could make eavesdropping very easy, even without an eavesdropping Skill. And if she gets caught, she is sweet enough to be able to pass it off.”

“If we can’t find each other, we all know where we are staying,” Doombunny added.

“True,” Bladescape said. “Alright. I’ll hunt for info and see how the game is unfolding on the non-combat side. Doom, you do your thing, whatever that ends up being. Natora and Knightstar, you guys do what you can as well for info, but focus on the materials. Let’s try and meet back here at noon though, to hopefully get weapons enhanced.”

“Right,” Doombunny said, before disappearing before their eyes.

“She is getting scary good at that,” Natora stated.

“Yeah,” Bladescape replied. “She is.”

Bladescape knew where she wanted to go first. She walked up to the crimson robed merchant who had called out “specialty items” when they arrived. She didn’t have a customer and Bladescape sat down in front of her.

“So, you did come back,” the young woman said.

Bladescape chuckled nervously. “So, you were targeting me with that call.”

“Ninety percent of the people here are not interesting,” She stated. “And most of that ten percent do not have cash. You are clearly one of the one percent who was worth me calling out to and now here you are, sitting in front of me.”

“So I am,” Bladescape said. “What is it exactly that you do?”

“I’m in the business of procuring the rarest items in the game and ensuring they go where they need to. I also work to secure information about them and their location. Argo’s guide uncovered most of the secrets of the first floor from the Beta, so I am out of luck at the moment. As the rest are unlocked, my job will get more and more interesting...and more valuable.”

“So, what exactly do you have that might benefit me?” Bladescape asked.

“You have pretty hair,” she stated. “I assume that is why you do not wear a helmet?”

“Thanks, but no, I’m not afraid to cover it up. I just don’t want to put anything on my head. It's one thing in a regular game to wear a helmet for defense, but now I would actually be wearing it, stuck with it blocking my vision, not controlling a character on a screen. I don’t want that. It would be more annoying than beneficial. Plus, I can offset the lack of a helmet with other equipment.”

“A valid reason,” She said as she moved a wooden box in front of her. “As such, this might be very helpful.” She pulled out a silver circlet with a blue gemstone that matched Sunset’s eyes in the center. The silver was expertly woven into a beautiful pattern that was both delicate and strong. “A man acquired this on his journey and being a man, he had no use for it. I acquired it in a fair trade for something he could make use of. It is not just some pretty piece of jewelry. The Silver Sagacity Circlet increases a user’s base visual perception range by two-percent, and if the wearer has Search, it boosts that by five-percent. And if that is not enough, it does increase defense by a surprising amount considering it cannot actually block anything. You can look pretty and get critical boosts to your stats.”

“And how much would that cost me?” Bladescape asked. She wanted it, mostly for its aesthetic value. The rest was pure bonus.

“I can let it go for Twenty-Thousand Col,” The merchant stated. “That is the lowest it is worth.”

“That is a hefty price, just for that,” Bladescape stated.

“I know you not only have that, but plenty more,” she replied. “It is a fair asking price, even this early in the game. Anneal Blades are selling between ten and fifteen and some players are farming them. This is not just a rare piece; it is the only one in the game.”

“And I have a sword that needs enhancements, equipment that needs to be constantly repaired, and a stomach that prefers to be full,” Bladescape replied. “I also like having a roof over my head. If I had that much, I wouldn’t spend it on some vanity piece.”

“This is more than a vanity piece and you know it,” She shot back. “I give you no guarantees, but you know where I will be. The name is Mo.”

“Bladescape,” she said as she stood up. She had no idea why she gave her name. “Have a good day.”

As Bladescape turned to walk away Mo spoke up. “Your friend is very good with Hide.”

Bladescape sighed, turned around, and sat back down. “Is there any more to that statement, or just that?”

“I did say I deal in the rarest items,” Mo stated with a coy smile. “As well as the trading of information about them. Players with your skills could come in handy for someone like me when it comes to procurement. Those services would be handsomely rewarded.”

“Is there something you are after?” Bladescape asked.

“Not right now,” Mo stated. “I wish, but things are picked clean. At least I seem to have someone who is interested in helping me while they do their normal activities.”

“Were you a beta tester?” Bladescape asked.

Mo gave a single nod and then her lips pursed in a sly grin. “I am the beta tester who forced Argus to make the first patch to the game. These vendor carpets were a lot more fun at the start. Since only the owner can move items,” she chuckled, “well let’s just say I had some fun with some pranks. I bribed an unsuspecting player to call for a GM. Before the GM could leave, I had the three exits completely blocked with furniture on the mats. He could not move them because he did not own the mats. We had a few more days of fun with pranks and other things before they patched it and limited where the mats could be used. No more blocking roads.”

She chuckled to herself as she enjoyed reminiscing about her previous achievement.

“Anyway, I am not very useful for our current situation. I know stuff, more importantly I know how to learn stuff, but I am no good on the front line, and my crafting is...well I’m not inclined in that manner even in a game. So, I figure, I can take that ability to learn the secrets and get the good stuff before others do. Not so much for profit, although I do need to be able to eat and live, but so that it ends up in the hands of players who will actually be able to use it for our good. Players like you and your friends.”

A screen popped up in front of Bladescape. It was a friend request from Mo. Bladescape decided it was a good contact to have and hit accept.

“Thanks,” Bladescape said. “That is a good goal.”

“At least someone thinks so,” Mo replied.

Bladescape left Mo’s carpet and wandered around the makeshift bazaar. There was a wide variety of crafters. A month in, and some players would obviously become top in their field. Others were barely able to do anything and probably wouldn’t get above average. She didn’t learn anything of value.

Bladescape met back with the others at noon. Doombunny was the first one there.

“Blade, do you have those ancient knives in your inventory?” Doombunny immediately asked.

“I do,” Bladescape nodded. “Why?”

“Can I have one? I found someone who needs the extra boost.”

“Any knife in particular?” Bladescape asked as she swiped up her menu.

“Nope,” Doombunny shrugged. “Just one of them.”

“Anyone special?” Knightstar asked.

“Maybe,” Doombunny shrugged as she took the knife from Bladescape. “It's too early to tell, but they could use the equipment boost. It's all we can really do at the moment. At least it is a little kindness and generosity.”

Doombunny skipped away, not activating hide.

“She is actually skipping,” Natora said. “I...is that normal? I don’t think I have ever seen her do that. At least not in the game.”

“The only two in our group who would skip are Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie,” Bladescape said. “We all have seen Konpeito do it and more, however, I haven’t seen Doom do it in game, or be so...relaxed? I think it is relaxed. I can’t tell, especially with her cloak and carrying a weapon. Seeing Fluttershy under it all is hard. Still, I think skipping is good.”

“You looked like you were having a good conversation with that woman in red,” Natora said, shifting the conversation. “Anything special?”

“She might have work for us on the higher floors to procure rare items. It’s too late here, since Argo already released everything in the guide book. Payment of course, and it would be XP for us and mapping, so it might be a useful partnership.”

“It very well could be,” Natora said. “But something else is bugging you.”

Bladescape shrugged. “She had this rare circlet. It's pretty and it has some minor boosting stats. It was expensive though.”

“How much?” Knightstar asked.

“Twenty-K,” Bladescape replied. “A pretty ridiculous price.”

“I’ve had four offers this morning for my Anneal Blade,” Knightstar said. “Ten-Thousand, Twelve and a Half, Thirteen, and Thirteen-Two-Hundred. I’ve actually considered selling it and switching to one of the ancient swords, since they were only a little lower ranked than the Anneal Blade, but I like it and how it feels. The others didn’t give me the same feeling when I gripped them. Also, as common as it is, it is still rare enough to have status to it. The ancient swords lack that status. I’ll keep the status that comes with the Anneal Blade. That status and feeling is worth more than what anyone could afford to pay for it back in Tolbana.”

“How did procuring the items go?” Bladescape asked.

“We got a lot,” Natora said. “Knightstar and I are basically out of money, but I think that we got enough to cover all of us. The cash will get solved when you guys trade us col for the items. We should start getting them enhanced. You want to start?”

“Sure,” Bladescape said with a nod.

They walked back over to Koricata and sat down. Bladescape took the Ancient Red Sun Sword off her back.

“Welcome back,” Koricata greeted them with a smile. “I guess you are first?”

“Yep,” Bladescape nodded. She looked at Knightstar. “How many enhancements?”

“Four,” Knightstar said.

“Four enhancements,” Bladescape said to Koricata.

“I love your enthusiasm,” he said as he took her sword. “But let’s go one at a time. First one?”

“Durability,” Bladescape said.

“Uh, not that I am questioning your judgment, but are you sure?” He asked.

“What do you see?” Bladescape asked.

“I don’t have an appraisal skill, but I can see that this sword has twice the durability of the Anneal Blade. I haven’t seen a weapon with this much durability...in any class. Normally, boosting durability is a smart move, however, I would recommend Sharpness, or Quickness, or Accuracy, because this is a big sword, and heavy. You need to be able to swing it fast and accurately.”

Bladescape looked at Knightstar, who was flipping through her notebook. “Huh, it does have a lot of durability compared to anything else we have owned, examined, or recovered. Even the other ancient weapons. I never noticed that.”

“Alright,” Bladescape nodded. “Do Quickness.”

They gave him the base materials and the additional materials and Koricata heated them up. They melted quickly and began to glow green. The sword was inserted until it was glowing. Koricata took it out and set it on his anvil. He took a deep breath in and raised his hammer. He brought it down flat onto the glowing blade, starting the three-minute timer. He was intentional, making sure every hammer strike landed strong. He didn’t rush it. After the tenth hit, the sword went back to its usual color. Koricata let out a huge sigh of relief.

“It took,” he said.

“This is more stressful for you than we realized it would be,” Knightstar stated.

“I can do everything right and still have a bad outcome, so it is stressful,” Koricata explained. “A careless smith wouldn’t find it stressful and neither would an overconfident one. Of course, you can’t have a smith be too timid to enhance the weapon either, or they might time out. I hate it when a paying customer doesn’t get the outcome they paid for, even when it isn’t guaranteed. It makes me feel bad. I have to believe that the soul of a smith is felt by the system and helps them produce the best they can, if that is what they desire. Officially, it doesn’t matter, but I just have this sense about it.”

“We are in another reality with different rules,” Bladescape said. “That sense isn’t necessarily wrong or illogical. There is a whole feeling and intuition to this game that we have barely begun to understand.”

Nataszo, who was the next mat over, spoke up. “If you are looking to get other weapons enhanced, I can help. It also will help relieve Cata’s stress.”

“Yeah,” Koricata nodded. “They are my associates. Well, really we are a team, I’m not above them in any way. Since we each can only do a few skills, the four of us can team up to be more than a single player can at this early stage. We also are better off with pooled resources at this time.”

“We did some pooling in the beginning,” Bladescape said. “We totally understand.”

Nataszo began to help Knightstar. She enhanced her Anneal Blade three times. +1 Durability, +1 Sharpness, and +1 Quickness. All three took, leaving her with Anneal Blade +3 (1D1S1Q).

Bladescape chose to add Sharpness next, then Accuracy, and finally a second Sharpness. All three took as well. The Ancient Red Sun Sword was now +4 (1Q2S1A).

Natora added +2 Durability to Deliverance, as well as +1 Sharpness and +1 Quickness. All four of hers took as well. Deliverance Doru +4 (2D1S1Q).

Knightstar had done her calculations for Konpeito and Diemond. Konpeito’s axe became the Ancient Dark Steel Dane Axe +3 (1D2S). The fourth enhancement, Heaviness, failed, and although it changed the stats, it wasn’t an outright negative change. Diemond’s Engraved Mace became +3 (1D1T1H). It also failed the fourth enhancement, Accuracy, but it didn’t change the weapons in any way.

Doombunny joined them as they finished paying the smiths for the work done. She put both Koricata and Nataszo to work. She had taken the Ancient Kissaki-moroha Tanto for unclear reasons and now she was making use of it. She had acquired her own materials. The tanto was enhanced +4 Quickness, while her Seax was +1 Durability, +2 Sharpness, and +1 Accuracy. Since daggers were smaller, especially compared to a two-handed sword, they required less materials for each enhancement. Doombunny spent the same amount of money on the materials for eight enhancements as the others did for four. What was more important, was that Doombunny had just doubled her effectiveness, by focusing the tanto on all quickness, she had created a knife entirely suited for slicing engagements, while also having a main weapon that was more versatile. It was an expensive tactic more easily done with the less costly knives.

Doombunny had also purchased a new set of throwing knives, which were player made and better than what she had bought from the NPC store. They came with a custom holster for them. It was on her right leg, right where her hand naturally reached, making accessing them quick and switching in battle would be a snap.

They started to head back to the teleport plaza. Doombunny ended up skipping ahead of them a bit. She was in a very good mood, for an unknown reason, like the warm sun was shining and nothing could stop it.

“Your innocent skipping friend who wouldn’t hurt a fly is starting to get scary,” Natora said to Bladescape and Knightstar. “It’s one thing to get angry and protective when your friends are in danger, but she is setting herself up for those moments to be able to strike with lethal force, not defensively.”

“I know,” Bladescape shrugged. “It's both good and concerning. We can sort it out after we clear the game.”

“I hate to agree with you on that, but that is the best strategy,” Knightstar said. “There is nothing to fix if we die.”

“Offer is still available!” Mo yelled to Bladescape.

Bladescape kept walking, ignoring it.

“I can tell you want it,” Natora said. “What was it again?”

“It’s just a circlet,” Bladescape replied. “Technically it fits in the category of head armor. Some boosting properties.”

“Yeah,” Natora prodded. “And your sword is Plus-Four now. Do you have enough.”

“It’s not worth it,” Bladescape said.

“By saying that, you admit that you have more than enough,” Knightstar said. “So why is it not worth it?”

Bladescape fumbled her words. “Yes, it's pretty. It is gorgeous. I want it because it’s pretty. Yes, it does boost stats so it isn’t a waste of space, but that is secondary and not justification. It is too expensive, especially for a purely vain purchase.”

Natora stopped, which forced Knightstar and Bladescape to halt.

“Okay, how much was it?” Natora asked.

“Twenty-Thousand,” Bladescape said.

“For a rare circlet that would make you look pretty and coincidentally help you be a better fighter?”

“Yes, but looks aren’t everything,” Bladescape returned. “Function and survival are key.”

“It has a function,” Natora stated. “We also are statistically sound when it comes to finances. I don’t know where your personal finances are exactly at, but you and I are not spending stuff on non-combat skills yet. You have to be close to me. In our group, we can easily keep pulling in the Col above what we need for survival. So, either you keep hoarding it with no purpose, or you buy something you will use.”

“And what about you?” Bladescape asked. “Like you said, you are not spending either. What is your excuse?”

“No excuse,” Natora said, grinning. “I’m saving for my next Skill. As soon as I unlock Light Metal Armor, I am going to go out and buy the gnarliest set of armor I can afford. I was already looking at the smiths to see who might be able to make me that set. I’m sick of not having cool armor. I hate not having real armor, but I made the right choice for skills. I regret nothing. I’ll enjoy it all the more when I finally add it and can get me something good and cool.”

They stood there for a moment, no one saying anything. Bladescape still didn’t feel like it was a justifiable cost. The silence got uncomfortable.

Natora sighed. “Just think about what I said, promise?”

“Alright,” Bladescape nodded. “I promise. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

“Fly and cupcake what?” Natora asked, as Knightstar began to laugh. Natora and Bladescape were quickly laughing as well.

“Pinkie Pie made it up,” Bladescape explained. “I didn’t do the motions. It’s a Pinkie Promise and you don’t break those. It makes about as much sense as she usually does, but eventually you will get forced into the ultimate form of a promise and have to say it.”

Natora chuckled. “As long as she doesn’t make me do the gestures, I think I will survive.”

They continued walking. Doombunny was patiently waiting for them. She didn’t seem to notice their absence. They teleported back to Tolbana. They gave Diemond and Konpeito their weapons back. Both were satisfied with the enhancements, and neither minded the failures.

Doombunny stayed back in Tolbana. Natora took over for Malus and Thunderborne, so Kiefer, Reisenki, and Soryuto could continue to grind. Knightstar and Bladescape brought the two of them to see Koricata and Nataszo to get their weapons enhanced.

Mo had been talking to someone when they passed her carpet. What Natora said had been picking at Bladescape and seeing someone else potentially buying the circlet, not that it had been visible, began to really pester her thoughts.

“I need to borrow you for a second,” Bladescape said to Knightstar. “We will be right back.”

Malus and Thunderborne didn’t care as they got their weapons enhanced. Mo wasn’t busy anymore. Bladescape sat Knightstar down in front of her. She sat down behind her, to look over her shoulder.

“You are back,” Mo factually stated.

“Yes,” Bladescape nodded. “I am still interested, if you have it.”

“I do,” Mo nodded. “But what about her?”

“My friend here is the group’s appraiser,” Bladescape stated.

“I see,” Mo said with a coy smile and a nod. She opened the wooden box and produced the circlet. “Have a look for yourself.”

Knightstar took the circlet. She visually inspected it from all angles before she even opened its menu. She took her time analyzing it. The minutes dragged on and Knightstar went back to visually inspecting it, even taking rough measurements, and then opened the menu again. She handed it back and pulled out her book from the chest pouch Diemond had made her, and began to search for something.

Mo decided to break the silence. “How much was the highest bid on your Anneal Blade?”

Knightstar glanced up from her book. “Thirteen-Thousand Two-Hundred. That was before it was enhanced. I haven’t had an offer since.” She went back to flipping through her book, and it began to agitate Mo, despite her best efforts to hide it.

Knightstar closed her book with a snap and slipped it into the pouch. She looked over her shoulder at Bladescape. “I concur with Natora’s earlier deductions.” She got up and went back to Malus and Thunderborne.

Bladescape took a deep breath in and scooted forward. “Twenty-Thousand?”

“That was my offer,” Mo stated. “You certainly have a good group of friends. They all have their uses.”

“They do,” Bladescape said with a nod. She knew what she was going to do, but she didn’t want to seem desperate. She wanted to retain some air of control. “Twenty-Thousand is an acceptable price.”

“A wise decision,” Mo stated with a coy grin.

Bladescape gave her the col and took the Silver Sagacity Circlet. It felt good to have it. She hadn’t wanted something so badly in a long time. She hadn’t desired anything in the game except survival. They had only been in Aincrad a few weeks, but it was weird wanting the circlet. What was weirder was the feeling it sparked. She wanted to feel beautiful. She wasn’t used to that feeling. She knew she was beautiful. Rarity made enough comments to ensure that all of her friends felt more than comfortable in their appearances. Perhaps it was all the armor and the fighting, which had shifted how she perceived herself. Either way, she had the circlet now.

Bladescape slipped it on and felt the cool touch of the silver pressing against her forehead. It felt good to have it. She noticed an immediate change in her perception. She could see Mo’s health bar. Before it had just been her green cursor. She shouldn’t have been able to see it, but the perception boots apparently changed that.

“Thank you,” Bladescape said, bowing a bit in her seated position. “But now I need to get back to my friends.”

“You look beautiful,” Mo said with a smile. “Very pretty. It makes you look like a warrior princess, not an adventurer who is ragged from their travels. Also, you will be hearing from me soon enough, I am sure of that.”

“Alright,” Bladescape nodded. “I look forward to seeing what the working relationship will bring.”

Bladescape got back to the others as Thunderborne dramatically groaned and flopped onto her back.

“Enhancement failed?” Bladescape asked.

“Yep,” Knightstar nodded. “She got three of four.”

“And it didn’t change the rapier,” Nataszo added.

Thunderborne sat up with a sigh. “Thanks. I know you did your best. Plus-Three with four to go is a good outcome and a whole lot better than where I was this morning.”

“How did you make out, Malus?” Bladescape asked.

“Fine,” she shrugged. “First one failed. No big deal. The other three took fine.” Malus looked up at Bladescape. “That’s new. Now I get why you grabbed Knightstar. It looks good on yah. I’m sure Diemond will be able to give yah better compliments than I can. All I really can say is that it looks better than my helmet.”

“Thanks,” Bladescape said, chuckling a bit. She looked at Koricata. “Koricata, Nataszo, thanks for everything. We will be back.”

“Hopefully my heart will have calmed down by then,” Koricata chuckled. “It was good working with you. We are glad we earned your repeat business.”

“And our recommendation,” Knightstar added.

“I think we will pack it up early today,” Nataszo said. “Making weapons or repairing gear, that is easy. You guys poured on the enhancements. Today, and for a little while, it won’t be about the money. But we do need a mental break.”

“You deserve it,” Bladescape said. “We will try not to pile it on like that again.”

“That would be appreciated,” Koricata said. “I’m not opposed to hard work.”

“We get it,” Malus chuckled. “Y’all go get some good food and rest.”

They headed back to Tolbana. On the way, Thunderborne spoke up. “So, Blade, you...uh...bought that?”

“RAINBOW DASH!” Malus exclaimed, swatting her arm.

“What! I just...I wasn’t expecting her to buy head jewelry. I didn’t even know they made jewelry for your head!”

“Then what are crowns or tiaras?” Knightstar asked.

“Duh, a crown and a tiara. That is what they are. Symbols of royalty.”

“When you put your hair in a ponytail, what do you use?” Bladescape asked.

“A scrunchy or band, what else would I use?”

“Do you ever color coordinate that?”

“Well, yeah. It can be fun to color coordinate and Rarity would pester me if I didn’t. But what does that have to do with anything?”

“It’s head jewelry,” Bladescape said. “The ones you use are fabric, but there are diamond scrunchies and very expensive pieces often labeled as accessories. Technically earrings are head jewelry as well. It is all a type of head adornment, just like this circlet. Mine doesn’t just look pretty; it also boosts stats.”

Thunderborne snorted in defeat and teleported to Tolbana. Malus was right behind her.

Bladescape stopped Knightstar. “Hey, what was going on back there? You took an awfully long time examining the circlet. And then your book, I didn’t know you had anything on jewelry in there.”

“I don’t,” Knightstar stated. “I was making her sweat and I was also seeing if my scrutiny would reveal something she was hiding. Especially if she would budge on the price because she had set it too high. In sales, when something gets a lot of scrutiny and it is obviously being done by someone who knows what they are looking at, an inflated item will often be dropped in price before an issue or irregularity is discovered and the sale lost. She didn’t have anything to worry about because she is right, it is a unique piece. There will never be another Silver Sagacity Circlet in SAO. For us being still on the first floor, to have those stats boosters, that was a low price. The problem is, Mo couldn’t afford to sit on it until it could be sold for what it was worth.”

“Why not?” Bladescape asked.

“Because when she sold it to you, she made more than just col. She picked you out as one of the players at the top. Not just because we have money, but because we will be what others emulate. No one is going to go with a circlet when a helmet offers better protection. For a tank, that will always be the case, but for the others, when they see that someone clearing the game is wearing a piece like you are, they will want to emulate it because they will think you have more understanding of its practicality than they do. Some might because it looks pretty, others will trust that the stats swap is somehow more important.

“Is it? No. It's better than nothing, which you were using, but it isn’t better than a helmet and it would take a huge amount of boosting stats to offset the actual defensive properties of the best helmets available at any given time. That is a statistical improbability. It certainly looks very pretty and it suits you. I don’t mean to retract any of those facts. I am really saving the compliments to Rarity. The point is, you know it's not better than a helmet, but you also know it has its place, on your head, for your own reasons.

“Until someone can show the others the value of wearing a circlet or similar pieces instead of a helmet, the price is going to be low. She is betting on you being the one to show the others a side to equipment more than defensive stats. I think she bet right. If she did, by floor three she could probably sell a circlet half as powerful and without the gem for a Hundred-Thousand, if not more. But that is the nature of pieces like that, they rely on perceived value. Well, everything relies on perceived value, that is how a cash market system works, but pieces like jewelry always require heavier perception because outside of aesthetics, they don’t do anything. Well, real jewelry. Your circlet certainly does more than look pretty.”

“I noticed the increase in perception,” Bladescape said. “I can see HP bars if I am close enough to a player. Like yours is visible right now, Mo’s was as soon as I put it on. I’m sure more will come about as Search is leveled up and expanding what the percentage modifiers are boosting.”

“Interesting,” Knightstar said, thinking. “The perception statistic was vague.”

“Let’s go,” Bladescape said.

Knightstar nodded and they teleported to Tolbana. When they got back, the others were done hunting. Everyone was eating dinner, half cooked by Konpeito, half bought.

Diemond absolutely loved the circlet. She showered Bladescape with compliments past what Bladescape was expecting. She couldn’t stop staring at it either.

They went to bed early, so they could hit the labyrinth early. Bladescape caught Diemond in the hallway.

“Is everything okay?” Bladescape asked.

“Oh, yes,” Diemond said. It wasn’t even marginally convincing. Bladescape just looked at Diemond until she explained. She sighed, “truthfully, I’m a bit jealous of you, that is all.”

“What do you mean?” Bladescape asked.

“I don’t mind being a Tank. I actually am enjoying it more than I expected. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it, but I am. And beyond the whole, ‘it's for the good of the team’ satisfaction.’ It’s just, as a Tank, I will have to wear the big suits of armor. I am sure I will find something fabulous, but I won’t get to wear pretty circlets like you can. At least not into battle. That is what I am jealous of. I’m happy you have it. I’m sure you paid a good deal for it too.

“I can’t exactly complain. Everything I get is going into sewing. The enhancements on my mace had to have cost a good amount, but I didn’t pay. I know you three have it worked out, and I know you will say you will make out in the end once I can really begin to make you all outfits and armor. I already made us the capes, pouches, and comfortable sleepwear. I made sleepwear for Kiefer, Reisenki, and Soryuto today too. I know that you see the long-term value. It just...it's not the same in here as it is back home. I think that is what I am missing, home.”

“And all your jewelry and clothes, and pretty shiny stuff,” Bladescape said. “But remember, Rarity, you are Diemond in here, both the E and A spellings.”

“Thanks, darling,” Rarity said, smiling back.

“Have a good night,” Bladescape said.

“You too,” Diemond replied.

Bladescape entered her room. Natora was already in bed, but she was awake. Bladescape swapped her armor for her sleepwear and sat on the edge of the bed.

“I’m really glad you bought it,” Natora said. “It was a good find, a good buy, and you look really pretty in it. Well, not that you didn’t look pretty before. You know what I mean.”

Bladescape chuckled. “Yeah, I do. And thanks. It was worth it just for the looks and the boosts are more than I expected.” Bladescape slipped under the covers. “By the way, how much should I chip in to help cover the cost for Diemond and Konpeito’s enhancements?”

“Nothing,” Natora said. “Knightstar figured out a way to play the NPC market. All the buying and selling I was doing for Konpeito and Diemond, she was recording it. All of it. She noticed some trends, and figured out when prices were going to shift due to my skill. Over the past week I’ve been playing that market, in between the shops. It’s not a big money maker, and it almost is more trouble than it is worth with the running around I have been doing, but it paid for their enhancements. We had planned on giving up on it and probably still will. I’m certain that some of those merchants were playing a similar market as we were.”

“Okay,” Bladescape yawned. “I feel like we did nothing today, while at the same time, I feel like we jammed a week’s worth into a single day.”

“I feel the same way,” Natora replied. “Now, go to sleep.”

Episode 16 - First Boss Strategy Meeting

Episode 16 - First Boss Meeting
Third Day in the Month of Holly (December 3) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 1 - Boss Labyrinth - 2 p.m.

Everyone was together as they worked to map the 20th floor of the labyrinth. It was significantly bigger than the previous floors. They were currently without enemies because someone was slightly ahead of them. There was no time for them to respawn.

Their enhanced weapons had proven to be more than a little bump up in performance. Eight enhancements seemed small, but even with three or four done, their weapons were clearly outperforming what they had been capable of just two days prior. Doombunny's slashing tanto could carve up a trooper so fast she didn't need someone to block for her. She couldn't keep it up long, it was mentally and physically taxing, but when she unleashed it, it was devastating.

The hallway made a turn, but Bladescape was alerted through Search that a group of players were stopped ahead. Her circlet had proven itself to her over the morning. It had definitely been worth the cost. She had decided she would keep with the style for her headgear.

They rounded the bend and saw the players. It was the bronze and blue player, Diavel, and the same party he was leading the other day. They were standing in front of massive iron doors.

Diavel turned around to see who had arrived. "Well, if it isn't Bladescape and her friends. Although it looks like there have been a few additions since we last met, and some new equipment."

"Nope," Bladescape said. "Same us. You simply spoke with one party. You actually passed the others right after we parted ways. Is that the boss room?"

"Yep," Diavel said, nodding. "It is. We were just discussing how best to rally everyone. We had a preliminary meeting yesterday. You were not around, but it wasn't anything outside what we covered when we first met in these halls. We were thinking Five Thirty would be enough time to gather those who want to band together and get this done. The stone amphitheater in Tolbana is the location."

"Five Thirty," Bladescape nodded. "Sounds good."

"I can't wait to see you all there. Eleven strong players working together like you have will make a very good force."

"Not all of us will be there," Kiefer said. "A few of us are recent additions and not fully affiliated with them. We also are a bit low in levels for a run at the boss."

"I can fight, but not a floor boss," Doombunny added.

"It will be six," Bladescape said. "A full party."

"Six?" Malus asked. "Besides Doom, who won't go?"

"Me," Knightstar said. "I'm with Doom. Clearing is one thing. Floor boss is another."

"Like I said," Bladescape said, looking at Diavel. "Six. A full party. I think you can understand."

"I do," Diavel nodded. "It's not a problem. If SAO is like any other RPG, a boss fight like this, it will be a different fight than clearing a dungeon. We can tackle it and win as a team, but not everyone is suited for it. There is no shame in that. You are not cowering in fear, but you know your limitations. That is good. We don't want any deaths. When we see who does show, we might need to reorganize your party a bit, to suit the strategy."

"Understood," Bladescape nodded. "We will be there at Five Thirty."

Diavel took a few steps closer. "You, have I seen you before?" He was pointing at Natora. "You seem familiar."

"We passed in the hall two days ago," Natora said. "I've never been formally introduced to you."

"Your eyes remind me of someone," Diavel said, thinking. "I must be thinking of someone else. Anyway, we look forward to seeing you at Five Thirty. We were just figuring out how we would canvas the labyrinth on our way out so that we got in touch with everyone."

They began to head out. "Oh," Diavel said. "I love the headpiece, Bladescape. It looks good on you."

Bladescape watched him go, without replying. She was wary of him. He was a dangerous enemy to have, mostly because a lot of players would follow him, and being on his bad side would be the equivalent of being the unpopular kid in school. Unlike high school, which a lot of the players were in, Aincrad was significantly deadlier.

“Let’s go,” Natora said. “We can fight our way out. I’d rather wait, than be late.”

“Yeah,” Bladescape agreed.

“Are we missing something?” Malus asked.

“No,” Bladescape said. “Just a private conversation Natora and I had. If you needed to know, you would know.”

They made it back with relative ease. Doombunny and Knightstar were not going to be a part of the raid party, so they wouldn’t go to the raid meeting. It would look bad if they backed out. They went out hunting goblins with Kiefer, Soryuto, and Reisenki. The five of them would be perfectly safe hunting outside of Tolbana.

More and more players gathered around the central square and fountain. Conversations were starting between players as they waited. Malus and Konpeito soon struck up conversations with others. Diemond was sitting down, doing some sewing while she waited. Bladescape stayed off to the side, watching the others. Gauging them. Natora was observing as well. Thunderborne, who had decided to stay with the two of them, had no idea what they were doing. She was doing a good job playing it cool like she did know.

It wasn’t about the gear a player wore, or the weapon they chose, it was how they stood, walked, and talked that mattered to Bladescape. That revealed a lot more than the limited equipment and combat skills the players had available would ever give them. Bladescape had seen plenty of them while clearing and mapping the first floor’s labyrinth. Others she had seen around town, at night, and in the mornings as they went about whatever business was on their agenda for the day.

They were not the only ones watching. A young, black haired boy was standing in the shadow of a building. Bladescape had seen him several times and always alone. His brown leather equipment meant that he was not using an armor Skill, and he had an Anneal blade on his back. He seemed to like the idea of going with the plain and dull look.

The time finally came and everyone shifted into the stone semicircular amphitheater. It was a bit run down, with chipped, cracked, and broken stones, but it would serve their purpose well. The stage had a stone building face as the backdrop. The girls sat together on the left side, halfway down. Bladescape and Natora had led them there, so they could see how the others sat in relation to each other and examine the group dynamics. There was no denying their group because of their matching capes. Bladescape sat on the outside, below Natora, and they had the others on the seats to their left. Part of Bladescape felt like she needed to shield them from Diavel and his potential power, but they had done it so that Natora and Bladescape had an unobstructed view of the others, not to be their shield.

Diavel stepped into the center. He wasn’t on the stage, but the larger, open area in front of it. He clapped a few times to get everyone’s attention and start the meeting.

“Okay, people, now that everyone’s here, let’s get this meeting started.” Diavel shifted his demeanor. “So anyway, I want to thank everyone for coming. Good to see you. My name is Diavel, and in this game, the job I rolled is knight.”

Players laughed. Some heckled him about the lack of a class system in SAO. He did look like a knight, and Bladescape was certain he felt like one, regardless of it not being an official class. Mentality was a powerful tool.

He let them heckle him for a bit and then ended it. “You guys want to hear this or not?” It got everyone to shut up. His demeanor changed again, to a lot more serious nature. “Right. Here’s the deal. Our party found the boss room at the top of the tower today.”

Way too many players found that shocking, like it couldn’t be done. Natora glanced at Bladescape and they both clearly understood each other. It was one thing to find beating the game impossible, it was another thing to think it was nearly impossible, it was yet another thing to think that they could not beat the first floor boss, but it was another thing entirely to not believe the lair could be found. These players were supposed to be at the top. What were they made of if they couldn't believe that the boss chamber could be found?

Diavel stayed on point. “First, we need to defeat the boss and make it to Floor Two. The next step is we have to tell everyone waiting in the Town of Beginnings that it is possible to beat this game. The fact is, it’s our duty as the most capable players here. Do you agree or not?”

It was a good question that needed to be asked. Diavel was on point. That was good. The others needed someone to get them a unified direction and purpose. As together as the girls were, even with their new friends, they were not capable of taking the boss on alone. Organizing the others under their banner, without a formal guild structure, would not be easy and could end badly. But Diavel didn’t ask them to join under him; he asked them to come alongside him. A few people like Diavel and Bladescape, coaxing the other groups along and to team up when needed, could certainly work to get everyone through this game.

Chatter began to pop up as players asked the ones beside them follow up questions. Some players began to clap, agreeing with Diavel, and one or two even whistled in approval.

“Okay, glad you’re all with me on this. Now, let’s figure out how we’re gonna beat the boss. First off, we’ll team up into parties of six. A typical party doesn’t stand a chance against a Floor Boss. We need a raid group, made up of multiple parties.”

Everyone started partying up. The Wondercolts already were set up in their party. Bladescape watched some players move to join others and get into parties of six. With two tanks, the Wondercolts were a solid party for any role. What did catch Bladescape’s eye was the kid in the plain leather clothes. He was alone, but he wasn’t the only one. So was the cloaked “Red Riding Hood” player they had seen the other day. The boy did the smart thing and slid over to Red Riding Hood to form a party of at least two players.

“Alight!” Diavel said, bringing their focus back to him. “Looks like everyone’s teamed up. Now then-”

“HOLD UP A SEC!” Someone yelled, interrupting him.

Bladescape looked up, to see a spiked hair guy with a goatee and in scale armor. He was trying to be dramatic, but it was juvenile. His age appeared to be out of high school. He dramatically took several long leaps down the seats through the center of everyone to get to the bottom.

He pointed at himself. “My name’s Kibaou. Got that?” It was aggressive and rough like he had a permanent chip on his shoulder. “Before we take on the boss, I want to get something off my chest. We all know about the two-thousand people who’ve died so far, yeah? Well some of you need to apologize to ‘em right now!” He pointed at everyone to make his point. It was causing a stir.

Diavel spoke up, and Bladescape was happy he was trying to keep in control of the meeting. What they didn’t need was a guy like Kibaou running the show. “Kibaou, I think I know who you’re referring to. You mean the ones who are ex-beta testers, right?”

“Course I mean them!” Kibaou shot back. “The day this stupid game started the beta guys just up and vanished, right? They ditched all us beginners! They snagged all the good hunting spots, and they grabbed all the easy quests too. They were the only ones getting stronger in here.”

Bladescape risked a glance up at Natora. She was stiff. He had hit a nerve, but Bladescape wasn’t sure which one he had triggered. She was doing a good job at not responding to his accusations.

Kibaou became high and mighty as he continued, mocking the beta testers in his anger. “This whole time, they’ve ignored us like we were nothing.” He growled, switching demeanors back to an even more aggressive anger. “Hell, I bet there’s some of them here. Come on out, Beta Testers!” He pointed to the crowd, trying to gain their support. “We should make them apologize to us, and we should make them all give up their money and the items they got.” He crossed his arms, looking like he was some righteous prophet speaking the truth and everyone should follow him. “They can’t expect the party to trust them when they don’t trust us. Why should we?!”

It was a tense atmosphere. Bladescape was unsure how the crowd was falling. It could easily flip on the beta testers and that would be bad. Her hand subtly touched the back of Natora’s calf for support. She couldn’t be seen openly supporting her, or else it would tip someone off to her status. Bladescape didn’t believe Natora owed anyone anything, or that any of the other beta testers did. Natora let out her breath slowly, controlling herself.

“Can I say something?” a man kindly asked.

He stood up. Bladescape had noticed him earlier, mostly because he didn’t fit in. He was clearly not of full Japanese descent with his dark skin. Plus, with everyone put into replicas of their bodies, there was no way he was anything except that large and muscular in real life. Going sleeveless with his body was a wise choice. He stepped down from his seat and into the center with Diavel and Kibaou. Kibaou visibly took a step back and shook as he realized the size difference. Kibaou was at least a foot shorter than the man. He was intimidated by him and the guy was not acting mean or hostile.

“Hey,” he kindly said. “My name’s Agil. Kibaou, right? I want to make sure I’m on the same page. You say the ex-beta testers should be blamed for the rookie’s deaths because they didn’t help them and you want them to apologize and give up their winnings.” He was a bit firmer in his question. “I leave anything out?”

“No. You didn’t.” Kibaou snidely replied.

Agil reached behind him and pulled out the guide book. “The item store hands these out for free. It’s a guide book. You got one, didn’t you?”

“Sure, I got one. So, what about it?”

“You know who put this together and was handing these out? The ex-beta testers.”

That turned the crowd less hostile. Most of them hadn’t realized the book’s origins. Bladescape wasn’t sure how Natora knew, but she did mention it. Natora relaxed a bit. It was enough for Bladescape to remove her hand before anyone saw and pegged her as a beta tester.

Kibaou growled, still angry but unable to come back with a logical argument. Agil turned around to the crowd, holding the guide book up. “Listen up,” he said in an even, but controlled tone. “Everyone had equal access to information. Even so, lots of players still died. Now, I didn’t come here to point fingers at anyone. I’m here cause I want to learn from those player’s deaths. I’m here because I want to find out how we’re gonna beat the boss.”

Agil turned back to Kibaou who growled again and walked over a seat and took his place, still angry as he crossed his arms defiantly. Agil calmly sat down, letting Diavel take charge again.

“Okay,” Diavel said, reaching for something and pulling out the guide book. “Can we get back to the meeting now? For info on the boss, it’s all in here, the latest issue of the guide book you just heard about.”

That surprised a lot of players. In their shock, Natora took the chance to glance at Bladescape. She mouthed, “did none of them read it?” Bladescape shrugged in reply. Bladescape hadn’t read the guidebook. Most of her reading had been her memories. She wasn’t even a tenth of the way done, but she had been picking out the parts she needed. She had been relying on Natora and Knightstar for that stuff like they were relying on her to lead. It hadn’t steered them wrong.

Diavel opened the book and read from it. “According to the book, the boss’ name is Illfang the Kobold Lord. Also, he’ll be surrounded by his minions, the Ruin Kobold Sentinels. Illfang carries an axe and a buckler. He has four health bars and when the last one turns red, he switches to a curved sword-type called a talwar. He can change his patterns of attack too.”

More players murmured to themselves and their neighbors about those details. The bulk of them were clearly noobs who had no idea what they were doing. Even taking the experience from her gaming-stream into account, she had learned more about SAO from personal experience than what Natora had ever been able to provide them.

Diavel closed the book. “That’s it for the briefing. As for the distribution of loot, money will be divided equally among everyone. The party that defeats the boss gets the XP, and whoever gets an item gets to keep it. Any objections?”

Natora leaned over to Bladecape and whispered her question. “Uh, he just said exactly what the system does. Auto split on the col and items at random. Am I getting the wrong read on him?”

“I think he is just trying to quell any anger Kibaou stirred up,” Bladescape replied quietly. “It is the smartest move. I’m not sure how many of them have been working in official parties, but I bet it is pretty low. The XP might be bonus XP.”

No one had any objections. “Good!” Diavel declared. “We leave tomorrow at Ten in the morning. If I could see the party leaders to discuss final points of strategy, that would be great. Otherwise, meeting adjourned, people!”

Bladescape looked at Natora. “Me or you?”

“You. I don’t want to get close to Kibaou. I'll run him through if I do."

Bladescape nodded and headed down to the others. Agil, Kibaou, a guy with an iron heater shield and a hammer, and a spear user were with Diavel. The boy with the Anneal Blade made his slow way down as well.

“Ah,” Diavel said with a charming smile. “Here she is, the beautiful Bladescape. You and your friends look ready to go. Like march right out of here and take him on right now, ready to go. I look forward to seeing how all that practice working together from the start affects the raid.”

“We are ready,” Bladescape replied. “You will get our best. Although we certainly could use a good night's sleep before the raid. We knew we didn’t stand a chance alone. We were trying to figure out how to go about organizing a larger raid group like this, but we hadn’t settled on how and we decided to work on finding the boss chamber while we sorted that out. We are glad someone did, so thank you. We are ready to play our part in this raid.”

“You seem awfully knowledgeable,” Kibaou stated, scrutinizing her.

“It’s been almost a month,” Bladescape shrugged. “I learned a lot in that time on my own. Or did you learn nothing? With my friends, we could pool our info and lessons learned. Plus, we had the guidebook. A few of our group have read it cover to cover, at least once, if not twice. Maybe three times for one.”

“So that is how you know what the boss is like?” Kibaou asked, still insinuating her status as a beta tester.

“Actually, I haven’t read it,” Bladescape admitted. “What Diavel read, that was my first time learning it. My friend, my second, has read it though. Between her and the others, they keep me informed on anything I need to know for leading us as a group.” Bladescape took an aggressive step forward into Kibaou’s personal space. She had some height on him and he flinched back. He wasn’t as tough as he tried to project. She was stern. “But I’m not here to discuss that and how we survived. I’m here to actually do something with that survival. Something good that is worth the pain and misery we went through, as well as for the ones I couldn’t save.”

Bladescape looked at Diavel. He nodded and continued with the meeting. “We don’t need to argue. We need to plan. Taking on this boss will require our teams to be in sync. It will be up to the party leaders to keep them together and direct them. That is why they don’t need to be here. It will get too confusing for them. They just need to follow your orders.

“Running a multi-party raid is just like a regular party. Tanks, Forwards, and Damage Dealers. Each group has a focus and a role. Think of it like your own parties. For us leading, we control one player in a party of six. There is one difference, because we will need some support parties to keep the minions off the main attacking force. That won’t be easy and it is crucial. The main force can’t get hung up fighting them, while the boss is going after us. That will get us killed fast. The guide also stated that he spawns more at specific points in the battle.

“Party designation is by role, not importance. We will use English letters to keep it simple and organized. Oden and his group all have shields, they will be designated Group A and be a tank unit. We need another tank unit though, with strong shields and health.”

“I’ll cover that,” Agil said. “My party has four solid shields and a spear user. We can be the second tank party.”

“Then you will be Group B,” Diavel dictated. “I’ll be leading Group C. We will focus on dealing damage to the boss. We need to be highly mobile, and fluid when it comes to switching with the tanks. Bladescape, can your party function in that manner?”

“Yes,” Bladescape nodded. “We have two tanks, but they can move quick and strike strong. I’m sure we will need those shields to cover us at some point in the switch.”

“Then you are Group D,” Diavel said. “With that settled, we need a group for the sentinels. I don’t think I can stress enough the critical nature of the role. Kibaou, your party looked like it would be able to cover that well. You will be Group E. You will be supported by Group F and Group G. Group F, you, I don’t know your name, but you have 6 members, right?”

“Yes,” he said. “And the name is Elberon.”

“It’s good to meet you, Elberon. And you, you, looked like it was just you and the girl in red. What is your name?”

“Kirito,” the kid with the Anneal Blade said.

“Alright, Kirito, glad to meet you and have you on board. You will be Group G. To recap, so that we are all on the same page, our tanks are Groups A and B, led by Oden and Agil respectively. The damage dealers will be Groups C and D, led by Diavel and Bladescape, and the support groups are Groups E, F, and G. That is right about equal for roles. Twelve tanks, twelve damage, and fourteen support. For the first boss raid, I feel really good about this.”

They fine tuned some of the other points. How to work on group switching was important. The support groups would not always be dealing with the sentinels, so they could join and relieve other groups at times. They had to ensure they rotated properly in order to keep their health up. Potions were not an immediate healing solution.

“I wish we had one more support party,” Diavel stated. “But this plan will work. If we are able to get another party, great, but if not, this is a really good raid group. We can do this. I have faith in each and every one of you, as well as those in your parties. Since the sun is almost gone and the plan set, if there are no further questions or objections, I say we celebrate our coming together like this and toast to the battle tomorrow.”

Everyone was in agreement with that. They left the amphitheater, but most everyone was waiting outside for any additional news. The festivities began immediately.

Bladescape knew morale and high spirits were important. She also knew most of the festivities and laughter were masks. Most players were drinking and socializing, trying to forget the fear that the morning would bring.

Bladescape approached the guy named Agil with two mugs of ale. She extended one to him and officially introduced herself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Agil said, taking the drink. "Did I hear Diavel right at the start of the strategy talks? You and your five friends have been together from the start?"

"We all go to the same school," Bladescape explained. "Well, sort of. Only Natora, our spear user, is a full student. The rest of us are exchange students at her school for the semester. There are actually seven of us who come from the same school with the exchange program. Since we were already in the program and doing well in the classes, we decided why not have fun, experience something completely new? Japan has the hottest, cutting-edge tech. SAO is something we wouldn’t have access to, or the NerveGear, when we go home, so we wanted to experience it in the short time we had, as well as bring it home to hopefully use. It was everything we expected and more, but at the same time not."

"There are eight of you?" Agil asked, surprised.

"Yep," Bladescape nodded. "We got lucky to get the copies we did. Or unlucky. Not all of us are gamers. I don't think two of our friends have ever played a game; computer or console. Diemond doesn't have time with all her fashion design work. She is the one who made our matching capes. Only six of us are cut out for a boss fight. Clearing is one thing, but a boss fight..."

"I understand that," Agil said. "The important thing is clearing the game. And that crafting skill will come in handy. I might have to ask her to make me some stuff when she levels up some more."

"That would make her day," Bladescape chuckled. "She is getting scary good with her mace too. If you will permit me a question?"

"Shoot," Agil nodded.

"Big, dark skin, bald, you don't fit the typical Japanese look at all. You know we're exchange students, but what about you?"

Agil chuckled lightly. "Your Japanese is good. I noticed most of your group stands out just like I do. As for me, I was born in Japan, in Tokyo. The short version is that my parents found Japan to be a place they loved and permanently moved here. I was born soon after. I’m one hundred percent Japanese, at least by nationality. But yes, I do stand out quite a bit and I do stun quite a few people with how fluent I am with the language, and having no accent, but I grew up primarily speaking Japanese."

"That is an interesting story," Bladescape replied with a smile. "I can understand their choice. Japan has been an amazing experience.

"I do want to say something to you," Bladescape said, switching topics. He nodded, unsure where she was going. "Thanks for calming Kibaou down. He almost had them at the point where they would lynch the next person they suspected to be an ex-beta tester. We need to be coming together to form a collective fighting chance, not fighting each other, physically or even yelling."

"You seem like you could do a good job at leading that collective," Agil stated. "And it wasn't fair of him. Not even they were ready for what we all got thrown into. I don't know what I would have done if I was a beta tester and facing the choice they had.

"Speaking of that, I think it is my turn to ask a question. I only just made it here the other day. What about your group?"

"First ones here," Bladescape admitted. "We got here three weeks ago. We had the guidebook for some help, but we haven't seen most of the floor. Once we got here, we had things to do. Once we learned the labyrinth was nearby, leaving where we would need to be for the boss was a bad call. So, we let the others have the rest of the Floor and focused our efforts here. We ended up completing most of the quests in town by the time the others began to arrive.

"We got lucky in a few ways. As soon as we logged on, we jumped the gun, getting a level before the evening tutorial. Four on a boar, intentionally level grinding and farming col for future crafting, the creatures didn't stand a chance and we stayed safe. When that tutorial ended, we rushed back out, intent on getting what we needed to collectively survive. As soon as the others began to push out, and the hunting moved to waiting, we had the collective strength to follow the road that led to Horunka. They needed the levels and safety of the area right outside the town, while we could risk moving on. Shortly after that, we jumped north to Medai. We did some stuff there for a few days, but then bush-whacked north to Tolbana. We stumbled on a bit more than we bargained for here. A party of eight, with solid stats, plus keeping level heads, that is what consistently saved us these past four weeks."

"Yeah, I am sure it did. I wish more players had come together, friends or not, and actually worked together in parties, not groups. Less would probably have died."

"Maybe, maybe not," Bladescape sighed. "The other day we added three others to our group, at least short term. They are good kids, a few years younger than us. They had started as five, but with no hunting spots and unable to gain levels, they tried to make it from Medai to Tolbana, expecting less resistance than they met. Two didn't make it. The three that did were because I was enjoying the evening scenery after a hard day in the boss labyrinth. I didn't think they were in trouble because I didn't expect them to be here at their lower levels. The leveling potential in most places is limited, and it has pushed a lot of players outside their safety margins. I wish I could have done more."

"But you saved three," Agil pointed out.

"That's what everyone says, and I agree, but I still watched two die. I don't know how to handle it yet. I just know...it's not something I want to experience again. So a group lynching someone was going to be very, very bad. I will do anything in my power, anything, to stop someone from dying. The three of them have a good temperament for our group. They want to get better and push on despite the deaths of their friends. Our collective strength has made it possible for them to be with us in the boss labyrinth and reap the higher XP. They are not strong enough for a boss fight though.

"Another question, if I may, which is personal but not so personal."

"Go for it," Agil said.

"What weapon do you use?" Bladescape asked. "I see it's an axe"

"It's the common Two-handed Iron Axe," Agil replied. "You have conspicuously kept your weapon off you. All of you did. What about you?"

"Two-Handed Sword," Bladescape nodded. "It's a piece we picked up in a quest. An iron axe from the store, well one of our members, Konpeito, is a Two-Handed Axe user. She will be in the raid, just look for the head of massive red curls. Anyway, we know what she had available for her and we also have a statistician in our group. No offense, but that axe is a bit low for this boss raid."

"I've been trying to level up, but save, because I'm trying to set up a shop," Agil explained. "Trading is something I think is a good way for me to make a living, while also helping clear bosses. I am kind of concerned about it though. I am going to poke my head into the shops in a little while to see what would be better."

Bladescape felt the familiar feeling of someone in need of help that she felt back home. "Remember how I said we got more than we bargained for?" Agil nodded. "Well that guidebook was missing info they added to Tolbana after the beta. A few extra quests, or changes to quests, and some more we had to figure out. The point is, while getting one of the more difficult quests cleared, we ended up with some extra equipment."

Bladescape swiped up her menu. After a few clicks, out came the Ancient Soldier Great Axe. She caught it in one hand up by the double head.

"How does this compare?" Bladescape asked.

Agil only had one free hand, so he clicked on it to bring up the menu as Bladescape held it for his examination. "It's much better than mine, but you know that. Are you offering to sell me it?"

"Nope," Bladescape said, shaking her head. "I am saying it is yours. You will need it tomorrow and we have our gear covered for the best this floor has to offer."

"You don't want anything for it?" Agil asked, surprised. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Nothing," Bladescape stated. "Not a piece of col or even a favor. Like I said, we acquired a few extra items like this. We furnished the three I saved but still have some left over. You are going into the boss battle and need the best weapon available. Eight or even eleven, we couldn't do it on our own. Your choice to join us all tomorrow is all the payments me and my friends need."

"Wow," Agil said. "I really can't believe it. Everyone is out for themselves. Your kindness and generosity is weird, but it shouldn't be with the situation we are in. We really should be working together. Some people obviously won't make that easy. Kibaou will be one of them, and others will hoard and hide to give themselves a leg up, rather than pass on something. And if they sell it, they will want to get the best deal. Which I understand. You can’t give away everything for free."

"It is what me and my friends do," Bladescape said. "We will be a good counterbalance to those players. Our organizational structure will help be a counterbalance as well. Not that we are looking to expand. Keeping up on eleven is not easy. Balancing combat and earning col, against a few Crafters, who at the same time need all of the col they can to get more material and level up, so we have to make sure we grind away and get as much as we can to keep them moving up, while also giving them the time to craft...yeah it is tiring. Our statistician is helping them take the best route with the available information, but it still is tough."

"I bet it is tough," Agil replied. "And you just gave me the axe when you need the col."

Bladescape shrugged. "We covered what we needed to, but for the rest, we didn't sell because we love being generous and kind. If we can’t afford to give something away, we will sell it as low as possible directly to a player in need. Selling to a merchant is a different thing entirely, because all sides are trying to come out with making the most col. Sure, we probably could have gotten five figures for this axe and the same for the other weapons, but not everything, even with our crafter’s needs, is about money. Money is a means to an end, but it makes for a poor life goal. We have been sitting on them for two weeks at least, but we were looking for the right people. The three I saved, right people. You, Agil, right person. Maybe a few others here will be right and deserving as well.

"Aincrad needs more empathy as we all struggle to handle this change. We need to be loyal to each other, and for those of us pushing against the bosses, loyal to that cause. Honesty will go a long way, because it helps build trust and it reduces hoarding or hiding good grinding spots. We need to find our laughter, true laughter, again. This world needs all of that. Those things, along with friendship make a magic that can weather even the toughest storms. Aincrad really needs that magic to be brought to it. So we saved the extra items to help those who needed a leg up. We need merchants like you too, so you need that col."

"I look forward to meeting all of your friends," Agil said. "I want to thank them all personally. Let's get through the boss fight first though."

"Deal," Bladescape said. "Want to become friends?"

"Definitely," Agil said, swiping his menu up and sending her the request.

Kirito walked past them, mad about something. It seemed unrelated to the boss raid. He was followed by another, hiding under a tan cloak.

"Twenty-five Thousand col," the woman under the cloak said. "That is what my client is willing to pay for your sword."

"No," he said. "I don't know why your client is so persistent, but I'm not selling my sword, no matter what price he can offer."

Kirito stormed off and the woman went the other way.

"Twenty-five Thousand col," Agil said, shocked at hearing that much. "That's a lot of money. I don't know what I would do in his situation. It's a good weapon he has, but is it really worth keeping for that price? For the record, I won't sell this axe."

"It’s probably the best option for him," Bladescape said. "Especially on the eve of the first boss raid. I wouldn't sell. And if you were the type of guy who would sell a gift like that, even if he was a bit strapped for cash, then I wouldn't have given it to you. We know you will make good use of it."

They chatted about different things before they split up. Agil explained his path with two other players. They had taken the eastern route after Medai to a town that was near the border, before coming north to Tolbana.

Bladescape rejoined the others, who had gathered around Natora. Malus had food for them all, and everyone had drinks.

Natora immediately spoke up. "Just so you are aware, the rest of us caught two others up, weapon wise. A one-handed axe user and a sword user."

"And I gave Agil the spare great axe," Bladescape added. "He was very grateful. I'm glad we found a few who needed the upgrades before we hit the boss. The last thing we need is someone going on the raid with subpar weapons, like the bind Agil was in, which makes them more of a liability with the lack of training we collectively have. The defensive equipment is all over the place, but then again, so is ours. The only other one who looks like they have armor well covered is Diavel. The rest look like they are barely out of starter gear."

"Yeah," Natora sighed. "I wish I had an armor skill. But! I have the best equipment I can and I need agility and speed over raw defense. I keep thinking about leather equipment over light metal, but I do keep going back to light metal as my future choice for a variety of reasons."

"You will be more stationary than Thunder," Bladescape said. "Tomorrow will help you decide what you think is best."

They were approached by Lind. He was in Diavel’s party and wanted to meet the others. He was a kind enough guy, but he seemed to have a hidden motive outside of making friends.

The Wondercolts were not the first to leave. That made Bladescape feel good as they soon went back to their accommodations. The others were back and had gotten dinner already. It was decided that they would wait for news tomorrow and not go hunting. They wanted to be fresh for Floor 2 and ready to act as soon as the boss was beaten.

"Are you certain you will be fine?" Knightstar asked. "I don't mean to shake your confidence."

"You have a copy of the guidebook?" Bladescape asked.

"Yes," Knightstar said with a nod. "It's been invaluable for filling in the gaps."

"Then you have the information about the boss in it. We are as ready as we can be. Our levels are good and for the first time, we players have a collective direction and decent strategy. I don't think we will have a problem, not as Wondercolts and not as a raiding party."

"Player deaths?" Knightstar asked.

"I can't gauge that," Bladescape said. "Even you know that is an unfair question because I lack the knowledge about them."

Diemond saved Bladescape. "We were able to upgrade some deserving raiders. They will go in with better weapons tomorrow because of us."

Bladescape and Natora immediately bid the others goodnight before anyone else went to bed.

Inside the room, the discussion was started by Bladescape. "How are you doing? I wasn't sure what nerve Kibaou hit. He fired off a lot of shots quickly."

"He hit a few," Natora growled. "Thanks for the subtle support. We couldn't let them know I was a beta tester. Blaming me...I did the best I could. I know that. I regret nothing. I do wish there was more that I could have done, but Agil was right. They had access to good info. It isn't our fault if they over extended their abilities or failed for any other reason. I am sure a lot of those deaths were beta testers. I would bet that half of the beta testers are dead, because they pushed their limit, thinking they could get away with it and they paid the price for that arrogance.”

"I thanked Agil for it, but I didn't tell him or hint that we had help from you. I chalked it up to group numbers."

"Because it was," Natora stated. "It was due to our numbers. It saved us more times that I am afraid to think about. More players needed to be working in parties, not in groups. There were far too many who didn't understand how that worked."

"Definitely," Bladescape replied. "Way too many were shocked. I probably need to read the guide."

"Definitely the boss info, which is short and can wait till morning, but the rest, focus on your memories. We need you back to full mental power. There are a few who want power and we need to be a reasonable representation of civility and something that players can model. That is a lot of pressure, I know."

"It's okay," Bladescape sighed. "I want it. Part of it. I don't mind the sacrifice. I feel like I am not doing enough."

"You are leading us really well. You don't need to be in direct control of everything to be a good leader. Inspiration is a powerful force. You need those under you to be able to make their own decisions at times and they not only need to be equipped to handle it, but given the freedom to do it and not be overburdened by their leader. You have struck a good balance between grinding for col and crafting. That is all you and the same for enhancements. We have them because of you.

“Honestly, I think Doom is getting where she is and Diemond is learning to stand her ground because you are a firm, unyielding force before us. You give them the strength to try and be more. To not succumb to fear or fatigue, but to press on. Not just them, but everyone. I will admit that you have made it possible for me to continue."

Natora crossed her arms and let out a bit of a hiss. "The nerve that he really hit was this idea that we didn't deserve what we worked for. We couldn't help our leg up. I wish other beta testers had done more, but giving up our stuff, that was too far. We are not some communist country that takes most of your stuff. This is a competitive field. They need to learn that. And so long as the beta testers put forth an effort to clear the game or progress it, we need that. They can't push them out from helping either. I am concerned that will happen if Kibaou gets his way."

"That is a real concern," Bladescape said. “We need to get to bed, but I need to make a confession to you, so that you know where I am. You are putting a lot of faith in me. Normally, I would say it is well founded, but my foundation is cracked. I read memories and some I remember, others I am already forgetting. I can go back and reread them, but I can’t recall them.”

“You are under a lot of stress still,” Natora said. “It’s okay. Thanks for letting me know though. I am here to support you. Your memory will hopefully get better, but if it doesn’t, you will have my, our, support. It won’t matter to the others. You have already proven that you can lead us and should lead us. Give yourself a little grace and remember that we are a month into this new life with a lot of uncertainty. It will take time for things to settle.”

"I think what is best for my mind is sleep. Since we don’t need to be gathered until ten, I'm going to set my alarm for an hour later than normal."

"Bold move," Natora laughed. "I'll do the same. I'm not sure if it will work because of our own internal clocks and habits. Either that or the others might barge in and wake us up early, or rather, on time because they are not in on our plan."

They went to bed. Bladescape found sleep rather quickly.

Episode 17 - Illfang The Kobold Lord

Episode 17 - Illfang The Kobold Lord
Fourth Day in the Month of Holly (December 4) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 1

The planned extra hour of sleep didn’t happen. Bladescape woke up at 6:29 am without her alarm. They had been starting their days at 8am, so she was usually awake by 7am. The 6:30 time was annoying. She wasn’t concerned about the boss fight. It wasn’t on her mind. Their morning schedule was simply backfiring.

Bladescape could only lay in bed so long before it drove her nuts. She didn’t want to wake up Natora though. They could comfortably lay side by side, but the beds were not designed for two people. Bladescape planned how to get out of bed without disturbing her. It required her to be as stiff as a board. She executed her plan, slowly turning onto her side.

“Our alarm plan failed,” Natora stated.

Bladescape collapsed back in bed. “Good! You are awake. Getting out of this bed without waking you was a tough goal.”

Natora propped herself up on her elbows. “That’s why I hadn’t moved. I was trying to figure out how to get out without waking you and I hadn’t figured out a plan.”

“What time did you wake up?” Bladescape asked, also propping herself up as well.

“Six Twenty-two. You?”

“Six Twenty-nine.”

Natora sighed. “Well, that plan was a bust, despite our best efforts. At least the others didn’t wake us up.”

“Agreed,” Bladescape nodded. “You got the guide book?”

“Yeah,” Natora said, swiping up her menu. She gave it to Bladescape. “Page eighty-four through six.”

“I was expecting more,” Bladescape said as she stood up. “Two or three pages isn’t bad.”

“It isn’t,” Natora agreed.

Bladescape was done with the reading really quick. It was all the same information she had gotten the day before. There was nothing she didn’t know.

“How are our stocks?” Bladescape asked.

Natora snorted. “Seriously, if we run out of potions...well we will be dead before we run out. Since they heal slowly, we would die before we could use them all up. That would require everyone to buckle.”

“Well, we will be rotating in and out, so we can heal, and we have dedicated units to deal with the sentinels.”

“Then we should have nothing to worry about.”

“That is my belief.”

“I’m bored and it is only six forty-seven. Early breakfast?”

Bladescape grinned mischievously. “I’ll pin a note on the door for the others to not worry.”

The note was easy to write and also easy to put on the door. They were out of the house by 6:50. They splurged on the best breakfast in Tolbana.

Natora leaned back in her chair after polishing off the huge breakfast. “That feels so good. I mean, we haven’t been eating too poorly, especially since Malus spoke up. You and I really only cared about killing the hunger pains.”

“The impending fight changed that,” Bladescape stated, accidentally burping. “Oh! Sorry.”

Natora just chuckled, needing no apology. “Yeah...I wasn’t expecting the end of breakfast to bring a foreboding feeling about the day.”

“And we still have two and a half hours,” Bladescape groaned.

"I have a question," Natora said. She glanced around the mostly empty tavern and then leaned forward onto the table. Bladescape came in closer so she could whisper. "We play by the rules. You guys set a strategy, but you like those gloves you got from the goblin general. What do you think a Floor Boss will give? I'll tell you this, it will be epic and special if you score the Last Attack Bonus."

Bladescape grinned back. "I’ve been trying to figure that out. I'll try and set myself up, our group is primarily damage dealing on the boss, but I won't risk us all over an item. Still, it is on my radar and I'll do my best to score it, because yeah, I want it. And I don't want a player like Kibaou to get it and squander it."

"I'll back you up on that," Natora said.

They finished off their drinks over the next ten minutes and then headed to the central square. It was where they said for everyone to meet. They took on a spot on the cool grass while they waited for the others to arrive, which didn’t take long.

“Why’d you ditch us?” Thunderborne quipped.

“Rainbow Dash!” Diemond exclaimed, swatting her on the arm. “That was rude and you know it!”

“I’m just saying, an invite would have been nice,” Thunderborne argued back. “I was awake!”

“It was an impromptu meeting between leaders over breakfast,” Natora stated.

“So, you two are officially taking over,” Thunderborne stated. It was a lot of sass from her, more than usual.

Malus spoke up before either Natora or Bladescape could. “Thunder, we love you. You’re good at sports, no, you’re great, and you make a fantastic team captain. But you haven’t even stepped up to the plate. This ain’t a sports team an’ you know it. There’s a lot more at stake. When Blade asked Natora to join us as an official Wondercolt, in Horunka, she did more for our group than any of us could do, even you. She has kept us focused. She uses her resources, specifically Natora and Knightstar, but Blade has been the one we all have been followin.”

“I’m just saying, a vote would have been nice,” Thunderborne shot back.

“A vote for what?” Diemond asked. “Two parties, two leaders, and it has always been Blade and Natora.”

“Well…” Thunderborne stalled. “What about a tie?”

“We can’t exactly tie,” Bladescape said with a chuckle.

“If you each vote for your plan, you tie,” Thunderborne said, rather pretentiously.

“Then they ask Knightstar to break it,” Malus stated. “Those three are the ones who know what to do to keep us alive an’ movin.”

“Are we seriously having this discussion now‽” Knightstar asked. “You guys are less than two hours from heading off to fight the boss and we are arguing over leadership! And throwing me in the mix!”

“You do our stats,” Natora shrugged. “Diemond made you a sling with a pouch with your notebook and pencils right there on your chest, for easy access. We all have potion pouches from her, but you are the only one with a special pouch. You have read the guidebook, what, two times? No one else can say that. You know the most about the workings of Aincrad. Probably more than all of us combined.”

Knightstar sighed. “Not two. I started the fifth read through this morning.”

“Look, this changes nothing,” Bladescape said. “Really, it doesn’t. We did technically just solidify the leadership hierarchy, but that doesn’t actually change how we have been functioning. Almost all of you were already thinking this is how it was, and Knightstar, you led the party last night while we were at the boss raid meeting.”

Knightstar let out a sigh. “I did. I didn’t think anything of it because we all knew what to do, and it was simple goblin hunting. I just...I’ve never been good at leadership. I’m still new to the friendship stuff. You guys know that.”

“That’s why you have Blade and I,” Natora said. “Yesterday, you did great. A leader doesn’t have to micromanage the group, not when we know what to do like against the goblins. We will take care of you and ensure you learn what you need to, but it’s at most eleven of us. That is two parties, with the odd third party at times. And running a party may not fall to you. It doesn’t have to. We just need your brain to help ensure our choices are the best.”

“But I can’t determine what is best for us all,” Knightstar argued. “Telling Pinkie what to cook for maximum XP and minimum cost is one thing, but everyone else. Do you really expect me to have the answer for everyone?”

“Nope,” Bladescape shrugged. “Look, just keep feeding us the data we need, like you have been. That is your job. We may ask for your interpretation at times, but we will be able to handle most of that. You are like a map, giving us the data we need. Natora and I will figure out how to navigate the Wondercolts across that terrain, but we need the map to be as accurate as possible.”

“I can be the map,” Knightstar said with a definitive nod.

Natora looked at Kiefer, Reisenki, and Soryuto. “Have we scared you off yet?”

“Nope!” Kiefer shrugged. “We thought you guys had already formally set this up. Nothing you have said changes anyone’s role. That is from me, on the outside, looking at you guys. You are a dynamite group of friends and you are fun, despite how serious this all is. We know where you are headed, and it is exactly where we want to go. We just need a strong leader like Bladescape to be able to follow. As long as you will have us, we will go straight to the top with you.”

Bladescape dramatically flopped onto her back with a groan “Waiting is agonizing. I get why, but I hate just waiting! I didn't expect to feel like this."

No one had a response to that. It was clear they all didn't know what to do.

Diemond gracefully sat down in the grass. She began to work on more sewing while they waited. At least she could do that. Doombunny began to follow a butterfly and Knightstar turned to reading the guide, again. Everyone else mostly stayed quiet.

By 9:45, most of the raiders were in the area. Diavel, Kibaou and a few others were talking by the fountain. Diemond stopped sewing and transferred all of her supplies to Doombunny. She wouldn’t need it in the boss fight. She would need the space for the loot drop and keeping her carry weight low was also wise. Konpeito had left her cooking stuff in their rented rooms. They still had a week on the renewed rental, so they planned to, at the very least, store stuff there. Everyone else had empty inventories except for what they needed for the boss fight. Their pouches were full of healing potions, ready to quickly be grabbed when they needed them.

At 10:00 am, the raid party gathered in the auditorium. A final count was made, and everyone was present. Diavel didn’t give any rousing speech. He simply got them marching out to the boss labyrinth.

It was usually a half hour walk to the labyrinth. With such a large group, not all members were as fast as others. Staying together mattered, so they could only go as fast as the slowest member. Some of the bigger guys who were tanks were weighed down with defensive gear. It took them an hour just to get to the start of the labyrinth.

The first floor’s boss labyrinth was interesting, since the respawns were on a timer. They were the only known place that respawned at the same rate and the same numbers. No one took any major hits, but parties rotated being on point, dealing with the respawned kobold troopers, to avoid one group becoming spent before making it to the chamber. They all made it, with full health, to the boss chamber at 12:40. Except for Group C and Group D, the others had not gotten this high in the labyrinth.

Diavel stopped before he opened the doors to the chamber. He turned around to face everyone. “I have two quick things to say. First off, listen to your party leader. They will direct you, and their orders will come from me. Second, is an echo of what I said last night. We can do this. We will do this. SAO can and will be beaten!”

That got some cheers as he turned back around and pushed the doors open.

It was a narrower room than Bladescape had expected. It was lined with columns and the walls were lit up like they were stained glass. The center had a decorative tile that reminded her of a red carpet to the throne of a king.

On the far side was Illfang. He stood over two meters tall, was covered in red, short haired skin, and he wore a loincloth belt as well as shin guards. His skin had blue tribal style tattoos. Even from their distance, his glowing copper eyes stood out. Above his head was a red icon, denoting that he was an enemy, and under that popped up “Illfang the Kobold Lord.” Four health bars filled up beside his head.

“The second row of columns inside the door is where we will switch back to and recover our health,” Diavel said. "That way the groups are out of the way and safe from being attacked, even if a sentinel gets through, it can be intercepted or seen in time for the recovering party to be ready."

Nothing more could be said as Illfang roared, brandishing his bone axe and his buckler. Several Ruin Kobold Sentinels were spawned like they had teleported into the room. Groups E, F, and G charged forward to engage them. The Sentinels were a higher level than the troopers, fully covered in plate armor, and wielding two handed ball maces with bumps on the oversized heads. It wasn’t going to be easy to eliminate them.

Group A and Group C were right behind them. They got past the minions and then went for Illfang. Bladescape led her party ahead of Agil’s Group B. They needed to be ready to switch out when the first group lost too much HP to safely continue.

Group A blocked an attack, one person crumbled under the axe’s might, but he didn’t lose too much HP. He wasn’t as solid on his feet as a tank needed to be. The others were there to help him up as Group C used Illfang’s delay and struck the first blows against him.

Bladescape kept the Wondercolts, Group D, back 15 feet from the front line. Agil had group B do the same. They were close enough for the quick switch, but far enough back to stay out of their way allowing front groups to maneuver.

Group A did an admirable job blocking and Group C dealt good damage, but took their own hits. It was impossible, even with the tanks, for them to not lose HP at a decent rate. Several got knocked down into the red but Diavel jumped in and struck Illfang. He blocked a blow with his shield, thrust his sword deep into Illfang’s gut, and blocked another blow. He didn’t realize it was a three-combo attack and he took a hit. He dropped into the red, but Illfang’s first health bar was depleted.

“SWITCH!” Diavel ordered as he tried to get back on his feet.

Bladescape surged forward, leaving both Group D and B to follow her. She was targeted and triggered a Weapon Defense skill. It did its job and she launched a counter strike which landed and put a noticeable dent into the second HP bar. Group B was there to protect her and The Wondercolts were there to strike while the Kobold Lord was in his delay.

They quickly got into a good rhythm going between both groups. Agil even began to land hits, while Malus slipped into a more defensive role. There was a clear difference between the ancient weapons and the regular ones. Malus’ Ancient Telmarine War Hammer was dealing 25% more damage than the best war hammer the others were using.

The second health bar was depleted quickly. It spawned more Sentinels, forcing the freshly recovered Groups E, F, and G to deal with them. They successfully covered the switch and retreat of Groups B and D.

Groups A and C went back to hammering at his health. It was going smoother and faster than Bladescape had expected. Their health could only regenerate so fast with the potions. They really needed a quick method, more instantaneous. So far, nothing outside of potions existed. Only one type was sold or dropped on the first floor, but others were reported to exist that healed their health faster.

With their health restored, the Wondercolts moved closer to the battle for the switch. Group B had lost more health, but it didn't take much longer for them to top off and join them. They just had to watch and wait for the health bar to be depleted.

When the third health bar had 20% left, Diavel ordered the switch. It was early, but they successfully switched. The Wondercolts got their hits in and most of Group B blocked for them. One slipped or tripped, ending up face first on the floor. Another didn't brace right and he was tossed by the axe, dropping far into the red. Group H rushed to his aid. It forced Malus and Diemond into purely defensive roles. The others, in all of the Groups except C, D, and the two player Group G, were falling apart from lack of experience working together. The Wondercolts were smooth with their communication and already started to work without needing a lot of verbal commands.

Bladescape sliced Illfang the Kobold Lord with the Red Sun Sword. The delay hit and then she was free. She jumped back and saw his fourth health bar slide to 50%. He was now orange. 30% would turn it red.

Group B took a hit, sending a player into the red and off the front to heal. Agil was down to four including himself. They would have to switch out soon. A quick glance told her that Group A needed more time. She didn't want to rotate out. The Wondercolts were exactly where she needed them for her to score the Last Attack Bonus.

That second of distraction was all Illfang needed. Bladescape got hit, hard, with his axe. Malus got in between Bladescape and the second part of the two combination Sword Skill. She was steady on her feet, but getting banged around by a boss took its toll, dropping her into the orange. Illfang was out of the delay before the other Wondercolts could get to him and he knocked Diemond down, letting Natora run him through while he blocked Konpeito's axe on his shield. Thunderborne struck while he was in his delay, but he came out of it before Natora and Thunderborne did, leaving them open and without a tank. Neither had an armor skill, leaving them with just weapon defense. Natora was better at it than Thunderborne, but both lost a good chunk of health. Konpeito’s axe was blocked again by Illfang’s shield. She got hit with his axe just as her delay ended.

"GROUP E, COVER THEM!" Diavel ordered. "GROUPS A AND C, SWITCH WITH B AND D!"

Bladescape was helped up and they retreated. Group B was in better condition than they were. Bladescape anxiously tapped the floor with her hand while she sat and waited for her health to go back up. The final stage’s strategy, when the health hit red, was for everyone to swarm him and attack at once to quickly finish him off. She couldn't safely join if her health wasn't high enough.

Her health got to 75% as she saw Illfang’s health turn red. He roared a challenge to the raiders closest to them, and Group A froze in fear. Group C was spread out, in position to strike from multiple angles. Group B was off the front line, healed and ready to switch in.

Diavel shouted new orders. “STAND BACK! I GOT IT!”

Bladescape looked at Natora. She was shocked and shrugged back. They turned their focus back to the battle.

Diavel triggered the highest combination Sword Skill he had, his sword glowing yellow, as he ran at the boss. Illfang wasn’t done yet. He tossed aside his buckler and axe despite Diavel’s advance and reached behind him. He drew a long black sword. It was single edged and flat, not curved. It certainly wasn’t a talwar.

“WAIT!” Kirito yelled. “STOP! IT’S NO GOOD! GET OUT OF THERE!”

Illfang jumped, bounding off the walls and pillars with incredible agility. He landed, striking Diavel with a lightning fast four hit combination attack and blasting him backwards. Illfang the Kobold Lord roared as he went into a rage from his health dropping so low. The roar caused a stun effect on all of Group C because they were the closest to him. They were in striking range of his powerful sword and unable to move.

Bladescape saw Kirito dash over to where Diavel hand landed and then glanced at her team. Their health was at 80%. They understood her look and nodded to her, accepting the risk. Bladescape jumped up, charging back to the battle with the rest of the Wondercolts right behind her. It was a long way to go, though, to get to the boss.

Group A got in between the boss and the stunned players and all took powerful strikes against their shields. Most were knocked back, unable to handle Illfang's new level of strength and speed. The sword was also a lot more powerful than the axe, dishing out more damage. Group B got themselves into blocking position, protecting the others as they downed health potions, but they held there. It was clear Agil was trying to sort out how to deal with the boss without Diavel’s leadership.

Bladescape was still too far out for her to help him out or to take charge. She glanced ahead to where Diavel had landed. Kirito was with him now, bent over, trying to help him, but it was too late. Diavel shattered into polygons before aid could be rendered. Bladescape barely avoided stumbling and suppressed the shudder that tried to shake her as she remembered the same thing happening to her twice five days ago. She forced herself to focus on defeating Illfang, or Diavel’s death would be for nothing. They were officially without their leader. He wouldn’t be the only death if the group didn’t come under strong leadership and keep them together. Bladescape tried to move faster to get back to the fight and give them that leadership.

“STEP BACK TEN FEET!” Kirito ordered, taking charge since no one else had. He was ahead of her and had a louder voice. “GROUPS A, B, AND C GET BACK!” More sentinels spawned. “GROUPS E AND H, BLOCK THOSE SENTINELS! A AND C ARE COMPROMISED!”

Kirito and Red Riding Hood got in front of the retreating groups. Kirito blocked Illfang’s sword and Red Riding Hood switched in. He swiped his massive sword at her and somehow she slipped out of the way, but her cloak was shredded by the sword. Red Riding Hood was a pretty girl, maybe 15, with long chestnut hair. Her flowing hair had a set of braids that started at her ears, joining at the back and keeping everything except her bangs under its grasp. She slammed a rapier strike into Illfang with no mercy. The rapier looked like a new version of Thunderborne's Ancient Wind Fleuret with a shiny, light jade guard.

Kirito blocked another strike, and Red Riding Hood countered with another quick attack. She knew how to use her rapier and Kirito was smartly letting her faster weapon with less delay time do the work against Illfang's HP. Illfang hit Kirito with several strikes which he blocked except for the last one. It knocked him back and it had taken a good chunk of his HP with it. Kirito slammed into Red Riding Hood, taking her down with him.

Bladescape saw Illfang trigger a skill to finish off both Kirito and Red Riding Hood. Agil got there and his axe met Illfang’s sword, saving their lives. Illfang jumped back and B charged forward. They were tanks and as they had proven over the course of the battle that they were not good at attacking. Illfang quickly struck them all in a single sweep, fracturing their line as they were tossed back in different directions.

Illfang targeted Agil but Bladescape keyed up her own skill. This was the moment. The six of them could save everyone, finish the fight, and lead the raiders onto the second floor. Bladescape got there in time, the Ancient Red Sun Sword clashed with Illfang’s sword. Konpeito, Natora, and Thunderborne got strikes in and then jumped back behind Malus and Diemond, defaulting to defense like last round rather than pressing the attack. They were also blocking Bladescape. She made a move to the side to get around them and saw Illfang’s sword glow.

Malus and Diemond took the slash on their shields. Malus stayed up, only sliding back, but Diemond was sent flying into Natora, Thunderborne, and Konpeito. Like a bowling ball striking pins, they all went down. If Bladescape hadn’t moved she would have been one of those pins. She was not going to waste the opportunity. She charged forward, slashing Illfang across his gut, dealing significant damage. She saw his counter attack coming and put the Ancient Red Sun Sword above her head, bracing the blade with her hand as a powerful downward swing came at her. She crumpled under the heavy strike. It was significantly more powerful than the axe had been.

Illfang triggered a skill and jumped. Malus slid in front of Bladescape. The strike was stopped on the shield and then Kirito yelled, jumping over them and striking Illfang with amazing agility. Illfang jumped back, landing at the far end of the chamber. Kirito landed in a roll and Red Riding Hood joined him in a two-player charge.

Bladescape got to her feet, her health was only in the yellow. She slapped Malus on the shoulder to follow her. The two of them would need backup. As she started to follow them, Bladescape watched Kirito block an attack, then Red Riding Hood switched in and countered with another lightning fast rapier strike. She was faster than Thunderborne was. Kirito’s Anneal Blade sliced Illfang and then he triggered Vertical Arc, a leaping Sword Skill that had a heavy delay.

The delay didn’t matter as Illfang the Kobold Lord shattered into polygons. Happy fanfare played and CONGRATULATIONS appeared in the center of the room above them. The fight was over. The first of Aincrad’s 100 bosses was beaten. They had done what many considered impossible. They only lost one raider to the boss, but that loss would echo throughout Aincrad for their entire time in Aincrad.

Everyone had screens pop up in front of them, showing their spoils. Most players started celebrating with shouts and cheering and other hyped-up talk.

Bladescape let out an angry sigh. She had wanted that Last Attack Bonus. She should have been able to beat Illfang in their attack after blocking Agil. Her own party’s hesitation and defensive tactics took that opportunity away. She couldn’t blame them after what they had been through. He had wrecked their health and nearly killed them. Ultimately, she hadn’t told them to change tactics.

What mattered wasn’t the bonus. Since the fight went sideways after Diavel was struck down, they were lucky enough to make it out alive. These players were completely disorganized. They had to get better, be stronger, and know how to work cohesively if they were ever to conquer the second floor, let alone Aincrad. Bladescape needed to figure out how to rally them. She could lead them, but she faltered, afraid to take charge as her memories slipped away, leaving her with no idea how to assert herself without being too aggressive. She didn’t need to form an army, she needed to form a movement.

Episode 18 - Beater

Episode 18 - Beater
Fourth Day in the Month of Holly (December 4) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 1

The lights of the room dimmed and the fanfare playing ended too. Most of the players were still celebrating in the center of the room. They had beaten Illfang the Kobold Lord. They had cleared the first floor of Aincrad. The ceiling above them was metaphorically made of glass and they had just shattered it. Most didn’t appear to realize Diavel had fallen.

Bladescape glanced at her list. It was great XP and Col, and the items dropped were not bad either, from what she could tell at a glance, but it meant little to her at the moment. She hadn’t been strong enough. She could have, should have, been able to strike Illfang the Kobold Lord down. Kirito’s attacks were more than superior agility. She would never have his agility because she was using a different weapon class than he was, as well as a different build, but he would never have the power in his strikes that she would. Her swords might be slower and heavier, but they hit harder. Bladescape had a party of friends, he was playing solo. Statistically speaking, she could have done it, in reality, her friends were not ready to help her like Red Riding Hood had helped Kirito.

And perhaps more importantly, she, Bladescape, wasn’t there mentally. As she replayed what she had seen and dissected it, she realized the depth of Kirito’s will to dominate and win. He was going to end this nightmare. He was going to protect the others. He had instincts from surviving alone that she didn’t have. Instincts she needed to gain in order for her to ensure that her friends survived. They needed her to have a drive for victory like Kirito had displayed.

Or, perhaps, she had that drive already and she had that victory mindset, but they were things she needed to remember. She wasn't sure anymore. Only her memories would help her answer that. Either way, she had to change tactics.

Yet that was the issue. The raiders needed a leader, but Bladescape was unsure how to rally them. Leading her friends was one thing. They knew her and she had already relied on most of them; as much as they held her up long before she had put on the Nerve-Gear. Momentum, natural talent, and relying heavily on Natora’s in-game advice had carried her leadership this far as much as anything else, in light of her lost memories. Pulling them under her banner would be easy, but some deep part of her — she still didn’t fully remember — told her it would defeat the point. Conquering Aincrad would require many approaches all working together towards that goal, not one faction dominating the push forward. Rallying others to the cause as she guided it? She couldn’t remember how to do it. Hopefully someone would say something to spark an idea.

“You okay?” Natora asked, appearing beside her.

“Just thinking,” Bladescape replied. “Yes, but no. It’s complicated and this isn’t the time or place for that discussion. What matters is that no Wondercolts died and Illfang is dead. We can proceed to the second floor.”

The crowd quieted down and Bladescape saw Agil approach Kirito and Red Riding Hood. Kirito was kneeling on the floor, how he had ended the fight. It was Red Riding Hood who spoke first. “Nice job.”

“That was some fine swordsmanship,” Agil added. “Congratulations, today’s victory is all thanks to you.”

“No,” Kirito replied.

Someone shouted. “Yeah!” Another yelled “You rock, man!” Others started clapping and cheering. Bladescape clapped a few times. He deserved it, even if he had earned the last attack bonus she wanted.

“STOP CHEERING!” Kibaou ordered from the other side of the crowd. Everyone did, unsure what was going on. He was cold, sad, angry as he continued. “Why’d you do it? Huh? Why'd you let Diavel die?”

“Let him die?” Kirito quietly asked.

“That’s what I said,” Kibaou replied. “Admit it. You knew the technique the boss was gonna use. You could’ve told us! Then Diavel would have stood a chance. He wouldn’t have had to die!”

Bladescape’s heart sank. Like last night, Kibaou had the crowd turning on his side. Diavel had broken from the plan. Plus, the guidebook was not updated for the full release. Illfang most likely had used a talwar sword in the closed beta, but it was changed for the full release. It was unfair to assume Kirito knew or could have known.

Bladescape was about to argue back, to point out his stupidity and prevent the witch-hunt Kibaou was obviously looking to start, except someone spoke up before she could utter a word. “I know why he knew! He used to be a beta tester! Think about it. He knew the boss’ attack patterns. He knew, but he kept it from us!”

Bladescape finally saw Kibaou. He was sitting on the floor, trying to hold it together, with a few others from Groups C and E. He was the opposite of Kirito, in both composure, and spatial relation. There was a player from Group E pointing at Kirito, the same one who had just leveled the accusation at him.

The player continued. “And I bet he’s not the only beta tester here. Come on! Show yourselves!”

Players were looking around and murmuring to each other.

“This is bad,” Natora said to Bladescape, barely above a whisper. “I...I don’t know what to do.”

“It’s okay,” Bladescape whispered back. “Let them calm down.”

Things only got more tense. Players were actively looking for a beta tester, or more than one. They didn’t trust anyone. A few eyes settled on Bladescape. She knew it was because she was the leader of the only group with matching capes. At this point, even if they hadn’t had Natora for help, it would be nearly impossible for her to convince them otherwise. Diemond did what Rarity did and what they all expected her to do before diving into SAO; make sure they matched. But the mob wouldn't, didn't, see it that way. Drawing more attention to themselves right now would only solidify that false assumption.

Agil and Red Riding Hood had made their way over to Kibaou. Agil was trying to ease the situation. “Hey, calm down.”

Suddenly Kirito began to laugh. It was a laugh filled with mania and slowly rising in its volume. Everyone turned to look at him. Kirito was still kneeling on the floor as he laughed. Just as the laugh got to be too much, it stopped. His voice was even and cold. “So, you guys think I used to be a beta tester.” Kirito stood up, with a real bite to his words. “It’s not cool to put me in the same class with those noobs.”

“Wha?” Kibaou stammered, also standing. “What’d you say!”

Kirito turned to look at them. “You heard me.” Kirito said, slowly starting to walk over to Kibaou. “Most of the thousand people who scored a slot in SAO’s Beta were rookies. They were so green, they didn’t even know how to level up. Hell, even you guys are better than they were. But me, I’m nothing like those guys, man.” He stood in the middle of the crowd, facing Kibaou. Now his words were a statement, a boast. “During the Beta, I made it to floors that were higher than any of the other testers. That’s a fact. I knew about the boss cause I fought tons of monsters with way more sword skills on higher floors. I know a bunch of other things too. More than you can imagine. More than any info broker.”

“Wh-what the hell?” Kibaou asked. “If that’s true, then you’re worse than a beta tester.” Kibaou was seething. “You’re a cheater, that's what you are!”

Bladescape sighed, tired from the fight and already exhausted from this unhelpful turn of events. She didn’t dare look at Natora for fear of giving her away. She could tell she was tense again, worse than yesterday.

Someone yelled. “He’s a beta tester and a cheater! He’s a Beater!”

“A Beater,” Kirito said, soaking in their hate. “Yeah, that’s good. I like it.”

That response shocked everyone, even Bladescape. She hadn’t quite figured him out. He was a loner, quiet and aloof, making it difficult to read him. Beta tester explained why he was solo and why he was watching everyone like he was yesterday, but now he wasn’t the same reserved and quiet observer with a level head.

“Okay,” Kirito said, swiping up his menu. “You can call me a Beater. Just be sure you don’t confuse me with those beta testers anymore.” With a final click a black leather coat appeared on his body, turning his projected appearance even darker. Sinister even.

Kirito turned around and walked toward the back of the chamber. With the boss defeated, the stairs had been revealed. They would take them to the second floor, somewhere close to a settlement. Kirito probably knew exactly where that would be, but Bladescape had no idea and she knew Natora didn’t either. They just watched him walk away, unsure what else to do.

Red Riding Hood suddenly ran after him. She caught up to him on the stairs, right before they turned and he disappeared. “Wait!” He kept walking and she was forced to follow him out of sight.

With the Beater in black gone, the tension in the chamber lessened. Bladescape glanced at Natora. She was shaking a bit from suddenly losing the tension she had been building up. Now that Kirito was gone, this was Bladescape’s opportunity to rally everyone. She had to refocus them on moving forward. The only other person who had shown great leadership in the battle had just abandoned them.

"Well I guess I am one of the noob beta testers," Natora said to Bladescape. Bladescape winced and Natora immediately regretted the comment. It had been meant to break the tension Natora was feeling, but she wasn't among friends. It was a joke with serious consequences. It also killed the opportunity to refocus everyone. Kibaou and many of the others would not listen to someone who benefitted from, as they saw it, a cheater.

Kibaou turned on Natora. "You're an ex-beta tester too! You cheated your way just like he did! How many quests did you steal and what places did you hide to build up your levels? Huh? Players died because of you! I demand that you hand over your earnings that you stole from us."

Natora didn’t have the darkness and fear Kirito had generated. She hadn’t ripped apart the boss. She was touchable, whereas Kirito had separated himself and left their grasp.

Natora slipped into a loose fighting stance. She was harsh in her tone, working to convey strength and command of the situation. "I never made it off the first floor. About all I was good for was map data. Yeah, I did face Illfang three times in the beta, and died like a noob each time before I got any information about him. The guidebook had more info in it within three days than I learned in one month. I switched weapons so often, I didn't stand a chance at beating Illfang by myself.” She lowered her spear, pointing it at Kibaou. "When the game started, I helped my friends. There were seven of them and only one of me. I had my hands full. As to the quests, the only quest we sniped was in Tolbana and it was so I could get the spear that I had the last few days of the beta back. I loved it and I wanted it again, but I didn't get it because the game had changed. The one you are looking at was my reward. In the beta it was able to be done by anyone, like the Anneal Blade, except for the release it was a one-shot quest. Things changed for the full release."

Natora relaxed a bit and swiped up her menu. "I'll give you everything I'm not wearing if you can beat me in a duel. All the stuff I have earned since this started that is in my inventory will be yours, including the col, to distribute how you see fit." A screen popped up in front of Kibaou. She brought her spear to bear on him again and slipped into an aggressive stance. "Come and take it!" Natora challenged.

The second to last place they needed to have a duel was in a boss chamber, beaten or not. The worst place would be the field, where monsters could attack.

"Fine," Kibaou spat, accepting the duel. "I'll make you pay for cheating!"

SAO had three types of duels: First Hit, Half Loss, and Full Duel. A First Hit duel ended as soon as one player scored a solid hit, not a glancing strike, against their opponent. Half Loss, like Natora had chosen, ended when one dueler lost half of their HP. A Full Duel was over only when one of the duelers ran out of HP. With the changes to SAO, a Full Duel was a death sentence. Still, First Hit and Half Loss were good ways to settle scores between players, particularly the safer First Hit. A critical strike combined with a nearly beaten opponent could drop their HP to zero as the duel was won.

The countdown finished and Kibaou charged her. Natora surged forward with a war cry. Kibaou triggered a Sword Skill, like she had hoped he would. She spun, letting her spear whip around, and knocked his sword out of its path with the butt of her spear. It canceled his triggered Sword Skill. The spin put her behind Kibaou. She didn't hesitate as she ran his shoulder through from behind with a simple thrusting Sword Skill. Skewered, she forced him to his knees in defeat.

“I wanted to run you through last night for your stupidity and arrogance,” Natora spat. “Your accusations today at Kirito and all beta testers made me want to do it again. I guess I got my wish.”

Kibaou’s HP slid down past the halfway point and Natora was declared the victor. She pulled Deliverance free and stood tall and proud as she surveyed the room. "Call me a Beater if you want, but I didn't learn to fight like that in the beta. Yeah, I knew the floor map and enemies, but plenty changed. The boss labyrinth was rewritten so that no beta tester knew where the boss chamber was. Several quests, quest rewards, and most likely other things that I didn't know about were changed too. I bet Illfang did carry a talwar in the beta, but they changed it to that odachi for the full release. I never got him halfway finished before I died, so I know nothing about the second floor. I am as blind as you are.

"When Kayaba finished his tutorial, I made a choice. I put everything I had into helping my friends and I survive when this stopped being a game and became our new life. ‘Clear the final boss’ is what Kayaba said. I could only teach a handful of players, so I stuck with the seven friends I got to join me in SAO for the full release. I gave my heart and soul to them to make sure the eight of us survived. We did and not because I had inside knowledge, but because we stuck together and formally partied up, which I am guessing none of you did from how you reacted yesterday. Our collective strength saved us more than my knowledge ever did. We learned together how to fight and succeed.

“Despite my limits, I did all I could, for as many players as I could. I make no apologies for my personal limit and no one has the right to tell me I could have done better. Maybe I did cheat a bit, if you want to get all super technical about it, but it was for my friends and our survival, without the intention of hurting anyone, stealing anything, or hiding information. We barely saw half the floor, so we didn't hog or hide anything. No players died because of my hard work, but eight survived because of it.

"We are the Wondercolts and we have been able to give back from some of the surplus we got, but I, we, don’t owe you the details or an explanation. So call me what you want, Beater, Beta Tester, Ex-beta Tester, Beta, Wondercolt, or Natora. I know what I did and I stand by it, no matter what you may think."

"I have a hard time believing that," Kibaou stated, still enraged, from where he had fallen. "A cheater is a cheater, and you used it to get ahead. You left everyone else behind. Giving back after the fact didn't help those who died."

Clearly he had lost at least one friend or party member since the game started.

"Hey, knock it off," Agil said. "You see this axe. They gave it to me last night after the meeting. I didn't pay them anything for it, not even an item trade, and I don't have to give it back now that the boss is beaten. They saved it, looking for the players who would actually need it. They didn’t go off and sell it for a high profit, even though they could easily have, they kept it to intentionally give away."

"Yeah," another player said. "My axe is from them. They also gave me it free because mine wasn't going to cut it. I didn't realize how behind it was when it came to my weapon, but I saw that difference today. I didn’t know she was an ex-beta tester, but she and her friends were not hoarding or hiding anything. She has my, Hakowaru, thanks and support."

"Same thing with my sword," a third one said. "So she is a Beater, at least she did what she could after she ensured her and her friends survival. Seven is a lot of people to train and care for. Natora the Beater and her friends are all good in my book."

“We should have known from your cloaks!” the same player who had pointed Kirito out said.

“These?” Bladescape asked, stepping forward and undoing hers to display it for everyone to see. “Diemond made them for us, with her own skill. Her own knowledge. Her own free will because she wants us to look alike. Natora had nothing to do with it. Natora got us to join SAO, but we decided together before it started to be a guild.” Bladescape made a strong statement. “And the Wondercolts stand behind our friend, Natora.”

About half of the players had swung to being at least okay with Natora, as well as the beta testers. She wasn’t the same as Kirito and neither were most of the beta testers. That was what mattered.

Natora took a cue from Kirito and began to head for the stairs. The rest of the Wondercolts followed after her.

Natora stopped at the stairs and turned around. "Kirito was right. You lot are better than most of the beta testers were. You are certainly better than I ever was in the beta. Still, you have a long way to go if you want to beat this game. You got tossed like noobs and took too many hits that you could have avoided or blocked. Not that we were perfect, because we made mistakes, but at least we have been working together like we are in a guild. Group strategy is something you all need to learn."

With that said, Natora turned back to the stairs, ignoring anything behind her. They followed them up to the surface of the second floor. They exited the dungeon to find themselves on a cliff overlooking the savannah themed floor. The only way down was a set of winding stairs.

Episode 19 - Floor Two

Episode 19 - Floor Two
Fourth Day in the Month of Holly (December 4) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 2

Floor two was very different from the first floor, most notably in the hotter and more arid climate like a savannah. The background music was sorrowful, a single oboe playing, compared to the string orchestra of the first floor. Soon enough that music would fade into the background like it had for the first floor, but it was very present as they took in everything.

They were in the north, which made sense considering they had come up the northmost pillar between the floors, and they were overlooking grassland plains in between tabletop mountains. Boulders randomly dotted the landscape along with sparse trees. The closest mountain, south of them, clearly held a city at its top. It would be the closest one to the labyrinth exit.

"Let's see what that town has," Bladescape said. “From there, we can get a real sense of the floor.”

“Hey look!” Konpeito exclaimed. “I see two players all the way down there.”

“That must be Kirito and Red Riding Hood,” Bladescape said. “Their business is not ours. We need to focus on getting our friends to the second floor.”

Agil joined them on the cliff before they could start their descent. "I smoothed things over as best as I could after you left, but I think Beater is going to stick with you Natora, at least for a while. Kibaou has it out for any beta tester who he thinks used their knowledge for their own gain and he has the loyalty of some of the others. However, I caught up because I wanted to say thank you, again. I noticed the difference with my hits because of the new axe. I wish I had more, so that I could give to other players and help them out like you all helped me."

"A little generosity can go a long way, dear," Diemond said. "I would know. Generosity is sort of what I am known for. One kind gesture can snowball into a huge change for the better. I don't think you took a good look at the loot drop. You might be able to do more than you think.

"And think nothing of it," Bladescape added. "You, and those other two, I think one said his name was Hakowaru, were clearly deserving of the gifts we could give. If you meet anyone else who is way behind in weapons, especially straight swords, then send them our way. We still have a few left."

"I will,” Agil assured them. “And I won't stop telling players what you did for me and the others. I know you did what you could and was best for you and your friends. Like you said, eight players lived because of you."

"They can call me Beater if they need to,” Natora stated. "I–…Kirito–…all I know is we need to keep the heat off the beta testers who Kirito spoke about; the ones so green they couldn't level up. I didn’t learn much because I spent a lot of time playing around, and testing things, not actually trying to conquer the world. I tried almost every weapon available. I put my focus elsewhere. The point is, Diavel would have wanted it that way as well. He was clearly aware of the difference between beta testers."

"Wait, are you saying he was a beta tester?" Agil asked, shocked.

"We never officially met," Natora explained. "But I saw him at times, always with a different group and using the same name, same haircut and color, and same armor. After the full launch, He must have dyed his hair blue and had it cut to fit his old avatar. He wore the same bronze armor on top of the blue clothes. It was unmistakably the same guy."

"I'll take your word for it, but I don't think we need to soil his reputation though."

"We don't intend to spill that secret," Natora confirmed. "Aside from you, but I know you have the best interests of everyone in mind and can keep that secret. Diavel deserves the best memorial we can give him, because he got us to the second floor. And look at her, she is beautiful."

Agil gave a slow nod and asked a question. "You didn't really risk anything in the duel, did you?"

Natora chuckled. She liked being sly and tricking people who deserved it. "Good catch. I only had what the boss dropped. Everything else of importance was left with the two who stayed back. That was an advantage that the other raiders didn't have. It wasn't a cheat, it was just dumb luck of having eight friends to work with who I can trust. As well as two who don't want to fight floor bosses. That and being smart about how we applied that luck."

"It was good luck," Agil confirmed. "I should make sure the others make it out of there. I'll work to pay your generosity back but to those who need it, not you."

"Thank you," Diemond said. “Be well. I am sure we will see you soon enough.”

Agil headed back down the boss chamber stairs and the Wondercolts began to descend the cliffside stairs.

“Forty-eight!” Konpeito exclaimed when they were three quarters of the way down.

“Forty-eight what?” Thunderborne asked.

“Steps!”

“Huh?” Thunderborne asked, cocking her head.

“Each set of stairs has forty-eight steps before it pivots or turns,” Konpeito clarified.

“So?” Malus asked.

“I don’t know,” Konpeito shrugged. “I thought you would.”

“That is a very precise number, with too many repetitions to be random,” Bladescape said. “We will have to ask Knightstar about it.”

They finally got to the bottom. The short grass had almost a spring to it, because it was thick and lush despite the brown color. Not all grass was green. There was no dirt, and the only open ground was the boulders and the sharper mountainsides, which were rocks, not dirt. Trees dotted the area with high canopies that spread out wide.

It was a kilometer walk to the town. On the way, they faced a monster that was called a “Trembling Ox.” The oversized bovine targeted them from a long way off, and it picked out Natora as its enemy.

“We should take the opportunity to learn its attacks,” Bladescape said. “Spread out.”

Everyone followed the orders. Natora dodged its initial charge but it quickly turned, completely ignoring everyone else as it went for another charge for Natora. Natora jumped out of the way at the last moment, tucking and rolling and coming out into a fighting stance. She let it come a third time. Before it got to her, Malus rammed into its shoulder, shield first, forcing it out of its path. Natora thrust her spear into its neck as it thudded away, only to turn back around and charge at her again. It was relentless.

Natora dove out of the way again. Bladescape had set herself up and let loose an attack. Konpeito hacked at it, and Thunderborne came from behind it to score the final blow with her rapier.

“That’s a bit scary,” Natora panted. “And I have a feeling we will face a lot of those.”

“We will figure it out,” Bladescape assured her.

They made it to the mountain without another incident and scaled the carved steps to the top. The city, Urbus, was excavated out of the top of the mountain. It sat in its own crater, the builders decided to carve many key features out of the stone itself. The main street ran from north to south. Just off of it at the center, elevated a bit above the rooftops, was the town square and teleport plaza. Players were already coming through it.

They rushed to the town square and found Knightstar, Doombunny, Kiefer, Reisenki, and Soryuto waiting patiently for them. As they greeted each other, Bladescape caught sight of Kirito, hiding off to the side and watching the players coming into the new town. He was using Hide, but her Search Skill was above his and along with the circlet, she was able to detect him. Knightstar asked a question. Bladescape missed it, glanced at her for a split second to hold the question off while she tried to understand what Kirito was up to. When she looked back, he was gone. Not hidden from view, but gone from the area.

“Sorry,” Bladescape said. “Now, what was the question?”

“I asked if we were going to hit the field?” Knightstar replied.

“Yes,” Bladescape said. “It’s not even three yet, so we need to do some work. I highly doubt the shops have anything worth us buying, so we need to focus outside where many players won’t go. Most will explore the city rather than grind. Let’s capitalize on it. That XP we got was worth it and we can break thirteen quickly if we press our advantages. We need to get to twenty ASAP.”

“Steps!” Konpeito exclaimed.

“Uh, did she get knocked on the head?” Knightstar asked.

“No,” Bladescape sighed. “Well maybe. I don’t think so.” She caught Knightstar up on the steps.

“Hmm,” Knigthstar hummed as she thought. “It isn’t a prime number. Divisible numbers are one, two, three, four, six, eight, twelve, sixteen, twenty-four, and forty-eight. How many sets?”

“Uh, seven?” Bladescape replied, mostly sure 7 was correct.

“It was seven,” Natora confirmed. “Which is a prime number. Any ideas?”

“Well, one,” Knightar replied, thinking a little more. “I don’t understand seven, but it is a common perfect number in many cultures. For the forty-eight, we just got off of Floor One and are on Floor Two. Two plus forty-eight equals Fifty, the halfway point of Aincrad.”

“That makes sense,” Bladescape said. “We need to move though.”

Bladescape swiped up her menu and dissolved the party. She sent requests to Malus, Doombunny, Konpeito, and Reisenki. Natora partied up the others.

“I’ll take Doom and grab some rooms before they are taken,” Natora said. “I saw an inn. We need something closer to work out of.”

“So much of our stuff is back in Tolbana,” Diemond said.

“Renting the rooms won’t cancel the other rental,” Bladescape said. “I don’t think.”

“Considering the rental is under you, it shouldn’t,” Natora said. “Doom and I can easily catch up. Go southeast. Stick together so we can find you and so we can learn how to deal with the oxes.”

“Oxes?” Knightstar asked as they headed out.

“Yeah,” Bladescape said. “We will need you to help crack the code and find any advantages. But they are giant oxen with horns. The rest I will let you learn from observing.”

Knightstar just nodded back and they headed out. No one was in sight as they left the crater city and descended the mountain slope. The stairs were manageable, but it was still a lot to go up and down.

It wasn’t long until they found a trembling ox, or rather, it found them. It came crashing out of a small group of trees to charge across open ground and it thankfully went for Thunderborne. She vaulted over it, using its back to piston herself into a flip. She stuck the landing, bowed to an imaginary crowd, and turned to see the ox almost on top of her. She dove out of the way with no grace.

Malus smacked the ox in the head with her hammer, scoring a critical attack. Bladescape swung low, trying to hack off a leg. It failed to sever it, but it did a lot of damage. Diemond smacked it on the flank with her mace as it passed her, still going after Thunderborne. It barely did any damage. Reisenki buried his axe in its head, scoring a critical attack and shattering the ox.

“Impressive XP,” Knightstar said, writing it down. “Impressive. And I got a raw food item.”

“All yah did was watch and write stuff down, and you got the item?” Malus asked.

“Well, I didn’t just write down what I got,” Knigthstar stated. “I also wrote down speed, velocity, estimated targeting range, as well as beginning to map its strike zones, and the various weapons success for each area.” She showed them the notebook. It had two full pages of information and equations.

“You wrote all of that in the ten seconds we were fighting it!” Thunderborne exclaimed.

“It was Eight-nought-two seconds from the time it left the trees to the time Reisenki finished it off,” Knightstar said, correcting Thunderborne. “Heavy slashing weapons will work best against them. Stab will do less, and unless it is to the head, blunt weapons will do little damage. However, the critical attack factor for a blunt weapon strike to the head is twice that of an axe.”

“Slash and go for the head,” Natora said, joining them with Doombunny in tow. “I hate enemies that are weak to slashing. A spear is horrible for slashing. But more importantly, four rooms were rented for three days.”

“Wait, don’t we need five, or six?” Diemond asked. “If we are doubling up.”

“Blade and I will be going back to Tolbana,” Natora explained. “We are always up before you guys anyway, so the travel time won’t matter much. Now, let’s hunt more of these so that we can make sure your calculations are correct. More data is always better, right?”

“Absolutely!” Knightstart exclaimed. “Especially when I only have one fight logged.”

They went in search of the next beast. It went after Knightstar, giving her firsthand experience of its attack patterns. It didn’t allow her to run any calculation, but she was happy learning it. Happy after the fight was over, not while it tried to trample her.

The third one they found went for Doombunny. Every time Doombunny dove out of the way, she came out of the roll throwing a knife. She was very accurate with the throwing blades and quick on the draw and release. All three knives she threw buried themselves in the ox’s head.

They only fought two more. One went for Malus, the other targeted Diemond. They got to see the power of each tank, as they both stood their ground behind their shields for the first charge. Malus slid back, but stopped the ox. Diemond stopped the charge, but was sent rolling, unable to stay on her feet. Neither beast had time to make another move as the others pounced on it at the same time. What mattered and was the impressive part, was that both of them could stop the trembling oxen in their tracks in a head on charge.

With rented rooms, they didn’t have a place for Konpeito to cook. They had plenty of raw meat, but no stove or oven readily available. They ate at a restaurant, whose sole business was food. It had no rooms attached to it for renting. That was a first.

Natora and Bladescape set up a meeting point and time for the morning, and left the others to explore for the rest of the time before bed. Diemond went with them back to Tolbana, because her sewing supplies were back at the NPC house. She spent the night in the other room, taking advantage of having the bed all to herself.

It was odd for both Bladescape and Natora to not have to worry about the others knocking on the door. They had gotten used to always being aware that they might knock. Diemond certainly wouldn’t bother them. Both of them silently changed to comfortable clothing as they figured out how to proceed with breaking down the day.

"So, what is bothering you?" Natora asked.

"My lack of the will to win," Bladescape said. "I wasn't ready for it, and that is why I didn't kill Illfang in my last clash with him. I should have, but I lacked that drive. I saw it in Kirito. He was, is, solo, and I have not been, so our mindsets are different, however, I need to gain a similar mindset if I want to succeed as our leader. I may have it in my memories, or I may have to learn that lesson.

“What about you though? Are you okay about being called a Beater?"

"I've warmed up to it," Natora said. "Kirito is solo, so Beater does not hurt him status wise. I've been thinking on it and he made the right call. He took the blame, he took the heat, so the others would be trusted. He became an evil they could target their anger at. It sucks, but it was a bold move from him. Bold, wise, but stupid. He won't break that status easily, especially since we will no doubt continue to fight with him in boss battles. We need a guy like him, Beater or not, to deal damage.

"His single-handed sword is an interesting choice. He is choosing agility over defense, but while also using a heavier sword than a rapier would be. Another bold move, but crucial for him playing solo. His reaction time is impressive as well.

"He isn't the only one to watch. Kibaou has anger issues, probably due to losing at least one friend. Red Riding Hood is somehow faster with her rapier than Thunder. She is a pretty player too. Agil is powerful, and as a merchant, that is a good connection to have. I would love to build his business how we can. Hakowaru, who I gave the axe to last night, showed good promise too. Otherwise, the rest are nothing special.

"So, how do we get you to have that same instinct as Kirito?"

"I need to fight more," Bladescape stated. "While I do that, I can train that will and read my memories when I have the spare time, but combat is what I need. Levels too. Sleep and rest are important, but I need to figure out how to cut more out, to maximize my field time. I usually have a lot of free time in the evenings, which is purely wasted time for me."

"I agree," Natora nodded. "Outside that drive, what stopped you?"

"You guys," Bladescape said. "Not that I blame you, but you turned to defense when he was in the red, and we needed to press the attack."

"I agree we failed to do that," Natora said with a slow nod. "We will work on reading those moments. We don’t get those with regular monsters like we do with a boss. Really, we fought what, one boss? I don’t think my spear quest was a boss. He was tougher, but not a full boss. He didn’t give me any special drop for landing the last attack on him.”

“I should have given a clear order,” Bladescape stated. “That was my failure.”

“Learning all around,” Natora said. “What matters is that we won, we unlocked the second floor, and we only lost one life in the battle. One more than we wanted, but only one.”

“At least he sealed his own fate,” Bladescape said. “I feel bad, but he died due to his own greed, not due to an error made by anyone. I am certain Kirito noticed the change in the weapon when it was drawn, but not before. Even I could tell that the sword wasn’t a curved talwar. Kirito probably didn’t know that detail had changed.”

Natora nodded silently, and switched topics. “I would love to see more of the second floor than we saw of the first one."

"I agree," Bladescape nodded. "We need to explore more. We survived and made it off the first floor with great levels and solid skills and teamwork, so we can focus on exploring and dungeon diving. Now, let's go to bed."

“Yeah, but dumb question. Can I stay in here? I know we have two unoccupied rooms, but I am so used to sleeping in this one. I’m not sure if I could sleep in the others.”

“As long as you let me for the same reason,” Bladescape said with a laugh.

As Natora got into bed, she said one last thing. "I wish we could permanently rent this home. It would be nice, even though we need to have places closer to the front, to have a place to retreat to and store stuff."

"It would be nice," Bladescape agreed. “Although, I don’t see why we couldn’t keep renting it, so long as the NPC agrees. The price isn’t bad and easily sustainable for us.”

That was it as she closed her eyes.

Author's Note

I have been asked about skin tones. If you didn't see my blog, there you go.

Episode 20 - Udders and Stingers

Episode 20 - Udders and Stingers
Fifth Day in the Month of Holly (December 5) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 2

Bladescape, Natora, and Diemond teleported to Urbus. On their way through Tolbana, they had bought food that was durable enough to last till lunch. They walked to the meeting point. As expected, they were the first ones there. The others were not late and soon came rushing over through the morning crowd. A lot of players were staying inside the safe zone, but enthusiastic about seeing somewhere else besides the Town of Beginnings.

But not everyone was there to explore. Plenty wanted to try their luck hunting in the fields outside the city. Bladescape led their group out of the city as quickly as they could manage and immediately headed south. They were in the same teams they had been over the past few days.

It didn’t take long for one of the oxen to find them. It went for Soryuto. Malus got in front and stopped it. Everyone else except for Knightstar struck. She was writing down calculations.

They continued among the trees and grasslands, ambling between the tabletop mountains with no direction except to explore and fight every ox they could. After Knightstar was satisfied with her base level of information, they split up a bit to benefit from being in two parties. Even split up, they quickly dispatched the oxen. They had good levels, great weapons, good tactics and teamwork, and they were getting great XP in rather quick succession.

As Bladescape finished off the latest trembling ox, she heard something. It wasn’t a player or another ox. It was a buzzing sound.

“What is that?” Malus asked. “Y’all hear that, right?”

“Yeah,” Bladescape nodded. “I do. It sounds like a bee.”

“More like a wasp,” Konpeito said.

“How do you know that?” Malus asked.

“Cause that is what its name is, Windwasp,” Konpeito said, pointing behind Malus with her axe.

Everyone looked at where she was pointing. The Windwasp was black with green stripes and four wings. The red icon above its head meant that it was a monster, but it was only about 20 inches long. The stinger was like an ice pick.

It bolted at them. Malus got in position but it dodged around her shield and landed its stinger in her shoulder. The attack left it in a delay. It never had a chance to come out of it as Konpeito’s axe sliced it apart at the joint between the thorax and the abdomen.

“And another successful critical attack,” Konpeito said, cockily shouldering her axe.

“Ow,” Malus groaned. “That stinger stuns.”

“That is a new thing,” Bladescape said. “At least it isn’t poison.”

“True,” Malus nodded. “All the same, I would prefer to avoid it and them. I hate wasps.”

“Why?” Konpeito asked. “Good XP and easy to kill. Plus this!” Konpeito held out something pointy.

“Is that the stinger?” Bladescape asked.

“Yep!” Konpeito exclaimed. “Well, actually, it is called Needle of Windwasp. I wonder if Diemond can use it for sewing.”

“Item drops are always good,” Bladescape said. “With this new development, we should find the others.”

They didn’t have a chance to look as five more wasps blitzed out of the trees at them. Malus was nearly useless, trying to swat them with her hammer. Reisenki was just fast enough to get a hit in, but the tank build wasn’t good for fighting the Windwasps. Konpeito and Bladescape handled them fine, each taking out two. Doombunny pegged the fifth with two throwing knives in quick succession.

“Yeah, that is good XP,” Bladescape said, looking at her menu. “They are going to be annoying, but good XP.”

“There you are!” Thunderborne exclaimed as she came through the trees. The others soon came into view. “We have been trying to find you for like ever. When we need you, you are not there. When we don’t, you are too close.”

“Let me guess,” Bladescape said. “Wasps?”

“Huh? What? No. We found a town! Natora said we had to find you first, before exploring it.”

“Yeah, but I am more concerned about these wasps,” Natora said.

“They drop these!” Konpeito exclaimed, holding out a needle.

“Ooooh,” Knightstar said, heading over to Konpeito to check it out.

“Let’s get to the safety of the town first,” Bladescape said. “Then we can give you the rundown.”

“Wise idea,” Natora said. “It’s a few hundred meters behind us, blocked by the trees. It also is on the top of these flat mountains.”

“So all of the cities are on top of the mountains,” Bladescape said. “Interesting, but logical. Keep everyone above the monsters.”

They didn’t make it to the city before six wasps blitzed them. The first one was hit with three throwing knives, eliminating it. Bladescape slashed the second into polygons. Konpeito slashed two open with a combination of Pinkie Pie agility and critical strikes. Thunderborne had trouble hitting one of the agile wasps, but finally stabbed one, the same with Natora. Knightstar missed, Soryuto missed, and Kiefer missed.

“Interesting,” Knightstar said. “Low stats, but high XP in relative terms. They will be troublesome due to the ambush ability, but they may prove to be good to hunt. This Needle of Windwasp item is intriguing. I got one, did anyone else get one from these six?” No one did. “So, that was a one in six, probably a reality of a ten-percent drop rate at most.”

“City,” Bladescape said, getting them back on track.

The climb up the stairs to the city was steep, but doable. It was a small city named Marome. It had no NPC blacksmith and the few shops lacked a variety of items, large stocks of anything, and had nothing new. It also lacked a teleport plaza.

“We should eat lunch,” Bladescape said. “It’s a bit early, but we won’t get a break once we leave.”

Everyone agreed and they broke out the food.

“Fight our way back, or are we going to explore more?” Natora asked as she ate.

“We should explore more,” Bladescape said. “We have time before we need to head back. Suddenly I regret having rented rooms in Urbus. I bet outside the city will be heavily farmed by now.”

“Probably, but knowing where Marome is,” Natora said. “We can make it here pretty quick and start fresh. How far away is it?”

“We wandered a lot,” Knightstar said. “But the distance is only three kilometers south. If we stay together and take the most efficient route, we can get here in an hour, tops.”

“And what is that in miles?” Thunderborne asked.

Knightstar sighed “It's not even two miles. You should really learn the conversion since everything in not only Japan, but in Aincrad, is in meters and kilometers. For reference, a kilometer is nought-six-two miles or a mile is one-nought-six kilometers.”

“You don’t have to patronize me,” Thunderborne groaned.

“I wasn’t patronizing you,” Knightstar replied. “I’m certain you are not the only one in our group who doesn’t know the conversion.”

“It’s all the same in my head,” Malus stated. “I can tell you how to convert bushels, in both imperial and USC measurements, for pecks, liters, and dry and liquid gallons.”

“I’m used to meters,” Diemond said. “So much of the fashion industry is in meters. Any imported fabric is measured in meters.”

“Feet are for walking and yards are for grass,” Konpeito said. “And Miles is a boy’s name.”

“That’s Myles, with a y, not an I,” Knightstar said.

Konpeito shrugged. “Same difference when the longest piece of licorice was made by Myles Van Meter in the Netherlands and is just as sweet no matter how it is measured!”

“Sweets aside,” Bladescape said, trying to figure out how to pick up again after that divergence. “After we finish lunch, we leave by the south entrance and then swing east, looping back around to Urbus to arrive for a late dinner.”

“That will give us some good mapping and experience,” Natora said. “It’s a good plan.”

They finished up lunch and got back to exploring. They ran into a trembling ox immediately and then saw nothing as they picked through the canyons and mountains, searching through the brush and the trees for anything.

Bladescape stopped them. “Hold up, something is on the edge of my search field. Something else. Something new and big.”

“How far does your field reach?” Natora asked.

“The trees on the other side of the clearing,” Bladescape said, pointed. “Go about thirty meters or so into the trees, that is where it fades.”

“That’s a good distance,” Natora said.

“About one-hundred meters,” Knightstar said. “That is very good. Nothing can sneak up on us with a field like that. Or wait, is it linear, or a semi-circle, or what is the shape of the field?”

“It’s a circle,” Bladescape clarified. “The extent of the range is what I said, but I can tighten it up which also sharpens it and gives it detail. I have been keeping it about fifty meters, but when we hit a clearing like this, I extend it. The tighter the field, the more detail Search gives me when something enters it. In this case, all I have is an impression, like...like I am the center of a ball and something is pressing on the outside, pressing it in. That is all I have though. Either we need to get closer or it has to. One way or the other, we need more–it’s charging us! What is that–”

Out from the trees came a charging bovine. It was twice the size as the trembling ox and was named the Trembling Cow. It was easily five meters at the shoulder and clearly had the same tenacity as the trembling ox, if not more. The health it had was four times that of the trembling ox.

“DIEMOND!” Malus called as she charged ahead. “With me! Let’s stop it together.”

Diemond sighed as she rushed after Malus. Reisenki sped off after them.

“Same tactic as the ox!” Bladescape ordered. “Just because it's bigger doesn’t mean anything.”

Bladescape charged after them. Natora was right behind her as well as Konpeito and Thunder. Bladescape went left, Konpeito and Thunder went to the right, and Natora went to post up right behind the tanks, to take maximum advantage of her spear’s reach.

Bladescape saw the tanks form a wall, with Diemond and Reisenki helping to brace Malus at their center. Natora got behind them, adding to the support as she prepared her spear to trigger a thrusting sword skill over the tank’s heads.

The trembling cow continued its thunderous charge. Bladescape looked at its eyes as she slid to a stop on the flank, preparing the Ancient Red Sun sword for her own strike. If the trembling ox relentlessly targeted a single player, the cow probably did too. Bladescape, Thunderborne, and Konpeito were not the targets since they had gone to the side and it hadn’t changed course. Bladescape glanced back at the others. Kiefer, Soryuto, and Doombunny were with Knightstar. They were her shield as she took notes. They hadn’t moved. The cow was most likely targeting one of them, which meant if the tanks failed, the cow would power through, straight for them. If the tanks did stop it, they would not kill it in one synchronized strike. Even if all 11 of them struck, they couldn’t deal enough damage in one moment to pull it off like they could with the ox. The cow was going to get around the tanks, somehow.

There was no time to change tactics. Bladescape brought her sword up, triggering a skill. The cow slammed into the tanks at the same moment as Natora triggered her thrust. Bladescape yelled as she let the skill loose, jumping forward and slicing the cow across the foreleg.

The tanks crumbled and they were trampled, along with Natora, as the cow kept going.

“NO!” Malus yelled as she was trampled. “Knightstar, it's going for one of y’all!”

Bladescape came out of the delay and rushed after the cow. It had been slowed down by the tanks but was picking up speed at a terrifying rate. Thunderborne and Konpeito were rushing after it as well.

Bladescape tried, but she couldn’t catch up. Thunderborne did, but her quick four thrust combination didn’t do much or even phase the beast. Bladescape watched as the others reacted too slowly. They miscalculated, including Knightstar. She had been paying attention to the fight and not her own danger level. She didn’t escape its path and was brutally trampled under its hooves.

The trembling cow came to a stop as quickly as it could and turned. It was focused on Knightstar and charged her. Bladescape got to Knightstar as it started its charge. Knightstar was dazed and in the orange just from getting trampled. She was in no position to run and dodge. Bladescape looked at the cow as it cried in pain and stumbled towards the side. A knife was lodged in its eye.

Kiefer slid over to them. “Soryuto and I have her. We’ll get her a potion and out of the way. Go kill it!”

Bladescape nodded and charged after the cow. Konpeito and Thunderborne landed blows. The health bar wasn’t even half depleted. A noticeable chunk disappeared as it bellowed in pain. Bladescape caught sight of a throwing knife in its other eye. Doombunny had pegged it right where they needed her to.

Bladescape triggered a sword skill and sliced at its leg. It was the only easy place to hit. The belly was at her head’s level.

Natora yelled and rammed her spear into its neck. She turned to Bladescape. “The tanks are falling back to Knightstar and will send the others to help on an aggressive assault. We can’t stop it. Doom’s daggers might have reduced its ability to maneuver, but we can’t physically block it. The Tanks will physically shield Knightstar if it gets past us, taking the damage for her. Their armor and health are better than hers.”

“Let’s not force any of them to be trampled,” Bladescape said. Thunderborne slid to a stop beside them. Kiefer and Soryuto joined them as well. “Aggressive assault,” Bladescape ordered. “We think it’s blinded. We have to remove as much HP as fast as possible. Watch out for accidentally getting trampled because you are too close when you land your hits.”

“Soryuto and I will go to the right,” Kiefer said.

“I’ll go head to head with it and for its neck,” Natora added.

“Thunder, follow me left and swing around to its rear,” Bladescape ordered. She rushed off, not waiting for their confirmation. They all followed the plan.

As Bladescape got to the left side, Natora skewered it. Konpeito came out of nowhere, sliding on her knees under its belly. She swung her axe up into its belly. She was out from under it a moment later, clear of its hooves. Bladescape ignored her and attacked, working to play her role.

They were able to get their strikes in, narrowly avoiding getting trampled by the thrashing cow. It had a sense of where they were and tried to stomp and kick them at every chance it got. They slowly got its health down into red and edged it down closer to the grey, but it had a lot of health and wasn’t standing still. Doombunny landed a few more throwing knives in it. Kiefer got kicked, knocking him out of the fight, both literally and while he waited for the health potion to bring his health back up to a safe level. He had lost over half of it to a simple kick.

Bladescape thrust her sword into its shoulder. She got out of the delay and narrowly avoided the kick. It tried to target her with its reduced senses, but Natora once again pinned her spear into its neck. The red spots where it had been stabbed looked like it had a rash on its neck and shoulders from her spear.

The cow swiped its head at Natora, forcing her to disengage and dodge the attack. Konpeito came from somewhere, using its lowered head to her advantage. She snagged its ear and as it thrashed, used it to swing up onto its back. It tried to buck her off, but it never had the chance as she buried her dane axe square in its skull, scoring a critical strike and depleting the last of its HP. It floated away in polygons and Konpeito found herself five meters in the air, with no way to stop the brutal fall.

Bladescape sheathed her sword as she rushed over to her friend. Konpeito was in the red, mostly from the fall, splayed out on her back.

“Konpeito,” Bladescape said as she bent down. “That was both epic and stupid.”

“Yeah,” Konpeito groaned. “I didn’t think that one through.”

“Drink a potion,” Bladescape said as she brought one to her lips. “In case anything comes after us.”

“Well, that was a nightmare,” Knightstar said as she came over to them. Everyone was gathering around Konpeito. “It’s not a boss of any kind, but the trembling cow is certainly pushing those boundaries. Extremely high HP, high resistance, lots of power, and extreme size.”

“That sounds like a boss,” Natora said. “So, if it isn’t one, then I am afraid to find out what a boss on this floor looks like.”

“Good XP though,” Knightstar added.

“Maybe, but I don’t think we should actively seek them out,” Malus said. “And not just cause I can’t stop it. I ain’t no chicken, but we used a lot of energy and potions fightin it.”

“Malus is right,” Bladescape said. “And I never got trampled. We can sort out a strategy, and need to, but there are more profitable endeavors for us. I highly doubt that will be our only encounter.”

“You were right, it was big,” Diemond said. “I just wish it wasn't that big.”

“I think we can all agree on that,” Reisenki said.

“Half of my throwing knives didn’t survive the fight,” Doombunny added. “Their durability is small, but they are cheap. I just need to get more and have spares in my inventory.”

Konpeito sat up. “Anyone want milk?”

“What?” Bladescape asked. “Why would any of us want milk right now?”

“I dunno,” Konpeito shrugged. “All I know is I got Trembling Cow’s milk.”

“Interesting,” Knightstar said. “It must be for cooking something.”

“Let’s get moving,” Bladescape said. “We don’t need to be standing here, exposed. That was not a quick fight and I don’t want it to respawn. We know where it is on our map if we want to fight it again. With the way the terrain is, I don’t think there is a direct way back to Urbus. I’m tired and sore from the fight. I want a hot meal and a bed.”

Everyone agreed and they got back to exploring their way back to Urbus. The exterior sun had set, but light was still coming in between the floors, when they got back. The rest of the afternoon was filled with battle after battle between the oxen and wasps.

The city was busy. Plenty of people were there, both fighters and tourists. Doombunny took off immediately to go buy more daggers from the same smith she had gotten her set from. Everyone else got food at a restaurant and had a good meal. Doombunny joined them a little while later, restocked on knives, a whole extra set, and more ordered.

Bladescape set the morning meeting time and then she went back to Tolbana. Natora joined her. By the meeting time, everyone agreed to have their equipment repaired. They didn’t need anyone’s equipment to fail because it ran out of durability.

In the room, Bladescape spoke up. “I hurt, but I shouldn’t be resting.”

“Why not?” Natora asked.

“We did fine in this fight, but if I am going to lead by example and claim boss LABs, I will need to get stronger, faster, and have that will to dominate. I’m too docile.”

“So what, you want to train all night and not sleep?” Natora asked.

“Why not?” Bladescape asked. “Or at least later. We are only fighting when the sun is up. We need to push levels, especially if we want to maintain the edge for the floor boss raids.”

“I’m close to level fourteen,” Natora said.

“Me too,” Bladescape nodded. “But we should want to go into the boss fight as close to level twenty as possible. A lot of players are out there. The area around town is picked clean for respawns, which did make the last leg of our trip back nice and calm.”

“Alright,” Natora said with a nod. “It has merit. This isn’t going to end anytime soon. We know how to make it stop, but that is ninety-eight floors above us. The floor won’t stay unknown for long. Maybe two weeks, at most, and we will be facing the floor boss. That doesn’t give us any time to level up. I’m not sure how we can easily and safely farm these creatures on night trips, so I will leave that planning up to you. I’m competitive, but this is...now this is our life and world we live in. I will admit to you that I am complacent. I want to live here, not fight for my life. That does include wanting to battle and conquer, but I am more relaxed about it. I’ll back you up though. We don’t need my mentality; we need the drive you have.”

“I don’t have it, yet,” Bladescape said.

“No, that is where you are wrong. You have it. You don’t know how to tap into it and harness it, but you have it. Your questions, your will, your drive to want it means you have it. We just need to harness that in the right way. You will take us to the top, but we need you to pull us along. Diemond and Konpeito will get distracted with their secondary skills and I can see Malus finding something to occupy her time. She may not mind hard work and she is stubborn, but that doesn’t mean all she wants to do is fight.”

Bladescape pulled up her menu, changing into her sleepwear. On impulse, she also pulled out her book of memories. Natora wasn't going to bed yet, she was reading the guide book. Bladescape opened it to the center and read the page. It was part of her talk with Mister Shinmi, during the competition, when he was giving her life lessons and wisdom of the samurai.

The first part of this next one you have down, but what about the rest? 'Wisdom comes from paying attention to wise people. Love comes from always striving for the good of others and placing others before oneself. Bravery is developed by simply gritting one’s teeth and with determination crashing through any barrier in one’s way without regard to the circumstances.'

Bladescape had the wisdom, learned the hard way, and she had the love. The Bravery part was what she desired. To crash through each barrier on each floor until she reached the summit of this floating castle of iron and kicked down the doors to the Ruby Palace, and meet head on whatever boss awaited them there so they could once again be back in the human reality.

Episode 21 - Rock Versus Candy

Episode 21 - Rock Versus Candy
Eighth Day in the Month of Holly (December 8) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 2

Bladescape was at the tail end of their group. All eleven of them were exploring the southern portion of the second floor. It was barren, little more than the rocky canyons with little shade. They had planned to be out for a few days and packed accordingly. The previous night they had spent on the summit of a tabletop mountain, just one of many of those mountains. They had taken shifts watching their backs while the others slept in the sleeping bags. It had worked well enough.

They had spent the morning in their first dungeon, fighting storm hornets and their boss, the Storm Hornet King. They were the first to take on the dungeon. The agile Storm Hornet King was finally taken down by Natora because of her spear’s reach. She hadn’t shared the Last Attack Bonus with anyone or mentioned that it was even a feature of SAO.

With the afternoon growing late, they were now working their way up the side of a mountain. It was either a very narrow path, or they were blazing their own way up the side. It was hard to tell at certain points. It was the tallest mountain in the area, so they were hoping it would either help them see a nearby settlement or provide a good campsite.

Konpeito was at the front of their single file line, with Thunderborne and Natora right behind her, and she was running her mouth about the dream she had the night before. Bladescape could only catch bits and pieces while she helped Diemond and Reisenki get up the path. The two of them were the slowest, with Malus only slightly faster because she was used to hiking and climbing.

Konpeito yelled something, clearly excited. Bladescape missed it as she grabbed Diemond’s arm to keep her from tumbling all the way down the mountainside.

“Thanks, darling,” Diemond said once she was steady. “What did Konpeito yell?”

“No idea,” Bladescape said. “We are almost at the top. We will find out when we get there, but let's focus on making it up first, then we can move on to Konpeito."

They worked their way up the last thirty feet of the path without any close calls. A lone hut was at the top. Konpeito emerged, followed by an NPC.

“What’s going on?” Bladescape yelled as she hurried over to Thunderborne and Natora. Konpeito had followed the NPC behind his hut.

“I don’t know,” Thunderborne said with a shrug. “She just ran into the hut and then I heard her yell ‘I accept.’ I think it’s a quest, but I don’t know the details. I’m not even sure she heard them before accepting it.”

Bladescape shook her head as she jogged behind the hut. The NPC was painting whiskers on Konpeito’s face. They were standing before a large boulder.

“What did you do!” Bladescape exclaimed.

“Me?” Konpeito asked.

“Yes, you. What is going on and why the face paint?”

“Because face paint is fun!” Konpeito exclaimed. “As to the other half of your question, I accepted his challenge.”

Bladescape let out a sigh. “Which is?”

“Break this rock with just my hands,” Konpeito replied. It was clear she thought it was a trivial task.

“And the face paint is for?” Bladescape asked.

“It is the mark of the beast!” Konpeito aggressively exclaimed. “Until I break the rock, it stays on.”

“That isn’t what the mark of the beast is,” Knightstar stated. Everyone else was with her. “What it means...well that doesn’t matter."

“But it makes me look like a giant humanoid rat,” Konpeito said. "Which means I look like a beast!"

“It makes you look stupid,” Thunderborne said. Diemond smacked her on the arm for the comment.

“Konpeito, why do you think you can break the rock?” Bladescape asked.

“If you had been listening, you would have heard that in order to save Sugar Valley, I must split open the Rock of Destiny, which will have inside the Polkagris, a sword that can banish the Nougat army of the evil Toffee Emperor and with it, set free the Elders he has turned to stone. The residents of Sugar Valley need to be able to grow their crops in peace on their rock candy farms.”

Bladescape let out a sigh, trying not to go off on her friend. Dreams were one thing, but this was moving into the insanity zone. “Okay, but how does that help you break the rock?”

“It doesn’t,” Konpeito shrugged. “Buuuuuuuut, it is my destiny to do so. Also, I grew up on a rock farm.”

For a split second, Bladescape thought the Pinkie Pies had pulled a switch. She was certain they had before, but human Pinkie Pie wouldn’t miss going to Japan and pony Pinkie Pie had no interest in such a journey. Sunset was certain it was human Pinkie Pie who had come to Japan and dived into SAO with the rest of them.

“You didn’t grow up on a rock farm,” Thunderborne said. “Your family grows root vegetables, not...well not rocks.”

“Well one of me did and one of me has no problem breaking rocks,” Pinkie Pie retorted.

“Oh dear,” Diemond said. “She is conflating the two and mixing them.”

“Let’s leave her to try it while we talk,” Bladescape said, directing everyone to the other side of the hut. She now had to do some damage control with her explanations to their new friends.

“I’ll keep track of her,” Malus said.

“That is probably a good idea,” Bladescape said. Once they were out of earshot of Konpeito, Bladescape started the explanation. “I don’t know how much exactly Natora knows, but Kiefer, Soryuto, and Reisenki, this might sound a bit crazy.”

“We have been living in crazy for over a month,” Kiefer said.

“Yes,” Bladescape nodded. “Well, you know the seven of us are foreign exchange students, what you don’t know is that the seven of us are friends through a special bond. It’s a complicated story spanning a few years, but the short version is that years ago I came through a portal between different dimensions. Where I was born there are no humans. It’s vastly different, yet the same. For the seven of us, there is a version in the other dimension. I’m the only one to cross the portal and I have met their other dimensional selves. I’m sure this sounds crazy.”

“Who is to say that the NerveGear wasn’t a portal for us all?” Reisenki asked. “We all exist in Aincrad at the same time as we exist in the other world we maintain is the real one. We know where the exit is, but we have to get to it. Sure, our bodies are in hospitals being kept alive, but is it really that different?”

Bladescape shrugged. “Part of me says yes, part of me says no. Anyway, Konpeito has always been an odd one, to say the least. The other her farms rocks... I think...it's complicated...just don’t think too deeply about it. Anyway, the rock farming does come with an ability to break, smash, and use rocks as needed. Her older sister, in both dimensions, is really, really into rocks. Working on her PhD in geology or her rocktorate, depending on which dimension you are in. With getting trapped in here, Konpeito is…”

“We question her mental health,” Diemond bluntly said. “We already questioned it at times, but now we really have concerns for her mental state.”

“Only you, Blade, have traveled between the dimensions?” Kiefer asked.

“Yes,” Bladescape nodded. “If there were two of us in either world, it would get complicated and confusing quickly because in each other’s world we look the same. Almost exactly the same. Some minor differences, like Knightstar needing glasses in one and not the other. We are not allowed by their side to cross without permission and they are not allowed to leave. Their...uh...well their government doesn’t permit it.”

“I highly doubt she hasn’t broken that and visited herself in both dimensions,” Thunderborne said.

“I’m fairly certain she has swapped places a few times,” Doombunny added.

“I wouldn’t be surprised and her behavior is odd enough that we wouldn’t easily notice them switching,” Bladescape said.

“So, she thinks that she is the same, even if she is split in different dimensions?” Reisenki asked in order to make sure it was clear. “One being in two bodies in two different dimensions that know and experience the same things?”

“Correct,” Bladescape nodded. “That is my belief after hearing what she just said. But that is today and tomorrow it could be completely different."

“Does she have a chance at breaking the rock?” Soryuto asked.

“If any of us could, it would be Konpeito,” Bladescape replied. “You’ve seen her and how she acts. She almost outright defies the game at times. It was like that in the real world too and with her other dimension version. We probably should give her some time to try and break it.”

“There isn’t anything in sight,” Natora said. “We are very far away from any towns or cities. There are some trembling oxen over that way, but we should be safe to set up camp on the other side of the hut.”

“Someone would have to bait an ox to get it in targeting range of the camp,” Knightstar confirmed. “Not to say that we should let our guard down.”

“Natora, get us set up and work out the watch shifts,” Bladescape ordered. “I’ll take the middle shift, but I want to check in on Konpeito and Malus. We will move out in the morning, straight to the closest city on our map. We are low on food. Konpeito can have the night to break the rock.”

“Got it,” Natora replied with a nod.

Bladescape walked around the hut to see how they were doing. Konpeito was giving the boulder a very close examination. Malus was leaning against the hut, without her shield on.

“How is she?” Bladescape asked.

“She has been doing that, since y’all left,” Malus said. “Even tasted it and the dirt around it. Just dragged her tongue along it and said somethin about it not being somethin so it had to be somethin like cane gurms. I didn’t understand the names an I know I ain’t saying it right.”

“Well, Maud is getting her PhD in geology,” Bladescape said. “The two of them are close and she probably has learned a lot about rocks from her. Anyway, we are going to set up camp for the night. Nothing is in the immediate area.”

Bladescape walked over to the boulder. Konpeito had disappeared behind it. She popped her head over the top. She seemed to be laying out on the top. Her freckled face looked ridiculous with the whiskers and her red hair.

“Hey, Blade,” Konpeito said as she smiled down on her. “Whatcha doin?”

“Look, we are spending the night, but come morning, we have to head back,” Bladescape stated. “If you are going to break this thing, you need to do it by then.”

“Okey dokey lokey!”

Konpeito slipped off the top, disappearing from sight. It was good to hear her say “okey dokey lokey” because that was normal, sane Pinkie Pie. Well, sane-er. Her friend was still in there.

Bladescape watched as Konpeito sized up the boulder and then punched it. She seized up, grabbing her hand in an attempt to stop the pain, before she fell over. She was in too much pain to even scream.

Malus went to help her up but Bladescape blocked her with her arm. “Let her be. If she is going to do this...well I don’t believe it can’t be done. Obviously it can be. I’m just not sure if she can do it, specifically right now. I’d rather her give up quickly and come back later than try and drag this out. Plus, it is her challenge. We shouldn't mess it up by trying to cushion her from reality."

“Fine,” Malus said with a nod.

Natora joined them with food. She gave some to Malus and Bladescape, but left Konpeito alone. “The others took your admission well,” Natora said.

“Reality is a funny thing,” Bladescape said. “We are all sharing this one. It makes you question what is real and what is not and how to tell the difference. In the other dimension, the laws of nature are not exactly the same. Similar, but not the same. The experience of each sense is different in both dimensions too, the same here. As real as it all is, it isn’t.”

“Which could just be us all believing it isn’t real,” Natora said. “A shared memory of something that doesn’t exist and, in many ways, is now just a fantasy. A dream.”

“Y’all are gettin too metiphi...you know the word," Malus grumbled. "Y’all are gettin too all that for my tired mind to take. I'm gonna go eat with the others. You can watch cotton candy.”

Konpeito was back on her feet, but now had her ear on the rock as she knocked on it, listening for something.

“I’m not even sure she knows what the quest reward is,” Natora said. “Thunder was ahead of me. She got inside right behind Konpeito. She didn’t hear a reward, or a task, or anything about the face paint, and didn’t see a screen. It could be a solo quest, in which case it wouldn’t necessarily show up to her party members. None of us have our quest logs updated, so that might be it, but it still doesn’t add up.”

“So what, a shadow quest?” Bladescape asked.

“Possibly,” Natora shrugged. “It is probably mentioned somewhere, but that doesn’t mean hearing about it will be easy. Either way, she apparently blindly accepted it without a second thought.”

Bladescape shook her head, but was unable to not grin a bit. “That is so her and normally isn’t a problem, but we have to keep moving. This isn't a game."

“Alright, rock!” Konpeito declared. “I’ve got you figured out. Prepare to be broken!”

Bladescape winced as Konpeito’s punch did nothing but cause her excruciating pain. She had given it her all, not stopping her fist at the boulder, intent to punch to its heart. Not giving her all would never break the boulder, but that didn’t make it feel any better.

Konpeito sized the boulder up again and threw a one two combo. Both strikes were solid with good power, but it left her on her knees, silently screaming in pain. The boulder still stood, not even phased by her.

“This is going to be grueling to watch,” Natora said. “I.R.L. those would have broken bones.”

“I know,” Bladescape sighed. “But there is no harm to it, right? We are here anyway. She has the night to figure it out and she knows it.”

“It could damage her psyche, maybe,” Natora said. “Assuming there is anything left to damage.”

Bladescape nodded back. “We just need to pay attention, to make sure nothing surprises her overnight, but we don’t need to watch her physically harm herself for this...whatever it is. Doing so would hurt our psyche.”

“I’ve got first watch, Malus has second, you have third, Reisenki has fourth, and Doom said she would take fifth. Two hour time blocks. So go, get some rest, at least sit down, and don’t worry about her. Put her out of your mind for a few hours. I know you have a lot on it at all times, you don't need this weighing you down more."

“Thanks,” Bladescape said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Yeah,” Natora said with a nod. “What else are friends for? See you in the morning.”

Bladescape joined the others. Their sleeping bags were laid out in a circle like they were around a fire, but they couldn’t light one in SAO. Or at least, they didn’t know how or have any wood. Bladescape set her alarm and drifted off to sleep, even with the others chatting.

Her alarm woke her up a few minutes before her shift started. Bladescape stood up and found Malus coming back from checking on Konpeito.

“About an hour ago, she started meditating,” Malus said. “She still is like that. Hasn’t moved. Not even a muscle twitch. It’s odd and a bit concerning.”

“That is odd,” Bladescape said. “But I don’t think there is any reason to worry. I’m just glad she isn’t uselessly punching the rock.”

“That we can agree on,” Malus said with a chuckle. “Good luck. I’m gonna go lay down.”

It was boring, but calm, during Bladescape’s watch. With Search, she could sit in a central location and “watch” the whole area. Nothing could enter her field without her being alerted. She could even tell when one of her friends rolled over in their sleeping bags. Konpeito hadn’t moved from the lotus position she was meditating in.

The night wasn’t quiet. Along with the background music, there were chirps from some crickets, happy under their blanket of stars which the third flood’s bottom projected for them. Malus and Thunderborne were both snoring. Natora made her own noise at times too, giving them both a run for their money, if they were betting on who could snore the loudest. If they knew, they would take that bet without a second thought.

Bladescape passed the watch on to Riesenki when two hours were up. He was alert and ready to go. Bladescape let him know about Konpeito, set her alarm, and then went to sleep.

When Bladescape woke up, she immediately went to check on Konpeito. She was still sitting there, in the same lotus pose.

"I'm pretty sure she isn't sleeping," Doombunny said. "It was an uneventful watch, but the stars were beautiful."

"They were," Bladescape said. "They were truly a marvel and when I think about it, it makes it really hard to believe that we are in a game."

Natora joined them and gave them both some bread and water. "How long do we wait till we pull the plug?"

Bladescape let out a sigh and took a big bite of bread while she thought. She swallowed it and made the call. "She needs to eat before we move. I'll go wake her."

"I'm not asleep," Konpeito said, not moving. "I'm meditating."

"And what answer has this meditation yielded?" Bladescape asked.

"I skipped along the path ahead," Konpeito replied. “To break a pinata, you need a bat. As much as I love candy and parties, pinatas are from Mexico, far far far from where my ancestors lived. They did have their own sweets, but they also climbed Cairngorm and drank from the heart of its firefalls. I like candy and I like rocks, which is why I am named Konpeito.

“If there is one thing I know really well besides sugar, it’s rocks. And to break a rock you need a Cross-Peen Crack Hammer and that is made from steel, which is made from iron, which is mined from rock as iron ore. Mined by the hand, shaped by the hand, iron...is...THE HAND!

“To beat rock, you need paper, but to break a rock, you need an iron hand. And lucky for me, I have one. Since everyone is gathered around to watch, I can finally break this rock."

Bladescape glanced around. Konpeito hadn't moved to even look around, but she was right. Everyone was there, silently watching as they ate breakfast.

Konpeito stood up and walked over to the boulder. “You and me, boulder. This is for Sugar Valley, for my name is Konpeito! The meany who trapped us here will rue the day he did so. I’ll break you and then his precious stone castle with my iron fist or my name isn’t Konpeito. But it is! So you, boulder, are already broken."

Konpeito raised her fist, drawing it back by her head. She set her left leg forward. “ROCK.” She twisted her hips, getting ready to throw the punch. “CANDY.” Konpeito rocketed forward, driving the punch forward with her whole body as she stepped forward. “SMASH!” Konpeito yelled as her fist collided with the stone.

She stood there, frozen.

“Owie,” Konpeito squeaked. “That hurts. It all hurts. I feel like I just broke every bone in my body. I don’t know if I can move.”

“What was that about an iron fist?” Thunderborne poked. Diemond swatted her on the arm for the comment.

“I’ll be back, boulder," Konpeito growled. "I may like face paint, but our business is not over! I will break you. I’ll break you and I’ll break every enemy that stands in the way between my friends and I getting back in our right bodies.”

Konpeito tried to step back, but tripped. She fell flat on her back without any grace. As she fell, the face of the boulder tumbled towards her. She rolled out of the way as it crashed down right where she had been. The back half was laying flat.

“Oh,” Konpeito giggled from the ground. “I guess my fist was holding the face up.”

“So, does that mean you broke it?” Diemond asked.

“Absoposilutely!” Konpeito confidently declared as she stood up and put her foot on the rook, standing proud over her fallen foe.

“That was a very fine split,” the NPC said as he walked through the group towards Konpeito. “Only one in ten thousand can break the back off without damaging the face. Everyone else breaks it side to side.”

“I see the micro fault in the grain texture,” Konpeito said, looking closer at the stone. “I also heard it when I examined the boulder. Splitting it side to side, along the fault, would’ve been easier, but what fun is easy?”

“This cloth will remove the paint,” he said, holding a cloth out to her which she took. “You have proven that you are worthy of the Martial Arts Skill. Aincrad will tremble as you beat your foes with your bare hands. I know you will use it wisely.”

The NPC bowed to Konpeito as she wiped her face off. With a face free of paint, she bowed back to him and then he took the dirtied cloth from her. He stepped over to the rock and lifted it upright like it weighed only a few dozen pounds. Then he did the same with the back half, once again making the boulder whole.

“We need to get moving,” Bladescape said. “Well done, Konpeito.”

Konpeito grinned with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Now, when I go to sleep tonight, I'll have to fight through the evil nougat army until I can slay the evil Toffee King and free Sugar Valley. The rock candy harvests will grow freely once again! They will not be oppressed. Not while I am around to protect them."

"I guess we really need to get to level twenty," Bladescape said. "Until then, you will have to wait to set it as a skill."

"Nope!" Konpeito exclaimed. She flipped her menu around to show everyone. Only she was able to manipulate her menu like that. "See, it's already locked in."

"Why is it pink?" Natora asked. "Grey means the slot is open, an occupied one is yellow with the skill's symbol on it in a dark grey. This is pink with what looks like the front of a fist in white."

"What about it being a fourth skill when she doesn't have the slot?" Diemond asked.

"Maybe it is a placeholder?" Bladescape asked. "She can't use it until she gets the new skill slot and it will automatically fill it. That doesn't explain the pink though."

"HIYAH!" Konpeito yelled as she threw a glowing blue punch. "Nope! It's active."

"It still doesn't explain the pink, but part of the reward might be the permanent addition to your skill set without needing an open slot," Natora hypothesized. "That is the only logical explanation I can come up with."

"We can't test that because we don't have anyone else ready to break the rock," Bladescape added. "Knightstar, your thoughts?"

"It's logical that a hidden skill through a secret quest would be added to the active skills regardless of the status of a player's available skill slots, however, as stated, that doesn't explain the pink. I have no idea or explanation for that. Or for how she could turn her menu around to show us. You can't do that in SAO, but she just did. Or rather, no one but Konpeito can."

"Come on, Konpeito," Malus said. "Let's get yah fed and then we need to be off."

"Right!" Konpeito exclaimed. "I'll punch my way to the closest city and then I need to start making cupcakes."

"Do you know how?" Thunderborne asked.

"Not yet! But you have to try in order to learn."

“We head out in five minutes," Bladescape said, ending any further discussion. It wasn't going to be hard for Konpeito to go down the rabbit trail Thunderborne had shown her by asking about cupcakes.

BLADESCAPE: Level 15 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor
NATORA: Level 15 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 14 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal
MALUS: Level 15 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield — Light Metal Armor — First Aid
THUNDERBORNE: Level 15 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense
KONPEITO: Level 15 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts
DIEMOND: Level 15 — Mace — Shield — Sewing — Light Metal Armor
DOOMBUNNY: Level 14 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing
KIEFER: Level 10 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor
SORYUTO: Level 10 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor
REISENKI: Level 10 — One-Handed Axe — Shield — Light Metal Armor

Episode 22 - Right To Fight

Episode 22 - Right To Fight
Thirteenth Day in the Month of Holly (December 13) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 2 - Late Afternoon

Bladescape entered the pub where the boss strategy meeting was supposed to be happening in half an hour. She wasn't on the invite list, none of the Wondercolts were, which was why she was alone. If she was going to get them into the fight, showing up in force wasn't the wisest idea.

Bladescape sat at the bar and ordered a drink. From her seat, she was able to watch as Lind led the Dragon Knights Brigade in their dull blue colors into the pub. Their numbers had grown significantly since she last saw Lind. Soon after, Kibaou strutted in with an equally large force in moss green accents. They were the Aincrad Liberation Squad. Agil wasn't far behind and soon Kirito and Red Riding Hood entered. She was in a new red cloak, but her hood was down, openly displaying her chestnut hair, and her green hilted rapier was likewise openly displayed. Kirito was as dull black as ever. Another organized group joined as well.

Bladescape got a second drink as she watched. Neither Lind or Kibaou had noticed she was present. Kirito appeared to notice her, but he didn't react, not that there was anything to react about.

The meeting immediately started with Lind and Kibaou butting heads. They couldn't settle on a leader and the decision was left to a coin toss. Lind won and Kibaou begrudgingly yielded to him.

The details were all in Argo's guide. Bladescape had read them. The boss, Baran the General Taurus, had a strong secondary fighter with him, Nato the Colonel Taurus. Both were minotaur style bosses and very large in size.

"We will use six parties to focus on Baran the General Taurus," Lind decreed. "Parties seven and eight will focus on Nato the Colonel Taurus. He won't need as much force to beat. But we will need to ensure he is kept away from Baran and the other raiders.

"To be fair, I'll lead three parties from the Dragon Knights Brigade, Groups A, B and C, and Kibaou will bring three parties from the Aincrad Liberation Squad, Groups D, E, and F. The Legend Braves can be Group G and Agil, you are a veteran of games, you will lead Group H."

Bladescape stood up with her half-finished mug of ale in her hand. "Now wait one moment," she ordered as she walked over to them. "I heard about the field boss fight. Both of you, Lind and Kibaou, failed at your respective leadership roles. You also failed to work together for that simple fight and you barely made it out because of it. You might have each gained a large following, but that doesn't mean you get to monopolize things, or that you are capable of actually leading." Bladescape leaned onto the table as she glared at Lind and Kibaou. "Especially when neither of your groups have any experience in a floor boss room. They might have members who were there, but the Wondercolts all were and did a better job than any of you combined in the battle. The same thing goes to Legend Braves, who I have never met; none of them were in the first boss fight. No offense, but the Wondercolts should have seniority over them."

"You-" Kibaou exclaimed, freezing from his rage. "You…"

Lind wasn't happy either, but he was more composed. "You make a fair point, but I don't see the rest of your group here."

"That's a lame excuse," Bladescape spat back. "You know you didn't invite us and you did it intentionally."

"I'm not fighting alongside a beater!" Kibaou finished. "Why should we give up spots in the raid of players we trust, to you and that beater friend of yours?"

"Now hold on," Agil said, calmly but firmly. "Cutting out the Wondercolts is a very bad idea. They were crucial to beating Illfang. When things fell apart, they kept it together. When others were unable to withstand the attacks, as a party they held firm. Just because you have a personal issue with one of their members doesn't mean that we can afford to ignore them. They bring something to the battlefield that you lack. Teamwork, grace, loyalty, kindness, strength, civility, and unity. A Wondercolts party is worth at least two of either of your guild's parties."

"Fine, then you can take them in your group," Kibaou growled.

"Get over yourself!" Bladescape exclaimed. "You, Kibaou, are replaceable. You too, Lind. Having the biggest guild doesn't mean you have the best one. Size isn't everything, especially when you can't even defeat a field boss working together. You can't ignore the players who don't conform to your guilds, especially when they are better than you can hope to be. Every player in Aincrad has the same right to fight for their freedom as any of you do, no matter what group or guild they are with or their label as player, beta tester, or even beater. We all are stuck just the same as everyone else."

"Beaters shouldn't get to be in boss raids," Kibaou growled. "They can't be trusted to not cheat."

"You just can't stand losing to Natora like you did," Bladescape retorted. "If you actually care about conquering Aincrad so we all can leave, you will have to use the best available resources for the job. That includes Kirito and Natora. Diavel understood that.”

Mentioning this cut Kibaou to the quick, but he didn’t interrupt Bladescape.

"The first floor has been broken. Kirito was correct when he said the players in the first boss battle were better than most of the beta testers. For those classified as beaters, each new floor brings less and less personal experience, but they still have innate skills you lack. If they have what it takes to help us conquer Aincrad, they shouldn't be turned away. This is a joint effort and mistakes were made all around on the first floor. We can fix that from here on out. We will fix it. We are all on the same side, each of us, the players against the game. We stand as one, survive as one, or we fall alone. No one's HP will hit zero if we stay united. That doesn't mean we have to all be in the same guild, that only means that when it comes to key moments, like field and floor boss fights, that we are together, unified."

"Since the last boss battle, your guild has been scarce," Lind stated, trying to use it as an argument.

"You didn't bother to involve us," Bladescape retorted. "We were clearing and mapping. What do you expect us to do? You are grasping at straws for this weak argument."

Lind didn't have an immediate response. "Look, for now, the parties are set. From here on out, you will be notified and given a fair shot to join, if you can prove yourselves that is. Fight under Agil for this boss battle."

"Fine," Bladescape growled. "We will play your childish game so long as it does lead to other guilds and players gaining entry into the boss battles, assuming they can handle them. But after this boss battle, after we prove ourselves, again, you will keep a permanent slot for us like you keep slots for yourselves, the same goes for another party that can be made up of players not in guilds planning on assaulting the boss. Clearing this game and being members of the boss assault forces are two different, but equally important, types of players needed for us to make it to the Ruby Palace. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes," Lind said with a nod.

Kibaou just growled. It clearly was the best she was going to get from him. If he backed out of the deal, he would lose face with his own guild and others would be less likely to trust him. She had backed him into a corner that was satisfactory.

Bladescape drank her ale as she listened to the boys quarrel over the finer points of their “strategy.” The Legends Brave group wriggled their way from fighting Baron to the Colonel, leaving just Group H under Agil to deal with him. They would hit the boss in the morning, striking out for the labyrinth at 10am. Bladescape wasn't happy with the team arrangement, but it was better than missing the fight and she had done a decent job putting the two of them in their place.

When they were done strategizing, all that was left was for Agil to organize his group. Red Riding Hood and Kirito came over to Agil and Bladescape. "Well, that makes four of us," Agil said as he looked at the three of them. "Bladescape, I think we should fill out the rest of our party with your guild. Three independents and three Wondercolts should give them a good enough show to force your agreement to be upheld, the same for the importance of the independent players."

"We are taking on Baron alone, just the six of us," Bladescape said, talking through her thought process. "Those two are pure damage dealers. I can play forward if need be, but I lack a shield. The same for Agil. I think we have all of the damage dealers that we need. I'll bring in our two tanks, Malus and Diemond, to the fight. I hate to leave Natora out of it, I feel like I am punishing her, but her skills are with the two-handed spear, no shield. We need two solid shields for this fight, and only two of my five shield users are viable for now."

"It might not be a bad thing for her to skip it," Agil said. "I like Natora. I don't always agree with Kibaou, or even Lind. I'm on your side and I'm glad you spoke out and asserted not just yourself and your guild, but the other players. Still, Kibaou and Natora have very recent and bad history. I trust her, however I don't trust him to not cause some issue between them."

"We should avoid another post-boss fight duel," Bladescape said with an annoyed chuckle. "It isn't safe or conducive to our group as a whole."

"I like what you said," Red Riding Hood said, speaking up. "About two types of players; clearers and assaulters. It could be cleaned up a bit, but it is a good start. You are right about the difference and the importance of each. It sounds like your shield users are clearers, but not assaulters."

"Got any suggestions for making the terms cleaner?" Bladescape asked. "I've noted it as we mapped and explored the second floor, mostly in our group dynamics, but never really thought about it. We have eleven players in the Wondercolts. Eight are willing to go into boss fights, but two need to level some more. The other three are adamantly against it, even though two have the levels. Boss fights require a different mindset."

Red Riding Hood thought for a moment. "Clearers is a solid name, but if you want us to be on the same page, which we should be, Assault Team is a better name. The name spans the guilds and groups, allowing us to recognize our focus, no matter what banner or colors we fly."

"That's good," Agil said. "I'll do my best to spread it."

“I’ll push that language too,” Bladescape said, smiling at her for coming up with the terms.

"I love your circlet," Red Riding Hood added. "I never said that earlier. I was rather quiet and keeping to myself last time. I sort of still am."

"Thanks," Bladescape said. "Defensively, it is no replacement for a helmet. Statistically speaking, it has a good set of enchantments that offset the reduced defense. It’s like comparing apples to oranges and I know the circlet must have enough benefits to offset the helmet’s stats.

“However, as you stated, you have been quiet and keeping to yourself. My name has been publicly used, but I don’t know yours. Anyway, I’m Bladescape of the Wondercolts.” Bladescape bowed to Red Riding Hood to properly finish the introduction.

Red Riding Hood bowed back. “I’m Asuna. It’s a pleasure to officially meet you, Bladescape.”

“That’s a pretty name,” Bladescape said. “Better than ‘Red Riding Hood,’ after the European folk tale, which I have been using in my head.”

"Red Riding Hood is a cute nickname,” Asuna mused. “I don’t know that tale off the top of my head.”

Bladescape grinned. “Well, I’m not the best story teller, but I’ll lay down the best retelling I can.”

Agil knew the story, but enjoyed the retelling. Asuna got a good laugh out of it and admitted the nickname was well chosen. Kirito was silent the entire time, giving no indication if he had heard it or not.

Bladescape moved them back on track. “But, on another note, what do you know about these Legend Braves guys?"

"A bit of trouble," Kirito said. He glanced around to check if anyone was listening in. "A non-combat member was running a scam for enhancing equipment. It's complicated. I'm not sure if the others are involved or not. They almost got Asuna's Wind Fleuret rapier."

"We've been using Koricata, Nataszo, Nemus, and Lisbeth,” Bladescape said. “Although we haven't actually met Lisbeth yet. She is always running some errand for the others and Nemus is their refiner, not a smith yet. The four of them have been a team. I should look at more enhancements before the fight. We all probably should."

"That's a good idea," Kirito said. "And we no longer use him. I'm unsure how successful they have been about the scam, I've had more important things to focus on, but I’ll have to track down those guys."

"Town of Beginnings, northwest corner of the reflection pool south of the plaza, where the bazaar has been set up," Bladescape said. "Now, if there is nothing else to cover right now, I should get back to my guild to prep the others."

"Nothing I can think of," Agil said.

"I'll see you there in the morning," Bladescape said. “I look forward to fighting beside all of you.”

She headed to another pub where her friends were patiently waiting. Bladescape explained the situation and caught them up. Natora understood Bladescape’s logic and backed it. Malus was more than happy to join. Diemond took some convincing. Everyone encouraged her with how strong she had been for them all with her shield. In the end she couldn't deny the loot she would get and the importance of it for her crafting.

The three of them headed with Natora to get their weapons enhanced. Koricata was still open and available to do enhancements. They each could cover one enhancement, with Natora, Bladescape, and Malus splitting the cost for Diemond.

Bladescape added Quickness to her Ancient Red Sun Sword. Natora tried to add accuracy, but it failed. The change in stats was minor. Malus got heaviness successfully added to her Ancient Telmarine War Hammer, while Diemond added accuracy to her Engraved Mace.

BLADESCAPE: Level 17 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor
NATORA: Level 17 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 17 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal
MALUS: Level 17 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield — Light Metal Armor — First Aid
THUNDERBORNE: Level 17 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense
KONPEITO: Level 17 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts
DIEMOND: Level 17 — Mace — Shield — Sewing — Light Metal Armor
DOOMBUNNY: Level 17 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing
KIEFER: Level 13 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense
SORYUTO: Level 13 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music
REISENKI: Level 13 — One-Handed Axe — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Repair

KIRITO: Level 14 — One Handed Sword — Search — Hide — Martial Arts
ASUNA: Level 13 — Rapier — Sprint — Weapons Defense — Light Metal Armor
AGIL: Level 12 — Two Handed Axe — Leather Equipment — Weapon Defense — Equipment Appraisal

Episode 23 - One Too Many

Episode 23 - One Too Many
Fourteenth Day in the Month of Holly (December 14) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 2 - 2 p.m. Aincrad Standard Time

Baran the General Taurus and his not so small underling, Nato the Colonel Taurus, were the bosses to beat. They were calling Nato the Colonel Taurus a “mid boss”; not a full floor boss, but still stronger than a field boss and he wasn't a minion. Seven full parties were focusing on Baran, while a mere six players were left to deal with Nato; Agil who was leading Bladescape, Malus, Diemond, Kirito the Beater, and Asuna, AKA Red Riding Hood.

Bladescape knew the stakes were more than just beating a floor boss. It was up to her, Malus, and Diemond to secure an official slot from Lind’s and Kibaou’s guilds for the Wondercolts for boss fights. They also were fighting to secure the future for independent players to have a place in the boss fights. Lind and Kibaou would make it a “boys only” club if they could so they didn’t have to split the spoils. If one of them got significantly stronger and large enough, they would certainly push anyone not in their guild out of raid parties.

Kirito had beaten both taurus bosses in the beta. Argo’s guide was solid, spot on even, but on the trip to the boss chamber Kirito quietly opened up to the party and stressed the importance of striking the horns when possible. They were the bosses’ weaknesses and a blow had a chance of staggering the boss on top of the damage. Of course, the height of each boss made hitting the horns difficult, even with high agility. It was tough to jump that high.

Nato was a copy of Baran with two differences. His hide was blue, while Baran’s was crimson, and Nato was half the size of Baran, standing at 2.5 meters tall. Even Agil, the tallest of the raiders by a large margin, was dwarfed by Nato. Agil stood a bit over 1.8 meters, or six feet. Kirito and Asuna were still young teenagers with a few growth spurts left, mostly for Kirito, and both were shorter than the Wondercolts present. Bladescape, Malus, and Diemond were not likely to get much taller at their age, if at all. That still left them, like most of the other raiders, under 1.8 meters, and Baron the General Tarus was almost 5 meters tall, meaning his horns were not going to be easy to hit. Both bosses used two handed hammers and had stunning attacks they could perform.

As the group entered the boss room, the bosses were already present. Nato was closer to the door with Baran on the far side. In order for the others to get to him, Group H would have to start the fight.

“Malus,” Bladescape said as she drew the Red Sun Sword. “Don’t try and block that giant hammer on your shield like you did against the goblin general. We need your shield in one piece.”

“I ain’t makin no promises,” Malus fired back. “Besides, I brought a spare.”

“Oh dear,” Diemond sighed as they all strode towards Nato in a line. “Please, Malus, don’t die and leave me as our only tank.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Malus laughed. “I’m gonna make this half-baked cow fear me so badly that he is gonna drop a lot of pies!” She accented her declaration by banging her hammer on her shield. “Blade, shall we?”

“You have something special in mind?” Agil asked.

“I’m thinkin of somethin,” Malus replied. “Blade, whatever happens, let me be your stile.”

“What does this fight have to do with fashion?” Diemond asked.

“Got it,” Bladescape replied, ignoring Diemond. “I will.”

Malus sprinted forward with a thunderous warcry. Everyone watched her charge forward to be the first to clash in the boss battle. Bladescape counted to three to give her slower friend enough of a head start and then rushed after her, skipping the warcry so Nato focused on Malus. He did as Malus slid to a stop, her metal greaves screaming against the stone as she got into a braced kneeling position. Bladescape didn’t stop even as Nato roared and raised his hammer. She used Malus as a step to jump off of, giving her the height to get up by Nato’s head. Nato was committed and brought his hammer down on Malus. Bladescape brought her sword down on Nato’s horned head in retaliation.

Bladescape was left dealing with a good-sized drop. Nato was stunned from the opening strike. She was able to land in a roll and not have to immediately worry about a counterattack. The rest of the raider teams rush past, yelling their own war cries as they went after Baran the General Tarus.

With Nato stunned, the others got hits in. Malus didn’t even try, instead opting for a defensive role. She had set a very strong precedent for all of the raiders as to what it meant to be a tank and to take a hit, without bending or breaking.

Nato had three HP bars. Their opening attacks had not even dropped a quarter off the first bar. Nato raised his hammer up high and it began to glow with sparks on the head.

“He’s prepping for his special attack!” Kirito warned. “Fall back. Don’t get hit by the sparks.”

They listened to Kirito and backed up. Nato roared and slammed the hammer into the ground, causing the yellow sparks to radiate out. None of them were close enough to take the impact damage. The sparks were numerous and difficult to avoid. Diemond and Asuna couldn’t evade them. They were stunned. Malus got in front of Diemond and Bladescape slid in front of Asuna so they could be a buffer while they waited for the stun to end. The attack, like a player’s sword skill, put Nato into a delay. Kirito and Agil struck back while he was vulnerable.

With their party members free, Malus charged Nato. She drew his attention and got him to swipe his hammer at her. She ducked under it with ease. Malus knew the game’s standard war hammer sword skills. The follow up strike was taken on her shield, stopping the massive hammer without even moving Malus. Kirito used the moment to order an attack. In retaliation, Nato raised his hammer to unleash his special attack.

When the sparks came, he raised it again, chaining the attack two more times. Everyone avoided the impact damage and the first set of sparks, but Kirito got hit on the second set. A third one came at him, which would give him full paralysis instead of being stunned, but Diemond threw herself in front of him, taking it instead.

Everyone who was free landed blows, nearly depleting Nato’s first HP bar. Kirito could tell when Nato was going to switch to his special attack. His intuition was spot on and it saved their tiny force more than once.

“Agil! Bladescape!” Kirito called out. “Baran has the others in a mess. I’m going to sort them out before they get in real trouble.”

“You got it!” Agil said.

“Go!” Bladescape ordered. “We’ve got Nato.”

Kirito had been a heavy hitter, but even without him, the five of them progressed smoothly. Diemond and Malus blocked the others or drew aggro.

Nato made a move at Diemond, who was unprepared to retreat. She put her shield forward, focusing on the block. Diemond’s shield stopped the horizontal swipe, but the massive hammer knocked her off her feet. It was enough of a block for Asuna and Bladescape to safely go in for their own hits.

Agil pulled Diemond to her feet. “Nice block. Malus demands a presence, but you grace us with yours. You don’t look like you are as firm and strong as you are.”

“Thanks,” Diemond said, blushing. “Someone has to bring some beauty to the fight. Fashion shows, especially when your designs don’t land, are brutal.”

They both heard Malus yell and the crash as she blocked the hammer before smacking the taurus with her hammer.

“We certainly need beauty in the fight,” Agil laughed. “Malus is a bit scary.”

“Well, cows are part of her life, IRL,” Diemond replied. “She is a cowgirl. She rides horses, farms the land, and competes in rodeos. She literally rides bulls. She is stubborn and tough. To the outsider, she can seem callous, but not to her friends. We need her to be stubborn and callus right now. It is how we have survived.”

"Having a name like malice doesn't give her image any grace either," Agil retorted.

"Actually, it's Malus, spelled M A L U S," Diemond explained. "That is the scientific name for apple trees and her family had a big orchard on the farm. She is a cow and apple girl, so rather fitting and quite clever on her part."

"That is very clever," Agil said as he focused on the taurus.

Nato roared, lifting his hammer. Everyone fell back. They avoided the two attacks and waves of sparks. Bladescape, Agil, and Asuna scored quick hits. Asuna’s speed with her rapier was impressive. Thunderborne was going to have stiff competition for the fastest attacker. It would be fun to have them square off against each other.

After several more smooth rounds, they had Nato down into the last health bar. Bladescape looked over to see the disorganized raiders attacking Baran. Kirito was in a clearly heated argument with Lind over something, however, Baran was almost to his own final health bar.

Nato roared, pulling Bladescape’s focus back to her battle. They had brought him down into the final stage. He charged, abandoning his hammer. He was blocked by Malus. He pushed her back, but she stayed on her planted feet as he slid her back.

Diemond’s mace slammed up into the taurus’ chin, snapping his head up. Bladescape’s sword traced a red line across Nato’s chest while Agil’s axe sliced his thick thigh. Asuna’s rapier poked a lot of holes in Nato’s chest.

The attacks dropped him into the deep red. They disengaged, expecting him to do something more than roar into the ceiling. He didn’t do any special attack. With no one by him, he crouched and charged.

Malus calmly walked in front of the charging taurus. She yelled her own warcry back at it as she set her stance and raised her war hammer above her head. Nato the Colonel Taurus was stopped cold in his charge by Malus’ strength and raw determination. Her hammer glowed red and she brought it down on the horns of the taurus beast, stunning him.

Kirito slid up, rejoining their group. “Something’s spawning in the middle of the room!” he warned them. “One last attack to finish Nato now!”

Nato didn’t get the chance to come out of his stunned effect. Bladescape cut him with a two combination skill and set herself for a chained second attack. The first strike landed and Nato’s HP became a sliver as she swiped her sword to finish the second skill. Nato shattered into polygons and her sword swiped through them. Kirito was on the other side, having just finished the attack that ended Nato the Colonel Taurus.

They stood there, staring at each other because they both were stuck in their delay. Bladescape was furious about losing the last attack to Kirito. He had spent most of the fight not attacking and then he came in and landed the last blow, not that she blamed him for doing what needed to be done to sort out the others. He was faster and more aggressive than she was. If a last attack bonus was given for Nato, Bladescape didn’t get it.

Yet Bladescape could see the desperation in Kirito’s eyes. He was afraid. Kirito was surviving in SAO. Bladescape was with friends and despite the work, pain, and uncertainty, she had a friend supporting her who could stop a charging boss cold in its tracks, alongside all of the others and their unique talents and personalities. Kirito lacked all of that because he was a solo player.

They came out of their delays at the same time and turned their attention to Baran. The giant thing in the center of the room was half formed. They had to finish Baran or they would be in a seriously compromised position. The main raid teams already had lower HPs from the sustained fight. If they had to fight both, raiders would die.

“Kill Baran!” Bladescape ordered as she rushed towards him.

Kirito and Asuna were faster than everyone else and rushed ahead. Baran went into his berserker stage as his HP was knocked into the red. Kirito got a jump high enough to land a hit on his horns, staggering him.

Bladescape keyed up a sword skill and struck with everyone else. She successfully chained a second, determined to finish the boss herself. She got a third skill to trigger, a three hit combination, and landed the first strike as everyone else froze from their attacks. The second one landed, carving off his HP. Baran would die by her sword.

Or that was what it looked like as Bladescape brought her last strike to bear on him. Instead, Baran the General Taurus shattered. Kirito was on the other side of the polygons, once again scoring the last strike. Bladescape saw the same fear in his eyes, which wasn’t unwarranted.

They had one more boss to deal with; a completely unknown entity. None of the raiders had their health in the green, most were in the orange, except Bladescape noticed in her party list that Malus and Diemond were almost full on their health. Malus must have stopped Diemond from attacking, instead choosing to drink health potions and set up the raid party’s preliminary defense against the new threat.

Bladescape unfroze and turned around to look at who the real boss was. Asterius the Taurus King was a six horned humanoid bull. Its legs were as thick as tree trunks and its body was black, like it had been painted. It wore only a silver crown and black chainmail shorts. The massive bull head had a twisted beard trailing off it, hanging down to its stomach. The gargantuan hammer was twice the size of what Baran had carried. There was no way any of them had the agility to reach the king’s horns to try and stagger him.

The boss unleashed a breath attack full of lightning, paralyzing most players, including Bladescape. There was nothing she could do as he advanced on Lind and Kibaou. It raised its hammer to eliminate them.

It took a step back as something glanced off its crown. Bladescape saw something fly back to whoever had thrown it. She was freed from the boss’ attack and immediately grabbed a health potion from a belt pouch. She downed it and took a look at the player throwing the disk. It had not only halted the killing blow to Lind and Kibaou, but it also caused the boss to turn its attention to the player. He wore a cloak like Group G, the Legend Braves, and his name came up in Bladescape’s enhanced view as Nezha.

“Top off your HP!” Lind ordered everyone. “Reform in your groups!”

Bladescape regrouped with Agil and the others, except Malus was missing.

“Where is Malus?” Bladescape immediately asked, still able to see her full HP Bar.

Diemond shrugged. “We had split up to try and divert the new boss’ attention, but that failed until the disk throwing guy arrived out of nowhere. Then she suddenly ran off towards the entry to the chamber.”

“KIRITO!” A girl yelled. She was cloaked in brown and her face was painted the same as Konpeito’s had been during the martial arts quest. There was no doubt in Bladescape’s mind who it was: Argo “the rat”. The top information broker and chief creator of the survival guide. Bladescape hadn’t met her yet because she was so elusive. Malus was beside her, acting as her shield.

“I see you already discovered the surprise,” Argo said as Lind and Kibaou joined them. “I just finished a quest that warned me about him, but you were already in the labyrinth, unreachable.”

“What can you tell us?” Kirito asked.

“Six health bars, hitting the crown can stagger him, and he has a breath attack. When his eyes glow, he will suck in a deep breath and unleash a lightning breath attack from its nostrils. It's a fast attack and high chance to stun or paralyze. He also can deliver an attack like Nato and Baran, with his hammer. He will stomp three times before he raises his hammer.”

“What about a berserker stage?” Kirito asked.

“Same as the others,” Argo replied. “Into the red, his black skin will start looking like burning coal.”

“We will run a strict rotation,” Lind decided. “Whittle it down and switch out when we drop into the orange so we can recover health. We need to relieve the player from being chased by the boss. I’ll take Group A and Group D to start it.”

Lind rushed off, calling out the orders as he led the teams to relieve Nezha.

“Malus, don’t even think about trying to stop that hammer,” Diemond warned. “Twice as big and powerful as Baran, and you felt the power in Nato’s hammer.”

“Only if I need to,” Malus said. “What good am I as a tank if I can’t stop whatever is thrown at me.”

“Don’t get yourself killed!” Diemond exclaimed. “I don’t want to explain to your sister, let alone your brother, that you died needlessly because you were being more stubborn than a mule.”

Malus just snorted back as they watched Lind try to get the two groups to shave off HP. It was not well organized.

“They are a mess,” Bladescape said.

“I couldn’t get Lind to fall back and reorganize earlier,” Kirito said. “It almost got us killed for it. He is the stubborn fool, not Malus. At least Malus stands up for others, not like Lind or Kibaou who want recognition and power.”

“And until players see either of them fail badly, they will retain control of things because of their size,” Asuna added. “Mob rule in the name of freedom.”

“Well, maybe we can make them question what they know,” Bladescape said. “Let’s show them what our ragtag group of cast-offs can do compared to their organized units made up of their friends.”

“They are clearly comrades, not friends,” Agil said as they watched a player get tossed. “And even calling them comrades is pushing it, because usually comrades in arms fight better together than they are.”

Lind called for the switch, bringing in Group B and Group E. They hadn’t even knocked a fifth of his first HP bar off before they retreated.

“Argo, you are welcome to join Group H if you are inclined,” Bladescape added. “No pressure. You don-”

“It will be my pleasure,” Argo said, grinning madly from under her hood.

“Darling, fashion is my thing,” Diemond said to Argo. “We need to work on your look.”

“My look?” Argo asked. “I’m a quest crunching machine with more information on the game than anyone else. Function matters more than looks and I really don’t care about what I look like.”

“I’m just saying, you appear to have taken a liking to the nickname of “The Rat” and with a few modifications, I could take you beyond that facepaint and make it so your hood looks like it has ears. It is a simple trick to do.”

“That’s…” Argo paused, thinking it over. “Not a bad idea.”

“What is your weapon of choice?” Bladescape asked.

Argo swept her cloak open and pulled a gauntlet off her left hip. Off the gauntlet were three knives that turned her fist from flesh and fingernails, to steel and razor-sharp claws. She slid it on her right arm. “I didn't choose the claws because of the nickname. Few players have seen me fight.”

“How did you get those?” Malus asked.

“That is a secret I won’t share,” Argo retorted. “At least not for free. Information is my livelihood in SAO. It would take more Col than you would find worthwhile to learn the basics from me.”

“C and F just went in,” Bladescape said. “They are both of Lind’s and Kibaou’s weakest parties. They haven’t even shaved half the HP off the first bar. They will be lucky to get that far with those teams.”

“I’m ready,” Malus said, twirling her hammer.

“I’m good to go,” Agil replied.

“I want to rip his coat to shreds,” Argo said with a sly grin.

“Same,” Kirito said with a nod.

“Also ready,” Asuna echoed.

“Think the drop will give me a more beautiful mace?” Diemond asked as she set her stance.

“Only one way to find out,” Bladescape replied, grinning as she took her own. The Ancient Red Sun Sword was ready to trigger Bladescape’s chosen skill, the sword was slightly off of its initial starting position.

Asterius the Taurus King stomped three times and raised his hammer. It sent Groups C and F scrambling. Most of them were not fast enough as the hammer came down, radiating sparks that stunned them.

“CHARGE!” Bladescape ordered as she sprinted forward.

As they got closer Bladescape ordered the switch. Both groups were more than happy to be relieved. Group G was unprepared and left trying to catch up to the fight.

Asterius received six quick and powerful attacks. Kirito and Asuna were the fastest and rushed past, slicing him up. Bladescape got a slice in and sprinted clear after the short delay. Argo had left six wicked cuts from her claws. Agil and Diemond got powerful hits in and were relieved by Kirito and Asuna starting the next run. Malus was dragging paralyzed players free from the immediate danger zone, which sparked some of the other raiders to rush over and help her out.

Their aggressive attacks paid off as they carved off his HP faster than any other group had. They finished the first HP bar and got him halfway through his second when the boss began to stomp and Lind called for them to switch. They had sustained glancing blows and minor hits that, while they added up, barely had them in the yellow. However, it was good to get a breather after their sprinting strategy. Malus had even gotten two hits in after the paralyzed players were safely out of the way.

Bladescape watched Lind lead the two parties. They were too defensive, which wasn’t good when they couldn’t take a hit from the hammer without it knocking the player deep in the red and tossing them out of the fight.

“Pathetic,” Malus said, as another player in Group D was thrown out of the fight. “You can tell the difference in our levels by the damage we do compared to them.”

“The same for their general abilities,” Bladescape said. “I’m not saying I’m not afraid, but too many of them are genuinely afraid and they are second guessing everything.”

“There is more at stake than our fear,” Diemond added. “If you can’t put those priorities before the fear, you don’t belong in a boss raid.”

They topped off their health and watched as the other groups chipped the second health bar away. Almost immediately Group F lost a member, their existence reduced to polygons and then nothing, and the group fell apart, which also caused Group C to freeze, unsure what to do on their own. Group H rushed in, saving them all.

It was another fast and effective round. At one point, Malus tackled Argo, getting her out of the way of the hammer. They were ordered back after they got Asterius’ HP down into his fourth health bar.

Group A was in rotation as the boss was slid into the red zone. Group H was ready to jump in, expecting them to break and they did. Asterius backhanded half of Group A out of the fight and smacked out another two with a swipe of his hammer. He stepped in at Lind as he swung his hammer up and then brought it down on him.

At the last moment Lind was knocked down by Malus. Malus was able to stay on her feet as the hammer struck her shield because she angled it, causing it to glance off the face and into the ground. With a yell Malus swung her hammer up as she jumped, using the pick end to snag in his twisted beard. Hooked, she yanked his head down.

Bladescape didn't miss the opportunity. She jumped as high as she could, triggered a downward cutting sword skill, which severed one of his six horns, stunning the boss. Diemond’s mace, Agil’s axe, Argo’s claws, Asuna’s rapier, and Kirito’s sword all landed strikes while he was staggered. The boss’ HP was almost a sliver. Bladescape keyed up her strongest sword skill, a two combination skill. Both were good but the Boss was still standing. Bladescape couldn’t get her sword in a position to chain another attack before she was put in the delay. The boss shattered and Bladescape was left, for a third time, looking at Kirito through the floating polygons.

The fanfare played and the lighting changed while they all got their drop lists. Bladescape had other things on her mind. She was angry that she failed a third time, but her mind immediately turned to ensuring Lind kept his word. Especially since they lost a raider who was unprepared for the fight.

Bladescape stormed over to Lind who was just being helped up by Malus. "You would be dead if it weren't for us Wondercolts!” Bladescape exclaimed, poking him in the chest with her finger. “Without Malus that hammer would have turned you into polygons. You had the audacity to believe you didn't need us because we were not in your club, but Group H did more to win this battle today than everyone else combined. We never caved, but every other group did. If you don't hold up your end of the bargain you will find yourself facing our full might. Are we clear?"

"Yes," Lind said, trying to maintain some of his command and authority. "We will uphold the deal. I cannot deny how much the three Wondercolts, and the rest of the team, did for everyone and for me. Thank you, Malus.”

“Ain’t a huckleberry,” Malus said. “Just don’t be a ten-cent man an get the Dragon Knights Brigade in Apple Pie Order.”

Lind didn’t know how to reply as Malus walked away. He just looked, dumbfounded, at Bladescape.

Bladescape let out a sigh. “Japan has a fascination with cowboys and Westerns, but clearly some things did not come over. Malus is a cowgirl and just laid it down, politely, with idioms that only make sense if you actually know them. They don’t translate well, or at all. Basically, she just said you can’t fight bosses when your parties crumble the way they did and to fix it for everyone’s sake.” Lind just silently nodded back.

Bladescape walked over to Malus, Diemond, and Agil. Diemond and Agil were scrolling through their drop lists. Bladescape didn’t say anything as she pulled up her item list. She had cleaned it out before the boss fight and could easily tell what had been dropped. It was some good loot, but nothing immediately stood out. What was burned in her mind was the fact that she missed the last attack bonus three times. Twice because she wasn’t fast enough, and the third because she failed to choose the right sword skill to ensure she dealt enough damage to the boss to score the kill.

A shouting match ensued between some of the members in the Dragon Knights Brigade and the Legend Braves. Kirito, Asuna, and Argo joined Group H as the shouts got louder.

“What’s going on?” Agil asked.

“Nezha suffers from FNC, FullDive Non-Conformity,” Kirito explained. “It’s a rare issue to suffer from. In his case, distance is impaired and perception is off. Normally, he would exit the game and either fix a software issue, recalibrate the NerveGear, or he might be unable to dive. That isn’t an option now and he couldn’t fight like he wanted to. He tried to level blade throwing, but it didn’t progress well and turned to smithing. Somehow, he got involved in running a scam. I caught him red handed, but the other weapons were already sold and gone. I offered him a better path. The chakram he threw returns to the user, but it requires a particular quest and skill to use. It looks like some of the players he scammed are in this room and he can’t rectify it because he doesn’t have their weapons.”

They all watched as the argument escalated. A member of Group F, who had the sole casualty, was blaming Nezha of indirectly killing the player. The claim was that the scam deprived the dead player of a sufficient weapon to protect himself. Nezha couldn’t make up for what he did, especially the alleged death and offered to take whatever punishment they deemed fit. They started to call for his death.

“Mob rule,” Asuna groaned.

Bladescape saw Kibaou put his hand on the sword on his back and slowly draw it as more players called for Nezha’s death.

“KIBAOU!” Bladescape sternly called as she started walking over to the argument. Her hand moved to the hilt of her sword but she didn’t draw it. “That’s not the answer and you know it!” Bladescape asserted. “If you take his life, you won’t leave this room alive. I’ll make sure of it. Your hot-headed actions left you skewered by Natora in the last boss chamber, don’t make the same mistake again.”

“You have no right to pass judgment!” Kibaou fired back. He kept his sword low, but his knuckles were turning white from how hard he was gripping it. “He didn’t kill one of your friends.”

“I may not know the name of the player who died, but I know the price of a life,” Bladescape replied. “Scammed or not, your friend came to this boss battle with the understanding that it might be the end. If his equipment was insufficient, he should have backed out of the fight. We all would have understood that. The Wondercolts could have provided a solid substitute member. Instead, he took the risk. All life is precious. Killing each other in this game gets us nowhere. No matter what, if we have the chance, we cannot let another player’s HP hit zero. That may not stop the deaths, but that is the truth we must live by. Killing Nezha for stealing is a grossly disproportionate punishment and I won’t stand for such injustice.”

The tip of Kibaou’s sword slowly slid up. He was fuming, but he didn’t give a response.

“This is your only warning,” Bladescape said. “If you force me to draw my sword it won’t be sheathed until you are dead. I’m willing to fight to protect my life, Nezha’s life, and your life. That’s why I haven’t drawn my sword, to stop this from escalating even more out of control.”

“So, what, your word is final?” He growled.

“Take a walk, Kibaou,” Bladescape said. “I know you are hurting, but this isn’t the answer. Everyone here sees you as the bad guy right now. I don’t want that and neither do you. The Aincrad Liberation Squad follows you. Don’t undo their hard work and abandon them. Think of your squad first.”

“Fine,” Kibaou spit. He relaxed his grip and sheathed his sword. “Then what punishment do you think is fair?”

“He didn’t act alone,” Orlando said, getting down on his knees beside Nezha. “The Legend Braves all had roles in the scam. We can’t give back what was stolen, but we can give what we have in compensation. Items for items. Is that not fair.”

All of the members of Legend Braves got on their knees as a group.

“Monetary compensation for the stolen or damaged item is a universally recognized appropriate punishment,” Bladescape said with a nod.

That eased over the situation. Bladescape was left brokering the compensation to those who were scammed. She tried to match weapons, a one-handed longsword for a one-handed longsword, whenever she could. Playing peacekeeper was mentally harder than the boss fight. She was left emotionally drained after it.

When it was over, she saw Lind give her a respectful nod of his head, approving of her actions. Bladescape went back to her friends. Kirito, Asuna, and Argo had run off once the situation had calmed down, but Agil was still with them. The four of them were on the move to the third floor faster than the others.

BLADESCAPE: Level 17 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor
NATORA: Level 17 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 17 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal
MALUS: Level 17 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield — Light Metal Armor — First Aid
THUNDERBORNE: Level 17 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense
KONPEITO: Level 17 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor —Martial Arts
DIEMOND: Level 17 — Mace — Shield — Sewing — Light Metal Armor
DOOMBUNNY: Level 17 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing
KIEFER: Level 13 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense
SORYUTO: Level 13 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music
REISENKI: Level 13 — One-Handed Axe — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Repair

KIRITO: Level 14 — One Handed Sword — Search — Hide — Martial Arts
ASUNA: Level 13 — Rapier — Sprint — Weapons Defense — Sewing
AGIL: Level 12 — Two Handed Axe — Leather Equipment — Weapon Defense — Equipment Appraisal

Episode 24 - Lamenting War Cry

Episode 24 - Lamenting War Cry
Fourteenth Day in the Month of Holly (December 14) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 2 - Late Afternoon

Bladescape, Malus, Diemond, and Agil came out of the labyrinth to find themselves on the 3rd Floor. It was all ancient trees that had grown to massive sizes and height, with their foliage sprawling well above them.

They followed the path to a small town which had the teleport plaza. It wasn’t active, which meant Kirito and Asuna had headed elsewhere. Bladescape touched it, activating it. She called out “Tolbana” where the others were waiting for them.

The rest of the Wondercolts were right there, waiting. They jumped up at seeing her, rushing over. They all teleported to the third floor and found the others in a tavern. Rooms were already rented. They had convinced Agil to stay and join them for a toast.

With ale in hand, Bladescape stood at the head of the table and raised her mug high. “To the fallen.”

“To all of the brave players who fought today,” Malus added.

“To Malus for surviving those hammers and saving Lind,” Diemond said.

“Mo Ghile Mear!” Konpeito exclaimed.

“Uh, mow gill what?” Agil asked.

“It’s Celtic and it means ‘my gallant hero’,” Konpeito explained. “It’s originally written from the perspective of Ireland herself praising her heroes for their service and lamenting their loss.”

“How does that fit for us?” Agil asked.

“It is a praise and lament to the heroes of Aincrad!” Konpeito answered.

“Then to that!” Agil declared, raising his mug.

Everyone knocked mugs and took a drink.

Natora chuckled as she set her now half empty mug down. “Only Blade and Konpeito know how to say it. So they should say it together for us to finally drink to cement the toast!”

“Mo ghile mear!” Bladescape and Konpeito exclaimed together as they smacked their mugs together and then drank again. Bladescape drank several big gulps before stopping but Konpeito drank it all without pausing, just leaning further and further back as she worked to direct it all into her mouth.

“There are multiple musical renditions based on the original poem,” Bladescape explained to Agil. “You know that seven of us are foreign exchange students, well Konpeito has a strong Celtic heritage and I first heard a version while at her house. I fell in love and since then I've been trying to adapt the ballad into a power rock ballad for us to play. I know it in its original Celtic language and several versions have been made that mix the original chorus in Gaelic with English verses. [See author's note at the end for versions]

“The most important part, which every rendition uses is the chorus: 'Sé mo laoch, mo ghile mear, 'sé mo chaesar, gile mear, suan ná séan ní bhfuaireas fhéin ó chuaigh i gcéin mo ghile mear.

“Which translates to: My gallant lad is my hero, He's my hero, gallant lad, I found neither sleep nor happiness since my gallant lad went far away.

“Some adaptations say things like: Hail the hero, strong and true, Who fought the fight and saw it through, Who swore he ne'er would be a slave, And gave his life, our land to save, Sé mo laoch mo Ghile Mear. From our wild Atlantic shore, Above the mighty ocean's roar, Let's sing from the highest mountainside, Of heroes who fill our hearts with pride.”

“It is the second that both of you are really drawing from,” Agil said. “The hailing of the hero. That sounds like it’s not a slow lament, but a proclamation.”

“In those versions, it is designed to be bold and invoke pride,” Bladescape explained. “The original ballad is seen as that, a huge point of pride. The original is often not a soft, smooth tone of some love song, rather it is heavier on the drums, cymbals, and uses strong inflection to add emphasis on the hero.”

“The original poem doesn’t have the hero die,” Konpeito clarified. “The lament is actually over the exile of the hero after losing the rebellion against the English who had Ireland, Scotland, and Wales under their dictatorial monarchical control.” Konpeito let out a big sigh that sounded like she was content. It was impossible to read her mind at the moment. “A lot like SAO, where we have an evil overlord keeping us here that we must rebel against and beat.”

“Once there was a maiden fair,” Bladescape said, tapping the beat out on the table with her fingers, but not singing. “Now she’s widowed old and grey; Her true love ploughs the salt sea spray, Over the hills and far away. She’ll sit down on yonder hill, And take her pen and write with skill; Her love she’ll raise all else above, Her deeds she’ll praise, his worth she’ll prove. Whoever is brave, whoever is free, Will join and come along with me.”

She switched to another version, but the cadence was the same and her tapping didn’t skip a beat. “In this land, this land unfree, Ooh who will fein to unchain me, My children keyed in vain for thee, To break my chains for liberty. So come my love to battle come, To this fair land so weary sung, Let harp and song the valleys hum, And sound the sound of freedom's drum.”

“Who are you trying to convince?” Agil asked. “Yourself, me, or your guildmates?”

“Uh,” Bladescape stammered. “I just really love the renditions, the poem, the way the drums beat, and the rise and fall of the notes. I’m tired, mostly mentally, and my mind is finding comfort in it. I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything. I got lost in it. The term was used a few weeks ago with the guild, but we didn’t go into this much detail about the meaning or lyrics. I haven’t really spoken to Konpeito about it or my attempts to make it into a song for our band. She is our drummer, so not much use when it comes to the guitar and power cords.”

“Nope!” Konpeito exclaimed.

“I don’t even know what I would be trying to convince anyone of,” Bladescape said. “Why?”

“It’s just that, to me, an outsider but a friend, it sounds like it could be a motto for your guild,” Agil said. “It has a rich history and meaning and it is applicable to our fight in Aincrad. Konpeito drew a correlation to the history of the song and our situation, both are similar.”

“I’m not calling for a vote,” Natora prefaced. “But ignoring that most of us can’t say it, does anyone actually object to it being our motto?”

“I’m not a fan, but I don’t have anything better,” Thunderborne said. “I mean, I would prefer to have something more...battle worthy as our motto.”

“Like what?” Knightstar asked. Thunderborne had no immediate answer. “Do any of these house or clan mottos find your fancy: Forget not? By sea and by land? Touch not the cat without a glove? I shine not burn? Tender and true? Care and industry? I learn to aid the unfortunate? Hence hope shines forth? Observe? Mindful of ancestral glory? By counsel, not by force? We are born from the broken oak? I swim without danger? The eagle catcheth not flies?”

“Okay, okay, okay,” Thunderborne said. “I get it. Mottos are not what I think.”

“No, they are not,” Knightstar chuckled. “Japan’s clan history is rich, but they were not like the European’s who had mottos to their family names, houses, or clans. These mottos might be more of what you are thinking: Virtue mine honour. Let fear be far from all. For liberty. Victory or death. I shall stand. He conquers who endures.”

“I like the victory or death one,” Thunderborne said. “That is a warrior’s saying.”

“For you,” Doombunny said. “It doesn’t reflect who I am as a warrior. Knightstar is much more of a ‘Forget not’ or ‘hence hope shines forth’ warrior. I’m not sure what Diemond would be, but something about beauty or generosity. We each have a different personality that leads to a different personal choice when it comes to how we would express ourselves as warriors. As an alliance, it would be more like each of us being our own house, with our own motto, unified under the same banner and having a motto for the alliance.”

“That’s how houses started,” Knightstar said. “With a single person.”

“I should go and let you talk,” Agil said, standing up.

“Sorry,” Bladescape said. “We didn’t mean for this to happen. We can pause it.”

“Nonsense,” Agil said. “It was fun. Both fighting beside you today and getting the drinks after. I also learned something cool, but I need to go through my drops and really check out what I got if I want to get a shop set up. That still is my goal.

“Before I go, let me offer my advice; as a veteran gamer having played many MMORPGs. Whether it’s called a guild, clan, house, or anything else, the guild has an image and that must be reflected in the design of the colors and symbols, as well as a motto if one is used. You are individuals of a single group and you have a very diverse set of backgrounds and ethnic heritages. Tailor the motto to what you want the Wondercolts to be in Aincrad. Guild names can mean very little, like I don’t know what a Wondercolt is and likewise the Dragon Knights Brigade is just a name, but if you do it right, the motto is what the players will really remember and understand when they hear ‘Wondercolts’.” Agil bowed and made his departure.

Malus spoke up. "Thunder, I'm with you. I want a war cry. That said, 'hail the hero' makes a pretty good war cry when you hear it in the original language."

"MO GHILE MEAR!" Konpeito roared.

"Exactly," Malus said. "Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. You look around at us and you see that. It doesn't make any of us greater or lesser than another; each of us is unique and equally important to the group. Diemond was tearing it up today, but most players won't think of her that way, they will think of her and see the outfits and armor she makes for us; our image."

"Thunder, I'm an athlete like you," Natora said. "I agree, I want something bold and brash that means battle, but there is a whole other side to the Wondercolts that is separate from the combat stuff and beating bosses. Victory or Death is so final. It is one or the other. No middle ground. I don't get a ‘one or the other’ feeling from you guys. From all of us. I don’t feel something so brash fits the Wondercolts, maybe the Aincrad Liberation Squad or Dragon Knights Brigade, but not the Wondercolts."

"We shouldn't forget the basics," Bladescape said. "Honesty, loyalty, laughter, kindness, generosity, magic, and friendship."

"Cliche," Thunderborne said, blowing a raspberry while giving a thumbs down.

"It might be true, but it is boring," Doombunny said. "Also, as much as we will live those attributes out in Aincrad and hopefully be thought of in those ways, I don't see them being a good motto for us. They are fragments, not a statement; attributes or pillars, but not a motto."

"Konpeito said it well when she roared it," Reisenki said, speaking up for the ‘junior members’. "It can be a powerful war cry, like ‘hail the heroes for here we come.’ Or it can be the lament for the fallen. Some of us come from both aspects."

"It also can be extended by us to others," Soryuto added. "Like a clap on the back or any other form of praise. ‘Hail this hero.’ The motto not being in Japanese sharpens it in players’ minds. It makes them pay attention because it doesn’t immediately fit in, yet we can make it fit in Aincrad. Sort of like when you receive something official that is written entirely in Kanji. Aincrad isn’t Japanese; most of what we have seen is not Asian, be it architecture, weapons, armor, or music. The motto doesn’t have to be in Japanese. I’m not sure what language the ones Knightstar was saying were in, but some were clearly not English."

“Latin was the primary language for European house mottos,” Knightstar said. “Although the Celtic clans primarily used Gaelic, but no matter if it was a German, Polish, French, Spanish, or even English house, Latin was the language used. To use Latin brought an air of elitism and importance to the motto. It wouldn’t have been thought of as important otherwise. Even minor houses or unimportant families used Latin to give the motto the importance it deserved.”

"A lament, a praise, and a war cry," Diemond said. "Three ways ‘hail the hero’ can be used, all determined by when it is said or how it is said. Obviously when roaring it in the middle of a battle, it is not a lament."

"Kiefer, you have yet to weigh in," Malus said.

"I don't know," Kiefer shrugged. "I want something powerful, yet refined. How it fits us, I'm not sure. 'Victory or death' is powerful, but brutish and as pointed out, final. 'I learn to aid the unfortunate’ is refined and we, you, have made an impact doing that already, but it is not powerful. This 'hail the hero' is versatile and can be strong and a lament. It is also a refined motto, bolstered by the use of the original Gaelic language, not Japanese, English, or Latin."

"Diemond and Kiefer make compelling arguments," Natora said. "Oh, and Doombunny's about the difference between attributes and pillars, and a motto. I say we vote on doing a trial run of this 'hail the hero' motto."

"Moe Gil-ah Mar," Konpeito said slowly. "Moe, Gil, ah, Mar."

"Mo Ghile Mear," Doombunny repeated, getting it spot on the first time.

"I'm gonna have trouble," Malus said with a laugh. "Mo gil-lah mar."

"Close," Bladescape said with a chuckle. “You added an extra L.”

"Darling, are you okay?" Diemond asked. "Your mood has been sliding down since Agil left. I was thinking it was just exhaustion, but I don't see the same fire in your eye or on your lips that you had while explaining the song earlier. Even exhausted, you usually have that fire."

Bladescape let out a sigh. "I mean, yes, I’m fine, but also no. I was harsh to Lind at the end of the battle, reminding him to keep his promise for future boss battles, but I had to be. On the flip side, I didn't threaten Kibaou. It was a promise. I was going to kill him if he tried to or did kill Nezha. After I ended that situation, I had to play arbitrator, ensuring their repayment was fair. Or as fair as I could get it.

“Still yet, twice Kirito was slightly faster than me, being the player to officially eliminate the last of Nato’s and Baron’s HP. The final time, against the big boy surprise, that was a mistake on my part. The kill was mine but I failed to pull it off because I didn’t pick a strong enough skill. Kirito is fast and good, intuitive, but although he seems to have been teaming up with Asuna a lot, he still is solo. I have you guys to come back to. That is my strength and his weakness. Still, it leaves me with, performance wise, things I need to fix."

“Maybe it is a motto that you need,” Natora said. “But I can see why it was a taxing day for you. Kibaou is a troublemaker.”

“I just want to go to sleep,” Bladescape stated. “We can start fresh and early.”

“That is a good idea,” Malus said. “Go sleep. Diemond and I can catch the others up and then we all get an early bed for an early rise to explore this floor.”

Author's Note

Wondering What Mo Ghile Mear sounds like? They also are in the Ruby Palace Playlist.

Traditional Irish Version (my favorite)
https://youtu.be/zxjvNUNXhkU

Celtic Women Homecoming Version
https://youtu.be/3E21w8Kzu2U

Celtic Women Emerald Version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcCVjiKfDk8

Celtic Thunder Legacy Version
https://youtu.be/UyJ7Gy90mxg

Over the Hills and Far Away Version:
https://youtu.be/1FVY8SgqKb8

Iarla Ó Lionáird and Steve Cooney:
https://youtu.be/ewy_gMVKg8M

Episode 26 - Nerius The Evil Treant

Episode 26 - Nerius The Evil Treant
Twentieth Day in the Month of Holly (December 20) in the Year of the Hawk
Third Floor — Dessel — Evening

Per the rules the boys had agreed upon, Lind was leading the third floor boss strategy meeting and would lead the raid. The Dragon Knights Brigade had found the Boss Chamber, so Lind was the leader. Bladescape wasn’t going to contest their stupidity unless she had to. She had to pick her battles and be careful because the two guilds were in a very fragile balance of power. That balance was keeping them going. The Wondercolts had to stay a neutral pillar in the conquest of Aincrad. How long the two guilds could keep at it before one gained the upper hand was an important question with no answer. When one did, they would lose a lot of raiders who just quit because of politics.

Kirito’s Elf War quest hadn’t yielded anything particularly useful for information against the boss, Nerius the Evil Treant. It was a bigger and badder version of the field boss, and not lazy. The Dragon Knights Brigade, DKB, and the Aincrad Liberation Squad, ALS, had the first six parties. A, B, and C, were DKB members, while D, E, and F, were ALS members, just like the second floor boss fight. The Legends Braves were not present and hadn’t been around at all. Group G was given to the Wondercolts, as promised.

"And Agil will fill out Group H," Lind dictated.

“I want the two Wondercolts not in their group,” Agil said, making sure everyone heard him. “Along with Kirito and Asuna.”

When he wasn’t selling items off his vendor carpet, Agil was usually fighting with a few other men, but they were not in a formal guild. The others were present at the meeting. His choice to go with Asuna and Kirito made sense, but to go with the other Wondercolts was an interesting choice. None of his cohort would be a bad choice. They all had sufficient levels.

“Natora will go with you, Agil,” Bladescape dictated. Splitting the combat leaders of the Wondercolts was the wisest choice. They would need a shield though. “Natora, who do you want, Diemond or Reisenki?”

“That’s a tough call,” Natora replied. “Both are great, solid tanks. I’ll take Reisenki because he uses an axe. Sorry Diemond.”

“Oh don’t worry about it, Darling,” Diemond replied. “Against a giant tree, my mace won’t be too useful. I suppose I’ll have to make due with playing second shield with Malus. I’ll have to focus on shielding everyone with her so they can attack for us. It shall be dreadfully dull. No no, Darling. You need him since as a partner, Reisenki can be more than a shield.”

Bladescape rolled her eyes at her friend’s dramatics before the meeting continued. A few more points of strategy were discussed and then everyone was let out for the evening. They would leave at 10 am, with the goal of making it to the boss chamber by 2 pm. They didn’t want to tax any raiders on the way and groups would rotate who was on point.

Bladescape caught up with Agil after the meeting. “Hey, wait up!”

“Hey, Blade, need supplies?” Agil asked with a grin.

It was a joke since Bladescape had sold him a bunch of useful materials the hour before the meeting started.

“No need,” Bladescape said back, keeping the joke going. “Just got my sword complete. All eight enhancements took.”

“You’re going to need a new one soon, aren’t you?” Agil asked, getting serious.

Bladescape let out a sigh. “Yeah,” she shrugged. “I will. I’m hoping the boss gets me something good. If not, I’ll have to hunt down a smith, but I hate leaving the fight to do upgrades. Anyway, I wanted to ask what is up? Your cohort isn’t weak. Why go with the Wondercolts?”

“Call it a hunch,” Agil said with a shrug. “I just have a feeling that you are the better bet for the upcoming fight. I’ll be taking Wolfgang. He has a strong shield and a good sword. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wish you gave the leadership of Group G to your second, Natora, so that I could fight by your side again.”

“We will have our fights,” Bladescape said with a sly grin. “Maybe when the children stop bickering, we will organize our strategy by boss type and role, not by guild. Sure, the Wondercolts can field just about any party strategy, but the same can’t be said of the others. You will enjoy having Natora and Reisenki with you. Natora is easily underestimated, particularly in her ability to block an attack.”

“I’m not complaining,” Agil said, grinning at something new. “It just will be interesting to see how the two beaters handle the boss.”

“That it will be,” Bladescape replied, grinning back at the idea Agil had put in her head. “I have no idea what will happen, but Kirito and Natora could be a powerful duo. I need to make sure my team is ready. Standing in the meeting means nothing. Plus, I am sure Knightstar has something new for us.”

“You are lucky to have her,” Agil said.

“Well, it’s not even two months in,” Bladescape said with a shrug. “But I hope that soon she can start rolling out some of the info she has gathered or deduced, especially to our friends, to help players. Well, to sell for a reasonable price, plus sales tax. Tax free for anyone not in the ALS or DKB.”

Agil started laughing, which set off Bladescape. It was good to laugh.

The chamber door to the boss room was intricately carved wood. It would be impressive if death didn’t await them behind the door. The iconography on the door was also scary. The fear Bladescape could normally push aside always came back for the boss fight. It would be stupid to not recognize and respect the danger that lurked behind it.

The doors were pushed open by Lind to reveal a massive tree in the center of a circular room. It had a dozen branches of various heights. A thick ball of roots snaked out from its massive trunk. Attacking it from any angle would not provide an advantage.

Bladescape stepped over to Natora. “Pull what info you can from Kirito.”

“No need,” Natora said. “It’s three-sixty. It is as bad as it looks for our disorganized group.”

Bladescape stepped over to Agil. “New plan. When they get curb stomped, we are going to take advantage and flank when they can’t move.”

“We’ll go left, you go right,” Agil said, putting his fist up to bump. Bladescape bumped it and they moved into the room.

Bladescape relayed the new strategy to Group G and they followed her, starting to run. As predicted, the flanking teams were stopped as the branches came crashing down on them or the roots came up to punch them. They were brutally stomped on.

While they were scrambling back on their feet, Group G dashed, jumped, vaulted, and slid past the obstacles, getting past them and flanking to the other side of the room. There was no easy way to get to the doors if they needed to retreat. The easiest way out for them was to beat the boss.

Their flanking tactic didn’t go unnoticed. The evil treant dropped a heavy branch right on them. Malus and Diemond threw their shields above their heads, stopping it. Malus held, but Diemond buckled. Bladescape helped Diemond up as the roots came after them. Konpeito stepped forward, swinging her axe up and cleaving the foot wide root in half in a shower of polygons.

“You’ve just been pruned!” Konpeito roared before giggling. “Bad things get punished, so I guess I’ll have to cut you down to size!” Her battle puns were bad, but several people laughed, including Bladescape.

Group H landed their hits and fell back. Their strikes were at the roots because the trunk was too high up.

Bladescape led the follow-up attack. The Red Sun Sword bit into the roots. The others scored hits and fell back.

Diemond held firm as she blocked the roots trying to hit Kiefer. Malus smashed one back and then spun as she stepped to the next. The spin put force into her shield which she used to bat away the roots before they hit Bladescape.

A branch came down on them scattering everyone since Malus wasn’t able to get into position to block. Group H used the opportunity to launch more attacks.

Four health bars and thick bark was working against them. They kept cutting and hacking away, trying to shave off HP whenever possible. The roots and branches hit them with more than brute force attacks. Whips, slashes, and even cuts if it was shaped correctly were thrown at all of its attackers. The trunk could twist and turn, allowing it to make big sweeping attacks with its branches, causing the treant to groan under the strain.

Bladescape began to rotate her party so that they could down a potion to refill their dwindling HP. Agil was doing the same. The clock was against them. They could only withstand the pounding for so long.

“Blade,” Thunderborne said. “I have an idea. It might be reckless, but what isn’t at this point?”

“I’m listening,” Bladescape said. Thunderborne was at full HP. Now was the moment to do anything risky.

“We lure it into a smash attack and I grab on, letting it pull me into the upper branches where it may have some weaknesses. We can’t get up there any other way.”

“You won’t have any backup, cover, or a shield,” Bladescape reminded her.

“I know, but my rapier is pretty useless against the hard roots. I think I have softer targets up there.”

Bladescape turned to Malus. “Malus, bait it into smashing down on you!”

“Okay,” Malus replied with a shrug.

Malus charged forward and smacked the roots, hopping back and preparing for the attack. It obliged, driving the nearest branch down on her. She held firm.

Thunderborne sprinted forward and jumped, getting onto the branch before it pulled it back. She used the returning movement to vault into another leap, doing a quick flip to land in the highest branches.

She drew a spare rapier, a simple iron one she carried in case her Ancient Wind Fleuret was running low on durability, and began to cut at the upper branches. It didn’t do a lot of damage, but it did turn the focus on her. The treant shook, spinning and twisting to try and eject Thunderborne. She stayed with it, riding out the jostling. Right before she needed to bail, she rammed her rapier down, into the top of the tree. It sank all the way to the hilt. Thunderborne leaped out of the tree, flipping for fun before landing in a roll. Thunderborne used the quick change method to swap her rapiers and retrieve the one in the tree.

"That stab worked well," Thunderborne said.

"It was noticeable in the HP you depleted," Bladescape said. "You handled it very well, but you nearly got tossed out a few times. We need a safer method to go for the trunk."

"Wait, we are going for the trunk?" Konpeito asked. "I thought we were uprooting it."

"We are trying to hit the trunk," Bladescape clarified, trying to not lose her patience. "Some of us can't jump that high. Konpeito, can you-"

Konpeito was gone, charging forward. She skipped to the side, avoiding attacking roots and then kicked off them, easily getting up onto the roots before burying her axe in the trunk. The dent to the HP was noticeable. She pulled it out and retreated successfully.

Bladescape moved over to Agil. "New plan. Kirito, Asuna, Konpeito, and Thunderborne will get up to attack the trunk. We will use our attacks to distract or cover their retreat."

"Sounds like a plan," Agil said. "I think we should stick to two choppers at a time, alternating back and forth to keep our HP up. Plus, there isn't a lot of room up there."

"You go first," Bladescape said.

They bumped fists and Agil reorganized Group H. He led the first distraction team, with Kirito as their "chopper."

As they were beginning to fall back, Malus led a team forward with Kiefer and Thunderborne. Thunderborne got up to the trunk and made a quick X cut on the trunk before bugging out.

After several successful rounds, they had taken a full HP bar off of him. Agil came over to Bladescape. "None of the other groups have members who are agile enough to get up to the trunk," he said. "They are strength builds for a head-to-head fight."

"So we do this ourselves," Bladescape said. "We've got this."

The strategy was slow, but worked amazingly until they got him into the red. The treant shook violently, sending all of its leaves flying like razor sharp blades. Armor blocked it pretty well, but exposed skin was very vulnerable. Bladescape’s face was red with a dozen or more cuts. Then the enraged tree pushed its roots out, forcing everyone back and creating a chest high wall. Its branches were lowered in an effort to shield it.

Group G and H attacked the wall with all of their strength, intent on breaking it down. It did to a certain degree, but their choppers chose to go over and strike the trunk.

Kirito struck the trunk before a branch snapped up, sending him flying. The same thing happened for Asuna and Thunderborne. The roots shifted from a wall to an aggressive attack while the branches blocked.

Bladescape blocked one root but was struck by another, putting her on the ground. Over the racket, she heard a giggle and then Konpeito yelled "TIMBEEEEEEEERRRRR!" A few seconds later it all stopped as the room was filled with colorful polygons.

"Aw," Konpeito whined. "I wanted it to fall over first."

Bladescape rolled her eyes. Of course Konpeito was expecting it to fall. As she sat up to look at her drop list, she realized that only one person was in a place to score the LAB: Konpeito. She probably didn't even know about it and wasn't trying for it. Still, as jealous as Bladescape was, unintentionally, she was glad it didn't go to Kibaou or Lind. Especially Kibaou. She could trust that Konpeito would use whatever it was to responsibly clear the game.

She looked at Konpeito, who was standing alone in the center of the room. Her Dane axe disappeared from her hand and was replaced by another axe on her back. It looked like someone had grown a metal tree, including the growth rings, and then sliced a section of the round trunk off to use. After the slice was sharpened, a groove for the handle had been cut, stopping at the heart of the disk. The handle was twisted wood.

Bladescape had leveled up from the XP, putting her at Level 20 and unlocking a new skill slot. She went back to examining her drop list. One item had caught her eye, the "Treant Broadsword." For now, she didn't equip it. She would look at it later.

Konpeito joined Group G and H. The tossed players had joined them.

"Good job, Konpeito," Natora said. "No offense to either of our amazing rapier users, but your swords just didn't have the power needed. My spear was quite disappointing when it came to personal damage done. Watching Agil, Reisenki, and Konpeito, well this was a boss where the axe was supreme."

"Yeah!" Konpeito exclaimed. "Plus I got a thing called a Last Attack Bonus, which is my new axe. It's called Thicket's Bane!"

Bladescape sighed and Kirito tensed up. Saying it out loud acknowledged it. That meant other players who previously didn’t know about it would be trying for the Last Attack Bonus.

"Well, done, Konpeito," Agil said. "And to you too, Thunder, for exposing the weakness. That was a big risk, but fun to watch. Malus, I can't believe you blocked those branches."

"Thanks," Malus replied. "I think the MVP was Thunderborne."

"I have to agree," Asuna said. "Rapier or not, we did good damage so long as we hit the trunk. She got us there."

"Mo Ghile Mear!" Konpeito exclaimed.

"Mo Ghile Mear!" Bladescape echoed as she choked down her jealousy.

"I'm still learning how to say it," Diemond said. "But yes, hail the hero, Thunderborne, and the nominees, Asuna, Kirito, and Konpeito."

“Mo ghile mear means ‘my gallant hero’ or ‘hail the hero’,” Bladescape explained to the others in Group H who didn’t know. “It’s the Wondercolts’ motto, but it can also be a lament for the fallen. Thankfully, it looks like we have no fallen in this battle.”

"I like it," Asuna said. "About the Wondercolts, are you thinking of expanding your guild?"

"Not really," Bladescape said. "We might accept new members if they are a good fit, but we are not actively recruiting anyone. Why? Do you have someone who you think might be a good fit?"

Bladescape was playing it easy. If Asuna was inquiring about herself, she didn't want to turn her off, but Bladescape also couldn't afford to assume she was asking about herself. Natora and Knightstar had agreed with Bladescape during a private meeting that if Asuna needed it, the Wondercolts would provide a home for her, but they all wanted to see her succeed with Kirito. The two of them were often side by side, carving up each floor. Asuna would be slowed down if she joined the Wondercolts.

"No, I don't have anyone in mind," Asuna replied. "I like what I am doing but I admire your stance and skill. I asked mostly because I don't like the dynamic between the two so-called top clearing guilds. You have grace and beauty, a kind heart, and are much better at this game than they are. They just want power and fame. It is good to have a third contender. I think that you should keep your eye out, but not actively recruiting is probably the best strategy. You are after quality, not quantity."

"I value your perspective," Bladescape said. "Your insight reinforces the guild's official stance on the matter. I hope we can continue to work together, allies in a mutually beneficial group. It is nice to have other women fighting for our freedom. Outside of the Wondercolts, it's just you Asuna."

"It is," Asuna said. "Also, congratulations on leveling up. I saw the notice above you, despite all of the other stuff happening."

"Thanks," Bladescape replied. "But let's move out and get out of here before I have another argument with Kibaou in a boss chamber. Or Natora. We don’t need to go three for three right after beating a boss."

Everyone silently agreed and they headed to the stairs that had been exposed. They were the closest to them.

“The fourth floor is a desert with canyons connecting the cities and settlements,” Kirito explained in the stairwell “You can’t easily cross the sand and the canyons can make getting lost easy.”

The information was an amazing olive branch that he had extended them all. They were silent for the rest of the ascent.

“This is an amazing, canyon land desert,” Bladescape sarcastically said when they exited it.

The canyons were now filled with water and the hill was an island. The floor was going to require them to use the water to travel. The land was now lush and green to reflect the change.

“I ain’t gotta swim skill,” Malus said. “I’m gonna sink real fast if I try.”

“Let’s take these!” Konpeito said from behind them.

She was standing by a large tree, the only one on the island. It had uninflated swimming rings growing off its branches. She plucked one out of the tree and began to blow one up.

“Looks like we float,” Kirito said as he went to the tree. “The closest town is to the southeast of here. So that is where you should head.”

“Thanks,” Bladescape said. “We don’t want to tie you down. I know you have things you need to get done. I don’t care so long as you are ready to rock and roll in the next boss battle.”

“We’ll see you around,” Asuna said, before she began to use her lungs to inflate her inner tube.

The two of them were finished blowing up their tubes and gone before anyone else was. The Wondercolts, Agil, and Wolfgang began swimming as soon as they were all ready. The water didn’t have much, if any, flow, so they were not fighting a river. They took a left to head east. It was a lot of work. The tubes kept them afloat, but they were not strong for fluid dynamics. They finally came to an offshoot, allowing them to go south and into the city.

Its name was Rovia. It sort of reminded Bladescape of Venice. A more rudimentary, wooden based version of a city with canals for streets.

They got out of the water and Bladescape threw her tube over her shoulder. After how long it had taken to inflate, she wasn’t going to get rid of it yet, even though there were gondolas around that the NPCs were using. Where the teleport plaza was Bladescape couldn’t tell. They would also need to find out how to get gondolas or other boats. The rings were too slow to be practical.

For the moment, they rested from their swim. Bladescape used the break to open her menu and pull out the Treant Broadsword. It materialized in front of her and she caught it. It was a two-handed sword with a wooden crossguard, handle, and pommel that was all one piece. The crossguard was two branches and the handle was the twisted wood trunk that ended in a bulb that was the start of the roots, but sanded down smooth. The twist in the wood gave the handle a good grip. It felt good and solid in Bladescape’s hands.

“That’s a nice sword,” Agil said.

“It’s better than my other one,” Bladescape said as she checked the stats.

“It looks like all of us got new weapons,” Agil said, materializing his. “I got this.”

His axe’s handle looked like it was a branch. Bladescape looked at the others. Kiefer was sporting a new katana, which looked like it had a solid wooden handle and no traditional ito wrap. Natora had a new spear that looked like a branch. Diemond had a new mace, with the head being roots filled in with iron to make a solid head. Malus had a new, wooden shield that was larger than anything on the market.

“New weapons are a welcomed relief,” Bladescape said. “Albeit a bit sad that we must part ways with well-loved equipment. We were pushing our luck with our old weapons.”

“I think you will be good for a little while,” Agil said with a grin.

BLADESCAPE: Level 20 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — Open
NATORA: Level 20 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Open
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 19 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal
MALUS: Level 20 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Open
THUNDERBORNE: Level 20 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Open
KONPEITO: Level 20 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — Open
DIEMOND: Level 20 — Mace — Shield — Sewing — Light Metal Armor — Open
DOOMBUNNY: Level 19 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing
KIEFER: Level 15 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense
SORYUTO: Level 14 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music
REISENKI: Level 15 — One-Handed Axe — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Repair

Commercial Break One

Twenty-six episodes, ignoring the pilot episodes (and vignettes). I was able to keep time skips low, never skipping a floor, before this point, but after this there will be some bigger ones. There is only so much that can be written before you have to move on. Floor 4 is cool with the waterway, but ultimately is boring and an entirely Kirito centric floor.

The reason for the “commercial breaks” is to drop some info on the readers, if you desire, that I can’t pack into the end of the chapters, or in the chapters themselves. For instance, there are new skills unlocked and some new equipment from the boss fight. I’ll start with the timeline, then run some guild info and then more detailed character stats, info, and such.

December 4 — Illfang the Kobold Lord is beaten. Diavel, the organizer, is the only casualty. The Last Attack Bonus (LAB) goes to Kirito. Kirito becomes a “Beater” or Beta Tester + Cheater. Natora also gets the name applied to her.
December 8 — Konpeito completes the Martial Arts Quest.
December 9 — The 2nd Floor Field Boss, the Bullbous Bow, is defeated. Lind scores the LAB.
December 14 — 10 days after opening the 2nd Floor, Asterius the Taurus King is defeated. Kirito scores the LAB.
December 15 — The Wondercolts become the first guild in Aincrad.
December 16 — The 3rd Floor Field Boss, The Indolent Treant, is defeated by all 11 Wondercolts. Bladescape scores the LAB.
December 20 — Nerious the Evil Treant is beaten, unlocking the 4th floor. Konpeito scores the LAB.
December 24 — The 4th Floor’s Field Boss, Biceps Archelon, is defeated.
December 25 — Almost everyone continues with clearing the 4th Floor. Few players feel like celebrating. The Wondercolts have no owned property to throw a celebration at, if they even would. Like many players, many didn’t care.
December 27 — The 4th Floor Boss, Wythege The Hippocampus, is beaten.

Guilds: Each Guild registers their name and a 2-4 shorthand to display. They have a customized emblem that appears next to their name and HP bar for others to see. The emblem also appears next to their Name/HP Bar in a party and on their menu’s main screen.
Contract Scroll: The leader of the guild has the “Contract Scroll”, with which they can run administrative access to the guild. Permission can be given to other members of the scroll. Most importantly, the vault/taxes can be accessed through the scroll.
Guild Features:

Common storage for members to easily share items. Cannot be opened inside a dungeon. Guilds without a Guild HQ with a proper store room have limited space, as without a store room, all items are “held” by the guild master separately from their normal inventory. With a store room, items deposited through menus are automatically placed within, and items manually placed within are automatically added to the inventory. Assigning items and item-types to containers and shelves placed within a store room can automatically organize them.
Members can track fellow members, unless the member is in a dungeon.
Guild members can send more frequent short messages between each other with slightly longer message lengths. Does not work inside dungeons.
When guild members are in the same party, they receive a slight boost to their stats.
Guilds can purchase their own guild headquarters, which is different from player-owned houses or businesses, and can only be accessed by guild members unless an outsider is let in.
Guild members are automatically taxed whenever they earn income which goes into the guild’s vault.

Known Guilds:
Wondercolts: WCS — Led by Bladescape, Natora, and Knightstar, they are a strong but small guild of close-knit friends. A big player in clearing. Their colors are Navy Blue and Gold.
Dragon Knights Brigade: DKB — led by Lind who is carrying on the spirit of Diavel, the deceased leader of the first boss battle. One of the main clearing guilds. 24+ members at least level 10. Their colors are silver and blue.
Aincrad Liberation Squad: ALS — led by Kibaou. The ALS has no (official) dealings with any beta testers, hates the beta testers, particularly those players labeled “Beaters” such as Kirito, Natora, and Argo. They are the other main clearing guild. 24+ members at least level 9. Colors are forest green and steel gray.

Important Players:
Agil: (Solo) Shop owner. Motto – Buy Low Sell Low. Age 27. Often runs with the “Bro Squad”; four men in their late twenties and early thirties, who, like Agil, are all veteran gamers and run a business inside the game while helping clear on the side.
Kirito: (Solo) Beater (Beta tester & Cheater) who wears all black. Age 14. One of the top players. Claims many of the Last Attack Bonuses. Although he is technically solo, he often is seen with Asuna.
Asuna: (Solo) Age 15. Extremely quick with a rapier. She usually wears a red cloak over her armor, earning her the nickname from the Wondercolts of “Red Riding Hood”. She is known for her most stunning feature, her long, orange-brown chestnut hair which has a braid above her ears that joins in the back and keeps her long hair under it.
Argo: (Solo) Information broker with painted whiskers on her face, earning her the nickname: The Rat. Former Beta Tester/Beater, she works to tackle the quests that will yield information about the field and floor bosses so she can pass it onto the clearers. Rumored to sell her own stats or grandmother for the right Col, however, she will not sell the names of the Beta Testers.

WONDERCOLTS:
Except for Doombunny, everyone wears a Wondercolts Cape made by Diemond. Many of the armor pieces have been enhanced when possible, but a uniformed look has not been established yet because Diemond can’t make useful armor. Some items are store bought or generic from drops.

Bladescape (Sunset Shimmer): Level 20 — 4460 HP
Two-Handed Sword — 120/1000
Search — 220/1000
Weapon Defense — 90/1000
Leather Armor — 63/1000
First Aid — Acquired
Weapon: Treant Broadsword
Armor: Ancient Leather Chest Plating +7
Gloves: Gloves of Quickness +4 (2% delay reduction)
Boots: Polished Hunting Boots +2 (black)
Belt: Blue Leather Belt (Made by Diemond)
Helmet: Silver Sagacity Circlet (Boosts Search)
Ring #1: Treant’s Heart (Defense +5)
Wondercolts Cape: a navy blue cape trimmed in gold.

The Treant Broadsword: Is a two-handed sword with a wooden crossguard, handle, and pommel that are all one piece. The crossguard is two branches and the handle is the twisted wood trunk that ends in a bulb that was the start of the roots, but sanded down smooth. The twist in the wood gives the handle a good grip.

Ancient Leather Chest Plating: Is weathered and worn, with faded impressions of very elaborate decorations that had once been stamped into the hardened leather pieces. It almost looks like bronze armor, but the color isn’t uniform due to the wear and tear of the ages.

Silver Sagacity Circlet: is a silver circlet with a blue gemstone that matches Sunset’s eyes in the center. The silver is expertly woven into a beautiful pattern that is both delicate and strong.

Natora (Ota Natsuki): Level 20 — 4168 HP
Two-Handed Spear — 117/1000
Purchase Negotiations — 320/1000
Sales Negotiations — 268/1000
Weapon Defense — 63/1000
Light Metal Armor — 0/1000
Weapon: Branching Yari
Armor: Combat Chainmail Set
Gloves: Ancient Lancer’s Bracers +4 (prevents arms from being severed)
Wondercolts Cape: a navy blue cape trimmed in gold.

Branching Yari: A two-handed spear with a long, straight yari spear tip on a straight shaft which looks like a branch.

The combat Chainmail set is a custom ordered armor. It includes a chainmail shirt, chausses, a chainmail coif, steel reinforced with leather gauntlets, steel pauldrons, and an open faced helmet with a full visor that can be raised or lowered. A navy blue surcoat is worn over it with a gold leather belt.

Knightstar (Twilight Sparkle): Level 20 — 4080 HP
One-Handed Sword — 213/1000
Shield — 216/1000
Light Metal Armor — 106/1000
Appraisal — 239/1000
First Aid — Acquired
Weapon: Treant Longsword
Shield: Iron-edged Targe
Armor: Ancient Chainmail shirt +4
Helmet: Ancient Barbuta Helmet +4
Wondercolts Cape: a navy blue cape trimmed in gold.

The Treant Longsword: Is a one-handed sword with a wooden crossguard, handle, and pommel that are all one piece. The crossguard is two branches and the handle is the twisted wood trunk that ends in a bulb that was the start of the roots, but sanded down smooth. The twist in the wood gives the handle a good grip.

Malus (Applejack): Level 20 — 4390 HP
One-Handed War Hammer — 240/1000
Shield — 260/1000
Heavy Metal Armor — 26/1000
First Aid — Acquired
Extended Weight Carry — 0/1000
Weapon: Ancient Telmarine War Hammer (2T2H2D1A - Finished Product)
Shield: Ironwood Hoplon
Armor: Steel Plates - store bought
Wondercolts Cape: a navy blue cape trimmed in gold.

The Telmarine War Axe has a griffon embossed on the side of the head and orange leather grip.

Ironwood Hoplon is a large wooden shield that looks like the cross section of a tree, with the rings clearly showing. It currently is the largest shield in Aincrad, but it still is only 36 inches in diameter.

Thunderborne (Rainbow Dash): Level 20 — 4055 HP
Rapier — 115/1000
Sprint — 316/1000
Acrobatics — 297/1000
Weapon Defense — 68/1000
Weapon: Ancient Wind Fleuret rapier +7 (2S1A2D2S), several iron rapiers as backup.
Armor: Ancient Chainmail Shirt +4Boots: Ironwalker’s Boots +4 (speed and agility boost)
Wondercolts Cape: a navy blue cape trimmed in gold.

Konpeito (Pinkie Pie): Level 20 — 4210 HP
Two-Handed Axe — 122/1000
Cooking — 324/1000
Weapon Defense — 140/1000
Light Metal Armor — 86/1000
Martial Arts — 96/1000
First Aid — Acquired
Weapon: Thicket's Bane
Armor: Ancient Chainmail of Durin (+7)
Wondercolts Cape: a navy blue cape trimmed in gold.

Thicket's Bane: An axe with a full circle blade like it was a metal tree, with rings, and had been sliced out and sharpened. The handle is twisted wood to give it a good grip.

Diemond (Rarity): Level 20 — 4320 HP
One-Handed Mace — 196/1000
Shield — 242/1000
Sewing — 324/1000
Heavy Metal Armor — 6/1000
First Aid — Acquired
Weapon: Engraved Mace
Shield: Tolbana Round Shield
Armor: Steel Plates - store bought
Wondercolts Cape: a navy blue cape trimmed in gold.

Doombunny (Fluttershy): Level 20 — 4060 HP
One-Handed Dagger — 153/1000
Hide — 371/1000
Fighting Spirit 139/1000
Blade Throwing — 165/1000
First Aid — Acquired
Weapon: Ancient Kissaki-moroha Tanto (6Q1A1D), Shepherd Seax (2D2S2A2Q)
Throwing Knives: Player made
Armor: Duster's Cloak (Boost Hide and Search)

The Duster's Cloak boosts both the Hide and Search Skills, while also providing great defensive stats for a classless armor piece. Doombunny can easily wrap herself in its folds and the center slit becomes indistinguishable when she secures it with the hidden buttons and loops. It is almost as if she is wrapped in a dusty tan curtain. With the hood up, it puts a shadow over her face, making it hard for anyone to see it. It also is light enough that she can sweep it behind her shoulders like a cape if it is in the way. It even has a button and loop hidden under the cloak that can secure it open behind her for battle.

Kiefer: Level 15 — 3087 HP
Katana — 86/1000
Slash-Weapon Forging — 0/1000
Light Metal Armor — 68/1000
Weapon Defense — 45/1000
Weapon: Boreal Katana
Armor: Ancient Cuirass of Verity +4
Wondercolts Cape: a navy blue cape trimmed in gold.

Soryuto: Level 14 — 2910 HP
One-Handed Sword — 111/1000
Shield — 106/1000
Heavy Metal Armor — 10/1000
Music — 17/1000
Weapon: Trent Longsword
Shield: Iron-edged Targe
Armor: Ancient Chainmail Shirt
Wondercolts Cape: a navy blue cape trimmed in gold.

Reisenki: Level 15 — 3200 HP
One-Handed Axe — 192/1000
Shield — 168/1000
Light Metal Armor — 76/1000
Equipment Repair — 34/1000
Weapon: Woodsman's Hatchet
Shield: Steel Square shield
Armor: Heavy Steel Plates - store bought
Wondercolts Cape: a navy blue cape trimmed in gold.

Episode 27 - Flag of Valor

Episode 27 — Flag Of Valor
Thirty-First Day in the Month of Holly (December 31) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 5 — 5 p.m.

The fourth floor had its challenges, but ultimately posed little problem and it was quickly cleared. The fifth floor was medieval fantasy themed and fun, because it included relic hunting, which usually gave trinkets and stuff only worth selling to an NPC shop, however, Knightstar had gotten a necklace boosting agility, which she swapped with Thunderborne when she found a ring boosting strength. Doombunny and Soryuto had each found a ring that gave a candlelight effect, lighting up the dark catacombs they had to hunt the relics in. The rings were better than the torches which only burned for so long and could only be bought from certain NPC shops.

Currently, Bladescape was with Argo, Kirito, and Asuna in a quiet cafe. Argo had gotten the invite from Kirito while buying statistics info from the Wondercolts and had invited Bladescape to the meeting. Argo clearly knew something special was happening when she extended the invite and Kirito had just confirmed that fact. The Aincrad Liberation Squad was planning on raiding the boss alone and they were diverting the attention of the Dragon Knights Brigade by helping to set up celebrations for the New Year to cover their plans. They had even invited the Wondercolts to the party and the Wondercolts were going to politely attend. The party was scheduled to start at 8 pm.

The ALS was only interested in soloing the boss because it dropped the “Flag of Valor,” which boosted the stats of members of the guild of the player who held it so long as they were within a certain radius. If either the ALS or the DKB got the flag, the balance between them would be upset. It could only help one guild and it would inevitably bring conflict. It would also make recruiting new members a lot easier. Few players would want to join the guild that lacked the flag when the other had it.

From Argo’s quest work, the boss was confirmed to be the same in the beta, with no obvious changes. It was sensitive to sunlight and there was a way to weaken it. Argo also knew of a way to skip the first fifth of the labyrinth. Kirito had just finished pitching a plan to secure the flag on their own, ahead of the ALS, so the power balance wasn't disrupted.

“I know you fought it in the beta,” Asuna prefaced. “But even if it is the same with no changes, we need more players. We need a real team, but not a boss raid party.”

“I can bring eight, maybe eleven,” Bladescape said.

“Worst case, your three clearers but not boss fighters stay outside the room or exit it during the fight,” Asuna said. “They all have sufficient levels, I assume.”

“More than sufficient,” Bladescape said with a nod.

“Agil’s Bro Squad is strong enough to join us,” Kirito said. “That would give us fifteen, maybe eighteen. We could bring in Shivata and Liten, make this as open as possible so that the clearing guilds have some representation.”

“I’ll get the other three psyched up to do it,” Bladescape said. “The Wondercolts are not after the flag.”

“Keeping it in house with just the Wondercolts is wisest,” Asuna said. “Then neither Shivata or Liten have the opportunity to get it. If they did, they might not hand it over, but I am more concerned about what would happen if they do. Both Lind and Kibaou would view that as treason.”

“Good point,” Kirito said with a nod.

Kirito gave them a location where they would meet up. He had something he needed to do. Asuna was tasked with getting Agil and his Bro Squad. Bladescape went to get the Wondercolts ready.

The Wondercolts were all at an inn, waiting to hear what was going on. Knightstar didn’t have any info to pass on, but it was enough to halt all crafting, cooking, and any other pursuits and get together as they waited. Besides, it wouldn’t be long before they were supposed to show up for the New Year’s Eve party.

Bladescape got them upstairs to a private room before she opened up. “Here’s the deal. You all have been doing amazing. Our levels are top tier and you all are strong fighters. However, the ALS is planning on hitting the boss, alone, tonight.”

“Didn’t they plan the party?” Konpeito asked.

“Yes,” Bladescape said with a nod. “It is a distraction. By the time we realized what they were doing, it would be too late. The reason they want to make this solo run at the boss is because the boss will drop an item that boosts guild member's stats, but only one guild can have it.”

“That will heavily tip the balance to the ALS,” Natora said. “Not good. Almost as bad as if Lind gets it."

“That’s why Kirito is mobilizing a small force to take it first,” Bladescape said. “All eleven of us are going to hit the boss with him. It won’t be easy, but we all have the levels to do it and the boss has a weakness. Agil’s Bro Squad will be there too. We have a good team that will allow us to succeed. We can’t allow either of the other guilds to get the flag. We won’t be claiming it either. Kirito will have more info on the boss when we assemble, but he beat it in the beta solo. Any questions?”

“All of us?” Doombunny squeaked.

“Yes,” Bladescape nodded. “All of us. To go fight as hard and well as we can. I wouldn’t ask you if you couldn’t do it. It’s a single boss without minions. You, Doom, have your throwing knives to your advantage. Knightstar, Soryuto, you both are capable of at least being a shield, but your swords are sharp and strong. You can do this. I’m not sure what some of the tactics will be, but there will be roles for everyone.”

“You can do it,” Natora encouraged. “I back Blade’s statement. You can do it and think of the bigger picture. We cannot let the other guilds get that flag. It will halt the front as one takes the lead. Make no mistake, we willget pushed out. They will stop us from clearing the game. Overnight, they will be able to expand two, three, or maybe four times their current size and they won’t have to have these semi-open strategy meetings. They already want to push us out."

“Alright,” Knightstar said. “I’m in. It will give me good insight into the boss battles for my calculations, but I don’t plan to take any during the battle. I'll stay focused on the fight and write what I remember after."

“Same,” Soryuto said. “Well, for being in. It’s time for the green dragon to prove her name, that she can fight with the fury of a dragon.”

“I guess I will have to bring the doom in my name,” Doombunny added, clearly unsure about the plan.

“You can earn it in this fight,” Malus encouraged. “And then when everyone hears who took out the boss, your name will be on that list. No one will discount you and no one should discount you. We know what you have done since the start, now it is time to let the rest of Aincrad know!”

“Alright!” Doombunny exclaimed, jumping up and flicking out her knife. She let out a growl. “Let’s make sure we stay on the front, clearing this game. I want to go home to Angel and hug my bunny!”

“That’s the spirit!” Bladescape exclaimed. “Let’s go meet the others.”

The meeting point was in a forest outside Mananarena, the closest city to the labyrinth. Argo was already there. It wasn’t long until Asuna arrived with Agil and the Bro Squad. The Bro Squad wasn't an official guild, they were just four men in their late twenties and early thirties, who, like Agil, were all veteran gamers and ran a business inside the game while helping clear on the side.

“Glad we get to fight besides each other again,” Agil said.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Bladescape replied as they bumped fists. “The last one wasn’t bad. It was mostly all us against that tree. This time it will be all us.”

“Have the Wondercolts even entered the Labyrinth?” Agil asked.

“I don’t believe anyone has,” Bladescape said. “The plan was to hit the labyrinth starting on January First. The Wondercolts have focused on levels and relics, and a quest or two. The ALS and DKB have been doing the same. Well, less of the relic hunting for them. They are still trying to strengthen their levels."

“Has relic hunting been worth it?” Agil asked. "I've also had to work on leveling."

“Mixed results, but overall I think so,” Bladescape replied. "It's fun, even if the trinkets are worth very little. Some good treasure can be found though."

Kirito arrived with a bag in his hand. “Good, everyone is here. I don’t know if any of you have had the opportunity to acquire any of these and I only have a few.” Kirito pulled out a red, glass cuboid. “This is a healing crystal. They are rare, especially this early in the game. Using it on a player by pointing it at them and saying ‘heal’ will cause it to break and instantly restore all of their health.” Kirito pulled out another crystal of the same shape and design, except it was blue. “This is a teleport crystal. Raising it up high and saying ‘teleport’ and then calling out a city that has a teleport plaza will instantly take you there. If you need to bail, this is how. There are green antidote crystals to cure poison and yellow ones to clear physical paralysis effects, but we don’t need any of them. Any questions?”

“The Wondercolts have a few of those crystals,” Bladescape said, swiping up her menu. “Four teleports and five health crystals. We have been saving them. I hope that fills in the gaps.”

“It does,” Kirito said with a nod.

They distributed the crystals. Everyone got one of each. As a group, they had two extra healing crystals.

Argo led them out to the shortcut. It was a wall that was alongside the labyrinth. Argo started leading them up the wall, climbing it.

“I was ready to fight the boss, not climb a giant wall,” Doombunny squeaked.

“Sugarcube, I’ll be right behind you,” Malus said. “I’ll catch yah if yah fall, but you won’t. You have a lot better agility, dexterity, and strength than IRL. Just another obstacle for you to beat and you can do it.”

“I am not thrilled about this either, darling,” Diemond said. “Do you remember Camp Everfree? I barely made it off the ground at the climbing wall and I was in a harness. I don’t like heights, unless it means I’m on the runway.”

“We can do this,” Thunderborne said. “I mean, I know you can do it. We all know I can do it.”

“You have this,” Agil said as he grabbed onto the climbing spot. “The handholds are easy to spot and grip. You won’t have a problem. It’s safe.”

Bladescape made sure she was the last one heading up. The stones stuck out enough that they could easily grab and step on them. It made finding the only route easy, however, finding this on your own would be very difficult. Argo had to have learned about it from a quest.

The top of the wall had a walkway. It lacked a railing, but it was wide enough that no one would easily fall. When it connected to the tower, there was an observation deck. This was their last chance to take a break before they plunged into the uncharted labyrinth. Asuna had brought a cake to share and distributed pieces to everyone.

After a little bit, Kirito addressed them. “I’ve been thinking about the strategy with the players we have. Fuscus the Vacant Colossus is a stone golem. It moves slow, hits hard, and has thick skin. Our advantages are agility and our tanks will be able to withstand a few hits without topping off their HP. There will be plenty of time to fall back and refill HP with potions, plus we have the healing crystals for emergencies.

“We have three devoted tanks and four shield users. The rest of us are basically damage dealers. Natora will head up Group A, our defense force, and direct Malus, Reisenki, Diemond, Lowbacca, and Wolfgang. Natora, your primary goal is battle awareness to direct them how to fight. You are Group A’s eyes. Group B will be our primary damage dealers. It's a stone golem, so I’ll lead Asuna, Agil, Bladescape, Konpeito, and Kiefer. Group C will be Argo, Knightstar, Soryuto, Thunderborne, Doombunny, and Naijan. Group C will be our second damage dealing team. I know some of you have your reservations, I can see it in your eyes. I am fairly certain that you not only have the higher levels, but are better skilled as fighters than anyone in the ALS or DKB. Especially when you are working as a team.”

“They have the levels and the skills,” Bladescape said with a nod. Kirito had not dictated a leader of Group C so Bladescape did. “Thunderborne, this is your moment to step up and shine. Put the pressure on the boss, but make sure when you hit, you land them all quickly and get clear. Let Group B follow Kirito as fast as he directs us, we need you to be powerful and precise when you hit, but you can't let anyone get caught in a long delay. None of us can afford that in this fight.”

“Let you hit the singles and doubles, while I’ll hit home runs,” Thunderborne replied, using a softball analogy.

“Exactly,” Bladescape replied.

“One last thing,” Kirito said. “There will be times where we can open up windows. That will be Group C’s job. Above the boss chamber on Floor Six, is a ruined temple. You will see six sliding doors in the ceiling, connected to chains. When a set of chains rattles, you can break the chains, opening the corresponding window. It will weaken the boss and deal damage. It is a golem, so it will try to not go into the light.”

“You can count on us," Thunderborne said, flashing a V for victory with her fingers.

"Then we have a labyrinth to clear," Kirito said.

"One last thing," Bladescape said, stopping everyone. "Konpeito, do it."

Konpeito twirled her axe before thrusting it above her head. "MO GHILE MEAR!"

Kirito pushed open the hidden door, letting them into the labyrinth. Being able to bypass the first fifth of the tower was incredibly helpful. As they went inside, Bladescape explained their motto to Argo and the others in the Bro Squad who didn't know the meaning.

They rotated who was on point, usually keeping it to a shield and two damage dealers. That combination worked well, not tiring anyone out too much as they carved their way through the labyrinth. Everyone got their fair shot at showing off their skills. Doombunny was quick with her dagger and throwing knives, impressing everyone.

Outside the boss chamber they took a short break to make sure everyone was ready. They mostly wanted to make sure their HP was fully topped off and that everyone had caught their breath before heading in. They had forced their way to the chamber in an hour. They couldn't wait too long or they would lose their edge. Plus the ALS wasn't going to be far behind and they had just cleared the way, at least for a short while until the respawns started. The respawns never had the same numbers as the first clear did.

They entered the dark chamber and saw the boss, kneeling head down in the center of the chamber. As they formed up into their parties and advanced in, the dark stone moved until it stood up. Its eyes lit up maroon, along with other facial features. Lines across its body lit up too, connecting all of them to its torso and head. It had four health bars.

“That’s a stone golem alright,” Natora said. “Honestly, I was expecting bigger.”

In challenge to the comment, it stamped its foot, shaking the ground.

“So that is the kind of golem we are dealing with,” Natora retorted. “Still smaller than I expected.” Natora thrust her spear above her head. “Group A, with me. Let’s start this battle!” Natora charged forward, yelling. The rest of her team followed after her. Natora stopped, and directed the tanks to pair off and take locations, except for Malus who was going solo.

Her actions covered Group B’s initial movement. Bladescape followed Kirito as they ran a wide flank. He stopped them, waiting for the boss to commit to an attack against the yelling tanks. When it did, he dashed forward. She followed after the Beater who made a charging slash at its legs, but not stopping. Bladescape made her own cut and kept running with the rest of their group following suit. The attack took a fifth of the boss’ first health bar.

They were all clear by the time it turned to address them. The tanks struck, forcing it to address them. It kicked two, Diemond and Wolfgang, knocking them back. They were immediately on their feet, backing up before they drank potions to restore their health.

It stomped on the ground, forcing Reisenki and Lowbacca to pull back, out of the way. Rattling chains could be heard, briefly, over the roar of the golem. Group C headed for the chains that were loose. They were in an alcove. Thunderborne tried, but her rapier wasn’t strong enough to break the links. She pulled the chain out of the alcove and Knightstar broke them with a single hit.

From the ceiling a stone window slid open. Light streamed in on a focused point. The beam hit the golem in the shoulder and it roared. A clear half of the HP Bar was depleted.

Kirito took them in to attack again. They struck hard and well, getting clear. Reisenki and Lowbacca hit the boss, drawing its attention. It tried to smack them but they got clear.

It gave Group C the clearance to run an attack. Everyone followed Thunderborne, doing exactly what Group B did, except for Doombunny. They all landed good hits. Doombunny threw two knives and rushed to rejoin the group where they ended up in the room. She threw a third on the way.

Doombunny was the target from the third knife and she was alone as she ran. Fuscus the Vacant Colossus punched at her. It was blocked by Malus. She couldn’t stop it. She was shoved back, but stayed on her feet as she fought to grind the stone fist to a halt. When it was stopped, her hammer smacked the fist of the golem in warning.

They kept it up, running the same attack pattern. Attack after attack, they struck, dodged, blocked, and at times got punched, kicked, and nearly stomped. The stomping attacks could break up their charging strikes and knock players off their feet. Every so often there was the rattle of chains and Group C rushed to cut it and open another window. The light didn’t always hit the boss. It only hurt the boss when it first streamed in. It avoided the light when it could, but it would go through it when it needed too. It was slow work, despite their levels and cohesiveness, because of the stone skin of the golem.

When Group C opened the last window, the beam hit the boss and dropped it into the red. It began to glow brighter, the bone lines and eyes turned from maroon to full red. It rushed towards the nearest group, B, and forced them back against the wall, trapping them.

“I’ll block and you all strike before rushing over to the tanks!” Kirito ordered. He was ignoring his own safety for their own sake.

Kirito rushed forward and then halted, jumping back to avoid its stomping attack. His baiting tactic allowed Bladescape to time Konpeito, Agil, Asuna, and Kiefer into a streamline attack. As she started to go, the Golem punched. Kirito blocked it with his sword, shoving it to the side with impressive strength. The other fist was thrown at Kirito. He wouldn’t survive if Bladescape abandoned him. She had seen death before and been unable to stop it. This time she wouldn’t let the game win. Bladescape got there in time, throwing her shoulder into the stone fist, pushing it out of the way enough to squeak past Kirito.

The giant stone golem tried to stomp Kirito and Bladescape before the last of its HP was gone. Everyone else was on the other side of the room. It threw a punch, which Kirito blocked, shoving the fist to the side.

“Go!” Kirito ordered.

Bladescape stepped into the golem and unleashed two sword skills that left the boss with only a tiny bit of HP.

“Switch, Kirito!” Bladescape called.

Kirito switched in and unleashed his strongest sword skill, dealing the final blow on Fuscus the Vacant Colossus. His swordsmanship skills were amazing, lightning quick with expert reaction timing. In his black clothes and jacket, black hair, and just the longsword, no shield, he was best described as a black swordsman, not a Beater.

It hurt to let him take the Last Attack Bonus, especially since Kirito had given her the order, expecting her to finish the boss, but Bladescape didn't want the flag to even touch Wondercolts hands. She refused to let either Lind or Kibaou have the opportunity to use it against her and force the Wondercolts out of clearing. It would be a weak argument, but it could be all they needed to justify their actions, so it was safer if the Wondercolts never touched it. None of the clearing guilds ever would have the Flag of Valor to their advantage at any moment.

Everyone began to cheer. They were tired, but had done it. They all started to come over to Bladescape and Kirito.

“Did you get it, Kirito?” Argo asked.

“Yeah,” Kirito nodded. “The Flag of Valor was dropped as the Last Attack Bonus. It is safely in my hands. Bladescape made sure of it.”

Bladescape gave a slow nod. “Good job, Kirito. Good strategy, good plan. This worked because of you and the balance between the clearing guilds is upheld.”

“The Wondercolts were the backbone of this operation,” Kirito said. “The Bro Squad can’t be discounted either. We all played our roles, we all dealt great damage, protected each other, and fought well. We all made sure that the balance between the ALS and DKB is maintained.”

“And without a death or anyone teleporting out,” Agil added. “Outside of floor one, a boss battle hasn’t been this smooth. Most of the field boss battles were not as smooth as our fight.”

“This was smoother than the first floor battle,” Bladescape said. “Teams were getting tossed back in that fight, that didn’t happen this time.”

“The Wondercolts were just as good as ever,” Agil said. “If not better than I recall. All of you proved you deserve the reputation you hold, specifically to the people not in Lind’s or Kibaou’s guilds, but also to specific members in their guilds. This was a tough fight, particularly for throwing knives and daggers, but you did well, Doombunny.”

“I have a bunny rabbit, Angel, to get to IRL,” Doombunny replied. “This so-called game is stopping me and will face my wrath. Whenever I can summon it that is.”

“You earned your name and so did Soryuto,” Natora said.

“Absolutely,” Malus said with a nod. “Absolutely.”

“And I got some great pictures!” Konpeito said, showing everyone an octahedron device.

“You have a recording crystal?” Argo asked, surprised. “Since when?”

Konpeito shrugged. “I bought it a while ago in Tolbana, shortly after we got there, and have been documenting our adventures since. Most of the time no one notices me using it.”

“Kibaou should have the ALS in the labyrinth by now,” Kirito said, while messing with his menu. “It will take time for them to clear it. They may not have the same levels, but they have numbers and energy.”

“Their levels are going to catch up to them soon,” Knightstar warned. “We are at the top of the curve, but even so, we are having trouble keeping up with this pace. The second floor was cleared in ten days, the third in six, the fourth in six, and the fifth in just four days. They are rushing forward blindly and without any breaks. At some point, they will hit a wall they can’t crash through because they haven’t taken the time to level up. The early levels are easy, but it is getting harder and harder to get the XP needed for the next level. I know we need to get free as quickly as possible, but we need to appropriately allot time so we can get more HP, skill slots, and ultimately improve our survival odds."

“They will want to push through the next floor in five or so days,” Agil said.

“It’s hard for me to keep up,” Argo admitted. “I barely got the boss info on this floor in time.”

“Me too,” Kirito said. “I can’t get my levels up like I want. They need to slow down.”

“They won’t,” Asuna said with a tired sigh. “Not until they hit that wall. Kibaou is rash and Lind won’t let him gain even a perceived advantage. It will not be good when they do. It probably will mean the death of players.”

“Well, we all will have to just do our best,” Bladescape said. “We will do what they can’t. We will compensate for them. Hopefully their fall will be more of a slip that hits them with reality, not a bad fall, and this mad rush can be slowed to a sustainable pace.”

“Maybe Kibaou’s backstabbing attempt and us beating him will be what they need,” Natora said.

“I hope so,” Bladescape said. “Part of that is because they need to slow down, the other part is because I want them to feel the burn of us having the levels to quickly band together and beat the boss. The Wondercolts couldn’t have done this alone.”

“What we did was impressive,” Wolfgang said. “We should be proud of it. Even if the others won’t see us as heroes, we still are.”

“Mo Ghile Mear!” Konpeito exclaimed. “To us all.”

They all smiled. They were tired, but it felt good.

“Let’s go trigger the gate and bring in the new year,” Kirito said.

BLADESCAPE: Level 21 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid
NATORA: Level 20 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 20 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid
MALUS: Level 20 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry
THUNDERBORNE: Level 20 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor
KONPEITO: Level 20 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid
DIEMOND: Level 20 — Mace — Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid
DOOMBUNNY: Level 20 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid
KIEFER: Level 17 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense
SORYUTO: Level 16 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music
REISENKI: Level 17 — One-Handed Axe — Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair

KIRITO: Level 19 — One Handed Sword — Search — Hide — Martial Arts
ASUNA: Level 18 — Rapier — Sprint — Parry — Sewing
AGIL: Level 15 — Two Handed Axe — Leather Equipment — Parry — Equipment Appraisal

Episode 28 - Ode In Pink

Episode 28 — Ode In Pink
Twenty-First Day in the Month of Silvergrass (January 21) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 8 — 8 p.m.

They were still clearing floors at a breakneck speed. Eliminating the 5th Floor's boss had only made Kibaou angrier at Kirito, Asuna, and the Wondercolts. He was mad at Agil, but too afraid to press the friendly giant over it.

Lind was able to be reasoned with. Kirito and Bladescape had spoken with him during the new year’s party. They had pulled him aside. He was more mad at Kibaou than them. He was envious of the flag, but glad he wasn't hurt by not having it. He was somewhat concerned about their blitzes through the floors, but Kibaou had his foot on the gas. Lind was trying to steer the out-of-control car.

The Eighth Floor was 9th century northern European architecture. Grasslands and gnarled forests covered the floor, with some steeper terrain like mini mountains. The fourth day on it was coming to a close and the boss battle was planned for the next day.

The boss strategy meeting had gone well enough. Bladescape was the only Wondercolt in attendance. The others were working on crafting. They hadn't had much time to do that with how fast Kibaou was pushing everyone. No one was gaining levels quickly. A floor might get a player a level, but that was all. By Knightstar's calculations, Kibaou and Lind were on track to get to level 25 on Floor 25. That would be a disastrous match up for levels.

The week before, the Wondercolts had commissioned armor and it had come in the day before. Diemond helped design it all. At her current skills, Diemond could only make Bladescape's armor and Doombunny's gear. A lot of the payment came from the guild vault, which had been filling up quickly thanks to the field and floor boss raids the Wondercolts had been participating in. They went with the maker of Natora's armor set, copying it for everyone else, and upgrading it to heavy armor — full chest plates, armored arms and legs over the chainmail, and a salat helmet — for the tanks. Their shields were still mixed and matched, but there was a certain charm in the variance in their shields.

Doombunny was in a golden dress with blue tights under a navy blue cloak with a hood. The clothing was able to be reinforced and even had enhancement slots, which Diemond could do with her sewing skill. She had made Doombunny a blue leather holster for her throwing knives that was strapped to her right thigh and secured to her belt. Doombunny had just upgraded her throwing knives set, again. Bladescape was certain that she had at least 30 throwing knives on her, ten on the outside, immediately able to be grabbed with the others in the pouch, and likely an inventory of over 300 knives. The knives were easily lost or broken, having low durability once thrown, so logically she would save her older knives so long as they had sufficient damage statistics. She carried two daggers, an ultrafast slashing knife strapped to her lower back, and an all-around fighting knife for the tougher monsters which was located on her left hip.

Bladescape was in blue leather lamellar armor, with gold stitching to hold the plates together in the right order. As much as things were often "point and click" in SAO, some things could be done by what was known as "the craftsman way", like stitching together Bladescape's armor. She also had yellow leggings with blue jackboots. She had reinforced leather gauntlets dyed gold. On top of it all was a blue duster that added another layer of armor. It was trimmed in gold and had their guild emblem on the back. Currently she wasn't wearing a cape because of the duster. Of course, she still had her circlet and it was only growing stronger as she leveled up her Search Skill.

Diemond also made the accessory pieces, like the capes for their metal armored members, as well as their belts and pouches. Diemond had found someone to make them custom buckles, a simple pass-through design with a horse head in the centers. She had upgraded their capes to not only be trimmed, but made new ones with their guild symbol on it, along with the golden trim. The capes not only looked good, but had defensive properties. Everyone except for Bladescape and Doombunny wore capes.

At the inn, everyone was back except for Konpeito. She had gone off to get ingredients to bake, and that meant she had to use whatever was available for baking, typically at a shop or NPC home. Those days always ended with plenty of fresh food for them to enjoy. Bladescape was outside leaning against a tree as she waited for her to get back, both for the food and to cover the boss strategy with everyone at the same time.

She normally wouldn’t have been outside, watching for Konpeito, but her friend has been slowly deflating since the fifth floor’s boss battle. She had lost almost all of her daily pep. Missing the new year’s party, albeit a distraction, was not something Konpeito was happy about. So instead of waiting inside around a table with food and drinks, able to trust that Konpeito would find them, Bladescape had to ensure her meandering friend didn’t slip by them, straight to bed.

“I’M BACK!” Konpeito exclaimed from behind Bladescape. The direction implied she had just come from the teleport plaza that was on the edge of the town.

Bladescape’s jaw dropped. She was unsure what she was looking at. It was not the Konpeito that had left to find flour. Her axe wielding friend had ditched all of her brand-new equipment except for her axe, Thicket's Bane.

Now Konpeito was wearing a short chainmail shirt over a dull blue tunic. Both the tunic and chainmail shirt only went a little lower than her hips and barely covered her shoulders, leaving her arms bare except for leather vambraces, which were backed by fur, and rough, leather fingerless gloves. Her boots had a fur lining and she was wearing brown leggings. A new leather belt was wrapped several times around her true waist and tied on, no buckle. It had her typical pouches on it, plus some new ones.

What was even more confusing and concerning than the drastic change in equipment, was the tattoos on her bare arms. On her left bicep she had an eight armed spiked symbol, surrounded by a complex weave of knot work. The inside of that arm had three lines, with a crisscross pattern web among them. On her right arm, opposite of the symbol, was the relief of a cupcake, using the knots to define its shape. The inside of the right arm had another symbol, with several lines jutting off the center line at various angles.

“WHAT! DID! YOU! DO!” Diemond stammered. The others rushed out of the inn after hearing her screams. They all stopped, surprised at the transformation.

“I went Viking!” Konpeito exclaimed.

“Are those tattoos?” Malus asked. She was not the only one concerned about Konpeito’s sanity.

“Don’t worry, Die,” Konpeito said, ignoring Malus. “I didn’t get rid of what you made or the other gear. You can have it back, but I decided the look wasn’t for me. I think the Viking look is better!”

Knightstar sighed. “That is a misunderstood word. Viking simply means a journey. Often it was to raid or war, but it was just a word that meant a form of travel. Also, real Norse people didn’t wear furs, especially to battle, and they wore full sleeves of mail for protection.”

“But I like my fox cape!” Konpeito whined as she turned around. A red fox pelt was pinned at the rear paws to the chainmail at her shoulder blades. It wasn’t more than 10 inches wide, but almost 4 feet long. “Besides, in SAO, the stats are the same with or without sleeves.”

“And the tattoos?” Malus pressed, stuck on that revelation.

“Aren’t they awesome!” Konpeito exclaimed. “The player was pretty good. You can only see the ones on my arms, but I have been getting them done over the past week. They mean things, important things, except for the cupcake, but that design is pretty obvious: I love cupcakes!”

“Do you even know what you put on your body?” Thunderborne snarked. “Or did you just go for what looked cool and what the player said they meant?”

“Oh please TB, do you really think I am that dumb?” Konpeito asked. She snorted. “Of course I know what they mean. After all, I am half Danish, half Irish, half Scottish, two thirds Celtic, and all awesome. I know all about my family history and past. Have you not been to my house? My mother does traditional embroidery and my father traditional wood carving. Our couch is Argyle!

“For the tattoos, the one on the outside of my left arm is an ‘Aegishjalmur.’ It means protection and power. The one on the inside of that arm, is the Web of Wyrd, and the runic shape pattern of weave symbolizes that the past affects the present, and that the present affects the future. The design on the inside of my right arm means strength. I also had them touch up my Vegvisir, or pathfinder tattoo, so that I will always know the path ahead of me. For the cupcake, I almost went with a Celtic style knot, but they are not as abstract as the Norse knots can be.”

“How do you even know that?” Thunderborne stammered, shocked at the information dump. “It's one thing to know history, another thing to know tattoos!”

“Well first off, silly, these are iconic symbols that are not just tattoos, but used in a lot of Norse craftsmanship. Most of our family heritage knowledge is Celtic, but the other part got Maud interested in the Viking Runestones, which is what she is getting her doctorate on, so I learned all about it from her. And yes, Knightstar, they are the Viking Runestones, because that is mostly what they contain, the tales of that Viking. In modern times, we do call the Norse Vikings, and that is okay too!

“Well, technically Maud is studying the stones the sagas are carved on, but she had to learn all about the Vikings in order to understand why they were carving on them. She also needed to know what they were carving into them so that she could understand why they chose those particular stones. You don’t just write on a stone without making sure the stone can properly convey the message and not all stones can remember a message.”

“Fine,” Diemond dramatically groaned. “I will do what I can to make you new gear, like the shirt and leggings, in our colors that fit this...look. I won’t even dare to call it style.”

Konpeito hopped over to embrace and thank Diemond. She insisted the fox cape was staying and then skipped away.

“We’re gonna encourage this?” Malus asked, looking specifically at Bladescape since she was their leader.

Bladescape shrugged. “I won’t say encourage, rather allow. Look, we just need her focused on the task at hand. As long as she is focused and wearing our colors, it doesn’t technically matter what she looks like. I know Diemond, you want us to look unified, together, and I, we, appreciate that, however, Konpeito was getting rather mopey and losing her energy over the last few floors. Even her hair was losing its usual bounce, but now she is skipping and happy again and those curls are stronger than most springs."

“I don’t know when I will forgive her for this,” Diemond spat. “You are right, she has her spark back, which she had lost, but we just upgraded her equipment and it was expensive. This change is just so...uncouth. It lacks culture, refined culture. The fur and leather look tries to take the spotlight every so often, so I am familiar with it, but it never gains popularity because it is stupid. It stays on the fringe of fashion society for a reason.

“Sadly she did get one thing right, SAO’s armor system doesn't differentiate between sleeves or sleeveless armor. If combat skirts are the same as defense pants, well the idea of a combat skirt is just as stupid, but that doesn’t matter. The system is the system and it isn’t the real world when it comes to cuts and contusions to the body. If her arm gets severed, the strike would sever it with or without armor actually being there. I can keep her protected and looking like she currently wants to.”

“Ultimately, it is Pinkie Pie,” Doombunny said. There was a hint of distaste on her tongue. “In a week or two she might decide she wants something entirely different. As annoying as that would be for you after doing all that work, she might not stay with a style we all question. Hopefully she will go back to the stuff we just got for her."

“You don’t like it?” Diemond asked. “I mean, I am the fashionista, but the others are only concerned about her mental faculties-”

“She is wearing a fox on her back!” Doombunny exclaimed. “It was a cute fox that had a life in these woods, or some woods, and probably had a home and a family. Now it is no longer darting through the underbrush, free, but swinging off the back of a bounding bubble named for a colorful candy! That is hardly a fitting end for such a majestic creature.”

“Well, when you put it like that,” Diemond said. She just finished with a shrug, unsure how else to finish the statement.

“The Norse warriors were known for their Dane axes,” Knightstar said. “The axes were not as big as what is in SAO, and she currently doesn't have a Dane axe, but those two handed axes could sever limbs or heads in battle. Some records include the axes splitting chainmail with ease. Ignoring historical accuracy, I don’t think the look is bad for her and it would be the most appropriate for her weapon choice. The tattoos are surprising and her red hair is better left to the Celtic side of the family. She would be better off with a blonde or brown, but it isn’t entirely bad.”

“Don’t give her any ideas,” Malus warned.

“I have to second allowing it,” Natora said. “I know it ruins the image of us that Diemond has worked hard for, which I totally appreciate and love, but is one of us looking like a female Viking warrior a bad thing? Especially when she feeds us better than we could buy almost anywhere? If it keeps her happy, focused, and our bellies full of good food, I say we let it slide.

“It may be rash, but the more I think about it, I don’t think her mind is crazy. Or any crazier than normal. She is finding her warrior self in SAO, and apparently it is a Viking, or, what did you call it Knightstar, norde?”

“Norse,” Knightstar said. “The name ‘Viking’ was later given to them, but they never called themselves Vikings. They were not a kingdom or empire like we think of when we think about European history, rather a region with various settlements and cities that shared the same ideas, culture and language with strong connections between the three main groups. Many of them changed religion and became Norman to separate themselves from their heathen kin. They are infamous for their raids and their longboats, which is what the word ‘viking’ means, to go on a raid. Although they didn’t raid out of necessity as once believed. They grew plenty of food, fished, hunted, and owned livestock. Their raids were complicated and may have had more to do with religion than necessity.

"Actually, they would have been raiding villages and cities with this style of architecture, the ninth Century northern European style of the middle ages. Mostly stone walls, with either thatched or shingled houses. The cities would have been fortified with packed earth walls and wooden defenses."

Knightstar sighed. "Norse women were known to fight to protect their homes and hunt, although they probably didn't go to war. There is one account, but the reliability of it is questionable. The more appropriate word for her would probably be a Valkyrie. Technically they didn't do combat either. They are female demigods who choose who dies in combat and take the slain to Valhalla. The sagas vary, but usually they just are simply maidens who ferry the warriors who died in battle. Some depictions of them include weapons, but mostly spears. I don't recall any depictions of them with axes, but a few are armed with swords and shields. Modern depictions have them as female warriors, often scantily clad, who go berserk and slaughter their enemies. They typically wield axes, but also shields, spears, and swords."

"So a Valkyrie?" Diemond asked. "Is that what we are going to call it?"

Knightstar rolled her eyes. "Now that I hear it out loud, that idea is dumber. Just let her call herself a Viking. If she really does know the history, and it sounds like she knows it better than I do, she knows about the Valkyries. She would have called herself a Valkyrie if she wanted too."

"It sounded like she had some other tattoos we couldn't see," Natora said. "I kind of want to see all of what she had done."

"Let's please not encourage that," Malus said. "I'll consent to going with the flow cause it's improved her morale, but let's not encourage marking her body, virtual or not."

"What exactly are you afraid of?" Natora asked. "That she takes on this warrior imagery more and becomes an even better fighter, or do you think you will lose your friend as she finds herself in here?"

Malus narrowed her eyes at Natora. "I'm afraid that when this all ends, she won't come out of it the same."

"None of us are coming out of this the same!" Bladescape exclaimed, letting out some rage she didn't realize she had stored up. She sighed. "I don't want to see her go off once we are free and get the same tattoos and lose our happy, laughing, sugary sweet friend, but we need to be able to have a friend to lose in the real world."

"Maybe we all should get tattoos," Thunderborne said.

"Rainbow Dash!" Diemond exclaimed. "Don't even entertain the idea. My porcelain skin won't ever have ink touch it and neither should your skin. Tattoos are nasty and uncouth. They don't make you look cool either."

"That isn't a bad idea," Natora said. "We could get Wondercolts ones. That might take the edge off her wanting to get more. Although, I don't know what a Wondercolt would look like."

"Let's not go that far," Doombunny said. "Tattoos are painful."

"None of us should be making big decisions like this y'all!" Malus exclaimed. "Let's just get to bed and deal with this tomorrow. We can see how she is doin in the mornin and if we need to make any course corrections from there."

Everyone started to head inside the inn. Knightstar stayed back along with Bladescape.

"You caught it too?" Knightstar asked.

"Possibly," Bladescape said with a slow nod. "That depends on what you mean by ‘it’."

"Konpeito said 'touch up' about one of the tattoos, but not where it was."

Bladescape sighed. "Yep. Which means I.R.L. she has that one. Pathfinder I think she called it. The only way she could have gotten a tattoo, legally, at her age, is with a parent present to give approval. Her parents do love their heritage, especially the Celtic side. I wasn’t aware of any Norse blood, but I don’t take either of her parents for the kind to let their kids get tattoos, especially while they have a say."

"But they do care about their children's bonds," Knightstar pointed out. "And Pinkie and Maud share a special bond. As difficult as Maud is for us to understand, they connect. Maud is off getting her doctorate, which can take years and those stones are in Scandinavia, a long way from home. They could have let her get the tattoo to help the sisters feel connected despite their separation. I don't know the last time Maud and Pinkie Pie saw each other. There is a good chance Maud was doing fieldwork over the summer, so she might have missed Pinkie leaving."

"That is a logical explanation," Bladescape said with a nod. "I think, for now, we let it slide. Although I am becoming more interested in all of what she got added to her body and what she might add."

Knightstar snickered. "Don't let Diemond or Malus hear you. They both are pretty clear about their views. Her red curls are classic Celtic, but not entirely Norse. I might have to suggest a hairstyle change, probably to braids and potentially to blonde hair. That would really pull the look together."

"I didn't give you permission, but maybe you should," Bladescape chuckled. "Particularly the braids to get the curls under control. And if blonde doesn't work, she can just dye it back to her normal color and go back to the curls, if they will even allow themselves to be braided.”

"Come on, before we are missed," Knightstar said, heading to the inn.

Finally together and over a purchased dinner, Bladescape explained the strategy, which required taking Konpeito, Malus, Reisenki, Kiefer, and Thunderborne to the Boss Raid. Natora opted to lead the others on a dungeon raid, giving Kiefer a chance to join the boss raid party. With everything settled, they went to bed.

BLADESCAPE: Level 26 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid
NATORA: Level 25 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 25 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid
MALUS: Level 25 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry
THUNDERBORNE: Level 25 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor
KONPEITO: Level 25 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid
DIEMOND: Level 25 — Mace — Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid
DOOMBUNNY: Level 25 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid
KIEFER: Level 22 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid
SORYUTO: Level 22 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid
REISENKI: Level 22 — One-Handed Axe — Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair

Episode 29 - Vanargand The Father Of Wolves

Episode 29 — Vanargand The Father Of Wolves
Twenty-Second Day in the Month of Silvergrass (January 22) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 8 — Morning

The morning brought a brand new Konpeito, or rather, a re-energized one. She was back to her full, happy, bouncy self. Diemond had made her a navy blue shirt and navy blue leggings to replace what Konpeito had bought. She also made her a leather belt, dyed gold.

Their non-raid members got an early start to clear a dungeon and gain levels. The rest of them went hunting nearby to warm up and kill time before they had to assemble for the boss raid.

Agil walked over to Bladescape when they arrived. They immediately bumped fists.

"You look ready to go," Agil said. "I love the new armor. Everyone looks tight, although Konpeito is...is that a fox cape?"

"Yep," Bladescape said with a reserved nod. "We ordered her matching equipment, got it a few days ago, then yesterday she came back in that style. It blindsided everyone. Diemond had to redo the shirt and leggings in our colors, but she went 'Viking' as she calls it. The fox is really just the pelt attached to her back, not an actual cape. It's all natural, the fur isn’t dyed. Diemond isn't happy about the new look and neither is Doom because she loves animals."

"Are those tattoos?" Agil asked.

"Another thing not everyone is happy about," Bladescape stated. "But she is happier."

"She does have more energy than when I last saw her a few days ago," Agil admitted.

"As long as she stays focused and keeps her fighting edge," Bladescape said with a shrug.

"I feel yah," Agil said. "We can sort out the damage after we get out."

"Exactly," Bladescape chuckled. It was a sad chuckle, trying to shove off the depressing future to focus on the present.

"I like your new armor," Agil said. "Having a fashion designer in your team must be nice."

"I'm sure Diemond would love to help you and your Bro Squad," Bladescape said. "She loves helping people and fashion. Both on and off the battlefield. If she can't make it, she will probably know who to go to and have a design for them to replicate. She is already getting established in the fashion community in Aincrad. That or she is starting it. I'm not sure which it is.

"As for me, I'm not sure about the lamellar armor. It has great stats, but it isn't a style I was aware of before Diemond made it. Knightstar actually suggested it. As long as Diemond can keep me in the current top tier for armor, I am not too concerned about what armor I have or what it looks like. She knows how to make me look fabulous and fierce so I will leave it to her and focus my efforts on being the example for everyone. We need someone who can contrast well against Kibaou, Lind, and Kirito. The Hothead, the Zealot, and the Black Swordsman."

"The Black Swordsman is a good nickname for Kirito," Agil said. "Better than Beater."

"It fits," Bladescape chuckled. "I don't know if he will ever lose the title of 'beater' but he wears all black and uses a longsword, no shield. He will be someone to watch once we beat SAO."

"Sadly I agree," Agil replied with a nod. "But if they are the Hothead, the Zealot, and the Black Swordsman, what does that make you?"

"The Wondercolt," Bladescape said without thinking. She shrugged. "Yeah, players are picking up on our motto and it is going over well enough, but the Wondercolts are about friendship, generosity, kindness, loyalty, honesty, and laughter."

"Laughter?" Agil asked. "I know Konpeito loves to laugh and is quick with a pun, but how does laughter fit in with the others? Especially on our battlefield?"

"Laughter brings joy, which spurs hope," Bladescape explained. "A good laugh is often the fastest way to spur that, especially with how busy everyone is. A joke is quick. Those things are what we want to really be known for."

"Well, you are living up to them," Agil assured her. "At this point, Kibaou would admit to your commitment to the cause. You have been kind to all and generous, from the first boss battle when you gave weapons away, to the second boss battle helping solve the Legend Braves conundrum, to donating or selling at low-cost old equipment to players trying to join up. That info has been spreading. A few players have asked me about getting stuff, but I knew you were out. I was able to help them, mostly with stock you sold me, but I have to keep some reputation for myself."

Agil and Bladescape laughed. Bladescape didn't care to get the credit for selling stuff to Agil when he helped out players. He had to build his business reputation and it had been going well. She wanted his reputation for helping playerswith equipment to replace the Wondercolts, so the Wondercolts were all about pushing the front line and living their pillars.

"I see Asuna just arrived, alone," Bladescape said. "Looks like under her trademark red cloak she is also sporting some new armor. I saw white and light jade."

"Huh, I can't tell what she is wearing either," Agil said. "It looks good on her and I know the stats are good if she is wearing it. I'm surprised she didn't show up with Kirito."

"Kirito may be coming from somewhere else," Bladescape said. "Although he was at the meeting last night. I figured he would have stayed around, but maybe not? He can be an enigma."

Kirito arrived a minute later in his black gear, just ahead of the Dragon Knights Brigade. Everyone in the raid party was assembled. The boss strategy was being run by Kibaou because he found the boss chamber first. He had relegated the Wondercolts, Group G, to support, but Bladescape was certain they would get their fair shot. Vanargand The Father of Wolves was not going to stay still. He would most likely break apart their raid formation, forcing Group G and Group H — which was Agil and the Bro Squad, along with Kirito and Asuna — to jump in and plug the hole the buckling raiders caused. That was their job as support teams, plug the holes and corner him if he got through their line.

They headed to the labyrinth and made their way up to the boss chamber. Group G and Group H were ordered to be on point the most often, since they were "support" teams and they "logically" could afford to get a little tired out.

Group H finished off a tough bunch, but they had been on point for a while. Their HPs needed to be replenished. Agil was still green, but even Kirito and Asuna were in the yellow.

Kibaou didn't appear to care, ignoring Agil's questioning look, asking to be pulled back so they could heal and rest up. The Bro Squad was with Kirito and pinned to him. Kibaou was punishing them all for securing the Flag of Victory. He especially wanted Kirito to be tired and unable to snag the LAB. Kirito had scored every floor boss LAB except for the third Floor, which Konpeito got. Almost all field boss LABs went to Kirito too. Of course, Kirito had been saving them while the others floundered or were fighting an uphill battle. Kirito's level and skill put him where he needed to be to ensure victory for the raid parties with no to minimal loss of life. Bladescape was still fighting for one, her ultimate goal, but in her eyes, as annoying as it was, Kirito deserved the LABs.

Bladescape stepped up to the clearing team on point. "Agil and I have this. Everyone else can step back, rest, and heal. We will need you in the upcoming fight."

They didn't need to be told twice and Kibaou didn't protest. If he did, it would be an admission about his attempt to cripple a raid party. Agil just smiled as he continued forward. He was clearly looking forward to fighting side by side with Bladescape, just like she was with him.

A shadow trickster was around the corner. It was in its wolf form, not the humanoid one that wielded a dagger. The two of them charged it. It lunged at Bladescape, who blocked it with a spinning Weapon Defense Skill. Agil cleaved it while it tried to reset and then Bladescape came out of the spin and sliced it from chest to tail, shattering it. It was the fastest and easiest kill of the day.

"That's how you do it!" Agil exclaimed as they high fived.

They faced three more, two in the humanoid form and one in the wolf. They handled them in quick succession, rotating who blocked first. The first attacker became the next blocker. It went smoothly, although a trickster did stab Agil. That ended his time on point as his HP dropped into the bottom of the yellow range.

Konpeito switched in. The last time she had faced the shadow trickster, she had been mopey and slow. The axe had been heavy in her hands. Now she flowed and danced, blocking and transitioning into a punch or cut. Bladescape stepped back and watched her take down five in quick succession, every strike was a critical attack that eliminated each in a single hit. Konpeito had a heavy delay, but the seamless display of skill left those who had seen it speechless.

Both Lind and Kibaou had witnessed the feat and that was what mattered to Bladescape. She wanted them to respectfully fear the Wondercolts for their combat skills so they wouldn't cross them. If Bladescape was the only one who could pull off impressive combat feats, that was one thing, but if the guild all showed repeated skill above and beyond what the ALS or DKB could muster, that would be very good for their image.

They finally got to the boss chamber. There was no resting. Kibaou moved them inside immediately. Group H was back to full health and the Wondercolts were only down a little. Kibaou didn't like how things were stacking against his plan to eliminate the best of the raiders from getting the Last Attack Bonus.

Inside the octagonal room was a giant wolf heldin place by two chains. Three health bars were already by its name. The information on him didn't state that he would be chained up. Bladescape glanced at Kirito. His eyes told her what she suspected: the boss had not started chained up in the beta test. This was an unknown change.

Kibaou ordered an assault on the boss while it was still chained up.

"Wait!" Konpeito exclaimed. "He will break free before you get there!"

Kibaou heard her, but reiterated the orders to rush ahead and attack the defenseless boss.

"What do you know?" Bladescape asked. Group H was also looking at Kirito for the same question.

"Vanargand is a variation on Fenrir, the wolf child of Loki, the Norse god of mischief," Konpeito said. "When he was chained, he bit off the hand of another god. The sagas say he will one day kill the great god Odin. The chains are a farce, a trick to get players to rush in, but he won't have a problem breaking free."

"He is fast and agile," Kirito said. "If he breaks free…it won't be good for them."

"Something doesn't feel right either," Konpeito said. "But it's changed enough from the sagas that I can't figure it out. It just is a feeling I have."

"Well, let's play our assigned role," Bladescape said. "We can clean up for them, as usual, if need be."

The raiders got to Vanargand. Before they could strike it reared up a bit, snapping the chains with a crystal clear crack. His fur around his neck puffed out a bit, giving him the brief appearance of having a mane. The freed boss pounced on a raider who shattered as easily as the chains had. A second raider was pounced on and like the first, a single bite to the neck was enough to end his life.

"Low health, fast, agile, and a heavy hitter," Bladescape said. "Let's go clean up their mess!"

They followed after her. The others were trying to corral the agile, oversized wolf. It was too wild for them to even land hits on. It jumped over them, still at full health.

It avoided Kirito, Asuna, and Thunderborne. It couldn't avoid Konpeito, who got herself exactly where it would jump to when it avoided Asuna. Her axe cleaved a noticeable chunk of its HP off. She skipped out of the way, avoiding its claws.

Vanargand's choice to counter attack put Bladescape and Kiefer in perfect shape to land solid hits. Reisenki denied the boss' follow up attack with its sharp claws and so did Malus. The other raiders got it together, surrounding the wolf and forcing the Wondercolts back into their "support" role. The Wondercolts spread out with Group H, ready to support the main teams from any angle.

A raider was soon knocked deep in the red and exited the fight with a flash of blue as he teleported to the safety of the town he called out. He was followed by two more before the boss jumped out of their circle, once again free. Kirito and Asuna were right there and landed devastating hits on the boss. When it moved to avoid them, it landed beside Thunderborne who scored several quick strikes before doing several back handsprings to get clear. The display of agility was beyond what Kirito, Asuna, or anyone else had ever publicly pulled off.

Kibaou got the raiders to encircle the boss again. They were afraid to move in too close and often stayed on the defensive. Vanargand would only let them hit him a few times before he leaped out of their pathetic ring. The Wondercolts, the Bro Squad, Kirito, and Asuna were always there, ready to strike when it broke free. They dealt the bulk of the damage.

With only three health bars and low defense, the boss was finished quickly. Konpeito scored the final blow, but the giant wolf froze, instead of shattering.

"Uh oh," Konpeito said, backing up.

"No, you didn't break it," Malus said.

"I know," Konpeito gulped. "I did something worse!"

"Worse!" Kibaou raged. "What do you mean by worse! What did you do?"

"I just unleashed the evil himself," Konpeito squeaked. "Stage two of the show is just beginning."

"Stage two?" Kibaou asked.

Konpeito pointed at Vanargand with her axe. The wolf turned pitch back and began to morph. The shifting shadows pitched and rolled until it finally stood up as an unsettling humanoid shadow form. The form shifted into a tall Viking, a glorious golden beard and braided locks. He wore a red chainmail shirt with a grey fur cape and a one horned "Viking" helm. In his hand was a branch. “Loptur” appeared above him with three health bars.

"Loptur, a demigod of confusing origins in the saga who is a trickster or mischief causer," Konpeito explained. "Who also gave birth to Vanargand and can take the shape of several creatures, including an old woman." Konpeito shrugged. "I knew something was off at the start, only now do I realize that Vanargand was too small to be the real deal. In reality, he is a much bigger wolf. Time to finish this fight!"

Loptur identified Konpeito as his target and flicked the branch at her. She leaned out of the way as a black ball of electric magic was shot at her. It exploded behind her in a puff of smoke.

"No throwing mistletoe!" Konpeito yelled back before charging the boss.

Vanargand was agile and powerful. Loptur was boundless but weak. He avoided almost all of the attacks against him. A solid shield negated the magic from his wand, but those with a weak shield or no shield were given a sleep effect, knocking them out for at least ten seconds, sometimes as long as thirty seconds. Plenty of raiders dropped as they lost all of their formation. Most chased after the mischievous boss, which caused them to get hit at least once by the sleeping bolt. Group G and Group H stayed in their units, minus Konpeito, and got in the path of the "fleeing" boss. When the Wondercolts got near, all five of their hits were powerful ones, knocking off the first half of his first health bar. Group H did the same thing right after, almost eliminating his first HP bar.

Bladescape snagged Konpeito, pulling her back into Group G's command.

"Aw," Konpeito whined. "I was having fun skipping around the room."

Bladescape rolled her eyes while Malus hung her head and Thunderborne loudly groaned.

"Look, you can skip after him if you can tell us how to take him down," Bladescape said.

Konpeito shrugged. "I don't know anything. Some of it is similar, but much isn't to the ancient sagas. You need to smack him, hard and often, just like you did. Chasing him won't get you anywhere."

"How is he killed in the sagas?" Bladescape asked, not letting go of Konpeito when she tried to hop away.

"He isn't," Konpeito explained. "At the end, he will kill one god but a different god will strike him down. He is an interesting story to study, because there are several variations of who he is, but he isn't necessarily a wholly evil god. Trickster or mischief are better words to associate with him. When he finally pushed the limit of their patience to the point it broke, the Gods bound him to a rock by the entrails of one of his dead sons. If Loptur is free in this chamber, then the developers shifted away from the original story and the sagas don't have anything else that is useful to aid us. We just have to hit him when we can."

Kibaou finally got the main groups organized and attempted to pin the boss against the wall where they could finish him off. He launched multiple sleeping bolts and made his exit through their line. He was careful to not step on any of the sleeping raiders. His damage dealt was not very concerning.

Group H set themselves up to receive him, landing several hits before the others were knocked unconscious and Loptur got around them. He ran into Group G who had set themselves up properly. Malus blocked a bolt thrown at Bladescape and the others struck. Reisenki blocked another bolt and then landed a hit. The boss was knocked down into the red.

Bladescape keyed up a sword skill, going in for the kill. The wand disappeared, transforming into a sword. He blocked the first sword skill but Bladescape chained a second that landed. Her discipline paid off as she chained a third and then a fourth. The fourth would have been Loptur’s end but he expertly blocked each of the three combination attack’s strikes with his sword. It put the sword in a place she couldn’t chain another sword skill and Bladescape was forced into the delay.

Loptur's sword glowed green as he triggered a complex sword skill that would certainly kill Bladescape. He struck without mercy or hesitation, the sword tracing long red lines through her body as she felt each blow cut through her. He was denied her death by Malus' shield. Malus retaliated with her hammer, landing a shot to his head and then Konpeito cleaved him in the back. He floated away in polygons as the congratulation music was played.

Bladescape sheathed her sword with a slam, bottling up her anger in the sword sheath. This was the first boss that could block attacks with a weapon. Illfang had used his shield, but he didn't use sword skills to block. Bladescape felt like the Last Attack Bonus was right there for her to take and she missed it, again. It wasn't Konpeito's fault, but Bladescape's anger was directed at her. She didn't want to hurt her friend or show weakness in front of Lind or Kibaou. They needed to see a unified guild, with a leader that was more concerned about getting the job done correctly, yet quickly, and not worried about personal glory.

"Well done, Konpeito," Bladescape said, trying her best to be happy for her friend.

Konpeito put her axe away. "We still lost two," she sadly replied. "The second phase was more of a nuisance, not a real phase. It didn't make sense. It felt more like the second phase was a half-baked idea never finished."

"Maybe it was," Kirito said. "It wasn't in the beta."

"I don't think so," Konpeito replied. "Maybe...no, nevermind."

"What is it?" Lind pressed. "You knew stuff."

"Well, maybe it's not actually over?" Konpeito said. "Over for this floor, for this battle, but maybe another appearance later in Aincrad?" Konpeito finished with a shrug. "Either way we lost two players: Bachus of the ALS and Wynants of the DKB. Mo ghille mear. ’Sé mo laoch mo ghille mear. My dashing darling is my hero. They died too soon, but they died fighting for our freedom, fighting against the overlord who trapped us here. At least, if they had to die, they died with honor. I won't let their names be lost. None of the players who have died fighting a boss for the freedom of every player will ever be forgotten by me."

"You knew them?" Kibaou asked snobbishly.

"As much as I could in the short time we had," Konpeito replied. "I know all of their names, who they were with, what boss killed them, and what weapons they used. That is more than most can say and the best I can do."

Konpeito swiped up her menu and then pulled a book out. "That and this scrapbook. My journal of the fallen." Konpeito opened it. The first page said "ONE TOO MANY" in English calligraphy, then in Kanji, and finally in Romaji. On the second page were three pictures of Diavel and the third had a fourth picture, plus the details of who he was and when and how he died. Konpeito flipped through each page, briefly showing off each player's page. It was still a small number of fallen boss raiders that didn’t take up much space, but the book had a lot of pages.

Konpeito shut the book. "I'll have to get their pictures printed and update it, probably tonight. For now, let's go." Konpeito opened her menu, storing the book away before she clicked a few more things. The red fox pelt "cape" was replaced by the cape that Loptur wore, the greyish-black wolf hair cloak.

She said nothing else as she headed towards the exit.

Episode 30 - Path To Purpose

Episode 30 — Path To Purpose
Twenty-Second Day in the Month of Silvergrass (January 22) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 9 — Late Afternoon

The Ninth Floor's first settlement was a village, Firket, which was encircled by a wooden palisade and had almost 50 buildings inside its perfectly circular walls. There were exits at the cardinal directions. The very center was the teleport plaza. Before Konpeito triggered the teleport plaza, she said their motto, one last lament, naming Wynants and Bachus. Then she triggered it and walked away to the nearest pub, a long building of wood made with a steep roof.

Bladescape had gotten a hold of Natora over a direct message. The others were done with their dungeon raid and immediately teleported from their town to Firket. They were the first players to arrive who were not from the boss raid party. They all headed to the pub and entered it. Konpeito was sitting at a long table with thirteen mugs of ale, one in front of her, ten at the other seats, and two in the center of the table. She was just staring into her mug.

"Sugar, are you alright?" Malus asked as they all took their seats.

"Eh," Konpeito shrugged. "I felt helpless this time. They didn't listen and because of it, two are dead. I realize that it isn't my fault and that even if they had listened and approached with a better strategy, they still might have died, but that doesn't make me feel any better."

"Well, we can at least raise our glass to them," Natora said as she lifted hers up. "Mo ghile mear."

Everyone raised their glasses and chimed in, except Konpeito. She raised her mug but stayed silent.

"You and Malus saved me," Bladescape said. "Thanks for that."

"How do you do it?" Konpeito asked.

"What do you mean?" Bladescape asked. "What exactly do you mean by 'it'."

"I mean lead us and deal with Kibaou and Lind,” Konpeito clarified. “On top of that, I know you want the Last Attack Bonus very, very badly, but you keep missing it by a slim margin. You only encouraged me in the room."

"I do it because I care," Bladescape explained. "And I use my Iaido lessons which came with leadership and life advice to help me lead everyone and focus us where we need to. Yes, it hurts that I didn't get it. The boss used player sword skills to actively block my attacks, like our weapon defense skill. That was unexpected and something we've never seen from a boss. I'm glad that a Wondercolt got the LAB. I'm glad you saved me. I'll earn it soon enough and when I do, it will be well-earned.

“Right now, I'm also dealing with Kibaou and Lind by showing everyone how we do it. I’m setting the supreme example and working to make it the bar that everyone judges a guild's success off of. If I let my frustration out in front of everyone, that would look bad. I’d look too much like Kibaou. I don't blame you, yet I do. I can't help the emotion even though I know the logic of the situation."

"Thanks, Blade," Konpeito said. "I understand the emotions versus logic battle. You’re doing an amazing job leading us. I wish I had something like that."

"How about your cooking?" Bladescape asked. "You want to and have been cooking for us, your friends. You've given us a unique gift and bring us joy because of your skill and the dedication you've put into it." The others echoed their support. "That's what matters and it makes for an admirable goal."

"It does make you smile," Konpeito said. "And my cooking has gotten a lot better. I'm now able to make a wide variety of things and I'm not limited to the constraints of leveling. I still need to so I can make better quality treats, but I don't need to grind as hard as I was. Now I can experiment and find out what is best for making distinct flavors and learn to pair the various foreign ingredients into something amazing."

"Smiles are good," Diemond said. "They often convey hope and your food brings us hope."

"Then I'll focus on the food, better than I was before, for you all," Konpeito said, still sad. "But for tonight, I don't want to cook. I already ordered for us. This is a Viking style longhouse inside a Viking trelleborg, or ring fortress. We just came from the British Isles architecture, now we get to see the home of the British Isles' historical raiders. Although they raided a lot more places than just Britain and much of it was inland, out of the reach of their longboats. They raided most of Europe, down into the Mediterranean, even reaching west Asia in the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. Ingvar the Far-Traveled even led an expedition to Iran."

"You know a lot about them," Knightstar said. "I'm surprised we are just finding out now. You're not the best at keeping secrets."

"Eh," Konpeito shrugged. "We had too many baddies to fight. I either learned from listening to Maud or from reading her books. It wasn't something I was necessarily into learning, but I was interested in what she was learning. Maud was specifically studying the Viking stone of Ingvar the Far-Traveled over the summer. Learning about the Vikings had everything to do with bonding between sisters, but now I'm stuck here, so I'll make use of what I know."

"Is that why you chose an axe?" Natora asked.

"Nah," Konpeito said, waiving off the idea. "I chose it cause I thought it'd be the most fun to use, when this was still a game to play. If I wanted to really copy the Vikings, I would have gone with either a one-handed axe and shield, or spear and shield. Probably the spear and shield. Until we get free, I'm stuck here while my sisters grow up and my real body lies in a hospital bed. I miss them. I don't want to miss out on Maud getting her PhD. I promised to be there at the ceremony. Maud promised to be home for the holidays and greet me when I got back from Japan so she could stay up all night with me, drinking hot chocolate and listening to my adventures in Japan. For the first time, I feel disconnected from them."

"Then you have your reason to fight," Doombunny said. "Just like mine is to get back to Angel Bunny, yours is to get back to your sisters. Do whatever you need to do to make you the best you can be to get us free."

"So why the change now?" Bladescape asked. "We had plenty of time to come up with a design for our armor and it was openly discussed, but you said nothing."

Konpeito was a little more bubbly, but her mourning was still evident. "Because it wasn't until I had the new armor and my Vegvisir was re-finished that I realized how off course I was. I found the missing piece to the map to be my heritage, except the Celtic lineage didn't inspire me, the Norse bloodline did. I know it's a very slim bloodline at this point, but it is there and they are some of the most legendary warriors with amazing symbols, so I chose them over the Celts. Don’t discount the amazing iconography of the Celts though."

"Well, I was already thinking through some ideas for your shirts," Diemond said. "We could do an over-shirt, to cover the chainmail, and I was thinking of having the horse head symbol on the chest."

"That's a really good idea," Konpeito encouraged, finally flashing a smile.

Their food came, ending their conversation. Konpeito ordered another round of drinks for everyone, including the two in the center of the table for the fallen raiders. Conversations with new subjects began to start between various Wondercolts as they ate.

As they finished eating, Knightstar suddenly stood up and slammed her hands onto the table. She learned forward towards Konpeito. "It's driving me insane! I have tried to put it out of my mind, but it won't leave. What did you mean yesterday, and today, when you said you had them touch up one of your tattoos?"

"You mean my Vegvisir?" Konpeito asked.

"Yes," Knightstar nodded. "I'm not familiar with their names. I know the general history and culture of the Norse, but you clearly know more than I do."

Konpeito shrugged before explaining it. "The Vegvisir is known as the pathfinder tattoo and it’s a good luck charm to ensure you always know where to go. Technically it's later Icelandic, but they all are direct descendants of the Vikings because of the natural constraints the ocean puts on the small island. They've carried on much of the earlier iconography to the modern era. My Vegvisir didn't come with my body to SAO, so I had to find someone to fix that and I did.”

"You're a minor," Knightstar stated. "How did you get a tattoo in the real world!"

"Oh, that's what you mean," Konpeito said, rolling her eyes. "Why didn't you say so, silly? It was a present from Maud. She convinced my parents to allow me to get it before I headed to Japan, since I would be on foreign rock, she wanted me to always know the way to go. So they approved and allowed me to get it. All of the Pie sisters have them now, to keep us connected. Wasn't that sweet of Maud?"

"No!" Diemond exclaimed. "While the sentiment is sweet, tattoos are ugly!"

"But have you seen it on Pinkie?" Konpeito asked

"What?" Diemond asked.

"Exactly!" Konpeito exclaimed. "Up until yesterday, you didn't even have a hint that I had it. If you know what you're doing, you can easily conceal a tattoo, even one as large as a Vegvisir. Not all of them have to be blatantly displayed. You can be a complete lady wearing the latest fashion and still have a tattoo if you plan right. That was a stipulation my parents had and Maud didn't want the tattoos to ruin any of the Pie Sisters in the wedding dress."

Diemond didn't have a response back to that.

"Wait," Thunderborne said. "Maud is getting married? To who?"

"Not yet, silly," Konpeito laughed. "For the future. It’s a family wedding dress, worn by generations of Pie women. Well, actually, the Pie side is from my father. My mother was a MacDougall. It’s her side of the family’s wedding dress. She was the only daughter to her mother, a Fitzgerald, was an only daughter to her mother, an O'Neill, who was also an only daughter, a Murphy, so it's been passed on down the line to us Pie girls. That's also where the Danish Viking blood comes from, but that isn't a topic openly talked about. The point is, that's where my Viking blood came from, as well as the wedding dress."

"If you're staying with the style, you need to consider braiding your hair," Knightstar added.

"I hadn't thought about that," Konpeito admitted. "But you're right and I like the idea. I know several of their braided hairstyles. Some like look good, but its a question of taming my curls. Any other suggestions?"

"Well...I hesitate to suggest it," Knightstar said before pausing. She glanced at Malus and then Bladescape. "Well, along with the braids, blonde hair would be more genetically accurate to the Vikings."

"Yes and no," Konpeito replied. "While the stereotype is blond, they did have red hair, particularly in the area around Denmark and western range of the Norse. It's the northern range, mostly in Sweden, where they were predominantly blond. I'm not sure why the stereotype is that only redheads come from the six Celtic regions: Brittany, Cornwall, Ireland, Isle of Man, Scotland, and Wales. I'll stick with the red hair."

"I gladly stand corrected and a bit relieved," Knightstar said. "I wasn't sure if you would look good as a blonde."

"I'm too Celtic to be blonde," Konpeito laughed.

"I hope this isn't a bad question to ask," Diemond prefaced. "What cape are you now wearing? If you're willing to share that is."

"Huh? Oh! Right," Konpeito exclaimed. "It's the Mantle of Hati. I'm not sure how Hati is a relevant boss drop, but Hati is the wolf that chases the moon in the Norse mythology and is the child of Fenrir, which was another name for the boss' first name before it transformed." Konpeito shrugged. "Eh, I shouldn't think too hard about it considering how they clearly twisted the myths. The cape's got great defensive stats, gives me night vision, buffs my agility, and looks awesome."

"That's a sweet drop," Natora said.

"I'm glad you got it over certain others," Bladescape added.

"Your time will come, Bladescape, when it is right," Konpeito said. "When it does, I know the system is fated to give you something amazing that fits you. It'll probably be the most awesomest boss drop anyone will ever get."

Bladescape stood up. "As much as I have enjoyed this, I'm going to go back to our rented room in Tolbana. I need to grab some things. I'll see everyone in the morning, bright and early."

They all bid her farewell and Bladescape exited the pub. The city was abuzz with activity as players who were not on the front visited the newly opened floor. Most wouldn't leave the safety of the safe zone, but they could have fun exploring the new city.

Bladescape teleported to Tolbana and got to the house. They had continued to rent it because of the low cost and it served mostly as a place to store extra stuff. As she entered, she found the two NPCs packing.

"What's going on?" Bladescape asked.

"We're glad you stopped by," the husband said. "We were going to have to send a runner to look for you. My business is doing well and, with your steady rent, the two of us have decided to move homes. We want a better place to raise our future kids."

"Yes, I'm pregnant," the wife said.

"That is great news," Bladescape said, grinning. "Both of them."

"Before we put it on the market, we wanted to offer you the chance to buy it," the husband said. "At a slightly lower price since you are part of the reason why we have this opportunity."

A screen popped up, offering for Bladescape to buy the house. It gave her the option to either buy it as her own, private property, or for the guild. It wasn't much of a home, but it was a good price and it had a kitchen, plus some decent rooms. Tolbana was far away from the front, the travel time quickly stacked up and they didn’t always have teleport plazas to jump to and from cities, but it was someplace to fall back to. Bladescape was the only one who typically went back, but Konpeito would use the kitchen at times. It was wiser to buy the house for the guild, then they all would have permission to enter and Bladescape wouldn't have to be present to let the others in. Bladescape purchased it for the guild, officially buying them their first property. It would not make a good headquarters and it wasn't impressive property, but it was something at least. They probably wouldn’t make the purchase known publicly, but Lind and Kibaou certainly didn’t own property, nor did their guilds. It was another first for the Wondercolts over the others. That had its own merit and strength.

Bladescape grabbed a few items and prepared to head to the sixth floor. As the leader and face of the Wondercolts, she needed to continue to train, even at the expense of sleep. If she wanted a last attack bonus, she needed to strengthen her game. She needed to be faster, smarter, and more accurate. The only way to beat Kirito's drive would be to match it by mirroring him and training alone. With their fast pushes through each floor, the only time to train was at night when the others were asleep. Bladescape could put a few hours in and still get enough sleep before they hit the ninth floor. Even if she was tired, her levels were well within the safety margin and during the day she was with a team who would be supporting her. She wasn't alone like Kirito was. None of the others knew what she was doing because they would protest. Natora might, but some wouldn’t understand. When she went back to the house in Tolbana to train, it was always under the guise of doing something with storage.

As Bladescape exited the Wondercolts "new" home, she was surprised to see Kirito outside. He was clearly waiting for her.

"Today's battle was another impressive show," Kirito stated. "The Wondercolts are unique and you have a clear edge on the ALS and DKB. They don't have the levels or skills you all have. You're on a different plane when it comes to SAO than they are. A higher one. Can we talk inside, in private?"

"Sure," Bladescape said. She opened the door and let Kirito inside. "I just bought this place tonight. The NPCs renting it to us apparently decided to move and offered the sale to us, before it hit the general market. It's not that great, but it's something. If you could keep that quiet, that would be appreciated."

"Something is better than nothing," Kirito said as he pulled up his menu and materialized an item. It was an iron grey flag with a red castle on it, mounted on a long pole. He offered it to Bladescape. "I’ll keep this place a secret, but I'm here to give you the Flag of Valor. Take it and keep the edge you have. You deserve it and will make good use of it. The Bro Squad isn't a guild and they don't plan to be one. The flag is useless to them."

"Wait," Bladescape said, not taking it. "The Flag of Valor was supposed to stay out of everyone's hands so that no one gained an unfair advantage over the others."

"Kibaou and Lind would not only use it for the boost to their stats, which would help them level up, but they also would use it to recruit,” Kirito explained. "Even if it wasn't useful for new members because of the limited range, it'd make a good recruitment tool to sway others to join their guild over the other. New players coming to the front would want the minor boost the flag might give them.

"Besides, the two of them have an unfair advantage. They may be competing against each other and at odds with each other most of the time, but they also are competing against you. They say the enemy of your enemy is your friend and they are unifying against you. They don't like the Wondercolts having a say in the boss fights. They certainly don't like me being in the fight and, because Asuna is now associated with me, they hate her. She clearly can't join either guild now. Agil and the Bro Squad are not liked either because they helped me get the flag. If they shove you out, like I just overheard them discussing over dinner while I openly ate a few tables away, then they'll be able to shut the rest of us out. None of us are going to leave quietly if they do, so it's best if we don’t let them get to a place to do that.

"Together they outnumber you almost six to one. Not everyone is capable of fighting bosses yet, they have newer members who still need to level up before they are ready to face floor bosses, but it won't be long before they are caught up and can make their planned move against us all. Konpeito scoring the LAB concerned them and impressed Lind. Kibaou hates all Wondercolts because of Natora, but Lind fears your skill and seeing it play out again in your favor is making him second guess their choice to shut you out. He's afraid that, unless the Wondercolts are there, they can't win the battles without taking big losses."

"We need him to believe that," Bladescape said, taking the flag. "It doesn't matter if it's true or not, he needs to believe it is."

Kirito gave a slow nod. "I think that would be the result if we didn’t have you with us. You helped get the flag. You truly deserve it, both now and back then. There have been several times where the balance has been kept by no one having it. Because of the time that has passed and your superior skills and levels, they should not suspect it's in your possession. Unless you spill that secret, you won't come under fire for having it."

"I'll keep it between just me and our two other leaders, Natora and Knightstar," Bladescape assured Kirito.

"Equip it to one of your shortcut menu slots," Kirito advised. "It just needs to be in your inventory to aid you, but that way, if you mass dump junk items, you won't accidentally dump it."

"Thanks for the tip," Bladescape said as she did as he suggested. They had three shortcut menu slots, but Bladescape was not using any yet. Pouches were typically faster for anything she might need in a fight.

"You have a diversified leadership model,” Kirito stated. “Both the ALS and the DKB are single leader models, despite their larger size. You are smart, they are vain."

"Thank you, Black Swordsman," Bladescape said.

"Black Swordsman?" Kirito warily asked.

"It's better than Beater," Bladescape said. "Plus, you're always dressed in black and carry a one-handed longsword, no shield. I guess it would work if you used a two-handed longsword too or a katana, and really most historical swordsmen used shields of some kind, but the one-handed longsword without the shield is an interesting statement to make in Aincrad. Ignoring the fencers who need speed and agility with their rapiers. Kibaou does it simply to look cool, but he's an idiot. You have the skill to back your choice up."

Kirito just gave her a nod back.

"I'm heading out to grind for some XP," Bladescape said. "If I'm to get any sleep, I need to get going."

"I wish they would slow the pace down a bit more," Kirito said with a sigh. "But I have to go do the same thing in order to stay at the top. I'm not going to lose to them."

"Good luck, Black Swordsman," Bladescape said.

Kirito nodded back and they left the house to head their separate ways.

Episode 31 - Kagachi the Samurai Lord

Episode 31 — Kagachi the Samurai Lord
Fifth Day in the Month of Ume (February 5) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 10

The katana was quick. The blue flash was seen after the strike was delivered. Bladescape panted heavily as she watched it play out. She didn't want to be here. Lind and Kibaou's fighting had intensified, so she had to be here to balance them out. Or try to balance them out. More like keep them from tumbling off the cliff. At least that was what it currently felt like. Really, they were already off the cliff and the only reason they hadn't fallen was because she had grabbed them, but it usually felt like they were dangling below her, with Bladescape unable to pull them back up and Kibaou complaining about Bladescape’s lack of strength.

Plus, this boss raid had stopped her from leveling up. She didn't go out training last night in order to get "proper rest." She hadn't really gotten proper rest since this death game had started. Sure, Bladescape didn't technically have to go, Natora could lead the party extremely well, and it didn't technically have to be any of their council leading the party, just the six Wondercolts pledged, but it had become expected of her to be leading them in the boss fights and she was the best at handling Kibaou, who still called Natora “Beater” to her face. Knightstar didn't do boss fights, unless it was an extreme circumstance, which Bladescape hoped to never have to do again. Unlike Natora's spear, Bladescape's sword could function in more roles. Natora couldn't fight certain bosses, at least not well. The advantages of the spear were as sharp as the disadvantages, while the sword basically lacked both advantages and disadvantages, which was its advantage. Bladescape would level up from the boss, but one more level and a higher mastery of two-handed sword would have been a welcomed advantage for this fight and, because she was only six XP away. Plus it would have put her in a better mood.

Kagachi the Samurai Lord was the Floor Boss for floor ten. He was a giant samurai, plain and simple. He was in steel blue armor with maroon and green robes underneath. His eyes glowed red and he had a forked tongue like a snake, along with some other snake iconography subtly sewn into his design, like an arm tattoo. His speed was brutal and so was his accuracy with the Katana he wielded.

The Wondercolts had just been beaten back once again, a testament to the boss' speed and agility. The others were not faring any better than the Wondercolts. Malus could handle the sword's hitting force, but it was easily maneuvered around her shield in subsequent attacks.

Bladescape observed the boss slashing and cutting at the other raiders. It was currently targeting the squads from the Dragon Knights Brigade. It wouldn't be long until it was back for the Wondercolts. She needed an answer before it came back.

The attacks reminded her of something, but she couldn't figure out what. Bladescape ran out of time as the samurai lord pivoted and dashed across the chamber to them. The first strike was blocked by Malus, the second by Diemond, and the third by Konpeito's axe. Bladescape didn't attack, only Natora, Konpeito, and Kiefer landed hits before the boss was gone.

"What happened?" Natora asked Bladescape. "You didn't attack."

"I'm forgetting something," Bladescape said, as she watched the same combination be thrown at the Aincrad Liberation Squad. They didn't do any better than the Wondercolts.

"You ain't usually distracted in a boss fight," Malus pressed.

That was true. Bladescape needed to focus. Trying to figure out what the familiarity was could easily take too long. Unless she used it, but that came with its own risks.

"Can you cover me?" Bladescape asked. "I need a moment to step back and think through everything, so I can hopefully tell us how to defeat it. Give me a shout if it comes back."

"We got your back," Natora said. Malus just silently nodded in response.

Bladescape stepped over the wall, facing it. She was fully exposed without her friends, but with the column beside her, no one could see her pulling out her book of memories. This was the absolute worst time to need to reference what was locked away in her mind, but she had to.

Bladescape opened it to the center and, as expected, it was right where she needed it to be, on the subject that she couldn't yet identify or name. The page covered the Iaido forms. Kagachi the Samurai Lord's attack patterns were using one of the more advanced forms; one Bladescape had never practiced but seen performed several times. It was the form Sugieda Masazumi had tested on during the competition. The book also contained sketches of each move in sequence. That's why it looked familiar. She quickly reviewed all of the forms and then put it away before she turned back to the boss fight.

Kagachi the Samurai Lord was focused on the DKB again. Agil's squad — which was made up of the bro squad, Kirito, and Asuna — had been the previous target and they had taken another beating. Kirito was as good as he always was, but he had never faced Kagachi the Samurai Lord in the beta. He hadn't made it this far up Aincrad. Kirito's time knowing things from the beta was basically over.

"Wait here," Bladescape told her friends. She strode out into the middle of the chamber and set up. Bladescape actually knelt down on the floor and composed herself as she sat there. It gave her a moment to focus her mind on the task at hand, to sharpen it like a blade. Her claymore was at her left hip, facing backwards. It was the starting position for Iaido, just lacking a sheath and using a longer, straight blade, which didn't matter since she wasn't going to do a quick draw like Iaido's opening move was. It was modified to work with what she had. The boss' attack might have been based in Iaido, but Bladescape had been training in the art.

Kagachi noticed an exposed Bladescape and abandoned the beat down it was delivering. It charged her, only needing a few long strides to bridge the distance between them. Bladescape held her position. The sword flashed at her but she knew what was coming. She calmly responded, stepping up onto her right foot and left knee and she "drew" her claymore. Virtual steel met virtual steel as their swords collided. The follow up came and Bladescape blocked it too as she came up onto both feet. The third was easy to block as well, now that she knew the attack patterns. Bladescape retaliated with a slash at its leg, above the greave where there was no armor. It roared in pain and retaliated.

Bladescape came out of the delay in time to dive into a roll and escape. The sword came again, too fast for her lower agility stats, and she ungracefully skipped backwards. She narrowly avoided the deadly sword, but her feet didn't catch her. She landed, hard, splayed out on her back. The sword came a third time, but Malus was there, saving Bladescape with no time to spare. The Samurai Lord didn't want to keep fighting her as the rest of the Wondercolts arrived with a newfound fury, delivering four solid hits. It bolted away in search of easier prey. Diamond helped Bladescape up while Natora led the others in creating a defensive screen.

"What in tarnation was that‽" Malus asked. It was really a demand. “Other than stupid.”

"That was a test," Bladescape explained. "It's using Iaido forms for its sword combinations. I had to take a moment to remember them. It's been a while and the advanced forms I have only observed."

"So does that mean you know how to kill it?" Natora asked.

"It means I know how to fight it," Bladescape said. "Really more like counter it. I don't see a weakness, even with this revelation. I can block his sword better than any shield, not only because I know what is coming, but because my sword is a more flexible tool that can mirror his speed. You five will have to hit him for me."

Malus always enjoyed being able to hit things; the same with Diemond and Reisenki. Far too often their tanks ended up playing heavily on the role, becoming purely defensive elements for their damage dealers. They were relied upon more than Bladescape wanted, but they couldn't help it. All attempts to break free from that rut had failed. Not that the three of them would ever complain about it. They had willingly chosen the roles and everyone knew how crucial they were for their small team. It paid off in non-monetary ways. They also enjoyed it, even when it meant not scoring any hits.

They set their line, with Bladescape in the center and forward a few paces to ensure she was targeted by the boss. Her immediate flanks were covered by Malus and Diemond. Kiefer and Konpeito were on the wide flanks, but Natora was in the center, behind the tanks, ready to shift her spear's reach advantage to wherever it was needed.

They appeared to be the only ones to have adapted to the boss' speed. Not that the others were necessarily behind. The speed of Kagachi the Samurai Lord had been understated. It had the highest quickness stats out of any of the bosses seen so far, but none of them had truly grasped what that meant. None of the beta testers had made it this high in the beta, meaning the assault team was blind from here on out.

The Samurai Lord came at them again. This time the result was completely different. Bladescape blocked each strike, the others landed their hits as the two of them danced and spun in the dance of a sword duel. He didn't give up, immediately coming again and Malus blocked his sword. Bladescape instinctively struck at the opening, her claymore finding its heart and knocking it back, into the same wall and pillar where she had uncovered the boss' secret in her book of memories. It hissed a screech, its snake tongue flicking out in protest as it stood back up.

Kagachi was down two of four health bars. The Wondercolts had done some serious damage, although the others had knocked plenty off as they were pulverized. Or better put, Malus' and Diemond's armor crushing hammer and mace had done serious damage to the armored boss. Its left arm glowed as the white tattoo that was wrapped around it came to life. It was a snake, including the head, and it was also a whip. A powerful, big, and fast whip. Bladescape was the first target, but Malus had been beside her. The impact nearly knocked her off her feet as she deflected it into the ceiling. The whip came again, slamming into Diemond and tossing her back. Natora barely managed to avoid getting tangled up in that catastrophe. She rushed after Diemond to assist her in getting back on her feet and with any healing needs. Her HP was now in the red from the single hit.

Konpeito was unable to avoid the whip and was similarly tossed; although she somehow managed to control her final moments in the air, flipping around to land like a cat. Kagachi the Samurai Lord screeched, either in victory or in anger at her successful landing strategy. Their sugary viking friend roared her own challenge back, thunderously proclaiming their motto, "MO GHILE MEAR!" Kagachi fended off the Wondercolts with a quick attack of its sword as it retracted the snake whip, only to immediately cast it again at Konpeito before she could rejoin the fight. The fangs sunk into her as the snake made sure to fling her to the far wall and pin her there. She teleported out, an action that absolutely saved her life, but also left them a raider down. Still, it was better than losing their friend and no one was going to say anything. She was hardly the first to teleport out in this fight and she had absolutely done her best and distracted the boss. While the boss tried to permanently eliminate Konpeito, Kiefer and Bladescape scored hits, as well as Kirito, Asuna, and Agil. The rest of the Bro Squad was in defensive positions, ready to block.

They were there just in time as Kagachi turned back to them. They had to avoid the whip coming back to his arm, but the real threat was still his sword and speed. At least for them. The others were farther away and had to be careful as it was whipped around, intent on crushing them with its immense mass.

Natora and Diemond rejoined the front line as they once again dealt with the sword. Kirito blocked one strike and Bladescape blocked two separate attacks, while the shield bearers handled the others. Their damage dealers didn't miss the opportunity presented to them, unleashing the best they could with minimal delay penalties. The boss was nearing the red.

It didn't take long to push him there, where he entered his final rage mode. The whip disappeared as a second blade, a smaller wakizashi, materialized in its left hand in a brilliant flash of blue-white light. The speed of both swords was even faster than the previous phase. It was insane. They had just enough shields to handle the initial onslaught. The two swords also didn't hit as hard as the whip, relying on their speed and agility, along with Kagachi's immense speed. That wasn't factoring in the explosive blue lightning that came with many of the sword strikes. Diemond and the rest of the Bro Squad were forced to fall back to a safe distance to heal.

Bladescape charged the Samurai Lord when the opportunity presented itself. The wakizashi was not the only new threat. As she charged, it swiped its wakizashi downward through the air, sending forth a vertical wave of energy careening towards her. An immediate follow up horizontal slash with its katana combined them into a disjointed cross. Bladescape spun to the side, easily avoiding the attack. The horizontal slash was right there. She instinctively flipped like Thunderborne or Natora would do in combat, getting over the radiating attack, before rushing the last bit of the way to Kagachi.

He was hers. His health was low enough to finish this fight. Bladescape blocked the swords again and again. Despite the boosted speed of its enraged state, Bladescape was just fast enough to counter. The third strike came and she blocked it. The same with the fourth and fifth. Then the Samurai Lord was in a delay and Bladescape launched her attack. The four hit combo was paired with a five hit combo. It carved off the HP, reducing the red to nothing.

Yet Kagachi the Samurai Lord still stood and Bladescape was in her own delay, one made worse by the chained skill. She realized there was a tiny sliver of Red HP left. It was barely noticeable, but it was there. He wasn't dead or defeated. If she had that extra level, put in the work the night before, she would have been able to pull it off. The Last Attack Bonus would have been hers in that attack. Now she just had to hope to be released from the delay before it was or she would reap its wrath. The giant Samurai came out of its delay, immediately swiping its katana at her to deliver that wrath.

The wrath never landed as the boss fractured into polygons. But it wasn't Kirito that Bladescape saw through their glittering cloud. Not this time. It was Asuna. She was faster than Kirito, who came sliding to a stop beside her. Asuna had probably used a charging skill to launch herself across the distance, into the lunge. As frustrated as Bladescape was over her own failure, yet again, it was good to see the LAB go to someone else who was worthy of getting it. Kirito often deserved them, but he had snagged most of them, including the field bosses. It was absolutely Asuna's turn, likely her first, especially since she had saved Bladescape's life.

Bladescape was released from the delay and immediately bowed to Asuna in recognition of her actions. Asuna bowed back, accepting the gesture, but not as low as Bladescape went.

"Well done, Bladescape," Asuna said. "Once again, the Wondercolts proved to be the solution or main force in a boss raid. Seeing you block the sword as you did, well it was impressive. You did better than Kirito at that."

Her words deserved a proper reply, not just a bow. Before she had just come out of the fight. Now she had no excuse.

"Thank you, Asuna," Bladescape replied, slightly bowing. "For both the compliments and the timing of your sword." Bladescape quickly glanced at the boys to check on them. Lind had the DKB on one side, huddled together, and Kibaou had the ALS assembled on the other. They were both taking a head count to see who was left. "The boys are clueless, reckless, and far too often in the way, yet we need bodies to distract the boss. It's easier to criticize them when they don't lose anyone. With the boys being the boys, I must say that it's good to have you, Kirito, and the Bro Squad having our backs in the raids"

"Nearly a dozen teleported out," Kirito added. "And there were at least two deaths. One from each of their guilds."

That was tough to hear, but it wasn't the fault of the Wondercolts or Agil's party.

The Wondercolts had discussed their next move, publicly, to be deployed when it was good opportunity. It had unanimous council support, but that wasn't good enough. Still, it didn't take long for them to make their case to the others and for the vote to pass unanimously among the rest.

"Asuna, I'm not trying to snipe you," Bladescape prefaced. "I know you are having fun and doing incredibly important things to advance our effort, and I don't mean to put any extra pressure on you; in fact I hope to relieve some potential worries you might have. If there ever comes the day where, for your safety, you need a guild that will have your back, you are welcome to join us. Kirito too. I'm sure we could work out a way to support you and help you safely advance, without sacrificing what makes both of you, you; what makes you so effective. We're concerned that soloing won't be a viable strategy later on. So the offer comes now, but it's a standing one. You don't have to accept it, ever. If you need to, view it as proof that you're doing exactly what we need you to do."

Kirito's eyebrow raised at the statement, but he kept his mouth shut. Asuna bowed to Bladescape. "I will keep that in mind," she said. "I don't know what the future holds, but it's nice to know I have a place to go if need be. Lind and Kibaou have made it clear I'm not welcome and neither is Kirito. Thank you for the encouraging words. We might be solo players partied up, but we still are solo. You have an understanding, an empathy, about what we do. Your guild is kind, generous, beautiful, brave, loyal, strong, honest, and brings about hope in a unique way that is, for lack of a better word, magical. I've seen and heard about your exploits off the field. You do much more than players realize to advance the front and keep the intermediate players ready for whenever we are able to open up because of the clearing effort."

"If you wish to join us for our post raid toast, you are welcome to," Bladescape added. "Both of you. You deserve it."

"I think we will pass," Asuna said. "But the offer is very appreciated."

Bladescape could tell the offer for drinks made Kirito nervous. She wasn't sure why, but it did. He was a guy who approached you, not the other way around. Asuna caught it too, which was likely why she declined. Bladescape could respect that choice, but she had to ensure they knew what they needed to. She felt confident that both Asuna and Kirito understood their value in more than just being strong players under the Wondercolts' banner.

For now, the Wondercolts had to look forward. They needed to reconvene with the others, for more than their usual toast and celebration, especially after becoming separated from Konpeito. After losing another two players, it would be another somber celebration. There was nothing they could do about that except honor the dead while doing their best to look forward and rectify any errors that resulted in their deaths.

BLADESCAPE: Level 28 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid
NATORA: Level 26 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 26 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid
MALUS: Level 26 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry
THUNDERBORNE: Level 26 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor
KONPEITO: Level 26 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid
DIEMOND: Level 26 — Mace — Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid
DOOMBUNNY: Level 26 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid
KIEFER: Level 24 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid
SORYUTO: Level 24 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid
REISENKI: Level 24 — One-Handed Axe — Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair

Episode 32 - New Wondercolt

Episode 32 — New Wondercolt
Thirty-First Day in the Month of Willow (March 31) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 25 — Mid Afternoon

Floor 25 was a nightmare unlike any other floor. It was a maze with pitfalls and traps that were either directly poisoned or led to poisonous swamps. It took them double the time to clear it, and that was not counting the boss labyrinth. A lot of clearers had died. They were almost a fourth of the way through conquering Aincrad. That was an accomplishment that should have been celebrated, but everyone was exhausted. Kibaou was relentless and his aggressiveness was forcing everyone to keep up or be left behind. Falling behind would mean the player would not be let back into their little clearing club.

The Wondercolts had progressed well, all things considered. No one knew they had the Flag of Valor, outside of Bladescape, Natora, Knightstar, and Kirito. The flag had proven useful, mostly because at eleven members, they all were usually in the range of the flag to receive the bonuses, especially when tackling a dungeon as a guild.

They were currently working their way through a rainforest with poisoned rivers for a quest. They were in search of a snake, the Ruby Krait, in order to retrieve the venom. It was a highly dangerous kill quest, but killing one would drop a vial of venom, which is what they needed so a local herbalist could make a remedy to save the lives of people bitten. They needed the larger, more aggressive, and more elusive female because the male's venom was significantly weaker.

The easiest way to tell the male from the female apart was the stripes. The male was a slim, iron grey to black snake with narrow red crossbands. The female was bright red with black crossbands, the crossbands being of the same size, and a solid red ventricle. Both the male and female elapids had black heads with a red arrowhead-like marking on it and red lips. It favored the water and the females made their nests in the mud around the poisonous backwaters of the rainforest area of the floor. They were well concealed and at least one clearer had stepped on or too close to a nest and lost their life to the protective snake.

The Wondercolts all had an anti-poison crystal in hand in case the worst happened. They would have only a few seconds to administer it while also dealing with the snake. They were in two teams of four and a team of three to be safe. Bladescape was leading Doombunny and Knightstar. Natora was leading Diemond, Reisenki, and Konpeito. Thunderborne had Kiefer, Soryuto, and Malus.

Bladescape slowly approached the water's edge, looking for a flash of red anywhere in the dark rainforest floor. That was the best indication of a nest. They often guarded their nests from the water, but seeing the red through the green film on the water was not easy.

“I can’t see any signs of life,” Bladescape reported. “Just yucky water and a ground of rotting leaves.”

“This is a very dangerous quest,” Knightstar said. “The longer we search, the higher our risk. Many others have abandoned it. We have put in two hours. I think we should consider that option. We haven’t even seen one of the male snakes.”

“I understand the risks,” Bladescape replied with a sigh. “I’m not ready to call it quits just yet. Call it a hunch. That reward-"

"It's cash!" Knightstar exclaimed. "We are well ahead in levels and in good financial standing. We don't need it and we are not trying to get it ahead of Lind of Kibaou. We should be in the labyrinth, clearing it and mapping it so that we can find the boss, beat it, and move on past this hellish floor."

"Hellish?" Bladescape asked. "You chose that word?"

Knightstar sighed. "I know, there probably will be a fire and brimstone floor. It's a common motif in many cultures, stories, and games. Poisonous, nightmare, call it whatever you want. It's not fun. Not because it's challenging, challenging would be a welcomed relief since the entire floor is trying to kill us! And yet, we are out here, seeking out the most poisonous snake in all of Aincrad to kill for a quest. This is more idiotic than it is reckless. At least with reckless actions, you usually have a moment of euphoria before it all comes crashing down."

Knightstar let out a growl of frustration. "I didn't push it earlier, but why aren't we in the labyrinth! You and Natora seemed to have made an agreement this morning so I didn't push it. I see I should have. I am the third councilor for a reason."

Bladescape let out a sigh. Knightstar clearly wasn't going to allow her to deflect the question. "We didn't make an arrangement. If there was an arrangement, we would have discussed one as a full council. Yesterday, while clearing, you were in Natora's party and my party was behind you. I looked down a side passageway through the trees, and saw a group of players. They were not ALS or DKB. We have had a slowly increasing number of smaller guilds getting to the front. They had seen us and were clearly unable to proceed along their current path. They came down the passageway towards me. They thought it was safe. It looked safe. The only reason we didn't go down it was because your party was drawn into an engagement. The floor just was suddenly gone and so were they. Some polygons flittered out of the hole, confirming the worst. It was another poisonous pitfall. I can't go back in there today. Not until we know exactly where we need to go for the boss raid."

Knightstar stood there in stunned silence. They had all heard the reports and rumors, but her face spelled out just how unprepared she was to hear an account she trusted. And she didn't have to live with the memory of it.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Knightstar asked. "We could have helped you…somehow, cope. I know you speak with Natora a lot-"

"I never told her," Bladescape stated, cutting off Knightstar. "As far as I know, I am the only one who saw it happen. I barely trust my eyes over it. Natora clearly didn't want to go in either, but I don't know why. This floor is far worse than we ever could have imagined. It's not just more difficult, it's exponentially more difficult. I'm more afraid of it than I am of fighting the floor boss. I'd rather be out here, on a less dangerous quest, wasting time yet saving face by appearing like we are progressing the front line. I don't think Lind would say anything, he is pretty beat, but Kibaou is still raging. He's looking for a reason to boot us. Still."

"Okay, I get it," Knightstar said. "I wish I had known. We could have done something to help."

"If I knew what I needed, besides getting through this awful floor, I would have spoken up," Bladescape replied. "I'm tired. I need a good rest. I need Kibaou to stop yelling at everyone and driving us at this pace. None of you can give me that."

"I'm sorry," Knightstar said. "I don't know what else-"

She stopped as Bladescape put her hand up. "I know, Knightstar, I know. I don't blame anyone. It's the facts of this floor, that's all. Maybe we should call it quits and rest up in a pub somewhere."

"I think Lind is rational enough to not kick us out for that," Knightstar replied. "Let's get the others. Maybe on the way back we will get lucky. At least this place isn't a dungeon and we can send messages."

"Question," Bladescape said. "Where is Doom?"

Knightstar started to panic and Bladescape let out a sigh. Rushing around blindly in search of their friend was liable to get them killed because of the environmental hazards. Even though Bladescape had lost track of her, which didn't really mean anything even with her circlet given how advanced Doombunny's Hide skill had gotten. Doombunny's HP gauge was still full in Bladescape's vision. She was, for the time being, alive and likely safe... ish. Safeish. Bladescape had been focusing on the water and monitoring her passive Search range, which she had brought in for the higher clarity of detail, looking for nests when she last saw her. Without Search there were enough trees around, most with massive trunks, that it would have been difficult to see any decent length. She could be only a few dozen feet away, yet out of sight.

Knightstar called out for her. There was no response. Bladescape widened up her Search field. If Doombunny wasn't cloaking herself with hide, she should be able to pick her up with the skill.

Multiple warnings came from the south, where there were a host of monsters converging on a single spot. Knightstar understood the look Bladescape shot her and they rushed off towards there. They had to zig-zag around a few big trees, but they saw Doombunny was only a few feet away. It calmed their racing hearts, a bit.

Doombunny was bent down, knees tucked into her chest as she examined something. While they couldn't actually get dirty if they knelt in this wet muck that was the forest floor, it was difficult to break from years of habit, especially when the ground looked like it was icky. What she was looking at was not clear because her back was to them.

"Where are the monsters?" Knightstar asked. "That look said monsters."

"I don't know," Bladescape said as she drew her sword. "But they are all around us."

"No, they are not," Doombunny softly said, still focused on what she was examining. She sounded very much like calm, sweetheart Fluttershy, not the game-clearing, dagger wielding and throwing Doombunny who was firm and oftentimes cold. "Well, not exactly. Sword Art Online is so full of life. Aincrad has its own eco systems on each floor, sometimes multiple micro-ecosystems on each floor, like this rainforest. I know there are a lot of issues on this one, I’m not blind to them, but the details are marvelous. There is so much life, variety, and beauty to it all. While most small insects are not present like flies and crickets, we can still hear their sounds as if they were. We skim over the marvels, content to keep ourselves blind to those facts because it would slow many people down. They wouldn't fight to leave if they understood the true marvel that is Aincrad.

“Don’t get me wrong, I still desperately want to go home to Angel and my other animal friends, I’ll fight my way free to see them again, but I also want to understand the marvel that is this existence. There was so much energy and effort put into making this virtual world real. Real enough that people could substitute it, to live entirely in it. I don't understand the motivation behind Kayaba's actions, but I want to. They seem at odds with the beautiful creation that is Aincrad."

"Okay," Bladescape said, still searching for the snakes. "We can have that philosophical debate when we are someplace safe. Whatever they are, there are monsters all around us. Likely the snakes. We’re giving up on the quest and need to leave before we get hurt."

"They won't hurt us," Doombunny said. "The villagers were wrong. I don't think they did it intentionally, I simply think they didn’t know any better. The Ruby Krait doesn't live on the ground or in the water. It’s an arboreal snake and it gives birth to live young. It doesn't nest, at least not traditionally. They mate in the trees and the chosen male stays with the female until the babies are born. The pregnant females, in the last month or so, can’t move very well, so she leaves the safety of the trees and digs a birthing pit. The male provides defense of the pit and brings food, usually strangled like a constrictor, for their mate. Once the young are born, the male and female separate, heading back into the trees. The young go into the shallow backwaters and creeks until they are big enough to move across the wide branches of the trees. The shallow water is safer for them than the land and also has ample fish of all sizes for a food source."

"Okay," Knightstar said. "How does any of that help us?"

"For one, you can put away your swords," Doombunny said. "It's scaring them. They only attack to defend themselves. Most people who get bitten are unaware of their surroundings and the danger they pose to the snakes, prompting the attack only when there is no other way to deter the threat. Please trust me on this."

"Fine," Bladescape said, sheathing her sword as she scanned the above trees for signs of the snakes. Game names aside, Fluttershy was the animal expert. She clearly knew something they didn’t. "I hope you know what you are doing."

"I do," Doombunny sweetly replied.

Bladescape saw a flash of red as a snake slithered down the trunk of a tree from the upper branches. It was coiled around the trunk in order to control its descent. Bladescape started to see others descending down every tree trunk, often multiple snakes on each trunk.

"They are coming down," Bladescape warned Doombunny. "We need to go while it is still safe."

"They are just the males, protecting their prized queen," Doombunny replied.

"Queen?" Knightstar asked. "I wasn't aware that any reptile had a monarchical structure."

"Matriarch then," Doombunny said. "Either way, they pose no danger to us unless we threaten them."

"Have I ever mentioned my extreme dislike of snakes?" Knightstar asked as she intently watched the horde above them. They had stopped descending, but the warning the snakes were expressing was clear.

"No, you haven’t," Doombunny replied as she stood up. She turned to face them and held up a small vial. "I have the venom. We can get it to the herbalist for the reward and more importantly, to save the people of the town. Quest complete."

"Where did you get that from?" Bladescape asked.

"From my wonderful helper," Doombunny said, stepping to the side. A red snake with a black head and red and black banding along its body was coiled on the ground. It was huge, easily six feet long. The snake's head was up, like a Cobra, but it didn't fan out like a cobra. In its alert state, the red lips, red eyes, and red stripe down the center of its arrow-like head clearly stood out. The red ventricle underbelly was also plainly visible. There was no doubt that it was a female Ruby Krait. It flicked a black tongue out, tasting the air.

"She was very helpful and a very good patient," Doombunny praised. "Letting me extract the venom without harming her. She was more than happy to help us. They don't want to harm the townsfolk, or players, but they hurt the poor snakes on sight and often crash onto a birthing pit because they are not watching where they are stepping. Their feet kill or maim many snakes, both mothers and the unborn babies."

That was more information than Bladescape cared about, but she wasn't going to skip out of the normal pleasantries. Not when they had an audience of venomous snakes ready to drop onto their heads. "Okay, well, good job Doom and thank you, Miss Snake. We appreciate your help."

Doombunny looked at the snake and then back at Bladescape. "Also, she wants to help."

"She did," Bladescape said. "We are thankful for it."

"We mean more," Doombunny clarified. "She wants to join us and help us free ourselves from Aincrad."

"Like, can she?" Knightstar asked. "She is a snake. Is she capable of doing that?"

"Why wouldn't she be?" Doombunny asked. "Any tamable monster is able to take a master and help them."

"No offense," Bladescape said. "But I believe you can only have one familiar. Are you sure you want a snake? Couldn't we find you something else? Something…better?"

"No, we can't!" Doombunny curtly replied. "You all keep killing everything that might make a good companion before I even get a chance. This is the first one I have gotten to talk with because you couldn't find them to kill first. Besides, I think she will make a great partner. She has a lot to offer us."

"Doesn't she want to do snake things?" Knightstar asked. She didn't want to decline the help, but she had stated that she didn't like snakes.

"She is a matriarch," Doombunny explained. "She can no longer produce offspring. Few live as long as she has because of how they are hunted. The ruby krait has a limited ability to reproduce, for both male and female. Once they no longer can, they have nothing pressing to consider. They can enjoy life in the trees or whatever finds their fancy. She wants to help us."

"You clean up after it and care for it," Bladescape stated. An animal familiar would likely do wonders for Doombunny's mental health. "So if you are willing to accept that responsibility, then yes."

"It's not a dog and I'm not a kid," Doombunny growled. "I've cared for plenty of animals. More than you have. I'm responsible."

"Then let's go," Bladescape said. "Before we accidentally clash with the snakes."

Bladescape started heading back to the city. She could see plenty more snakes had readied themselves in the trees behind them. Many were just above head height, ready to react or uncoil themselves from the trees to strike. They let them pass without incident.

Bladescape sent messages to the others to regroup, adding that their mission was successful. It was; just not in the way they had expected. All that mattered was that they could complete the quest.

They all met up at the end of the path which would safely lead them out of the rainforest and to the town. The others had gotten there first.

"So you found one and killed it," Malus said. "We didn't see any. Boys or girls, they both eluded us."

"Not exactly," Bladescape said. "They live high up in the trees. Thank Doombunny for speaking with one and getting the venom. Also, it wanted to join us and our cause. I let it."

"Wait, what!" Diemond interjected. "We have a snake joining us?"

"Her name is Colorra," Doombunny firmly defended. The snake coiled itself around Doombunny's feet and "stood up." It bobbed its head in greeting. "She found our cause worthy of her time and possibly her life."

"Are you saying you tamed it?" Natora asked, trying to clarify the situation.

"Sort of," Doombunny replied. "It's not like I could tame anything else with all of the killing we do. You all rush to violence too quickly for me to speak to anything. The only reason we got to talk was because she followed us, watching from above, interested in what we were doing because she noticed how careful we were when it came to watching where we put our feet. I heard her and answered her, that’s how we got to speaking. She is my responsibility, but it was her choice and our agreement. Taming implies that I asserted my will over her somehow. That's not what happened."

"Okay, I concede that difference," Natora said. "Do you have the skill for it?"

"It shows up on my menu," Doombunny replied. "It's a red icon with a black snake. The menu lists it as ‘Familiar Cooperation.’ I can't remove it and no, I didn't have a free slot."

"Well, that's interesting," Natora said. "First Konpeito, now you, but I'm hardly the person to judge the situation. I know very little about the skill, either skill. Few people do. Both of your skills might be how the system adapts the player. How can you maintain a familiar without a skill? So maybe it adds one?"

"Just call it beast taming," Bladescape said. "Right or wrong, that is what the others will understand. We don’t need them to know Doom and Colorra, we need them to understand what the two of them can do together. Also, unless we learn otherwise, I’d rather not expose the fact that it was automatically added to your active skills and is a different color. That might get used against us, unfairly."

"Colorra can accept that logic," Doombunny declared. "It is fair so long as you recognize her independence and willingness to join our fight."

"That sounds weird, but okay," Thunderborne said. "We could really use the help, but um, how exactly will she help?"

"Her venomous bite and agility makes her a powerful fighter," Doombunny explained. "That will come in handy against many creatures. So long as she can sink her fangs into it, it will succumb to her toxic bite. She is confident that for many of the others she can squeeze them until they pop, like how a constrictor snake kills its prey. It won't be as powerful as a constrictor, but a life of living in the trees has meant a body full of strong muscles."

"That will be useful," Malus said.

"No offense," Thunderborne prefaced. "But why that name? It's a red and black snake. Wouldn't Ruby or Crimson make more sense?"

"Or cinnabar," Knightstar added. "That's red and highly toxic."

"Colorra tells me that her scales are two dimensional," Doombunny explained. "The base colors are what you mainly see. She also secretes a clear overcoat which helps add friction to her body for climbing. That coating shimmers in the sunlight, displaying a rainbow of colors, not just the red and black. When we get back to town, out from under the trees, you will see it."

"Speaking of that, I want to rest," Bladescape said. "It's still early enough that we can finish the quest, get the reward, and call it quits for the day, allowing us to get some decent sleep. They will probably find the boss room today or tomorrow.”

BLADESCAPE: Level 37 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration
NATORA: Level 35 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 35 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration
MALUS: Level 35 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration
THUNDERBORNE: Level 35 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid
KONPEITO: Level 35 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration
DIEMOND: Level 35 — Mace — Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration
DOOMBUNNY: Level 35 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation
KIEFER: Level 32 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana
SORYUTO: Level 32 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration
REISENKI: Level 32 — One-Handed Axe — Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid

Episode 33 - Rescue Operation

Episode 33 — Rescue Operation
Thirty-First Day in the Month of Willow (March 31) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 25 — Early Evening

Back in town their first priority was to head to the herbalist’s shop to complete the quest. He was at the center of town, next to the teleport plaza. It would be a good place to stock up on potions and crystals, if he had any.

They were about to enter the shop when Bladescape heard her name called. It was a familiar voice, albeit an unexpected one. Bladescape turned to see Lind with what looked like most of the Dragon Knights Brigade. He had never spoken to her outside of raids and strategy meetings.

“Hello, Lind,” Bladescape replied. “Did you need something?”

“Not really,” Lind said with a shrug. “We haven’t seen you in a few days, so I’m glad to see you all alive and well. Too many players have disappeared. Whole parties have vanished."

“I know,” Bladescape said, unable to avoid a sigh. “I witnessed it myself, yesterday, in the Labyrinth.”

“So you have been in there,” Lind replied.

“We took a break from it today,” Bladescape admitted. “We did a quest today instead, but we have been in the Labyrinth. The faster we get off this floor, the better.”

“The snake poison one from the herbalist you were about to enter?” Lind asked.

“Yep,” Bladescape nodded.

“Some of us tried it a few days ago, but never saw any snakes,” Lind admitted. “Congratulations. It’s the highest col reward for a quest by a wide margin. I have no doubt it was well earned.”

“It was an interesting experience,” Bladescape replied, intentionally being vague. She wasn't going to give away more than necessary. “Thank you. Are you coming or going to the Labyrinth?”

“Just reorganizing,” Lind explained. “I was in the labyrinth with about half of us. Others were leveling or doing some other things. We are all tired and stressed from the unusual factors of this floor. We will get a fresh start in the morning.”

“That’s basically our plan,” Bladescape admitted with a reassuring nod. “I fully understand.”

Bladescape and Lind both saw it happen in their peripheral vision. A flash of blue as a player teleported into the city, immediately falling to ground. That indicated that it was a very hasty emergency teleport. They rushed over to help him. He was in Aincrad Liberation Squad colors. Bladescape had seen him with Kibaou over the last several floors, including a boss fight or two. He was an experienced enough player.

Before they could help him up he lunged upward, latching onto their chests. The terror in his eyes was evident. “They're all going to be slaughtered!” he screamed.

Bladescape grabbed his shoulder so that he didn’t drag her down. “What do you mean?”

“We had intel about the boss,” he explained. “Kibaou paid good money for it. It’s no good. We found it and rushed the boss. Kibaou thought we could take him on ourselves. That giant is tearing them apart!”

Bladescape’s heart stopped. There were about forty players in the ALS. It was a little light for a boss raid, numbers wise, but it shouldn’t be tearing them apart. Not enough where someone was claiming they were all going to die. Then again, everything on Floor Twenty-Five was significantly harder.

“Why don’t they teleport out?” Lind asked, trying to help keep the desperate man from keeling over and pulling them down with him.

“I was the only one in my squad who had one left,” he stated. “We’ve used our limited number up trying to clear the labyrinth. Fleeing the boss fight means Kibaou’s going to kick me out, but I value my life more.”

He was still clutching desperately to them and was basically dead weight as Bladescape and Lind tried to hold him up. Bladescape yanked him face to face with her. “You have the map data to get there?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“Give me it,” Bladescape growled. Bladescape glanced back at Natora. “Natora, raid the herbalist’s shop for potions and crystals!”

Lind sent one of his own to also help buy out the stock. The commotion had attracted a large crowd. Lind and Bladescape eased the man down so that he was sitting on the ground and he finally let go of them. His hand was shaking terribly as he tried to open his menu. He finally swiped it open and, after several failed attempts, shared the map data with them.

“Are you really going to save them?” He asked, clearly not having any hope about it.

“We don’t let players die,” Bladescape replied. She knew her tone was sharp and hoped he could tell it wasn’t directed at him. “Even if we have our differences, well that's not a reason to abandon them because we all fight for the same goal. I’ll knock Kibaou around with my fists for it when we get him back to the safety of a city.”

“We’ll make him accountable for his rash actions,” Lind added. “But he has to be alive to do that.”

“Now hold on, just one moment y’all,” Malus said. “Are y’all seriously sayin that we’re gonna go chargin in after Kibaou, after he charged in and is eating crows for it?”

Bladescape locked eyes with Lind. He was clearly tired, but his tired eyes had the same fire in them as she had in her heart. He wasn’t wavering either.

“Yes,” Bladescape stated. She knew she wasn’t just answering Malus, but addressing the entire crowd which had gathered. Even with their backs to the crowd because of the man, her command of the situation had to be clear. “We’re going to rescue the Aincrad Liberation Squad! Either we all make it out or we kill the boss, but the goal is to give them the aid they need to get out! This is a rescue operation, plain and simple, and to successfully rescue them, we are going to need every player available to join us. Those who can’t handle entering the boss chamber can still support the operation by clearing the way for the rescue team, allowing us to keep our HP’s up for the rescue operation inside the boss chamber. We’ll organize the strategy on the way.”

Bladescape turned around to face Malus. The crowd was a lot bigger than she had realized. Players were checking their equipment and stocks before committing to the rescue raid.

“We’ve got to move!” Bladescape said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “But we’re not going to be stupid. I’m sick of this floor, I know the rest of you are too. If you don’t think you can handle it, no one will blame you. If you are willing to go into the boss room, please make your way to the front of the herbalist’s shop. Those who are going to clear the way for us, assemble in front of the inn. Everyone else, please disperse or watch from the blacksmith shop so we can swiftly organize. I’ll say it again, if you don’t feel comfortable going for any reason, don’t come. There is no shame in that. We don’t need liabilities as we mount this rescue mission. We have to act quickly though.

“Thunderborne, please organize the clearers. They can set up parties on the way, just get them in parties and set up a rotation. Two parties at a time.”

“You got it!” Thunderborne yelled back before rushing off to the inn.

Natora came out of the herbalist shop with her arms overflowing with potions and crystals. The DKB member was following behind her, catching the ones that slipped out of her grasp.

“Sorting out a fair way to split the cost was taking too long so I just bought it all for everyone!” Natora declared.

“We have clearers and assault team groups,” Bladescape explained.

Natora asked Knightstar to give her a quick estimation on the players and how to distribute the supplies. Knightstar had an answer for her almost instantaneously and then Natora sent Knightstar and the DKB member with a stock to ensure the clearers were supplied. The rest of the assault team quickly got what they needed distributed. Every pouch that could be stuffed with crystals and potions was. When they entered the labyrinth, guild storage would not be accessible. They needed it with them and if it was on them, it would be easier to toss to a player for aid. Other players couldn’t access personal storage, but pouches could be accessed. Opening your menu in battle was also a very difficult task and left you exposed.

Thunderborne reported in. They had six teams, thirty-six players, willing to be clearers. The rescue teams had five from the Dragon Knights Brigade, one from the Wondercolts, and three others made up of solo players and other guilds who couldn’t field a full party. Kirito was among them, but Agil wasn’t. Asuna had been suspiciously absent the past few boss raids, but their communication methods were already bad and it was made worse by Kibaou’s only interest in pushing forward with brute tactics, leaving no time for better organization and coordination between guilds.

“Thunder!” Bladescape called. “Lead the clearers with Knightstar. Keep their morale up, but push them. We can’t waste time. You don’t engage in combat unless you have to. We primarily need your energy for inside the boss room.”

Bladescape looked back at the teleport plaza. Since the man had fallen out of it, no one else had come through it. Other ALS members might have called out other cities, but it was doubtful that every single one would do so. It had only taken four minutes to organize everyone.

“Kibaou is too stubborn to back out,” Lind said to her. “You know that.”

“Yeah,” Bladescape replied, steeling herself for the upcoming push. “Let’s go!”

“RESCUE MISSION AWAY!” Konpeito bellowed. “MO GHILE MEAR!”

They rushed out of the town towards the labyrinth. It wasn’t far and they set a sustainable pace. Thunderborne had the clearing teams using aggressive tactics, pushing monsters with the shields and backing them against walls and objects so they could easily be finished off. Physical contact with the monsters had its own set of risks, but they endured and Thunderborne was right there to finish one off when a problem arose. It helped that Knightstar and Soryuto, two Wondercolts, were fully engaged in the shield tactics without questioning the strategy.

Bladescape and Lind planned the strategy on the way. They came up with three scenarios. The first was the ALS members were not there. In that case, they would fall back, abandoning the rescue mission. The second was the presence of ALS members who needed to be physically carried out. Bladescape would lead three parties to distract and deal with the boss, while Lind would lead the others to rescue the members and drag them out of the boss chamber. Bladescape would retreat, with the assistance of Lind if need be, and they would all head back to the city to deal with the boss at a later date. The third was to fully engage the boss. They didn’t know what they were fully getting into, making it a risky option. If the ALS force was refusing to leave and at a sufficient strength, they all would fight the boss battle until they won.

It was clear to Bladescape that Lind didn’t want to engage the boss today, which was Bladescape’s stance too. A rescue mission to drag them out was very different from executing a nearly blind raid. Lind had already fought hard in the labyrinth today and it was getting late. No player, in any guild or solo, was currently fresh. They were better off fighting the boss tomorrow or the day after, when they had gotten rest and could go at it with a clear strategy. They were too focused on saving lives from imminent danger without sacrificing their own.

They heard the screams of agony and orders from a good distance away. They were approaching the chamber from along the wall, so they couldn’t see inside. A crop of monsters stood between them and the view.

“CLEARING SQUADS!” Knightstar yelled, raising her sword up high. “FOLLOW ME AND ENGAGE THE MONSTERS. RESCUE SQUADS, IGNORE OUR FIGHTS!” She swiped her sword down and they all charged as one.

Bladescape sprinted through the disorganized melee of players against the armored anthropomorphic goats called “longneck gladiators.” She was the first one through the melee and rushed to get the first look at the rescue scenario. A longneck spawned in front of the door and raised its sword to attack her, but it stopped as a throwing knife buried itself in its chest. Another one quickly joined it. Then a flash of red zipped past and Bladescape saw the ruby krait, called Colorra, skillfully slither up its body, binding its arms in place before sinking its fangs into the neck of the monster. It shattered a moment later and the snake calmly dropped into a neat coil. Bladescape kept going, never needing to slow her stride, sliding past the threshold of the open boss room door.

The room was fairly large with a tall ceiling. The boss was a two-headed giant. Its knees were almost at Bladescape’s shoulder height. It had a maul in its right hand and a nearly straight barbarian scimitar in its left, with a skirt of leather and bronze greaves protecting its lower body. A leather strap ran over its chest to its belt where the sword’s scabbard was. One head had a skullcap helmet, the other was a mullet of ragged hair. Worst of all, it wasn’t the kind of fat, slow giant. It was a ripped, fit beast that was quick on its feet as it threw the maul around and slashed at others in between the maul attacks. The ALS members managed to get clear of the maul, but their health was low. Kibaou was still mounting an offense against it, or trying to.

“I count maybe twenty-five,” Lind said. “They went in with forty.”

“Nineteen,” Bladescape said. They both watch as the giant suddenly pivoted, catching an ALS member off guard and slashing him with the sword. “Eighteen,” Bladescape stated as the polygons briefly occupied the area before disappearing.

“We are not getting that fool out,” Lind stated, trying not to panic.

“Probably not,” Bladescape growled. “We know he won’t listen to me. We’ll operate by scenario two first and hope that he listens to you. Physically drag him out if you have to.”

Bladescape’s three squads were close to the front. They followed her into the room, yelling their own war cry to draw the attention of the boss as they charged forward. They split into the preplanned three prong strategy. Natora had two lancers with three other shields. They used their weapon’s superior range to quickly engage the boss and firmly get his attention. The three squads were an irritating nuisance to the boss as they forced him to focus on them. Quick cuts and jabs from the damage dealers while consistently presenting a circle of shields. Their entire goal was to keep him occupied, not deal damage, so the others could be evacuated.

The minutes dragged on. Bladescape did her best to direct and warn her squads of incoming attacks. Lind was in a shouting match with Kibaou. Several ALS members joined Bladescape’s ranks, throwing off their plan. That moment of distraction was all the boss needed to bring the maul down on one of the argumentative ALS members and slash one of Natora’s shield users. Natora broke rank and charged, thrusting her spear into the belly of the boss in retaliation for their deaths. She was knocked back as it backhanded her with its left hand. She narrowly avoided the scimitar’s edge as she entered an uncontrolled fall.

With her line broken, Bladescape was about to issue orders to back up, but Lind came charging through the opening at the head of his party. They unleashed what they could on the boss and the rescue effort devolved into a brawl. Almost two of the boss’s HP bars were gone when they committed to fighting the battle.

Kibaou wasn’t going to be left out, even after being decimated. Lind and Bladescape kept their plan in place, drawing out the battle with the boss using three encircling teams which would rotate for safety. Somehow the ALS members were still listening to Kibaou and they joined the fight. They caused confusion between party members and they lost several more to the boss who was lightning quick when it came to acting on an opening in their defenses. Diemond was the first casualty of the distraction. She was stabbed by the scimitar when her focus slipped and she dropped her shield enough for the giant to run her shoulder through. Diamond was covered by Malus as Konpeito dragged her off the front line. Bladescape heard Konpeito use a healing crystal on her while Bladescape launched a counter attack to make sure the two headed giant paid for the act.

The health bars were deceptively large. It might have only shown four, but it was akin to fighting a boss with six, maybe seven. The physical defense statistics for the giant were also deceptively high, for a generally unarmored body. Even from their best damage dealers, they were only able to chip away at the HP.

Two heads were supposedly better than one and in this case they were. Two heads on one body made it very observant and quick to react. The giant’s second head caught Bladescape watching one of the squads under her command narrowly avoid the maul. Her brief moment of relief was ended by the searing hot jab of pain as she was impaled by the scimitar through the chest.

Bladescape looked at the oversized sword in her chest. It took up nearly a third of her chest. Along with the shocking pain of the stab, she felt her anger explode from deep within. She was sick of the floor; sick of Kibaou; sick of so many people getting hurt; sick of too many dying; sick of being helpless to prevent their deaths.

As the sword was pulled from her chest, Bladescape lunged forward with her left hand. She snagged a finger, getting a solid grip on it. With a war cry, summoning all of her anger and rage, she triggered a sword skill and her two-handed broadsword lopped the boss’ left hand off at the wrist.

Bladescape’s balance had relied on the tension of the link between her and the giant. She slipped backwards as its hand shattered into polygons. She hit the ground hard, unable to catch herself. She laid there, listening to the echoes of warriors crying out as they attacked the boss with a new fury, presumably preventing it from bringing its maul down on her to finish the job. The sounds of combat were dulled and muted, sounding like they were a long way off, not nearly on top of her.

Bladescape’s health was in the red and draining quickly because of the sword in her chest. If she was going to die, it was going to be while on her feet, fighting, not laying down, letting her life slip away. The sword had gone in further from her lunge, but at least she had taken the boss’s hand as repayment. She rolled fully onto her side and was able to grab the handle. She tried to pull it out. It slid out a fair bit, but then she found it too long for her arms to be able to exert the proper leverage. She let go, grabbing the spine of the sword closer to her body and yanked it free. It hurt, but her chest felt like it could suddenly take in air once again.

A health potion smacked into the floor, inches from her face. It shattered from the impact into harmless polygons, but they blocked her vision, blinding her with their dazzling sparkles for a moment. It hadn’t come from any of her pouches, which meant someone was trying to heal her. That made sense, but she was not the most clear headed.

Bladescape dully heard Thunderborne yell “HEAL!” before her HP shot all the way up. That was the miracle of healing crystals over potions, however, they only fixed HP, not the feeling of getting stabbed, let alone nearly skewered in half. As bad as she felt, Bladescape rolled over on her hands and knees. She had to get up and away from the boss, or the healing crystal might as well be wasted. A pair of hands grabbed her and helped her stand. Bladescape tried to stumble off to the side, but was prevented from doing so.

“Relax,” Thunderborne said. “It's over. You’re safe.”

The lighting changed as the room brightened. Bladescape’s hearing was still dulled from the overload of sensory information her brain had been shocked with from being stabbed. Still, she dully heard the familiar congratulations music and some cheers, mostly from outside the boss room. They were getting louder, indicating the clearing teams were rushing the room in celebration.

Bladescape looked over her shoulder at Thunderborne. She smiled at her athletic friend. Everything was muted from the lingering pain, even her ability to speak.

“I would have healed you faster, except I forgot which pouch held the crystals and kept finding potions,” Thunderborne explained. “I dropped, like, six vials in my haste . I’ll bug Diemond about making us new pouches specifically for crystals. Something on the top so that I can easily feel that it’s the crystal pouch. That way I’m not reliant on sight. Besides, if it's mounted further back, I can’t usually see it anyway.”

Bladescape couldn’t respond as she was crammed into Thunderborne by two people hugging them. One was definitely Doombunny because of the sleeves. The other was likely Knightstar.

“That looked really bad,” Knightstar said. “We were so afraid when we saw you fall. We thought it was over. Especially as Thunder kept dropping stuff.”

“Hey! I was doing my best!,” Thunderborne protested. “You try going from stabbing the boss to prevent another stabbing, then jumping over to heal the stabbed person. It's not easy on the blood flow.”

“Alright,” Bladescape said tiredly, shaking her head to finish clearing it. “Hug’s over. For now. I’m safe and need to deal with some things.”

They broke it off and Bladescape sheathed her sword. Or tried to. It jammed in the sheath. She had never had a problem with it jamming. SAO made it so over the shoulder draws worked; the same with storing large axes and spears on a players back. In that regard, the logic of the real world was bent in Aincrad to make it work.

“Uh, Blade, that’s not your sword,” Thunderborne said, pointing to where Bladescape’s sword was laying.

Bladescape looked at the sword in her hand. It was the same one the giant had stabbed her with. A few others, like Diemond, had been run through with it as well. The barbarian scimitar was mostly straight, really only curving at the tip, but not enough to prevent the straight thrust, like many scimitars did. It left much to be desired in a crossguard, really only being a bit of flared steel, part of the blade, not a constructed guard added with the handle. The wooden handle had a bronze cap at the crossguard, depicting a face on each side. Each side was different and probably a depiction of the giant. The pommel was also bronze; a flanged circle with a flower bud on the base of the pommel.

It was still in her hand, despite the boss being dead. Bladescape tapped it and a menu popped up. It was called a “Valerian Shashka.” It was classified as a two-handed sword and, despite the single cutting edge, it was something she could wield. The base stats were better than what she had been using, but it had twelve enhancement slots, not fourteen. Bladescape had failed four of six enhancements with her current broadsword. She had no attachment to it. Bladescape swiped up her menu and equipped the Valerian Shashka. She shrugged to her friends and turned her attention to finding Lind.

She quickly spotted him. He was with Natora, Malus, and a few others. Kibaou was sitting at their feet and had clearly not done so voluntarily. He was fuming, arms crossed in defiance as two other members of the Dragon Knights Brigade stayed right behind him, to keep him in his place.

“I was afraid we lost you,” Lind said to her as she joined them. “When I saw you take that hit, I thought it was over. But you somehow managed to not only survive, but sever his hand. Then I thought you were for sure gone, but I was on the other side and had to press our advantage.”

“You followed the plan and did what was right,” Bladescape stated. “Thank you for pressing the advantage like you needed to. Thunderborne was there to heal me. I still don’t feel good, but I can finish what we started.”

“I’m glad-” Lind stopped and looked at her curiously. “That’s not the same sword you started with.”

Bladescape reached up and drew the blade from its sheath. There was no point in hiding it from Lind. “I don't know how, maybe because it was securely thrust through my chest, but the boss’ sword stayed. The system recognizes it as a two-handed sword called the Valerian Shashka. Its stats are pretty decent and I had already failed four enhancements on the other one, so why not?”

“That makes no sense,” Lind stated. "But I can’t argue with the fact that it's here and I honestly don’t care. I just want to get off this floor and get some rest.”

“I really hate to ask this, but how many did we lose?” Bladescape asked as she sheathed the sword. “And I mean from our rescue group.”

“Not a single clearer died,” Lind said. “I was afraid we would lose one or two by putting so much on their shoulders in our rush to get here. I lost seven Dragon Knights and we lost six others from various groups. No Wondercolts fell, but half of you took some major hits.”

Bladescape refrained from mentioning the level gap between the Wondercolts and most everyone else. Without that gap, their bad hits would have been fatal. Instead, she crunched the rough numbers in her head. “Okay, that’s thirteen. Not a good number and I hate that I am happy with it.”

“I feel the same way,” Lind admitted.

“I think,” Bladescape said as she ran a calculation in her head. “Just by going off what I have heard, not actual stats somewhere, that we've lost about a third of the force clearing this floor.”

Bladescape’s statement hung in the air for what felt like an eternity. If she was right, even in the ballpark, their losses in the boss fight were trivial compared to the blow their clearing effort had taken.

Natora spoke up. “We need to get off this floor. Every minute we waste, players might be dying as they try to clear a floor we no longer need to be on. It was only a small number of us in town to mount the rescue. I’m going to take the clearing squads and trigger the gate. I’ll send them to every teleport plaza to spread the good news. We’ll contact everyone we can too.”

“What good news is that exactly?” Lind asked.

“That we have cleared a quarter of the game,” Natora replied. “I know, standing here it feels trivial. No, it is trivial to us, but then there's the rest of Aincrad; some eight thousand players who need to know we have reached this point. They need that morale boost. They need to not risk themselves on this floor anymore.”

“Go,” Bladescape said. “Get it done.”

They watched as Natora rallied the clearers and got them excited to spread the news. Or at least fake excitement. Then they were off, rushing up the stairs to be the first players free of the evil that was the twenty-fifth floor. They also got to be the first on the twenty-sixth, which many of them would never get to experience because they didn't do boss raids. It was well earned. The rescue squads would have taken more losses without them. The ALS may not have survived if they didn't have the clearing squads.

Physically beating Kibaou up was not going to solve Bladescape’s complicated feelings. It might get out some rage, but it would be disastrous for morale and pointless now that they were at this juncture. They needed justice. Unfortunately, there was no court system in Aincrad. The game had an anti-criminal code which prevented certain actions and set penalties if you harmed another player. Your cursor turned orange for a certain number of days, depending on the crime, and the player was unable to enter cities and towns until it turned green again. Any court they could assemble would just end up being mob rule with the charges and evidence they could actually level at Kibaou. They’d call for his head, which wouldn’t solve anything. Lind seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Kibaou had enough of the silence. “Well if you two are just going to silently stand there!” His attempt to get up was immediately thwarted and he was forced back down.

“WE CAME TO RESCUE YOU!” Bladescape screamed as she lost control. “When we learned you rushed the boss and it was going poorly, we could have let you fall to your fate! Instead we risked our lives to save anyone we could. Your stubborn head wouldn’t retreat when given the support. We lost thirteen because of your intervention into our rescue operation. We didn’t come here to fight the boss. We didn’t come to take anything from you. We didn’t even have fun doing this. We came because we all know what happens if we let a player’s HP hit zero and we can’t just sit by and let it happen. Maybe you can, but I can’t. I won’t! Lind couldn't either. You still lost several more members once we arrived because of your arrogance!”

“You think you could do better?” Kibaou spat. “You lead a guild of eleven!”

Bladescape almost kicked him in the face for his arrogance. She opted for screaming at him. “I DID DO BETTER! In four minutes, I had a force of over sixty players mobilized for the rescue effort. We had a plan! Three plans! We knew how to get to you quickly and safely, and shocker, we did! So yes, I may lead a guild of eleven, but that doesn’t diminish my ability to lead in the slightest. You have no idea what I’ve been through to even make it here! To even get stuck in this game. If you had accomplished even half of what I have had to during my high school career, you would understand leadership a lot better than your current juvenile IDIOCY!”

“I don’t see what your sight seeing trip has anything to do with leadership,” he retorted. “So you paid money to come to Japan for a semester in college. Big deal.”

Bladescape broke down laughing. “You pathetic fool! I haven’t graduated high school yet! I had to compete for one of a handful of openings in the foreign exchange program. I had to fundraise the cost of the program. I don’t have parents who just paid to send me! I had to earn it. I had to inspire others to believe in me and my friends and what lessons we could learn while in Japan. Lessons beyond the academics that we couldn’t learn back home. I’m here because of my own accomplishments and the generosity of so many friends and strangers. That’s just the past year. There was more that I have done to lead with the student body that I won’t get into. And all of that has resulted in me now being stuck in SAO because we wanted to play a game unique to Japan; to take an opportunity unique to our time in the exchange program. We wouldn't get the NerveGear back home for a long while, if it will still even be available after this. It’s certainly become a twisted experience unlike anything we could imagine.

“So while everyone here is concerned about getting home and wants to, I literally don’t know what will happen when we clear this game! I’ve got no savings, no home, no family or friends I know will be there for me. My friends' families will have their hands full with their recoveries. I have to rely on what I am hoping will be a generous government or charity organization. My exchange parents who I was staying with might be able to help, but I can’t even be sure of that! I’m sure they are worried, but as kind and generous as they are, I’m not their daughter. It was a four month commitment on their part. I don’t believe they will have just abandoned me, but I don’t even know what they are capable of.

“Despite all of those factors I can’t control, I’m still trying to get out of here as quickly and safely as possible. You clearly only care about one of those things. That's the big difference between us. I understand, because I’ve fought those battles, that there is never an end that justifies the means. There is never an excuse, especially when you are leading others, because leading comes with monumental responsibility. As much as this is a war, we’re not soldiers. Soldiers have an understanding that while they serve, they will act under orders. There is more than just their own lives at stake. I’m not so arrogant as to ask others to lay down their life in exchange for others getting free. I don’t have the right to pick and choose whose life is more important or who deserves to get free compared to another person. They are all equal. We are all in this together and that is how we should be acting.

"When we mounted our rescue operation, it was all voluntary. We understood that we were taking on a big personal risk, but we all believed that together we could reduce that risk and make it out together, with your lives too. None of us were sacrificing ourselves for a greater good or an ideology, other than believing that if we have the power to stop lives from being taken, that we should prevent that from happening. Preventing them and requiring a sacrifice are two different things entirely.”

“What's your point!” Kibaou snipped.

“My point is that yelling at you is far better than handing you over to the mob!” Bladescape growled. “If we did that, you would be killed. They would tie you up and drag you into a dungeon to die. Or throw you off the outside of Aincrad. Even though I may not currently feel like it is, I know that your life is still worth something so I won’t let that happen. No matter how many mistakes someone has made, redemption is possible. If you take their life in compensation, then you have taken it all and gained nothing. The price of a life is worthless because it is so immeasurable; it can’t be valued by any standards, not even when bartered with another one, because each is unique and sacred in their own right."

Bladescape's breath was heaving from her tirade. She wanted to kick something badly, but there was nothing to kick in this game, outside of Kibaou. The floor was smooth, free of rocks, and she wasn’t going to go through the hassle of dragging something out of her inventory just so she could punt it. That would defeat the purpose of the outburst.

“You won’t have to worry about it,” Kibaou spat.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lind growled. He was taking it as a threat.

“It’s obvious to everyone what you think of me, my guild, and the members in it,” Kibaou stated, somehow still arrogant. “We aren’t welcome anymore on your front. You’ve formed an alliance against us. You’ll be sorry when we’re gone. You’ll see just how much we did to progress this game and gain our freedom. Don’t come crying to me when you can’t get anything done. You can beg, but I won’t be coming back to save either of your sorry backsides.”

Bladescape was very close to planting her boot in his face.

Lind had a smarter, more reasonable response than Bladescape could gather. A kinder voice too. “If that’s what you want, Kibaou, we’ll escort you safely to the closest town on the next floor. You can then take your leave. Your personal attitude, philosophy, and actions are the ones we are judging, not your members. That’s called responsible leadership. You’re responsible for how those you lead act and the choices you make for them while they are following your command.”

It was an effort to undermine Kibaou’s attempt to make Bladescape’s rant applicable to all of his members. Lind was smartly trying to separate them and hopefully keep some useful players on the front after their substantial losses.

“Get him up,” Lind ordered. “We are moving out. The news should have been spread to every city and info broker by now.”

Lind let the others lead the way, watching over the sluggish progression of players as they headed to the narrow stairs. Soon it was just him and Bladescape in the boss chamber.

“I’m sorry,” Bladescape apologized. “I went too far in my rant. He used it against me and we might have lost others, not just him, from the front.”

“He did attempt to use it against you,” Lind said with a nod. “But you were right in what you said. It was pointed. There was a clear difference between you and him. Between arrogance and anger. Between experience and cluelessness. I believe the ones who might have left him didn’t leave this room or teleported out before our arrival. Those left are likely the fools blind to anything but the trail he blazes.” They started to walk to the stairs. “You have a lot more experience than I could have guessed. I also thought you were in university, but a few years younger doesn’t change the lessons and wisdom you have gained.”

Bladescape let out a laugh. “I do have a lot. I wasn’t trying to brag. I learned far too many the hard way.”

“He literally asked you,” Lind retorted with a laugh of his own. “On another note, I have a question I've been itching to ask, but I've not had time to and have been trying to not blurt out.”

“Ask away,” Bladescape replied.

“Did your friend tame a snake?” Lind asked.

“Yes,” Bladescape nodded. “She did.”

“Is that the same-”

Bladescape knew what the follow up question was. “The ruby krait? The most venomous snake in Aincrad? Yep! The snake’s name is Colorra. Apparently.”

“That explains how you completed the quest,” Lind replied, shaking his head in disbelief.

Bladescape groaned. “We never actually finished it. I still have to go back to do that. I don’t want to go back to floor twenty-five ever again.” The last bit was a clear whine, but Lind didn’t comment on it.

“I had no idea you could tame them,” Lind stated. “The quest made it seem like they bite before you could even ask.”

“According to Doombunny, Colorra says it is quite the opposite,” Bladescape stated. “Yes, the quest does say that, but they also claim it's a water snake. They are actually arboreal, living in the trees, which is why you can’t find them. The give birth in pits near the water and their early months are spent in the back waters, where the larger fish species can't eat them. I watched them descend the trees, concerned Colorra was going to be harmed by me.”

Lind laughed. “Well then, we were really looking in the wrong place. That makes me feel a little bit better about our failure.”

“I don’t know how she did it,” Bladescape added. “I was examining another area, along the water, looking for them, but that is her IRL. Volunteers at an animal shelter, owns a pet bunny rabbit, and just gets along with animals and birds wherever she is. Apparently in games too. Of course, this is the most realistic game out there. SAO almost isn’t a game.”

“Interesting,” Lind replied. “I wish it wasn’t tied into our deaths so I could actually enjoy it. Isn’t your friend’s name bunny something?”

“Doombunny,” Bladescape said. “Yes, named for her rabbit. I mean, named because she has a bunny, except his name is Angel, but Angel doesn’t make a good avatar name for a game like SAO. Now she is fighting as fiercely as she can muster to get free so she can be reunited with him and her other animal pals. Of course, he didn’t come to Japan with her, so she will have to get home first.”

“There are a lot worse player names out there,” Lind stated. “I’ve seen them. I’m sure you have too. Things people thought would be cool, but just ended up dumb, especially how SAO evolved. I think you guys come from a place that approaches names differently.”

“We do,” Bladescape replied. “We use numbers more, but can’t in SAO. Japanese players like to make names that sound like names, usually with a meaning or by morphing two words into one. We like doing things more...abstract. I’m named for the landscape a hamon paints on a katana’s blade. I was a member of the Iaido club the school had.”

“That makes sense,” Lind replied. “I never thought of that line like that. I don’t really have a reason for my name. I’ve used this name online for years.”

They reached the surface. It was over. The twenty-fifth floor was officially behind them. Nothing immediately stood out. It was nighttime, the stars were “out,” and the closest city was easy to spot because of its lights.

“I don’t mean this to be rude,” Bladescape prefaced as they followed the path to the city. “But I hope that after today, with Kibaou now off the front, that our two guilds can have an amicable relationship.”

“I followed your lead because you had the plan I wanted, but was too tired to devise,” Lind replied. “Kibaou…I should have stopped him earlier. You helped Kirito get the Flag of Valor because Kibaou was actively working to deceive me and get it for himself, by rushing ahead. You have been steady and solid, he never was. I let him too easily pin Natora as a Beater and accepted it as a valid reason to keep you on the outside as best as we could. I’m sure we will have our differences in how we believe we should proceed, but I won’t dismiss you like I did early on…and then foolishly continued to double down on. I took for granted your guild’s loyalty to the cause and generosity with your efforts. I’m sorry about that.”

“You are forgiven,” Bladescape stated. “I hate that it came to such drastic measures for us to break that wall. I know you didn’t erect it yourself. Kibaou had his hands on much of that project. I’m not just placing blame on him because he is a convenient scapegoat, but he was very effective at keeping the emergency going and keeping everyone’s focus there, which required cut and dry responses with some pretty harsh lines to draw, but those harsh lines feel softer compared to the emergency. I'm glad there is a door there now. I feel we can finally communicate.” It was easy to see the town’s center from where they were. It was a straight walk through a major street. “Can we come to one agreement before we get to the village?”

“Ask away and we will find out,” Lind said, trying to be optimistic. He wasn’t sure where she was going with it.

“Let’s make a pact that our two guilds won’t start on this floor until the day after tomorrow. Say six in the morning at the earliest?”

“You mean a day off?” Lind asked as they entered the town.

“Exactly,” Bladescape said, flashing him a smile in the lamp light. “I know you are tired. You’ve said it a few times. I’m tired too. The Wondercolts have crafters who haven’t been able to do anything recently because of the breakneck speed we were careening at. The competition does help keep us sharp, but it can’t always just be that. We all need the break.”

“Are quests on other floors fair game?” Lind asked.

“Nothing on floor twenty-six, but everything else is fair game,” Bladescape stated. “I’m thinking of sleeping in. Actually resting for the day. I’m sure some others will get antsy, so really just anything to not advance the game for one day. One single day is all I’m asking for after four months of racing ahead of ourselves.”

“Yeah, we need it,” Lind said. He let out a tired sigh. “You have a deal. The Dragon Knights Brigade will take the day off tomorrow. Six a.m. the morning after it all starts back up. None of us are good for clearing the game if we don’t get the rest we need. Those players who can’t clear, they rely on us and expect us to be rested and capable of acting responsibly for them. They have no right to complain if they're not out here with us and, if they do, I’ll point them your way.”

“Deal!” Bladescape exclaimed as they began to laugh.

Before they could split to find their respective guilds, the entire central square froze and then began to cheer and clap for the two leaders of the clearing guilds. Most of them were the regular players in clothes, not armor, simply here to check out the newly unlocked city. The veterans stood out clearly in their armor and stoic expressions while they politely clapped. They understood the cost of what it meant to be standing here. They might not have a reason to celebrate, but at least they were not going to kill the mood for the rest of the players.

Bladescape met up with her guild outside of a bustling pub. There wasn’t any room for them. Thunderborne had checked all of the others too, but they were all full.

“We can celebrate tomorrow,” Bladescape said. “Lind and I came to an arrangement. Seeing as how we are the two top clearing guilds, we will be taking tomorrow off for a much needed break. At least from clearing. You are free to craft. We could do a quest or something, just nothing on the twenty-sixth floor.”

“Did you propose it or did he?” Natora asked.

“I did,” Bladescape replied. “I’m sleeping in tomorrow.”

“Lucky you,” Diemond said. “I know you’ve earned it, darling, but because of Thunder’s incompetence, I now have to update our pouch system.”

“Hey!” Thunderborne protested. “It’s clearly a valid issue I discovered.”

“You can be both incompetent and correct,” Diemond batted back.

“I was kind of hoping we could do our usual toast,” Malus said. “I like that tradition and as sad as it is, we have a lot to celebrate.”

“I have one option,” Bladescape said, wincing at the thought of her own idea. “We never turned in the quest we started this morning. We could turn it in and I'm certain the taverns there will have space.”

“We have another night of paid rooms there too,” Natora said. “Wow, I can’t believe I just advocated for going back. Okay, just for tonight, then I’m never setting foot on the twenty-fifth floor ever again!”

Everyone laughed as they headed off to the teleport plaza to execute their modified tradition. Modified or not, with the quest turned in, filling their guild coffers to the point they were overflowing, their toast felt just as rewarding as ever, even with thirteen mugs in the center of their table.

Episode 34 - New Blood

Episode 34 — New Blood
Sixth Day in the Month of Sakura (April 6) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 26 — 5 p.m.

Bladescape stood at the front of the town hall where their strategy meeting would shortly happen. Floor Twenty-Six proved to be a regular floor, difficulty wise; a reasonable step up in monster levels and abilities from the previous floors. A quarter of the way up was a milestone, one marked by an unusually difficult floor. The next barriers would logically be Floor Fifty, followed by Floor Seventy-Five. Seventy-Five felt like such a long way away. It was impossible for Bladescape to see that far into the future.

Their day of rest had been a good one. Bladescape enjoyed sleeping in for once. Their crafters gained a lot of experience in their respective skills and Diemond revamped their potion and crystal pouches. It was also the first time that Konpeito put together a sit down meal for them all; one where she made everything on the table. She pulled out all of the stops to produce a four course dinner for them to enjoy in their Tolbana home. It was also the first time they had all been together at the house since it had been purchased. Konpeito and Bladescape were the only ones to ever use the home and Konpeito only used it because it meant she didn’t have to borrow a kitchen and/or wait for others.

The paper had a field day over the two lead guilds taking a day off. The paper was one of the ways people were going about their normal lives. It took a few months to get it started, but it ran everything from ads for player stores or services, to the stories about the front line and regular news from various floors, as well as rumors and an opinion column. Just about anything you could ask for in a paper, they had, except for an obituary. No one wanted to think of what names in one meant. If people were really interested, or needed to know if a player had died, they could check the memorial stone in the Black Iron Palace in the Town of Beginnings. The paper was started and run by people who likely had little to no experience in the field. It didn’t matter what their prior experience was because they did a fantastic job on a daily basis. Almost everyone read it regularly. It could be hard to keep up on the long days on the front, but Bladescape did her best to stay up with the news.

A reporter had caught up with Lind shortly after Bladescape had split from him that night. He gave them the facts of the boss battle. He didn't beat up on Kibaou. He was civil. He praised the Wondercolts, especially Bladescape for stepping into the leadership and planning role. The big argument was over their agreed upon day off. The journalist didn't like their plan. Lind didn't back down, not in the interview or with his word. The interview sparked another reporter to catch up with Bladescape, in Tolbana, the day after for her comments.

Since it was her day off, she made a deal with him; he would pay for lunch in exchange for the interview. He happily agreed. Bladescape gave him the facts. She readily praised those who deserved it, like the clearing squads. She pushed the idea that it was first and foremost a rescue operation, not a boss raid. That they were not playing a game where they would weigh lives against each other. Everyone's life was equally precious and they would all get out of here as quickly as possible.

The interview might have made the assault team look more benevolent than they were, but that was okay. Many were members because they couldn’t sit by when there was a way to earn their freedom; a personally selfish reason that had a positive benefit for everyone. Others were there because they wanted to be the strongest, fastest, most powerful player they could be. That status would only be accepted by others if they were fighting on the front lines. Ultimately, the Wondercolts were there for their own reasons. It was nice to know their actions would positively affect those who couldn’t fight, that certainly helped them push through the tough times, but the imposition of Kayaba inherently created a system of selfish goals that benefited the public at large.

The reporter directly asked her about getting stabbed and Bladescape realized that many of the readers didn't know what it felt like. Getting slashed in battle was very different from nearly getting split in half with the thrust of a giant sword. She described it in as great of detail as possible, so that the readers could understand the risk and hazard the Assault Team was gladly accepting. The only detail that she left out was her getting a new sword, because they didn’t have a logical answer for that anomaly.

When it came to the topic of their day off, Bladescape strongly defended the necessity for the players and guilds on the front line to organize down time into their schedule. She acknowledged that they were voluntarily accepting the responsibility to fight for the freedom for all, even those who couldn’t fight for their own, but that responsibility didn't mean they had to slave over the task. Progress, yes. Work themselves to death, no. It was pointless if they died and exhaustion could easily cause them to make errors in their judgment, resulting in their deaths and the deaths of others directly relying on them in battle. She didn't want to make the interview dramatic, but she wanted to stress the balance they had to walk. The reporter was generally in agreement with Bladescape's perspective, or at least understood it, including the members of the assault team's rights as human beings. The idea that what benefited the assault team benefited everyone was another point made, but Bladescape stressed that it wasn’t a hard and fast rule. She just wanted others to understand that they needed to slow down in order to maintain a sustainable clearing action. The interview went so long, the reporter didn't just buy lunch, but also two rounds of desert. It was a very in-depth interview and he got his money's worth.

The interviews were hot news. They sparked a debate over the next week, mostly in the opinions section, centered around what the assault team’s responsibilities actually were and what should be acceptable for players to require of them. It was the second most read part of the paper. A debate only brought in more readers, which was better for the paper.

While the paper continued to debate the arranged day off, they were hard at work clearing the floor. The losses on floor twenty-five were turning around. Although the players lost could never be replaced, their numerical numbers were recovering. The clearers had stalled out for a bit on the challenging floor. Meanwhile, the intermediate players were able to gain levels and edge up towards the elite clearers.

The end of the Aincrad Liberation Squad didn't just leave a vacuum in regards to numbers, Kibaou had effectively prevented many of the guilds from joining the clearers. Despite the work Bladescape had done to keep the door open for other guilds to join them, the reality had not changed; to be a member of the assault team, you needed to be in either the ALS or DKB. The guilds who tried to join were either put off by the demands Kibaou made of everyone, or didn't want to fall in line under him, relegating them to clearing roles if they even stuck around. While Kibaou wasn't considered the sole leader by any means, he had set a lot of the guidelines and the pace. With him out of the picture, the only barrier for entry was the ones a guilds set for themselves. Many of the arriving guilds were smaller, having members numbers between four and eight.

Joining the Assault Team was still regarded as an earned place, but they now had the opportunity to prove themselves worthy of joining a boss raid. Worth was heavily reliant on the ability to be safe while fighting a floor boss. The twenty-sixth floor had three field bosses. Bladescape convinced Lind to plan the strategy with her and then let the guilds who wanted to prove themselves have the opportunity to do so. Twice Lind led the field boss battle and once Bladescape led it. The other times, they played backup, observing the candidates.

For each field boss, the leader led a party made up of their guild, supported by two parties from other guilds and a third of solo players or guild members whose guild were not trying to be part of the assault team or clearing force. The second field boss required the intervention of the observing party, the Wondercolts, but that was not because of a failure on the players involved. The scouting done by the DKB proved to be missing some information about his defense characteristics. The Wondercolts joined only when the battle was clearly not going to end anytime soon. They acted to prevent deaths from exhaustion, no matter if they were veteran players or new to the front lines.

A longer line of promising guilds and players were working their way up through the levels too. Bladescape saw many of them when she would spend time solo grinding for XP while the other Wondercolts were sleeping or skill training. She wasn't the only player running solo in the best grinding locations. Some were in guilds, but plenty were not. Lind was seen at times, both in a group and solo. Kirito was often around, as well as others Bladescape knew only by face.

Among the newcomers to the clearers, a few guilds stood out.

The most visible newcomer was Meigibu, who had sixteen members. Their bright white was paired with emerald green, making what Diemond called a “bold yet refined combination.” They were the “Women Guild,” making them the second major guild in Aincrad to be female centered. The women wore traditional Japanese clothing, hairstyles, and makeup, yet had a weapon at their hip, ready to fight. Their battle armor was more in line with Asian styles, but they were better known for their town attire. The four men in their guild were held to the same standard of beauty and composure as the women, exemplifying all aspects of traditional Japanese men, both in battle and while in town.

Most clearers either always wore their armor or, after the day’s goals were done, changed into something else, usually something simple and plain. It was rare to see front line players dress up, they had combat related costs they needed to spend their hard earned col on, yet Meigibu was always presenting their best and it clearly wasn't cheap. Diemond didn't have the Wondercolts in rags, she had standards for them, but she preferred to let each Wondercolt's personality play out in their attire, which was very different from the uniformity of Meigibu.

The head of the guild, Lobelia, was rumored to be a bride, trapped a week before her wedding, which was why she chose to pursue such a formal Japanese style for the guild and was always in white, be it her armor or formal kimonos. “Meigi” meant an “exceptionally talented or beautiful geisha” — the traditional female entertainers who performed the art of life — and the word “ibu,” meant “authority and force.” Ibu’s root was "bu," which meant “warrior.” Meigibu was the idealistic authoritative warriors' guild whose art was both combat and being the best human they could be.

They were proving to be a force to be reckoned with, although only a handful joined the Assault Team. The rest aspired "only" to be clearers. Lobelia used a one-handed curved sword, currently a falchion, and a shield. Kamishi was always in their emerald green secondary color and wielded a katana.

Imperial Dragoon Guards was a band of eight middle aged men, all armed with shields and spears. Their black armor with gold shields made a flashy statement for the lancers whenever they entered a fight. Tagahashi was their leader. They earned their place as members of the assault team.

Kaigunto Guild was a squad of five teenage boys. They were all swordsmen; three with a sword and shield, one with a katana, and one with a two-handed longsword. They had all of the energy of teenagers and the equivalent discipline to match it. They claimed to be equal, not having a leader. With their chaotic unit tactics and lack of a clear leadership, Lind and Bladescape did not allow them to join the assault team and the two of them expressed what needed to change in order for them to be reliable in boss raids and be able to properly communicate between guilds. Although they were devastated by the ruling, they did understand the reasoning provided and they proved to be useful clearers.

In contrast to the boys of Kaigunto, Gael Guild was an eleven member guild which was highly disciplined, to the point that they looked like a military unit. Their members were likely either actively serving in the Japanese Self Defense Force or had honorably served for several years. They lacked standardized equipment, but they made up for it by wearing their guild colors — Yellow and Red — when possible and with their crispness and attention. They marched as one unit, perfectly in step with each other, and to the tune of a fife, played by their youngest member, a skinny lad named Marcik. Marcik wasn't a front line fighter, he couldn't be more than 15 years old, but he wasn't a mascot. The lad was learning to fight from the men with the goal of fully joining their ranks. Gael conquered the battlefield with their superior discipline and quick reaction to orders given by Rikusocho, which wasn't his actual game name, but his title – the equivalent of E7, first sergeant, in many other militaries. Those factors combined to ensure that Gael commanded a presence wherever they went and it earned them all, with the exception of Macik, the ability to be members of the Assault Team.

The Dragon Knights Brigade also made some changes. Lind was now the head of a three person council, with Shivata and Yamata, instituting a clear chain of command in his large guild. That was done during their day off as well as the most startling change. Now led by a council, they ceased to be the DKB, becoming the Divine Dragon Alliance, DDA. The colors were the same, silver and blue. The change sparked plenty of rumors, but it made sense to Bladescape. The Dragon Knights Brigade was known in conjunction with the Aincrad Liberation Squad and they needed to fully break away from that disaster as they changed tactics for conquering Aincrad. Their numbers were still rapidly growing.

The Aincrad Liberation Squad was not entirely gone. While they were off the front lines, the surviving members followed Kibaou into merging with the mutual aid organization, MTD. They became the Aincrad Liberation Force, ALF, and were led by MMO Today's head writer, Thinker, who got trapped in SAO like everyone else. The master game strategist and information guru had built MTD to care for the common player, those not on the front line, and even with the merger and taking on the dark green and steel colors of the ALS, they continued to carry out MTD's original goal; spreading resources and information to as many players as possible.

A lot had happened over the eight days spent clearing the floor, which was why they were having the strategy meeting. They had planned it the day before, as a way to organize all of the members of the new assault team and ensure they were all on the same page and to finalize some communication logistics, however, the Wondercolts had found the boss chamber earlier that day. The meeting would now serve to both organize them all and to plan the battle.

Everyone was assembled on time and Lind had just welcomed them when a man strode into the town hall. He was a middle-aged man with steel-gray hair, crimson metal armor that was polished to a shine, and he had a white heater shield on his left arm. A white longsword was at his hip. His every stride gave testimony to his strength and confidence as he came right to the front. His guild tag was one Bladescape had not encountered before; a white background with a gray square cross.

“Forgive my tardiness,” he said. His voice was smooth and scholarly. “I only just learned of the meeting. The rest of the guild will be along shortly.”

“I’m sorry,” Lind said. “I don’t think we have met yet.”

“Where are my manners?” He replied. “I’m Heathcliff, commander of the Knights of the Bloodoath. You both, Lind and Bladescape, have done a fine job of advancing the liberation effort.”

The statement clearly meant he had more to say on the matter, but he didn't state it. Lind clearly wasn’t going to ask because the effort, to a strong degree, was reflected on him. Bladescape had been the outsider the entire time, unable to practically affect any change.

“But?” Bladescape asked, voicing the question.

“But your organization has been limited and sporadic, plagued by communication issues,” Heathcliff stated. “I know things are changing now that you, Bladescape, have been allowed to take charge of certain aspects, but it’s not enough. And not to be rude-”

“I’m aware,” Bladescape said, cutting him off. “I’ve been slow to effectuate the changes necessary since the dynamics of power have shifted. I’ve been too laissez-faire, even as I encouraged new guilds to join us. That is a major reason for the meeting tonight, to tighten that up so we are focused and unified in our goals as we proceed into the new era and the upcoming boss raid.”

“A raid which will be restricted to members of the Assault Team,” Lind added, pretty forcefully.

Heathcliff just gave a sly smile back. He was keeping his cards close to his chest. Bladescape couldn’t even guess at what his hand was and she had tried to draw some of it out with her last response.

The hall doors opened and a group of twelve players strode in. Outside of their leader, they were all in the same white metal armor, trimmed in red, and sporting the same capes. They each had identical guild tags as Heathcliff. Their standardized custom equipment was not something most guilds could afford.

Bladescape immediately understood what Heathcliff’s sly grin had been hiding because she knew the player leading them. Her long chestnut hair and rapier were just missing the red cloak. It had been replaced by the white battle dress, cleverly accented with red, that she now wore. It was clearly the same player who had helped defeat many of the floor bosses. It also explained her recent absence from the front lines.

All of this was part of a well planned entrance designed to make a statement about who the Knights of the Bloodoath were. Their leader, Heathcliff, was clearly a clever man who knew how to plan and implement long term goals, even if that meant sacrificing in the short term. The guild was making their debut at a time where the leadership at the front lines was severely weakened, but Bladescape couldn’t tell if it was luck that it worked out with their plans, or if it was a strategic move. Either way, judging by the reactions of the others in the room and how stiff Lind had gotten, their tactics were working.

“Sorry we took so long, Commander,” Asuna said to Heathcliff.

“We, or at least I, have missed your rapier in the last few boss battles,” Bladescape said, directly acknowledging Asuna. “It's good to see you back, Asuna. Because of, as your commander pointed out, the logistical issues with communications our effort has suffered from, I had no way of knowing what happened to you or to find out, at least not without paying an info broker to track you down. Kibaou had us on such a breakneck push, I didn’t even have time to do that.”

“I am glad to be back, Bladescape, and it’s good to see you too,” Asuna said, reciprocating the pleasantries. “Things will certainly be different now. We have you to thank for this opportunity. None of us would be here without you pushing back, making room for others to come up. Everyone in this room, outside of the Divine Dragon Alliance, owes you a great debt of gratitude for keeping the door propped open for us.”

“I have always maintained that the unified effort should not require a forced adherence to a single guild,” Bladescape replied. “Diversity can bring strength. All that matters is that the unified effort sticks to its clearly defined ethos and practices, then diversity becomes an asset, not a liability.”

“I think that you will find that the Commander has a very good idea of what that should be,” Asuna stated.

“I’m sure I will,” Bladescape said when Heathcliff made it clear he wasn’t going to say anything. “After all, he got you to join him. You have always been a strong individual, looking for an equally strong person to fight beside. But we can catch up after the meeting.” Bladescape looked at Lind. “Lind, please continue.”

Lind didn’t look at her. He was focused on Heathcliff. “Yes. If everyone would please take their seats, we chose this location to easily fit everyone as we discuss the logistics.” The Knights of the Bloodoath quietly took seats without any protest or even a bad glance. “The first step to our plan is to implement an information chain. We need a point of contact for each guild or individual player, so that we can organize strategy meetings and keep everyone informed of any relevant information.”

The process of formalizing the information chain wasn’t difficult, but it was slow. With that done, Bladescape discussed the expectations of the members. It was centered on the use of a chain of command. Members followed the orders of their party leader and the party leader followed the orders of the raid leader. Leadership would be determined by the boss type and qualifications of the members available for the raid. They didn’t need heroic actions by a single player or someone going rogue, they needed to follow the formalized plan so they could succeed at their ultimate goal of beating the boss.

Lind immediately recanted on their agreed upon strategy when he started laying out the boss strategy. They were supposed to design parties around the needs of the raid, not guilds. Slotting for guilds over the needs of the effort was the major issue with the strategies of the previous twenty-five floors. Bladescape had finally thought the matter was settled, but when it came down to it, Lind refused to change. Bladescape stayed stoic throughout the strategizing. They were already on shaky ground from the results of the last boss raid. The new guilds didn’t need to witness the two players spearheading the effort publicly tearing each other apart. It would send a mixed message, an even worse one than what Lind had just sent by contradicting her.

Lind’s change in strategy slotted Group A as being from the Divine Dragon Alliance and Group B from the Wondercolts. At least he hadn’t given his guild more than one squad. The first two groups were supposed to be tanks and the next two composed of forwards who had shields.

Lind paused when it came to framing the needs for Group C. He had thrown the plan off and clearly hadn’t figured out how to adjust for his choice. Bladescape took the opportunity of the lull to fix that as best as she could. “Group C needs to be a unit mostly of forwards with shields. Asuna, you and I have fought side by side in many boss raids. I hate to put you on the spot, but I respect your opinion and skills. I know they are eager, but the Knights of the Bloodoath were not on our radar for joining the Assault Team. We never had the opportunity to observe them as we did with the other guilds. You understand what is required of members in a boss raid. Are your fellow knights able to meet that requirement?”

“We wouldn’t be here if they were not ready,” Asuna confidently declared.

“Then Group C will be led by Asuna and be from the Knights of the Bloodoath,” Bladescape stated. “I'm glad to have your rapier once again joining us. Please ensure there are at least four shields in the party to fit your role.”

“I shall,” Asuna replied with a nod.

Bladescape hated sidestepping around Heathcliff because he was their leader, but it was the only way she saw to keep to the standard of ensuring the assault team was bringing qualified members, while also allowing them to participate. It clearly annoyed Lind, he saw their guild as a threat, but he was the one who had changed plans on Bladescape. Bladescape wasn’t going to let the opportunity be wasted. Guild egos competing against each other had proven exclusionary and disastrous. She wouldn’t let it happen again. Heathcliff hadn’t changed from his calm expression at any point since he had sat down. He didn’t appear to have an issue with Bladescape going through Asuna. With how well organized and planned their entry had been, he likely understood what Bladescape was doing.

Squads D, E, and F were also assigned to guilds, with G and H being non-guild members. Bladescape jumped on the opportunity to assemble G and H by role, not by guild. She was able to get Agil, Kirito, Lobelia, and Kamishi into Squad G before Lind could force Kirito out of the fight. She didn’t name Kirito first because she didn’t want to make that intention blatantly clear to Lind. He couldn’t argue that she was giving Kirito preferential treatment. She solidified G and H without any pushback from Lind.

The strategy was now compromised, but Lind kept with it despite the party compositions. Bladescape would have to bring all three tanks in order to ensure they could fulfill their role. Asuna clearly understood Group C’s role. She was actively asking questions to ensure she understood their job. Bladescape had to resist smiling every time her simple and logical questions highlighted the reason why they were supposed to be using squads designed for the boss.

The strategy meeting finally wrapped up, but Bladescape got the last word in as Lind tried to dismiss everyone. “I’ll be here if any of the new members of the Assault Team have any further questions. I’m aware of how confusing it can be when you step into the role. We are glad you have taken it upon yourselves to help us achieve the goal of every player.”

A few people came up after, to quickly say “thanks.” Lobelia and Kamishi were among them. Bladescape was looking forward to seeing how they performed, due to how well they did in the field boss fight. Agil swung by simply to bump fists with her as she spoke with others.

As Bladescape left the empty town hall, she found Asuna waiting for her outside.

“You did a stellar job not betraying your feelings in there,” Asuna commented. “Lind apparently isn’t going to make things simple and easy.”

“Apparently not,” Bladescape said. “We had our plan…” She let out a sigh. “I shouldn’t have expected more from him, but I did. If I knew he was going to do that I would have shoved him down the stairs with Kibaou. Still, we had enough losses and division among us. I really did think that we had finally made a good step forward. He was in agreement with me, all week long, up until he wasn’t.”

“He clearly perceives us as a threat,” Asuna stated. “We are like you, not interested in that argument. It’s why you didn’t dispose of him and take over by yourself. After all they did against you, you still took the high road, but of course, you wouldn’t be who you are if you took cheap shots.”

“Lind’s made his fair share of trouble, but he didn’t deserve to be removed by me for Kibaou’s mistakes,” Bladescape stated.

“Although, unlike you, Commander Heathcliff does want to lead the Assault Team,” Asuna added. “Or more accurately, he wants the Knights to lead that effort using a coalition of the best players, separate from the guilds, who will work towards our mutual liberation. I believe that aligns with your views.”

“It does,” Bladescape said. “Someone will have to champion that guiding effort. I admit, I don’t want to unless I have to. A guild is enough to juggle, let alone ensuring floors are cleared and the bosses are safely and systematically reduced to polygons. If that is your commander, I'm sure he will earn it.”

"Thanks to your tact, he has the opportunity to do that tomorrow," Asuna added with a sly grin.

"Squad C will have a difficult job, which is why I trusted you," Bladescape said. "We have plenty of new members in the Assault Team, but the sudden strategy change required a strong element to hold the line and back us up. None of the leaders of the new members have the raid experience you do."

“We have a nice rush of new players stepping up, but there are a lot more coming,” Asuna stated. “So far, the effort to clear the game has been very centralized and small. A few hundred at most. I expect that number to triple over the next three months.”

“That will make things easier,” Bladescape stated. “Honestly, I’m excited to have you back. The last several boss fights have been a horrible drag; that's ignoring Twenty-Five. Kibaou was a very heavy taskmaster, yet I couldn’t walk away. Both because it would’ve made him happy and because of my own stubbornness about me and my friends’ role in clearing the game.”

“An appropriate stubbornness,” Asuna added. “Your interview in the paper was good. With an increase in players on the front, all of the guilds will get more rest time while still being able to advance the front at a good pace. I'll admit, I did spin out. Kibaou drove us too hard. It was good to know that you were still there, keeping the door open. I always planned to come back, but it was especially appreciated once the Knights were formed. I knew as we prepared for our debut that you would still be holding the door open. You did catch us off guard. The meeting was a day earlier than we expected.”

Bladescape chuckled. “The Wondercolts didn’t expect to find the boss chamber today either, but we did. Your new uniform looks good.”

“You like it?” Asuna asked. It was apparent she wasn’t exactly sold. “I didn’t choose it. It was designed for me without my knowledge. I was under the impression that only the Commander would be in a different uniform. I only agreed to wear it because of the cost. Daizen, our financial officer, made that decision and Godfree, our vanguard leader, made a very persuasive argument.”

“It’s fitting,” Bladescape said, smiling to reassure her. “Refined, chic, fierce. I don’t think it’s my style, although Diemond may end up making me something similar sooner or later. I’m sort of at her will when it comes to my defensive equipment. Still, it looks great on you and you clearly are in a special role compared to the others in the guild. I will miss the red cloak.”

Asuna blushed as she chuckled. “I do miss the red cloak, but I’m the Commander’s right hand officer. We plan on a very structured format, the Commander has it all worked out, even our anticipated expansion, but if he isn’t there, it falls to me. I am the veteran SAO raider compared to the others. Then probably Godfree before Daizen. Godfree will also be in charge of the training of new members and our leveling requirements.”

“Knightstar is the Wondercolts’ statistician and third councilor,” Bladescape stated. “It’s a good place for someone with those skills to be in, and it sounds like Godfree has them. Your format and structure sounds solid, which isn't a surprise. You certainly showed a strong strategic mind and the steady heart needed for leadership.”

“You mentioned missing me recently,” Asuna said, steering the conversation in another direction. “Has anyone else been missing me?”

“Maybe Agil?” Bladescape replied. “He has been hit or miss with the boss raids since his shop is fully opened. Out of a vendor cart, but still open, although he has to pack it up so he can join our raids. Except for him, the Bro Squad has retired from the front. He's asked about you, but he hasn’t been around for the last two planned raids, so like I said, hit or miss. I haven't seen Kirito much the past three floors, he is always hit or miss, but tonight was the first time I have seen him since the twenty-fourth boss fight. And Argo is Argo, you never get anything from her, even if she asks a question, without paying. We’ve all come a long way since Floor Five; our rag-tag team of misfits claiming victory before Kibaou could backstab everyone.”

They both laughed, remembering the raid.

“Thank you, again,” Asuna said. “I should be going.”

“I will see you tomorrow,” Bladescape said, bowing politely to Asuna who reciprocated.

Bladescape almost added something but kept her mouth shut. It would be better to watch and see if it happened, rather than push in any way. The organic replacement of Lind by Heathcliff would be much more satisfying to observe, mostly just to see how a man like Heathcliff would handle a boy like Lind.

BLADESCAPE: Level 39 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration
NATORA: Level 37 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 36 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration
MALUS: Level 37 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration
THUNDERBORNE: Level 37 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid
KONPEITO: Level 37 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration
DIEMOND: Level 37 — Mace — Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration
DOOMBUNNY: Level 36 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation
KIEFER: Level 35 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana
SORYUTO: Level 34 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration
REISENKI: Level 35 — One-Handed Axe — Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid

Episode 35 - King Of The Oathbreakers

Episode 35 — King Of The Oathbreakers
Seventh Day in the Month of Sakura (April 7) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 26 — 12 p.m.

Bladescape had Malus, Diemond, Reisenki, Natora, and Thunderborne with her. Three tanks and three damage dealers. As Group B, they were, originally, supposed to tank the boss with Group A, while E and G were their damage dealers against the boss. A and E were paired up, while B was paired with G. Group G was led by Agil and it had Kamishi, Lobelia, and Kirito in it, along with two more shields.

Group C was a versatile unit able to defend themselves when attacking and facilitate switches. Five out of the six had shields, with Asuna being the exception and their designated damage dealer. Groups D, F, and H were to deal with the army of minions. They would be spawning a lot more often than any other boss had spawned minions before, with a different set of rules for spawning.

The King of the Oathbreakers was an undead lord. The lore was that long ago, as a living king, he swore to assist The King of Kelliwig, Cynan the son of Caradoc. When called upon to aid Kelliwig, they failed to do so. They were cursed by Cynan for failing to fulfill their oath. The result of breaking their oath was the downfall of Kelliwig, forcing Cynan's young son to be smuggled out of the city so that he could one day rise up as king. The curse inflicted on the oath breakers prevented them from finding rest. In the boss chamber he was waiting on his throne, with his army of undead knights.

Lind pushed the doors open and advanced into the chamber. It was a throne room, with a red carpet down the center to its throne, albeit worn from the years. The walls had torches that lit up the rectangular room. On the golden throne sat the king. He was no zombie or skeleton which had the rot suspended, and neither was he like any of the astral monsters they had fought elsewhere. He was a semi-translucent jade being, in his royal armor and wearing a crown. There was a tangible facet to the undead king, but he was clearly undead as his denser bones were more opaque than his skin and armor.

He stood up, spear in hand, easily twice the height of the raiders. Four health bars filled up under his name. Out from the wall came eight Oathbreaker Knights, of the same translucent jade, and only a little shorter than their king. They carried a variety of weapons, some with shields, others using two-handed weapons. They immediately rushed the raiders.

Bladescape shifted her party forward, engaging the two knights blocking their way. They made it so that Lind could initiate his opening attack on The King of the Oathbreakers. Even with Group G helping to take them down, the knights were strong, with a lot of HP. They were quick to use sword skills and with their shields they were able to effectively block attacks. Each knight needed to be attacked by three players at once: one to force him to use the shield, one to deal with the weapon, and one to deal the damage. Which player had which job was often unknown until the last moment.

They finally eliminated the knights and advanced towards the battle with the king. Groups A and E were falling back, having taken down a third of the first health bar. Group C was switching in. Five shields and one damage dealer meant they could handle drawing out a defensive fight in between switches, while slipping in damage from time to time. Especially with Asuna's speed and skill.

The Wondercolts were topping off their HP and so was Group G. Watching Group C handle the boss on their own, led by Heathcliff, was stunning, to say the least. He brought a calm resolve to the battlefield rarely seen, with a strength in his shield and finality of his blade not seen in any other Forward. Even many tanks did not have the resolve he displayed. He was the complete opposite of Kibaou. This boss raid looked less like children playing a game and more like adults fighting a war for their freedom.

Bladescape readied B and G for the switch and then called for it. It was smoothly executed and they finally got a crack at the boss. The King’s first health bar was halfway depleted when they started. The Wondercolts alone could have finished the last half before strategically switching, but with players like Kirito, Agil, and Kamishi, it was depleted quickly. They had the HP almost halfway gone from the second health bar when Lind called for the switch.

The Wondercolts fell back to the center of the room, but it wasn’t necessarily a safe position. Group C was already engaging another Oathbreaker Knight. They had known going in that the knights didn’t spawn at specific points relative to the boss. More came out of the walls when their numbers dropped below four, attempting to bring their count back up to eight. The tactic for the other groups was to get them to four and then draw out those battles as long as possible, to keep them from spawning anew.

The King of the Oathbreakers was excellent at picking out party leaders and the major threats to his health. He then specifically targeted the threats. Lind’s group was supposed to be all tanks for a reason, but he had two tanks, a shield, a lancer, and another damage dealer with him. It wasn’t enough. Lind was impaled by the spear.

Bladescape called B and G to action, initiating the switch and letting A and E fall back to heal Lind. Group C covered them as two newly spawned knights rushed them. Bladescape only stole quick glances back to see how the rest of the battle was progressing. She was leading her party in combat, that was where her focus needed to be. Things looked good as they eliminated the boss’ second health bar.

The third health bar was halfway depleted when Lind called for the switch. They smoothly executed it, allowing B and G to focus on regaining their health. Group C was fully engaged with several knights, effectively using their shields and allowing the other groups to deal the damage.

The other squads erred. It wasn't intentional, it was hard to keep track when the fights were spread out, but they mistimed the elimination of the knights, meaning eight fresh ones came out of the wall. The knights didn't allow anyone time to heal or rest. Bladescape spurred Group B and G to tackle three so the others could get the time they needed. They did their job, eliminating them while Group C eliminated a fourth.

Lind called for the switch, catapulting them straight into a run at the boss. The third health bar was nearly depleted. They would likely have to retreat to regain their health before the boss moved into his final phase; at the perfect time for Lind to come in and take the Last Attack Bonus. The new way of doing things was supposed to eliminate that factor, but Bladescape felt set up by Lind.

They barely dropped him into the fourth health bar when things took an unexpected turn. Malus' shield broke and she was impaled by the spear. She grabbed it, keeping it inside her and not letting go. The King couldn't wrestle it out of her iron grip. Her health was already in the red from the hit and it was quickly losing more pixels. Bladescape jumped over to Malus and pulled out a healing crystal. It was nice to tell by the ridges on the top of the pouch that it was her healing crystal pouch, eliminating the need to look. She healed her stubborn friend back to full health. It was quickly draining out, but the others began to launch heavy hitting attacks since the boss was fixated on removing his spear.

They quickly got him into the red, triggering his final stage. He let go of the spear and jumped back to safety, beside his throne. The spear shattered and Bladescape healed Malus with another crystal as Malus equipped a spare shield.

The King of the Oathbreakers pulled out a sword which had been stashed behind the throne. He swiped it down at them as Bladescape called for her two groups to lock shields. They obeyed and the damage dealers fell in behind them. Groups A and E joined them, as did Group C. A wall of shields spanning most of the room was formed as the first wave of knights came out from behind the throne, marching forward to battle in the name of their king. They had spears and shields at the ready. Bladescape called for the other groups to eliminate the four knights behind their line and join them. Natora rallied the damage dealers to help eliminate the knights. They quickly finished them and the shields of F, G, and H joined their wall as the first clashes began. The damage dealers returned in time to give them a fight. No new knights came out from the sides of the wall, but waves upon waves came from behind the throne; passing their king before engaging the raiders.

The battle dragged on as twenty four knights in total fought the raiders. It was a battle of shields; both sides pushing against each other in the confined space, just like medieval combat actually happened. The open melees that were essentially chaotic one-on-one battles were not historically accurate and this battle happened to align with history. Knightstar had pointed out the differences a lot of times.

With the twenty-four defeated, no others came out of the wall and the damage dealers rushed forward to finish off the king. He was a fast and heavy hitter, quickly forcing many of them into the red with his special attacks. That was not how it was supposed to go. They expected to be able to eliminate the last of his HP with relative ease.

From behind her, Bladescape heard Heathcliff rally the available shields into the fray. They arrived when the King dropped Kirito deep into the red, putting him out of the fight and leaving just Bladescape and Asuna for the damage dealers, both of whom were in the orange for their health. The rest had been forced to fall back and heal, but they had left the boss with very little HP. The King attacked Asuna, but Heathcliff was there to block the sword. In one seamless move he transitioned to an attack, eliminating the last of The King of the Oathbreakers' HP while still shielding Asuna from the king's sword.

Bladescape lowered her sword as the lights shifted to brighten the room and the congratulations music began to play. She had hesitated because backup was coming and she had misjudged how much damage Heathcliff could deliver. She expected the shields to block, allowing her to strike the final blow. She should have attacked as soon as the boss targeted Asuna. The Last Attack Bonus was not hers simply because she had failed to take the clearly present opportunity.

Bladescape looked at her drop list, quickly making mental notes about it. She would sort through it with Knightstar for appraisal later. She had gotten several healing crystals, covering the ones she had used on Malus. They had been used wisely and without regret, but it was always nice to receive them in the loot drop.

"Well, that was an invigorating battle," Heathcliff calmly stated. "It had its issues, but overall the strategy was smart. The liberation effort has progressed a lot since I last heard about the boss battles."

"Yes, we have," Bladescape said. "It was one of the smoothest boss raids I've been on, especially in a good while — I doubt they will ever be as smooth as the fight against Fuscus the Vacant Colossus on the fifth floor — and the Knights of the Bloodoath were a strong reason for that. We would have done better if we had stuck to the original structuring of the groups, by role, not by guild. Lind didn't have enough shields in Group A. Group B brought all of the shields we could muster for the boss raid and G thankfully compensated for us."

"Next time we will do that," Lind stated. It was an attempt to appease Bladescape and everyone in the room who was angry at him.

Bladescape didn't say anything back. She had already made her point. If she spoke up again, it would be difficult to not verbally assault Lind. It wasn't worth it and it would look bad for the Wondercolts. Lind already made himself and the DDA look bad.

"And if we don't approve?" Asuna asked. It was a general statement but clearly directed at Lind. "What if we think there are more qualified leaders than you, Lind, when it comes to the boss raids?"

Bladescape was happy someone had spoken up and she was even happier that it was Asuna. Lind didn't like that question and he gave Asuna a nasty look for a moment before changing. He already didn't like Asuna from her pre-KoB days clearing.

"Let me guess," Lind replied, relatively calmly. "You think Heathcliff should lead?"

"He's one option," Asuna replied. "Bladescape is another. She has plenty of experience too and she has done well stepping up to fill that role since things fell apart on the twenty-fifth floor. I also am a veteran of the old way of doing things and I know the changes that need to be made. You're the one who changed the plans at the last minute yesterday. It was obvious then and it clearly could have gone better. We thankfully didn't lose anyone, but we almost lost plenty, including you, twice. And yes, I was counting."

Lind looked at Bladescape. She didn't give him any response, hoping she could stay neutral. He didn't let her.

"Well?" He asked. "Do you really think that my experience leading boss battles is no longer needed?"

"No," Bladescape admitted, putting up her hand to stop him from jumping to a response. "While we need your experience, that doesn't mean you should be leading the Assault Team. I don't believe it's yours to lead. A true strategy meeting will require us to discuss the plan. You can give your input then, but clearly we need to decentralize the leadership. You changed the plan yesterday. You endangered us all with your antiquated organization. We don't need a sole leader, we need a champion. Someone to boost morale and someone who is able to make any adjustments necessary to the raid if the plan isn't working. Planning and being the champion are quite different roles."

"Two players stood out today," a member of Group D said. "They had eyes on the entire battle and were always ready to fight. They would be Bladescape and Heathcliff."

"This is not the place to discuss this matter," Bladescape stated. "We have a city to unlock. We can breach it again in a few days. Campaign as you see fit."

Bladescape headed for the exit. Lind didn't have any idea on how to win that argument. He was facing two veterans who had been there since the beginning. He had no seniority over Bladescape or Asuna. Asuna might have stepped away for a bit, but she was a part of the solo raid on Floor Five's boss. Her respected position was clear and so was the feelings of the others in the chamber.

Bladescape wouldn't likely do any campaigning. She wanted to lead the Wondercolts. She would be their shining example. When players thought of the Wondercolts, they would think of her. She didn't want to champion the Assault Team unless she had to. Championing it would require the person, to a certain degree, to exert their will over the Assault Team, while still allowing the members to be independent until it was time to come together for boss raids. Otherwise they might as well be in the same guild.

Episode 37 - The Steps Of Battle

Episode 37 — The Steps Of Battle
Sixteenth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 16) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 30 — 2 p.m.

The Wondercolts were the first to make it to Isonset, the easternmost city on the Thirtieth Floor. Floor Thirty was late-medieval European themed, with the cities made of Tudor buildings and narrow cobbled streets surrounded by tall stone walls. One of the nearby pillars would have the boss labyrinth in it. The clearers had started in the south and cleared the north and west sections. All of the towers in those areas were void of the labyrinth. The east quadrant was blocked by a swift flowing river and a troll guardian, restricting travel across the only bridge. As exciting as it was to be the first one in the last major town on the floor, half of them were in a sour mood.

The Wondercolts, all eleven of them, had been assigned the job of scouting the field boss before the strike team would go in for the efficient kill. They had engaged it and drawn it out in front of the narrow bridge where they had more room to maneuver. They were just beginning to judge its abilities and its stats when Thunderborne and Natora had a "miscommunication" and ran into each other. Both had been sprinting. The troll targeted the easy prey and Malus charged it, her heavy tower shield forward. She plowed into it and kept going until they were well clear of the others. When she stopped, the troll took a few steps to find its footing, except there was none. It fell backwards into the river where it shattered. Thunderborne and Natora were in a sour mood because of their collision, while Malus was in a sour mood because she believed a boss shouldn't be that much of a pushover, literally.

Nothing Malus did counted as an attack, so the Last Attack Bonus went to the player who had landed the last strike on the boss. Thunderborne and Natora had baited it off the bridge, each dealing one minor hit to entice it to chase them. Knightstar gave the troll a good slash to take the pressure off of them and then blocked a retaliatory strike on her shield. That had been the last attack on the boss. Knightstar was in a sour mood because if she was going to get an LAB, she wanted to earn it. She didn't believe that qualified as anything but a technicality with "earning" the bonus. She hadn't shared what it was, which indicated that it was probably useful for her, furthering her sour mood.

Bladescape was in a sour mood because now she had to explain how they accidentally beat the field boss by themselves while they were supposed to only be scouting it. It wasn't going to look good, however, Heathcliff had fully taken charge since his success against The King of the Oathbreakers. Or rather, the KoB was now at the head of their effort. Hopefully Asuna could be reasoned with, as Heathcliff was leaving most of the strategy to her, while he championed the Assault Team. All Bladescape had sent in the message to Asuna was, “Field boss died in an accident. The way is clear.” The curt reply back didn’t give Bladescape any indication of what they were thinking.

Bladescape sent everyone off in pairs to explore the town and snag inn rooms. She triggered the teleport plaza and went back to the city gate to wait for the other clearers to arrive. They had no teleport plaza where they had staged the strategy meeting at.

She let her mind wander over the past two months as she waited. Since Heathcliff had become their champion, he had brought order and fairness to the strategy of clearing floors. Everyone knew he had a bias towards his own guild, but he did a very good job at not letting it run the organization of their "liberation effort", as he called it. He had recruited only the best to be knights, but he was not going to use it to control players and guilds. The Knights of the Bloodoath would succeed at being the strongest guild by merit, fighting on a level field alongside everyone else. So far, they were doing a better job of it than anyone else with the possible exception of the Wondercolts. It was difficult to judge them side by side since his guild was now twice their size.

To compete, Lind had to motivate his entire guild to aggressively level grind because they were so much weaker than the Wondercolts and Knights of the Bloodoath. The other guilds had to grind hard too. Oddly, Kirito had largely disappeared from the front lines over the past several weeks. Bladescape had seen him once or twice while grinding late at night, but he was always further away and engaged in combat. The glances she had gotten of the Black Swordsman were brief, but she could swear he had a guild tag above his HP bar, except that would mean they were not a clearing guild, which didn't make sense. He always was an enigma shrouded in a black cloak of mystery.

Bladescape was working with Knightstar and Natora on how to ensure they stayed at the top as a guild. The two of them now knew about her extra training time, but just them for the moment. The others were aware that they were working on a leveling plan, but outside the three leaders, the others didn't appear to have the same understanding of what it would require for them to stay competitive in this new era of Aincrad. At least under Heathcliff’s leadership they would have the time to train, or could make the time.

A part of that strategy had been a resolution to dungeon dive more. As a result, they had conquered more dungeon bosses as a guild. Because of that, Doombunny had actually been quite willing to join the field boss scouting mission. No doubt the less high-stakes battles had helped her dagger wielding friend be more comfortable with such actions. The same with Knightstar and Soryuto. Everyone was more comfortable working together against lower tiered bosses because of it.

Bladescape was certain that the real change for Doombunny over the past few weeks had been driven by Colorra. Doombunny finally had a familiar, albeit a very venomous snake, but it had certainly brought her comfort having an animal friend. She had been happier on a daily basis.

Bladescape still felt that something else was brewing, but she didn't have proof. Doombunny had already proved to be crafty at times, like going with blade throwing early on, but Colorra was also crafty. The elapid had to be crafty to fight alongside them.

It didn't take the rest of the clearers long to arrive, with Heathcliff leading the procession. Bladescape bowed in greeting to him. She was hoping proper manners would help ease things over.

It was Asuna who asked the question. "What happened? You said an accident killed the boss?"

"That's correct," Bladescape said. "As discussed, Natora and Thunderborne used their agility to entice it to leave the bridge. Knightstar gave it a cut to distract it so they could cleanly disengage. Then Thunder and Natora ran into each other while lining up for the first real attack. It charged them before they could get up. Malus charged it, shield first, shoving it clear so they could get up, but that also meant that it had to regain its footing, except it couldn't as it fell into the river. It drowned, or something." Bladescape shrugged. "Either way we got the drop menus for its death. Entirely anticlimactic and an accident. None of us even considered pushing it into the water. We were concerned about falling in ourselves."

"So, did you actually strike it?" Asuna asked.

"Three hits, all very light ones," Bladescape clarified. "We didn't even shave a tenth of the first health bar off."

Heathcliff finally spoke up, "So aside from some bruised egos, no one got hurt and the boss was defeated, clearing the way?" His question was mostly rhetorical, framing the situation before he continued. "Accidents happen. You did your job scouting it and found a critical weakness none of us foresaw, leading to an unexpected end. There is nothing else that needs to be said."

"Thank you, Commander," Bladescape said, bowing again. "The Wondercolts appreciate your understanding."

Bladescape got a few bad glances from people she didn’t really have a high opinion of, but no one was going to say anything when Heathcliff had already passed his judgment. Bladescape was glad it was him leading, not Lind and certainly not Kibaou. It might be a little while before they were sent to scout a field boss again, but that was understandable and okay with Bladescape. She wasn't a big fan of scouting. It was necessary and she was willing to do their part, but it was boring knowing you were not fully committing yourself. It had been the first field boss the eleven of them had taken on since they soloed the one on the third floor. Back then it was to prove a point, today she had just been happy they all agreed that they could handle it, but now, even with the Commander's glass half full attitude, it was a stained moment.

With Heathcliff's judgment passed, Bladescape turned to check on her friends as they explored the new city. Isonset had plenty of vendors, inns, and restaurants. Cities like this, stocked full of NPCs, would also have plenty of quests and be sources of information. It was all packed pretty tightly in several walled off districts. Finding where her guildmates were would not be easy without search allowing her to track them, but using it would not allow Bladescape to explore the city and also zapped the fun out of doing so.

Bladescape found Konpeito sampling a local NPC vendor’s street cart. Reisenki was enjoying something as well. Konpeito had gotten sidetracked by food and Reisenki’s latest skill was cooking, so he was often with Konpeito trying to learn the non-formulaic recipes from her. Leveling cooking using Knightstar’s guidance was different from actually cooking what you wanted. Reisenki was able to let Bladescape know that Malus and Kiefer had been the first to break off in order to get them rooms. Also, that Knightstar and Soryuto had wanted to check out the citadel and were together. Bladescape set a meeting location and time before continuing on.

Bladescape found Natora and Diemond nearby in a shop. There wasn’t anything impressive and Natora was still in a sour mood. They were cataloging everything available, their stats, and the prices for Knightstar’s calculations. They were almost done with the shop. Natora was relieved to hear that the incident was accepted as an accident. Bladescape passed on the meeting information to them and went back to exploring.

It wasn't until much later, when she ended up in the lower citadel, that she found any other Wondercolts. A bunch of NPC soldiers were training weapons. They had seen plenty of guards and soldiers, but never them training before. This was a logical place where extra skills or skill evolution could be found. They just needed to speak to all of the NPCs, which would not be easy, especially if they had a very specific trigger that had to be spoken.

Bladescape spotted Knightstar and Soryuto. Knightstar was about to spar with an NPC. He was old; a battle hardened veteran who was without armor and using a sword and shield. Bladescape walked over to watch as Knightstar attacked. He was quick, blocking and striking her. She got her shield up and countered, but so did he as he skipped to the side. Knightstar didn’t last as he flowed around her, smacking her with the flat of his blade on the back.

Bladescape clapped in praise. “Not bad Knightstar. What are you up to?”

Knightstar rolled her eyes at Bladescape, a very odd response. Soryuto shook her head at Bladescape. Knightstar called for the duel to happen again. The NPC obliged. Knightstar started with a different attack, but it ended the same way. Knightstar started again.

Bladescape walked over to where Soryuto was watching from. “What is going on?”

“It’s a quest,” Soryuto said. “The NPC, Don Bane, is an expert swordsman. He claims he can teach anyone the steps of battle, how to really use a sword and shield. First they must best him in a simple sparring match. I’ve tried it three times. She has tried it twelve.” Knightstar lost and called for it to start again. “Thirteen now.”

“Well I’ll go next, help break her from the rut she is in,” Bladescape said.

“He won’t be interested,” Soryuto warned.

Knightstar lost and Bladescape stepped over the low rope into the ring. “Don Bane, I would like to learn these steps of battle.”

“I’m sorry,” Don Bane stated. “I do not teach fools.”

“What?” Bladescape asked, shocked at him calling her a fool. She had no idea how she was the fool to him. He didn’t even know her. Plus, he was an NPC.

“You carry only a large sword and forgo a shield,” Don Bane explained. “Only a fool would do such a thing. There are two handed weapons that are not foolish, like a poleaxe or halberd, but they are weapons that excel in other ways and compensate for the lack of protection. To use a sword without a shield is foolish. You cannot use my knowledge and neither are you worthy of it.”

“Well, okay then,” Bladescape replied, unsure what else to say. “Knightstar, let’s go.”

“No,” Knightstar said. “I want to go again.”

“Persistent,” Don Bane said to her, a coy smile on his lips. “Persistence is good.”

“At times, yes,” Bladescape said. “Right now, Knightstar, you should take a break.”

“No,” Knightstar stated. “Please exit so we can go again.”

Bladescape stepped close to Knightstar. “What is going on? I’ve not seen you get stuck on anything in this game. Level up your swordsmanship some more and come back later to beat him.”

“I can do this,” Knightstar replied. “I know I can.”

“Normally Thunder and Malus are the stubborn ones,” Bladescape pressed. “Or Diemond or me, but not you. Why does this matter? And don’t tell me it doesn’t. It clearly does.”

Knightstar set her jaw as she stared back at Bladescape. “Because today, after giving the boss a quick cut, I was awarded the Last Attack Bonus. If I can earn one, technicality or not, I can beat him.”

“Okay,” Bladescape said. “Persistence can be appropriate, at times. For now, it is. Don’t get yourself stuck in quicksand. The more you struggle, the faster it consumes you.”

“I won’t,” Knightstar growled.

Bladescape exited the ring, back to Soryuto. “I don’t know if she can do it,” Bladescape quietly said.

“She can’t,” Soryuto replied. “You haven’t dueled him, I have. He is too quick and too skilled. He is hard when he needs to be, like a block or strike, but otherwise flows as smooth as water. He would beat any Wondercolt. The worst part is, he isn’t trying that hard. We haven’t even begun to test his level of skill. Knightstar likely knows that. Either way, she will build a guide and eventually beat it.”

Knightstar had been selling raw data to Argo for a while. It was turning a decent profit, but Bladescape knew Knightstar really wanted to produce and sell her own guides. Quest walkthroughs would be a hot seller, especially if the quest was difficult and worth the reward. If it was an extra skill, which is what it sounded like, it would be worth a lot. Bladescape let it go, for now, telling Soryuto their meeting time and place. Bladescape went back to exploring.

Bladescape tried to see the King, but he was oddly not available. She was stonewalled by the NPCs and couldn't get any information out of them. She couldn't tell if he was off on a visit somewhere, or busy with some task, or occupied some other way. Every attempt to start a quest was unsuccessful. Something odd was going on, but it seemed like Aincrad wasn't ready for it to happen. At least not yet, likely at a later time.

Bladescape gave up and headed to their designated meeting place early. The tavern wasn't too crowded. She grabbed the large table in the back and ordered a drink. She spent her time scrolling through the drops she had gotten from the field boss. There was a decent ring in the drops, which would be useful. A player could wear two rings, one on each hand. Jewelry was still limited, at least pieces that boosted stats or abilities, and even minor boosters were hot sellers. There were plenty of fashion pieces readily available and they too fetched a pretty price. Jewelers were already crafting items from both precious metals and precious stones, the latter which were found randomly while mining.

Thunderborne and Doombunny were the first to join Bladescape. Kiefer had passed the word along when they ran into each other. The two of them were hard to miss with Konpeito stuffing her face at every food cart or roadside vendor. Thunderborne and Doombunny had spent their time doing an errand quest, ferrying messages throughout the city. They had seen most of it during their time carrying out the tasks. They were not quite done yet, but they needed the dinner break.

BLADESCAPE: Level 55 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing
NATORA: Level 52 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 50 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 53 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search
THUNDERBORNE: Level 52 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce
KONPEITO: Level 52 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing
DIEMOND: Level 51 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging
DOOMBUNNY: Level 50 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Sprint — Search
KIEFER: Level 50 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging
SORYUTO: Level 49 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit
REISENKI: Level 51 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking

Episode 38 — Trolls

Episode 38 — Trolls
Nineteenth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 19) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 30

Kiefer stood behind Bladescape with the other Wondercolts. Asuna, Second-in-Command of the Knights of the Bloodoath was once again leading the raid meeting. She was good at strategy, along with being a beautiful and fierce fighter. Kiefer had no romantic interest in her, but facts were facts. More importantly, Asuna had earned his respect long before she joined the KoB.

As usual, Bladescape was voicing her opinions and ideas, helping balance the meeting. Kirito, who had not been around for a while, would add in his word every so often — to Asuna's annoyance — and other guild leaders like Lind gave their own. It was a team effort, but Asuna was driving the meeting. Since the KoB had taken charge of their "liberation effort," the raid meetings were always beyond someone needing to direct them. Asuna was in charge for a reason and everyone knew it. Commander Heathcliff was content letting Asuna lead the raid meetings. He was always a fierce fighter in the raids, their champion, but he seemed content with focusing on leading his guild and keeping the KoB in the lead as the strongest guild.

None of that really mattered to Kiefer. It mattered because he needed to understand the abilities of the assault team and any potential issues he might encounter, but he really just relied on Bladescape to give him direction. She could play politician, he would just be the Wondercolts' samurai; the noble warrior who wielded a katana for the good of all. Diemond had made him a more classic Japanese style of armor in their colors, navy blue accented with gold.

They didn't officially organize the raids by guilds, not anymore. Each party had a job and the members fit that job, however, some guilds were able to craft a party to fit any role. If the guild could field a party on their own, it was better because they knew how to work with each other and were comfortable doing so. The KoB always had at least one party in the fight, led by Commander Heathcliff, but everyone wanted him and his shield unit at the front, right in the thick of whatever they were fighting. The Wondercolts were pretty diverse when it came to raids, but they couldn't field six tanks or even six shields. They often were in support roles, finding that middle ground. They had earned their spot in the boss raids as a guild and still had yet to disappoint in any raid. They had earned their spot as the top supporters and were the most fluid unit in any raid, doing whatever was required of them.

For this upcoming raid against a family of trolls, the Wondercolts were not all in one party. Bladescape was directing Element Two, which was made up of Groups C and D. C was a tank unit and D was all damage dealers. All four elements were teams of two parties, with a party of shields or tanks and another party of damage dealers. Malus and Reisenki were in Group C as Tanks, and Malus technically was party leader. Bladescape was leading Natora, Thunderborne, and Kiefer. The rest of their party was filled out with Kirito and Lobelia, the leader of the Meigibu guild. They really needed two shields, but Kirito was able to block and defend as if he had one, including blocking for others; despite never showing any sign that his one handed sword was ever paired with a shield. The Black Swordsman could be perplexing at times, but he always brought the best he had to the fights and he was one of the best in the assault team. He would easily beat Kiefer in a duel.

They got six Wondercolts into the raid. That was fair, especially with their track record and the politics surrounding boss raids. The raids were important to guilds and players because of the col and items bosses dropped. The Wondercolts' members were extremely valuable to the Assault Team and always sought after. Sometimes they got all eight but occasionally it was as low as four. It did depend on the guilds who were at the meeting and the boss they were facing. Thunder and Natora often were useless if the boss was too well armored. Bladescape leading Element Two was also very positive, but she had also not missed a floor boss raid to date. Elements One and Two were going to be in the heavier engagements during the raid.

This time, the next floor was protected by three generations of mountain trolls. It was a unique idea which made the pain, fear, and tears of the boss raids more tolerable, at least to Kiefer. The family of trolls needed to be engaged at the same time and kept separate. That would take coordination among element leaders. Element One was going after The Troll Family Daddy; Element Two would take on The Troll Family Momma; Element Three was assigned to The Troll Family Baby; and Element Four was given the task of eliminating The Troll Family Grandpa. Daddy and Momma would be tough fights, but Baby and Grandpa were respectable mid-bosses in their own right.

The meeting ended as the element leaders repeated the plans to double check that they were all on the same page. Kiefer was glad it was over. Since he was assigned to the raid party, he was going to go with Bladescape and Natora to get weapon enhancements. Those who were not in the raid could go the next day, while they executed the raid. The raid members had enough requests for the smiths that they didn't need to overwhelm them, or rather, overwhelm them even more than they would. Kiefer had the materials for three enhancements.

Kamikaze was a good katana, but it was only a few days old. He hadn't performed any enhancements on it yet. They had done a dungeon run and Kiefer had scored the last attack bonus on the dungeon boss. The sword was his special reward. Almost every Wondercolt had scored a last attack bonus of some kind. Soryuto and Doombunny had not gotten any, but they didn't care and, along with Knightstar, only fought dungeon bosses. Konpeito was the only Wondercolt to score a floor boss LAB and twice at that, with Bladescape, Knightstar, Natora, and Thunderborne, getting field boss LABs. They all loved getting LABs, but Bladescape was confusing. She absolutely worked to get them when it was within her grasp, but she was specifically focused on a floor boss LAB. She didn't care about the dungeon bosses or even the field bosses. She appeared to prefer it if another Wondercolt scored the LAB of dungeon bosses.

Kiefer would call her focus "obsession," except as much as it was, it wasn't. She had gotten close or been robbed of a floor boss LAB several times. It drove her to train harder than anyone else in the guild, it drove her in each floor boss fight, it was her ultimate goal, it even was how she judged herself compared to others like Kirito who was very good at scoring the last attack bonuses, yet it didn't dictate her daily policy and the "obsession" didn't dictate her life or have her constantly discussing it. Her focus was where it should be and wider, on the guild and the assault team and clearing effort as a whole, not on obtaining a Last Attack Bonus from a floor boss. So, as much as it was an obsession, it clearly wasn't an obsession because a true obsession couldn't be dismissed like she was able to dismiss it. At least in appearance.

The six of them teleported to Irona from their location. The air was filled with the pounding of metal on metal as smiths forged weapons, shields, and armor. Floor fifteen had become the current capital of the crafters. It had several profitable mining locations, as well as public metalworks for the refining of ore. Inn rooms in Irona were reasonably priced and there was a wide variety of food available. More importantly, the city was laid out in a way that easily allowed the smiths to spread out vendor carpets and do business without crowding each other.

Malus and Reisenki split off from the others. Malus needed to have her breastplate enhanced, while Reisenki needed his shield enhanced. The crafters who focused on armors and shields set up in a different part of the city compared to the weapon smiths. Diemond wasn't far enough along in her crafting ability to make heavy metal armor, meaning she couldn't enhance it. About half of her light metal armor attempts were up to par for the necessities of the Assault Team. It had taken her three tries to make an acceptable set for Kiefer. At least she was able to upgrade it. It didn't require a new skill for her to do enhancements. Kiefer was thankful for her hard work and attention to detail. She didn't only work hard, she also made stellar designs with a keen eye for detail while also helping shape the image the wearer wanted to project. Even if it took a few times to achieve the quality, she did it without hesitation or complaint.

They made it to where all of the weapon smiths were set up. About half were focused on selling the weapons they had forged. They had an overabundance on their carpets and likely more in their inventories. The smiths the Wondercolts faithfully used were always set up in the same place. Koricata, Nataszo, Nemus, and Lisbeth were known as Konelina Foundry. They even had a sign made for their group which they displayed off a tripod on one of their vendor carpets to advertise their services.

"I don't see them," Bladescape said. "Their usual spot is empty. Two days ago they said they would be available. They knew we were coming to get work done after the boss raid meeting."

"Eh, I'm sure they are just getting some materials," Natora said with a shrug. "It's still early and they work late."

"Yeah," Bladescape said with a yawn. "It was a late night last night. I don't have much more gas in my tank. I need sleep and soon to be ready for the boss tomorrow. I got that next level though, so it was worth the lack of sleep."

"You weren't alone, right?" Natora asked. Bladescape had a habit of going out training alone. She thought she was keeping it secret from everyone, but he had noticed.

"Reisenki and Konpeito were with me," Bladescape clarified. "It was a good night for us all."

Bladescape sat down at the smiths' usual spot. She had looked good during the meeting, but now she looked exhausted. The meeting was where she needed to focus her effort and present well.

A young man Kiefer wasn't familiar with walked up to them. By his leather and canvas outfit, he was clearly a smith, although how he worked with the mop of hair he had on his head, Kiefer had no idea. "You four aren’t looking for Konelina Foundry, are you?"

"We are," Natora said. "Did they move locations?"

He took in a sharp breath. "You haven't heard then," he said.

"Heard what?" Thunderborne asked.

"Yesterday, Koricata, Nataszo, and Nemus went into the field with three others to gather rare materials," he explained. "None of them made it back. The dungeon they were mining in is hazardous, but they were a good team. It wasn't their first time in it. I'm not sure what happened, no one is, but their names are struck out in the Black Iron Palace. The Monument of Life inside has the day and month, time of day, and cause of death under each of their names. All of them received fatal blunt force damage."

No one knew what to say. They were shocked, to say the least. Kiefer liked them, so he felt bad by his immediate reaction. His instinct was to ask who else they could trust for enhancement, but he kept his mouth shut. They had built a rapport with the four of them and as sad as it was, they needed their weapons upgraded or tomorrow the four of them might also have their names struck out on the wall, yet that seemed like it was a trivial thing to consider after hearing the horrible news. Kiefer certainly knew what it really meant to have a name struck through on the wall. He had watched his own friends perish in the field. He was only here because of Bladescape. The same for Soryuto and Reisenki. Despite that, he just wanted to know who he could trust to upgrade his katana.

"Thank you," Bladescape finally said. "That is tragic news, but we are thankful that you informed us of it. We won't have to waste our time waiting for…." she just trailed off instead of saying what they all now knew.

"I'm sorry it isn't better news," he said. "I know they had a loyal following. They were good players and well respected in the crafting community, despite their opposition to a single unified crafting guild. They set a standard for decorum and model for crafting that many of us can't meet, at least not yet. We will all miss them."

"What about Lisbeth?" Natora asked. "You didn't say her name."

"She's alive, but didn't come today, understandably," he explained. "She is pretty torn up over it. She was the one to raise the alarm when they were four hours overdue. She was among those of us who went to the wall to search for their names."

"Not to be disrespectful," Thunderborne said, pausing. She clearly was thinking what Kiefer was. At least he wasn't the only one. "But we still need weapon enhancements before tomorrow's raid. I trust Lisbeth, she's worked on my rapier before, but if she isn't here, well we still have to get ready for the floor boss raid."

Bladescape let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I know. That fact isn't lost on me. I just…" Bladescape trailed off again. Either it was from lack of sleep or she was losing her nerve. Maybe it was a mix of both.

"We need to get you to bed," Natora said. "Tonight we'll do this the hard way." She looked at the young man who had been kind enough to tell them. "We have a two-handed sword, a two-handed spear, a rapier, and a katana that need upgrading. What can you do?"

"I know it's not optimal," he said. "But you're right. I didn't know you were on the assault team. Thanks for doing what I can't. I can do the rapier, but I'll need my partner to do the two-handed sword. Figus can do your spear and Veratus will treat the Katana right. I'll take you to them."

Thunderborne helped Bladescape up and they followed him. Kiefer was shown to Veratus. Veratus had no issue with doing the enhancements Kiefer wanted. Kiefer commissioned Quickness, Accuracy, and Durability. The Katana took all three enhancements, not failing any of them. At least that was a small light of hope in the darkness of the day.

Kiefer was done last, which wasn't a problem. They headed back to their rented inn to sleep and where everyone was waiting for them. Bladescape crashed right away, without saying anything to anyone about what had happened. Natora had to update everyone. They all were devastated at the news and they wanted to support Lisbeth, but no one was friends with her. Bladescape, Natora, and Knightstar had been friends only with Koricata. They didn't need to befriend the others. If the three of them weren't careful, their friend list would grow too long to be functional as their leaders.

Kiefer stayed up a little later, enjoying a nice ale with a creamy dessert alongside Soryuto. There wasn't much to say, especially after the news, but it was good to sit by her side, enjoying her company along with the sweet food. Really more of her company than the food.

They each had separate inn rooms. They had been using the same ones the past three nights. The room was standard size with a regular bed, but tonight it felt a lot bigger and emptier. As Kiefer drifted off to sleep, he couldn't help but dream of his friends he lost, plus the others too afraid to leave. They still hadn't been able to gather the courage to leave the Town of Beginnings, even to go to other safe cities. He messaged them every so often, so he knew they were alright, but he felt like they too had been lost because of the separation that now divided them. He was facing the game, they were hiding from it. He couldn't seem to connect with them anymore.

Sleep dulled some of the emotions he had the night before. When he rolled out of bed, Kiefer was ready to fight. He was determined to do what it took to end this as soon as they could. Not for his friends, not for himself, but so that the divide he felt would be mended. That divide had to be fixed and the only way to do that was to push onward and upward to the Ruby Palace, until SAO was in the past, not their current reality. Freed from Sword Art Online, back in the real world, they could come together and mourn the losses that had happened and the trauma they endured. That should bring them together once again, as sad of a reason as that was.

At breakfast, Knightstar, Doombunny, Diemond, and Soryuto declared that they had decided to track down Lisbeth to visit her. They had no intention of abandoning her. She needed their support. Also, she still was a member of the foundry and did good work, so they would continue to use her when they could. Bladescape and Natora were in support of that plan, but focused on the upcoming raid. Konpeito was going to join the four of them in tracking Lisbeth down.

Waiting for the raid party to assemble was always annoying to Kiefer. They were usually timed for mid-morning, to give everyone time to do enhancements and final preparations, but the Wondercolts had a routine. They were always up and going early and typically wrapping up their work on the early side, depending on what they were actually doing, to facilitate secondary skills, except many days that had an early start also had a late end. Compared to the working days where they were busy and often felt rushed, raid days were a boring drag and then it was a giant sprint to kill the boss before anyone died, before slowly stumbling out of it until it was time for bed.

After clearing thirty boss labyrinths, this one was no more unique or special than any of the ones before. Clearing the path to the chamber was the standard rotation, with the Element leaders splitting and pairing up their two parties so they had both shields and damage dealers while on rotation. Kiefer was able to fight alongside Reisenki, which always brought him joy. The two of them carved through any resistance. Reisenki was quick and light for a tank, the "lightest" tank the Wondercolts had, but he had learned well from Malus how to properly plant his feet and hold his ground. Reisenki was lighter than most tanks, yet one of the steadiest.

They reached the boss chamber and final preparations were made as Element Four topped off their HP and everyone refilled pouches with potions and crystals. Kiefer was thankful for teleport crystals. They saved a lot of lives, but they were apparently not a guarantee. Stories floated between players and in the paper about traps on the recently unlocked floors now being an anti-crystal zone or other design elements on a map which blocked the crystals from working. Kiefer had never seen it, but plenty of games had areas where teleporting or fast-travel wasn't allowed. The only problem was that SAO was no longer a game.

Commander Heathcliff faced everyone, doing a final visual inspection before he opened the boss chamber doors. He was at the head of Element One, once again leading the raiders into the boss chamber. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that they would come out victorious. Nothing appeared to shake him.

At least Heathcliff wasn't the boss room, because the four trolls shook the ground. They were not a family like Kiefer had expected. Clearly no one had expected this development. They had ample information about the troll family, including details on abilities, weapons, and stats for Daddy and Momma, so the assault team had decided to skip doing a scouting mission. Plus, a scouting mission against two mid-bosses in a floor boss fight would have been difficult to gather relevant information from and too dangerous. The other two trolls, Baby and Grandpa, were supposed to be similar and they were also stated to be the easier ones to fight. But none of them were the same. They didn’t look remotely like they could be family, let alone like trolls.

The Troll Family Daddy was more stone than flesh. The thick hide appeared to be made of rocks and it slowed down the movements of the troll. Its every movement was halted and jagged, like it was functioning off a large, rusted ratchet gear, barely able to get to the next groove. The maul slung over its shoulder was almost hilariously oversized, especially with its inability to smoothly walk.

The Troll Family Momma was a tall and blubberous being. The fat in its belly, arms, neck, legs, and face jiggled as it moved. It was soft skinned and had a long, crude lance made of solid metal. The rusted metal clearly weighed a lot by the way it moved its weapon.

The Troll Family Baby was yet another variation of “troll.” It was springy and bouncy, barely three meters tall. It looked like a mossy shrub. Despite that look, it clearly had a hoard of knives stuck in its arms; likely ones that could be pulled out and thrown, just factoring in the sheer number of them it carried.

The Troll Family Grandpa was also entirely different from the others. The thing looked like a glacier. Its ice-like skin was smooth and white with a blue undertone to it. It had a long, unkempt, beard of icicles, bushy eyebrows that looked like patches of snow on a branch, and it carried an iron pick with a long bar of iron as a “shield.”

Momma had more health than Daddy, but Daddy had higher defense. Elements One and Two were well balanced for their fights. The ice troll known as “Grandpa” was clearly faster than his stats indicated, and, knowing who was in Element Four, it was going to give them trouble. The bouncing monstrosity labeled “Baby” was not going to let Element Three control its movements. Element Three was thankfully mostly Forwards with shields, with only two dedicated tanks and two dedicated damage dealers. Once Elements Three and Four finished their fights, they would be supporting the primary elements.

Bladescape was leading their element forward, with the damage dealers out in front as they all gained speed in their charge across the room. They started to outpace the tanks, which was fine. They all slid to a stop thirty feet from Momma who pulled her lance back with a screech as it targeted them. Before it could strike, the tanks slipped past them, drawing its focus. Momma flipped its grip and hammered it down on Malus. The Iron Bulwark raised her massive shield and stopped it cold.

Kiefer followed Bladescape’s orders and rushed past the tanks. He unleashed a two combination attack, an upward diagonal slash that cut back along the same path. The delay following the combo was not long and he was able to retreat to the safety of the tank line as Momma jumped backwards, her blubber jiggling.

She thrust the lance forward. Reisenki took it squarely on his shield. It slid him back, but he stayed upright. Kiefer acted on instinct, lunging past his friend far enough to slash its wrist with his Katana. It didn’t do much damage, but it felt good, especially as the troll screeched in pain.

That began the ebb and flow of battle, switching in and out with their tanks covering their damage dealers. Momma was slower at attacking. If a tank took too much damage, they could slip back and rest up, while still having five others to cover their damage dealers. If a damage dealer took that spear head on, it would be disastrous for most of them. Kirito probably could deflect it, Bladescape had a good chance too, and Lobelia would survive so long as it hit her shield, but the rest of them needed the tanks for cover. That was fine considering that the tanks were too slow to effectively deal damage in a fight like this one.

Kiefer often had Reisenki covering him. That was how the battle flowed. The non-Wondercolts tanks could only hold steady half the time they blocked. Their shield and armor protected them from taking lethal damage, but they were often knocked off their feet because of the weight in the “spear”. They were lucky Momma only used single strikes with slow follow-ups. It also meant that the damage dealers had to stay far enough away that they could avoid becoming tangled up in the fall with the tank who was the target of the lance.

Malus was able to draw half of the attacks to her shield. When Element Two had depleted half of the health of Momma, she hadn’t even put Malus into the orange. Not even once. The tank was barely in the yellow, with her battle healing skill regenerating HP at a fast enough pace to replace the damage of one out of every three hits. Somehow she managed to block and pull off hitting back a decent number of times. The other tanks couldn’t say the same, not even Reisenki.

Kiefer focused on the quick strikes he could do. They could only fully commit when Bladescape gave the order. She needed four of her tanks in a forward enough position to allow them all the freedom to unleash more powerful sword skills with longer delays. Bladescape played it conservative, but made up for it by the damage they dealt when they were given the order. It also helped that they didn’t have any close calls during those times. Sometimes being a little slower to stay steady was the significantly better option. Especially since Element four would soon be backing them up.

Kiefer jumped back after being freed from his delay. He was the second to land a strike and fifth to retreat, leaving Bladescape behind for a whole second before her delay was up. That full attack by Element Two’s damage dealers had put Momma into her last health bar.

Safe behind Malus and Reisenki, Kiefer risked a quick look to see how the others were faring. Daddy was in a similar position, almost into his final health bar. Element One’s health bars were more diverse in their colors than Two’s were. Element Three had pinned Baby to a wall, but were getting hammered hard. They were struggling to keep their health up as the troll targeted players further back with its throwing knives. Element Four was also struggling more than they should be. The icy troll was very good at blocking their attacks with its improvised shield. Both of them should have been done with their initial fights by now. Element Three was supposed to back up Element One when they were done, and Four was supposed to back up Two when they were done, but they were faring worse than the primary battle elements.

Bladescape barked new orders. She split her tanks, having two join Malus and two join Reisenki. The two with Reisenki used crystals to instantly replenish their diminished health. Bladescape gave them the order they all were waiting for. The tanks would work in tandem to cover the damage dealer as they sprinted from sets of attacks, running back to back blitzes against Momma to overwhelm the last of her HP. Bladescape healed Malus for good measure and told them to execute the plan.

Malus charged forward and drew the attack, stopping the lance dead on her shield. She even took a step as she blocked, forcing it to give way to her strength. Kiefer rushed past and unleashed a four hit combo. He broke free of his delay, dashing back as Momma targeted him. A tank threw themselves in front of Kiefer, taking the blow and being knocked out of the fight as they rolled out of the area. Kiefer reversed course, dashing back in to whip out the same combination attack. They did it again, this time the other tanks switching in as the damage dealers did their job. They effectively blocked the boss’ hastily chosen attacks and Kiefer jumped past them, going back in a third time. As he jumped back, another tank took a hard blow, putting them deep in the red, but it allowed Kiefer to go in for a fourth attack. He gave it the same combination attack. Before he could be released from the delay, Momma shattered and the polygons glittered for a few seconds before disappearing.

Bladescape called out her orders, fragmenting her element to back the others up. Kiefer, Reisenki, and Thunderborne were ordered to go attack Grandpa. They sprinted off to where that battle was happening. Kiefer saw that Malus had already abandoned the fight against Momma to help against Baby, likely being given those orders when the split tanks rotated. The Iron Bulwark was relentless against the boss as she worked to rally Element Three. Natora, Kirito, Lobelia, and two other tanks were on their way there too. Bladescape and the other tank turned their attention to Daddy, while their two injured tanks were ordered to heal and proceed to Daddy as soon as they could.

Kiefer, Reisenki, and Thunderborne had the longest distance to traverse. Thunderborne left them in the dust as she rushed to help turn the tide for Element Four. Kiefer looked at Reisenki who nodded to him, telling him to go.

Kiefer sprinted ahead of his friend, abandoning him for the time being. Thunderborne was running circles around Grandpa, cutting and poking in a constant harassment of the troll without the use of Sword Skills. That had it in a tizzy, giving Element Four a much needed break. She couldn't keep it up forever and Kiefer charged in with a vengeance. The first slash was good, but the second was blocked on the bar of steel it was using as its shield. The Troll quickly stepped around a delayed Kiefer to escape Thunderborne’s harassment. Kiefer was released in time to trigger a weapon defense skill, deflecting the pick before it hit him. He followed up with a simple, but powerful, thrust to its gut. The troll tried to counter but then roared into the ceiling as it seized up. Reisenki had to have buried his axe in its back.

That was all Thunderborne needed to unleash her own assault. It was a flash of blue and gold as she became a bladed whirlwind. Kiefer wasn't going to let the fencer outdo him. She had speed, but he had cutting power. The slashes he delivered in rapid succession carved off Grandpa's health, getting them into the final health bar. Thunderborne had broken off by chaining a leaping sword skill so that she was pulled out of the danger zone. Kiefer was stuck in his delay as Grandpa targeted him. The pick was swung to kill him, but Reisenki slipped in between it and Kiefer, calmly blocking it with his shield as he also stepped forward and hacked at the troll's arm.

Kiefer jumped free, yelling "clear!" Reisenki's delay was brief and he too backed up. Thunderborne slid up beside them, nodding to each of them before they faced down Grandpa. Element Four had rallied and charged in. They were not going to be outdone by three of the boss raid members their element was supposed to be backing up. Just by their presence they had already been outdone, but that didn't matter. Winning this fight was the only thing that mattered.

It did explain a lot as they watched half of Element Four fail. Grandpa was a very proficient shield user. It didn't matter how the troll looked, only how quickly it could flow. It was almost as if his ice arm was adjustable; freezing solid when he needed to block, but flowing like a river when he needed to rapidly move it.

The three of them had been ordered to Grandpa for a reason and they didn't hesitate to jump back into the fight. They needed to finish this battle. To do so would require them to work together. It was a good thing that Reisenki was their tank. He was quick enough to block as Kiefer and Thunderborne rapidly hopped in and out, switching at a ridiculously quick pace that few could match. They had fought side by side enough times by now that it was natural, not forced. Reisenki got in a hit or two when one of their attacks was blocked on the “shield” and the timing allowed him to claim the hit.

With the two of them rotating at their own pace, Grandpa's remaining HP melted away. Thunderborne unleashed Quadruple Pain, took the brief delay, and jumped clear as Kiefer surged forward. He saw the HP bar and knew what to do. There were three combinations for Katana that paired well for chaining together from a neutral start like Kiefer had. He flipped his sword into position and unleashed the first. It left his sword where he needed it to be in order to trigger the second combination. The third one was just begging to be triggered and unleashed. He obliged, ending the troll with a thrust to Grandpa's heart. Or where the heart would be for a human.

Kiefer heard the final war cry of another group as his delay ended and then the shattering of glass. The lighting in the room shifted as the congratulatory music played. Two screens popped up in front of him. Kiefer hadn't been close to scoring the last attack of the boss fight, unless they were each treated separately. He hadn't been close to finishing Momma, but he had clearly been the only one striking Grandpa when the last of the troll's HP was eliminated. Kiefer made a quick note of the drop and quickly cleared the screen. He didn't want anyone else to see it. He had done the right thing, he wasn't ashamed, but it was embarrassing for Element Four. Despite their failures, they fought the long battle against him, yet none of their members scored the last attack bonus for Grandpa. One of the three players to come from the element that Four was supposed to assist had scored it.

Kiefer looked around at the other two groups, but couldn't tell who had been the last to fall. Both the raiders attacking Daddy and Baby had not attempted to shift priorities. Neither likely had the time to. Reisenki and Thunderborne joined Kiefer and they bumped fists in celebration. Reisenki had already removed his helmet so he could see better.

"Who was defeated last?" Kiefer asked.

"They killed Daddy as Thunder started her last attack," Reisenki explained. "Baby was last. Good job, both of you, for handling Grandpa. I could barely keep up."

"But you did!" Thunderborne exclaimed. "Seriously impressive. You saved me a few times against Grandpa. That says nothing about your awesomeness against Momma."

"I'm not the same caliber of tank as Malus," Reisenki stated, shaking his head. "Not yet at least."

"Yeah, but that's cause she's Malus," Thunderborne stated, rolling her eyes. "You'll never beat her. She’s now called the Iron Bulwark for a reason. Yeah, that nickname is cause it’s her shield's name, but she’s also that stubborn and unmovable IRL. You shouldn't compare yourself with her, especially considering that out of the tanks in our group, all of who were solid, only you and Malus didn't get knocked off their feet. That speaks for itself and so does your speed. You're a lot faster than she is. We seriously couldn't have done what we did if Malus had been with us. That's why Blade sent you with us. You're one awesome tank that few can match."

"You're a fusion between a shield user like Heathcliff and a Tank like Malus," Kiefer added. "It's impressive and a key role few can fill. Especially to keep up with players like Thunder, Asuna, Kirito, Natora, Bladescape, and Konpeito. You can throw down when the time is right, standing on your own. It's awesome!"

"Thanks," Reisenki said, blushing a bit. "Nice job finishing Grandpa. That was three skills chained together. A pretty epic finish."

"Totally," Thunderborne stated. "Like, I didn't pay close enough attention to where it was, not until I jumped back and was frozen. I never had time to assist. Seriously impressive.”

Kiefer appreciated the words they spoke. He knew they were true. The hype from boss fights either brought out the best or worst in a raider. The three of them had displayed their best and it was important that they build each other up.

“Thunder, you kept it distracted, solo, for a good while," Kiefer praised. "I don't know if it made you dizzy, but it looked like it would with how fast you were. You stopped it from focusing on Element Four until we could get to you. The boss was more fluid than I expected. Pretty epic moves all around by you today."

"Thanks," Thunderborne said as they did another round of fist bumps. "I guess this is the moment where we are supposed to shout 'mo ghile mear.' So, who will?"

"I think Kiefer should," Reisenki said.

"Why not all three of us, together?" Kiefer asked. He didn’t want to be the only one, knowing he had gotten a special drop.

No one protested and on three, they yelled "MO GHILE MEAR!" as loud as they could. It was a great way to finish the battle. They bumped first for a third time in celebration. They had caused other raiders to give them jealous looks for their enthusiasm, but the three of them had earned that enthusiasm.

"Nice job," Bladescape said, joining them. "I didn't see your battle, I was helping take down Daddy, but I can tell you had fun."

"We rocked it," Thunderborne stated, trying to be smooth about it.

"We really did," Kiefer said with a nod. "But only because of your supreme leadership. We rocked as hard as we did because you put us together. You also paced us well for dealing with Momma. Any faster and we likely would have pulled ourselves apart. Very well done."

"Thank you," Bladescape said with a nod. "It was an experience. I was thinking we were too slow until you said that. I also was regretting sending just three to help, but I can see you three were all that was needed. I don't know exactly how Natora and Malus fared, they appeared to have the harder battle to win. Still, no one died. That makes five boss battles in a row with no losses. Some close calls, but no deaths and no emergency teleports. It's a growing record."

"That's good," Kiefer said. "We should check on Malus and Natora." They started heading over to where Malus had collapsed. She was sitting up, which was progress, but she was clearly exhausted and Natora didn't look much better. "Blade, before we get sidetracked, how did the fight against Daddy go?"

"Pretty much how Momma went," Bladescape answered. "I fell in under Asuna. The Tanks joined Heathcliff’s command. It was slow, he could soak up a lot of damage with his defensive stats, but we were able to apply steady pressure, just in time to not require assistance. They were able to execute the original plan, they just expected Element Three to back them up, not one damage dealer and one tank from Element Two. The other two tanks were not far behind us. I'm glad I had them join us, we needed their shields. I wish we didn't, but we didn't do anything wrong or make any errors. Their shields meant that two shield users could switch to damage dealing roles and that is what mattered for taking down Daddy."

Malus gave them a look that warned them not to ask. Natora's glance at them also conveyed the same warning. Bladescape offered her hand to Malus and helped her to her feet.

"Mo ghile mear!" Malus growled in celebration as she stood face to face with Bladescape, keeping their hands clasped together. It was low to not be overheard.

"Mo ghile mear!" Bladescape declared back before smiling at Malus. Malus did smile back, briefly.

The KoB was ready to roll and so was all of Element Two. The others fell in line with them as they left the chamber and made their way up to the thirty-first floor. The rolling hills of grassland showed signs of life; mid level monsters that might be decent hunting. Maybe not for XP, at least not the XP rates the assault team needed, but likely for col and items.

Asuna was the one to trigger the teleport plaza. The KoB was gone almost immediately. Kiefer waited with the other Wondercolts as Bladescape got the others. Natora and Thunderborne went to get them a table at a tavern, but everyone else waited the two minutes for Bladescape to fetch everyone.

The battle had hardly been the toughest one they had faced. It also wasn't even in the top five for length. Still, Kiefer's heart was pounding from it. He hadn't noticed until it slowed down upon seeing Soryuto materialize on the teleport plaza with the others. There were nine amazing young women in the Wondercolts. Each was unique and special in their own way.

But the only one that caught Kiefer's eye was Soryuto. She had come a long way since those early days. When Bladescape had saved them, she had been a trembling wreck. Now she stood strong; a proud member of a key guild clearing the game. She no longer needed a hero like she did back then. She had the confidence and experience to know that she could handle herself in the field, working to contribute to her freedom. In some ways, Soryuto was a different woman from the girl he knew IRL. She was a part of her and she was becoming the epitome of what a woman was in Kiefer's eyes.

The game complicated things. If this was real life, he would absolutely pursue her before someone else came along and stole the chance. But this wasn't. She wouldn't be the woman she was without this death game and that was also why he never said anything. They were trapped here and committed to fighting beside each other in the same, small guild. They needed to be able to work as close to flawlessly together as possible. If a relationship didn't work out, they would be stuck together with the same responsibilities to fulfill.

Plus, by being trapped here, he didn't feel like she had the same agency as she would IRL. Some part of her was trapped, involuntarily committed to the prison that was Sword Art Online. Could she really say 'yes' or 'no' with confidence that SAO was not exerting a coercive force upon her? Kiefer didn't think so and he didn't want to coerce her into anything, on purpose or on accident.

As they sat around the table, mug raised as they repeated their guild motto, Soryuto was by his side. That felt good and he would settle for that quiet comfort.

"So, Kiefer, what did I miss out on?" Thunderborne asked.

Kiefer had no idea what she meant. He had been lost in his thoughts about Soryuto and their guild ritual, but that was done now. He didn't have a clue what she meant and he couldn't come up with any moment where Thunderborne would have missed something he saw.

"The last attack bonus you got," Thunderborne pressed. “I saw the screen. You cleared it quickly, but I saw it."

"Oh, that," Kiefer said with a chuckle. "I was trying to figure out what you meant." Kiefer swiped up her menu and found the drop. Onto the table materialized the Bracers of Arivan. Everyone got to see them for the first time, together, although they were not that special looking. They did have a two-toned woven metal look to them, silver surrounded by a band of black steel. "I didn't expect it, but I guess they each gave a drop."

"Most bosses have been single entities or with clear minions," Knightstar said. "So both possibilities make sense. They did appear to be framed as one boss, albeit a family."

Kiefer read off the basic info on the Bracers. They were a lot better than what Diemond could produce. Plus they had a weapon accuracy bonus, something that only came from boss drops.

"That's going to be interesting to work into your look," Diemond said. "I can't match a boss drop, especially the most recently defeated floor boss."

"We'll figure it out," Kiefer said. "I just did what was necessary. No one else was in a position to finish it."

"Good job," Bladescape said. It was clear that she was forcing the words out, but they all knew her. Just because she forced herself to say it didn’t nullify the fact that she truly meant it and was happy for him. "They are well earned."

"I didn't see who got the last hit on Momma," Kiefer said. "I was in my delay and I lacked a good angle to see it."

"Well, if they each dropped one, then Kirito snagged it," Bladescape said. "He beat me, not by much, but fair and square. Godfree clearly scored the last attack against Daddy with that axe of his. Godfree's was well earned too. What about Baby's LAB?" The question was clearly directed at Natora and Malus.

"Natora beat me to it," Malus stated. "I wasn't lookin for it, but I was wantin to end that disaster of a fight. They were barely together, didn't rally, and all-in-all, they were about as useful as a trapdoor in a canoe."

"It was pathetic," Natora added. "I just needed to end it for their sake. They were not happy with their own performance. Baby had some unique challenges, but they should have done better." Natora pulled out her LAB. It was a new spear. The shaft was wrapped in tan leather and then bound with crossing brown leather cording for a better grip. The counterbalance was a teardrop, made of the same blueish-green metal that the head was made of. The spearhead itself was shaped like a lilac leaf, with the bottom half having a serrated edge. "Behold the Leaf Bladed Spear! My deadly new upgrade. This thing puts to shame my other one and it's not that old. The durability stat alone is incredible. Compared to most spears, it is indestructible. I won't have to touch durability with enhancements and I have twenty slots to play with."

"Also well earned," Bladescape said. She clearly didn't want anyone to say anything before she did. "Congratulations, both of you. You absolutely earned them."

"Too bad it's not about truly earning them," Natora said. "You worked harder than anyone else in that battle, except for Malus, and had command responsibilities unique to this boss fight. We were the only element to finish our task alone. I don't blame Element One, they performed exactly as expected, but the others were supposed to back both of us up. You had enough situational awareness that you were able to immediately issue new orders to us. Detailed enough that we could save the day on all three fronts and apparently snag two of the four LABs."

"Yeah, well that is the system," Bladescape said with a shrug. "It's impartial. Both of you truly earned a Last Attack Bonus in that boss raid. But the game is the game and we have to learn to control those chaotic elements in order to get them. I'm proud of our performance as a whole. For a small guild, we have a very big impact on the clearing effort. That is something I'm very happy about. We are out performing guilds two and three times our size.”

Episode 39 — Wolves

Episode 39 — Wolves
Twenty-Ninth Day in the Month of Wisteria (August 29) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 34

Doombunny followed her friends with Colorra riding on her shoulder. The two of them were trying out a new cloak Diemond had made. It had enhanced shoulder boards, making it easier for the snake to stay on Doombunny's shoulders. The concern was that they were too wide and would make fighting difficult for Doombunny, but they would have to wait for combat to test it.

Doombunny's yellow dress under it was stylish and pretty, along with having impressive defensive stats, but it and the other gear were usually covered up by a dark blue cloak. She could sweep it out of the way in town or while fighting, but it was still a cloak that encompassed her body. Diemond had stuck with designing cloaks because they could hide the shoulder boards. Doombunny was okay with those choices, because function ultimately mattered more. Cloaks also layered well for stacking defensive properties of her clothing since she lacked an armor skill. That was a choice she was happy with. It forced Doombunny to act fast and be smart in how she attacked and moved. Otherwise she was afraid that she would begin to rely on armor for her defense, not her mind or her friends. Bladescape's leather armor stats were noticeably higher, but not that far off from Doombunny's unarmored stats. There was a clear difference when it came to light metal armor, but she didn't want to have to fight with that weight. Colorra was heavy enough as it was.

The Ruby Krait had brought her a lot of comfort and joy over the five months they had been together. She was no longer alone. Her friends didn't see the world the same way Doombunny did. They understood Fluttershy, mostly, but Doombunny was different and she had some secrets of her own, even from her friends. Fluttershy didn't like how life happened sometimes, but Doombunny was trapped, like a caged wild animal. They fought out of fear and because they had no other option. It was either fight or be subjected to whatever the owner of the cage wished; be it death, torture, or anything else.

She had a reason to fight. Colorra brought her comfort, yet also sorrow. The snake understood the situation well. Colorra was a reminder that Doombunny didn't have Angel or any of her other animal friends in Aincrad. A reminder of what she was fighting for: the right to live free and go home. Aincrad wasn't free, not anymore, and it also lacked a home.

The inn rooms were alright, they served their purpose, but they were temporary. They rarely went back to the house in Tolbana and even when they did, not everyone stayed in the rooms. Doombunny had to carry everything she needed with her and wasn't always sure where she would be laying her head down to rest. They also were solitary. The Wondercolts no longer shared inn rooms because they had the Col and plenty more inns available than in those early months. Doombunny didn't blame the others for wanting their own room at night, they were basically always together outside of sleeping. Knightstar might still be willing to share, the beds were usually bigger than the ones on the first floor, but Colorra made Knightstar nervous. She was at a relative ease with the snake, but it wouldn't take much to topple that state. Doombunny didn't want to hurt any of her friends.

She only wanted to hurt one person: Kayaba. He was the one responsible for locking Doombunny in Aincrad. He was the one keeping her from Angel. He was the one who had ruined their amazing foreign exchange semester. He shared some responsibility for each player's death. He was the one person Doombunny pictured when she closed her eyes; her plunging her knife into and without any hesitation. He would get no mercy or kindness from her. Doombunny hated seeing those images play out in her mind, but she couldn't stop that instant of rage, and she also hated seeing the red robe in the sky again, because she had no clue what Kayaba looked like. She had to picture that monstrosity instead. Doombunny did what she could to relieve or let go of it, but she hated him for what he had done. For the trauma she had gone through and the trauma that was still to come.

In the worst moments, Doombunny made the effort to remember the positives. Her seven friends were alive. Their new friends — Kiefer, Soryuto, and Reisenki — were another positive. Colorra was a positive in her life. Perhaps the most important factor was that Doombunny was still with her friends. Despite the fear, anger, hate, and other emotions, she was out there in the world of Aincrad, walking among its trees and through its fields; she wasn't in the Town of Beginnings hiding out like she was initially inclined to do and that was all thanks to her friends.

While she kept those things a secret from her friends, both because she didn't want them to worry about her and because they didn't need to know, there was a bigger secret which she kept from them, also to keep them from worrying. Colorra's companionship had given Doombunny access to a skill that her friends might not agree with. On record with Knightstar, Doombunny had chosen her seventh chosen skill as Sprint. There wasn't much Knightstar could do for helping Doombunny raise that skill, so the lie was never challenged or discussed, it was simply accepted.

In reality, Doombunny had taken Colorra's suggestion and chosen "Mixing" as her Level 50 skill. Mixing allowed her to make drugs and potions. Without Knightstar's help, Doombunny had to experiment on her own and level up on her own, but she actually liked that. Knightstar's calculations were important, but unlike some of the other skills her friends got help with, this had no real benefit for everyone. There were no guides on it either because it was a "dark skill."

Dark skills were ones deemed by the players to have ill intentions. That would include, to some extent Hide, and specifically Listening, and Reveal, as well as Mixing. Each one was used for deception of players or learning information, which again was largely not something Monsters or NPCs could be affected by. The players who practiced those skills were not reputable and kept it hidden for a reason.

Doombunny knew good drugs existed, but she wasn't sure if she could make things like health potions. So far, all she had managed to make was from Colorra's venom and she ran into the issue of not having enough venom to work with. It took Colorra time to replenish her venom and while she tried to not use her venom during the day, Colorra sometimes had to inject it into certain monsters. That recovery process was significantly sped up if she was fed.

Feeding a familiar was essential and Colorra was no different in that regard. The hardest thing was what Colorra ate; live prey. Doombunny had found out about a group in the Town of Beginnings. Their leader, Sasha, had rounded up the young kids who lacked parents and helped provide them with a stable place to stay and such. The Trapping Skill was easy to get into and several of the kids trapped mice, rats, and the occasional rabbit for Doombunny in exchange for col which was used to feed and house the children.

So far, Doombunny knew how to make three things: Prepared Ruby Krait Poison, Ruby Krait Gel, and a Ruby Krait Antivenom. The prepared poison was the base for the other two. The antivenom's use only worked against the specific poison or venom affecting the player. The gel was very useful, as it allowed her to poison a weapon.

The weapon gel had its own durability, so it would wear off from her knife after three minutes without use or five strikes, whichever came first. Learning to make longer lasting versions was a priority, but difficult when she had to keep it quiet. She also didn't know how to make anything else, because all three required Colorra's venom. What else Aincrad's system used for the Mixing Skill was an unknown factor. Doombunny kept plenty of antivenom on her, in case something went wrong, but she had been effectively using the poison in battle for a few days without anyone noticing. The gel was quick to apply to a weapon. Bladescape's Search skill was the biggest potential issue, as it could identify properties to monsters and that would include being poisoned, but Doombunny had not been partied up with Bladescape.

That changed today. Although they were getting a late start, Doombunny was in Bladescape's party, along with Konpeito, Malus, and Knightstar. They had run out of time yesterday, so they were finishing a few enhancements today, before they hit the boss labyrinth.

Doombunny wasn't in need of enhancements. She had been buying materials to get new weapons made. She was always buying metal and materials for weapons because it was the only way to get her favorite Alchion throwing knives made.

With the death of Koricata, Nataszo, and Nemus, Konelina Foundry was no longer around. It was laid to rest as were the bulk of its members. Lisbeth had decided to strike out on her own. The Wondercolts were still using her and she needed the stable income from them. It would certainly help her get more established on her own. Lisbeth, like most smiths, was still operating off a vendor’s carpet with a portable forge.

Bladescape was currently doing the final enhancement on her barbarian sword, the Valerian Shashka. She would need a new one soon, but she had gotten lucky with her enhancements and could probably get another five floors out of it, maybe ten, before she had to switch to a better one. The enhancement took and it was time for Doombunny.

Colorra dropped off Doombunny's shoulders to allow her to sit in front of the smith.

"What are we enhancing today?" Lisbeth asked.

"Nothing," Doombunny said. "I want to have two one-handed daggers made. I have the materials for each one."

Doombunny took out the material for the first: Alcoa, Steel, and a small amount of Silver. Lisbeth took the materials, heated them up, and then let her hammer sing the weapon into existence. The result was "White Fang," a white-silver Crusader Dagger. It had twelve enhancement slots, which was the current average number of enhancement slots for a clearing dagger.

The second weapon was her all around blade. It was an all steel weapon. Lisbeth's skill was increasing, meaning she could make steel weapons with better stats, without the need to use special materials. The bolo knife that was produced was named “Arbitration." It was a statistically balanced weapon Doombunny could use against any creature. It had fifteen enhancement slots.

With both weapons made, Doombunny equipped them. She could only officially equip one through the menu, so she equipped her Steel Bolo Knife on her left hip. She had to manually strap the White Fang dagger to her belt so it would sit horizontal, along the small of her back. Since she was a right handed user, she would have to reach with her right hand — either to her left hip or around her right hip to her back — to draw whatever weapon she wanted. In battle, she could switch back and forth if she desired to.

Few, if any, dagger wielding players tried to openly carry more than one weapon on them to draw. They took the conventional approach to carrying weapons the menu automatically followed, which was centered around longer, more cumbersome weapons to carry or use.

Her old knives didn't hold any sentimental value for her. Her first two — the Shepherd Seax and Ancient Kissaki-moroha Tanto — she still had, but these were nothing special. Doombunny went through knives pretty quickly. Less material in the weapon meant less material for upgrades and cheaper or easier production costs, as well as less enhancement slots. Several good knives had been ruined by bad luck during enhancements, but that didn't hurt her too badly. The two she just replaced were solid and would be kept as backups because daggers were not the most durable weapons. They were behind a bit in their stats for where they were and Doombunny needed every bit of edge and advantage she could gain to survive as a clearer only using a dagger.

Plus her throwing knives. Those were not exempt from the same issues as her main weapons. She now carried a main set of throwing knives on her right thigh, with a second holster on her left thigh to carry a set of kunai, which were heavier and stouter throwing implements than her lightweight knives. That weight could be the difference between the attack being successful or not. It was harder to aim heavier weapons and they lost some range, but they had their place.

Doombunny was an all offense agility and speed build with very little strength. Lower strength also meant less HP, but she was now quite good at dodging attacks or hiding behind Malus or another shield user. She wouldn't have it any other way though, because if she did push her stats towards strength and wearing dedicated armor or a shield, she would end up hiding behind it instead of attacking, and not in the good way like the Tanks did. She couldn't stand up to those beatings, not mentally, but she could sprint through her fear to attack the enemy, before retreating back to the safety of an ally.

With weapons made or enhanced, they headed to the front to continue clearing and mapping the boss labyrinth. As they neared the pillar the labyrinth was in, they heard someone scream. A woman was running from a pack of wolves. It was an NPC by her blue tag, but they jumped into action.

Malus went straight to the NPC to shield her. The NPC tripped and Malus slid to a stop above her to prevent the wolves from getting to her. Knightstar was being very defensive in her fighting for some reason, while Bladescape and Konpeito each went in opposite directions to flank the pack.

That left Doom on her own, without anyone watching. They were expecting her to stick with Malus, but Colorra dropped off Doom’s shoulders and led Doom into battle. The wolves focused on Doom, not Colorra, which was their error as the Ruby Krait did its thing. Doombunny pulled out her new silver dagger and a vial of poison gel, breaking it on the weapon.

A wolf launched itself at Doombunny. She went low, leaping to the side as she slashed upward into the wolf’s belly. The first slash carved a huge chunk of its HP off. As soon as its paws were on the ground, it turned around to get back at Doombunny. She rammed the dagger into its skull. The HP that was left disappeared as the poison eliminated it.

Doombunny charged another, slashing it three times along its flank before it could get away. Nothing was nearby, so she transferred her knife to her left hand and flicked out a throwing knife from her holster. She pegged a wolf trying to get around Knightstar’s shield. The dagger was enough of a distraction that Knightstar finally went on the offensive, slashing the wolf to polygons.

Doombunny followed up by putting two throwing knives into one of the three wolves Malus was trying to keep from eating the NPC. Malus’ war hammer was heavy and slow, making it tough for her to hit the agile and quick wolves. Malus didn’t claim any kills as Colorra coiled around the second and then, while squeezing the life out of the wolf, struck with her fangs at the other, burying them into its neck. Malus held off from attacking in order to not hit Colorra.

That was the last of the wolves. Doombunny’s drops were pathetic, both for col and XP. The wolves didn’t drop any items, but she did get all three knives back. None had broken on her.

“Another three critical strikes!” Konpeito exclaimed with a hop.

“Thanks to Colorra and Doom, the NPC is safe,” Malus added as she bent down to help the NPC to her feet.

“Th-th-th-ank y-you,” the NPC stammered. “I th-thought I-I was de-dead.”

“No problem,” Bladescape said as she sheathed her sword. “We are always happy to help.”

“I don’t have anything to give you,” the NPC woman 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 what the plant can be made into."

“What does it look like?” Knightstar asked, notepad out.

“The name is Angel of the Night,” the NPC explained. “It’s a white flowering bush. The flower has five long, hooked petals. It stems off a base of five leaves, the stem is quite long. I’ve only seen it a few times, near water, and I don’t know what part is used for the poison. It might be the berries, or the petals, or the leaves, maybe the roots. Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Knightstar replied. “We can figure it out now that you told us what to look for.”

“Thank you,” Bladescape said, smiling warmly at the NPC. “That is very important information. We will make good use of it in the upcoming battle.”

“Can you escort me home?” the NPC asked.

“Of course,” Bladescape said. “We will get you home safe and sound. Let’s go.”

The walk all the way back to the town was slow with an NPC with them, but it went without incident. Colorra stayed on the ground, enjoying the opportunity to stalk the forest without getting left behind. She could keep up and it gave Doom’s shoulders a break. She wouldn’t get one once they were in the labyrinth. Colorra would stay on her shoulders because of the terrain.

For good measure, they brought the NPC all the way to her house. They didn’t leave her at the gates. She thanked them again before heading inside the shack she called home. Then they went back to the labyrinth. Doombunny followed her friends, listening as she observed the world around them.

Along the way, Malus spoke up. “How’re we gonna get this poison?”

“First, we have to find the plant,” Knightstar said. “Figuring out what part is used for the poison may be easy or it may not be. It will depend on what item, or items, we get from picking it. How we distill it into a poison, something suitable for use against a boss, that I don’t know.”

“What about cooking?” Konpeito asked. “Will that do it?”

“Probably not,” Knightstar said as she shook her head. “But the likelihood that it will require a player skill is high.”

“We are supposed to have a meeting tomorrow,” Bladescape said. “Others may know. Argo probably does. We will present information and let it go where it goes.”

Doombunny wasn’t going to speak up unless there was no other option. Colorra seemed to agree with her. For now, they needed to focus on clearing the labyrinth.

Finding the other Wondercolts was not easy. They couldn’t even get back to their starting place. The respawns were heavy, indicating that no one had been through in a while. Half of the respawns were not the same Dreadrams that had been headbutting them with their horns or the two-tailed warcats. They were the same rabid ash wolves that had attacked the NPC woman.

They finished off another group of the rabid wolves and Malus had an odd look on her face. “Do y’all feel like we were the catalyst of the change in the labyrinth?”

“It’s an interesting change,” Bladescape stated. “We may not have triggered it, but we learned something the others likely don’t know.”

A couple of panicked screams and yelling echoed off the labyrinth walls. They came from around the bend. Bladescape and Malus didn’t hesitate to rush towards the screams. Doombunny had to scramble after them, although she was faster than Malus was.

Around the bend they saw the issue. A group of six was being hammered by the red, yellow, and orange rams, while also being overrun by a pack of rabid wolves. Doombunny grabbed a vial of poison and broke it on her knife. She readied a throwing knife as she left Malus behind, catching up with Knightstar. Bladescape and Konpeito joined the chaotic foray.

Doombunny threw the dagger at a wolf trying to attack a player who had just finished off a Dreadram. The heavyset samurai-ish guy was wielding a two-handed longsword and unaware of the wolf. The knife hit the wolf spot on, making it hesitate long enough for the player to turn around and cut it down in a single slash.

There were still four dreadrams and eight wolves to deal with. The group’s sole tank had two dreadrams locked against his shield. He was doing all he could to push back against the stubborn creatures. If they disengaged, the creatures would hop back and set up another powerful ramming attack. A katana wielding guy slashed one of the rams. Bladescape killed the other one.

Doombunny and Colorra focused on the wolves. They picked off the ones trying to use the chaos to flank the players and strike them from behind. Colorra snagged the back leg of a wolf and Doom thrust her dagger into its chest. The two combination skill, disembowel, dragged the knife blade out in a slashing attack. It only worked against soft creatures. If the knife couldn’t overcome their defense, it would fail and put the user in an extended delay for failing.

Doombunny came out of the skill’s short delay. Her left hand grabbed a kunai. She was still learning how to do off hand throws and the heavier kunai were easier to feel. The kunai missed and went skipping off, down the hall and out of sight. She would never recover it, but that didn’t matter as a wolf dodged Knightstar’s thrust, putting it right in Doombunny’s path. She slashed it with eviscerate, a three combination slashing attack. Colorra’s fangs finished the last of the HP off without even needing to inject her venom.

With the reinforcements, the players were able to rally. No one fell. A few were in the red, but they were clearly all solid players who knew how to fight. Doombunny had never seen them before and she knew most of the players and guilds on the front, at least by sight.

These six young men had a four diamond symbol, the mon of the Takeda clan of medieval Japan. Half of them looked like scrappy samurai with the only thing trying them together being the use of red and their guild tag on their armor. Diemond would want to clean their image up, but they clearly didn’t care, which had its own charm to it.

They were led by the most samurai looking fellow who had a katana and wore a red bandana with yellow accent stripes. Besides him and the player wielding a two-handed longsword, they had a small shield user with a cutlass who also sported a solid red bandana, two spear users who looked drastically different from each other, and their tank who had the heaviest armor and wielded a hammer. Ironically, two weeks ago the Wondercolts had sold Agil the two shields the guild members were using, along with both spears, the war hammer, and possibly the katana.

“Thanks for the assist,” their scruffy-faced leader said after downing a health potion. “Those wolves came out of nowhere. There wasn’t any sign of them being here until they were here.”

“They just started arriving,” Bladescape said. “I’m not sure what is going on, but it wasn’t like that yesterday.”

“I guess the game realized since we finally joined the front lines, it needed to kick the difficulty up a few notches,” he shot back. “Anyway dollface, I’m Klein and we’re Fuurinkazan.”

“I’m aware of who you are,” Bladescape stated.

“So my reputation precedes me?” Klein asked. His eyes conveyed the innuendo he wouldn’t say.

“All the way from day one,” Bladescape stated, shaking her head. “When you knocked me over and had the gall to drop a cheesy pick up line instead of helping me up.”

Klein had to think for a moment to remember the incident. His face was priceless when he did. Doombunny couldn’t help but chuckle quietly at his embarrassment.

That disappeared and he made his next move. “So all these months that I've been chasing the angel from that first day, she went and made herself prettier and stronger. I must have hit my head hard to not remember your beautiful face correctly.”

Bladescape let out a sigh and shook her head. Saying anything would encourage him to continue or give him a new angle to work with.

“I remember her given yah the boot,” Malus snorted. “Dogs’ll always bark up the wrong tree or chase the ball that ain’t ever thrown.”

No one knew what to say to that and they stood there quietly looking at each other. Doombunny didn’t really remember much after the opening ceremony. The first few days were a foggy blur. She only remembered the panic and rage she felt.

Bladescape broke the silence. “Putting that aside, we’re the Wondercolts. Well, half of the Wondercolts. We don’t know where the others are, but they are inside the labyrinth. I’m Bladescape. Our tank is Malus, the shield user is Knightstar, the one trying to balance her axe on a single finger is Konpeito, and last but not least, Doombunny and Colorra.”

“Which is which?” Klein asked. “Is the snake Doombunny or Colorra.”

“Both have deadly fangs, but Colorra is the one with venom,” Bladescape stated. “Doom can pin you to the wall from fifty yards.”

“So you’re the one I have to thank,” the two-handed sword user said. “I’m Dale. Thanks for hitting the wolf sneaking up on me.”

“No problem,” Doombunny sweetly said. “I couldn’t just let it eat you. That wouldn’t be very nice. Besides, these poor things are rabid and need to be put out of their misery.”

“Do we need to worry about getting bitten?” Klein asked.

“No,” Bladescape said. “They look and act rabid, but they don’t actually have a transferable affect to their bite.”

Kunimittz was their spear user with a blue shirt and metal armor, only having red pants to tie him to the others. Issin was the other spear user, but he sported a predominantly red jacket and green undershirt. Harry One was their tank who only had a red sash to go with his dull gray armor and black tower shield. Dynamm was their cutlass user who also had a lot of steel over his red shirt.

Bladescape swiped up her menu. “Here’s the map data we have. We cleared a lot further yesterday, but our party had a delayed start and we haven’t made it back to where we ended.”

“How much?” Klein asked as he swiped up his menu.

“The Wondercolts only sell dungeon map data,” Bladescape stated. “Labyrinth map data we give free to anyone on the front lines who needs it.”

“Thanks,” Klein said, accepting the map data. “We appreciate it.”

“If you’re ready, the path ahead is the only way to the next level,” Bladescape added. “The stairs are not far. I have absolutely no issue leaving you behind, I’d prefer that, but I’m not sure what is going on with the changes. I’ve never seen a labyrinth change monsters midway through clearing it.”

“Our safest choice is to stick together,” Knightstar added. “At least until we understand what this new change means and determine that we can handle it.”

“Alright,” Klein said. “Normally I’d say, as gentlemen, that we should be protecting you ladies, but you just saved us.”

Bladescape rolled her eyes and started walking.

“How long have you ladies been on the front?” Klein asked, following after Bladescape.

“It’s been a while, I reckon,” Malus said. “Right, Knightstar?”

“Hmm, let me think,” Knightstar said as she opened her notebook. Fuurinkazan didn’t know it didn’t hold the answer, but Knightstar was convincing as she flipped through the pages. “Today would make day two hundred and ninety-six.”

“Two ninety-six!” Klein exclaimed. “We haven’t been stuck in here that long!”

“Excuse me?” Knightstar stammered. “It’s August twenty-ninth. It’s been exactly that long since Aincrad launched.”

“Okay,” Klein admitted. “I meant how long have you been clearing the game?”

“Oh, in that case, two hundred and ninety-six days,” Knightstar sarcastically stated. “The Wondercolts were the first to go into the boss Labyrinth on Floor One, we were part of the raiders who cleared the Illfang the Kobold Lord, and we haven’t ever let up from clearing the game. Bladescape’s sword is from the twenty-fifth floor boss.”

“Oh,” Klein said, shocked. “I have a new respect for all of you.”

“We ain’t messin around,” Malus snorted. “Still think yah can keep up?”

“We’ll just have to see,” Klein shot back, grinning.

Doombunny shook her head at him. He was going to cause a lot of trouble for the Wondercolts. Most of it would be harmless, but there was cause for concern that he would be caught staring at any of the Wondercolt ladies and die in the labyrinth.

BLADESCAPE: Level 59 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing
NATORA: Level 55 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 53 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 56 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search
THUNDERBORNE: Level 55 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce
KONPEITO: Level 55 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing
DIEMOND: Level 54 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging
DOOMBUNNY: Level 53 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search
KIEFER: Level 53 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Search
SORYUTO: Level 52 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce
REISENKI: Level 54 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking

Episode 40 — Adjusting Strategy

Episode 40 — Adjusting Strategy
Twenty-Ninth Day in the Month of Wisteria (August 29) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 34

Bladescape scanned the gathered crowd. She made sure to not let her eyes settle on Klein of Fuurinkazan or move past him too quickly. They were not the only new guild to join the Assault Team for this meeting. Like the Wondercolts, most guilds had come directly from the Labyrinth. Every Wondercolt was in attendance tonight, but that wasn't always the case. Tonight they had important news for the Assault Team about the boss. Bladescape wanted all eleven members in their capes and color matching uniforms. As matching as Diemond could make them.

When they had run into Fuurinkazan the day before, saving them from being overrun, they had looked like they were a bit out of their league. They kept up with the Wondercolts and were solid backup as they all struggled to comprehend and overcome the sudden change in the Labyrinth. By the time the sun set, the rabid ash wolves had overrun the entire labyrinth, replacing all of the enemies and viciously hunting anyone in the labyrinth, always in large packs of no less than twelve wolves.

After spending more time fighting beside Fuurinkazan, the boys proved to be capable fighters and deserving of being ranked as members of the Assault Team. They were untested in some regards, but as goofy as they could be, especially Klein, they had solid heads on their shoulders and were far from reckless. They had earned their status after how well they did yesterday.

The guild members all knew each other in real life and stood in line together to get copies of SAO. They were deeply loyal to each other. They trusted each other and knew each other's limits and strengths, along with their own. They worked well together. It was natural to them. Those were invaluable assets to have in a clearing guild. Maybe half the assault team could claim that. Many had been assembled in-game and needed more time to build true trust and friendship, instead of a mutually beneficial exchange.

Klein was both annoying and flattering. He only called Bladescape "Doll Face." It was both a compliment and a pickup line. Japanese ideals of beauty idolized the porcelain doll look and Bladescape's olive skin and red hair had its own version of the porcelain doll. It was annoying, Bladescape just wanted to focus on the job, but Klein only did it with her, which also made it flattering. He was too afraid of Malus to even try a line with her. The same with Doombunny, but mostly because he was wary of Colorra; fascinated that someone had tamed a snake yet uneasy about the Ruby Krait. Konpeito and Knightstar had not received any of his cheesy pick up lines and attention; Bladescape got all of it. Klein had chosen her, but it was annoying and childish, yet harmless.

Still, he wasn't a bad guy, just lonely, and he certainly didn't have many options in Aincrad. Even with the large number of women playing, his pickings were slim. Many were too young for Klein, who was either in university, or had to have graduated from University in the past year or two. It was normal for Klein to try and pick up women and he clearly needed something normal to survive. If his lines ever landed him a 'fish,' he would likely not know what to do.

He had been shocked when they finally found the rest of the Wondercolts taking a break in a safe zone. Klein hadn't expected two boys to be in the guild. He didn't toss out his net at any of the other Wondercolt ladies, not even Diemond. His eyes were solidly fixed on Bladescape and she would rather them be on her, than anyone else. She could shrug him off, but she couldn’t shrug his advances off if they were aimed at one of her friends.

Kiefer and Reisenki had gotten along well with Fuurinkazan. Bladescape didn't have any concerns about losing them, but it had made her realize how hard it was being with nine ladies. That was just the nature of the guild since it was nine girls and two boys. The two of them loved being Wondercolts and not because they had been saved by Bladescape and accepted by the others. They knew they were valued members of the guild for what only they could offer, but Bladescape needed to figure out how to ensure they made friends outside the guild. Not just the boys, but all of their members needed to broaden their horizons. They needed more connections, which was admittedly hard to do as members of the assault team and clearers. They didn't have a lot of spare time.

Kirito apparently knew Klein and Klein acted like they were friends, yet Kirito was still stubbornly running solo. Klein had immediately pitched to Kirito to join them when they ran into each other as everyone assembled for the boss raid meeting, a request that had obviously been stated before, but the Black Swordsman denied it without giving it a second thought. Kirito was saved by the start of the meeting.

Asuna, as usual, opened the meeting. "Welcome to everyone who is new. I see many unfamiliar faces among us. We are glad you are here. The liberation effort needs everyone it can get. I'm Asuna, Second-in-command of the Knights of the Bloodoath. I run the meetings, but we look for the best solution for us all, from input from everyone. The first matter of business is to ensure that we clear the labyrinth. The Knights of the Bloodoath are aware of the change and how it has set all of us back, but at this time we have no insight into that."

"I do," Bladescape said. "Forgive my interruption."

"Please, Bladescape, tell us what you know," Asuna said.

Bladescape explained their run in with the NPC and the information shared. Asuna was thinking while the rest who were gathered talked amongst themselves.

"We need to figure this plant out," Asuna finally said. "It seems clear that this change was instigated by something we did, even if we don't know what triggered it. At least we know about it. I feel better knowing what we do know."

Doombunny stepped forward, Colorra was on her shoulders. She placed something on the table, a white flower with long, hooked petals. "I found the plant today, on our way back from the labyrinth," Doombunny explained. "There is a brook that is a bit off the main path from the city; halfway in between the city and the labyrinth. I'm very observant. It wasn't there yesterday, that's why I noticed it. It wasn't hard to slip off the path, grab it, and catch back up. It only drops one item, the flower."

"Good catch," Bladescape praised. It didn't surprise her that Doombunny found it. Either her or Konpeito would be the ones to find anything new among all of the visual clutter they were used to seeing. Bladescape had been looking, but even with Search, sometimes everything blended together and she had leadership matters on her mind. She didn't remember the brook Doombunny referenced and they had been in the labyrinth the past six days. Bladescape remembered the path well and what was immediately off it, but anything further away was just too much information for her to recall.

"Now we need a poison expert," Asuna said, looking at Argo.

Argo shrugged from where she sat, not approaching the table. "I don't know anything about the Skill, other than it's a Skill. Neither do I know players skilled in it. If anyone knows, please speak up."

No one did. They all seemed as clueless as everyone else. There was an uneasiness about the topic. Poison was for monsters, not the Assault Team, the de facto heroes of Aincrad.

"I know," Doombunny confidently stated. She immediately turned to look at Knightstar. "Knightstar, I lied. I don't have Sprint as a skill. I chose Mixing, which allowed me to make concoctions from Colorra's venom. Both poisons and anti-poisons. It was Colorra's idea."

"That's unexpected," Knightstar publicly stated. "Why hide it?"

"I didn't think you would approve," Doombunny admitted. She was looking and sounding very much like Fluttershy, not the colder Doombunny. "Not just you or the Wondercolts, but any of you in the room." Doombunny looked around the room as she continued. "But we are out of options and the Ruby Krait has the most venomous bite in all of Aincrad."

Doombunny pulled a vial out of a pouch and set it on the table. "I don't know how to make what the boss fears, but I have some poisons distilled from Colorra's venom that can be added to a bladed weapon. I don't have enough to cover the entire boss raid party, but I should have enough to cover a squad or two. It has a very short durability on the weapon once applied; five hits or three minutes, whichever comes first. It's a bit corrosive on the weapon, eliminating durability faster than normal."

"That's why you got that dagger made with silver," Knightstar said. "I thought the mix was odd, but you got a great dagger, so I didn't overthink it."

"Yes," Doombunny nodded. "That is why I had silver in the mix. It's enough to eliminate the extra corrosive effect, while still being lightweight and fast."

"How many flowers did you get?" Bladescape asked.

"Six," Doombunny answered.

"That's not a lot," Bladescape said, thinking. "With what you do know, how much of the poison do you think they will make?"

"Two or three vials of weapon gel," Doombunny admitted. "Not enough for the raid party or even a strike squad. Maybe one designated striker. That's assuming we can figure out how to make it into a poison. I've been working off Colorra's venom as my base and I really only know that. I don't know how to extract the poison element from the flower. Her poison is ready to be mixed, either in a concentrator agent or a diluting agent, depending on the use. The weapon gel requires a thickening agent to be added. It took me a long time to figure those three agents out. I'm sure there are a lot more available to create stronger poisons and anti-poisons. I just don't know them yet. Colorra gives me what she can, but even with morning and evening extractions and regular feedings to refill her venom glands, she can't produce a lot. They are small reservoirs for hunting and defense."

"Doombunny," Asuna said. "We've fought together before. I know you don't do boss battles, but you have. I'm asking you to consider going and being our poison damage dealer."

"That's a bold request," Doombunny stated. "But you are someone I will forgive because you know how much I hated that battle."

"I know," Asuna nodded. "That's why I asked only that you consider it. You’re capable of handling such a feat. How many dagger wielders are there in the Assault Team? Only a few, and only you have it as your only weapon skill. That takes a fortitude that few can match."

Doombunny nodded silently to Asuna. She didn't give an answer. Now wasn't the time to press her for one. She clearly understood why she was asked and what was at stake.

"Okay," Bladescape said. "We can do a powwow about the poison after, let's plan out the next two days and get the labyrinth cleared. And the raid plan."

"Better hold off on the raid plan," Argo stated from where she was sitting. "I'll hunt down that NPC and see what else I can learn. You guys clear that labyrinth and make sure it's clear. I'll use this new info to learn more about the boss. Clearly there is more to learn."

"Okay," Asuna said. "Then we meet back in two days?"

"Sort of," Bladescape said. "It's going to be a tough time dealing with the wolves for a single party. They are running in packs of twelve to twenty. I know it slows it down, but we need to make clearing squads of two or three parties, maybe four, so that we outnumber the packs, which will make clearing safer. Safety and efficiency is the goal. I know several guilds can form squads on their own, but for those that can't, I say we help get them connected for tomorrow and the day after. Then we all meet here, at the same time, in two days."

"That is a wise strategy," Asuna said. "I concur with the proposal. If you need it, we will be here as a facilitator. Otherwise, form squads of three or four parties, preferably, and clear the labyrinth in those squads. We will meet up in two days, same time and location, to cover the boss raid plan. Hopefully Argo will have new intel for us. If there are no other matters of business, you are dismissed. Good luck, everyone."

"The Wondercolts will openly share the labyrinth map data we have if it is of use to any party or person," Bladescape added.

"Wait," Lind said. "Free map data?"

"Why not?" Bladescape asked. "This is for us all, for our joint effort. That's the Wondercolts' standing policy for labyrinth data. Dungeons are different. There is a reason why we don't typically share labyrinth data among ourselves: it gets us experience and drops. There is typically more value personally and as a joint effort to all of our parts mapping it themselves. Now though, because of these specific changes, getting complete or more complete map data from others makes sense. It means getting to where we don't know faster. That means we can find the boss chamber faster. It also will make it safer, with less chance of unnecessary risk."

That started a whole trading situation. The meeting was over, and a few groups left, but most guilds sent a representative to Bladescape. They gave her the data they had on the labyrinth. Once she had everyone's data, she dispersed it back to the representatives. They all left having the same data. Kirito joined the co-op and so did Asuna for the KoB. The Divine Dragon Alliance was also involved. Agil would be there for the boss raid, but had other business matters to attend to. He wasn't clearing this labyrinth.

It was mostly the representatives who were in the meeting room. The rest of the guild didn't need to be packed in tight with everyone else. The representatives also took the opportunity to establish squads, which took less time than compiling the map. The representatives departed as soon as they got the compiled map from Bladescape. The KoB was present throughout and so were the Wondercolts.

Klein was trying to convince Kirito to join up with Fuurinkazan as a squad of seven.

"Don't be stubborn or stupid, Black Swordsman," Bladescape said as she led the Wondercolts out. "We need you, Kirito." The look she got from Kirito was hard to read. He didn't seem annoyed at her or angry, but Bladescape knew she was missing some history between him and Klein. That's why she didn't try to encourage him to join Fuurinkazan, just to think about the bigger picture.

"Fine," Kirito grumbled. "I'll join Fuurinkazan's squad if the Wondercolts also join."

Bladescape stopped in her tracks. She slowly spun on her heels and had to walk back over to them. When she got to the two of them, she didn't know what to say. Kirito had caught her off guard. She hadn't planned on teaming up with Fuurinkazan again, the Wondercolts made a more than sufficient squad due to their individual levels, compared to the others Bladescape could see, due to the Circlet of Silver Sagacity's boost. It would mean she would have to endure Klein fawning over her. No, she would enjoy him fawning over her, but he wasn't fawning, he was cheesy and boyish. She could tolerate it though, probably, at least for the good of the squad.

Kirito was being silent, as usual, and Klein had that same look in his eye that he had when he had been chasing her the other day. Kirito cocked his head, realizing he was missing something.

"Well," Bladescape said since no one else was saying anything. "The Wondercolts and the Black Swordsman have worked together well in the past. Many times in fact." Bladescape looked around, but the KoB was gone. "If we are going to do this, I propose that we set ourselves up to be the point squad in the boss raid. Either to deliver the poison ourselves or to get Doombunny in close and protect her."

"Okay," Kirito said with a nod. "That's a good plan."

"That's fine," Klein said, shrugging. The shrug didn't hide his interest and Kirito raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't say anything.

They finalized the meeting time for the morning and set the location as the entrance to the boss labyrinth. The other Wondercolts were outside waiting for her.

Bladescape caught them up on the timing for the squad getting together. No one put up any fuss over being more than the eleven of them. They trusted her and all of them knew how hard it had been during the day. Kirito and another party were welcomed reinforcements.

They still had rooms rented in town, but needed to eat. They ate and then went to bed. It was a quick end to the day.

Natora joined Bladescape in her room. The two of them were still debriefing together. Every so often they skipped it, but they tried to at least have five minutes to debrief if it was needed.

"That got interesting," Natora said. "The whole night was actually interesting. Doom is something to discuss, but I'm interested in what deal you had to strike to put up with Klein and keep Kirito from soloing the packs."

"No deal," Bladescape stated. "Just a goal. We're going to forge ourselves into the tip of the spear, either to be the ones to deliver the poison in the raid or protect Doom while she does it."

"That's a wise move," Natora said. "If Doom doesn't join, you can at least claim that you were organizing it with her saying 'yes' in mind. A logical imposition to make. A logical reason why Fuurinkazan and Kirito should be with us for that. It's really just two squads we are talking."

"And we likely have two on lead," Bladescape added with a nod. "But yeah, Doom is making poison?"

"She's not the same as she is I.R.L.," Natora stated with a sly grin. "But she had her moments in the meeting where she looked like herself. Both selves. Doombunny is now merged with Fluttershy."

"She did come out a bit," Bladescape admitted. It felt good to see that. "Which was good. She isn't any more lost than we are. Well, Konpeito, the jury is always out on her."

"She is lost I.R.L. too," Natora said with a single laugh. "But no, Fluttershy is not lost, at least not completely. Knightstar took that extremely well. I was honestly a bit surprised she didn't fly off the handle over being lied to. Blatantly lied to. Doom did the right thing, which is tough to admit. I would have pushed her to not learn that skill, but that would clearly be wrong of me."

Bladescape let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I agree. We all would have, but we have to recognize that she has Colorra. It makes sense. Colorra was clear that first day, she isn't a tamed beast. They are a partnership."

"It's hard to remember," Natora admitted. "I keep forgetting. The snake is apparently closer to an NPC than an animal; tamed or feral."

"I think so," Bladescape said. "At least, that's how we need to treat her. Both of them. We can't make Colorra a twelfth member, but she is. Just not talkative."

"Konpeito talks more than enough to cover Colorra," Natora retorted.

They both laughed over the quick remark. It felt good to laugh. They needed a moment of levity.

"It's weird, but it shouldn't be weird," Bladescape admitted. "Doom was right. Colorra changes the equation for her. Doombunny needs to use poison because of Colorra. That just makes sense, even if it's not the status quo."

"No, it's not the status quo," Natora said. "It's rare to have a fantasy game that doesn't put poison making into a gray or black skill, yet Doombunny is a white player. I guess that makes her gray, technically. Colorra certainly is gray. Or chaotic good or neutral?"

"I don't know," Bladescape said with a shrug. "Does it really matter? No. So I don't need to think too hard about it."

"Too true," Natora said with a nod. "Well, you look like you need sleep before you endure Klein for two more days."

"Hopefully one with Kirito joining us," Bladescape said as Natora left.

Natora just nodded to Bladescape with a smile and closed the door. Bladescape swiped up her menu and unequipped her armor. She equipped a cute set of pajamas Diemond had made her. They were short sleeves and shorts, nice and lightweight for the summer months.

Bladescape sat in bed and pulled out her Book of Memories. She couldn't remember everything. Some things were a haze, even after she read them, or they faded back to the hazy fog of her memory. There was a lifetime of memories in the book. She could only read so much and so fast. She read what she could as she relaxed and prepared herself for sleep.

Bladescape still hadn't dreamed at all. Everyone else had. Konpeito was still on the same dream, adventuring off to sugar valley and saving rock candy beings and whatever sugary candy things she did in there. It was too much for Bladescape to keep track of, but at least Konpeito was satisfied and happy.

BLADESCAPE: Level 59 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing
NATORA: Level 55 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 53 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 56 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search
THUNDERBORNE: Level 55 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce
KONPEITO: Level 55 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing
DIEMOND: Level 54 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging
DOOMBUNNY: Level 53 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search
KIEFER: Level 53 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Search
SORYUTO: Level 52 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce
REISENKI: Level 54 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking

Episode 41 — Power Squad

Episode 41 — Power Squad
Thirtieth Day in the Month of Wisteria (August 30) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 34

Kirito's sword slashed the wolf and then Bladescape brought hers down on it, eliminating the last of its HP. They watched as Konpeito cleaved the last one into polygons, with her typical critical attack. It was good to be working with Kirito again. He was a natural at fighting. His swordsmanship was certainly fine-tuned to Aincrad's system, not a traditional fighting method. His reaction speed was amazing. It was like he could read the incoming attack before it happened. Just enough foresight to give him the edge in fighting and he put it to good use.

Kirito now understood what he had dragged Bladescape into. He had thought she was saving him, but Klein's cheesy remarks were relentless. Klein and Kirito had exchanged words over it early on. Bladescape was happier knowing where it was left. Klein was having fun intentionally being cheesy. As long as Bladescape understood that, she was fine with it. He didn't mean anything by it, at least not now, he was just trying to be funny. It wasn't working very well, but he had his moments. Most were when he didn't intend them to be moments.

Klein had cleared up what his history with Kirito was. Kirito didn't want to think about it, but it wasn't bad. Klein had noticed Kirito running when the game launched, guessing he had been a beta tester because of how he was acting, and asked for some tips. Kirito had kindly shown Klein the ropes. They had split up after the opening ceremony, speaking in a safe location, away from the main plaza. Klein went to find his friends — which explained the when and how of him running into Bladescape, knocking her down — and Kirito ended up ahead of the Wondercolts. Not too far ahead by the sound of it, though.

Klein blew the two of them splitting up off, but something seemed to have happened, at least in Kirito's mind. Bladescape wasn't going to pry. Kirito was hard enough to tie down. She was worried sometimes that he would lose his way because he had no anchor, nothing keeping him sane and nothing to come back to. He was reckless yet possessed the skill to survive the blatantly reckless behavior.

Currently, with eighteen of them in a squad, Kirito was being a good team player and not being reckless. Bladescape was happy with that. She wanted the day to teach him that he had friends and allies in Aincrad, people who cared about him. The best way would be to show him, not to tell him. She would be a friend and support him how she could. Just by having his back over the next two days and appreciating his presence would go a long way.

"Well that pack was annoying," Klein said as he sheathed his katana. He was basically slapping it into the sheath, but there was a proper way to return a Japanese single edged sword to its sheath. He likely didn't know it, but Bladescape did. "What was that, nineteen wolves?"

"Twenty-two!" Konpeito exclaimed with a bounce as she twirled her axe.

"Konpeito," Bladescape kindly said, trying to avert a disaster. "What did we tell you earlier?"

"Huh?" Konpeito asked.

Bladescape resisted openly sighing. She had to be patient with her bouncing friend, especially when they were partied up with others. "With this many players close together, please don't twirl your axe."

"Oops!" She exclaimed, slapping it onto her back, where the game somehow recognized it as being sheathed. "Sorry, everyone. I'll make it up to you all!"

Bladescape nodded to her with a reassuring smile.

Natora spoke up as she examined her map. "We haven't had a safety zone recently. I'm expecting one soon and probably the last one before the boss chamber. Just judging it off the characteristics of this labyrinth. Then again, they were likely designed with the old monsters in mind, not the ash wolves."

"Okay," Bladescape said. "We find that, then we will have earned a break. It's a little past noon, so we need to find a place we can safely stop and eat. Also to rest up. Let's move out."

A squad of eighteen players, three guild parties plus Kirito, sounded like a lot and normally it was. The wolves were not hard to beat, they simply possessed the ability to overwhelm a party. Even two parties could be overwhelmed in an instant. They were currently only clashing for a minute, maybe two, but it was a hot and fast minute of chaos as the tanks tried to block so the others could eliminate the wolves. The forwards would try to move to the flanks to keep the wolves from getting directly behind a player. It was working, mostly, and Bladescape was glad they had the numbers they did.

Doombunny was doing well. She had a renewed confidence this morning. Or maybe it was a new attitude. Either way, having to keep a skill secret from her friends was no longer weighing on her. No one pressed her on hiding it, most had basically forgotten it, but Knightstar was trying to figure out how to learn the skill so they could make the poison the boss feared. So far, with what Doombunny could give her, she hadn't made any progress. Knightstar was confident in distilling it into an extract, the chemistry set Doom had was clearly set up for such a task, but that was all Knightstar knew. She didn't know what to add to make it usable, especially as a weapon poison. The wrong thickening agent would ruin the extract and they didn't have many flowers to experiment with.

They had to fight two more battles before they saw the markers along the wall which signaled a safe zone. Before they could get there, they had a pack spawn directly on top of them and another pack came at them from behind. They were outnumbered three to two and everyone wanted a break. Their tanks were split up because of the wolves spawning among them. They had no way to mount a unified effort and it ended up being a brutal melee of single combat.

Bladescape hacked and cut what she could, not letting herself get locked into attacking one wolf. It was better to leave them with severely reduced HP. Kirito seemed to have the same idea, from the glimpses Bladescape got. As she danced and weaved her way through the wolves, she also picked up that Thunderborne was basically following her and eliminating the wolves left in her wake.

Thunderborne's lightning quick attacks were on point and powerful. She could be as boastful as Dash, but she rarely did it during combat. The fighting was serious work and she often had to work hard to pull off what she did. Most days she was left exhausted. She still competed for kills against Natora when she could, or whoever would join them. Bladescape would join the competition when Thunderborne was in her party. The Wondercolts were getting more and more formalized in their roles and it eliminated a lot of opportunities for fair competition. Thunder was playing nice, so Bladescape rewarded her when she could. The times she got to shine, it was always stunning to see her blade flash and dance. It was only surpassed by her agility in combat. Not just linear movement, but aerial movements. Flipping, handsprings, vaulting with both flips and keeping her feet oriented towards the ground, even using the walls of the labyrinth to quickly change direction and flank enemies.

"Sixteen," Thunder panted when they were done. "Sixteen kills. Can anyone beat that?"

"Six!" Konpeito said. "All critical attacks."

"Four," Natora said.

"Zero," Bladescape added. “How else did Thunder rack up sixteen?”

"Kirito and I killed three," Klein reported.

"Eight," Doombunny factually stated with a shrug.

A handful of others picked up single kills.

With the wolves defeated they entered the safe zone and could relax.

"I promised to pay you all back!" Konpeito happily exclaimed. She pulled a picnic basket out of her inventory. "Cupcakes!" Konpeito excitedly exclaimed. "Baked fresh this morning!" The sugary goodness wafted over them all.

The food that Kirito and Fuurinkazan brought was inexpensive and durable, able to last all day. Most of the Assault Team had packed similar lunches, optimized for durability. Konpeito had not gotten too crazy for the Wondercolts, but they had nicer lunches with almost the same durability. Konpeito rarely baked them sweets for lunch. The cupcakes were highly appreciated by everyone and they felt well deserved after their tough morning.

Lunch was eaten in relative silence. Everyone was tired and hungry. They just wanted to enjoy the break. Natora finished first and began playing with her map.

When Bladescape finished, she stood up and looked at Klein who was sitting across the safe zone, back against the wall and eyes closed. He wasn't taking a nap, despite what it looked like. He just wanted it to look like he was.

"Klein!" Bladescape called. There was something other than his constant cheesy one liners that had been bothering her all morning, and she finally had the opportunity to bring it up.

"Yeah?" Klein asked, eyes still closed. "What's up, Doll Face?"

"Do you know how to treat your katana?" Bladescape asked.

"Huh?" Klein asked, sitting up. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I've watched you ramming your sword into the sheath," Bladescape explained. "Without any regard for it. There is a reverence to the katana that the user must have. It isn't just a costume you put on, rather it is a performance of the role and duty."

"I know what the samurai were and how they thought," Klein stated. "I know their code of honor."

"Then how do you sheath a Katana?" Bladescape pressed.

Klein didn't answer. He clearly didn't have one.

Bladescape swiped up her menu and pulled out the ancient mountain sword. It felt good to hold it. She slipped it into her belt, situating it properly in position at her waist. It had been almost a year since she had done this, but her hands remembered what to do. With a small step forward, she did the quickdraw, pulling the katana out while simultaneously pulling the sheath backwards to facilitate the draw. The draw was lacking, at least to Bladescape, but everyone else appeared to be enthralled. Bladescape brought her feet back together as she adjusted her grip on the sheath, creating the channel with her hand before guiding the blade back into the sheath. She made sure to run her hand over the handle to ensure it was in good order after being used. Being in SAO, it was always going to be in good order, but that was not a sufficient reason to forego the ritual. Losing form in Aincrad would mean poor form in the real world.

"To wield a katana requires a respect for the sword," Bladescape stated. "No practitioner of the Japanese art of the sword would fail to guide his honorable blade back into its keeping."

"Where'd you learn that?" Klein asked, standing up.

"Iaido," Bladescape answered. "I am a practitioner of the art of the sword. Specifically, Iaido is the art of the quick draw, typically from a seated position, and entering brief combat."

"That was amazing," Klein added.

"Actually, it was sloppy and slow," Bladescape stated. "The use of a leather belt instead of an obi is problematic too, but really I'm out of practice."

"How long have you practiced?" Klein asked.

Bladescape shrugged, "Just a few months."

"That's it?" Klein asked. "You must be a natural."

Bladescape rolled her eyes. "I had good teachers. I'm not ready to display the only form I was taught. Like I said, I’m out of practice."

"Where were you learning at?" Klein pressed. "Once we get out of here, I might check them out and take some lessons."

It was an innocent question, but the answer would reveal a lot about her and likely her friends. Bladescape glanced over to her friends. Natora, Malus, and Diemond gave her a nod. None of the others gave any indication that she shouldn't answer.

Klein might be a dufus, but opening up a bit could form a good bond between their guilds. The Wondercolts could use stronger ties with other guilds. They were really only on friendly terms with the Knights of the Bloodoath and just through Asuna. Although, Bladescape was getting to know Godfree, commander of their vanguard element and the guy in charge of the KoB’s training, pretty well since they crossed paths often in the grinding locations.

"I was being taught at my school," Bladescape answered. "The club's advisor is very well skilled and the club's president is going to be teaching Iaido. He is the highest ranking youth practitioner." Bladescape remembered the day's date. "No, he would have graduated by now and be an adult. He definitely has his own school somewhere in Tokyo. That was waiting for him when he graduated primary education."

Kirito perked up at hearing the city name, but didn't say anything or react in any other way.

"Wait, you're still in high school?" Klein asked.

Bladescape couldn't read the tone in his voice. It sounded both like trepidation and excitement.

"Yes," Bladescape nodded. "I'm a high school foreign exchange student."

Kirito's alertness level was raised again. Klein was stroking his scruffy chin as he thought.

"I figured you were from out of the country," Klein stated. "Your accent told me that."

"That's it?" Diemond asked. She sounded shocked.

"What do you mean?" Klein asked.

"Well her olive complexion isn't exactly native to Japan," Diemond stated.

"Have you seen the merchant Agil?" Klein asked. "The dude was born in Japan and has always lived in Tokyo. I learned that lesson the hard way when he almost wrung my neck. The only difference between them is that he has a Tokyo accent and Blade's has a hint of English to it. Except for Reisenki, Kiefer, and Soryuto, all of the Wondercolts have an accent that indicates that you come from English speaking countries."

"Hey!" Natora protested. "I resent that. Actually, wait, does anyone disagree with Klein?"

"You clearly are from Tokyo," Kirito said, surprisingly speaking up. It might have been to compete with Klein. "Your language use is informal and natural, while the others are more formal and stiff, like they had been taught it as a second language. Klein should have caught that distinction."

"Hey!" Klein exclaimed. It was his time to protest, except he came up empty for a remark and ended up shrugging his shoulders in defeat. "Okay, maybe I should have. Anyway, I didn't know high schools had foreign exchange programs. I thought that was a college thing."

"They're not easy to get into," Bladescape stated. "Academically or personally. The whole approval process is very difficult."

"Only the best get picked," Natora added.

"Anyway," Bladescape said. "Kayaba kind of screwed up the end of the exchange semester."

"Just to be clear," Klein prefaced. "You, Malus, Knightstar, Doombunny, Konpeito, Diemond, and Thunderborne are all exchange students?"

Diemond answered for them. "Darling, we're not only exchange students, we're from the same school, both in Japan and back home. Canterlot High School's team name is the Wondercolts. All students, regardless of their status with sports, are Wondercolts. Kindness, generosity, honesty, loyalty, laughter, friendship, and magic is what Wondercolts are and what we are as a guild."

"It's our ethos," Knightstar added. "It works in both settings equally well."

"Are you sure?" Klein asked. "I don't know what your sports teams are like, but as a guild, you are all top notch. Top three, easily. Almost as good looking as the Knights of the Bloodoath, except you have better style than they do."

"Sadly, I must admit you're right," Diemond said with a sigh. "They have the bolder colors. As for our uniformity, there is only so much I can do to fix that. I still can't craft half of what we need me to in order for me to fully pull our look off, specifically the heavy metal armor, and we will likely always have different looking shields. I'll make it work."

"Speaking of shields," Thunderborne said. "Did you get your two from Agil? Cause we sold him ones that looked exactly like what Harry and Dynamm are using two weeks ago."

"That swindler!" Klein exclaimed. "He said they hadn't been used!"

Bladescape was able to prevent herself from laughing, but Malus, Knightstar, Natora, Thunderborne, and Kiefer were unable to keep some from slipping out.

"They weren't," Bladescape stated. "Neither were the helmets, chainmail, boots, spears, war hammer, axe, or swords we sold him. We don't sell Agil used equipment without letting him know it's used and how many enhancements have been attempted. We got them in drops from a dungeon boss."

"Oh," Klein said as he nervously scratched the back of his neck. "What floor did you get those on?"

Bladescape had to think for a moment. "Thirty-three. We found and cleared it the day after we unlocked that floor. First ones through it. I got your katana as the last attack bonus from the dungeon boss, but Kiefer's current katana was still better."

"I got Hoshinoha the week before from a dungeon boss," Kiefer added. "It's the prettier of the two and the dark blue sheath matches our guild's colors better."

"I like this mountain green," Klein stated. "But back to the swords, can you please teach me to draw it like you did?"

"Yes," Bladescape said with a smile. "Since you said 'please', I will. There are no quickdraw skills from Iaido in the sword skills list for the katana, but knowing how to properly draw your blade is the first step to knowing how to respectfully sheath it."

Everyone watched as Bladescape taught Klein the steps to draw the katana. She had to adjust his sword hand's grip and how he clunkily was grabbing the sheath. Learning to flick the blade out wasn't too hard. Teaching him to put it back proved to be the tougher lesson. Klein struggled with letting the spine of the katana slide along the groove his hand made. He was quite clear about his feelings. He felt like he was going to slice open his hand, even though he knew it was the spine of the sword. Bladescape had to assure him that was natural and that it would soon pass.

They didn't have a lot of time to practice before they had to get back to work. Bladescape was confident that he would learn it well enough. He certainly had shifted his mentality about the sword.

His mentality about Bladescape had shifted as well. Bladescape would even dare to say he respected her after the lesson. Teaching someone a skill you were passionate about and something they wanted to learn was a good way to gain respect and build a bond. Whether that respect would last or not would be seen, but there was no profit in worrying about the future that you couldn't control. Ultimately, it was her own selfishness that won, because he would no longer unceremoniously slap the katana into its sheath. She could put up with him much better without that distraction chipping away at her resolve.

The stairs to the twentieth level were right around the corner. They were on the final floor of the labyrinth. Somewhere on it was the boss chamber. Their squad was immediately forced into a battle. The rabid ash wolves spawned at faster rates than any other enemy, so they might not be the first, but it did appear that they were.

The battle was over quickly. No one had gotten injured. Klein properly sheathed his katana at the end of the battle.

They pressed on, fighting their way through pack after pack. Everyone had moments where they shined brighter than the others. Natora felt confident in their direction whenever they had to choose between splits. Their goal was the boss room, not fully mapping the labyrinth.

It was slow work. They had to face a lot of packs. The lunch break was retrospectively appreciated even more.

It was almost eight at night when they found the boss chamber. They couldn't get close due to four packs being in between them and the chamber. Bladescape quickly ordered the strategy. They held their ground, quickly organizing as the wolves charged them. They got their center two tanks set, with tanks on their wide flanks. Both flanking tanks were supported by a shield user and spear user. The other spear users were with the center tanks. The forwards filled in between the tanks. Doombunny posted up with Malus in the center. Natora was on the left flank with Harry One. Bladescape, along with Klein and Kirito we're holding the middle ground between Malus and Reisenki. Kiefer, Dynamm, Konpeito, and Dale were the left intermediary team.

The wolves clashed with the organized squad. They broke upon the tanks like waves dashing themselves on the rocks. Each pack was another wave smashing into them and they never had time to fully eliminate the previous waves, causing a huge backup of enemies. They were stretched across the wide corridor, preventing the beasts from flanking them.

They didn't fold. Everyone shined brightly in the battle. The intermediary teams had to be smart about the sword skills they selected. They couldn't afford a heavy delay. Kirito was playing cleanup for Bladescape and Klein, finishing the wolves for them.

When it was finally over, they heard clapping from their rear. It was a professional clap, but encouraging nonetheless. Bladescape turned around to find a squad of three parties. It consisted entirely of the KoB. Commander Heathcliff was at their head, flanked by Asuna and her party. Godfree led the third party.

"Well done," Asuna said. The commander likely wasn't going to speak. "That was very efficient despite the massive numbers you were facing. None got through your line."

"Thank you," Bladescape said, bowing to show respect. It was a formal gesture used to gain points ahead of her upcoming statement. "You and I never had time to talk after our squad was formed. We wanted to put forward our best selves and come together as a unit, one that could be relied upon in the upcoming battle to either protect Doombunny or be the ones to deliver the poisoned attacks. We figured, we should take the opportunity to form the tactics and working relationship necessary for that role."

"I figured as much," Asuna admitted. "I'm impressed. That is why I paid close attention to Doombunny. I must admit, she is a remarkable frontline fighter. She was aggressive but wise in her application of her dagger. She knows when to retreat and when to attack. Everyone did wonderful, but she was the superstar. I hesitate to officially give an answer, we still have another day, but I will state that, since I have seen you in action, I am inclined to grant your request."

Bladescape bowed again. "We appreciate your inclination. We should check out the boss chamber before more respawns happen."

"Lead on," Asuna said.

They all headed down the corridor until they reached the double doors. Carved into the massive stone doors were over twenty wolves in a variety of poses. It even depicted a full moon with a wolf howling at it.

Bladescape opened up the doors. Inside was a bunch of cages. They lined the walls and were filled with snarling and foaming rabid ash wolves. Across from the entrance was the boss, a humanoid giant who was sitting up on something.

Bladescape almost took a step in but paused as Asuna’s hand gently stopped her.

"I'm concerned about the cages," Asuna stated. "If we enter, the boss may trigger their release. We likely won't make it to the boss to see what his skills are. These wolves look bigger and more powerful than the others. Even a full raid party will find itself fighting a horde nearly twice its size. We have more than sufficient numbers for a scouting expedition, but may run into more trouble than it's worth."

"That's a good read on the situation," Bladescape admitted. "Hopefully Argo will drag up new intel."

"We can use tomorrow to rest up," Asuna added. "Most squads will likely have left the labyrinth by now. We can catch up with the leaders, share the map, and update them on the day off."

"Good idea," Bladescape said with a nod. "I'm not sure the last time I had a free day. It's been long enough that the Wondercolts deserve it. Everyone deserves it."

Asuna just nodded back as she pulled up her menu. They traded map data to ensure they had the most complete map. There was plenty unexplored, but it was likely not worthwhile to explore it. Not with the changes. They divided the contact list up to speed the spread of information.

While that was going on, Konpeito was sharing cookies she had baked the night before and brought. It was in celebration of finding the boss room and she had enough for everyone, including the KoB members. It was almost as if she knew they would run into them and find the boss room. They all took one, even Commander Heathcliff, and enjoyed the momentary break for a player made sweet.

Asuna pulled out an oversized teleport crystal. It had an ornate base and some colorful spheres inside it. There was only one thing it could be, the incredibly rare corridor crystal. Asuna went back to a sufficient distance for them all to assemble and set it.

"Have a good day, Wondercolts, Kirito, and the men in red who I don't know yet," Asuna said. In a flash of blue, she teleported out of the labyrinth. She was followed by the other members of her guild.

Their squad did the same. Kirito went to a different city than everyone else. Fuurinkazan headed to a city on floor thirty. The Wondercolts went back to the city closest to the labyrinth.

Bladescape and Natora split up their contact list and went off to notify the other squads of their success. Everyone was easy to find and happy to have the break, at least from grinding away at the labyrinth.

Next, Bladescape went to Tolbana and the house there. She was alone, which was her goal. She changed out of her armor and pulled out the ancient mountain sword. She had kept it out of a sentimental reason. It reminded her of Mister Shinmi's katana. She hadn't done anything with it except keep it in her inventory.

Showing Klein today sparked something inside her. She wanted to do more. She didn't need a katana skill to practice Iaido. She did need an obi and could really use the proper uniform. She would have to read through her book of memories to remember the full form, but she could practice the draws with what she had.

Bladescape stayed standing as she relaxed and worked through the draws. The cut was not forced. The sword had to flow out of the sheath. Bladescape had to slow herself down and focus on her form. With proper form, speed would come.

When Bladescape finished, an hour had passed. She hadn’t noticed the time fly by. It felt good, very good, to focus on Iaido. Most of her guildmates had hobbies outside of combat. Konpeito had her cooking and music; Knightstar had her stats; Doombunny had Colorra and Mixing; Soryuto had her music; Kiefer was working on making katanas; Reisenki was also cooking; Thunderborne was doing parkour in different cities; Malus was fishing in her free time; and Diemond had her sewing and armor crafting. Bladescape and Natora didn’t have official hobbies. Iaido should be a way Bladescape could relax and wind down. Something not having to do with combat.

BLADESCAPE: Level 59 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing
NATORA: Level 55 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 53 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 56 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search
THUNDERBORNE: Level 55 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce
KONPEITO: Level 55 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing
DIEMOND: Level 54 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging
DOOMBUNNY: Level 53 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search
KIEFER: Level 53 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Search
SORYUTO: Level 52 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce
REISENKI: Level 54 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking

Kirito: Level 58 — One-Handed Sword — Martial Arts — Sprint — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Search — Extended Weight Carry
Klein: Level 47 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Katana — Light Metal Armor — Shield — First Aid — Search — Sewing
Dale: Level 46 — Two-Handed Sword — Heavy Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Cooking — Sprint — Search
Dynamm: Level 47 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Sprint — First Aid — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiations
Harry One: Level 46 — Greatshield — One-Handed Hammer — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Search — Battle Regeneration
Issin: Level 45 — Two-Handed Spear — Leather Armor — Weapon Defense — Acrobatics — Sprint — Cooking — Armor Pierce
Kunimittz: Level 46 — Two-Handed Spear — Light Metal Armor — Shield — First Aid — Search — Reveal — Trap Dismantling

Episode 42 — Beast Master

Episode 42 — Beast Master
First Day in the Month of Chrysanthemum (September 1) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 34

Bladescape looked at the stone doors with the wolves carved on it. They were about to dive into the thirty-fourth floor boss battle. Everyone was fresh from a day off, or at least a less stressful one. They didn't have to worry about the labyrinth, but many still went into the field for fun, col, or XP. Bladescape had led Natora, Kiefer, Malus, Thunderborne, and Reisenki into a dungeon on the thirtieth floor. It was easy to clear, and fun, helping to boost their XP and kill time until the boss strategy meeting. Knightstar, Soryuto, and Doombunny went in search of more flowers to try and make a poison out of. Konpeito went on a baking and cooking spree, making a wonderful dinner for the whole guild at their Tolbana house. Diemond spent the day leveling her sewing skill and only her sewing skill. She hit 950, fifty away from maxing it. She also had made everyone in the guild another set of clothes which matched them personally. Something fun to wear when they were not in the field.

At the boss meeting, Argo didn't have any new information from them, but she was able to confirm the boss’ weakness to poison. The Wondercolts didn't have a poison worked out yet, but they had found more of the plants. Enough to allow for some experimentation.

While things didn't look great for them in certain areas, they had gotten a look inside the boss chamber and a corridor crystal was set, allowing them to skip the labyrinth for the raid. Serigatal The Wolf Master had an army of ash wolves under his command. They organized their strategy around countering that army. They were heavy on the shield users because they would be better at defending against a shifting mass of wolves. They had a solid core of damage dealers to back them up.

Bladescape looked to her right. Doombunny was beside her and staying close. Last night she had confidently declared that she would not let the boss enslave the wolves and she would help stop him by being their poisoner. Even if she had to use Colorra's poison, she would fight. The six foot long elapid was draped around Doombunny’s neck, sitting on her shoulders, just like she had been last night when Doombunny made the declaration.

That bold statement meant that Asuna's declaration, after thanking Doombunny, was to give the Wondercolts, Fuurinkazan, and Kirito the lead on the raid. Some of the others didn't like it, but they knew it was fair. They couldn't argue against Asuna and her personal observations about the squad's combat ability and preparedness. Bladescape was proud of Doombunny for agreeing to go into the boss fight.

The meeting hadn’t taken long. They were essentially in four groups; assault, buffer, damage, and reserve. The KoB was leading the Buffer group, whose job was to block and defend against the wolves. They would be providing the assault group a safe place to retreat to. The assault group was centered on Doombunny and getting her to the boss to poison him. Their mixed group could deal damage to the boss too, but everyone was expecting the poison weakness to be significant. The damage group was the damage dealers for the buffer group. Their main job was to clear the enemies before they overwhelmed a defender. They also would help create openings for assault’s movements. Reserve was a single party with the sole goal of watching their backs. If a wolf got around, they would eliminate it before it attacked someone from behind. Bladescape was confident in the strategy.

Doombunny squeezed Bladescape’s hand. She was getting more and more nervous. Bladescape squeezed it back in silent support. The rest of the raid party had come through the corridor crystal and was assembling behind them. Bladescape was confident in Doombunny because she had figured out a poison mixture for the Angel of the Night. Over half of the gathered flowers were used up experimenting, but late last night, Knightstar and Doombunny had figured out which additive to use to make the weapon poison gel. Doombunny had two vials of the gel and it should last long enough to do the job for the fight, especially as the rest of the team helped deal damage.

Bladescape heard Commander Heathcliff, who was directly behind her, draw his sword. She had to let go of Doom’s hand and draw her own. Doom didn’t try to keep holding on; she understood it was time to fight. Colorra shifted to get herself into a better position for dropping off Doombunny’s shoulders.

“For our day of liberation!” Heathcliff declared. “Proceed, Bladescape of the Wondercolts.”

Bladescape stepped forward and pushed on the doors of the boss chamber. Despite how heavy and solid they appeared, they didn’t require a lot of force to begin opening on their own. As the doors swung inward, torches lit up, showing the cages filled with extra-large ash wolves. The wolves also started snarling and howling, itching to be let loose on the raiders who were entering. Serigatal The Wolf Master was sitting at the far end of the hall. The shirtless giant was sitting on something beside a small table. He used a whip or a short sword.

Bladescape led her team past the first cages. She might be at the front, but Heathcliff was leading this battle. Their group’s pacing was marked for the tanks. Working together a whole day against the wolves helped them find that timing. The Wondercolts with Bladescape and Doombunny were Malus, Reisenki, Natora, and Thunderborne. Bladescape had two roles: lead the squad and personally protect Doombunny. She wasn’t concerned about getting hits in. That’s what Natora and Thunderborne were there to do.

Halfway to Serigatal, he stood up. He was taller than he appeared to be. Two health bars came up, indicating that he relied upon the wolves. He grabbed his whip off the table as he prepared to face them. Two thirds of the way to him, he cracked his whip. They didn’t slow down or falter at the gesture.

He did a big, overhead wind up as they got to the end of the cages. The whip didn’t crack. Instead there was the groan of rusted metal. The whip was snagged on something on the wall. The wind up was used to snag it.

Bars on the cages disappeared. The wolves in the forward cages sprinted to cut off the team from reaching their master. Bladescape glanced back, checking to see how many wolves were released in the first wave. Her heart stopped as she saw the reality of their situation. Every single cage was unlocked, letting every wolf loose on the raiders. They were too far apart to get to the buffer team and have a unified push forward. Even if they could, the shield users were in the center, blindsided by the blitzing wolves in the first cages.

“Circle up!” Bladescape ordered. “Tanks, take the points of a triangle! Klein, give me eyes to our rear!”

Malus stepped forward, while Harry One and Reisenki stepped back. Their circle wasn’t big, but it was enough for their thirteen members. Their backs were safe as the wolves attacked. The Commander had given similar orders and was shouting more as the buffer, damage, and reserve groups fell under his direct authority. The wolves had pushed past players before their defensive posture could be set up. They had to be taken care of before they killed players. Damage group would be focused on that.

Bladescape was to the right of Malus. She plunged her sword into a wolf, but it wasn’t enough to eliminate even half its HP. Two throwing knives struck it, putting it deep in the red, yet they were still not enough to get the job done. Doombunny didn’t have the ability to throw a third from where Malus was shielding her. Bladescape’s delay was only a brief moment and she immediately struck again, eliminating the wolf.

Natora had an easier time on Malus’ left. Three thrusts from her spear, the combination called Triple Threat Triad, was enough to finish a wolf. Malus was focused on blocking. Thunder was working to keep Reisenki’s shield free.

“Issin! Kunimittz!” Natora called out. “Triple Threat Triad puts them down!”

“I was just about to say that!” Issin yelled back.

Bladescape injured a wolf but could not kill it before it escaped her range. They were surrounded by two dozen wolves and they had backed off, looking for weaknesses to exploit. The wolves were circling around and around, weaving in and out of each other as they encircled the squad. Their three spear users could reach them, but that was it. If they stepped out to strike a wolf, they would be exposed and vulnerable like the wolves wanted, especially if they used a sword skill that forced them into the delay. Everyone else had to wait for the wolves to step in.

“Klein,” Bladescape called as she rested her sword on her left shoulder. “How’s it looking back there?”

“Not good,” Klein answered. “I’m pretty sure the wolves got a raider before they got their defenses tightened up. A lot of wolves are between us and them. We couldn’t make a break for it and win. We’d lose, hard. The others might be able to push to us. Commander Heathcliff is setting something up.”

“Alright,” Bladescape said. She did her best to project her voice to everyone. Turning around would expose her back. “We will play an aggressive defense. Stay defensive, but take every opportunity to shave HP off a wolf as you can. Just don’t expose yourself.”

Everyone echoed confirmation.

“Blade, get ready,” Doombunny said.

Bladescape never had time to ask for clarification before there was a bolt of red and black past her. Colorra sank her fangs into the hind leg of a wolf and didn’t let go as the snake was dragged backward. It brought the panicking wolf in close enough for Bladescape to unleash a two combination attack that eliminated the remaining three quarters of HP. Colorra never injected any venom into the wolf, but her fangs were powerful. The elapid not only had a powerful bite, she also dealt DOT damage which stacked up quickly.

There was a thunderous roar from the other group. Despite the volume the sound had, it never got any closer. It died down suddenly as other commands were hastily given.

“They couldn’t break through!” Klein exclaimed. He sounded defeated. “The Commander was at the head of the charge and they failed. There are so many wolves.”

“We might be able to inch our way there,” Natora offered. “They are not too keen on getting close.”

“We might,” Bladescape said as she took a swipe at a wolf. It missed, but it kept them back. “But right now, we are in a safe position that is advantageous. The boss hasn’t come for us and we have the wolves’ focus split. We can win a war of attrition. He let slip the dogs of war, but we get to ‘cry havoc.’”

It was a great sentiment, but pulling it off was harder than expected. Ten minutes passed without killing a single wolf. Both groups only got a few blows to land. Thinning the hoard was proving to be much more difficult than initially judged. They had expected waves to be released, not a full blitz.

“The Commander is organizing another move,” Klein warned.

With another roar the damage team blitzed out of their defensive circle, Heathcliff leading the charge, as they engaged the wolves. Bladescape caught a wolf paying attention to the noise, not his prey, and Bladescape killed it. It was already injured by previous strikes. What mattered was not who did the damage, just that one more had been eliminated.

"They gained a meter or two," Klein reported after the yelling stopped.

Colorra bumped her head into Bladescape's thigh. It was a heavy hit from the snake and clearly intentional. Bladescape couldn't get distracted or look away from the wolves or they would take the opportunity. Colorra bumped into Bladescape a second time. Only once had Colorra gone out and attacked. Doombunny had not been able to do much outside of the initial reorganizing. Their circle was pretty tight and the wolves were far enough back she could only throw her knives. Still, she only had so many throwing knives on her. Colorra smacked Bladescape a third time.

"Dynamm," Bladescape called, since he was in between her and Reisenki. "Choke up and cover my spot. I need to check something."

"Got it!" Dynamm confirmed, taking a step into Bladescape.

Bladescape stepped back as he shifted more and Reisenki also shifted down. Their circle was no longer a circle, but the defense was still strong. Bladescape took a quick moment to look at the whole situation. She needed to know what was going on in order to properly address Doombunny. The other raiders had advanced, but they were still twelve to fifteen meters in between them. That forty feet held twenty or so wolves. They were circling the others just like they were circling the assault squad. They could quickly shift to double their numbers in between, if needed, to prevent the raiders from uniting. This attrition strategy was not going well. They hadn't even landed a hit on the boss.

Bladescape bent down to where Doombunny was cowering on the floor. Her head was buried in her lap and she was breathing heavily. Panic had set fully in. Bladescape put her left hand on Doombunny's shoulders, grasping it tightly so that Doom knew she wasn't alone. Before Bladescape could speak, Doombunny looked up at her. She had been quietly crying. The tears on her cheeks were still flowing. Bladescape wiped them away with her left hand as best as she could while giving her the most positive and warm of a smile she could muster.

"Doom, this didn't go as planned," Bladescape stated. "I know you wanted to do this, but also that you didn't. I'm proud of you. If you need to teleport out, do it. No one will blame you. They all saw your bravery. The Assault Team has been in several tough fights. This is top five, easily, because the wolves are way smarter than the rabid ones. We couldn’t have predicted that.

"If you leave, well, I'll still be just as proud of you as I was before we entered. The same with the other Wondercolts. We didn't have any hint that it would go this way. You're not weak. You've proven that, repeatedly. You still have a kind heart. I'm sure you silently suffer more than I realize. That probably means you're braver than I am. Than any of us are. Turns out, this isn't the boss where a dagger wielding player can excel at, thanks to his very smart army."

"I'm dragging you all down," Doombunny said, choking back tears. She held up a teleport crystal. "If I leave, you can make it to the others."

Bladescape put her hand on the crystal, preventing Doombunny from using it at the moment. "If you do, leave me the poisons. But you should know that, yeah, you're our weakest player, but only in certain regards. We couldn't make it to the others if you left. That's a false assumption. I'm actually more afraid of the tanks dying because they are slower.

"We need to get more aggressive. The others got a decent push forward, but we don't need movement, we need to eliminate the giant pack the boss has under his control. That's our big obstacle."

"You need to get back to the fight," Doombunny said, choking back tears. She fished something out of a pouch. She gave Bladescape two vials. "These are the poison from the Angel of the Night flower. Take them and get back in this fight."

Bladescape took them as she smiled at Doombunny. "Once again, you saved us, or at least provided us a huge boost. You figured it out. That's a huge win for us. That's something to be very proud of. You're a fighter. The fight simply isn't going our way. Leave or stay, it's up to you. You won't lose any reputation. If you need me too, I'll order you to leave."

"Thanks, Blade," Doombunny said, forcing a smile. "I appreciate the sentiments and support. I just wish I wasn't so scared or useless."

"You are not useless," Bladescape asserted. "Do what you need to, but know, either way, we respect your decision. You are not useless, our situation is just tight, especially for a specialist like you are.”

Bladescape gave Doombunny’s hand a reassuring squeeze and stood up. It felt like she was abandoning her friend, but she had no choice. She took another look around the room, taking stock of the situation. The raiders were holding steady, but not gaining ground. Commander Heathcliff was not on the front line. He was clearly organizing another offensive.

Bladescape needed to do the same. The first question was the direction. Should they go towards the boss, or towards the other team? The squad was under mental stress, but not much of a physical one. Fuurinkazan was new, but they still were members of the Assault Team. Kirito and the other Wondercolts were battle hardened against bosses. The only direction to go was towards the boss.

“Squad!” Bladescape called. “We must break this stalemate. We must advance!”

“Let’s roll em!” Malus bellowed.

“Push forward and I’ll get the tanks to keep up,” Klein called out.

“Malus!” Bladescape commanded. “Advance us five meters!”

Malus let out a hearty laugh as she pulled her shield in. Pairing it with her shoulder, she bulldozed forward with a mad war-cry. Several wolves coalesced in front of her, but their joint effort failed to stop her.

Bladescape underestimated Malus’ forward speed. Everyone was left scrambling after her, losing their defensive integrity. The wolves shifted, but not into the squad. They had already moved to get in front of the charge. It gave the squad the moment needed to catch up. Bladescape, Natora, Kirito, and Dynamm were on Malus’s flanks as the wolves came crashing back in.

The wolves didn’t back down. They abandoned their defenses, trying to shred the squad at any cost. Their squad fought fiercely to beat them down.

They succeeded, opening up the area between the boss and the squad. The Commander rallied his troops for another push. Their noise was drowned out as Serigatal The Wolf Master’s whip cracked over their heads. It came again, splitting open the air a second time before making a third attempt. This time, it wasn’t for show as it cut downward, slapping into the Iron Bulwark. The strike was further out, allowing the tip to continue its arc. The shield edge only served as a leverage point, speeding up the whip’s tip. It wrapped around Malus, binding her in place before being ripped back. It left Malus with a very strong stun effect. The whip came back at them, scattering their squad. It didn’t find its mark and was pulled back. Bladescape fell backwards as it whizzed overhead, barely skimming past her face during her graceless collapse.

It found its true target. Serigatal The Wolf Master yanked on his whip, pulling another lever on the wall. Bladescape rolled her head back and saw that the Commander had broken through. The last of the wolves were cornered and pinned as the raiders pressed their advantage. She also saw sections of the walls behind the cages disappear. Out of them poured another wave of wolves. There was no chance to warn the raiders as they were blindsided a second time. Bladescape lost sight of them all as a wave of black wolves washed over them. She didn’t have time to observe as the wolves came at her squad.

“CIRCLE UP!” Bladescape screamed as she scrambled up. “MORE WOLVES INCOMING!”

Between her orders and the screams of the other group, her squad was able to assemble in time before the wolves got any of them. Malus was still frozen, but her shield was forward. She was at least a passive block and she had done little else the time before, except keep her massive shield forward, acting as their cornerstone. Kirito was now on Malus’ right side, Natora was on the left, each protecting Malus’ flanks. Bladescape ended up in between Kirito and Harry.

These second-wave wolves were more aggressive, yet they still kept their distance. Bladescape did her best, but she had a lot of close misses. So did Kirito. Their best hits were when a wolf attacked after the other’s delay was triggered for missing the attack.

They might not have landed a hit on the boss, but they had advanced. They also had proven that they could win. The blindside was bad, but every raider knew they could break a wave of wolves. They wouldn’t be blindsided the next time. The boss would have a limited number of waves he could unleash. Two was probably all he could muster, maybe a third.

Malus’s ensnared status finally ended. With a roar she stepped forward, swinging her hammer up with a vengeance. It obliterated a wolf in a single hit and she had not triggered a sword skill. “LET’S SKIN THESE VARMENTS!” Malus spat. “I’M ANGRY NOW! NO OVERSIZED PUP IS GONNA TAKE ME DOWN. DON’T HOLD ME BACK!”

Malus swung her shield forward, planting it in the ground. Their circle shifted to keep up with her as she began to inch them forward. The wolves dogpiled her shield in an effort to stop her advance. It just made them easy targets for Kirito and Natora. There were not many stragglers left. Their dogpile was their last effort.

Bladescape turned her attention to the boss, looking for his whip. He wasn’t there. There was no sign of him anywhere. Bladescape spun around, trying to spot him, but all she saw was the wolves attacking the other group.

“Squad!” Bladescape barked. “Watch your backs!” Bladescape shifted her stance and set her sword above her head. “Let's clear a way to the others.”

The order got an enthusiastic war-cry back as Bladescape surged forward. She knew the others were right behind her. She only focused on the unsuspecting wolves ahead of her. It was time to turn the predators into the prey.

Bladescape chained four sword skills, striking down three wolves. She was intending to chain a fourth, with eight total skills mapped out, but her sword was stopped as the wolf shattered like glass. Through the polygons Bladescape saw the calm and collected face of Commander Heathcliff looking back at her, Bladescape’s sword against his shield. His eyes were sharp as he shifted his glance to where he thrust his sword, taking out a wolf in a single strike. That was the last wolf he killed as the battle broke down into pockets of resistance from cornered wolves.

Bladescape was released from her delay as Heathcliff sheathed his sword. “Well done, Bladescape of the Wondercolts,” he praised. “I didn’t think you made it to the boss.”

“We didn’t,” Bladescape stated as she rested her sword on her shoulder. She wasn’t going to sheath hers yet. She turned to look at the place where the boss had been sitting. “We got swarmed by the second wave. We started a new advancement tactic, but when we broke through, he wasn’t there. So I turned us to helping you while keeping eyes on the back of our heads.”

The congratulation banner appeared overhead, accompanied by its music as the lighting in the room brightened up. All of the cages shattered into polygons and the walls filled back in. Only Serigatal The Wolf Master’s stool and table were left in their place, despite the stairwell behind them opening up.

“What happened?” Klein asked as he slid to a stop beside Bladescape. “Did we hit the boss?”

“No, we didn’t,” Bladescape said as she sheathed her sword. It was over; the thirty-fourth floor boss, Serigatal The Wolf Master, was defeated. They could all safely relax and most of the raiders already were, assuming the assault squad had eliminated the boss. “No one that I know of got close. I still have both poison potions Doombunny left me. I have no explanation.”

“So she did leave,” Asuna said as she joined the three of them. “I had an inclination that she would when things turned on us. It’s better than the alternative. We lost four, one in the first blitz and three from the second.”

“I gave her permission,” Bladescape stated. “She was…” Bladescape trailed off, she turned to look at the table and stool. Doombunny could still hide from Bladescape’s Search skill. The battle was loud at times, but not enough to mask the sound of someone teleporting or hide the flash of blue that came with it. She was operating purely on an assumption. “Doom? Are you there?” Bladescape called out.

“I’m behind you,” Doombunny said.

Bladescape spun on her heels to see Doombunny walking towards them, from the direction of the doors. She joined their huddle, a savage look in her eye. She was angry, very angry, but Bladescape wasn’t sure why she was angry. It could be any number of things after how the raid went.

“When you advanced, no one saw me,” Doombunny explained as Colorra slithered up her body to sit on her shoulders, laying her head on top of Doombunny’s. “I don’t blame you. I probably had activated Hide in my panic. Most of the wolves went after all of you because you were the threat. I killed one of the two who came for me, Colorra got the other. I lost control and charged the boss, going around your group. He was pathetic. He might be weak to the Angel of the Night, but the Ruby Krait is the most poisonous animal in Aincrad. Then Colorra and I turned to put every last one of his abused wolves out of their misery.”

“You killed the boss?” Klein stammered. “By yourself? Both HP bars?”

Doombunny just silently nodded to him, Colorra nodding along as the tired snake was too exhausted to move off Doombunny’s head.

“Blade, I need a third knife,” Doombunny stated. “I need one for stabbing, one that does DOT damage. I need something better for stabbing something in the heart.”

Bladescape was blindsided by the change in subjects. “Okay,” she said, shaking her head to try and roll with the shift. “You know what materials will work best. I’m sure Lisbeth can make you whatever you need.”

“Lisbeth?” Asuna asked.

“Brown hair and wears a red shirt with a pink skirt and pink vest on top,” Bladescape said. “Used to work with three other guys in a foundry.”

“That’s Lis,” Asuna said, shocked. “But I don’t know anything about those guys. I only met her and started going to her at the end of June.”

“Ah,” Bladescape said with a nod. She didn’t want to say anything more. Bladescape liked Lisbeth, she did great work for the Wondercolts, but Bladescape missed Koricata, Nataszo, and Nemus. It wasn’t the same without the four of them working together.

“I didn’t know anyone in the Assault Team used her,” Asuna added. “She is a great smith, underrated. I’ve only seen intermediate players going to her.”

“The Wondercolts have used her basically since the beginning,” Bladescape said. “In a way, I’m glad she is underrated, because I don’t have to fight for her attention. She does deserve more recognition for her expert work.”

“She forges her soul into her work,” Asuna said as she played with the handle of her rapier. Bladescape recognized it as one of two rapiers Lisbeth had made, which Thunderborne had been debating between. She got the other one, leaving that one for Asuna to buy. It was the first time Bladescape had seen Asuna with it, meaning she likely had been getting upgrades on it until it was better than her previous rapier. Besides, fencers usually carried multiple rapiers due to their low durability. Thunderborne always had three spares, minimum. A long day clearing would decimate the durability of two or three rapiers.

Bladescape just silently nodded in agreement. She didn’t want to speak anymore on the subject. Her heart now ached over the loss of Koricata, Nataszo, and Nemus.

“The boss is dead and we have a teleport plaza to unlock,” Commander Heathcliff said, progressing their conversation. “Doombunny, that honor clearly goes to you.”

Doombunny nodded once in recognition and strode off towards the stairwell. She had an extra kick in hips; more sass in her stride. Maybe it was from a new level of confidence, but it could be an after effect from the terror, fear, or rage she had expressed. No matter what it was, Bladescape followed after her friend, rallying the Wondercolts to join them.

It wasn’t hard to get to the town. Doombunny triggered the gate with no ceremony, but she did pause right before touching it, taking a deep breath in before activating it. She still had that sass in her walk, but she clearly recognized the importance of what she was about to do. Then she went to find them a tavern, not even bothering to look back at the plaza.

Natora teleported to get the others. Thunderborne followed everyone else until the tavern was chosen. She went back to lead the rest of their guild to it. It didn’t take them long to catch up to Doombunny, who already had ordered mugs of ale for everyone, with four extra sitting in the middle of the table.

Bladescape stood up, raising her mug. “Mo ghile mear, to Doombunny and Colorra!”

Everyone raised their mugs and enthusiastically repeated their motto.

Bladescape took a short drink and raised her mug again. “Mo ghile mear to the four fallen raiders.”

This time their tone matched the lament that it was and the drink taken was a solemn one.

“What exactly happened?” Natora asked. “I still can’t figure that out.”

Doombunny shrugged. “Instead of teleporting out when you all advanced, I ended up alone, and lost it. I used one of the poisons made from Colorra’s venom and stabbed him in the chest. Then I put every wolf under his abusive grip out of their misery, letting them finally rest in peace. There was no saving the poor creatures. Their minds had been twisted to only seeing one master. I was never going to be able to control them as he did.”

“I’ve always maintained my respect for the dagger and its ability to kill when used properly,” Natora said. “It’s the most fearsome weapon, yet always underrated. Well done. I knew you had it in you. We owe our victory entirely to you. And Colorra too. We can’t forget her contributions.”

“No more floor boss battles,” Doombunny firmly said. “My heart can’t take the stress.”

“Did you get anything good?” Konpeito blatantly asked.

Bladescape had forgotten about the Last Attack Bonus. It wasn’t even on her radar since she didn’t engage the boss in any way. They were in survival mode, reacting to the unforeseeable changes.

Doombunny nodded and brushed her hair back, exposing her ear. She was now wearing an earring; a wolf canine. She laid her right hand out on the table, displaying a silver signet ring with a wolf intricately carved on the top.

“The beast tamer charms provide me an advantage as a beast tamer,” Doombunny kindly explained. Her words were soft, but her eyes were still dangerous. “They have almost no use to a player unless they have an animal familiar. They reflect the familiar and their abilities. One of the earrings gives me night vision, which may or may not require a familiar. Everything else explicitly requires a familiar, or it wouldn’t have anything to reflect onto the wearer.”

“Nifty,” Natora said.

“We don’t have many pieces of jewelry,” Knightstar stated. “We should look at fixing that for the boosts they can provide. That leaves you with a necklace or pendant slot and a ring on the left hand. At least for being equipped and recognized by the system.”

Doombunny shook her head. “They wouldn’t be charms if they were just that. I haven’t had much time to explore the other pieces.”

“Are they more like the earring or the ring?” Diemond asked. She was clearly interested in the aesthetics and it wouldn’t be easy for Diemond unless they were like the ring.

“More like the earrings,” Doombunny answered. “The ring was worn by Serigatal The Wolf Master. Everything else was made from his wolves. They wouldn’t look out of place on Konpeito.”

Diemond nodded silently, understanding what Doombunny was kindly stating. It didn’t sound like she would be openly displaying the charms.

Bladescape took a drink, enjoying the taste of the ale. Every other time her friends had scored a floor boss LAB, she had some bit of jealousy mixed in with her happiness and pride for them. This time, she had none of the jealousy, just the happiness for Doombunny’s good fortune. She kept expecting to have to rationalize the emotions and force herself to smile, but they just didn’t rise up. She was ambivalent about the LAB and that was odd. Bladescape figured it was because she never fought the boss.

BLADESCAPE: Level 59 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing
NATORA: Level 55 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 53 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 56 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search
THUNDERBORNE: Level 55 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce
KONPEITO: Level 55 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing
DIEMOND: Level 54 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging
DOOMBUNNY: Level 53 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search
KIEFER: Level 53 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Search
SORYUTO: Level 52 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce
REISENKI: Level 54 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking

Episode 43 — Burning Heart & A New Edge

Episode 43 — Burning Heart & A New Edge
First Day in the Month of Chrysanthemum (September 1) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 34

Doombunny sat there as the others sprinted forward. She was useless to them. She still had the teleport crystal in her hand. Now was the time to use it. Yes, Bladescape had said she wasn't useless, that she would not be seen as a coward for leaving. Even if Doombunny didn't believe in herself, she believed in Bladescape.

Colorra also believed in her. The Ruby Krait was sitting in front of her. While she was not a tamed monster, they were a team, partners until death and friends for life. Colorra understood what would happen when the game was cleared. Doombunny would leave; Aincrad would be freed. They likely never would get to come back. Doombunny wasn't even sure if she wanted to come back. Still, the elapid wanted to fight to free her friend.

These wolves were not tamed. They were controlled, brutally forced into subjugation by their master. Serigatal The Wolf Master had complete control over them. They were innocent, yet not. They were tainted. They deserved to be freed. Colorra chose a life as a familiar, they did not. Their anger was an outburst, lamenting their situation.

Doombunny heard the whip crack as she raised the teleport crystal. However, she paused. The walls opened up and more wolves blitzed out. It was another wave. The others were cut off once again. The other group was unprepared to stop the wolves as they got past their defenses, going for the kill.

Two wolves came at Doombunny, looking for easy prey. She glanced at the crystal in her hand and almost called out Tolbana, but running now would prove to her that she was useless. If she couldn’t fight two wolves on her own, why was she a clearer? Why was she in this boss room? Bladescape was right, she wasn’t useless. She was a specialized fighter. How many times did she have to prove to herself that she could bring the “Doom” in her name?

“Damn it!” Doombunny yelled as she let go of the crystal. The wolf launched itself at her, pinning her with its paws. Before it could rip her throat out, Doombunny plunged her dagger into its chest. She pulled it out and repeated the process until it shattered in the cheerful polygons that made up this sad and twisted world. Colorra had dealt with the other wolf. Colorra believed in her, or she wouldn’t have asked Doom if she could join her side.

A fire was ignited in Doom’s heart. She had just killed a wolf. One controlled by an evil master. She was like that wolf, unable to fight back against her evil master, Kayaba, who caused her to do horrific acts in the name of “survival.” The fire consumed her, turning into an inferno of rage and hate. Hate at her weakness, indecision, and disbelief in herself. Hate for the boss and rage for what he had turned the wolves into. Rage for the entire situation that was Sword Art Online. Rage over the impending loss of her friend, Colorra.

She stood up and grabbed a poison, one that was made from Colorra’s venom. Her squad was surrounded. She couldn’t join them, but she could complete the mission while they had the wolves distracted.

Doombunny ran, skirting past the wolves and going straight for the boss who had a grin on his face. He was reveling in the pain and misery he was inflicting on her friends and allies. He didn’t care that his wolves were dying. They were disposable to him. He was no wolf master, he was a tyrant. All that mattered to him was his superior position in this world, yet he couldn’t leave this room and he was afraid of a plant.

He never saw her coming. Doombunny launched herself up at the giant, grabbing onto his massive neck while using his belt to catch her feet. She plunged her poisoned knife into his heart. She pulled it out and did it again. Three more times she savagely impaled him on her dagger. It was what he deserved. She let her rage flow into each stab.

She kicked off of him, jumping back as he reeled from the five hits. He tripped over his stool, falling backwards. He never hit the ground as he shattered. The five stabs hadn’t been very powerful on their own. The poison of the Ruby Krait was even more powerful than Doombunny understood. She grabbed another vial and broke it on her dagger.

The wolves were corrupted. Even without their master driving them forward, they had been abused until they broke. They were releasing their pain and anger on the raiders. They had to be euthanized, which made Doombunny even angrier.

They were piling up against Malus’ shield. Doombunny flicked out three throwing knives, burying them in the back of the wolves to help her friends. Her friends would overcome the small group attacking them. The other raiders had more problems.

Doombunny sprinted past her friends who were winning their fight. Commander Heathcliff had managed to get his group unified and in defensive positions, but was facing a larger hoard of the tortured wolves.

Doombunny picked the place where her rage would make the most difference. Their right flank was weakest, with the most wolves. She would go there, along the line, past the cages as she circled around the defending raiders.

She threw three kunai with her left hand. Two were good hits, eliminating wolves. Then she started to stab and slash the wolves from behind, carving a path through them faster than they could realize she was in their midst. She ran out of poison on her dagger quickly, but had no time to add more. Colorra was doing her own damage, quickly killing even more than Doombunny was.

Her anger at her life and the situation was still raging. Doombunny pressed on, using three, four, and five combination sword skills to eliminate the wolves in her way. Until they were all killed, they were blocking her from getting free, from escaping this hell, from going back home to Angel. Thoughts of Angel fueled her forward, strengthening her tiny blade. Not many wolves were attacking the back of the raiding party, focusing their efforts at preventing the raiders from moving toward where their master was supposed to be. Doombunny slaughtered each one until there were no more. The rear guard didn’t know what happened, but they shrugged it off as the fighting broke down. Doombunny had done it. She had broken the wolves.

She fell to her knees as her rage subsided. It still was pumping through her veins, but now her heart ached over the pain she had to cause for her own freedom. She didn’t like feeling like this, but did she have a choice? No, she didn’t because of Kayaba. She sobbed there, yet was unable to shed any tears. Colorra encircled her, trying to comfort her.

The congratulations music played as the lighting grew stronger in the room. Doombunny had two screens pop up in front of her. She had gotten a special drop: the Beast Tamer’s Charms. Doombunny cleared it and saw her drop menu. It was massive. No other dungeon or field boss she had fought dropped the amount of stuff a floor boss did.

But those items didn’t matter. She opened her menu and found the Beast Tamer’s Charms. They materialized in front of her and she caught a thin board. Secured to it were the charms. The silver signet ring the boss wore was there, resized to fit a player. Two earrings were on the board, each one being made from the fang of a wolf.

The necklace was made from other bits of the wolves she had killed. The center pendant was carved from bone; depicting two wolf heads circling each other, similar to the yin and yang symbol, but one of the dots was the sun and the other was a crescent moon. The wolves were trying to devour the other’s celestial body. Four claws on each side flanked the pendant, separated by their corresponding middle phalange. The fifth dewclaw was on the end, also separated by a phalange. They were strung on a thin wire with a tiny amount of space to allow them to flex. The end was anchored into a dark steel snake chain that made up the rest of the necklace. Their connection was a lobster clasp shaped like a wolf head baring its fangs. The jaw opened by moving the ears, allowing the mouth to shift open to accept the looped end and then snap back in place so it was clamped “down” on the loop.

That wasn’t it though. There also were two fur bracelets, two wolf tail “keychain” charms, and four keychain charm bases. The keychain charms were supposed to be clipped to the player’s belt, scabbard, or could even be attached directly to a weapon, like a tassel. To work, the charm had to be connected to something equipped, where it modified the item’s properties. Removing the charm or the piece it was connected to would remove the effect.

The bases were an “unfinished product,” but once finished, the first boosted attack by +25, the second boosted accuracy +15%, the third boosted defense by +25, and the fourth boosted critical attacks by 15%. One finished tail charm was +25 agility, the other was +25 speed. The bracelets each boosted health by +500. One earring gave her night vision, while the other applied Hide to monsters at a success chance of 50%. The signet ring unlocked “familiar sword skills” for her to use. The necklace just said “reflect familiar.”

None of them were exactly eye-catching to Doombunny, but she couldn’t deny how much they would do for her. They didn’t fit her look either. Diemond might be able to find a way to balance them. Still, Doombunny equipped the Beast Tamer’s Charms. She clipped one of the wolf tail charms to the back of her belt, below her silver dagger. The other was clipped right behind her regular dagger’s scabbard. Her gloves were able to conceal the fur bracelets. The earrings were covered by her hair. She buttoned her cloak’s top button to hide the necklace. It didn’t hang far because of the short chain, being closer to a choker than a necklace.

She started walking over to where Bladescape was. She was still fuming and mourning, but she was alive and so were her friends. The boss was defeated and they were another floor closer to getting out of this prison and back to their real lives.
Bladescape was speaking with Klein, Asuna, and Commander Heathcliff. That was when she realized Doombunny hadn’t teleported. She looked to the chair the boss had sat on, expecting Doombunny to be there, but she was wrong. Doombunny couldn’t do anything to stop her from calling out her name in the wrong direction.

Doombunny responded and joined their huddle. She only explained the bare minimum to the four of them. Just what they needed to hear. Bladescape could play diplomat among the guilds, that wasn’t Doombunny’s job or worry. Her burning heart was where her mind was.

When it came to trigger the teleport plaza on the Thirty-Fifth Floor, that “honor” was given to her, but she did so with no ceremony. There was a slight pause, she understood the importance of what she was doing and the honor, but she really didn’t care.

Not even their celebratory toast meant anything to her. The four dead players did deserve her respect. She was nearly a fifth. She engaged with the others to not be rude, even telling them about the charms, but only revealing a few of them. Just enough to satisfy her friends.

Her burning heart still had a mission to accomplish. Only once it was done could the pain slowly subside. Otherwise, she would not get what she needed done. As soon as they were done, she excused herself to get her daggers upgraded.

Floor 27

Doombunny approached Lisbeth's vendor carpet. The smith was working on an order for the customer sitting in front of her. They weren’t somebody that Doombunny recognized, so she stayed out of the way, but was clearly waiting for her turn. She had to ensure Hide didn't accidentally activate while she waited.

The player wanted to do a custom order and it was taking a long time. Lisbeth was doing her best to stay calm and professional, but they were unsure about everything. An indecisive player was the worst customer to have. They were ordering a One-Handed Longsword, meaning plenty of options and styles, yet more to be indecisive about. A clearer or member of the Assault Team knew what style of sword they needed because of how they played; either a balanced profile for slashing or a thinner one for thrusting.

And Lisbeth knew that. It went too long and she forced their hand with a quote of the cost for what was known. The player was shocked. Lisbeth was firm, standing on the cost of the required metal alone. The player apologized and slinked away.

Doombunny stepped up and Colorra dropped off her shoulders so she could sit.

“Hey, Doom,” Lisbeth smiled. “And Colorra. I’m surprised to see you this early in the evening, and alone. You guys were here a few days ago, but didn’t have anything done.”

Doombunny gave a slow nod. “Mhm. That was before the boss fight…which I voluntarily got dragged into.”

“How did that happen?” Lisbeth asked. “You’ve never done a boss fight and don’t want to.”

“Actually, I fought the fifth floor boss,” Doombunny said. She didn’t want to get into it, but she felt she owed her smith friend some form of explanation. Especially considering her upcoming request. “It was terrifying. I never wanted to do a floor boss fight again, that’s still my sentiment, but this last one was special. He was sensitive to my poison.”

“Poison?” Lisbeth asked, cocking her head.

“It’s going to be all over Aincrad by tomorrow,” Doombunny stated. “Colorra’s venom, my last skill was to make drugs from it, both poisons and anti-poisons. Probably health potions, eventually, but I have only had Colorra’s venom to work with. The boss was sensitive and scared of a poison plant on the floor. I made what we needed from the plant and we took the boss down-” Colorra headbutted Doom in the shoulder. “Okay, I took the boss down, on my own, and with a weapon poison made from Colorra’s venom.”

“Wow,” Lisbeth stammered. “That’s…amazing and unlike you. But a good thing!”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to do it again,” Doombunny said. “The drops were nice. I certainly have enough to cover what I need made. Still, I learned a lot during the fight, like that I need a third knife.”

“A third one?” Lisbeth asked, confused since Doombunny already carried two. “For what?”

“DOT damage,” Doombunny explained. “To better deliver poisons and drugs into the target.”

“Oh,” Lisbeth stammered. “I’ve never made a thrusting knife that does DOT damage. I’ve never made any DOT weapon. They’re not good for monsters.”

“Neither are knives,” Doombunny said. “But I need one to maximize my advantages.”

“Well, I have plenty of materials on hand,” Lisbeth said with a shrug.

“Actually, I have what we need,” Doombunny said. “At least for two of them.”

“I always forget you run off for your own materials,” Lisbeth shot back. “I don’t know why I forget. It makes my life easier.”

“First off, I need a new general fighting knife,” Doombunny stated as she pulled the materials out. “I want to stick to the bowie knife profile for that. I have the ebony for that knife.”

Lisbeth took the materials and forged the black bowie knife named Arbitration. It was plain, having a blue grip, but balanced for both slashing and thrusting, with a good heft to the weight, allowing it to handle tougher monsters and armor. Her general fighting knife was used against monsters that typically resisted poisons or had a lower chance of transfer due to armor or thick hides.

The next was a steel tanto knife made with layered alcoa and silver. Alcoa added sharpness to the edge and silver added corrosion resistance, which was important if Doombunny was using poisons on her slashing knife. The knife, White Fang, was white-silver and the wooden handle was stained yellow. The knife lacked a handguard.

By the time the first two were finished, Lisbeth had an idea of what to do for the DOT thrusting dagger. The final product was a crusader dagger with the bottom half of each edge serrated. It kept the profile thin and easy for stabbing, yet it would not put up much resistance in the withdrawal as the serrations dealt the DOT damage. The adamant based alloy, Adcoa, was light green in hue, like a green aluminum color. The disk pommel had a rose carved on the face. The dagger’s name was Rose’s Thorn.

“It’s aptly named,” Doombunny said as she examined the dagger Lisbeth presented for her to see.

“Yes, it is,” Lisbeth agreed. “Are we doing blue or gold for the handle?”

“Actually, I want to separate it visually even more,” Doombunny explained. “For safety. Let’s go with pink.”

Lisbeth was shocked, but only her eyes betrayed her. She shrugged and pulled out the proper leather and quickly had it finished in a few seconds. Making a pink sheath also took no time at all.

“The alloy isn’t cheap or common,” Lisbeth warned as she handed it over. “It only comes in small bars, so limited application. It’s easy enough to make, but no one keeps it stocked. I bought it on a whim from Piandao and had no idea what to use it for until now.”

“I’ll make it worth his while with bulk purchases,” Doombunny stated as she paid Lisbeth for the three knives. “He knows me well by now because I buy the Alchion for my throwing knives from him. I lose a lot of those clearing the front.”

“That’s more than I can say,” Lisbeth said with a snort. “He knows my face, but that’s it. I don’t buy many alloys, but I go to him for regular bars when my main sources are out. The material matters for the weapon, but an alloy isn’t necessarily better. A steel blade made by a good smith can have better stats than the fanciest alloy available. Especially if layering is done right. It’s cheaper to not use an alloy, but so many players are getting swindled into alloy weapons because they are often flashy.”

“That’s exactly why I keep coming back to you,” Doombunny said as she stood up. “Better weapons for a better price. Thanks, Lis, but it’s been a long day and tough on my heart.”

“Go rest, you boss beating champ!” Lisbeth encouraged.

Doombunny couldn’t smile as she turned and walked away. Lisbeth, and probably others, saw her as a champion, at least for the boss battle, but she still felt her aching heart. The fire that burned there was nearly too much and had gone on for too long. The others had gotten rooms at an inn and Doombunny bought hers, retiring immediately. No one thought twice about it.

She wasn’t going to sleep, not yet. She sat at the table, looking at the three knives she had just acquired. She laid her previous ones beside them and looked at the five knives. There was not much difference between them, especially for the first four. Rose’s Thorn’s intended use was clearly different. While it was true, she didn’t plan on using them against a player, it still was a mean looking knife. It was not something she wanted to wield, yet she had to. Stabbing the heart of Serigatal The Wolf Master proved just how much she needed it. It would have ended his life in three stabs, not the five it took.

Doombunny pulled up her menu and Skills. Fighting Spirit had been bumped up substantially from the boss fight. She couldn’t deny the boost, when active, it gave her damage during combat, but she disliked the hate-based skill. She let out a sigh, because she knew she couldn’t detach herself from the hate and anger she felt on a daily basis. Perhaps later, but not right now. It got her through more days than she would ever admit to her friends.

BLADESCAPE: Level 59 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing
NATORA: Level 55 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 53 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 56 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search
THUNDERBORNE: Level 55 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce
KONPEITO: Level 55 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing
DIEMOND: Level 54 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging
DOOMBUNNY: Level 53 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search
KIEFER: Level 53 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Search
SORYUTO: Level 52 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce
REISENKI: Level 54 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking

Episode 44 — A Grand Idea

Episode 44 — A Grand Idea
Eighth Day in the Month of Chrysanthemum (September 8) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 35

Bladescape split off from the others. They were all going off to do different things now that the day’s work was done. They had finished mapping and solving the Forest of Wandering. Along with the monsters, the disorienting forest was somewhat shifting. There were several unmoving locations. One of them was a giant fir tree, another was a plum blossom tree in bloom, each were the only ones of its kind in the forest. They couldn’t determine any significance to them or the other locations at this time. Being a shifting forest, each time the player left their current grid, it moved them to another, but not entirely at random. Solving it to navigate out or to any of the unmoving locations required the player to know how to track the pattern. It wasn’t necessarily easy to learn, but Knightstar figured it out and they soon had cleared the entire forest.

Knightstar was meeting up with Argo to sell their guide, which included the map and the key to solving the forest, as well as a list of the monsters with their stats, abilities, and drops. The forest would be a good hunting location because of the Drunk Apes, but the suitability would be mainly for the intermediate players, not for level grinding. The apes carried a club and a bottle gourd filled with a healing solution. Their healing ability made them the toughest monsters on the floor, but they dropped good amounts of col and a wide variety of items.

If Knightstar personally sold the guide to individual players, she would make a lot more than selling it to Argo for one lump sum, but that would require her to set up and sell them, removing her from the front line. They couldn’t do both distribution and clearing. The one time payout would be substantial and sufficient. Knightstar would get a ten percent cut of the profits, everyone else would take a five percent cut of the sale, and the other forty percent would go to the guild. That’s what they, as a guild, had decided was a fair split for the mapping and guide work done as a guild.

Mishe was a fun town. It was lively. The buildings were mostly medieval wattle and daub housing, painted white, with wooden shingles. Each one was between two and five stories in height. The city was surrounded by stone castle walls. It had ample taverns and restaurants, along with a wide variety of NPC shops, and the city was closest to the boss labyrinth. The Teleport Plaza was centrally located. Most importantly, it was lit up at night with lanterns. Every building had at least one and many windows of NPC buildings projected light out onto the cobblestone streets. It felt like you could function and live in the city once the night set in, rather than just go to bed.

Bladescape hadn’t really explored the city. They had arrived late the night before, crashed in an inn, and immediately went to the dungeon. It had taken all day, but it was worth it. The city was already lit up for the night. Bladescape passed the teleport plaza, heading south.

The south had the city’s citadel. Along the south wall, near the gate to the citadel, the buildings shifted from wood and clay, to stone. Most were only two or three stories tall. An amphitheater was off to the east. It was in good condition, with no chips or cracks in the stones, unlike the one in Tolbana. The building just to its north was also stone, except it was five stories tall, setting it apart from all the rest. Even the nearby wooden buildings were not higher than three stories.

The building stood out, which was a good indication that it mattered, at least in some way. Bladescape stepped up to the front door and knocked. Her hand hit an invisible force, not the door. She was prevented from knocking, something she had never experienced before. Bladescape took a step back, perplexed about what had happened. NPC doors that couldn't be opened were locked. Players could at least knock and try the door.

"Let me guess," someone said from behind her. Bladescape turned around to see the man who had spoken. He was mid-twenties and wearing what Diemond would call “Greek Chic.” Bladescape knew him. He was Iliad, an info broker. The Wondercolts had used him before. He wasn't as good as Argo, no one was - it helped that the Wondercolts were helping Argo stay on top - but he was typically more accessible than Argo. "You're wondering why you can't try the door."

Bladescape swiped up her menu and pulled out some col. She caught the small bag. "And I'm guessing you can tell me what I need to do to get inside."

"Of course," he said, trying to be nonchalant.

Bladescape tossed him the bag. He weighed it in his hands, not actually checking the amount, and then smiled, indicating he found it a fair exchange. "That building is only accessible to players who own it. It's player owned housing. Currently, it has no owner. To get inside, all you have to do is buy it."

That was simple enough, except Bladescape didn't know how. When she bought the Tolbana house, it had been offered to her. She knew there was a way to purchase other housing, but not how. Her menu was still open and she pulled out another small bag of col. "Where is the place I can buy it? And how do I get there and find it?" She tossed him the bag and he skillfully caught it. She had to be specific, yet cover follow ups. If she just asked where, he would likely just give her a city, not the actual way to find it, forcing her to pay for the next answer.

"Town of Beginnings," Iliad explained. "From the teleport plaza, head east. Stay on the main road. About halfway to the east gate, there will be an intersection. The Estate Agency will be the southwest building of that intersection."

"Thank you," Bladescape said, bowing to him. SAO was much more lax about Japanese manners, but there were times for it, particularly when doing business and in the cities. It was deeply ingrained in the culture of the players. She tried to match it as best as possible.

Before Bladescape could go anywhere, Natora and Thunderborne found her.

"What's up?" Thunderborne asked.

"Just bought intel on the building," Bladescape said pointing to it. "Purchasable real estate."

"Fancy place," Natora said. "At least from the outside. We could use an actual headquarters. How much?"

"No idea," Bladescape said. "We would have to check with the real estate agent. Yes, I paid for directions."

"I've been thinking about getting us a real place," Natora said. "Something we could broadcast as ours. What you got us is a great-"

"But it's not what we need," Bladescape said. "It's served us well, but it was always a placeholder. Konpeito could use a real kitchen and so could Reisenki. Diemond needs a real workshop to do her crafting in. She really needs a separate room so we don't mess her up and she can leave projects out. Reisenki needs a proper place to do our repairs. We are tripping over each other at the Tolbana house. Just by sitting in the room we are doing that."

"Let's go check it out," Thunderborne said. "I need an adventure to clear my head. That wandering forest maze still has me turned around."

Bladescape chuckled. Thunderborne wasn't alone in that regard. Bladescape felt the same way. Knightstar, Natora, and Kiefer were the only ones who didn't seem turned around in there. Three out of eleven wasn't bad, but it wasn't great.

"We should find Knightstar," Natora advised. "She knows the stats of our cash flow. She also can help us decide if anything is worth it. Or worth the price it's set at. I don't trust myself not to fall for a ploy or gimmick. Something with too much flash and not enough mass."

"Yeah," Bladescape said with a nod. "You're right. It would be easy to sell me something we don't need. Knightstar has a level head for that stuff."

"Normally I'd tell her to loosen up," Thunderborne prefaced. "But I know I'm where I am because she is twilighting out."

"Did you just use her name as an adjective?" Natora asked.

Bladescape and Thunderborne started laughing, confirming Natora's question. Natora just smiled and shook her head.

"Come on," Bladescape said. "Let's find her."

"I bet she never left that tavern," Thunderborne said.

It wasn't hard to find Knightstar, especially with search now allowing her to actively track anyone on her friend list, by highlighting a path to follow. Thunderborne was right, she was still at the tavern. Knightstar's business with Argo was done and she was enjoying a cheesecake and fruit tea. The cheesecake was already finished.

"Yo, Knight!" Thunderborne called out. "We're going real estate shopping! We need your help."

Knightstar perked up at that. "I've been thinking about upgrading what we have. The Ruby Krait antivenom quest gave us a huge boost to our cash reserves for buying property. We now have enough floors unlocked where we should be able to find something suitable. I actually have a list of things we will need and another for things we want. Plus factors to consider, like distance from teleport plazas." She shotgunned the last of her drink and stood up. "So, where do we need to go?"

"Town of Beginnings," Bladescape said. "I know where the agency is."

"You paid for that info, didn't you?" Knightstar asked as they exited the restaurant.

"Eh," Bladescape shrugged. "Iliad was in the immediate vicinity. Didn't cost me much."

"I probably could have wrestled it out of Argo for free," Knightstar stated. "She just got a very good deal on the info and some other stuff I sold her."

"I'll keep that in mind," Bladescape said. "But your business was probably done."

"Maybe," Knightstar said with a shrug.

It was too late now, but good information to think about for the future. The Wondercolts took care of Argo. They scratched her back, so she would likely scratch theirs. She might already be doing that, Knightstar traded for most of their info, so they might be getting a better deal than anyone else would get.

The four of them teleported to the Town of Beginnings, back to the epicenter of the terror that started SAO. Bladescape couldn't help but shudder involuntarily. They had been back several times to upgrade weapons, but it never got any easier being there. That's why the major crafters had moved, shifting to the fifteenth floor.

The city was lively, but less so than it had been. A lot of people were moving out. They had more floors to find places to live. About five thousand players still resided in the city. Many were afraid to leave. There wasn't much that could be done for the players crippled in fear. The Wondercolts were already doing everything they could by helping clear the game.

The Aincrad Liberation Force, bolstered by what was left of Kibaou's guild, had a much larger presence now. They had their headquarters in the Black Iron Palace. They were supposed to be sharing information and helping all players, but Bladescape didn't know how that was going. All she knew was that their lofty goals had them rapidly expanding their official numbers.

Finding the real estate agency was pretty straightforward. It was well marked and exactly where Iliad had said it would be. It wasn't closed, not yet. No players were inside, so they had the agent all to themselves. Not that they needed the NPC.

He had a lot of property listings they could scroll through, including information on amenities and floor plans. Knightstar immediately selected guild residences, screening out private homes. She was able to further refine it by selecting locations for twelve or more players.

Bladescape decided to start them off by checking in Mishe, which Knightstar wasn't expecting. There was only one location in Mishe for their size, the stone building that had caught Bladescape's eye.

"I see," Knightstar said, catching on as Bladescape clicked on the details. "Let's see what we have here."

"That's a lot of Col," Thunderborne said.

"Yes, but there are eleven of us," Knightstar said. "A single home at that cost would be excessive, but we are looking for a home for eleven, plus more. Let's see what else it has that would justify the cost."

The kitchen looked to be a good size and the dining room was sufficient for their size plus a moderate number of guests. It had miscellaneous rooms for their crafting, plus dedicated storage rooms. There appeared to be plenty of space to relax and there were enough bedrooms, all equal sizes, that should be big enough. There also was a forge listed, which would be nice for metalsmithing, both weapons and armor. The last, and most important, thing was the meeting hall, a room dedicated to them having organized guild meetings in. That was the real difference between a house and a headquarters.

"So, is it worth it?" Thunderborne asked.

"Now we have to see what else is available," Knightstar said. "So just give me a bit to check out similar properties. There might be something better. We know this is in a good location in relation to the teleport plaza, but that likely raises the price."

It didn't matter. If they wanted to live in the headquarters, there were five other places big enough for them. Two were in comparable locations, but lacked at least one of the amenities the one in Mishe had. The other three were in poor locations. The price wasn't that much different between the six properties.

Knightstar checked for smaller places. If they doubled up on the rooms, they would cut the cost and the number of locations available easily quadrupled. Several were in Mishe. They could also go for a headquarters only, which had the crafting space, but lacked the bedrooms. None of those options were worth it in their eyes. They would still have to buy a house, or houses, not making it worth it with their smaller size.

Knightstar delivered her analysis. "The price for the one Bladescape wants is fair and in line with the others. Mishe is the front line town and major city on the floor. It will come with a higher price tag, but also higher status. Even if we doubled up in the rooms, none of the smaller locations have the amenities to make up for it. It isn't actually the most expensive, but it is the best available by most metrics. It could serve us for a while, probably into the 70s, before it began to hurt our image for being so far off the front line. We can worry about that later. My main worry is the price. Yes, we could cover it, but it would wipe out our account. Our daily income is sporadic, not a constant. It dips and spikes, so I can't guarantee that we will recover quickly."

"What if we sold the Tolbana house?" Natora asked.

Knightstar did a quick check. "It's not worth much, certainly not enough to give us that breathing room I'd like to see. We should take a week or two, grind hard for col, and then buy it."

Bladescape checked the listings, looking at what single player houses were. She found the ones in Tolbana and plenty in Mishe. She picked a few other random locations, checking the price and amenities. Knightstar didn't know what Bladescape was doing. Bladescape finally selected a similar house to their Tolbana residency. It was on the twentieth floor.

"Would this cost be enough to cover it?" Bladescape asked.

Knightstar looked at it and took a moment to think it over. "Yes, it would, but we can't sell the house for even half that. It isn't worth that much. You spent significantly more on your circlet than the house is worth."

"No, we can't, but I could buy it from the guild for that price, making the Tolbana house just mine," Bladescape explained.

"I get that it has sentimental value, but why?" Knightstar asked. "You have other things to spend your money on."

"Knightstar, you roughly know my income and that I don't have a skill sucking up what I bring in,” Bladescape stated. “I help Diemond and Konpeito out all the time, both out of the generosity of my heart and because the higher their crafting skill, the better things they can make, which does benefit me. The same reasoning for their equipment. What is the difference between me pitching in that much from my private funds compared to buying the Tolbana house from the guild for that much?"

Knightstar started to say something and then stopped, thinking. "Technically, nothing, but I still ask, 'why?' You should be focused on equipment upgrades."

"I am," Bladescape said. "That would put a dent in my personal account, but it won't hurt me that badly."

Knightstar looked at Natora, searching for help.

"Look, at the end of the day, is it a bad thing to buy it?" Natora asked. "She isn't putting herself in jeopardy by doing so, right?"

"No, she isn't," Knightstar admitted. "But it isn't the wisest choice."

"Therein lies the problem," Natora said. "It isn't the wisest choice to do a lot, including the crafting, but that doesn't make it wrong."

Knightstar thought it through. "I can't argue against that. We have to live and enjoy what we can. With that said, Blade, are you sure you want to do this? It's a huge investment and, as you pointed out, there are a lot better properties you can buy than buying that Tolbana one from the guild."

Bladescape shrugged. "It's either buy it, or I pitch that in for this headquarters. At least this way, I get something out of the exchange. I don't know what I'll do with it, but it might prove worthwhile, maybe, eventually. It has a certain charm to it."

"Charm?" Thunderborne poked. "Really?"

"Okay, the charm is entirely sentimental," Bladescape admitted. "It's where we became eleven. It was our first solid place to rest our heads. At the very least, it would be a place for me to retreat to, alone, if I need that. Not the best, but adequate. I could really personalize it too, making it feel homier. I don't need much and what I need Tolbana offers, like decent food."

"I have no objections," Natora said. "Knightstar, that will cover us financially, right?"

"That will give us the padding we need," Knightstar confirmed.

Bladescape pulled up her menu. "Then I'll transfer the col from me to the guild and we can sort out how to do the sale of the house when we have the time to move everything."

"So, who's going to actually buy it?" Natora asked. "Kind of a monumental moment. Spur of the moment, but monumental."

"And also scary if I miscalculated," Knightstar admitted.

"I'll do it," Bladescape said. "But maybe we should let Thunder. After all, she did officially set up the guild."

"I like that idea," Natora said. "Not to skirt responsibility. It's still on our heads."

"Alright," Thunderborne shrugged. "If you won't, I will. This is my guild after all."

They all laughed and then made sure they were at the right listing. It would really suck if they blew the finances buying the wrong place. When it asked for final authorization to purchase the building, Thunderborne confidently hit the blue circle to accept it. The listing suddenly transformed into a key and Thunderborne caught it. With key in hand, Bladescape messaged everyone to meet at the Mishe teleport plaza. They went back to Mishe with an extra pep in their step from the excitement.

The others were waiting for them, wondering what was going on. They convened out of the way and Bladescape explained their purchase. Doombunny had thought about a place for the guild, but that was all. None of the others had been thinking about a place, but they were excited at the prospect, especially when they were told they should have all the space they needed for their side skills.

Thunderborne led their procession, however short it was, to their new home. She pushed the key into the double doors where it disappeared as it unlocked the building. They entered to find an antechamber, a place where people could enter and notify the guild of their arrival. Knightstar was getting close to launching a consulting service, so it would make a good place for them to wait in until it was time for their consultation.

Past the interior set of double doors was a wide hallway down the center of the building that led to an elegant circular staircase. The space above the visible door frames indicated that the first floor was above standard height. To the left was the door to the guild storeroom. The storeroom would allow them to expand their shared guild storage and even organize it, so that members could quickly access things, such as potions or crystals, without having to sort through things they didn’t need.

To the right was the kitchen, which was bigger than they had anticipated. Four ovens and twelve range burners, plus plenty of counter space and cabinets for all their cooking needs. Or rather, all of the needs of Konpeito and Reisenki.

There was an entrance from the kitchen into the dining hall. It was spacious enough that they could put in a long table and comfortably seat probably two dozen people, maybe a few more. It was more than enough for them and guests.

The back corner room next to the stairs was empty. Diemond immediately claimed the space for her workshop. No one was going to argue with her over it. She was making them, or working on making them, their equipment. She also liked to deliver unexpected gifts of whatever struck her fancy to sew for her friends. What she needed, she got.

Across the hallway was the meeting hall. It had its own double doors, centered on the room. It was rectangular, with them entering from a long wall. Either they would set it up to be fat and wide, or they would enter it from the side. They could figure that out later.

The circular staircase did one and a half turns as it led to the second floor. Flanking the staircase were two rooms as deep as the stairs. The rest of the back half was one big, open room. They could set it up to be anything they wanted. It would serve them well during their downtime. There were two rooms, both the same size, at the front, which also could be used however they wanted. Knightstar claimed one for her consulting service. Even if she didn't bring players that far into their headquarters, she still needed a place to run the calculations and lay everything out. Plus, there were three other rooms not immediately being used.

In between the rooms was the staircase for the upper floors. The three-quarter turn stairs were efficient for reaching floors three, four, and five. They started on the left, turning right and the center was open through all floors. It wasn't elegant like the main one, but it still looked nice as it optimized functionally reaching the top three floors.

The third and fourth floors were the same. They each had six bedrooms, three on either side, with two bathrooms, also split. Twelve bedrooms and four bathrooms was exactly what they needed for their guild. The bedrooms were unique from the other rooms because they could have ownership set. The bathrooms were just that, nice rooms to take a hot bath in with plenty of room to change. The extra large, porcelain tubs were jacuzzi sized and square. Not getting dirty in SAO was a nice feature, but it did feel like dirty work at times. Diemond absolutely planned on taking a bath as soon as she could, to help her relax.

The fifth floor was only half the size of the building. It was another miscellaneous space, but it had roof access. The other half was an open, flat rooftop, with a small parapet to keep them from falling off. Even the roof shingles were clay, which was good because the forge was there. It wasn't big — it had a double furnace and two anvils — but they couldn't burn the building down. The stone building could support it. While it might not be conventional, there were no clear fallacies with having it on the roof. Knightstar probably could come up with some, but nothing glaringly obvious.

"So," Malus said. "How do we divvy up the rooms? They're the same, but not. Right or left? Closer to the stairs or closer to the bath? Up one more flight of stairs or not?"

"I really hadn't noticed them until you pointed out the difference in the stairs," Diemond admitted.

"Draw lots?" Bladescape asked.

"Yes, but no," Kiefer said. "Logically, our three leaders should get to pick first. Then the regular members can draw lots."

"He is right about that," Natora admitted. "We just bought a really awesome headquarters, in a prominent town, on the front and it will be close to the front for a while. We have to project an appropriate level of maturity and organization. We know there is very little difference between us as members, yet three of us have a lot of executive say for a reason.

"And three of us will have a say in affairs outside the guild, while the others won't generally be heard by other guild leaders in regards to official business. The others will expect us to treat our councilors with respect and publicly show that respect. Yes, we don't need to be super uptight because we are close friends, but by doing small things, like this, we will compensate for our lapses in etiquette. We just put ourselves on a much more similar playing field as the Knights of the Bloodoath. We should try to project some sophistication because of it."

"Image is important," Diemond said. "I'm alright with that. Bladescape, Natora, and Knightstar are always working hard for us in one way or another. I know I am too, in my own way, but I am rather absorbed in the crafting arts whenever we are not in the field. For any of the strategy meetings, I just stand there and look gorgeous."

Everyone was looking at Bladescape to make the first choice. She had to think about the rooms. She had peeked in a few, but as Malus pointed out, the real difference was their location. Fifty feet was fifty feet. Might as well make use of it. She would use the stairs a lot more than she would use a tub.

"Third floor, first room on the right," Bladescape said. "Closest to the stairs."

"Not bad," Natora said. "Knightstar, you're going to be way more important in our headquarters than I will be. What room do you want?"

"Third floor?" Knightstar said. "Um, second room on the right?"

"Is that your final answer," Thunderborne asked.

"Yes?" Knightstar asked. She let out a groan. "I shouldn't be so indecisive! There isn't that much of a difference! I'm trying to maximize everything and it's stupid. Yes! That’s the room I’ll take."

"Third floor, front left room," Natora said. "How do we split up the others?"

Bladescape pulled out her notepad. She had taken up carrying a small one with her to quickly jot things down for Knightstar. "Simple. I'll write down ten numbers and randomly assign a letter to each. They will pick the numbers and we go by order of letters."

In the end, Thunderborne took third floor, middle left; Diemond picked third floor, back left; Reisenki went with third floor, back right. Konpeito claimed fourth floor, front left; Kiefer chose fourth floor, front right; Soryuto went with fourth floor, middle right; Doombunny took fourth floor, back right; and Malus settled on fourth floor, back left.

"What do we do with the spare room?" Malus asked.

“I really don’t have a clue,” Natora admitted. “Knightstar?”

“No idea either,” Knightstar said. “I moved onto planning my library.”

“Of course you moved onto that,” Bladescape said, chuckling.

“AHEM!” Doombunny coughed. Apparently they hadn’t heard her trying to speak. "We could put a few beds in it," Doombunny suggested. "In case any of our friends need a place to stay for the night."

"That's a good idea," Bladescape said. "We'll plan for that. In the meantime, we have a lot of furniture to get." She looked at Diemond who was daydreaming.

"I'm already sketching ideas in my head, darling," Diemond said before Bladescape could ask. She was apparently paying more attention than she appeared to be. "I'll leave personal rooms alone, unless you ask for my help. I'm more than happy to offer my expertise with your personal rooms, but I've been planning since we first entered the building. This will be a nice break from everything else I've been designing."

"So, I guess it's bedrolls for tonight," Malus said. "Unless there's a way to buy cheap furniture quick."

"I don't know of any," Knightstar said. "I wouldn't be surprised if the game had a system."

"It does," Diemond absentmindedly said. "But the crafters have been absolutely running circles around the system. It almost seems designed to not put up any competition with the crafters."

"You sound like you know some," Knightstar said.

"I do," Diemond explained. "They needed help with colors. All basic color theory, but they didn't know and couldn't look it up, however, they had heard of a front line guild with a fabulous sense of style and sought me out. This was a few months ago, before the arrival of the KoB. I taught a symposium on color theory and basic design, for free, on one of my nights off. While it was free, many players tipped me what they could in thanks. Now that I think about it, whoever designed the KoB armor might have attended the symposium. A lot of players were there. Anyway, combining carpentry and sewing allows players to make sofas and beds."

"Do you know who to contact for getting stuff made or not?" Thunderborne asked.

"Of course I do," Diemond said, waiving it off. "It will take some time to gather supplies and make it, but SAO is quick when it comes to assembly. Give me a day or two to sketch it up. Maybe three."

"Yeah, we'll need three," Bladescape said. "We kind of spent most of the guild's funds buying this place."

"Worth it," Natora said.

"Absolutely," Knightstar added.

"I get to make real meals now!" Konpeito exclaimed. "Yes, Reisenki, you can help."

"This place is absolutely gorgeous and worth it," Diemond said with a content sigh. "I can do so much with it. We'll make it a home for us while we fight our way back to our real homes. More than a place to rest our heads at night. All the crafting space certainly makes it worth it."

"We wouldn't have bought it unless it had that," Bladescape said. "So yeah, bed rolls. No big deal. Absolutely worth the cost. Tomorrow we can contact some crafters and try to get basic beds until we decide what specifically to do. After we switch, they can be used in the spare room."

“That is acceptable,” Diemond stated.

“You do that, I’ll lead a team to that dungeon we like,” Natora said. “We can clear it quickly if Blade and Die are the only two not with us. We can recoup our spent col pretty well, enough for the beds. Probably hit a second one after lunch.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Bladescape decided. She couldn’t help but grin at everyone. “This is good. This will be fun. I’m excited.”

BLADESCAPE: Level 59 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing
NATORA: Level 55 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 53 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 56 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search
THUNDERBORNE: Level 55 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce
KONPEITO: Level 55 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing
DIEMOND: Level 54 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging
DOOMBUNNY: Level 53 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search
KIEFER: Level 53 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Search
SORYUTO: Level 52 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Fighting Spirit — One-Handed Weapon Creation
REISENKI: Level 54 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking

Commercial Break Two

Yay! They finally have a home! I spent way too much time sketching it out for my own organization. Especially considering my lack of skill. But everything is scaled 1/100th, as I ran one centimeter to equal one meter. Those sketches/images will be at the end. Before that, let’s cover the guilds, players, character data specifics, and such.

We will start with information on metals, alloys, and poisons, which I dropped from chapters because there was too much info that was not really relevant.

Metals and Alloys in Aincrad:

Base metals are mostly metals gamers are familiar with. Known base metals are Copper, Iron, Ebony, and Runite. Some metals, like Silver, have special properties. Silver has a high corrosion resistance, but makes for a poor base metal for weapons. Metals like silver and gold have other uses, like jewelry, tableware, and decorations.

Lightweight metals, also known as speed metals, are often found in, or used to enhance, daggers, rapiers, and sometimes longswords, curved swords, and spears. Known metals are Tin, Alcoa, Chiumu, and Kugeki.

Dense metals are more often seen in maces, axes, and war hammers. Known metals include Adamant, Obsidianite, Lead, and Brinite. Both lightweight and dense metals typically are either too brittle or soft on their own, requiring them to be made into an alloy with a base metal.

Alloys are player created with two exceptions, Bronze and Steel. Steel can also function as a base metal. Brass is another alloy readily available, but it is not used for weapons. Alloys require a base metal and at least one other metal.

Metallurgy is a quest locked extra skill that few players have and is required for the creation of alloys. Alloys vary in the ratios required for each metal and crafters who develop an alloy get to name it. They also do not have to share the recipe with others, while still being able to sell it. An alloy’s information does not include the ratio, only the metals in it. Piandao is the top metallurgist creating new alloys, while most metallurgists simply forge alloy ingots for sale, using released ratios. Alchion is an alloy composed of Alcoa, Chiumu, and Iron. Adcoa is a mix of Adamant, Alcoa, and Iron.

Ingots come in three sizes: small, regular, and large. Small ingots are used for jewelry, small daggers/knives, buckles and buttons, certain bracers, and other small things. Regular ingots cover most items. Large ingots are used for two-handed swords, two-handed axes, mauls, two-handed maces, and tower shields. Many times, an item may require two regular ingots or one large ingot. Others will not allow for size substitutions. Alloy ingots cannot be resized.

Layering is a technique when a mix of two or more base metals or alloys are used by the smith, but instead of directly being mixed, they are used only in certain areas. It is no different from using a steel bit in an iron axe head (very common even today because iron flexes more during impacts while retaining its shape) or hardening only the edge of a sword (such as a katana). Adding Alcoa to the edge of a steel sword makes a weapon with higher slash damage, but with the strength of the steel, and adding silver as a coating increases the corrosion resistance of the weapon.

Poisons and the Mixing Skill:

Drugs require a prepared element and at least one agent, mixed together with a “drug mixing kit” (basically think of a chemistry set with all of the tubes and flasks). Higher level drugs require more modifiers and/or a mix of agents. Agents fall into Concentrators or Distillation. Modifiers are a third classification of agents, but never used in simple mixes.

Two final preparation agents also exist, Thickening Agents and Thinning Agents. Thickening Agents are used for weapon poison gels, while Thinning Agents are used to weaken highly concentrated mixes, like while making anti-poisons.

Every organic poison must be turned first into a prepared element. Poisonous plants are organic poisons. Harvested poisons are venom taken directly from the source, or dropped, and they are already prepared. With Cooking Skill and Mixing, the prepared poison can be added to food or water.

Herbalist mixes, like health potions, follow the same principals. The organic element must be prepared, then mixed with an agent.

Known Guilds:

Wondercolts: WCS — Led by Bladescape, Natora, and Knightstar, they are a strong but small guild of close knit friends. A big player in clearing. Their colors are Navy Blue and Gold.
Divine Dragon Alliance: DDA — is led by Lind and a council. The next evolution of the
Dragon Knights Brigade, their change was to separate themselves from the disaster that had been the leadership of the clearing effort. They still use the same colors, silver and blue.
Aincrad Liberation Force: ALF — Also known as “the Army” because of their steel and forest green colors, the Aincrad Liberation Force was formed by the remnants of the Aincrad Liberation Squad and MTD, the guild run by a player named Thinker. They are there for the common player, to spread information and resources to everyone.
Meigibu: MGBU — The Woman guild made up mostly of clearers. They epitomize the “art of being human” and are known to dress in traditional Japanese garb, even the males, on and off the battlefield. Lobelia is their leader. Their colors are white and emerald green.
Imperial Dragoon Guards: IDG — A clearing guild of eight middle aged men, all armed with shields and spears, led by Tagahashi. Their black armor with gold shields make a flashy statement for the lancers whenever they enter a fight.
Gael: GA — A guild of eleven members, all men, with the colors of yellow and red. They are crisp and sharp in all aspects and march to the tune of a fife played by their youngest member.
Knights of the Bloodoath: KoB — The top guild and the ones spearheading the liberation effort. Their colors are white and red. They are led by Heathcliff, with Asuna as their Second-in-Command (Leader of Team B), Godfree as the commander of their vanguards (leader of Team A) and in charge of training, and Daizen as their financial officer. Uzala leads Team C.
Fuurinkazan: WWFM — Named for the war banner of Takeda Shingen which refers to the Art of War, the six member guild of guys is flexible in most combat situations, and very eager to prove themselves.

Players:

Kirito: Level 56 — One-Handed Longsword — Search — Hide — Parry — First Aid — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Battle Healing
Asuna: Level 52 — Rapier — Two-Handed Spear — Light Metal Armor — Parry — Sprint — Acrobatics — Cooking — First Aid
Agil: Level 49 — Two-Handed Axe — Martial Arts — Parry — Leather Equipment — Equipment Appraisal — Purchase Negotiations —
Klein: Level 47 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Katana — Light Metal Armor — Shield — First Aid — Fighting Spirit

Wondercolts Data:

Bladescape (Sunset Shimmer): Level 59 — 13110 HP
- Two-Handed Sword — 660/1000
- Search — 716/1000
- Weapon Defense — 426/1000
- Leather Armor — 530/1000
- First Aid — Acquired
- Battle Regeneration — 112/1000
- Sprint — 150/1000
- Blade Throwing — 101/1000

Weapon: Valerian Shashka +17
Armor: Leather Lamellar Chestplate +12
Legs: Blue hardened leather pants
Gloves: Gold hardened leather gloves
Boots: Gold combat boots
Belt: Blue Leather Belt (Made by Diemond)
Helmet: Silver Sagacity Circlet (Boosts Search)
Ring #1: Treant’s Heart (Defense +5)
Wondercolts Cape: a navy blue cape trimmed in gold.

Additional armor information: The leather lamellar armor is dyed blue, backed by a gold shirt. The pants have hardened leather plates, also dyed blue, sewn onto blue tights.

Valerian Shashka: A mostly straight barbarian scimitar, only curving at the tip, but not enough to prevent straight thrusts, like many scimitars do. Its crossguard leaves much to be desired, the base of the blade flaring out wider where it meets the hilt, rather than a constructed guard. The wooden handle has a bronze cap at the crossguard depicting a face on each side. Each side is different, depicting the two faces of the giant it came from. The pommel is also bronze; a flanged circle with a flower bud on the base.

Silver Sagacity Circlet: A silver circlet with a blue gemstone that matches Sunset’s eyes in the center. The silver is expertly woven into a beautiful pattern that is both delicate and strong. * Natora (Ota Natsuki): Level 55 — 10689 HP

Two-Handed Spear — 600/1000
Purchase Negotiations — 725/1000
Sales Negotiations — 710/1000
Weapon Defense — 354/1000
Light Metal Armor — 290/1000
First Aid — Acquired
Battle Regeneration — 50/1000
Acrobatics — 120/1000

Weapon: Leaf Bladed Spear +8
Armor: Doublemail shift +9
Gloves: Ancient Lancer’s Bracers +4 (prevents arms from being severed)
Wondercolts Cape: a navy blue cape trimmed in gold.

Additional armor information: Natora is dressed head to ankle in chainmail, oiled to a dark shine. She wears a blue scapular with a gold center stripe and gold belt with blue pouches. Her boots are blue, as are her gloves.

Leaf Bladed Spear: The shaft of the spear is wrapped in tan leather and then bound with crossing brown leather cording for a better grip. The counterbalance is a teardrop, made of the same blueish-green metal that the head is made of. The spearhead itself is shaped like a lilac leaf, with the bottom half having a serrated edge. * Knightstar (Twilight Sparkle): Level 53 — 9280 HP

One-Handed Sword — 510/1000
Shield — 575/1000
Light Metal Armor — 463/1000
Appraisal — 724/1000
First Aid — Acquired
Battle Regeneration — 30/1000
Acrobatics — 120/1000
Extended Weight Carry — 60/1000

Weapon: Mercy’s Cross +14
Shield: Steel heater shield +6
Armor: Chain hauberk +7
Wondercolts Cape: a navy blue cape trimmed in gold.

Additional armor information: Knightstar is covered in chainmail, with steel colored pauldrons and greaves, but no other plates. Over her chainmail is a blue surcoat with a gold belt and pouches. Her gold gloves and boots have metal plates riveted on.

Mercy’s Cross: A plain player-made crusader’s sword. Constructed in the form of a traditional European arming sword with a straight crossguard and large circular pommel. Its only decoration is a design of a cross inside a heart etched into the pommel. * Malus (Applejack): Level 56 — 12691 HP

One-Handed War Hammer — 240/1000
Greatshield — 260/1000
Heavy Metal Armor — 480/1000
First Aid — Acquired
Extended Weight Carry — 201/1000
Battle Regeneration — 168/1000
Fishing — 114/1000
Search — 89/1000

Weapon: Forge Master's Hammer
Shield: Iron Bulwark
Armor: Mismatched Heavy Plate Armor
Wondercolts Cape: a navy blue cape trimmed in gold.

Additional armor information: While most of Malus is covered by her shield, without it she is clearly wearing a mismatched set, by style, of heavy plate armor. * Thunderborne (Rainbow Dash): Level 55 — 9234 HP

Rapier — 599/1000
Sprint — 780/1000
Acrobatics — 737/1000
Weapon Defense — 320/1000
Light Metal Armor — 412/1000
First Aid — Acquired
Battle Regeneration — 45/1000
Armor Pierce — 111/1000

Weapon: Serpentine rapier +17
Armor: Chainmail Shirt +4
Wondercolts Cape: a navy blue cape trimmed in gold.

Additional armor information: Thunderborne is covered in chainmail, with steel colored pauldrons and greaves, but no other plates. Over her chainmail is a blue surcoat with gold belt and pouches which are either gold or blue. Her gloves and boots are simple leather which is dyed gold. * Konpeito (Pinkie Pie): Level 55 — 10101 HP

Two-Handed Axe — 597/1000
Cooking — 765/1000
Weapon Defense — 536/1000
Light Metal Armor — 528/1000
Martial Arts — 417/1000
First Aid — Acquired
Battle Regeneration — 185/1000
Music — 333/1000
Blade Throwing — 136/1000

Weapon: Griffon's Beak +13
Armor: Double mail sleeveless shirt + 13
Cape: Mantle of Hati

Additional armor information: Konpeito wears a waist-length sleeveless chainmail shirt with a Wondercolts Blue sleeveless tunic underneath, displaying the tattoos on her arms. Hardened leather bracers cover her forearms and fingerless leather gloves protect her hands. On her legs she wears brown pants reinforced with hardened leather plates and fur-lined leather boots. Around her true waist is a double-wrapped leather belt that is tied instead of buckled, and hanging from it are many pouches dyed in Wondercolts colors. Across her back lies the Mantle of Hati, a Grey Wolfskin Cape from the Floor 8 Boss LAB.

Griffon's Beak: A two-handed, double bladed broad axe with blades made to look like steel griffon wings. The eye and cheek are covered by a gold cap shaped like a screeching griffon head, and the bottom half of the ash colored wooden handle is wrapped in steel studded yellow leather. * Diemond (Rarity): Level 54 — 10457 HP

One-Handed Mace — 588/1000
Greatshield — 322/1000
Sewing — 950/1000
Heavy Metal Armor — 436/1000
First Aid — Acquired
Battle Regeneration — 78/1000
Light Metal Armor Forging — 412/1000
Heavy Metal Armor Forging — 221/1000

Weapon: Silver Lining +19
Shield: Silverlight Aegis +15
Armor: Silver Heavy Plate armor +4
Wondercolts Cape: a navy blue cape trimmed in gold.

Additional armor information: Diemond has matched her armor to her shield. The high gloss silver armor is only noteworthy in its sheen. Her tower shield is equally as brilliant.

Silver Lining: A six-bladed, curved flanged mace, with the flanges being a black metal, yet the shaft is silver. * Doombunny (Fluttershy): Level 53 — 9769 HP

One-Handed Dagger — 578/1000
Hide — 825/1000
Fighting Spirit — 439/1000
Blade Throwing — 471/1000
First Aid — Acquired
Battle Regeneration — 142/1000
Familiar Cooperation — Acquired
Mixing — 116/1000
Search — 98/1000

Weapons: Arbitration (general knife), White Fang (slashing knife), Rose’s Thorn (DOT thrusting dagger)
Armor: Double Cloak +22
Throwing Knives: Player made Alchion Throwing Knives & Steel Kunai

Additional armor information: Doombunny’s look has not changed. The dark blue cloak fully encloses Doombunny with a hidden front slit and concealing hood. It has reinforced shoulders for Colorra to stabilize herself on during swift movement. Under the cloak, Doombunny is wearing a yellow dress with yellow tights. She wears a blue holster on each thigh, with the left holding Kunai and the right holding throwing knives. The White Fang knife is on her left hip, while the Rose Thorn is on her right. She wears blue cloth gloves and blue leather boots. * Kiefer: Level 53 — 9893 HP

Curved Sword — 360/1000
Slash-Weapon Forging — 265/1000
Light Metal Armor — 487/1000
Weapon Defense — 450/1000
First Aid — Acquired
Katana — 452/1000
Battle Regeneration — 45/1000
Search — 75/1000

Weapon: Kamikaze +5
Armor: Samurai Lamellar Chestplate
Gloves: Bracers of Arivan +7 (Accuracy +15)
Wondercolts Cape: a navy blue cape trimmed in gold.

Additional armor information: Kiefer is in blue samurai lamellar armor with gold accents. The Bracers of Arivan clearly stand out as different from the rest of his armor. They are two-toned silver woven metal surrounded by a band of black steel.

Kamikaze: A red bladed katana with a black tsuba depicting a dragon, and black ito wrapping displaying a red handle underneath. * Soryuto: Level 52 — 9240 HP

One-Handed Sword — 498/1000
Shield — 526/1000
Light Metal Armor — 420/1000
Music — 365/1000
First Aid — Acquired
Fighting Spirit — 160/1000
One-Handed Weapon Creation — 25/1000

Weapon: Winter’s Bane +24
Shield: Steel Diamond Targe +14
Armor: Chainmail Shirt +6
Wondercolts Cape: a navy blue cape trimmed in gold.

Additional armor information: Soryuto is covered in chainmail, with steel colored pauldrons and greaves, but no other plates. Over her chainmail is a blue surcoat with gold belt and pouches. Her gold gloves and boots have metal plates riveted on. Her shield is a diamond shaped targe.

Winter’s Bane: An ice blue arming sword with a snow white crossguard and pommel and leather handle of the same color. The pommel has a snowflake embossed into it. * Reisenki: Level 54 — 10735 HP

One-Handed Axe — 785/1000
Greatshield — 256/1000
Heavy Metal Armor — 376/1000
Equipment Repair — 461/1000
Metal Equipment Repair — 221/1000
First Aid — Acquired
Battle Regeneration — 68/1000
Cooking — 210/1000

Weapon: Bloodline
Shield: Steel Tower shield
Armor: Alchion Plate Armor (player made)
Wondercolts Cape: a navy blue cape trimmed in gold.

Additional armor information: Reisenki wears Alchion plate armor to reduce his weight and increase his mobility, while still being a tank. The design is nothing special, reminiscent in design to a variety of mid-15th century plate armors.

Bloodline: A Viking style hand axe with a maroon head and brighter red bit.

Wondercolts Headquarters in Mishe:

First Floor

Second Floor

Third and Fourth Floor

Fifth Floor

Episode 46 — This Evening Aria

Episode 46 — This Evening Aria
Sixth Day in the Month of Chrysanthemum (September 17) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 35 - Front Line Floor 36
Relevant songs added to the end of the Ruby Palace Playlist and it opens to the two new ones for the chapter.

The news had spread like wildfire: Yuna was in Mishe to perform. The young woman was a musical idol in Aincrad who had cropped up in the past few months. She would pop up at different locations to perform songs, free, for whatever audience was there. She sang a mix of modern popular songs, traditional melodies, and even some of her own original pieces. Her talent had earned her a cult following that meant she apparently had to go incognito the rest of the time.

The thirty-sixth floor had no good places to perform and Mishe had an amphitheater. Many Clearers still fell back to Mishe at night where they rented rooms and ate dinner. Mishe currently had the best selection in inns and restaurants in Aincrad. It had also seen an influx of players who were not clearers. It was a very good city for a regular life, but a large number of the players who surged in every night were still from the front.

It was certainly busy tonight. Many had left the field early to ensure they were back in time for the concert. Others took the day off, likely a much needed break. Yuna's pop up performance for the Clearers only had a day's notice and she had scheduled it as a later show in order to allow the Clearers the time needed to get back from the front. So far, the word had largely stayed among the Clearers. They understood that this concert was uniquely targeted at them and was about lifting their spirits. The other players had different opportunities to hear her perform, opportunities the Clearer didn’t get. This is what she loved to do; inspire others and bring them hope through her own performance.

The amphitheater had been full for half an hour and it had moved to standing room only. Plenty were sitting on the steps. The Wondercolts were taking advantage of their roof, which provided them a great view of the stage and should also be a great location to hear the performance. There were no microphones and speakers in Aincrad, however, Yuna knew how to project her voice.

At least that is what Bladescape understood. The Wondercolts hadn't ever been to a full concert, at least not as a group. A few of them — Bladescape, Diemond, and Doombunny — had caught the end of a pop up show a few months back, when she wasn't as well known. She had only sung two or three songs, but tonight was supposed to be a full performance. Those performances were a recent addition to Yuna’s schedule. Diemond had brought the concert up to the council the day before, encouraging them to mandate it as a “team building” exercise. The concert sounded like a good way to wind down and eight of the eleven Wondercolts actively played or performed in a band or group, while the other three enjoyed listening to music. Soryuto was in a brass band club at her school where she played the Cornet, a similar instrument to the trumpet.

In SAO, Soryuto had not found joy in any of the brass or wind instruments available. Despite the diversity, none of them satisfied or interested her. She had eventually chosen a Biwa Lute, which was a traditional Japanese stringed instrument. Despite the change in instrumental styles, Soryuto was picking it up pretty quickly. None of the Wondercolts had relevant knowledge on how to play a four stringed lute. It was too different from their modern guitars.

Similarly, Konpeito hadn't liked any of the drums or percussion instruments available. She too had chosen to go in a different route than real life. She wanted to be able to walk and play, settling on an end-blown flute. Really she had three different flutes – a recorder, a penny whistle, and a shakuhachi – and each produced a shockingly different sound, despite looking quite similar. Unlike Soryuto, Konpeito was not doing well learning to play any of them. She was happy and enjoying herself, but she spent more time in the kitchen, working, than she did practicing. Oddly she usually did practice in the kitchen. If she wasn't in the kitchen or dining room, she was in her bedroom. None of the other rooms interested her unless she had business in them, no matter where her friends were. The kitchen seemed to calm her, which was a good thing. They would visit her in the kitchen instead. It helped that she always had cookies, cupcakes, or some other treats available.

The Wondercolts had brought chairs up to the roof to watch the concert. It was actually a nice spot, and better than many of the others in the amphitheater. Plus, they didn't have to deal with the hassle that inherently came with crowds. They were the only players who got to watch the concert from the comfort of their home, not that they would be broadcasting or bragging about it. It still was nice.

Everyone was silenced as a crystal-clear voice rang out. Yuna wasn't visible, but it was clear what she was singing. She opened with "Kōjō no Tsuki", or "The Moon over the Ruined Castle." It was a Meiji era folk song that was very popular and recognizable, even outside Japan. Before coming to Japan, Bladescape hadn't been familiar with it or any of the covers across various genres of music. That had quickly changed with her arrival in Japan.

Yuna finally walked out on stage as she continued to sing. She wasn’t in the same blue dress and white beret Bladescape had last seen her in. Yuna’s new outfit intentionally paid homage to the troubadours, the performers during the European High Middle Ages. Her dress was a vivid royal blue, quite a bit lighter than the navy blue of the Wondercolts, accented with some gold frills, and paired with a belt of the same golden color. Around her shoulders was draped a pure white cape. The look wouldn’t be complete without her white feathered hat or the lute she played.

“She looks gorgeous, doesn’t she?” Diemond asked.

“Very medieval chic,” Konpeito said. “I like it better than her old outfit.”

“It took way too long to get right,” Diemond said with a sigh. “Worth it.”

“Wait, you made that‽” Thunderborne exclaimed. “I don’t remember her ever visiting, and no offense, but how would she even know about you? In SAO, you’re a boss-beating tank!”

“Darling, I approached her,” Diemond explained. “After the show some of us caught. Getting past the fans was difficult, but it was worth the elbows I had to throw to make the proposal. She had a lot fewer fans back then, which isn't a surprise. She has talent and now she wears an outfit that elevates that talent."

"How did she get there?" Natora asked. "Her fans would have mobbed her if they caught her."

"She picks places she knows she can get in and out of," Diemond explained. "I don't really know the details, I didn't ask, but she has an exit strategy. She'll stay and speak with some, but then she will need to make an exit. She has a small team that helps with that. It's just five people with her."

The concert proceeded smoothly. Yuna sang a wide mix of genres, mostly popular J-pop songs, with many of them being acoustic versions. She finished on an original song, "Smile For You." A beautiful rendition that only needed a few strums of the lute to keep the slow song going, especially with her voice. It was so filled with emotion and easily carried to the rooftop of their headquarters, a testament to her vocal skills.

"I wish we could meet her," Konpeito said as Yuna bowed to the roaring crowd. "At least to compliment her. That was really good. A real treasure that lifted my spirits. Almost as much as sugar does."

"I'll see what I can dig up," Knightstar said. "I'd like to meet her too, but the crowd is too big. There are too many distractions."

"It was very enjoyable," Doombunny added. "Especially not having to deal with the crowd. Having our own box seats was wonderful."

They moved the chairs back to where they came from. Bladescape had taken hers from the dining room. They still lacked furniture in the meeting hall, so Natora and Knightstar met her as she was putting it down. They began to go over their strategy for the next few days. They were specifically planning a dungeon dive on Floor Thirty for both col and fun, as well as level training. They needed more finances for the rest of the furniture. Everything they needed was more costly than what col they had.

The Wondercolts had the basics for their headquarters covered. They had worked hard to recoup their finances and cover it. Diemond was still working on some of the details of the meeting hall, to ensure it was grand, yet appropriate and reflected their guild. Each Wondercolt had a bed, desk with a chair, nightstand, and lamp for the nightstand. They were working on the finances to cover a wardrobe for each Wondercolt, because Diemond kept giving everyone clothes, but all of that was way too sparse for the size of their rooms and everyone had personal plans, just not the time and finances to get it done. They all had bought extra storage chests for the time being. The Wondercolts had only bought their headquarters nine days ago.

Their extra bedroom had six spare beds for visitors, along with privacy screens which sectioned the room into six smaller chambers just big enough for the bed, a nightstand, and simple lamp. The beds were the inexpensive, plain ones they had initially purchased from NPCs until they could get the better beds. The screens and furniture for the spare room were also simple and inexpensive. They had opted for finishing it before tackling the much bigger projects that still needed to be designed, like the guild hall. Diemond was working with a pair, Gunk and Valk, a carpenter and a sewer, who together could make any furniture they needed. They were good and understood Diemond’s vision, which was more than most of the Wondercolts could say.

Outside of their bedrooms, the Wondercolts had a few couches and chairs on the second floor to relax on, with much more planned. They had a basic dining room set, but it wasn't what they really wanted. Diemond's crafting room was rapidly being upgraded, out of her own funds, as she improved the workbenches and stations, plus adding storage. Knightstar had a large desk and chair for doing her statistical analysis at, with more being designed by Diemond as they decided how they wanted her library to be laid out and look like. It was especially important as Knightstar prepared to launch her consulting business. They needed a comfortable place for the select players to have the consultations happen, where the door could be closed so they didn't feel like they were being spied on. She only had one chair in the room at the moment.

Knightstar was running calculations on their books, leaving Natora and Bladescape patiently waiting for the question to be answered. They didn't have anything to say and were too distracted for small talk. Bladescape heard Diemond speaking to someone as they got closer to the dining room.

“They’re always busy, Darling, regardless, they will want to meet you,” Diemond said.

Bladescape thought Diemond had gone back to crafting or designing, but clearly her assumption was wrong. They hadn’t been notified that there was someone in the waiting room either, meaning Diemond was expecting them. That didn’t make sense to Bladescape.

“Blade?” Natora asked, nudging her with her elbow.

“Sorry,” Bladescape said. “I zoned out.”

“Clearly,” Natora said with a chuckle as she rolled her eyes. “I asked if these levels are going to be sufficient for the boss raid and keeping our place, or if we should push some more with the next floor being unknown?”

“We are pushing pretty hard, enough to recoup our finances,” Bladescape said. “The others are resistant to the overnight level training as it is. I’d rather not add more on their shoulders right now. If we slide back a bit, we can recover from it. There hasn’t been a new training spot in a few floors, so when we get one, we can make up for it.”

Diemond cleared her throat to get their attention with a refinement that only Rarity could pull off. “Forgive my interruption,” she said, when they looked at her. “But we have guests whom you should meet.”

Diemond stepped out of the doorway, into the room. She had been blocking someone in a white hood and crimson tunic. The person removed their hood, revealing her brilliant brown eyes and a face Bladescape immediately recognized. The young woman bowed in greeting. Bladescape jumped to her feet to bow back to their important visitor.

“Wait!” Natora exclaimed, also jumping to her feet as she connected the dots. “You’re Yuna.”

“Yes, I am,” she replied.

“Please, feel free to sit,” Bladescape said. “We have some couches on the second floor if that would be more comfortable. We’re still light on the furniture after purchasing this place.”

“This is more than acceptable,” Yuna said, taking a seat. “I really just need a place for my team and I to lay low for an hour or two. Diemond kindly offered your headquarters.”

“That’s not an issue,” Knightstar said. “Not in the slightest. Especially after the amazing performance you gave us, for free.”

Yuna looked at the doorway. “Are you going to come in?”

“We didn’t want to spoil your fun,” a suave young man said as he swaggered in.

He was followed by three others: a young girl who was about Yuna’s age and dressed to match her, a buff older teenager who had dyed his hair bright orange, and a young man whose facial features definitely made him look younger than he was.

“The smooth talker is Shaka, my PR rep,” Yuna explained. “Arroya assists Shaka and is my decoy, when I need one. I certainly did tonight. The one with the loud orange hair is my bodyguard, Tioga, who thankfully is just precautionary, but some fans do try to get a little too close sometimes. Also, he helps when I must disengage with the fans. The last, but certainly not least, is a close friend of mine, Nautilus. He’s the one who got me to start performing. It’s long been a dream of mine to perform for others, but I couldn’t do it for several reasons. SAO has given me that opportunity and he’s the one who encouraged me to take it.”

“Welcome, all of you,” Bladescape said, bowing to them to officially greet them. “We are honored to host you. I’m Bladescape, this is Knightstar and Natora. Please, everyone, sit. Don’t mind the papers,” Bladescape glanced to look at where the papers were spread out, but Knightstar was already filing them away, “just routine guild business and planning. Boring stuff. None of the others want to join in on the planning, even though they’re welcome to.”

“We appreciate it,” Tioga said. “It’s my job to have the exit strategy for performances and that isn’t always easy, especially if there’s no way for Yuna to change. The teleport plaza is always the fastest way to lose any chasers, but Mishe’s plaza is a hot one. It was a lot easier to keep our heads down and enter your HQ than trying to make it all the way down main street to it.”

“Forgive me if I’m being insensitive,” Natora said. She got rather nervous and started scratching the back of her neck. “But, well, we don’t know anything else. We have always been on the front. We only step out for enhancements. I know people survive, even thrive, but I don’t know what you mean by PR or even security. Is that a full-time thing?”

“No, it’s not,” Tioga admitted. “While the five of us are often meeting up, for the day-to-day we don’t run together. Unless Yuna becomes unable to hide herself in public, she doesn’t need security outside of the performances. Only Arroya and I are together on a daily basis.”

“Unless I start charging, we all need alternative income sources,” Yuna stated. “We’re in agreement that I shouldn’t charge. They’re part of my team because of their agreement. Shaka and I are often partied up for daily hunting in safer hunting grounds on the mid-floors.”

“That’s most player’s day-to-day,” Arroya added. “Either you hunt on a regular basis for col or items to sell, or you are crafting something; equipment, food, clothes, whatever. There are guilds for the regular players, for the hunters, crafters, or whatever else. Some are mixed occupancy guilds.”

“I expect it's much like your daily affairs,” Shaka said. “Calculating the best places to hunt or what dungeon to hit. Also safety margins. We’re not always with the same players, so that part is tricky. Not everyone finds the same things safe. Nautilus is always free to join us, but never does.” The last bit was clearly another attempt to get Nautilus to join them.

“We all make do,” Yuna said. “I suspect that it's really not that different from how you view your lives, with the added bits about clearing the game. At this time, my levels aren’t sufficient to be a clearer. I want to raise it, to help all I can, but right now, all I can do is sing and boost player morale.”

“Don’t discount what you do, Darling,” Diemond said. “It’s more valuable than I can express. We don’t ever get enough time off. We don’t make it, so having an event that pulls us out of the holes we are digging is appreciated.”

“And so are cupcakes!” Konpeito exclaimed as she came swinging into the dining room, carrying a full tray of confections. “Hot and fresh!” She added as she set it on the table. “Reisenki will be out shortly with more goodies. The rest of the guild are on their way down.”

Bladescape had been unsure how to work the rest of the guild into meeting Yuna. She didn’t want it to get out of hand or force too much pressure to be put on the singer while she was trying to hide.

“Don’t worry,” Yuna said to Bladescape. “I fully expected to meet with everyone and am glad to. I don’t even see it as a price to pay for being allowed to hide out. Diemond has told me that many of you also are musicians and together in a band. That’s exciting.”

“Yes, we are,” Bladescape said, unable to resist smiling. Now that the pressure was off, she could tell this was going to be a fun evening. “Well, before we get distracted by their arrival, let me offer you all the hospitality of our guild for the night. The spare bedroom has some beds, enough for the six of you. It’s not much, but it’s a bed and no fans can find you. You can leave in the morning.”

“No one would expect that,” Tioga stated. “It’s a kind offer and a very smart move.”

“We humbly accept it,” Yuna said. “Thank you, Bladescape. The kindness of the Wondercolts is enormous.” Yuna picked up a cupcake and grinned. “Without needing to duck out, well then I know this is going to be a fun evening.”

BLADESCAPE: Level 60 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry
NATORA: Level 56 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 54 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 57 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search
THUNDERBORNE: Level 56 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce
KONPEITO: Level 56 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing
DIEMOND: Level 56 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging
DOOMBUNNY: Level 54 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search
KIEFER: Level 54 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging
SORYUTO: Level 53 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce
REISENKI: Level 55 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking

Episode 47 — Ragnarök

Episode 47 — Ragnarök
Thirteenth Day in the Month of Ash Tree (October 13) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 39

Konpeito hummed as she walked. Since there were players around, she wasn’t allowed to skip or twirl her axe. She had to settle with humming. She slipped her recorder crystal out of its pouch and spun, taking a few quick pictures in the process. It was an inconspicuous way to snap the shots she loved getting.

Everyone on this raid was documented for her Journal of the Fallen, if it came to that unfortunate conclusion. Everyone was going to die, that was a fact of life. They shouldn't let it hold them back or cause them to abandon all rationale. Fun, living in the moment, impacting those around you, that was what living was. The boss raids were not always fun, but they served a greater purpose, impacting a whole lot of lives!

Konpeito was excited for this raid. The Thirty-Ninth Floor had been the British Isles of the 9th Century, not that most players would recognize it. Not even Knightstar seemed to notice. It was a niche moment in history few people studied.

The floor was split between the Anglo-Saxons from the Kingdom of Northumbria and the Vikings who would conquer parts of the isle for a time. The city closest to the boss Labyrinth was Dyflinn, which was old Norse for Dublin, Ireland, which the Vikings helped build as a modern city. Well, modern for the 9th Century.

The floor was also dropping some major hints about what the boss room held. Sure, the raid party knew what they were getting into. They had run a scouting mission and were well prepared, but Konpeito still didn’t think Loptur was dead. If he was going to show up again, now was the time. If he showed up, it would mean Ragnarök was here. Only a handful of the raiders today were in the fight against Loptur.

This raid was interesting for another reason. The Wondercolts were missing their usual member, Malus, who had been present at the battle against Loptur, as well as every other boss fight. Today's baddy didn't require slow, unmoving tanks. They needed lightning fast attackers who could quickly dish out smaller amounts of damage at a high rate of speed. All five of her friends were damage dealers: Bladescape, Thunder, Natora, and Kiefer. Kirito, the Black Swordsman, was joining their team to make six. For the raid he was an honorary Wondercolt, at least to Konpeito. Since Malus wasn’t needed, she had left the night before to go fishing somewhere. She would be back when the boss was killed and they could do their usual ceremonial toast!

The others ahead of them stopped walking because they were finally at the boss chamber. It hadn’t taken too long to return to where they had already been. Everyone started ensuring they were ready and in their groups. Konpeito looked at the door. She recognized parts of it!

"VALHALLA!" Konpeito exclaimed.

Heathcliff's sword was raised up and he looked like he was about to speak, but it was Asuna who did and she didn't look happy. "What?" Asuna growled.

"The door says Valhalla," Konpeito explained.

"There’s no writing on it," Asuna stated.

"Well, duh," Konpeito said, rolling her eyes. "But it also doesn't have a mouth to say something. It does have the symbol for Valhalla at the very top, in the center, above the doors. The keystone has the carved Valknut symbol, three triangles interwoven to create nine triangles, one for each world realm in Norse mythology. It also is the symbol for death.

"Also on the door is Gungnir, Odin's spear; Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor except it's upside down. Interestingly enough, it bears a squared off version of the swastika on the head that symbolizes the life forces: power, holiness, prosperity, continuity, luck, and fire; each side of the doorframe has the Web of Wyrd symmetrically carved on it, which is the symbol for fate, how the past, present, and future are interwoven and affect each other; I see a stylized circular version of Yggdrasill, the great tree, with its branches circling around to become the roots; Huginn And Muninn, the two ravens, are facing each other. Other things are on it as well.

"I'm telling you, it's Ragnarök! Loptur will return."

"Last time she was correct," Asuna stated as she looked at Heathcliff. "The change happened at the very end, well past what a scouting party would be able to discover."

"There is no way to prepare for it, correct?" Heathcliff asked Asuna.

"Correct," Asuna nodded. "At least we know this time that there is the possibility of a radical change."

Heathcliff looked at Konpeito. "Wondercolt, pay attention to the battle. Watch for any changes so you can give us the best warning possible. For the rest of us, we shall proceed as planned. If this boss fight truly is the fate of the gods, then we shall strike them down. We shall be their fate as we cut loose another chain preventing our liberation!"

Konpeito smiled as his short speech got a thunderous applause from the players. She would be ready. For now, she was happy with the pictures she had snuck of Heathcliff and Asuna standing side-by-side in front of a boss chamber door.

Pictures of members of the assault team were not the only things she took. Plenty of other players were recorded doing all sorts of things, many of them normal, daily activities. Konpeito also loved to snap action shots of the Wondercolts in action and the scenery they passed by. She would never endanger her friends or anyone to get a picture, but she was good at sneaking them when they thought she wasn't paying attention. Konpeito didn't have a skill that improved her sight and she wasn't as sharp as Doombunny, but her eyes were still sharper than most. It was part of wanting to have as much fun as possible. If she couldn’t see the best things, she couldn’t maximize her fun!

Heathcliff opened the boss room and confidently strode in. Konpeito wanted to skip because the boss room mimicked a field. The floor looked like a lush carpet of grass and the walls danced with scenery painted onto the smooth stones. Konpeito was in Vigrid, the legendary plain where the final battle would take place.

Muspel The Black Giant was a ginormous boss who held a golden sword in his right hand, which wasn’t right. Surtr, while leading the Sons of Muspel, was supposed to have a flaming sword that shone brighter than the sun. Muspelheim was the name of the realm which the fire giant Surtr protects and leaves only so he can destroy the other realms with fire. Making a flaming sword brighter than the sun might be too difficult for the game, but the giant had flaming eyes and was snorting fire as the raiders formed up. Unlike most giants, Muspel was supposed to be quick enough to make tanks useless.

Konpeito didn't even blink and he was halfway across the room. A split second later he attacked the first raiders, sending them flying with several quick cuts and slashes. Heathcliff and his usual squad were targeted next and Konpeito watched as most of them also went flying. Heathcliff simply sidestepped the attack and struck back with great reflexes. Despite the pressure, he was calm.

The baddy noticed her watching, locking eyes with Konpeito. She raised her axe in defiance of his gaze. He launched himself at her, going for the kill. Konpeito just stayed still. Kirito got in between them, blocking the boss' sword with his own, but suffering pretty bad damage. The boss' next cut was determined to hit her. Bladescape intercepted it, as Konpeito expected, but she was tossed back from the weight in the attack.

The boss wouldn't be denied and the third slash came at Konpeito's chest height. It was a simple thing to jump, like the people who did the high jump, flopping over the bar, only in this case, she didn't have to sprint and the bar was razor sharp. She cleared the sword and put a hand down, using it to turn the flop into a cartwheel. Konpeito came out of it, triggering a sword skill that cut the big bad giant's leg.

Natora, Thunder, and Kiefer got good hits in after she did. It forced the giant to choose a new target, but Konpeito had locked eyes with him before retreating. He would be back. He was coming straight for her. The others needed to be eliminated, but she was his real target. That would make it hard for her to do as Heathcliff wanted and watch out for signs of Ragnarök.

Konpeito put it out of her mind for now. She had to put up with the fire giant first. The rest of the evil beasts to come could be dealt with when they arrived. She knew Loptur would be coming.

The boss only attacked one or two other parties before coming back at Konpeito. She ducked and dodged, striking when she could and letting Kirito or Bladescape block the other times. Kiefer, Natora, and Thunder dealt more damage than she did, but that was okay. Konpeito knew she was playing the more important role by having the boss's attention.

Asuna ran up to them after the boss had left. "That's five times he has come for you," Asuna stated. "Two parties haven't been attacked yet. What's going on?"

"The boss is targeting Konpeito," Bladescape answered. "I don't know why. I don't have an explanation, unless we agree that she is right."

Asuna let out a sigh, "Then we watch for signs of change."

Konpeito readied her axe. The fire giant came again. Asuna fought with them until it left again and she ran back to her party to report to Heathcliff.

The boss was getting annoying, constantly coming for her. It was no longer fun trying to dodge everything. She wished she had a spear and shield to meet him head on like a proper Viking.

They finally got two of the four health bars eliminated. Muspel The Black Giant jumped back, away from everyone and opened his jaw. From it he spit liquid fire. The entire room was set ablaze. It no longer looked like a green field. Instead, it was an ashen wasteland. Even the scenery on the walls was changed to match. Everyone got burned. Many received a lasting burn status that constantly removed HP. Konpeito didn't have the effect, but everyone else in her party did. Antidote crystals didn't negate it. They had to put up with the five-minute burning damage and constantly down health potions to counter the HP loss.

Now the boss room looked like Ragnarök. The fun was just getting started. Konpeito couldn't help but grin with excitement as the baddy, who was supposed to be named Surtr, looked at her and raised his sword. It was now flaming like it should be.

"Bring it, jötunn!" Konpeito exclaimed as she raised her axe. "Try and cut me down. I'll cleave the Ragna from the Rök and hit you with my Rock Candy Smash before you burn the entire world!"

The boss charged her with the same lightning speed. She had a split second to skip out of the way of his sword and cut him with her axe. As soon as the cut was made, she let go with her right hand and triggered a martial arts sword skill. Her first glowed pink as she released it, driving her fist into his leg, right above the knee where the pressure point was.

Konpeito spun out of the attack, sliding to a stop a little bit away as the delay kicked in. She didn't get far enough away before the delay hit. Chaining two attacks meant a longer pause and she wasn't sure if she would be released in time. That was a problem.

He whipped around to attack her as the fire that was his eyes raged even more. She was still stuck in the delay as he brought his sword down on her. She couldn't even raise her axe to block it.

THUD!

The sword was stopped and Konpeito realized someone had extended their shield over her head to stop her from dying. White and red players flowed around her, led by Asuna, as they launched the first counter attack after being burned. The one shielding her was Heathcliff.

"Thanks!" Konpeito exclaimed as she was released. "I didn't expect to go down before the end of Ragnarök. Unless we are not the Einherjar, but the gods themselves. If we are the gods, then you would be Odin, leading us from Sleipnir and welding the spear Gungnir." Konpeito looked at his sword and shrugged. "Close enough. You might not have his golden radiance, but you have his wisdom and strength."

"And what of you, Candy Girl?" Heathcliff asked. "She who fights with an axe?"

Konpeito shrugged. "All of the gods use swords or spears, except for Thor who will wield the hammer, Mjölnir. Maybe I represent Freyr, who wields an inferior weapon because he gave his good one up to marry his wife. Without it, during Ragnarök, he faces Surtr with an antler and they each kill the other. I have little doubt that Loki will arrive and he may well be my real enemy. If that’s the case, I would be Heimdall, but they also kill each other."

"What happens to Odin?" Heathcliff asked.

"He dies, killed by Fenrir, the giant wolf," Konpeito explained. "Fenrir is killed by Odin's son, Vidar. Thor goes to battle the giant snake, Jörmungandr. In the end, he will kill the serpent, but die from the snake's venom. The whole event leaves most gods dead."

"That’s the odd thing," Heathcliff said. "Gods are not supposed to die."

"Maybe not, but they do in Norse mythology," Konpeito stated. "But plenty here isn't right. I'm certain the story is correct, but the details aren’t. Loptur, the god of mischief, is best known by his other translated name, Loki. Muspel The Black Giant is supposed to be Surtr, who will lead the Sons of Muspel, other fire giants from Muspelheim. I can't track or predict the changes made to the original lore. Only so much is correct, but this is a game. The designers changed stuff to make the world of Aincrad their own and the story ours. That doesn't leave us with any answers."

The boss came back at them. This time, Konpeito wasn't alone. Heathcliff's party and the Wondercolts, both the full members and the honorary one, stood beside her. They blocked seven cuts from the boss' sword and Konpeito joined the ones striking back at him.

He stumbled back as everyone reset, forming up around Konpeito since he was primarily after her. They all still had the burning effect. The boss came again, ignoring the other parties and was repelled by her friends and allies. His third health bar would not withstand another assault, yet he readied himself for it anyway.

Heathcliff blocked the first slash and Natora drove her spear home. The second strike was blocked by another shield user in white while Thunder unleashed what she had. Konpeito stayed still to not get in their way. The third attack was blocked by another KoB member while Asuna and Kiefer struck. The fourth was handled by Kirito's sword while Bladescape and two other KoB members struck. The fifth was blocked by another raider in white and Godfree led the counter attack. The sixth stroke was blocked by Heathcliff and Konpeito skipped forward.

She was the last one to strike, unleashing a seven hit combo. She was all ready to yell "timber" as the boss stumbled back, but his third health bar had a sliver of health in it. Also, he wasn't going to fall. Konpeito was stuck in her delay, as was everyone else.

Except for Heathcliff. He didn't miss the opportunity to step forward and knock the last of the health off the boss' third HP bar. The strike caused the black giant to backpedal and drop his sword.

He began to glow as everyone was released from their delays. They all quickly topped off their HP. Muspel's black skin began to brighten, turning from charcoal into an ember. An ember that quickly engulfed the giant and then exploded. It erupted like a volcano, spewing flames into the ceiling and bathing everyone in intense heat. When it was done, the boss was a pillar of ash.

"Is it over?" A raider asked.

"Keep your guard up!" Asuna ordered. "This isn't over. There was still one more health bar and the congratulations weren't given."

Konpeito flipped her axe up onto her shoulders, hanging her arms off it as she waited. It was as good of a place as any for it as the boss cooled down from his temper tantrum. How he would emerge would say a lot.

The ash finally crumbled as it hardened to stone. In the midst of the falling debris stood a tall man with red hair and a full, red beard. A sword was on his left hip and he was wearing traditional Norse armor with red and brown colors. Saying he was handsome was putting it lightly.

"Told you!" Konpeito exclaimed with a grin. She popped her axe off her shoulders and caught it. "That would be the handsome trickster himself at the heart of it all, Loki."

The boss gave a sly smile to Konpeito and then pounced. His speed was faster than Thunderborne. Konpeito barely swung her axe up in time to stop his thin Viking sword. Konpeito shoved him away from her and he flipped a few times, getting the distance he wanted. His single health bar had not been dented.

"Now what?" Asuna asked.

"Duh," Konpeito said, rolling her eyes at Asuna. She could be so uptight and overthink things. Also she often missed a lot of the fun to be had. "We kill Loki and clear this floor boss!"

"We don't know what he is capable of!" Asuna fired back.

"Uses a sword," Konpeito said, starting the list. "Is a trickster. Is fast and agile. Has one health bar. His sword is named Laevateinn. I expect he will use all available one-handed sword skill combinations no matter what skill level they require, and maybe some specific to him. Last time he was a nuisance, putting players to sleep with mistletoe. Now he can and will kill us."

"We need more shields," someone said.

Outside of the attack on Konpeito, Loki was biding his time in the center of the room, sword drawn and ready to go as he looked at the raiders who surrounded him.

"No, we don't," Konpeito said, focusing on Loki. She had relaxed her axe by resting it against her shoulder. "Kirito fights with just a sword. He never uses a shield or anything else. If he can, so can you. And so can Loki."

"At least one of you is worthy of residing in Valhalla," Loki goaded.

That got a reaction out of a DDA member who lashed out from behind Loki. Loki didn't appear to see it coming. At the last moment, he spun, unleashed Vertical Square. The raider staggered back and was healed by his quick-thinking friends before his health was fully gone. However, he was left paralyzed and a crystal didn’t fix that effect.

"Is there none among you who thinks he, or she, can beat me in a proper fight, one on one?" Loki asked.

No one answered. Konpeito shook her head. They were all so used to fighting together in a boss raid, they didn't see it as it was, a duel. Duels were taboo in SAO because of the death game scenario. Plus, Loki was the god of mischief. He was both harmless and evil. His slide from mischief to insanity was an interesting one. The other players needed to have the confidence to take him on. After all, he only had one health bar, just like they did.

Kirito stepped forward with his sword on his shoulder, ready to trigger a skill. Loki smiled and raised his sword. After a respectable pause, they charged each other. The clash of swords was furious and fast. Kirito was very good, the best reaction time out of any of the players on the Assault Team. Loki's sword glowed red and he triggered what was known as Quadruple Pain, a rapier exclusive Sword Skill. He could use both and probably curved sword skills too. Kirito blocked the first two but not the last two. He fell to the ground as a paralyzing effect took over. Loki didn't pounce on him. He merely shook his head at Kirito, disappointed at his performance. Bladescape and Klein independently rushed out from where they were and helped each other drag Kirito out of the way.

Konpeito didn't know if she could beat Loki. His sword was quick. One bad move and that paralyzing effect would be problematic.

Heathcliff strode forward and raised his sword, shield forward. They charged each other and Loki attempted to skip around his shield at the last moment. Heathcliff was fast, turning with him and preventing him from getting behind Heathcliff. The Commander fell into the trap, ending up spinning in a circle as Loki was content to run around him. How Heathcliff was still standing after all that spinning, Konpeito wasn't sure, but his strike at Loki was enough to stop the game and he was still on both of his feet. Loki didn't care and his sword glowed red. He rammed his sword into Heathcliff's shield and the Commander staggered back as the same paralyzing effect set in.

The KoB rushed Loki, abandoning his single combat challenge. One by one they fell, each being paralyzed like Heathcliff was. Asuna lasted the longest of them and entered a duel of swords, similar to what Kirito's attempt had been. She too was felled.

"Either someone strikes me down, or everyone dies!" Loki declared as he gingerly stepped over paralyzed KoB members. "Everyone's fates are woven together. If there is not one among you who can strike me down, then you will all perish when I defeat the last warrior among you!"

Natora tried to call out a teleport, to get them back up, but she was hit with a red bolt, thrown from his sword. She too was knocked out of the fight and they couldn't get a message out since dungeons and labyrinths blocked them. Now Loki was no longer being mischievous. He was a bad god with bad intentions and evil in his heart.

The members of Fuurinkazan who were in the raid charged him along with several others. They all quickly were paralyzed. They couldn't distract him long enough for one of the others to sneak out. He was caught and a paralyzing bolt was flicked from Loki’s sword, putting the player on the ground.

"We'll hit him together," Bladescape declared. "As Wondercolts we can take him."

"Don't you get it, Blade?" Konpeito asked. "Every time a group has tried, he uses their numbers against them. He uses their chaos against them, making them his shield as he skips through and around them, hitting who he can. The best attempts have been by a single player.”

"Then what do we do?" Kiefer asked. "I can't beat him."

"Not with that attitude," Konpeito said, rolling her eyes. "Shields are not bad unless you hide behind them. If the player cowers behind them, then it's not much different from running. Speed and agility are what’s needed."

"I guess that's me," Thunder said as the last party was paralyzed. It was just down to the Wondercolts.

Thunder headed to an open place in the chamber and Loki followed. With a flash, Thunder opened the fight. She was fast and quick, changing directions and striking from the odd angles it allowed her to use. She looked great for a while, but when she thought she had him and triggered the sword skill, Loki dodged and then ran Thunder through before the delay even hit.

Bladescape was next but she was too slow and hesitant. She was good at fighting with people, but not alone, which was ironic considering how many nights she spent alone, grinding for XP against the most profitable monsters. But Konpeito didn't blame her. After all, monsters fought differently than another player did.

Kiefer gave it his best but he was too nervous. His fight was over before it started.

Loki looked at her. "Well, we meet again," he said. "Last time you got me from behind. You changed axes."

"You changed shapes," Konpeito fired back. "I'm still wearing the cloak you wore last time."

"Yes, you are," the mischievous boss mused. "But can you beat me now? Or will I get to wear that cape once more?"

"Can I have some mistletoe?" Konpeito asked.

"Nice try, maiden, but no," he said, grinning slyly. "Are you certain you want to do this?"

"No," Konpeito admitted, shaking her head a bit. She wasn't taking her eyes off him. She wouldn't let him distract her and be caught off guard. "But it's down to just us two. I don't have an option. Either you die or my friends die. If the Valkyries choose me, I won't be around to feel bad about it, but I can't let you hurt my friends and the others in this room."

"Then prepare yourself!" Loki declared as he raised his sword.

Konpeito took a deep breath in. Thunder did so well because she relied on speed and agility, being unpredictable until she triggered a sword skill. Most of the players who fell had triggered a sword skill, making the attack predictable. The only way to beat him would be to out mischief the god of mischief. That would be very hard for her to do, especially with so much pressure riding on the outcome.

Konpeito took another deep breath in, closing her eyes as she sought out her inner laughter. She needed to find it before she fought him. She was reasonably certain that, despite his mischievous and evil nature, he would play by the rule of honor and not strike her down until she was ready to face him. He could have run around the room and hit everyone in a matter of seconds, if he really wanted to, but that was chaos without any fun.

Konpeito opened the door to her heart and stepped into the kitchen of their new home in Mishe. She pulled out the cupcakes from the oven before they began to burn, quickly frosting one so she could eat it. She left, heading out the front door in search of her inner hope and laughter.

One of the buildings had a sign saying "confidence" and another said "integrity," but neither were what she was looking for. Nothing in Mishe held that laughter. She headed for the teleport plaza and stepped on it. She called out "Sugarcane Hollow" and was teleported away from Mishe to the world of her dreams.

The teleport plaza wasn't close to the Sugar Valley, but a hike wasn't bad. She was running out of time, but there was always plenty of time in a person's mind. At least now she could skip through the sugarcane fields to the Marzipan Mountains. Inside those mountains was nestled Sugar Valley, where the good rock tolls farmed their rocks until they were filled with the delicious candy. Rock farming took a lot more care and effort than most people would guess. The rocks had to be rotated through the fields so that the candy crystals could properly form. Otherwise, it would turn into a gooey mush that was the bad kind of sour.

Konpeito let out a content sigh as she saw the farm. Working in the west field was the family of rock trolls. They spotted her arrival and balled up, rolling over to the gate. They popped out of their rolling boulder form and greeted her.

"Hey Papa Rock and family!" Konpeito greeted them.

"What are you doing here?" Papa Rock asked. He was rather accusatory, especially for a rock. "It's not time to be sleeping."

"I'm here to find my inner laughter," Konpeito explained. "I have to if I'm to beat the boss, who is the god of mischief. My friends are counting on me. They all fell to him, but they're not dead, not yet. If I fail, we all die. It's a very serious battle, but they failed because they were too serious while he was having fun. Most people are automatically more serious than a god of mischief. If he wasn't also evil, then we'd have a lot of fun together, but he is. Now it all rides on me and I can't find my smile."

"I see," he said, grabbing a rock. "Here, try the harvest. It's still early and small, but it's fresh."

He broke the rock open and held it out for her to choose from. She made her choice and popped the small piece of rock candy into her mouth. It was blue raspberry, which was fun because there were no raspberries that were blue! Blue food coloring was used to distinguish raspberry ice pops from the other red fruits, like strawberries or cherries. The artificial raspberry flavor mimicked the wild blackcap raspberry pretty well. The side effects of blue tongues always made for a good laugh too.

"I see a little smile there," Papa Rock said in a happy tone, as rocks couldn't smile. "What is holding back Konpeito from having fun? You are the candy girl. You named yourself after not just any candy, but a confectionary that has a lot of fun in your mouth with all of its tiny bumps. It tastes good and is fun."

"It's just that soooo much is riding on me now," Konpeito explained, rocking on her heels. "The boss fights are always serious and pretty stressful. I'm not blaming Heathcliff, he brought a lot of good things to the front. He calmed things down and helped focus our efforts, but he's a downer. A very serious man. Even if he wasn't, the fights are not a place to hop around, twirl my axe, and have fun. They come with real risk."

"Is that risk different from everyday life?" Papa Rock asked.

"Absolutely!" Konpeito exclaimed. "In real life, I'm not charging into a battle where lives rely on me. Life is dangerous, we've had our issues with magic, but here we are seeking out that danger in order to destroy it. I don't do that back home. Only in here. The death part really kills the game, which might have been the point, but that's not important right now. The handsome bad boss is waiting for me to open my eyes and fight him. If I can't do it with a smile, I'll lose, hopefully chosen by the Valkyries for my effort, and my friends will die."

"Yes, those are serious things," Papa Rock agreed. "However, have you been serious about helping our Sugar Valley and the rock candy farmers who live here? Or were you having fun?"

"Uh," Konpeito said, thinking. "Both? It was serious and it was fun. If it wasn't serious, I never would have gotten it done. Or if I wasn't serious about helping you. But I was. And I did. Yes, it was fun. Learning to wield Pokkialibur and fight the evil chocolate witch and her peep army was a blast. Tiresome, but fun. Every bad guy who comes here to take your harvests is fun in some way. A serious problem, but they are candy! I love candy!"

"Yes, you do," Papa Rock said. "You also like pranks. What has this mischievous boss actually done?"

"He killed Balder by tricking his half-brother into shooting him with an arrow made of mistletoe, the only thing that could kill him," Konpeito answered. "That was his worst offense and why we have earthquakes. They had to chain him up until Ragnarök and every time poison from a snake helping keep him there hits him, the world shakes.

"On a funner note, he cut off Sif's amazing, glorious, golden hair while she was sleeping and then begged an angry Thor to let him make amends by going to the dwarfs to have it forged into a golden headdress for Sif. While there, he also challenged the dwarfs that they couldn't create anything better than what they were created as. That's where Thor's hammer, Mjölnir, came from. But in order to win the bet, Loki transformed into a fly and pestered the working dwarfs so they would fail. He finally bit one in the eye, which shortened the handle of Mjölnir, which meant the head couldn't be bigger. He slithered out of that lost bet, not paying up.

"And then, when the Gods were about to lose Freya to a master builder who was making a wall for their domain faster than they expected, they sent Loki to sabotage the building. Loki shape shifted into a mare, distracting the builder's stallion, and that's also how Odin came to possess Sleipnir, the eight-legged flying horse. Loki's done a lot of crazy things. To make the giantess, Skadi, laugh in payment for some stuff between the Aesir and her father, he does some very painful and humiliating outlandishness, which involved a goat, that I can't mention since your pebbles are around. He succeeded in making Skadi laugh." Konpeito couldn't help but smile at the thought of what Loki had to do.

"You smiled," Papa Rock said. "That isn't far from a laugh, not for you. The things this Loki has done, some are bad, but plenty are funny."

"Or funny what the gods wanted to do to him," Konpeito added.

"So remember the absurdities and laugh!" Papa Rock exclaimed. "Laugh at him before you strike him down. He can't laugh at himself for that which he has done, can he?"

"Not exactly," Konpeito stated. "So I do have that over him. This reminds me of what Grandma Pie taught me about laughing at things I'm afraid of, only I'm not afraid. At least not right now. Okay, a little bit of fear, I'm afraid my friends will die because I can't beat him, but it's not the same fear I had as a child, where the shadows seemed to hide creepy, dark, evil things I couldn't fight. She taught me to fight with laughter."

"She gave you great wisdom," Papa Rock said. "Always find the hope and joy in any situation. It is there, even if you have to look under every rock to find it or pull apart the clouds themselves."

"Okay, I'm ready!" Konpeito exclaimed.

Papa Rock tossed her another piece of the early harvest and Konpeito popped it in her mouth. She enjoyed the cherry flavor as she thought herself back to the boss room.

When Konpeito opened her eyes and saw the handsome trickster, she smiled. She laughed wholeheartedly at his groveling to get Skadi to laugh. Becoming a mare to stop the wall was also ridiculous. He could have done a dozen other things to distract the giant or his horse, but he chose to become a mare. She remembered the other things he did to escape punishment, like transforming into a salmon and jumping into a river.

"Come on, you mare of a stallion!" Konpeito declared. "Show me how you transformed into a falcon or salmon. Show me the greatness of your glory so that I may mock you for all of your silliness. Even your actions today are funny. On the eighth floor, they were also funny. You put most of the raiders to sleep instead of hurting them because you're a silly goose. Today you paralyzed the others, rather than kill them. That's pretty funny. Everything else goes for the kill, but you make the fight fun. Thor may not be able to crush you, but I certainly can!"

Loki growled as he charged Konpeito. She bounced her axe off her shoulder and started to twirl it. She was determined to have fun.

As Loptur came in close, Konpeito used her twirling axe to transfer her weight, pulling her into a spinning jump that dodged his sword. Konpeito transitioned into a cartwheel, avoiding his follow-up. She slid out of it, laughing at the fact that she had to cartwheel over a paralyzed Heathcliff in the process.

Loptur was just getting angry. His handsome face couldn't make up for his sour looks.

"How many times has Thor almost crushed you with his bare hands?" Konpeito asked. "And yet he now wields the weapon made by the dwarves when they won the bet you made with them?" Konpeito let out a snort as he stomped over to her. "How does that feel?" She asked.

The thrust was quick, but Konpeito rocked back onto her heels and kicked her butt backwards to avoid it. She was off balance with it still in front of her, so instead of trying to regain her balance, she fell backwards into a roll. Rolling was fun so she did it a few times, even going over a player.

Loptur got the better of her, stamping his foot down on the handle of her axe as she rolled. Konpeito let go of it, and rolled up onto her feet. She leaned against the wall, which she had ended up besides.

"Well that was fun," Konpeito stated. "You should see your face. Although if you did, knowing you, you would fall in love with your own reflection. Who knows what you would birth with yourself."

"You're without a weapon!" Loptur declared.

"So?" Konpeito asked as she lounged against the wall. "What of it?"

"How will you defeat me without a weapon?" He pressed, as he raised his sword.

"Through dance!" Konpeito stated, laughing.

The cut down was quick, slicing through the stone wall. Konpeito rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding it.

"You almost got me," she admitted. "But you missed. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades!"

"Who said that?" Loptur asked as he pulled his sword back.

"Frank Robbins," Konpeito answered. "Wait!" She exclaimed. It actually got Loptur to pause as she started to laugh. "Sorry, that's wrong. I was mixing up Frank Robinson and Marty Robbins. Robinson was a baseball player and coach, Robbins wrote trail songs and country music." She couldn't help but laugh at making such a simple mistake.

It almost was enough of a distraction for Loptur, but Konpeito expected him to take the opening. She did a 180, going from her back against the wall and flopping to having her face in the stone. Laevateinn sank deep in the stone beside her. It would have skewered her.

Konpeito kicked off the wall with her palms as she took a step back. It put her side by side with Loptur. He never had a chance to react with his sword still in the wall as she grabbed the back of his neck and slammed his handsome bearded face into the stones, pinning him there.

"You know, you have plenty of fun, we could have been friends and had plenty of laughs together,” Konpeito commented. “But ultimately you threatened my friends and everyone in this chamber. We can't lose to you or any other boss. While the others may not be able to laugh at you, I can. They also need weapons to fight, most of them, but I don't. Pies make just as good of a projectile weapon as bullets, especially in the hands of clowns."

Konpeito let go and took a step back. Loptur pulled his sword free and turned to face her. "I won't fall to a weaponless maiden!" He triggered a sword skill Konpeito had never seen before. The powerful thrust rocketed towards her as she imagined his scary face painted like a clown.

That made her smile as she stepped forward, throwing a punch directly at the thrust. It was a martial arts sword skill and it knocked the sword from its path. She continued with her forward momentum, spinning into another punch, her patented "Rock Candy Smash," which landed in the boss' gut. He doubled over, dropping his sword. He still had half his HP left.

She put her foot on the handle of Laevateinn, rolling it onto her toe before popping it up and catching it. She slashed him from his neck to his hip in one smooth stroke. He fell to his knees, HP depleted.

"How?" Loptur asked.

"I'm Konpeito," she stated. "But you probably know me as Heimdall."

Konpeito slid the sword into her belt as he shattered. She walked over to her axe and picked it up as everyone was released from the paralysis effect. The congratulations music played as the room changed from the burned valley to a stone hall.

She got Laevateinn as a drop. She didn't know if it was a good sword or not, but it was a great memento to keep. It also wasn't the LAB, which obviously went to her too. The LAB was Gjallarhorn. It was an instrument which Konpeito could play. It was a “flute” made out of an ox horn. The gilded horn had pictures of the Norse sagas engraved on it. When played by a bard, it tripled the buffs given to those within range. Konpeito had to get that bard skill. She would do that when she hit level sixty, but first she had to complete the quest which unlocked the skill. She had plenty of time to do that before she hit sixty.

"Well done, Wondercolt," Heathcliff said as he stood up. "I wasn't able to see what you did."

"No one was," Konpeito stated. "We were out of view of everyone. I beat him with laughter and by having more fun than the god of mischief could. Unfortunately, the flames of Muspelheim extinguished the lives of four players. Fallon of Gael was the first to fall in battle. Also lost were three from Meigibu: Tasfi, Marta, and Alita.

"Sé mo laoch mo Ghile Mear, Ghile Mear ‘sa seal faoi chumha,‘S Éire go léir faoi chlócaibh dubha; Suan ná séan ní bhfuaireas féin, Ó chuaigh i gcéin mo Ghile Mear.

"He's my champion, my Gallant Darling; Gallant Darling for a while under sorrow, And Ireland completely under black cloaks; I have found neither rest nor fortune; Since my Gallant Darling went far away."

BLADESCAPE: Level 63 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry
NATORA: Level 59 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 57 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 60 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts
THUNDERBORNE: Level 59 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce
KONPEITO: Level 59 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing
DIEMOND: Level 59 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging
DOOMBUNNY: Level 57 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search
KIEFER: Level 57 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging
SORYUTO: Level 56 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce
REISENKI: Level 58 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking

Episode 48 — Star’s Knight

Episode 48 — Star’s Knight
Nineteenth in the Month of Ash Tree (October 19) in the Year of the Dragon
Front Line Floor 41

Knightstar shelved her newly updated encyclopedia. It was now twelve volumes long and contained almost, if not every, monster, location, and item on each floor. Monsters had all of their stats and attack patterns listed. The items were broken down into weapons, armor, clothes, food, NPC items, as well as metal craft, food craft, fabric craft, miscellaneous craft, odds and ends, and junk drops. She had been paying various players to help fill in the missing gaps for her.

Besides the encyclopedias, she had two dungeon guides filled with dungeon specific information that were organized by floor. The first one went up to and included the twenty-fifth floor, while the second started after that. She also had two quest books full of step-by-step walkthroughs to complete the various quests that anyone could complete.

Most recently, she had released a very cheap guide for the guild creation quest. Yes, they were a long way from the third floor, but many of the intermediate players were without guilds. Groups that didn’t enter the game with close bonds of friendship to start with, and without the drive of pushing for the front or networking for crafting materials to force a need for greater organization and resource pooling, were just starting to settle in with their newfound friends, finally starting to form guilds. Knightstar was selling the guide through a player named Havic. He was posted up where the quest started. He kept track of the sales, including receipts, and split the earnings fifty-fifty with Knightstar. He was a well trusted contact she had been using to dig up information for a while to complete her encyclopedia. She trusted him and the major info brokers knew what the sale price was and where Havic was posted up.

Knightstar was no information broker. She was an information expert. She was no replacement for the brokers. She could give you all the information, but it was up to the player to interpret certain things. Knightstar didn't deal with rumors either, or the most recently unlocked information. All of hers was targeted at the already cleared floors.

Knightstar also had her skills books. Each one was separated by the skill and, using cooking as an example, included the cheapest way to level it up, the fastest way, and also a secondary list of all of the food items known as well as success rates and experience. Konpeito was keeping some secrets from Knightstar when it came to certain dishes, but the skill guides were for leveling and had a clear disclaimer that they were not comprehensive outside of level data. In the case of cooking, a cookbook would be better than her guide for those who wanted to actually cook once they had the levels.

She was almost ready to launch her consulting firm. The library was coming along nicely, now that she had everything organized and rewritten from her notes. Those took up a bookshelf, but Knightstar had two others. The first was only a quarter full while the second was full. The first was player written stories that had been published as books and sold. Not all of them were good, many were terrible, but they were trying. The second shelf was full of game published books. Since the Twenty-Fifth Floor boss was beaten, and player-written books were being sold, Sword Art Online began to sell classic books. All of them were fair access stories that no one could claim the rights to. They came from all over the globe.

Her library and consulting firm would be waiting for her after though. They had put in a good amount of clearing, but the Wondercolts were running a short day. Bladescape was launching her overnight training sessions to keep the Wondercolts' levels at the top of the curve. Natora, Thunderborne, Malus, Konpeito, and Kiefer, would be out all night with Bladescape at the best XP grinding location. The rest of the Wondercolts had the evening off, but would be on full duty for tomorrow and then running their own overnight training session with Bladescape. Bladescape and Natora had the leadership rotation worked out and, along with Knightstar, they had set their quotas for the next five boss fights. It was exploratory quotas, but the members didn't know that. They were hoping they could meet them, but there were a variety of factors they couldn't control. That would be what the next several weeks would be for. Hopefully Knightstar's projections from Bladescape's data were spot on.

Knightstar changed notebooks in her chest pocket, swapping out the general notes one for the Battle Dance Quest notebook. Being free for the evening, Knightstar was going to get back to her personal project: cracking the quest that had eluded her so far.

She teleported to Isonset on Floor Thirty and headed to the lower citadel where the guards and knights trained. The quest giver, Don Bane, was busy with another player. That was fine. Knightstar wanted her time sparring him, but observational data was important too.

Don Bane talked about learning to use a sword and shield in a fluid dance, the steps of battle. It was supposed to unlock a Skill. All the player had to do was beat the veteran in a duel, and he would teach them. Of course, he only dueled those with sword and shield skills actively set and so far, no one had gotten close to beating him.

He always got around the player faster than they could react and beat them. Knightstar watched him take down three intermediate players rather quickly. Then she was up.

Knightstar set her stance, this time changing her approach and placing her right foot forward, sword out, with her shield in reserve. She stepped in, cutting at him with her sword. He trapped it on his shield using his own sword before flicking his sword up her arm to her throat. Knightstar leaned back, shifting her shield. She blocked his sword. The first time. The master swordsman danced to her left, placing his sword against her throat once again, ending the duel.

Fifty-nine times she had now failed it. Either the sword ended up smacking her with the flat of the blade on her back or against her throat. The last twenty times she had found it at her throat. That was some progress. At least it wasn't as embarrassing as the slap, but it ended just as fast.

Knightstar stepped out of the sparring circle because of the line and watched as others failed either faster or almost as fast as she did. Several tried her sword first approach, but none of them were skilled enough to block his first strike with their sword. Knightstar's one-handed sword skill and shield skill were clearly higher than the intermediate players, but that wasn't a lot of comfort. Don Bane saw them as the same because they didn't have the skill to beat him.

His speech about using the sword and shield was appropriate. Knightstar was not well read on the medieval weapons treatises. She had browsed them briefly in preparation for playing SAO, but she didn't expect them to be super relevant due to the game mechanics. Don Bane’s actions looked very similar to what she recalled in the treatises. He spoke similar to how they were written too. The quest was appropriate because he was wanting to teach the player the steps of battle. In other words, how to pair the use of the sword and shield into a singular, ultimate fighting technique. A new skill, but so much more than just a skill.

The sword master always started the same, in a neutral stance with his shield bladed towards the player, with his sword tip touching the top. Knightstar knew exactly how he would react to whatever she did, or the player he was dueling, but no one was able to get more than four moves into the duel. The initial move by the player and his counter usually ended it. Sometimes Knightstar could block his counter, causing him to attack again, but he was too fast and often had danced out of reach for a full counter by her. Once she had been able to block and strike, pushing the duel into five movements. Don Bane's second counter was a duel finisher. She didn't believe that the duel would go past ten movements, but just getting past five was nearly impossible.

She had been doing this on and off for weeks. Some days, all she had time for was observation. Others she was able to actually engage in a duel or two. Far too often she was in the field too late with an early morning to get here. That or she had game data she needed to rewrite while it was still fresh in her mind.

If she could conquer this quest, it wouldn't just come with a new skill. Yes, that was the stated reward, but Knightstar would be able to publish the definitive quest guide and sell it for a lot of col. Most players in the assault team who used a sword and shield had attempted the quest, doing at least one duel. Many of the clearers were in the same position. The sword and shield combination was the dominant weapon choice for players by a wide margin. The assault team was more diverse, but they also were the elite of the elite.

There was a system to the duel. A set of steps to break how the NPC could counter and allow the player to win. Not only was there always one, but that's how SAO functioned. Everything in Aincrad was algorithms and coding. As expansive as the game was, it was limited. Just like how, as expansive and random real life could seem, it could be boiled down to a math problem that would project how people would act and react. It was not entirely the same, but the principal was similar to every action having an equal and opposite reaction. So long as the input was understood, the outcome was obvious.

Knightstar got in another duel before Don Bane ended the sparring for the night. Even though he was an NPC, he wasn't always available. He would go home to sleep. He would only teach players while it was light and a little past sunset.

Still, Knightstar had plenty of new intel. Every duel was recorded, including each action taken by both parties. She was able to accurately tell how Don Bane would respond to any opening attack.

BLADESCAPE: Level 63 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry
NATORA: Level 60 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 57 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 60 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts
THUNDERBORNE: Level 60 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts
KONPEITO: Level 60 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard
DIEMOND: Level 60 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry
DOOMBUNNY: Level 57 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search
KIEFER: Level 57 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging
SORYUTO: Level 56 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce
REISENKI: Level 58 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking

Episode 49 — Loving Dragon

Episode 49 — Loving Dragon
Nineteenth in the Month of Ash Tree (October 19) in the Year of the Dragon
Front Line Floor 41

The day had been a short one for the guild. Their first overnight XP grinding session was going to happen, so they called the day early. Bladescape would be leading Natora, Malus, Thunderborne, Konpeito, and Kiefer to the chosen grinding location. It would be a tiring night, but at least they had a permanent home to go back to. The rest of the guild, Soryuto, Doombunny, Diemond, and Knightstar would be training the next night. Their three guild leaders were doing level calculations in order to ensure they were keeping up with the rest of the Assault Team. It was an important factor for keeping them safe, but overnight training sounded horrible. Both boring and tiresome. They couldn't do it during the day since they had duties to the front, but it was not something Soryuto looked forward to.

For now, she didn't have to worry about it. She would get to bed early and get a good night's sleep, resting up as best as she could. Before that, she had some things to take care of. She didn't get to do it as often as she liked due to their schedule, but when she could, she quietly jumped on the opportunity.

Soryuto wasn't in her gear as she left their headquarters. She was in a green outfit with gold accents that Diemond had made her. It was much better to do this stuff in something comfortable, rather than her field gear. She stopped at a bakery on her way out and got food to go. Reisenki and Konpeito would likely pack her food, but they had other things to worry about, like cooking for the guild or their own lives. She didn't feel like imposing on them in their free time, not when purchasing food from an NPC would do the job.

Soryuto teleported to the Town of Beginnings. It was kind of a taboo place to go back to, especially since the crafters had left, but Soryuto was used to the town. It held its bad memories and emotions of that fateful day, but others eclipsed it. Outside Tolbana was one of those days, when they had lost Joltron and Lessa. Soryuto still had Joltron's shield. It was now mounted on her wall. Mounting a weapon removed it from being an active item. It didn't lose durability unless it was outside of a home. It was a way to preserve weapons and shields beloved by players, but had to be given up as they progressed. Once an item was mounted, it couldn't be unmounted. In her case, Joltron's shield was the only reason she was alive. That and his stubborn self-sacrifice.

Soryuto didn't speak with Kiefer or Reisenki about them. That was a taboo topic to the boys. They seemed more focused forward, on the fight ahead of them. They didn't want to look back because they knew it was bad. It was easier to ignore all the carnage left in the wake of the liberation effort.

But Soryuto couldn't do that. She didn't exactly blame the boys, but she didn't like it. She couldn't blame them since she had never spoken up about it.

Soryuto wound her way through the alleys of the Town of Beginnings until she found the inn. Inside, hiding out, was Alnair and Gauvaine. When SAO ceased being a game, Alnair and Gauvaine were unable to overcome their fear. They hid instead. It kept them alive, barely, but they were not living. Alnair had come around a bit, but was still very fearful and timid, but he couldn't leave Gauvaine who was still paralyzed in her fear, even after all of these months.

Almost immediately upon the start of SAO, the seven friends playing a video game together had shrunk to five. Not long after, it collapsed to three. That's why Kiefer and Reisenki didn't look back, they would stumble and trip on guilt, shame, and other emotions if they did. It wasn't their fault, but they would have to bear the emotions. Soryuto couldn't step forward without looking backwards.

Soryuto knocked on the door to their room. It took a moment, but it slowly opened as someone peaked out through the crack. Once they recognized that it was Soryuto, Alnair opened the door the rest of the way, stepping out of the way so she could enter. As usual, Guavaine was curled up on the bed. She wouldn't move for hours. The only reason she did was to eat and that was usually only at the coaxing of Soryuto or Alnair.

The cheap inn had a table and a single bed. It was smaller than most inn rooms and not comfortable to spend their entire day in. Soryuto had long since given up on the two of them leaving the Town of Beginnings for a nicer location. It didn't matter since they rarely left the room. They didn't make use of the safe zone or crafting to make money. They didn't go on walks in the safe zones. They did nothing but sit in their fear, consumed and paralyzed by it.

Hunger couldn't kill in SAO, but it was enough to drive a player mad. Soryuto set out on the table what she had picked up in Mishe. It took some work, but Alnair was able to coax Guavaine back to their current reality enough for her to come to the table and eat. She did smile at Soryuto before slowly eating.

There were only two chairs, which was fine, they needed them as they ate, while she didn't. Soryuto had eaten what Konpeito had made for an early dinner. She leaned against the wall by the table as she strummed her lute, singing a few Japanese folk songs. She didn't know how to play many, forcing her to repeat them, but her friends didn't seem to notice. Just playing the music for them brightened Soryuto's heart. It also brightened the mood of Alnair and Gauvaine.

When they were done eating, Alnair did dare to ask for an update. Soryuto kept them apprised of the Wondercolts and their progress. She specifically focused on Kiefer, Reisenki, and herself, but she couldn't avoid the other Wondercolts. Her two friends were happy that they had found a home with the Wondercolts. It gave them some hope, because they knew the three of them were safe, as safe as they could be, and that they had found friends to help tackle their fight for freedom together. It wasn't viewed by either Alnair or Guavaine as betrayal, they understood, but Soryuto couldn't help but feel like it was somewhat of one. A stupid, illogical feeling that her friends didn't share. Alnair and Gauvaine still mourned the loss of Joltron and Lessa, but nothing could be done about that.

Guavaine quietly ran out of energy and retreated back to the bed. Alnair chatted a bit more with Soryuto about nothing in particular, but even he was getting tired. Her visits were short, but emotionally exhausting for them. Soryuto left him with the col she could spare. It would provide them with what they needed to keep the inn room rented and from going insane from the hunger pains. She didn't know when she would be back, but they understood that and why. Alnair wished her luck and Soryuto departed so they could rest.

She went back, walking as quickly as she could, to the teleport plaza and teleported to Mishe. Back home, she withdrew to her room. As she sat in her desk chair, she looked at Joltron's shield. As good as it felt to see her friends and help them, the visits always left her drained. She would be discouraged and depressed for the rest of the evening, but tomorrow would bring rage.

The rage was threefold. It was about their situation; trapped in this death game, it was about her friends crippled by fear; and it was about her two lost friends. Soryuto was used to fighting with that anger, trying to direct most of it away from herself and feeling helpless, and into whatever monsters they were fighting. That rage had unlocked the skill Fighting Spirit and she would make use of it as she helped cut, hack, and slash their way out of this living nightmare.

BLADESCAPE: Level 63 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry
NATORA: Level 60 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 57 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 60 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts
THUNDERBORNE: Level 60 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts
KONPEITO: Level 60 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard
DIEMOND: Level 60 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry
DOOMBUNNY: Level 57 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search
KIEFER: Level 57 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging
SORYUTO: Level 56 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce
REISENKI: Level 58 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking

Episode 50 — Thunder Versus Lightning

Episode 50 — Thunder Versus Lightning
First Day in the Month of Cypress (November 1) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 42

Thunderborne thanked Argo for the information and left the shadow of the building they were conducting their business in. There were plenty of reasons why the top info broker kept to the shadows but none of them concerned Thunderborne, so long as she could find her when she needed her. Thunder had very few concerns and the information she had bought was her top priority, albeit not a very big concern. Nuisance was the better term for the situation.

For over a week she had been hearing players talking about the "Lightning Flash," a player who had earned that nickname for their speed. Thunderborne was the fastest in Aincrad, except the rumors weren't about her. The reported exploits of this “Lightning Flash” were not things the Wondercolts had been involved in. Now that she knew who they were about, Thunder needed to figure out how to fix the situation. There was only one logical way, a duel. The winner gets the title.

The only problem was that the player who had picked up the nickname wasn't a noob. They wouldn't be easy to beat. Asuna was Second-in-Command of the KoB for a reason and she was quick, but Thunder was faster. Sure, Asuna's skills with a rapier were to be applauded, but Thunderborne absolutely contested the idea that she was the fastest player.

The only logical way to solve that would be to see who could win in a head-to-head duel. It was risky, especially for members of the Assault Team, to duel. With their weapons and skills, a hard fought half-lose duel could result in either of their HP being barely above the halfway point, and taking critical damage could eliminate the last of it. Unfortunately, a first strike duel wasn't going to cut it. Either of them could get lucky with their speed. It would prove nothing if both could claim it was a fluke.

Malus was usually the person Thunder could compete against, but with how SAO's skills and stats worked, the two of them were not evenly matched in anything. Malus was undisputed when it came to strength and Thunder could run and flip her way around Malus all day long. Agility and speed were something Malus lacked. For a while they had competed for kill count, but soon Malus was doing more defending and less killing, eliminating that competition. They hadn't been able to find anything new they could compete in for a few months and the daily clearing activities were not a challenge, they were a grind. Dueling Asuna would have to suffice.

Asuna was a great swordswoman who Thunder respected. Thunder had seen her skill in combat many times. If it had been another nickname, she wouldn't even be considering it, but thunder came after lightning and Thunderborne couldn't have that. She was the carrier of thunder, the one giving birth to it, which made her lightning. Having Asuna be Lightning Flash simply wouldn't do.

Thunderborne went back to their headquarters to plot in the privacy of her room. She had to ensure Asuna agreed to a duel to settle this matter. She wasn't the type of woman to let go of a nickname as awesome as it was, even if she didn't come up with it. If challenged, she would stand by it or she would lose face. That worked in Thunder’s favor. Still, Thunder had to figure out how to overcome the stigma of a duel request.

The challenge had to be public. They had a field boss meeting in two days. That would be a good time to spring it, but she couldn't do so without any warning. Asuna could easily decline without taking a reputation hit if she was blindsided by the request and unprepared for such a resolution. Not that Thunder would blame her. She herself would have to consider a lot if someone randomly challenged her to a duel. A proper challenge really required a time to be set for the duel to take place.

Thunderborne decided to use a letter. She could have one of the other Wondercolts give it to a messenger. There was no formal postal service in Aincrad, but players had picked up messenger and courier occupations to make col. She didn't want Asuna to expect Thunder to be the one challenging her to a duel, only to be ready for one.

Second-in-Command, I respect you and I know that your skills have earned you a nickname. It may not be unduly given, but I hope you are prepared to back it up during the next field boss meeting. For honor, glory, and reputation; you will have to earn the right to bear that title.

Thunder was satisfied with that note. It was to the point and brief, but not incriminating Thunder or the Wondercolts. It should be enough to ensure Asuna was mentally ready for a duel. She sealed it in an envelope and wrote "Asuna of the Knights of the Bloodoath" on the front.

Someone knocked on Thunder's door. Thunder went to open it and see who it was. It was Natora.

"You missed dinner," Natora said, holding up a plate. "I know you had something to do."

"I was going to get to that," Thunder said as she took the plate of food. "Thanks. But I still have a letter to send. I need it to go out to a messenger for delivery."

"Any particular messenger or courier service?" Natora asked. "I'm free and you need to eat. You're supposed to go out training tonight with Bladescape, Knightstar, and Konpeito."

Thunder let out a sigh. She had forgotten about the overnight training trip. It was annoying, yet important. It kept her on the top of the curve for the Assault Team. She didn't want to lose that status. She valued that more than the inconvenient time of the day they were forced to train at and it was worth the exhaustion the following day. She would not easily admit that Bladescape's insistence of doing the training wasn't worth it. Natora and Knightstar publicly backed the training for a reason. They all knew how important it was, even if it was annoying. Annoying wasn't a reason to complain or skip out on it.

The Stone Giants in the catacombs under the city of Kourend on the thirty-sixth floor gave decent loot and great XP. They were a bit hard for Thunder to eliminate due to her use of a rapier, but she could and they always worked as a team. The site rotated, with each spawn point being slotted for an hour before the party switched out with the next one in line. At night, fewer players were trying to train, especially between midnight and four. Occasionally no one was waiting, so they kept going if they wanted to.

"Literally any messenger who keeps their lips shut," Thunderborne said. "I appreciate it. It is supposed to go to the Knights of the Bloodoath."

"That won't be hard," Natora said. “There are a few good services for that.”

Thunderborne brought the food to her desk and picked up the envelope. She gave it to Natora who promised that it would arrive there.

Thunderborne was waiting for Asuna to arrive. They were almost at the stated time to start the meeting, but none of the KoB had shown up. The city was fairly busy too. The meeting was also out in the open, in some circular stone ceremonial center.

Thunderborne had split off from the others as they headed into the meeting location. They probably didn't even realize she wasn't with them. Eleven members might be small, but they were all focused on the meeting or their next crafting task, or whatever Konpeito thought about. Her dreams of fighting hordes of taffy or marshmallow peeps were always entertaining to listen to, but she took it to the next level with some of her comments. She believed her dreams were no different from what they were doing in Aincrad. To Pinkie Pie, this was all one reality and dream. She might not even be able to separate fact from fiction anymore.

Movement caught Thunderborne’s eye. The KoB had finally arrived, and in force. Usually their third squad didn't show up. It was their backup or training squad. The members were used for clearing, but not boss fights, yet they were all present and walking closer together than normal. Heathcliff was at the head, but Asuna was traveling with her squad in a more protected position. The only reason to do that was if the letter had been read as a threat. So be it, as long as Asuna was ready to duel for her reputation.

Thunderborne stepped back from her perch on a rooftop, disappearing out of sight as they approached so she wasn't spotted. She let them get to the entrance of the meeting area before dropping down from the rooftop she was using. The three-story drop wasn't a problem for her due to her agility stats.

"Cutting it a little closer than normal," Thunderborne said, putting an aggressive edge on her voice to grab their attention.

The KoB immediately went into a defensive pattern to protect their Second-in-Command. That drew the attention of many of the members of the Assault Team, pulling them out of the meeting. Thunderborne saw Bladescape shake her head. Whether in shame or disapproval Thunder couldn’t tell from as far away as she was, but it was obvious Blade wasn’t happy. She would get a stern talking to from her Guild Leader later, but that didn't matter. Not right now. Thunderborne was here to lay down the challenge. Apparently, first she had to correct the record.

A knight stepped forward. Thunder didn't know him. She really only knew three members of the KoB: Asuna, Heathcliff, and Godfree. Thunder only knew of Godfree because Bladescape was getting cozy to the head of their training. Bladescape was often chatting with him when they were at the same training field and both guilds were out of rotation. Thunderborne left the politics to her and Natora for a reason.

This guy who had stepped forward with his sword half drawn was a creep. The black ponytail and wrinkles on his face made him look older than he likely was. He was in serious need of a day to chillax, but as anal as the KoB could be, he was still a step above their usual level.

"Who are you!" He demanded. "State your business!"

Every respectable member of the KoB knew who Thunderborne was and her armor's colors were a dead giveaway. Most of the Assault Team could at least pick her name out of a lineup. All of the Assault Team could certainly name her guild.

"Relax, I'm not here for you," Thunderborne said. "I've got business with Asuna and only her."

"You sent that threatening letter!" He exclaimed, actually going all the way to draw his oversized sword. They were in a safe zone. He could posture all he wanted, but he couldn't hurt her. If he tried anything, it would look really bad. Besides, she could easily dodge whatever he threw at her. He was big and slow compared to Thunder. Still, Thunderborne wasn't even going to touch her rapier unless they began the duel she requested.

" I don’t know what other kinds of messages you’ve been getting, but the letter I sent to your Second-in-Command wasn’t a threat," Thunder retorted. She had to get this guy to shove off. "She's safe, I'm no threat to her, but she has some explaining to do."

Asuna finally stepped forward. "Kuradeel, stand down," she commanded. "Thunderborne is an upstanding member of the Wondercolts who I trust. She too has some explaining to do.”

Asuna turned back to address Thunderborne, “We received an anonymous letter dropped off by a messenger. I didn't take it as a threat, but others on the counsel didn't want to risk it. We both have a meeting to get to, so explain yourself." Asuna was heavily laying on the "command" part of her title.

"Well if you had shown up a little bit early like usual, we would've been able to start on time," Thunder retorted. "Anyway, you've picked up a nickname and I'm here today not just for the meeting, but to challenge that nickname."

"And what title would that be?" Asuna challenged, making Thunder state it. She wasn't going to let it go easily, which was what Thunderborne wanted.

"They're calling you 'Lightning Flash,’" Thunder explained, not backing down. She still hadn't touched her rapier and Asuna hadn't touched her sword either. Others, including Kuradeel, were still ready for a fight.

"So what?" Asuna asked. "I didn't come up with it. I don’t know who did."

"No, you didn't and that's not my claim," Thunder said, trying to be patient. There was a dance to this that she needed to carefully perform in order to get Asuna to agree to defend the title. She couldn't lay it on too heavily, even as she backed her into the duel. "I didn't mean to make any form of threat against you in the letter. I don't know how that happened." Thunder made her declaration for all to hear. "I'm Thunderborne of the Wondercolts. I'm the bearer of thunder, the one who creates it. I am lightning. I can't let you get a nickname which overshadows my name. At least not without a proper duel to settle the matter."

"So that's what you want?" Asuna asked, not dropping her command voice. "A duel? Over a nickname?"

"I liked you better before you joined the Knights of the Bloodoath," Thunderborne stated, intentionally making a cutting remark to goad her into the duel. "We had fun in those early days; taking on bosses with a crackpot team of misfits. We eliminated bosses by our skill alone, as the spearheading guilds failed. We defied the system they had put in place. Then you disappeared and came back as this. Not that I dislike your look, rank, or the KoB, I just have a problem with that nickname."

"This is childish!" Asuna declared.

"Yeah, well, I'm clearly older than you, which means we're still children," Thunderborne flippantly shot back. That statement lit a fire in Asuna's eyes. "I sent you that letter so you'd be ready for a duel. I said you better be prepared to back up that nickname. That's it. I have no other intention than a friendly duel to see who’s the faster player. To settle the matter, once and for all; winner gets the title."

"Why is this so important?" Asuna pressed. Her voice had lost some of its command, but she wasn't begging. She genuinely wanted to know.

It was a reasonable request, so Thunder answered. "You only got it cause you're better known than me, because the spotlight is on the KoB. I can't compete against your fame, but I won't let you eclipse my good name without a challenge; a chance to see if you really deserve to come before me. Or if I really am the lightning that brings the thunder. I've tried my hardest to build a reputation as the fastest player. I've seen you fight. We fought side by side many times, sometimes literally, like against that evil tree floor boss. Their disastrous plans always ended up relying on us when they failed, cause they were charging ahead without thinking."

"It was disastrous, but isn't this the same? You're not thinking!" Asuna fired back. "You're charging ahead!"

"If I believed that, I wouldn't be issuing this challenge," Thunderborne stated. "This is about principle. About my honor and reputation. I can respect you and all you've done while still believing that you don't deserve the title others have given you."

Neither of them had touched their swords. For now, all that had been exchanged were words. If Asuna touched her rapier, that would admit that the duel should happen, on the flip side, it would be seen as too aggressive, coercive even, if Thunderborne touched hers. There would be no going back if one or both of them did. At this point, Thunder would accept a scheduled duel because of the misinterpretation of her letter. She probably could have written it better, explicitly stating a duel, but that was in the past. Hindsight was always clearer.

Heathcliff strode forward, but he didn't step in between them, staying off to the side. "I understand your reasoning, but I have to ask, for the safety of my Second-in-Command, do you truly understand the consequences and dangers of a duel? You obviously don't intend to issue a first strike duel."

He wasn't directly putting a stop to the idea, which was good for Thunderborne. It almost seemed like he was encouraging it. Coming out and endorsing it would be bad, because Asuna would have no option but to duel, but he still hadn't directly made a move to discourage it.

"Half loss," Thunderborne confirmed. "You voice a valid concern. I absolutely don't intend to harm Asuna. I may have liked her better before, but I still respect her, like a lot. I'll never deny all she has done for our campaign for freedom. She deserves more credit than players give her cause they never saw what I saw. They don't know what we did in those early days. If a first strike duel would settle it, I'd gladly choose that option. Unfortunately, our speed makes it too easy for either player, or even spectators, to claim the other got lucky. I'd accept not finishing a half loss so long as we have a clear winner. I don't intend to harm my friend, but I can't let the title go unchallenged."

"Your mind is made up then " Heathcliff stated. "I admire that. I also admire that you clearly have thought this request through. Yes, your letter was taken in a way that you didn't intend. I'm glad it isn't as serious as the consensus believed it was."

That was an interesting ending statement. Even Thunderborne could tell that Heathcliff didn't believe it was a threat, but while he was the head of the guild, he couldn't go against the combined will of his officers. Who in the guild had the clout that they could sway the actions of both the commander and second-in-command was an interesting question. Thunder didn’t know enough about the KoB’s leadership to know. She left the politics to Bladescape for a reason, but she did briefly wonder. It certainly didn't matter right now.

"Sorry about that," Thunderborne said. "I didn't want to expose who I was. An element of surprise isn't bad, but I also didn't want to put her in a position where she wasn't ready for a duel. I'd struggle to accept an unexpected duel. I’d totally understand why she’d deny it on those grounds. Still, that's why I said she should be ready to back up her nickname. I thought that would get the right message across, not the consensus drawn by the KoB. The way I see it, the only way to settle this is with a duel. How else could we prove who is faster? I don't want an undeserved title either. Is it really that bad that I want to challenge it and make her prove she truly deserves the nickname she was given?"

"No, it's not," Heathcliff admitted. "But that is my opinion. It is up to Asuna to decide. I won't force her to duel anyone, but I will enforce her decision if she chooses to decline. You are right though, there is only one way to settle such a matter."

"Well then," Asuna said with a nod. "I have one request before I agree."

"Name it," Thunderborne said.

"I want two members of the Knights of the Bloodoath to be on standby with healing crystals," Asuna declared. "The same for the Wondercolts. We've fought besides each other enough that I know you have a legitimate claim to the nickname, but while we should settle this, we should take appropriate steps to reduce the risks that come with a half-loss duel."

Having a healing crystal be used on one of the dueling parties would automatically forfeit the duel. It was a smart request.

"That's reasonable," Thunderborne said. "I accept." She swiped up her menu and issued the duel request.

Two knights under Asuna's direct command stepped forward with healing crystals at the ready. From where the Wondercolts were watching, Bladescape nodded to Malus and Kiefer, who both came over with red crystals in their hands. Anyone who didn’t know Sunset would think Bladescape was as calm as Commander Heathcliff, but Thunder could see her friend was not happy with her at all. She’d deal with that later though.

The four healers spread out so that one of them would be close if they were needed. The other Wondercolts moved to get to a place where they could spectate. Thunderborne had been concentrating on issuing the challenge and had missed the crowd that had amassed. It had grown a lot bigger than she ever expected. More than just the members of the Assault Team attending the meeting. They had kept the street mostly clear, anticipating the duel.

Asuna hit accept and the clock started ticking down. They had a minute to prepare as they drew their rapiers. Thunderborne was ready, but she could tell that Asuna had taken advantage of the talks to also mentally prepare herself. Thunder's surprise advantage was gone, but that was okay. It meant that they were as equal as they could be for the duel.

Interestingly enough, Thunderborne recognized the rapier Asuna was using. When Thunder had bought her boss fighting one from Lisbeth, she had gone back and forth between the two rapiers Lisbeth had on hand. The difference in stats was negligible. It came down to aesthetics. Thunder chose the fancier, carmine Pappenheimer Rapier called Ruby Saber over the plainer, silver Cup-Hilt Rapier with the emerald grip named Dawn’s Ray.

Thunderborne slipped into an inline stance, rapier straight out from her body and pointed at Asuna. Asuna didn't flinch at the move. She kept her rapier neutral as the clock ticked down. At the last moment, Asuna shifted her left foot forward, drawing her sword up by her head, parallel to the ground and pointed at Thunderborne.

As the buzzer sounded for the duel to start, Thunderborne blitzed Asuna, who stood still. She let her come. Thunderborne's sword position didn't change as she charged. It didn't leave Thunder many options for attacks, but that was the point. Asuna couldn't read her intention. This was a speed battle. Neither would fare well if they bound their swords. That would become a contest of strength, not speed.

Thunderborne flicked her wrist, causing the tip to roll out and then back on point. The moving blade as the distance between them disappeared triggered Asuna to respond. Her rapier flashed forward, glancing off Thunder's and then down to center mass. Thunderborne cleanly danced to the left, avoiding it. As she stepped, she brought her rapier into a diagonal slash that immediately transitioned to a low horizontal cut. Asuna skipped out of the way of the slash and blocked the cut with her sword. The tip was immediately flipped up into a thrust.

Thunderborne avoided it with ease. Their dance had truly begun as they made use of their swords without triggering any sword skills. They both had phenomenal muscle memory for each skill, able to perform the different actions without triggering a skill that would force them to complete it. They could switch, and did, if an opening was created by a counter strike or block. Their swords flashed brilliantly in the sunlight as their blades danced and sparked from the collisions. As fast as the attacks were, they each had strength and power behind them. The two fencers were clearly evenly matched in their strength stats.

Asuna was the first to trigger a skill. Thunderborne saw it in time and stepped into an aerial to avoid the Quadruple Pain. It was a rapid set of four thrusts. Thunderborne saw each one come as she flipped out of the way. As she avoided the attack, she got her rapier in position. As soon as her feet touched down, the initial motion was triggered and she set off Crucifixion, a sword skill that did six thrusts, three horizontally followed by three diagonally, forming a cross. Asuna avoided it by doing several back handsprings to create distance, barely leaving her delay in time to do so.

Neither moved, even when Thunderborne was released from her delay. They were deciding how to proceed. Thunderborne was quick, few could track her sword when she performed a speed based sword skill like Quadruple Pain or Crucifixion. None of the Wondercolts could. Tracking that much rapid movement was difficult and the only reason why Thunder could was because she had to track her own sword while fighting. It was a learned skill. Asuna's Quadruple Pain was faster than Thunderborne had ever seen performed, even by herself. She almost couldn't see it, but she knew the skill well enough to avoid the four thrusts. That was the issue. They could drive home a sword skill if the opportunity arose, but it didn't just expose them with the delay, they could read each other's skills and knew when an opening to counter strike would come.

It cemented Thunderborne's initial belief; that Asuna would have to be beaten without Sword Skills.

With her mind made up, a process that couldn't have taken more than two seconds, she charged, eliminating the distance between them in only a few steps. Asuna was slow to react and Thunder realized that she couldn't follow Thunderborne's charging speed as well as she could her rapier.

The dance of rapiers was once again performed as each stepped, blocked, thrust, and cut at their opponent. Attacks missed as their opponent avoided it and others were blocked, prompting split second redirections into either another attack or a block to stop the incoming counter strike.

It was a dangerous game and Thunderborne reveled in the challenge and ferocity of the duel. This was what she missed. Monsters didn't fight even a quarter as well as Asuna was. Maybe by floor 100 they could reach half their speed. The downside to monsters was that the rapier was a high speed weapon with low damage. You could quickly unleash a barrage of attacks, but each one was minor in its damage. That made fighting certain monsters very difficult.

Thunderborne spun. As hoped, it threw off Asuna's timing of her planned assault. Like during the charge, Asuna was slow to react to bigger movements which relied on agility or raw speed. Thunderborne played to that weakness, pairing her counters with spins, flips, aerials, and other acrobatics. Anything to give Thunderborne the advantage, and it worked. She scored the first hit on Asuna. It barely did any damage as it was a shallow cut from a thrust Asuna narrowly failed to avoid. If their time ran out, the system would recognize Thunderborne as the winner based on the overall reduction in hit points, but it would not be a win which could be celebrated or even force Asuna to abandon the title. It proved nothing. Thunderborne needed more.

Asuna quickly evened the score by landing her own glancing blow. Her sword danced almost too fast for Thunderborne to process. The longer they fought, the better Thunder felt about tracking it.

As the timer for the duel entered the last minute, Thunderborne brought her best to bear on Asuna, going for the fastest two combination attack she could throw before flipping backwards to avoid Asuna's counter. She was clear in two flips and immediately changed back in.

They actually locked blades as Asuna barely got her rapier in place to block it from impaling her. The bind was natural and they disengaged, jumping back from each other. As Thunderborne shifted forward to eliminate the distance separating them, Asuna also took the opportunity to charge. She made it a whole step before she stopped, hopping backwards as Thunderborne struck. Her thrust missed and Asuna countered with her own thrust. The five points made an X. Thunderborne blocked the first four and then was stabbed in the chest. The blade didn't go in more than an inch, but it was relentless as it was pulled back and another set of attacks was launched. Thunderborne blocked each one, getting in two good counters, but the low cut wasn't deep enough and the high thrust at Asuna's head was dodged simply by leaning slightly to left, letting it harmlessly pass. They were too close and Thunder was overextended from the attack. An upward diagonal slash was performed, slicing across Thunderborne's chest before Asuna eliminated the last of the space in between, grabbing Thunder and pulling her in close as a thrust was made. It pierced Thunderborne's abdomen. It wasn't too deep, that was clearly the goal, but it definitely dented Thunderborne's HP.

Thunderborne never got a chance to repay Asuna as the buzzer sounded. The match was decided, with Asuna clearly in the lead for eliminating the most HP. Thunderborne lost her grip on her rapier and it clattered to the ground in her defeat. It was an outcome Thunderborne knew was possible, but she also didn't expect to lose. Still, Asuna had cleanly bested her. There was nothing Thunderborne could have done to improve her chance at winning. Thunderborne would stick to her word and never raise even a hint of resistance over the nickname.

The crowd cheered for a solid minute as Asuna let go of Thunderborne and stepped back a pace. Thunderborne doubled over and fell on the ground as the pain from being impaled became too much without her adrenaline rush or Asuna holding her in tight. The crowd's cheering was about the spectacle they had just witnessed, not the result of the duel. Thunderborne wallowed in the sound of her defeat for a minute as the pain subsided.

"I yield to you," Thunderborne said as she sat up. The crowd stopped cheering to hear the words exchanged. "You have earned the nickname fair and square. I'll never challenge it again, Lightning Flash."

"You fought well," Asuna declared for everyone to hear. "I respected you before, but now I do even more. You have skill and an eye that exceeds most players in the Assault Team. It's admirable, to say the least. The Wondercolts are lucky to have you."

Thunderborne nodded to Asuna. She didn't see it as a defeat counted against Thunderborne. She saw the value of Thunderborne as a fighter and as an individual. The duel only helped her see that more clearly.

Asuna continued before the crowd eclipsed her. "Despite the outcome, it's clear that you are the overall faster and more agile player. My sword is quicker than yours, but that is a refined speed. Your refined speed may not be as fast as mine, but you blocked most of my strikes and saw them coming. Few can do that. Most players only see the flash of my rapier as it strikes like lightning. It surprised and thrilled me, because I know that you're fighting for our freedom and that we still get to fight side by side.

"I may be Lightning Flash Asuna, Second-in-Command of the Knights of the Bloodoath, but you are Thunderborne of the Wondercolts, the fastest player in Sword Art Online." Asuna held out her hand to help Thunderborne up.

"Thanks," Thunderborne said, as Asuna helped her up. "It was an honor to duel you and personally witness the skill I've seen displayed multiple times. I think we have a meeting we are now late to."

"Yes," Asuna nodded. As Thunderborne grabbed her dropped Rapier and sheathed it. "We need to get that underway."

Thunderborne was certain that no one heard what Asuna said as they walked side-by-side to the meeting. The crowd's general noise was too loud. "You may have lost, but neither of us stipulated that you would have to call me by that nickname. Let the others do what they wish. We have done too much together to let a nickname others came up with come in between our history. They choose it because they are too afraid to even use my title of Second-in-Command."

"Thanks, Asuna," Thunderborne said. "I hate titles. I never was big on them back home. I've done my best to be super respectful while in Japan, but I'm too chill for the culture. I thought I could handle four months and I could, but I never planned on being stuck in here."

Asuna laughed at that. "I don't know if you and your friends speak in any other languages, but outside of a slight accent, you can't tell you didn't grow up in Japan. Nowadays, many people live and travel for business and their children come back and visit, so a variety of accents are heard even by residents in international metropolitan centers like Tokyo."

"Thanks for the compliment," Thunderborne said. "If you sat me down, I still couldn't pick out regional accents no matter how hard I tried. It all just sounds the same to me. But I can understand the language, which is what matters."

"That is what matters," Asuna said with a nod. "He isn't as cold as he appears, but Commander Heathcliff does like a formal setting at all times. You would be wise to ensure you stay formal around him. As best as you can."

"Noted," Thunderborne replied before they split off.

Thunderborne headed over to where the Wondercolts were. It was only a few yards separating the two guilds. Bladescape was clearly focused on the meeting. The lack of eye contact meant she would have words to say once they were back home and she could let Thunder have it. This business came first and as guild leader, Bladescape had a responsibility to the other guilds that she had to meet. Natora flashed Thunderborne a smile and gave her a wink to express her approval of the fight.

BLADESCAPE: Level 65 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry
NATORA: Level 62 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 59 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 61 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts
THUNDERBORNE: Level 61 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts
KONPEITO: Level 61 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard
DIEMOND: Level 62 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry
DOOMBUNNY: Level 59 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search
KIEFER: Level 59 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging
SORYUTO: Level 58 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce
REISENKI: Level 59 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking

Episode 51 — Holly’s Eve

Episode 51 — Holly’s Eve
Twenty-Fourth Day in the Month of Holly (December 24) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 35 — Front Line 49

December Twenty-Fourth. That was the current date. They had been trapped in Sword Art Online almost fourteen months prior. Over fifteen hundred players had died since. Players had risen to fame and then flopped. Guilds had come and gone in similar fashion. The Knights of the Bloodoath now led their efforts to free the players, while Kibaou was sulking on the first floor. The Divine Dragon Alliance was always vying to be the strongest, but their council had lost touch with who they originally were.

Despite the ups and downs, the Wondercolts were stable. They had been the most stable element since this death game started. Nothing has shaken them. They had taken on field bosses and floor bosses. They had been, at minimum, strong players in each floor boss raid. And they now had their own headquarters.

Bladescape cut down the bipedal ant that came at her through the narrow crevasse. The location proved to be great for grinding XP. The ant hill supplied a very steady stream of the ants, but they were forced to come at the players one at a time due to the terrain. With low defense and high attack, it was easy to eliminate an ant, suffer the delay, and come out of the delay with plenty of time to prepare for the next one.

Bladescape was killing time while doing some solo leveling. She was nearly at level 70, which would give her a new skill slot. No one else in the guild was close enough to push it. Most everyone was getting their headquarters ready for the Christmas festivities. Doombunny had some business that likely was over by now. Diemond had several projects that she was working on, and Konpeito and Reisenki had gone shopping for food.

But it was not just in their headquarters. Mishe had snow gently falling for atmosphere and decorations hung. Most cities had been decked out for the holidays. Players barely cared last year. Now they had more to celebrate. There was still plenty to mourn, but they could celebrate plenty and most were. It might be Aincrad, but it felt right to celebrate the holidays that they could.

The Wondercolts would be hosting a dinner in their headquarters for some friends. Agil had accepted the invitation. Although they rarely fought beside him anymore, they saw him fairly often as they sold excess equipment to him. He moved the good stuff to the intermediate players who needed it to make it to the front; not that his vendor cart appeared to be a charity. It wasn't and that was the beauty of it. How it functioned mattered more than how it looked, especially with the egos most gamers had. He knew how to drive a fair and hard bargain, or appear to do so, while barely making a profit so that they could advance the front.

Lisbeth had also accepted the invitation. They worked pretty often with the smith. It was rare for them to get a weapon enhanced by someone else. She was good at what she did and since the Foundry had fallen apart, she was alone. Alone and still running her business off the vendor carpet. Most crafters were and she was still using inns. Her profits were basically reinvested into materials to make new things to build her skill levels and therefore allow her to make better equipment. She couldn't afford a permanent place to rest her head and would also be spending the night in their guest room. The same could not be said of their other friends.

Fuurinkazan, as a guild, had been fun to get to know. They were a solid guild and good guys who had proven to be fun to clear dungeons with when they needed a third party. It wasn't Bladescape's suggestion to invite them, but she wasn't going to resist it once it had been put out there during their planning meeting. It would certainly strengthen ties between the two guilds, something that could easily prove to be a huge benefit in the long run.

Bladescape could put up with Klein's boyish antics and pick-up lines. She was used to him being a goof. The amount it annoyed her was dwindling and something that she had realized a while ago was on her, not him. It had devolved into a jest, a rhythm, or a regular exchange. He meant nothing more of it than to get a laugh at his goofiness through self-deprecation. Bladescape was too hyper focused and needed to relax more. Klein was a good guy with a solid head on his shoulders who led Fuurinkazan for a reason. Just observing him fight made that evident.

Kiefer, Soryuto, and Reisenki had two other friends, Alnair and Gauvaine, they had started SAO with, however, they were quietly residing in the Town of Beginnings. They were too afraid to leave the safety of the town and they rarely saw each other because of their respective choices. Alnair and Gauvaine were a “maybe” for dinner because of it. It would depend on if they could get Gauvaine to leave the inn room. If they couldn't, Soryuto, Kiefer, and Reisenki would bring them food a little later on. They would spend at least part of the holiday together as friends, like they should.

Kirito was a no. He had quietly declined the offer. Something else was bugging him. He was more aloof than usual, as well as mopey. Asuna was also a no, spending time with her guild, as they had something planned. Neither of their choices were unexpected, but they were important offers to extend.

Argo was a maybe. She couldn't commit to anything, ever, and the game was still going to be progressed by some players. Not everyone would take a holiday break. With many people taking a break, it would be a good time for her to clear some quests. The offer was a standing one, leaving it up to her. She at least knew there were players who wanted her around for the holidays.

Yuna had perished two months prior, making inviting her impossible. Her small team had fractured without her, going their separate ways. The Wondercolts didn't have contact with them and couldn't send invitations. Knightstar had been working with quite a few players recently to gather some intel, but they all were getting together with other friends.

The holidays were a time of family and friends, yet they also highlighted when you didn't have as many friends as you thought. The Wondercolts knew a good chunk of players, but they were close to relatively few.

While they had declined the meal, Meigibu would swing by later for some shared dessert. They had mealtime plans with their guild. It was probably for the best because of the size of their guild. Dessert was easier to feed a lot of people than a full meal would be. Meigibu was triple the size of the Wondercolts.

Regardless, Konpeito, backed by Reisenki, were going all out on the meal. The shopping list was full of "A Class" ingredients, which came with a hefty price. They were not as rare and costly as "S Class" food items, but they had given Konpeito an ample budget to purchase what she needed to make the massive meal. How she got it done was up to her. She knew what it would cost to get the ingredients and their council didn't. Konpeito had never been this excited about a meal, at least not in Aincrad, and neither had any of the Wondercolts. She fed them all well, but she was bent on breaking all previous expectations.

Bladescape leveled up when it was nearly ten O’clock. She had five minutes left in her rotation and decided to finish it out. Then she backed out, swapping with the next player waiting. It was exciting to get to Level 70, but only for the big Seven-O, not for the skill slot. All nine of her skills were combat or support of the combat skills. Two-Handed Sword, Weapon Defense, and Blade Throwing were straight combat skills. Leather Armor supported her defense stats. First Aid was a one-time booster for how well potions reacted with her, but more importantly it was a key step to unlocking Battle Regeneration, which automatically restored health while in combat. Search was a utilitarian support Skill that had combat and non-combat uses. Sprint helped her mostly in combat to not fall so far behind their faster players, specifically Natora and Thunderborne, and provide them with backup if the tanks were lagging behind. Extended Weight Carry was a great support Skill, as it basically negated the weight of her equipment and allowed her to carry more stuff. A long dungeon dive or full day in a labyrinth could easily fill up the carry limit of a player. Sure, things could be ditched, but not having to sort the junk out in the field was nice. It was easy to miss the value of certain items while sorting in the field.

Bladescape knew well ahead of time what she would be choosing. She set her tenth skill as Acrobatics. Since she was using Leather Armor, which was lightweight, much of her defense came through evasion. She could certainly take a hit, but she wasn't a tank. That particularly mattered for her ability to act after taking a heavy hit, or rather, lack of an ability to act. If she could avoid a strike, she would. Acrobatics would boost her ability to dodge as well as give her new attack angles to work with once she could leap higher. She would always be a more grounded fighter, unlike Thunderborne, Natora, or Asuna. The three of them could practically float through large groups of monsters, but they all had lighter weapons. Bladescape's swords were getting very heavy. They were beyond heavy in the real world, technically unusable, but her strength was also beyond what she could obtain in the real world.

Bladescape headed back to the closest teleport plaza and went back to Mishe. Her shoulders had a dusting of snow on them by the time she made it to their headquarters. She brushed it off and stepped inside.

The city has been revamped to look festive, but it had nothing on their headquarters. Bladescape had left before they had started decorating it. Now it was full of wreaths, evergreen garlands, holly, pinecones, and red bows. It was an impressive display they had put on. She had not realized they were going to go as far as they did. If she had, she would have stayed to help. Today was supposed to be preparatory, not actual work. They didn't do any clearing because too many members needed to specifically prep some element for tomorrow’s gathering.

She heard laughter coming from the dining room and headed there. The next door over was Diemond's crafting room. It was closed and had a "KEEP OUT" sign taped on it. Around the dining room table were Natora, Knightstar, Thunderborne, Konpeito, Reisenki, and Lisbeth. They were enjoying some treats and hot coco.

"Blade!" Konpeito exclaimed, hopping out of her chair with joy. "Join us!"

"Alright," Bladescape said, unequipping her sword before taking a seat. Konpeito put a mug of coco in front of her. "The place looks great. I didn't realize you were doing as much as you did. Now I feel bad about not helping."

"That wasn't the plan," Knightstar clarified. "But once we got going," she shrugged, "well it was fun and we didn't have a reason to stop."

"Was your day successful?" Natora asked.

"Yes, it was successful," Bladescape said with a smile as she sniffed the mug of coco. It was hard to believe it wasn't real. "I hit my personal level quota." She couldn't stand being coy, even with Lisbeth present. "I hit level Seventy."

Lisbeth choked on her cookie in surprise. "That puts you as one of the highest level players in SAO, right?"

"Yes, it does," Bladescape said with a nod.

Her Silver Sagacity Circlet allowed her to see other players' level stats as part of its vague base visual perception boost, but she had to keep reminding herself that she was the exception to the rule. No one else saw it. Kirito had been grinding hard to get to 70 and he beat her by about an hour or so. They both had several levels on everyone else, including Commander Heathcliff. Learning to put a filter on that ability was tough, but something she was working on. Their levels were private for a reason. She did not want to intrude on that. It wasn’t why she had the circlet.

"Did you at least choose a non-combat, fun, skill?' Thunderborne asked.

"You're one to talk," Bladescape shot back. "You're straight combat like me. Acrobatics might be fun to you, but that's not how it's seen by the system."

Thunderborne huffed, defeated by her own argument.

"How focused are you all?" Lisbeth asked. "If you want to tell me. I get it if you don't."

"Most of us are fully combat," Natora admitted. "Some have a skill or two that are breaks. Fishing, cooking, sewing, musical instruments, and such. Being on the front necessitates that focus."

"It's not much different than me," Lisbeth said. "I have mace and shield skills for when I need to personally gather materials, but otherwise I'm fully focused on the weapon crafting skills. You're on the front, so it makes sense."

"It just doesn't help during down time and mandatory breaks," Natora added. "But yes, we have to primarily be focused there. Diamond is our most diverse player, since she is crafting our armor, or trying to, but those are a smaller list of skills than the weapon creation ones."

"Yes, they are,” Lisbeth said, with a nod before grabbing a cupcake. "Still. I wouldn't change my path. I'm satisfied with my progress and can hold my own in a fight."

"And that’s what matters," Bladescape said. "Side question, as I assume Diemond is crafting, but where are Doom, Kiefer, Soryuto, and Malus?"

"Diemond's craft room is the only one we couldn't decorate," Knightstar stated. "She closed the door and won't let anyone in. We have no idea what exactly she is doing."

That was more secretive than Diemond usually was. Something clearly had her occupied.

"Malus is fishing," Thunderborne explained. "She'll be back before breakfast. Kiefer and Soryuto are doing something, but I'm not sure what. They left after dinner, before Lis got here. Doom is doing her best to increase her drug mixing skills. She hasn't had a lot of time to experiment lately."

They stayed chatting a little later than they should have. Bladescape showed Lisbeth to their guest quarters. She was impressed at the set up. It always seemed cramped to Bladescape, but with the dividers, they successfully partitioned off the room into six mostly private sleeping areas. It was more than enough for Lisbeth, especially for a night or two.

Lisbeth knew where Bladescape's room was if she needed anything, so Bladescape retired to her bedroom. She hung her sword up on the wall and manually removed her equipment, placing the armor on its own stand. There was something peaceful about doing so. Putting it on when it was hung up wasn't just a few clicks. It was still pretty quick, but not nearly instantaneous like it was when it was in her inventory. When she put her equipment on the stand or rack, it was going to stay there for at least a day. She didn't do it every night, so it signaled to her brain that the next day was special. That she could relax, a least a little bit more than normal.

Her sword was not mounted, although the rack looked similar. Mounting a sword permanently made it a wall hanging, not a weapon, meaning it did not degrade like equipment's durability always did. She did have several others mounted, like the Valerian Shashka and the Ancient Red Sun Sword. Her Ancient Mountain Sword was not mounted either because she used it to practice Iaido on the roof.

When she could practice Iaido, she did. Bladescape was still on the first form and didn't know if she would ever try to advance. She didn't want to form any bad habits if she messed up the form. That's why instructors were there, to guide and adjust her form. It was relaxing in ways, yet it also helped her focus. She usually did it the morning of a boss fight to prepare her body and mind for the upcoming raid. It wasn't something that completely decoupled her from the front line and provided her rest.

Bladescape didn't have anything to sort out of her inventory. The ant hill was great because they only dropped a little bit of Col. While grinding away for XP, her inventory wasn't being filled up with junk.

With her pajamas on, Bladescape laid down in bed. She still had not dreamt since diving in SAO. Some part of her had hoped that getting her own room would change that, but it hadn't. She rarely remembered her dreams back home, but she knew she dreamt at night. Now she didn't, yet she knew that the others did dream normally, or normal for them. Konpeito had a continuously playing dream adventure in a world full of sugar and candy.

Besides sometimes being groggy, the only way she knew she had slept was that the clock in her vision, when her eyes were open, had changed by a significant amount. She closed her eyes at 02:31 and opened them at 08:41. A little over six hours had passed in the blink of an eye. Her time in Aincrad was almost like one long day. The night or sleep didn't create the feeling of a break or pause. That was, in her opinion, why it was much easier for her to grind away at night for XP while the others struggled to push themselves when they really got tired. Daily the others reacted like they had slept, she failed to. That was ultimately very concerning, but something she knowingly pushed out of her mind. She couldn't worry about a potential crash because there was no way to stop or fix how she was functioning. Perhaps it was a form of FNC, FullDive Non-Conformity. Ultimately it didn't matter because she wasn't harmed or hindered by it. She still fought bosses and was one of the best in the Assault Team. To date, she had not missed any of the boss raids.

What did almost harm her was the package she nearly tripped over. She hadn't seen it in front of her door when she opened it. Several other doors had packages in front of them as well. This one had her name on it. She brought it inside and closed her door. It was wrapped in green paper with a red bow. She unwrapped it and found a luxurious set of silk lounge wear that accented her olive skin yet pulled out her eyes in a way only Rarity, no matter what dimension, reality, or name, could pull off. They had told their guests to come in relaxed clothes. These were nice enough, and not revealing, that they could be appropriate to wear all day, especially in the setting Diemond had envisioned for the day.

Bladescape changed into them and headed downstairs. She could hear Konpeito in the kitchen, laughing and babbling away as she cooked or baked. It sounded like others, besides Reisenki, were in the kitchen too, except Konpeito wasn't letting anyone say anything. That wasn't unusual. The extra people in the Kitchen were Malus, Doombunny, and Thunderborne. They each were in the special loungewear Diemond had made them. Konpeito's made her look like a candy chef and Reisenki's was basically the same, but manly. Black and red were much more manly colors, and sharper, than pastel pink and pastel blue. His also wasn't made to mimic any confections, while hers definitely did with bits of fabric that looked like sprinkles.

Konpeito wasn't working on breakfast, not yet, so there was no need for Diemond to be up after her very late night. They were planning on a late breakfast since the special meal would be later than a normal lunch to allow for everything to be made. Still, Konpeito had breakfast snacks for them.

"How did fishing go?" Bladescape asked Malus as she picked out a mini muffin.

"Caught some mighty fine ones," Malus said. "I sold most of em or gave em away, but I snagged a few A Class species that were a good size. Konpeito is gonna add em to the menu."

"There's no such thing as too much food!" Konpeito exclaimed. "We have a lot of mouths to feed."

"Nice," Bladescape said as she ate the mini muffin.

"Did you get your level?" Malus asked.

"Yep," Bladescape nodded. "I'm level seventy."

"Nice," Malus said, fist bumping Bladescape. "Fishing leveled me up too. That was a happy surprise."

"I didn't see you last night, Doom," Bladescape said. "I know I got in late. I was told you were working on more poisons from Colorra. How did that go?"

"That's only half true," Doombunny sweetly stated. "Colorra is snoozing after her feeding, she is happy to have the day off from fighting. She can get me more venom because of it, however, I wasn't working with it yesterday. I was trying other ingredients."

"How does that work?" Malus asked. "I understand mixin from the bakin I've done, but I've been too chicken to ask about your drug Skill."

"Think of chemistry class," Doombunny explained. "Like, any of the chemical reactions we did where solutions changed colors and properties. That's what mixing is. There are distilling agents and concentration agents, sort of like acids and bases. Combined with one or more other ingredients they will either create a liquid that causes a negative effect or a positive effect. Positive effects are healing or status removal. Negative would be poison or paralyzing agents. I need to find what else works while I also build up a stockpile of Colorra's venom. Ruby Krait venom is probably the rarest mixing ingredient in Aincrad. They certainly won't make it easy to get and, unless you are willing to consistently risk your life killing them for a tiny amount of it, well, otherwise you can't farm it. I can farm it thanks to Colorra. Once I know more about what works and what doesn't, I can start to begin to experiment with her venom to create stronger and longer lasting poisons and anti-poisons.

"There may be other positive enhancers that are currently undiscovered. Only time will tell as the herbalists start to investigate it."

"Herbalists?" Thunderborne asked. "I thought we were talking about drug making?"

"Yes," Doombunny said with a nod. "Since I came out in the boss raid meeting, a few others have taken up the skill as herbalists. They only make positive items. They don't deal with poisons or venom. They can do some general anti-poison herbal solutions using bases to soak up the acids."

"It's a semantics game," Bladescape stated. "The skill can do both positive and negative things, so they use a name that emphasizes the positive side."

"Mhm," Doombunny curtly replied.

Natora joined them in the kitchen. She was excited to try the fish Malus had caught. She had been craving sashimi, but any fish would do. Konpeito hadn't cooked anything with fish yet. Fish wasn't the most accessible in Aincrad, there were not any commercial fisheries, and they were from freshwater sources, not the open ocean. If that even mattered in Aincrad.

Kiefer and Soryuto were the next to join them, but they had come from the Town of Beginnings. They had spent the night there, in the nicest inn in the city, with Alnair and Gauvaine. They had been trying to encourage Gauvaine to do more than cower in fear in the same, small, inn she had secluded herself to. There was a good chance the two of them would join the Wondercolts for the celebration, even if it was just for a short bit. Both of them headed off to change out of their regular clothes to match with everyone else. When they came back, Lisbeth and Knightstar were with them. Lisbeth's lounge wear was wine-red and gold with black accents, which matched well with her brown hair and brown eyes.

They were just missing Diemond, which was expected and fine. Her door had a "do not disturb" sign on it and the crafting room was still labeled off limits. Diemond had done a lot the day before to make their Christmas tablecloth and napkins, as well as about half of the other decorations, before setting off on whatever project that had ultimately consumed her. It seemed like it was more than the clothing she had gifted them to wear today. No matter where she was, Diemond was a fashionista who lived by the seasons of fashion and listened to the call of inspiration.

When breakfast finally came, it was a relaxed affair. Most of them had been snacking anyway, so they didn't need much to satisfy their half-filled stomachs. Afterwards, they had to move the dining room table to the meeting hall.

BLADESCAPE: Level 70 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 68 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 64 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce
MALUS: Level 66 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts
THUNDERBORNE: Level 66 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts
KONPEITO: Level 66 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard
DIEMOND: Level 68 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry
DOOMBUNNY: Level 64 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search — Listen
KIEFER: Level 65 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing
SORYUTO: Level 64 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics
REISENKI: Level 64 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining

Episode 52 — Holly

Episode 52 — Holly
Twenty-Fifty Day in the Month of Holly (December 25) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 35 — Front Line 49

Their Christmas tree stood proudly in the meeting hall, wrapped with gold garlands and blue orbs. It was the last vestige of blue and gold in their headquarters. None of the Wondercolt banners were up. All of them had been replaced by the Christmas decorations and banners. The meeting hall also had a few more tables that they would need to seat everyone. The dining room table was placed in the center and two work tables were added on the ends, both pointing towards the door to create a blocky, C shape, master table. With the tablecloths on it, the five tables passed as one.

They had plenty of chairs, albeit two different styles. To visually tie the differences together, they all had red bows on their backs. The tablecloths were red with gold horse heads as the border. The evergreen napkins likewise had a gold horse head embroidered on their face. The horse heads were more stylized than what the guild badge could be, but that was the point. The guild badge was for quick identification. What they could make or wear was significantly more detailed.

While everyone else made the tables look pretty, Malus, Bladescape, Kiefer, and Natora helped move their couches down from the second floor. It wasn't a problem if their guests went up there, they had nothing to hide. After all, Lisbeth had spent the night. They just didn't want to spread out onto two floors when they were supposed to be together. The main hallway had plenty of room and with the dining hall now empty, it made another good place to put sofas and cushioned chairs. It kept them together even when they spread out more.

They had just finished finalizing everything when Diemond gracefully came down the circular staircase. She walked like a princess and sparkled like one too. SAO did have makeup, but none of them had been using it, not even Diemond. That was until today when she radiantly sparkled from her nails to her eyelashes. Her hair had icicles and snowflakes woven into its locks.

"Wow, Die, I forgot what you looked like in makeup," Thunderborne heckled.

"Darling, I always shine my brightest and look my best," Diemond kindly replied. "But sadly it is true, in Aincrad looking my best requires me to swing a rod of iron from inside a metal suit. It does leave a lot to be desired for fashion and beauty. I forgot how divine makeup makes me feel." She let out a long, content sigh. "It felt so good to put on this morning. I've missed doing my beauty regimen. Aincrad isn't lacking anything. We might have had our original avatars stripped from us, but it has a full complement of makeup, hair dye, nail polish, and anything else one might need to customize how they look. You can even get your hair cut. Or rather, styled. They can take or add hair to fit the style since it doesn't grow in here. Thankfully Aincrad does not replicate split ends.

"Now, enough about me, I know the boys will give me plenty of attention when they arrive, which will be soon. You all have this place looking fabulous! Brava!" She gave a few small claps for them. "The table is properly set too. That's wonderful."

"Crystal Prep had several formal dinners each semester," Knightstar said. "I helped set up and attend plenty while going to school there. It was a requirement to learn that aspect of high society. I better be able to remember it all. Setting it up and knowing when to use each piece of tableware is a lot easier than actually doing it during a dinner; when the pressure is on."

"That is something everyone should experience at least a little," Diemond stated. "But no, it's not easy to give a formal performance in those settings. We can put it out properly without expecting a performance from our guests. Setting the table properly is important for atmosphere, but it's our loungewear that will ultimately set the mood."

"About that," Natora said. "I doubt Diemond is, but is anyone else concerned that the boys in Fuurinkazan are going to come way too dressed up?"

"Absolutely," Bladescape said, letting out a laugh. "Klein will no doubt use it to transition to a pickup line. Agil will come relaxed, I'm just not sure what he has, not that it matters."

"We certainly are wearing high-class 'relaxed' clothes," Thunderborne stated.

"I've got it taken care of," Diemond said, waiving the concern off. "I didn't expect them to have something to match the mood I'm setting."

Bladescape's vision flashed as a notice came in. It was from the Headquarters, letting her know someone was in the front room. Every Wondercolt got the same notice, but Bladescape was the one who went to get the door. That was her duty, her honor, as head of the guild. She was the appropriate person to greet their guests.

She opened the door to find Klein, Dynamm, Dale, Harry One, Issin, and Kunimittz standing there in sweats and T-shirts. Klein still had his red bandana on, but otherwise they looked like they had just come from the gym. It was perfectly acceptable attire for their casual holiday celebration. Fuurinkazan had promised that they would bring the drinks and they certainly came prepared. They all had bottles or kegs with them.

"Welcome, everyone," Bladescape said, smiling at them as she stepped back to let them inside. "Please, come in."

"Doll face, did you dress up just for me?" Klein asked as he stepped past her with the largest keg on his shoulder. He was absolutely showing off by how he carried it.

"Nah," Bladescape replied. "I did it for Agil."

"Ouch!" Klein exclaimed. "That's cold."

Dynamm and Dale began to tease Klein for setting himself up for that one.

"I hope I'm not late!" Agil said as Bladescape started to close the door.

Bladescape had to whip her head around to double check that it was him. The outside door wasn't even fully closed yet. She hadn't missed him. He had just arrived.

She smiled at him. "Agil! It's so wonderful to see you. Please, come in. You're right on time."

"Wow," Agil said as he stepped fully inside and saw their headquarters for the first time. He turned to Bladescape to say something but all he said was another "wow." He was in khaki slacks and a fitted black shirt. "The invite said relaxed and casual, but clearly you have a different idea of what that means than I do."

"Diemond does what Diemond does best," Bladescape said with a laugh.

"It looks like everything is set up for down here, but I would love a tour of the place if I could get one," Agil added.

"Of course you can," Bladescape said. "We just wanted everyone together, which doesn't work well when the living room is on the second floor. It just feels different."

"I feel you there," Agil stated as he took another look around. "This place couldn't have been cheap. When did you get it?"

"Pretty much right after Mishe was found," Bladescape admitted. "And no, it wasn't. It wiped us, but we have always been smart with our finances, thanks to Knightstar."

"That's good, cause the Wondercolts are known for their generosity," Agil said. "That's important, but so is a place of your own. If I had heard that you sacrificed on your own place to help others, I would call that a bad move. You're only as good as you are because you have a good home. Or, well, because you were taking care of yourself before you got a home."

"Actually, we had one in Tolbana," Bladescape admitted. "That was a lucky thing. We rented the upstairs of an NPC house long term. Like, a few months. It was a place to fall back to, albeit a plain one. Still, Konpeito could raise her cooking skill there without fighting other players for the limited public ovens and ranges. Plus, we could store things there. Then the NPCs moved because they could afford to with the income renting it brought, and they apparently had a kid on the way, however that works, and they wanted a better place, so they offered it to us first, before posting it to the open market."

"Wow," Agil said. "That’s lucky. I almost wish I could have seen it. That would have been one of the earliest places bought. The intermediate players only started settling down in the late spring. The crafters started buying cheap places around that time too, not stores yet, because of the moving front. I'm still operating from a vendor cart, which can be tough. My one-bedroom hovel on the thirtieth floor isn't much more than a bed in a small room."

"We do have some other considerations," Bladescape admitted. "Like the kitchen." She motioned for Agil to follow her as she started the tour. "The Tolbana house is actually still owned by me. I bought it from the guild to help cover the cost of this place. Mostly for sentimental reasons. It had a fireplace to cook with, but this…" Bladescape trailed off as Agil whistled at their kitchen.

"I can tell Konpeito uses this entire thing," Agil said as they watched Konpeito and Reisenki work.

"Yeah, she does," Bladescape admitted with a laugh as she led Agil to the dining room. "She loves that today she gets to cook for everyone. This is making her year. But back to what I was saying. When you have eleven players, a guild has not only different needs, but also a different budget. We were primarily looking for a place that had the amenities for our crafters and players, less so with the bedrooms. We needed a big kitchen, a big enough place for us to eat and gather, plus crafting rooms and such.

"The guild tax comes in handy. Ours isn't high. We've adjusted it a few times. No matter what, it's been hard to notice that the taxes were automatically removed. Okay, floor bosses I can sometimes tell, but daily, it's not noticeable. Anything a member needs, they still make plenty to cover. Factor in reduced costs for bed rentals and food, well we still sometimes rent places purely out of convenience and occasionally eat out, but if Konpeito or Reisenki are cooking, it comes out of the guild's funds."

"That's a sweet deal you have set up," Agil said as they got to the second floor. "You have to have a good overhead if you are doing that."

"I guess," Bladescape shrugged. "It makes sense, at least to us. They raised their skill and we get fresh food, better than what can be bought. Especially for Konpeito. Reisenki is learning from her, but she has been baking for a long time. She is more familiar with food than he is and has naturally adapted to cooking in Aincrad. Reisenki chose the skill to help her out and all of us. We really appreciate that and he certainly has made it worth it with how well he is progressing and adapting to the skill. Eleven players are a lot for one person to cook for. As a guild, we give each other the best we can."

Agil peeked into Knightstar's library. The door was open. Knightstar would have closed it if she didn't want it to be seen. It was in perfect order.

"That's all of Knightstar's work?" Agil asked, shocked.

"Most of it is hers," Bladescape clarified. "But she has been getting some of the player made material and classic books now being sold. But yeah, we collect a lot of data for her. Like I said, we give to each other a lot in how we work and function as a guild."

"Meanwhile you lead them where they need to go," Agil said.

"Yes," Bladescape nodded as she led him up to her room. "But I do have to keep all of it in mind. Natora helps with that and so does Knightstar, but yeah, it mostly falls on me to ensure that we do what we need to in order to keep the promises and status quo we set, plus drive the machine that helps us help each other."

Bladescape pointed to the two doors at the end of the hallway. "Two bathrooms with pretty nice tubs are on each bedroom floor. If you ever need or want a hot bath, all you have to do is ask. I have the feeling your hovel doesn't have that amenity."

"No, it doesn't," Agil admitted. "I like that I don't get dirty, but a relaxing bath does sound good. I’ll take you up on that soon."

"And this is my room," Bladescape said as she opened the door. "Rooms were a secondary consideration and we were willing to double or quadruple up, but this place has twelve bedrooms, six on each floor. Everyone has the same size and they are considered personal property. Only guild administrators can open a member's door through an override procedure. We do get privacy from the others."

"And plenty of space," Agil said as he slowly turned around to see it all. He was scratching his head in shock. "I recognize every weapon you mounted, which was a good move. Earlier, I didn't use 'hovel' lightly. It's not just missing a tub, my place is half this size. It fits a bed, small table with a tiny lamp and a single chair that's too small for me. I've got a window barely bigger than my head to look out of while sitting at the table and to help give me light during the day. I also have one chest to store stuff. Everything is basic and it takes up all of the space I've got. I'm happy to have all I do, I'm just shocked to see the difference in what a guild can achieve compared to a single player."

"It's definitely got its advantages," Bladescape said. "Specifically in the amenities a headquarters can provide, but you would be in a different spot if you were always with the Assault Team, advancing the front. You now spend most of your time as a merchant. You do a lot of amazing and valuable stuff, more than most players realize, but you have to put that profit back into the business."

"True," Agil replied. "I do it so naturally, it's hard to remember sometimes."

"When we first ran into Fuurinkazan, they had quite a few pieces that we had sold you," Bladescape added with a chuckle.

Agil laughed heartily. "I remember when they bought it. It wasn't the first time they had come to me, but you missed each other by only a few minutes. Klein bartered hard for that katana. He thought he got the better of me. Probably still does. I didn't know you would soon work side by side in the next boss raid."

"And here they are today!" Bladescape happily exclaimed. "Joining us for this celebration. We couldn't have seen it coming back then, but we're glad it did."

"You all are a friend to everyone," Agil stated. "Many players would call you friend, but you only call a few friends."

"That's the nature of our position," Bladescape said with a nod. "Giving away map data like we do does a lot of that. We don't hesitate to heal or give out health potions and crystals to those in need. I think it's fair to say that most of the assault team and a quarter of the clearers have been healed by us, directly or indirectly. Being a consistent element and strong force in the boss battles helps too."

"It's the little things that go a long way," Agil said. "That's why I'm glad you have this place. You deserve it. I know it only makes you better."

"We are trying to build more ties with some other guilds," Bladescape added. "That's one of today's peripheral goals, but that's difficult. Players befriending players is way easier than befriending the whole guild. We have our connections…"

"But that's about all you will get for most of them," Agil finished. "It's how gamers think. SAO may be non-gamer friendly, but the Assault Team is primarily made up of hardcore gamers and most of the clearing guilds are too. Which is what we need, but it doesn't make the front a very friendly place. Even those on the front without a gaming background are now hardcore."

Bladescape let out a laugh at the images that statement brought to her mind. No, the front lines were not friendly. Even after the arrival of the KoB, while they kept things civil, it still couldn't be considered friendly. Everyone was looking out primarily for themselves, then their guild. Rarely did they think about others outside that immediate circle, because they had their own guilds to help them out. The frustrations of the day often ended up directed at players in other guilds, rather than letting it screw up their personal group dynamics.

Bladescape showed Agil the roof and then they went back down to the party. He was impressed with the forge and their view. Fuurinkazan was split into a few groups, getting their own tour of the headquarters, so it was the perfect time to introduce Agil to Lisbeth. They had never met. In all the chaos of everyone arriving, Agil had mistaken her as a Wondercolt because of her exquisite lounge wear. The two of them were quickly talking business stuff, specifically about different weapons and how they calculated the price.

Diemond interrupted everyone once the last tour was back. She was standing in the doorway to her work room. "While it's wonderful to have you all here, and we are so very thankful that you accepted our invitation, it's Christmas. That's always been about more than just a good time with friends and family. I've got something for our visitors, so that everyone fits in and is nice and relaxed. We've earned this day off and the upcoming meal! So to you all!" She toasted, raising a wrapped package above her head. "And no, I don't expect anything back. I am absolutely swimming in clothing I've made as well as the material necessary to make a whole lot more. This is no big deal."

Diemond had made them each similar lounge wear. She had done her best to match the outfit to the player, be it through their looks or their energy. In short order, everyone was relaxing in the same style of clothes and with drinks in hand, just like Diemond had imagined.

They shifted to the meeting hall as Konpeito declared that dinner was finished. Malus and Thunderborne helped bring the last of the food to the table while Klein cracked open the big keg he had brought in, which held the really good stuff. Issin and Dale helped him fill a glass for everyone.

Bladescape was at the center of the table. She was the guild leader, meaning her place was predetermined. The other predetermined spot was across from her, where the other guild leader, Klein, was seated. He was just as important as she was to this group. Konpeito and Reisenki needed the closest chairs to the kitchen. Soryuto and Kiefer were near Reisenki with two chairs reserved for Alnair and Gauvaine, assuming they made it. Everyone else filled in randomly.

Klein was standing as he raised his glass. "A toast; to friends and comrades for the good year we have had. May the next one be our last one stuck here!"

Everyone drank with him and then Bladescape stood up. Outside of Agil, the others didn't necessarily know about their motto. She didn't raise her glass yet as she gave a brief explanation. "The Wondercolts chose a motto, 'mo ghile mear,' which means 'my valiant hero' or 'my darling hero.' It can be either an exclamation of pride or a lament for the lost. Or both at the same time. So, in remembrance for those we have lost, be it against a floor boss or elsewhere, no matter what the reason, mo ghile mear." Everyone drank to that. "And!" Bladescape exclaimed as she enthusiastically raised her glass. "To all of us, for what we have achieved and what we will achieve in the upcoming year, mo ghile mear!" Every Wondercolt said it with Bladescape and then everyone took another drink.

"Now for food!" Konpeito exclaimed. She began to list off the three main meats; fish, beef, and some kind of poultry. Then she listed all of the side dishes, which included gyoza, meat pies, several curries with rice, vegetables, two noodle dishes, five pasta dishes, several types of salads, and even two different soups.

Konpeito had to duck out several times to deal with desserts being baked, but otherwise they all had plenty of time to enjoy the food and talk to the people around them. Although their toasts had mentioned it and that they wouldn't be together without the catastrophe that SAO became, the real world disappeared for a bit as they forgot about everything that was wrong with Aincrad and focused on the present and the company they had. It was a wonderful gift they all shared with each other.

Soryuto ducked out at one point and soon came back with Alnair and Gauvaine. Diemond must have given Soryuto their loungewear as they were also dressed in similar fashion. Bladescape nodded to them as they entered, both of them saw it, but only Alnair was able to nonverbally acknowledge it. Everyone kept going as their final dinner guests joined them, taking the seats by Soryuto and Kiefer. It was quite clear from their looks that Alnair and Gauvaine, particularly Gauvaine, were not used to being out. She had an almost dead-like look in her eye. No one pushed them, letting Soryuto, Kiefer, and Reisenki interact with them and keep them comfortable. Konpeito jumped in at times, which was a healthy dose of chaos to their lives as they adjusted to being around a lot of people.

Konpeito had been right that they couldn't have too much food. Fuurinkazan could pack it away and Agil was also a heavy hitter. The drinking didn't stop either as they ate their fill. There was some food left over, no one was left with even feeling slightly hungry, but it was way less than Bladescape expected.

Alnair and Gauvaine didn't stay very long. They were gone before most people realized it. It was a quiet exit. Everyone eventually spread out as they socialized, making full use of the furniture that was brought down. Soryuto broke out her lute and played for everyone. Konpeito would join in with her flute if she wasn't dealing with desserts in the kitchen. Issin could sing quite well which allowed Soryuto to play duets for them to sing together.

Bladescape stayed at the table with Agil, Klein, Lisbeth, and Natora, talking about different things.

"Did any of you hear anything about the special event boss that was supposed to appear last night?" Lisbeth asked. "I only heard a few rumors of its impending arrival, but I was here last night and I didn't get the morning news."

Bladescape knew the rumors. The Wondercolts had decided to not pursue it. If they could find where it was going to appear, they would be facing a boss potentially as strong as the current floor boss. They had to assume they wouldn’t be the only guild after him, meaning several of their members would possibly be pulled into a fight they didn't want to do. Beyond that, they knew nothing.

"Yeah," Klein groaned. "But it wasn't in the news. Fuurinkazan went after it, well we followed Kirito who knew where to go. We planned on fighting it with him. He caught on and wanted to fight it alone, but before we could solve that argument, we found out we had been followed as well, by the Divine Dragon Alliance. They were willing to get dirty to get their hands on the special drop. I told Kirito to go on alone and let Fuurinkazan deal with the DDA. It took some work, but I finally struck a deal with them. The loser of the duel would head back. It was Yamata's squad, so he took up the challenge. I won. A little while later, Kirito, all by himself, beat Nicholas the Renegade."

Klein snorted, annoyed. "The kid has a stupid death wish. He pulled it off, but his attitude is a problem. Last night, he had basically struck his own name off the Monument of Life, expecting to die. Not caring if he did. I hope I got through to him. I don't know what happened. It wasn't the same Kirito I met the first day. It wasn't even the same guy we fought with against the wolf master. Something changed."

"He disappeared off the front for a while," Natora said. "April, May, and June. Before he was a renegade. Afterward he was a downer, but I don't know what happened. I don't know who he would even tell if something happened."

"Not me," Klein huffed. "What I got out of him was mostly inference. He was hoping the revival item was a sign that the dead were merely held in a reserve state until it was over. The system would kill them only when it all was done. That the revival item would bring someone back from that state. He blames himself for someone's death, enough to not care about his own, but I don't know who. Anyone on the front has lost someone they knew. It's been brutal. We've all suffered. I just hate to see him punish himself."

"So, what does this revival item do?" Agil asked. "I heard the rumors and it sounded too good to be true."

Klein swiped up his menu and popped something out. He caught a blue orb encased in gold. "It must be applied within ten seconds," he spat. "Give or take. When the death's effect light ends, it can't be used to revive them. It's a really quick window. I have it set on my shortcut menu to not waste that opportunity."

"How'd you end up with it?" Lisbeth asked. "Didn't you say Kirito got it?"

"He did," Klein said as he stashed it back in his menu. "I was recovering from my duel with Yamata outside the boss arena. That big tree in the forest labyrinth on this Floor. Fuurinkazan stayed with me, we didn't go to back him up. Kirito gave it to me when he came back through. It didn’t do what he hoped it would do, so he didn't want it. I have a feeling he was going to rush the floor boss until it was over. I hope he doesn't, but I can only do so much. He's alive. I checked before we came." Klein swiped up his menu again. After a few clicks he confirmed Kirito was still on his friend list, meaning he was alive.

"How did you get him to accept a friend request?" Natora asked. "The kid is so deep in his Beater status that he won't accept friend requests, not even from other beaters. I've tried; a few times."

Klein shrugged. "Now he is. He accepted my request before Kayaba's stupid tutorial, when we still had our avatars. Kirito showed me the ropes. If I didn't have the guys, I would have been with him as he rushed ahead of everyone else. What he taught me, I was able to teach to the others. It was a great boost, but we didn't know where to go for XP and such. We got stuck with all of the others, fighting for limited respawns in the safer areas. It put us behind the rest and we never got up to speed like we wanted. We were always just shy of where we needed to be because of the blitz that happened for the early floors. But we're here now and Fuurinkazan isn't going anywhere!"

Bladescape chuckled. "Good. Because we need more solid guilds on the front. The bulk of the Assault Team burden still falls on the Divine Dragon Alliance, the Knights of the Bloodoath, and the Wondercolts. The DDA is the largest, the KoB the strongest, and we are…" Bladescape wasn't sure how she wanted to sum up the Wondercolts. She didn't want to be arrogant or sound boastful.

"Friendliest," Agil stated. "The Wondercolts are the friendliest."

"Thanks," Bladescape smiled. "I was going to say smallest, which is dumb. But yeah, those are the three guilds at the upper echelon. I don't want three. I want five or six strong guilds who can field at least one party as the upper echelon. You have potential. Gael Guild has potential. So do the Imperial Dragoon Guards, Amatsukami, Toraijin, Baekje Ōuchi, Kawakatsu, and Kiniro Kotaka Toi. Meigibu had potential, but they are relegating themselves to being clearers since they lost three in the last boss raid they were in."

"You certainly know the players," Agil said. "Or rather, the teams."

"It's kind of important for me to know who we will need to work with," Bladescape said with a shrug. "And who we can rely on."

"What's your honest opinion of the Knights of the Bloodoath?" Agil asked. "You know what it was like before."

Bladescape slowly nodded. She took a moment to formulate her thoughts carefully. "They are not my speed. They are sharp looking with great standards for their members. They only take in the best, but that also means they are rigid and focused. They are the strongest guild for a reason, despite what the DDA wants everyone to think. I like Asuna, but she has changed in some ways now that she is a leader. Still, she remembers the old days and is good to the Wondercolts. Commander Heathcliff is a solid man, but distant with outsiders. I trust him to lead us in the boss battles. He makes a good champion, inspiring a lot of players, which we need.

"Godfree is the head of their vanguard unit and their head trainers. He keeps them on par with their level quotas. Him I like. He is the opposite of the others; fun loving, great laugh, nice beard and hair. We have chatted plenty of times while leading our own level training or while I was training on my own. He seems to always be in a good mood and able to brighten mine if it needs it. I really don't know anyone else in their guild, just those three. That's my assessment of them. Well, that and they are way, way better than Kibaou and the ALS ever was. They at least have class."

Agil and Natora chuckled with Bladescape as they remembered Kibaou's annoying, yet funny, moments.

"He raged a lot," Agil added. "For being as short as he was, it just made me want to laugh instead of take him seriously."

"Lind has let the DDA get away from him," Bladescape stated. "I'm not sure what's up. But they have shifted. They pressed a lot back then, but they were not as shady as Kibaou. Maybe I'm biased and missed something, but I didn't see their recent shift to walking between the line of green and orange cursors coming. They didn't care so much about special or rare items. They used to see the value in the players themselves, now they require some piece of elite equipment to even be admitted to their ranks. I do wonder if he's been pushed out."

"As far as I know he is still in charge," Agil said. "At least officially. A council set against him could easily be keeping him as the figurehead. But you're right, they have changed. Diavel wouldn't like what they became."

"No, he wouldn't," Bladescape said, taking a drink from her mug.

Noise from the hallway caught all of their attention. Bladescape looked at the time, but she knew the answer. Their dessert guests had arrived, yet she hadn't gotten a notice of their arrival. They had set a time to arrive after, not an exact arrival time. Bladescape was supposed to meet them, which meant someone had met them at the door. Only one person was able to anticipate something as unscheduled as their arrival would be, and that would be Konpeito.

"She's right in there!" Bladescape heard Konpeito say. "And my pie is about to burn!"

Bladescape barely had time to stand as Lobelia stepped into the doorway. She was in a pink floral pattern kimono. Bladescape bowed to her guest and received one back.

"Welcome, Lobelia," Bladescape said, moving around the table. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to greet you."

"Nonsense," Lobelia said with a smile. "Konpeito opened the door right before we announced our arrival. It was quite a surprise."

"Yeah, she has a knack for that type of stuff," Bladescape stated. "We are glad you were able to join us for this celebration."

"The invitation is appreciated," Lobelia replied. "Several others brought some desserts they made."

"Cool," Bladescape said. "You can join us at the table, or, as I'm sure you noticed, we have seating elsewhere for everyone to mingle." Bladescape could see Diemond chatting with several members of Meigibu, who were all similarly dressed as Lobelia. "And it looks like everyone is beginning to mingle. We had some music and singing happening for a while, which I'm sure will be started again soon enough."

"I'll join you at the table," Lobelia said. "I'm certain more music will happen. Kogitsune, Suiko, and Nora came prepared to play music, although they didn't know you had musicians. It will get rowdy and be fun when they do, which will be good for us all. Aside from that, you are dressed pretty. I wasn't expecting such refined outfits when you said casual."

"Diemond does what any fashion designer does," Bladescape stated with a chuckle. "Design beautiful clothes. She has always had a refined eye, even for casual lounge wear. I like them, but they absolutely are casual chic. She gave our dinner guests sets too so everyone's mood matched her image for dinner. Fashionistas have a vision and you don't get in their way without getting hurt."

Lobelia laughed as they headed to the table. They went around to the side where Bladescape was on because there were more open seats. Bladescape made the introductions before sitting down. "Lobelia, this is Agil, a friend and merchant. Then Lisbeth, our weapons smith."

"I'm many players’ smith," Lisbeth clarified. "But it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Lobelia said. "To both you and Agil. I see Klein has learned to hold his tongue."

Klein didn't even look at her. He was just staring at his mug.

Bladescape couldn't help but chuckle as she asked the question she likely knew the answer to. "He hit on you, didn't he?"

"Shikiku, actually, and Kamishi about had his tongue for it," Lobelia stated. "It was the most juvenile attempt I have ever witnessed and it did not leave a good impression with the guild."

"I kind of had to work beside him," Bladescape explained as they sat down. "We were stuck in a labyrinth, separated from our other party. They ended up in an unforeseeable bind and there was only one way forward. He still hits on me. Today, it was a bad one when they arrived."

Klein started to argue and then stood up. "I need a refill. Anyone else need something?"

Everyone needed refills and Klein grabbed their mugs to top them off. He also was going to get Lobelia a drink.

"Despite his childishness, we wouldn't have invited them here if they were not solid players," Bladescape added.

"I know you choose your company well," Lobelia stated. "Perhaps this will be an opportunity for Klein to redeem himself to our guild. The other members of Fuurinkazan were stand up fellows. Klein didn't ruin the reputation of the whole guild."

"I don't know if he has it in him," Lisbeth stated. "He's been dogging Bladescape all day."

Bladescape shrugged. "Dogs be dogs. I never was a huge fan of cats. It's slipped into an equilibrium, his usefulness balanced between his goofiness. At this point, it's what I expected from him. So long as he behaves well in the other ways, I can handle the overplayed pickup lines."

"Ha ha," Klein sarcastically laughed as he set everyone's mugs down. He didn't say anything more as he sat down.

"I'm sorry," Lisbeth prefaced. "But when you, Lobelia, and Bladescape were talking about outfits, you seemed to imply that you were in casual clothes, yet you're wearing a lovely kimono. I'm confused."

Lobelia giggled. "I can tell you are not on the front much, which makes sense for a smith. Meigibu is a guild of traditional Japanese class and society. We are the authority of what it means to be human and warriors. Think of us sort of like warrior geisha. As I'm sure you know, 'kimono' used to simply mean 'clothes,' but that meaning shifted as Japan was opened up to a global world and modernized. Today, all of our ladies are wearing komons, which used to be the daily kimono worn by everyone. All seven of our male members are in yukatas. Kimonos may not be considered casual anymore, but our guild wears traditional Japanese clothing, typically the more formal versions, and these are the most casual forms. I assure you; everyone is quite comfortable. I can tell that you have a different view of their comfort, which is fine. You are young. I don't know what your experience is with traditional attire, but you share the view of many your age."

"Yeah, my family never did that stuff," Lisbeth said. "I don't get their appeal. You say I'm young, but I can't tell if that's a bad thing or not?"

"It was an observation," Lobelia clarified. "You are young. Your age group largely agrees with your views. That is the main reason why age is relevant. The other is that you are not yet of marrying age. When it comes time, you may find yourself wanting to bring in some of the tried-and-true methods of our culture, such as wearing a Shiromuki. That is a far cry from everyday komons, but it is popular among brides, even today, for a reason."

"Okay," Lisbeth said, taking a drink to break herself off from the conversation.

"I like it," Agil said. "My parents moved to Japan after they were married, so they never wore any kimonos. And me, I would look out of place in one."

"You were born in Japan, I assume?" Lobelia asked.

"I was," Agil said with a nod. "And I am a citizen."

"Then you have as much of a right as any other citizen," Lobelia stated. "Yes, many people do not look deeper than surface level to make their judgements, but culture is a learned behavior. It is accepted by the individual. It is true, culture and nationality are not always linked, however, that should not stop you from claiming it as your culture if you should choose too. I hear a regional accent, Tokyo, but that is it. It would be impossible to tell what your features are if someone could only hear you.

"We are all human beings. We are all one blood. How we think may be slightly different, but that does not change the universal truths. Culture is accepted and learned. It can change very quickly. Those who migrate to a new place often take up the culture of the new location. It is the main one their children know. Their grandchildren often only know it. Culture and language are chosen, genetics are not. They are what truly brings color to our lives, for we all wear different shades of brown. Even at this table, we all have different shades of brown, yet we are all human, with different genetics that are not actually very different, yet sharing one language and one culture.

"Well, walking in one culture in the case of Bladescape. Yet that is what is so beautiful about it all. She chose to join us and walk in our culture, something we take for granted, as a fact of life. She chose to come to Japan and experience our nation and culture for herself and learn it firsthand. It is truly admirable. Forgive my sociological rant. Society, culture, and migration studies are a passion of mine and what I studied in university."

"That does explain more about why you chose to structure your guild's core the way you did," Bladescape stated. "Understanding culture and society is important. Being able to apply what you learn is also important."

"Yes, it is," Lobelia said with a nod. "But the rumors are true. Shikiku encouraged me to own my status as a bride and to structure it after the beautiful traditions of Japanese society. Without her, those early days would have lost me. I never would have formed our guild and built us into the clearing guild that we are."

"Not to be rude," Klein said. "I'm just asking because I know what I'm like and many other guys. How do you know you will wake up as a bride?"

Lisbeth's eyes went wide in terror and Agil's looked like he was about to beat Klein. The question didn't surprise Bladescape, but she wasn't as ready to hear as she expected.

"That is a valid question," Lobelia calmly replied, shocking everyone except Klein. "Clearly you have never found someone truly worthy to pursue. Assuming the worst does not befall me, I know I will wake up a bride because my groom wants me. And not simply for my looks, the will of our parents, or something else surface deep. He wants me for who I am, for the vision he has seen of what we can become together.

"Yes, we have been in here a while and still will be at the rate we are going, but he wants me and I want him. We made an oath to be joined in marriage. The vows have not been taken, but the promise was given in witness to our friends and family. I would not have given my word to a man I did not believe would wait and continue to pursue me. Yes, this was unforeseen, but it is no reason to break that oath. I will be coming back to him. I have not abandoned him. I have gone away, against my will, but there is still the promise that I will come back. It is why I am glad to be on the front, progressing it how I can. He may not know I am fighting like I am, but he knows me. He knows I would not let this stand in our way and neither shall he. Otherwise, he would not be a man.

"Some day, you will grow up enough to find a woman worth pursuing. Marriage is not the end. It is the beginning of the greatest adventure of your life with a lifelong partner in that adventure."

"That's the best description of marriage I've ever heard," Agil said. "I'll have to remember that for when I get out. I'm glad it was me who put the NerveGear on that day, not my wife. I know she's holding down the fort, waiting for me. I'm not planning to spend a day in here I don't have to. I need to get back into a floor boss raid. The shop is great. I know it's important. Heck, Klein and Fuurinkazan made it to the front in part cause they came to me for equipment, the same with plenty of other players, but that's not enough."

"You are always welcome to join us," Bladescape said. "But you know that."

"Sometimes I miss the renegade days," Natora said with a sigh. "Back when I was seen as a Beater and we were pitted against the DKB and ALS. Kirito, Asuna, the Bro Squad and the Wondercolts saving everyone's butts as they pushed us forward faster than we could sustain. After that, I don’t, but those first few months, I do have a fondness for."

"I miss the Bro Squad," Agil said with a sigh. "But that's life. Aincrad or Japan, it's life. We see each other when we can."

No one could say anything else as a bell was madly rung. "DESSERT IS SERVED IN THE KITCHEN!" Konpeito yelled. "COME AND GET IT! FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE, BUT WE GOT PLENTY!"

"I had no idea she got a bell,” Bladescape stated. "I swear. And it sounded like a huge one too."

Everyone laughed as they all got up and headed to the kitchen. Konpeito and Reisenki had made cakes, pies, cupcakes, flan, cheesecakes, cookies, puddings, and there were several types of hard candies in bowls, including konpeito. What Meigibu had brought was clearly evident, there was no competing with a master baker like Konpeito, but that didn't lessen the contribution or how good it looked. There certainly was plenty, even for their crowd. It was hard to choose, but they knew they could come back for more. Most people would be back for seconds. Some would certainly be back for thirds. They also could wait in between servings.

"What level is your cooking?" Agil asked Konpeito. "I can't believe what my eyes are seeing."

"I'm sorry," Konpeito said. "I know, it's sloppy work. I.R.L. baking is much easier and much more fun. In here I'm confined to the system and I haven't cracked a few things yet, like ice cream. Maxing the Skill doesn't magically mean you know everything that can be made."

"You maxed cooking?" Agil asked, shocked.

Konpeito waved it off. "Like a while ago. It was easy. I wish I could show you just how good I actually am."

Agil began to ask her if she could make Boston Baked Beans and Konpeito was never good at giving a straight answer. They were forced to leave him behind. Lisbeth was called away by Diemond and Natora ran into Kamishi and ended up speaking with him. Just Klein, Lobelia, and Bladescape ended up back at the table. Ultimately, that was a good thing. Bladescape had been concerned that everyone would stick to the people they knew and fail to mingle. That was not what was happening and it was a relief to see everyone getting along and making friends. Bladescape would mingle with others later, but she needed to entertain Lobelia a little longer.

"Well, I guess it is just us three guild leaders," Lobelia said as they sat down. "And since it is, this makes the perfect moment-" She pulled up her menu and took out three small cups and a ceramic bottle. "I procured this bottle of Yamahai sake. It wasn't easy to find something that is as good as this is. It's rare because it is player made. Making sake is a specialty Skill that branches off of cooking and it requires a quest. All of that was to say that I've been learning to appreciate sake in all of its varieties because my fiancé is a connoisseur of sake. This is my favorite in Aincrad, but it still pales in comparison to some of the real stuff. I wasn't expecting Klein to be here, but there is plenty and I clearly have enough cups."

Lobelia poured it into two cups and gave one to Bladescape and the other to Klein. Klein accepted it in a very specific way and immediately set it down so he could pour the third cup for Lobelia.

"You are full of surprises," Lobelia stated.

"My father ensured I was properly taught the etiquette of sake," Klein stated. "Sake was never something reserved for the elites of Japanese society. It was for everyone of any status, even with the formal rules when drinking with others. My father was never a fan of tea. That got too complex for his liking. I don't know a lot about the different types, especially the small batch stuff, but that's not what my father usually drank when he had some. But yes, this dog does have manners."

"Well then," Lobelia said, raising her cup. "To us and our three guilds. May we find success as we work to free ourselves and may we not lose anyone else."

Bladescape and Klein confirmed the toast and they all drank. Bladescape downed the small amount in one go and was shocked at how it hit her throat and tongue. It was very different from wine, mead, beer, or ale. At least what was in Aincrad."

"What is sake?" Bladescape asked after a cough.

"Basically it's a rice wine," Klein explained. "And you sip it. Even when toasting. This isn't hard liquor."

"Clearly," Bladescape said, coughing again. "I now understand the unique flavor. Rice wine makes more sense."

Klein and Lobelia taught Bladescape how to properly hold the cups, drink it, accept sake, pour it, and the intricacies surrounding the drink. The entire thing was complicated by the special, small sake cups, yet it still was significantly simpler than a proper tea ceremony. It was a good introduction to sake for Bladescape as they ate dessert.

Episode 53 — Storm Rising

Episode 53 — Storm Rising
First Day in the Month of Silvergrass (January 1) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 35 — Front Line Floor 50

Bladescape sat at her desk, thinking over the events of the day. They had been up late the night before, to toast the new year. Then they went to bed so they could continue to clear the following day. They got their break on Christmas, but they were not taking off the first day of the new year.

It went well. They had cleared a new area and found an undiscovered dungeon. The Wondercolts shifted to clear it. It had been challenging and there were some close calls fighting the boss. Both Thunderborne and Natora had weak attacks against the marble golems and had low defense against their heavy hitting attacks, but they all came out alive and well.

Their pride in their accomplishments were shattered when they got back to Mishe and found a group waiting for them at their headquarters. It was led by Yamata of the Divine Dragon Alliance. They immediately demanded an account of Doombunny's activities for the previous forty-eight hours.

Bladescape wasn't going to let them bully the Wondercolts, but she also had to keep Malus and Thunderborne from acting on the threats they both issued. Neither liked being challenged so aggressively and typically met aggression with aggression. This was a diplomatic situation. It didn't require hostile actions. Which put Bladescape in an odd position, wedged between both the DDA and Wondercolts while she was just trying to sort out why the DDA was even looking for Doombunny.

Once she finally got them to simmer down, she was able to shift her focus to Yamata. He was a shady guy. Bladescape didn't like him, but he was a key player for the DDA. He had been steadily more and more important as the months passed by. Bladescape had to play nice while not being a doormat.

They finally gave her the answer she needed, but it wasn't what she had expected. Some of the details were unknown. While it was still dark, a guild had been attacked by players. Orange players, those who broke the conduct code and had an orange cursor, were an issue for many of the intermediate players. They would intimidate them into handing over their stuff, or beat them into it, threatening them with death if they did not surrender what they were ordered to.

Breaking the conduct code and earning an orange cursor kept players out of most cities. The game didn't let them enter habitable safe zones. It was to protect the good players and was a form of punishment it could give out. Normally, the time outside would be a nuisance. The player would spend a few days orange and, assuming they didn't break the rules, their cursor would turn green after a few days, depending on the crime. Since SAO was not a normal game, being unable to enter was not a mere nuisance. It meant no access to inns or homes where a player could rest their head without fear of being killed. Likewise, they also had no ability to access the taverns, shops, or player crafters. To circumvent the system, the orange guilds used green players to conduct their business and hid out in the safe zones of obscure dungeons. The green players often found their marks for them and led them into traps. If they didn't actually attack the mark, despite what they had done, they didn't get an orange cursor.

Breaking the conduct code was different from being a criminal. Being too rough with someone, even with good intentions, could trigger the system. Getting angry and decking someone, even if it was deserved, could also land the player an orange cursor. Cases happened and those players were not criminals. Criminals actively sought out prey to continue their conduct breaking activities. They wanted to act badly. They enjoyed it.

There was a major exception to the rule blocking them from entering cities. The Black Iron Palace just north of the Town of Beginnings' teleport plaza was the headquarters of the Aincrad Liberation Force, which was nicknamed the Army. They not only had their HQ there, they maintained the built in prison. They had established a court system and would lock up players for the determined amount of time. The Army was supposed to serve every player equally, so it was a logical mantle for them to bear. It kept the orange players even further away from the cities, for fear of being captured by players and bound so they could be put in front of their tribunal and locked up. Sure, they got three meals a day, but it was a prison and there was nothing to do but sit in the cell. Adding in the prison, a feature from the start, was an interesting choice by Kayaba.

But none of that mattered for the issue at hand. This new group was organized into an unofficial guild called Laughing Coffin, LC, and they had murdered the targeted guild for no other reason than to kill. That was a first for Aincrad. Players actually killing other players broke the unspoken code of life they all lived by. These evil players should have a red cursor, just like any other monster. At least killing a player outside a duel did earn the murderer a permanent orange cursor. They could never have a green player cursor again. All of Laughing Coffin would be locked up in the Black Iron Palace without any hope of being freed until they beat the game.

While it didn't actually connect her to them, Doombunny's poison Skill made her a target, both by the DDA and Laughing Coffin. The DDA didn't trust her because of Doombunny's Hide and Mixing Skills. Both were things that could be used against players. Many argued that they were only intended to be used against players because Skills like Hide or Listen didn't work against monsters. Hide eventually did, but it had to be close to max and it was still a gamble to try and hide from monsters. Plus, they were common Skills that the criminal guilds used. Laughing Coffin would certainly benefit from Doombunny’s talents and Colorra if they got their hands on her.

Getting Yamata to back off had not been easy. It didn't help that Doombunny had instinctively triggered Hide as soon as Yamata aggressively demanded to speak with her. It took time, but Bladescape was finally able to get them to leave them alone. It wasn't going to be the last the Wondercolts heard of the issue, but that wasn't something Bladescape or the guild could control.

The implication was clear. They had to protect Doombunny from both the DDA and Laughing Coffin. Colorra would not let Doombunny be taken, not without a fight, but there were still plenty of considerations to think about. These players didn't care. They had decided murder was okay. They had spread the news of their actions on purpose. The new year brought with it a new type of bloodshed. The other "orange guilds," criminals who extorted players for their stuff, would likely begin to cross that line. At least certain guilds or players would. Laughing Coffin was the big name and threat, but the other orange players were likewise a threat.

Bladescape wasn't sure if the right choice had been made, but they had made it with everyone present and able to speak up. Bladescape spent most of her time moderating the discussion. Malus had been quite vocal about protecting Doombunny from falling into the hands of the murderers. Everyone was concerned, but Malus was their defender.

Natora, the second most vocal member, felt they needed an answer for diplomatic reasons. They needed to know how to answer the DDA's future accusations. The DDA was sure to stir up trouble with other guilds over the matter and they needed to be ready to address them as well. The Wondercolts members had to be able to give a unified answer to any issues raised. Knightstar fully agreed on that matter.

In the end, Bladescape put the leading solution to a vote. A blind vote, but a vote by all members. She abstained "to tabulate the vote" and would act as the tie breaker if needed. It was an easy excuse that removed her from having to immediately vote. Bladescape needed more time to think about the options available, but they lacked the required time. Their discussion had taken over an hour, after already putting in a full day in the field. Natora and Knightstar were right, no matter what the answer was, the Wondercolts needed to be ready with a unified one.

With a vote of seven to three, a strong enough split that Bladescape couldn't force a delay on or nullify, Doombunny was confined to being with another Wondercolt at all times. She was forced to have an escort. At their headquarters, she just needed someone else present and to know that she was there. Otherwise, she would always be in sight of another Wondercolt. Doombunny was rarely alone. They all were rarely alone outside of their headquarters. Bladescape was the one who most often was out on her own, but what was once a choice was now mandatory.

It sounded cruel to Bladescape, but she didn't have an alternative worked out in time and couldn't delay the discussion any longer. Doombunny was not happy, but accepted the judgment. At least she understood where the others were coming from. She had been oddly silent, giving no defense of herself outside of clearly stating that she had never discussed the Mixing Skill with anyone outside of the Wondercolts and Argo for the thirty-fourth floor boss battle. Colorra had been on edge and on high alert through the entire proceedings. The coating on her scales appeared to shine like a rainbow even more in her agitated state.

Doombunny immediately went to her room after the judgment was passed. When Bladescape had knocked on her door, she had told her to go away and let her think. Unless Bladescape used her guild administrator privileges to override the door, there was nothing she could do. She wasn't going to do that, especially after all of the curve balls that had been thrown at Doombunny. She needed her one safe space to not be broken. There was no way for Bladescape to really check up on her friend or console her other than to tell Doombunny she was there if she wanted, or needed, to talk.

So now Bladescape sat in her room, trying to devise a plan to release Doombunny from the shackles that had been placed upon her innocent friend. She had been thinking about it in solitude for a few hours and still had no alternative even partially worked out. Even one other person abstaining from voting would have been enough for Bladescape to pause the vote and restart proceedings in the morning, but no one appeared to want to abstain. They all seemed set in their choice before they cast their vote.

Everything seemed to be against Doombunny. She was prey to both the DDA and Laughing Coffin. The night was now quite late and the Wondercolts had another full day planned for tomorrow. Bladescape wouldn't let speculation change their guild plans. She couldn't. Otherwise the DDA or others would use it to leverage the Wondercolts out of the fight.

If she could, Bladescape would make Yamata pay for his baseless accusations. She didn't have a clue about how to do that. Part of her didn't blame him, he was obviously scared and worried. The intentional murder of players was a frightening concept when they all were fighting for their freedom and to keep each other alive, but that didn't make his actions righteous. That also didn't make the Wondercolts chosen response righteous either. And so she sat there, puzzled, frustrated, disappointed, and stuck between a rock and a hard place as the storm rose and descended upon her, with no idea how to gain any leverage on the situation.

BLADESCAPE: Level 71 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 69 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 65 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce
MALUS: Level 68 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts
THUNDERBORNE: Level 68 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts
KONPEITO: Level 68 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard
DIEMOND: Level 69 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry
DOOMBUNNY: Level 66 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search — Listen
KIEFER: Level 66 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing
SORYUTO: Level 65 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics
REISENKI: Level 66 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining

Episode 54 — Halfway Home

Episode 54 — Halfway Home
Tenth Day in the Month of Silvergrass (January 10) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 50 — Boss Chamber

The holidays had slowed things down, but they were quickly back up to full speed. Floor 50 was another benchmark floor. Thankfully, unlike Floor 25, it wasn’t a poisonous pitfall of traps and dead ends. The difficulty and number of the monsters were significantly higher. Respawns happened faster too, offering little to no breaks.

There were two false labyrinths and one true one. All three were in the closest pillars to the only settlement on the floor with a teleport plaza, Algade. They had to clear all three to find the boss chamber, which slowed the mapping efforts because their normal force was split three ways. The Wondercolts had teamed up with both Meigibu and Fuurinkazan at different times, just not all three guilds at the same time. It was a group with one party from Meigibu and Natora’s team who found the boss chamber.

Algade was a city of paved stone streets and stone houses that were two or three stories tall. It had the feel of a nineteenth century city, almost modern, but not quite there. There were plenty of cloth awnings above doors and shops as well as clothes lines hung between buildings, well above the street. The back alleyways quickly became a maze where a player could easily get lost and unable to find a way out. The whole city was full of stores that had no way to tell what they were selling from the street.

Despite that, it was the second largest city in Aincrad, eclipsed only by the Town of Beginnings. Many players were quickly moving to Algade. Plenty of braver recluses were leaving the Army controlled city for Algade. No city on the front had seen a permanent population boom while it was still on the front, but Algade certainly was. It was going to become the central location for all of the players.

Agil had already claimed a permanent shop in the city. He wasn’t the only merchant to do so. Outside of the crafters in Lindarth, Algade was where everyone wanted to be. The cheaper cost of shops was a big plus. Agil’s shop was small and somewhat cramped, but exactly what the oversized merchant needed, including having living space above the shop. It was just off a roadway, but not in an alley. Other shops and inns were all around him. It was a good location.

Bladescape was leading Squad B, a flexible secondary assault squad. Everyone was heavy on the tanks, but the secondary assault squads were half forwards or damage dealers. Bladescape had Malus, Reisenki, Diemond, and Konpeito in her party. Kirito would be joining them. It was a six armed, metal statue of Buddha. Metal was always a difficult type of enemy to face, especially for a boss. Crushing blows were typically better, but those weapons also were some of the slowest in the game. Poison was also useless. Natora’s spear was a thrusting weapon and unable to do much. Thunderborne also faced the same issue. Katanas and curved swords did less damage than straight swords, which was why Bladescape chose Kirito for her sixth.

The Knights of the Bloodoath were able to field a heavy shield and tank squad, however, Asuna was not among them and neither was Godfree. The same for the Divine Dragon Alliance, but they had some weak choices for damage dealers. Bladescape pulling in Kirito helped the rest of the squad leaders form optimal teams, not picking only their friends. The guilds were not supposed to be the major deciding factor for squads, but, at times, the cards still fell that way. It didn’t help when the top three guilds could, typically, field a party geared towards their role, using only their members.

Like Floor Twenty-Five’s rescue effort, they were using clearing parties to preserve the raid party. The other Wondercolts were being led by Natora and proving their mettle. They had led the bulk of the push, outperforming every other clearing party by a noticeable margin.

On their way to the boss chamber, Malus had quietly prodded Bladescape. “I bet this is gonna be a doozy of an LAB. Ya ready to get it?”

“I’m not concerned about the LAB,” Bladescape had told her. “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 nothing except that we survived.”

While that sentiment still held true, standing in front of the boss chamber’s door, Bladescape felt her competitive nature flaring back up. She wanted the LAB, badly. She had missed out on the twenty-fifth Floor Boss’ after she was skewered in half. It had taken them a year to get halfway. If they kept the pace up, it would be about another year. That was a year of pride and use out of the bonus item. It might disappear after, but for now, it did matter. It might even allow her to save lives by making her more effective in her role clearing.

Commander Heathcliff pushed the doors open and advanced Squad A forward. Bladescape was right on his tail, shifting her squad to the right side as planned. The boss room was long and rectangular. On the far side was a giant Buddha statue made of black metal. It was sitting there, legs crossed, and didn’t appear aware of their arrival. It had six arms, and looked entirely peaceful.

Heathcliff brought the raid party to a stop at the halfway point. At this point, the statue had not moved. No name, no health bars, nothing to indicate that it was anything more than a decorative feature of the boss room. By now, they should have some indication of the boss. There were no stairs present or evidence that the boss had been beaten. Then again, the room actually had good lighting.

Bladescape looked to the Commander. He was thinking through things. If they engaged in a battle their raid party was not ready to fight, they should back out and reorganize. This was likely going to be a brutal and long fight.

The footsteps that broke the silence were not Commander Heathcliff’s. Malus was walking forward, alone.

“Don’t worry, y’all,” Malus said. “I’ll wake it up. Y’all just be ready to act.”

Malus was the logical one to head forward. Her strength stat and health were massive. Her shield was bigger than anyone else’s. She was the Iron Bulwark for a reason. She couldn’t be moved. No boss had made her do something she didn’t want to do.

Nothing changed as she made it three quarters to the statue. Malus stopped with a clank on her metal shield as she let it rest on the ground. She was several yards from it and giving it a solid look over, while being wary of where she was.

The groan of twisting metal was the only warning Malus got as the statue awoke. The health bars were not even up as an arm brought a scimitar down on Malus. With little effort she shifted her shield up, using the top edge to stop the sword, but the heavy hit did transfer the energy, ramming the shield back into the floor. The arm opposite shifted into motion, swiping a mace at Malus. She swung her shield into position and braced for the impact. The mace was stopped dead in its tracks.

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Like a Newton’s cradle, the mace transferred the energy into the shield and the shield into Malus, who was sent flying. She impacted into the wall and slowly plopped onto her face. But the boss didn’t move. Her shield was still in front of it. A few red polygons were floating away near Malus, indicating that she had left her arm with the shield.

“That was unexpected,” Commander Heathcliff stated out loud.

“Unexpected” was putting it lightly. Bladescape had never seen a player lose a limb unless it had been severed by something sharp. Malus had been able to forego that unfortunate feeling, or rather she had. Malus was in the orange, but it wasn’t a big concern, yet. It certainly was high on the list, but something that could toss Malus that easily made everyone rethink the upcoming fight. They all should be able to survive one hit, almost everyone was built for strength and attack, not solely damage dealing.

Malus pushed herself up onto her feet and looked at them. She didn’t appear to notice her missing arm. “Hoo, Doggies,” Malus called out in English. “She puts down a mighty powerful buck, that gal. Tossed me like a hay bale. I took a good chunk of damage from gettin slammed into that there wall. This is gonna be one hell of shindig. If you are a greenhorn, you better rethink things before you end up in the bone orchard.”

“Oh dear,” Diemond said in Japanese. “She went full cowgirl.”

“She will shake it off,” Bladescape said. “Right?”

Shaking it off was probably the wrong way to put it. Malus still stubbornly used her idioms, despite them not always making sense in Japanese, but that was very different from a full language switch. It was as if she had smacked the wall so hard, it all got jumbled up.

“Sure!” Konpeito said, bouncing up onto one leg. She switched to speaking English. “It’s AJ. Wait! That is AJ, right?”

Diemond sighed. “And we lost Pinkie.”

“Did we ever have her?” Bladescape shot back.

“Good point,” Diemond said. “At least when she speaks Japanese I feel like we have her.”

“That’s fair,” Bladescape said, trying to get back to the matter at hand. “Alright, it looks like it's proximity triggered.” Proximity triggered was not going to be in their favor. Nothing was in their favor after it tossed Malus like it had. After all, it was the halfway battle.

“Now!” Malus declared, still in English, from where she was. “Let’s wind up and go home!"

Malus rushed towards her shield, still missing her left forearm. Bladescape found herself rushing forward. She wasn’t sure if she was going to stop Malus or attack. Her course of action was still undecided.

Malus got to her shield first, slipping her right arm into the fixed straps. Left handed users existed, but they were rare to see. Nothing said Malus couldn’t use the shield on her right arm, but it was a shield. She had her hammer, it was on her belt, she simply hadn’t drawn it. Malus was too far ahead for Bladescape to catch up to her disoriented friend. With a war cry, Malus pulled her shield back and the entire thing glowed. She put her whole body into the strike, ramming the edge of her giant shield into one of the statue’s legs. The impact rang throughout the boss chamber, echoing off the walls several times. It almost sounded like a very deep bell being rung. Malus’ shield glowed a second time as she slammed it into the leg again. She shifted down and did it a third time, striking the knee. With a groan the statue stood up.

“YAH AIN’T GETTIN MY OTHER ARM!” Malus yelled as she shook her left stump at the statue. She was still using English. “NO SCRAP OF METAL’S GONNA BEST ME! I’LL OPEN YA LIKE THE TIN CAN YA ARE!”

Bladescape finally reached her. “HEAL!” Bladescape ordered, causing the red crystal in her hand to shatter and work its magic. Malus’ arm regained its former glory.

Each of the six arms had a different weapon: scimitar, dhara mace, tabar axe, khanda sword, a flail, and a talwar sword. The metal statue had four health bars.

The scimitar came down on Bladescape. Malus intercepted it with a thud. Her left hand was supporting the shield. It was clear she was going to fight with her weapon and shield reversed. The mace came at them just like the first time. Malus stepped into the attack, angling her shield so that she redirected it, with a healthy shove, up into the ceiling.

“Not so easy to toss now, am I‽” Malus challenged, yet again in English. It seemed to pause, calculating its next move. “That’ll be the cavalry. My pals’ll help me rip you open! We’ll tear ya limb from limb! An I ain’t talkin metaphors! I mean actually removin each of those stupid arms of yours!”

It was a bold statement and at least partially true. Commander Heathcliff arrived at the head of the raid party. He gave clear orders to the tanks about blocking, using the shifting technique, and told everyone else to dodge. Malus had, once again, shown them the way forward. None of the others were at risk of losing an arm during a block, simply because their shields would actually move with them.

“I’ll be back,” Malus spat, actually spitting. “This ain’t over tween us!”

The scimitar was brought down on her in response, except Malus sidestepped it. The giant sword crashed into the ground beside an unfazed Malus.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed!" Diemond yelled.

"I'm tryin to get us all out," Malus shot back.

Having them argue in two different languages was interesting and somehow not confusing. Bladescape was so used to Japanese that English currently felt foreign, except she still thought in English. Their ability to argue without the need for an interpreter, or slowing down, was impressive.

"Well that's not the normal way to do it!" Diemond argued back.

"Focus!" Bladescape ordered. They had been lucky the boss was focused on bashing and slashing other squads. So far it had only used the lowest two arms, the scimitar and the mace. The less health it had, the more likely it would be to start using the others, which would be problematic. Even more so than their current difficulties.

"I'm just saying, I don't think I can handle a death in our Aincrad family," Diemond pressed. "It's rude and inconsiderate when you go off and try to die!"

"Are you sayin I gotta death wish!" Malus growled, taking a step in towards Diemond.

Diemond thought for a moment. Clearly that was not the response she had expected to receive.

"Here it comes!" Bladescape called out.

Malus spun around as everyone shaped up. Diemond and Reisenki blocked the downward cut of the scimitar in perfect unison, although they didn't stay up. The mace was swept at them, but Malus was there to deflect it into the ceiling. Bladescape, Konpeito, and Kirito were in motion, laying into the boss as quickly and safely as they could. They left red lines over it as they did what they could to shave off HP. Metal monsters were the worst, metal bosses were a nightmare. Their actual damage was barely registering. They would have to risk long delay penalties by pulling off high level sword skills to take a chunk off. It wasn't worth it, not when the raid party would slowly shave it off. No one wanted anyone to die today. No one needed to die.

Malus blocked for the squad, both the scimitar and the mace, while everyone was either delayed or getting back up. Then she gave the boss the boot as it turned to try its luck against the Knights of the Bloodoath. Malus' shield glowed as she smacked the metal statue in the calf, as high up as she could hit. That attack did do noticeable damage to the health bar.

"Shoo! Get outta here! Yah oversized hunk of scrap metal!" Malus yelled after it.

"We are not done with this discussion," Diemond prefaced as she once again squared off against Malus. "But what was that! Shields don't glow like weapons do when using a Sword Skill!"

"I ain't got a clue," Malus shrugged. "All I know is I still ain't able to feel my left forearm, so all I got’s my right. Which needs to carry my shield. An’ I wan’a punch its stupid metal face, but I can't jump that high. It's almost as if I'm triggering my Martial Arts sword skills."

"That's exactly what you are doing," Kirito said. His English was pretty good. Bladescape didn't know how often he used it and the accent was obvious, but he was crystal clear. "It's an OSS, Outside System Skill. The use of two or more skills in a way the system didn't intend, yet still can register. Some are more integrated than others. The two I've discovered are much more subtle. To actually be able to force the game system to accept your shield as your fist takes incredible willpower. Either you see your shield as nothing more than an extension of your fist, or you are forcing a square peg in a round hole and making it work. Either way, the more you use it, the more the game should adapt and integrate it into its relationship between you and it, making future use easier. Is this your first time doing it?"

"Yeah, it is," Malus said. "Why?"

"You use your shield on your left hand," Kirito stated. "Your nondominant hand, which is weaker. The system doesn't see it as the attacking hand, not for you. But that clearly changed with everything and so, in your dominant hand, it's able to become the weapon you need it to be. Eventually you might be able to get it to work with your left."

"Eventually ain't fast enough!" Malus spat. "Thanks for the info, partner. I'll keep it in mind. 'Cept I need it now. Well, as soon as I can feel my left arm. Then I can start to hammer out that giant hunk of refined sedimentary rock."

"Uh, what?" Kirito asked. "I think something is lost in translation."

"No," Diemond said in Japanese. "I have no idea how that last bit ties in with the rest."

"Duh!" Konpeito exclaimed. "Iron ore is sedimentary rock! Well, technically it's Banded Iron Formations, layers inside sedimentary rocks. But who's counting?"

"You are, Konpeito," Diemond said with a disappointed sigh. "You are always counting. What number are you up to?"

"Seven thousand, six hundred and eighty-six!" Konpeito exclaimed with a hop. "And here comes the baddy!"

Konpeito was faster at warning them than Bladescape could be, yet Bladescape was watching their backs. The engagement more or less played out the same way. Diemond was able to stay up while Reisenki still crumbled as they stopped the scimitar. Malus defected the mace, and everyone attacked, including Diemond. Then Malus covered for them and kicked the boss off to the next group. Everyone downed potions. The concussive force of the heavy hitting attacks being blocked was shaving off the HP of nearby players.

Bladescape had hoped this time the argument was done, but both Malus and Diemond were stubborn in their own way. They were going to have it out in one way or another during this battle and the interruptions only served to reinforce the need to immediately settle the argument. Bladescape started to consider pulling their squad in the interest of safety. The issue was that not only their team was relying on Malus. None of the tanks were able to do what she did. Usually it was just impressive and everyone was happy she was here, but a boss fight like this required Malus.

"Why did you insinuate that I said you have a death wish!" Diemond yelled. "I never said that! Trying to die or acting in a way that is reckless isn't a death wish. One is, well, reckless, the other actually wants to die or doesn't care. And I know you, you do care. You have a family to get back to!"

"It don't make no difference," Malus growled. "Just shut your pretty pie hole and use that shield of yours for its intended purpose."

"But it does make a difference!" Diemond screamed. She was on the verge of breaking down in tears.

"THAT'S IT!" Bladescape yelled. "Squad B, fall back to the center! That's an order!"

Bladescape caught Commander Heathcliff looking at them. She couldn't tell what he was thinking. He didn't appear to even be judging them. He was just observing. He always seemed to be observing. What he was thinking or why he was observing was one of the biggest questions in Aincrad, although few players would ever think to ask it.

Thankfully everyone followed the order, including Kirito. They were not the only team to have fallen back. Two others were recouping in the center. There was no privacy, but they had the space for Bladescape to sort them out so they could all be on the same page and fight the boss like they were supposed to. Like they were being relied upon to do.

"Diemond, you're being more stubborn than usual," Bladescape angrily stated. She was starting at the easiest issue to figure out. "What's going on with you today? You're about to cry over a hypothetical death! I've never seen you so unfocused, especially in a boss fight."

"I-" Diemond stammered, stalling out. Her stubbornness was showing, crystal clear. She knew what was going on but she didn't want to admit it.

"Well?" Bladescape pressed.

"Well I…I…" Diemond almost made it but then started balling. "I had a dream about Sweetie Belle last night! She is growing up and I'm missing it. As her big sister, I'm missing important moments in her life."

"Yes, you are," Bladescape said, grabbing Diemond's by the shoulder with her left hand, balancing her sword on her own shoulder as she tried to reframe Diemond’s situation and mindset. "You can't change that. You didn't intend for this to happen, but it did. At least when you get back, you can tell her how hard you fought to get out as quickly as possible. Everything you miss, well you will miss less because of your efforts. You fought to get back to your family. That's admirable and she will understand. I know her enough to be able to positively state that she will understand and appreciate your fight for freedom. It's going to impress her because you're not doing what most of us would expect you to do. It's stellar and amazing and you deserve a whole lot of praise for sticking it out like you have. So thank you. Now, get it together, so you can get back in the fight. We can cry about that stuff after the boss fight."

"Okay," Diemond sniffed, trying to reign it in.

Konpeito was trying to comfort her friend, but she wasn't all there. Something had Konpeito distracted.

"Malus," Bladescape growled. "Going off at the start, that was fine. It wasn't the issue. Heck, you took a heavy hit yet walked out pretty well intact." Malus held up her left arm. The wrist was limp, a reminder about what was lost and that she still couldn't feel it. "I didn't say perfectly fine or completely intact," Bladescape clarified. "But you mentioned death wish and it's spot on. You've had it since you got knocked into the wall. Why? We know what has Diemond upset, but what about you?"

"I ain't gotta clue," Malus stated with a shrug. "I'm just doing what needs to be done. This harvest ain't gonna bring itself in, least not before the crop spoils."

Now that Bladescape was speaking with Malus, the difference in language was even starker. Bladescape wasn't going to let it derail her. She understood what her friend was saying and Malus understood her.

"Something is bothering you," Bladescape pressed. "It might be small or something you brushed off, but something has you off center. That's an objective fact."

"Nothing abnormal’s happened," Malus stated. She wasn't being stubborn. She was being honest.

Bladescape realized the answer to unlock that door was literally happening in front of her. "Malus, you are speaking English. We all are speaking Japanese. We are still in Japan. We are in a Japanese game. While certain written things are in English, everything spoken is Japanese. That's not normal for you. Something is wrong."

"Huh," Malus said. She pulled her arm out of her shield, letting it stand on its own. She had to remove her helmet to scratch her head and think. "I ain't gotta clue," she said, still using English. "Must’ve hit my head real hard. I didn't realize and I ain't gotta clue how to change languages. Hopefully it ain't permanent."

That was at least a logical response. She was able to think clearly, but something else was bothering her. The skull cracking hit to the head might have jogged it loose.

"I know!" Konpeito exclaimed. "It's January Tenth."

"So?" Malus asked. "I ain't gotta clue what that would have to do with any of this?"

"Well, the tenth is getting close to the seventeenth," Konpeito added. "Last year, you took the seventeenth off. A personal day. You also never are in school or class on the seventeenth."

"I get yah," Malus said. "Maybe, just cause of the head knock, but I ain't sayin it is. I'll be more careful. Maybe I do have one around this time of year." Malus looked at her left forearm, concentrating on it as she tried to do something. She let out an annoyed sigh. "Well, no matter. I'll be careful. I ain't gonna let any of my friends or squadmates die. No one in the raid party is gonna die if I got anythin to say about it. I'm ready and focused. Die, are you?"

"I think so," Diemond said, trying to dry her cheeks. "Blade is, of course, right. I can at least say that I was doing all I could to get free. That's important and the best I can do since this isn't my fault."

"Good, cause they need us," Bladescape said.

At least the argument was over and everyone appeared to be in the proper headspace. Malus had taken a harder hit on the head than Bladescape realized. She probably should force her out of the fight, but they really needed Malus. She also was Malus, the Iron Bulwark. If anyone could work through a cracked skull, she could. So long as she understood Japanese, even if she couldn't speak it, that was what mattered. Plus, most players could understand English because it was required in school. They could sort anything else out after the boss was defeated.

Squad B went back with a renewed vigor. They now had a lot to prove after they nearly fell apart. They held the line, but it wasn't easy. For every half of a health bar eliminated, another arm was activated and used. The attacks switched up too. Tanks were tossed all the time, taking down players with them if they collided. The Wondercolts held strong, but even they couldn't keep it up forever.

Eventually, they were all worn down, even the Knights of the Bloodoath. They all eventually ended up behind the front line. That is, except for the Commander. Heathcliff stayed in, a testament to his skill and cunning, as well as his strength. By his order the last raiders fell back to heal and regroup. He avoided most of the attacks from the boss, rather than block. When he did, they were always deflections rather than straight blocks. He kept the boss occupied as the rest of the raid party recovered their HP and reset their mentalities.

Malus was itching to get back in the fight. Bladescape had to practically hold her back as she forced Malus to catch her breath, and HP, and let the others catch up to her. Once Bladescape stood up, Malus charged. All of Group B was behind her. Malus had a surprising burst of speed in her as she barreled into the fight.

Bladescape hadn't realized that the boss wasn't Malus’ target, it was Commander Heathcliff. The Commander's complicated dance faltered right as Malus got to him. She shoved him out of the way of the flail, taking his place as it was swung upward. The flanged head yanked her along, throwing her into the ceiling. Malus fell back to the floor as Squad B launched a full scale counter attack. The boss was at one and a half health bars. All six arms were triggered, making the tank's work difficult and the attackers had to be careful. They had to avoid running into each other as they also deflected or dodged the boss' six weapons. The tanks also couldn't deflect an attack into another raider.

The Commander had been able to get up and fall back to take stock of the situation and catch his breath. His health wasn't even out of the yellow. It was close, but stable. His Battle Regeneration Skill was working overtime to fill his health back up.

Bladescape squared off with the boss, raising her sword above her head so she could trigger Avalanche. It was a powerful, high level sword skill that activated a downward slash. It also had a low delay. The boss focused on her, pulling both the talwar and flail back to use. Bladescape held her ground to keep its focus on her while the others attacked or prepared to block.

The attack never came as something whipped over her head and smacked the boss in the face. The Iron Bulwark, Malus' shield, thudded to the ground as the boss staggered back.

Malus ran past Bladescape with a war cry before calling out to Konpeito to give her a boost. Bladescape had no idea what Malus meant, but Konpeito did. She knelt down, presenting her back to Malus. Malus kept running, straight onto her back. Konpeito popped up, with a gleeful hop, launching the tank higher than she could ever jump on her own; enough to grab the metal shoulder. The shoulder wasn't an actual joint, the arms were connected and controlled from behind. It couldn't hit her as Malus straddled it. She began to pummel the metal face with Martial Arts Sword Skills. Malus had previously stated that she had unfinished business with the boss.

Bladescape abandoned her position, breaking into a sprint to get behind the stumbling boss. On the way, she snagged Konpeito. Malus' tenacity, coupled with her earlier taunt at the boss, gave Bladescape an idea. Only Konpeito could help her. Diemond, Reisenki, and Kirito were unleashing all of what they could to keep the boss unsteady.

From behind it, Bladescape pointed with her sword at the disk mechanism that covered the arm joints. "We need to break off the arms," Bladescape stated. "And that is the weak point. Malus gave us the opening-"

"Got it!" Konpeito said, hopping forward. That hop turned into a skip and then she kicked herself into an aerial before doing a front flip that whipped her axe out, where she triggered a skill to hack down on a joint.

Bladescape had less agility, both in the game and real life. She didn't think properly to pull something off like that. Instead, she timed it so when the boss stepped back, she used it to vault off the leg, triggering Avalanche down on the opposite side Konpeito was targeting.

The boss caught on, but with Malus repeatedly pounding it in the side of the face and Diemond, Reisenki, and Kirito attacking the legs, it couldn't address the attacks to its back. Konpeito got the first limb off. Her axe could negate more of the resistance of the metal boss. The whole arm and talwar shattered. Bladescape eliminated the flail on the third vault.

"YAH GOTTA BUCK HARDER THAN A DAIRY COW TO TOSS ME OFF!" Malus yelled over the resounding clang of her metal gauntlet slamming into its head.

Konpeito hacked off the arm with the tabar axe next. Bladescape took too long to get rid of the arm with the khanda sword, so Konpeito joined in the leg attacks. As soon as Bladescape got it, again on the third hit, Konpeito vaulted back up to attack the arm with the scimitar. That was gone in two hits. Bladescape was able to get her third in on the arm with the mace right after, eliminating the last major offensive option for the boss.

Bladescape landed but then had to scramble and dive out of the way. The boss, almost out of HP, was tripped by Diemond and Reisenki. Diemond had pulled a strong length of rope out of her inventory and the two of them toppled it. Malus bailed as it fell.

Bladescape was on her feet as quickly as she could be and charged in, ready for the kill. There was just a tiny bit of HP left. She never got close to attacking as the boss shattered into polygons. Kirito was on the other side and had finished it. He was tired, that was clear, and he had given his all in the fight. Bladescape couldn't deny that he had earned it.

All that really mattered was that it was over. Bladescape didn't want him to give her the Last Attack Bonus, she wanted to earn it with her own well-timed strike, but the only reason he was there was because she wanted him in her squad. He was the best pick for the job, but it did sour her mood. Kirito was the kind of guy to abandon a squad if an opening was created, like they had done, so he likely would have joined in anyway, but Bladescape had invited him to be right there. She now felt stupid over her choice, despite knowing it was the objectively correct one and that it was well earned by the Black Swordsman. Plus, he had stuck by and played nice during the argument.

The congratulatory music began playing as their menus popped up. Bladescape scrolled through her drops. It was good stuff. She saw a few potential two-handed swords that might upgrade what she currently had. As expected, the col and XP dropped was massive. It was higher than usual since it was a benchmark floor.

Malus had ignored her drops and retrieved her shield. She still put it on her right arm. Commander Heathcliff joined them. He had watched the last bit, but he had earned that after his solo fight, shielding them all while also dealing a good chunk of damage all by himself.

"Those were interesting tactics," Commander Heathcliff said. "But effective."

"At least y'all pulled its arms off for me," Malus said, still in English.

Heathcliff slightly cocked his head at her. It was evident that he understood what she had said.

"I think the first hit knocked some things loose," Bladescape explained. "Most of the Wondercolts are foreign exchange students, in Japan for a semester. That plan obviously changed, but the real point is that Japanese is a second language to us. Malus doesn't appear to remember how to speak it."

"I can still understand it," Malus added. "Didn't have a clue I wasn't speakin Japanese."

"I'm hoping it wears off," Bladescape stated. "We had a battle to win first."

"And an argument to sort out," Heathcliff stated with a small gin on his lips. "Yet you were still one of the best squads in this fight. You performed as expected, which was excellent as always. Well, almost as expected. Malus getting tossed, twice, was a surprise."

"It surprised us too," Bladescape commented.

"I still ain't able to feel my left arm," Malus growled. "Darn thing is useless if I can't feel nothin to grab hold of. But I did get to punch the boss a lot in retaliation." Both of Malus’ gauntlets shattered. She looked at her hands. “Well, guess those are done for. Did what I needed em to as long as I needed em.”

Bladescape rolled her eyes at Malus and turned to Diemond. "Wonderful plan, Diemond," Bladescape said. "Thinking to trip the boss."

"Don't mention it, Darling," Diemond replied. "While I would love to stay and chat, I think we need to get Malus home and let her rest for a day or two. Hopefully help her head get screwed on straight."

"That sounds wise," Commander Heathcliff said.

The Knights of the Bloodoath were ready and led them to the fifty-first floor, however, it was Malus who got to trigger the teleport plaza.

Bladescape retrieved their friends and they did their usual toast. Kirito had declined their offer to join them. Malus was the MVP of the battle and Diemond was clearly the third. At least when it came to adding in Heathcliff to the mix. He might be the real MVP, however, Malus had saved him from a fatal hit, which also threw her into the ceiling.

For Malus’ sake, because she didn’t want to skip their tradition, they toasted quickly and then headed home. Malus went straight to her room. She even missed dinner. It was better to let her rest. When Bladescape had checked on her later that evening, she didn’t respond to the knock on her door. Bladescape did use her administrative privileges to override the lock, just to be safe, and she found Malus out cold, snoring in bed. She backed out quickly and let her rest.

Knightstar helped sort out their drops. Knightstar and Natora had worked out a new financial scheme, which the guild unanimously agreed to in a blind vote. Most things could be handled by the council, but some things they needed to put to a vote. They were small enough that it impacted all of them and that they could accurately gauge the plans by a vote.

The guild would now buy the useful equipment from boss drops, be it field, floor, or even a dungeon boss. Anything the intermediate players could make good use of could be sold to the guild. Then the guild would move them to Agil. The guild would take the bulk of the loss, but their members wouldn't take too badly of one. This boss fight had netted them plenty of good things to sell to Agil.

BLADESCAPE: Level 73 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 71 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 65 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce
MALUS: Level 69 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts
THUNDERBORNE: Level 69 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts
KONPEITO: Level 69 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard
DIEMOND: Level 70 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 66 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search — Listen
KIEFER: Level 67 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing
SORYUTO: Level 65 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics
REISENKI: Level 67 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining

Kirito: Level 72 – One-Handed Sword – Search – Martial Arts – First Aid – Weapon Defense – Battle Regeneration – Extended Weight Carry – Blade Throwing – Sprint – Hide

Episode 55 — Duel

Episode 55 — Duel
Twenty-Eighth Day in the Month of Silvergrass (January 28) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 52

Doombunny walked with the rest of the Wondercolts as they exited the strategy meeting for the fifty-second floor boss. It has been a huge adjustment, pinning her to another Wondercolt. Not only was she constantly tied to one of her friends, the DDA was consistently attempting to spy on her. They always failed to keep their observations from going unnoticed, at least by Doombunny.

Yamata was ahead of them in the crowd, but Doombunny's most recent skill was "Listen." She could hear his slanderous and snide comments from where she was. They were crystal clear to her, even among the rest of the chatter.

Her anger flared at his latest derogatory remark. He needed to be put in his place like the dog he was. Doombunny pushed past Bladescape. "YAMATA!" She yelled. "WHY DON'T YOU SAY THAT TO MY FACE!"

The crowd in front naturally split from trying to see who had called him out. She strode forward confidently, intent to not be lost if it collapsed. Her movement solidified its open position as players looked between her and Yamata, who was with his squad in their silver and blue gear.

"What?" He asked.

"I said," Doombunny growled, trying to keep her anger controlled. "Why don't you say that stuff to my face? The stuff about me being a viper bitch 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. I left out the really nasty and dishonorable things you called me.

"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 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, not dropping the edge on her voice. She wasn’t going to let him distract from the issue. "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 beyond the background music. 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 happens to give me the ability to hear rude players like you speak when they should be holding their tongues."

"Well, so what?" He snidely asked. "Are you just going to say that and slither away, viper bitch?"

The crowd, full of the top players in the game, was making a clear circle. Everyone in the boss meeting was present and watching. Doombunny wasn't going to let his slander go unanswered. She had to stand up for herself if the players were going to see her as equal.

"How rude!" Doombunny declared. "My name is Doombunny and you should only address me as such! At one point I thought you had more honor than you apparently do."

"Right," Yamata snorted. "And what are you seriously going to do about it?"

Malus spoke up from behind her before Doombunny could give Yamata her response. "I'll beat that respect into you!"

"Yeah, you could," Yamata scoffed. "But that would only prove what we all already know, that the Iron Bulwark is so strong she can beat me to a pulp. 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 to bad players."

"I keep tight control over everything I make!" Doombunny declared. "That includes anti-poison potions and remedies. Colorra and I are a team and it makes perfect sense for me to take advantage of her natural gifts like her poison, but I have never sold, given away, or lost a single one. All substances are controlled by me! The few vials carried by my guildmates are kept under tight watch. None of us are dumb enough to let these fall into the wrong hands. Part of me convincing them to carry them in the field for emergency use included me insisting on those measures. Better to have them and use them to save lives than not, at least now that I can make them."

"None of that is impressive," Yamata snorted. "I'm still not convinced, but seriously, what can you do to prove you're not involved with them?"

"How about I show you how I beat Serigatal The Wolf Master!" Doombunny shot back. "A taste of how I repeatedly stabbed him in the heart for torturing those poor 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!"

With a few clicks of her menu a duel challenge popped up in front of Yamata.

"I'll prove to you I can fight clean and that I don't slink around," Doombunny declared. "And I'll do it without Colorra! Just me and you."

"This request is for Half Loss Mode!" Yamata said, 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 and I'm using a dagger. It doesn't have the attack required to eliminate half of your HP in a single strike, even if I score a critical attack."

"Fine!" Yamata said, hitting accept and drawing his curved sword. "I'll put you in your place, Viper Bitch."

The preparation timer was ticking down before the start. Doombunny walked over to the side and Colorra dropped off her shoulders. She told Colorra to watch over the hunting dagger she put in front of the snake.

"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."

Despite Doombunny knowing better, their partnership was seen by the system as master and familiar. It had its advantages.

"Hunting knife?" Yamata asked as he adjusted his grip on his sword.

"Mhm," Doombunny replied, nodding as a sly smile pursed her lips. "It's 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 bitch like you say I am."

Doombunny swept her cloak free, pinning it open and fully displaying her dress underneath it, as well as her Beast Tamer's Charms. As the seconds disappeared, she crouched down, getting into a ready position low to the ground. She reached to her left hip, drawing out the single edged knife that served as her general purpose fighting blade.

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 her. The charms were the LAB from Serigatal The Wolf Master. It accessed Colorra's skills and attacks, making them user friendly for her master. They were separate from the weapon's Skill level with all of them being unlocked, so long as she wore the charms. The Sword Skills were translated to One-Handed Knife combination attacks, but the charms could translate Colorra's attacks into combinations for any weapon. Knives and daggers just happened to be the best since they were like the elapid's fangs. Construction 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 right foot, like a snake’s bite. It provided the anchor to stop her forward movement. As she slid to a stop, she got in multiple slashes from all angles, including reaching around front to slash open his ankles. 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. They were timed off Colorra, who was seen as a monster to the system. There were different rules for her attack combination compared to the Sword Skills of a player. There even were different rules for Colorra since the Ruby Krait was not a tamable monster. Doombunny's slices easily hit two dozen, and that was not counting the stabs she kept making. That was a far higher count than any of the dagger combos Doombunny had unlocked.

It all happened in a second or two 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 red slash marks and Doombunny could tell that she was glowing yellow, indicating that Fighting Spirit was active. Judging by the strength of the glow, she was very angry. More angry in a fight than she had ever been, barring the boss fight she got the charms in. At least the yellow color made her appear righteous as if the sun was shining upon her, rather than being dark or evil colors like black or red.

Doombunny made a declaration as his health bar slid down, trying to catch up to the speed of her attack. "Just because I don't look like a classic 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. I've fought Floor Bosses and killed one all on my own. That's more than you can say!"

His health hit halfway and the win was given to Doombunny. The only fanfare was from 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 lower. Released from the delay, 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 because you are no longer in a duel. Your health bar is simply catching up to the hits it registered during the legal duel. As to the paralysis, that is a side effect of the Constriction Sword Skill, not something I applied. But this will end it without waiting for it to wear off or wasting an antidote crystal. I don't actually know how long it stays because anything I've used the skill against died too quickly."

None of his friends, or anyone, had approached to help. 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, alive, but not by much. If she had driven home the last stab, it would have depleted to a tiny sliver. Doombunny looked over her shoulder at him. He finally had two friends helping him up.

"I would carefully consider your words from here on out,” 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. If I had remembered, I would have chosen another." 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, preventing it from further escalating.

"Congratulations on the win, Doombunny,” Commander Heathcliff said. “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 cannot let take hold or 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 and the Ruby Palace!

“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 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 ahead and see it through to victory!"

Cheers went up all around. They could all agree on that.

Doombunny had requested that Soryuto help her after the meeting. Everyone already knew Doombunny and Soryuto were going off on business. Most thought it was a way for Doombunny to do more than get stuck back at the headquarters. Her friends had precious little time for errands and they didn’t need to be keeping an eye on her when they were hastily rushing to get them done. Soryuto routinely went to the Town of Beginnings to assist her friends, so it was easy for everyone to brush it off.

In the town, the two of them stayed together for a bit, but then went their separate ways. Soryuto did not agree with the situation and trusted her. She knew what Doombunny needed to do. Soryuto went off to visit her friends, while Doombunny headed to the church.

The door was opened by a young girl, Akagi, who was only twelve or thirteen years old. However, she looked a lot younger. Sasha was a university student who had taken up caring for the kids trapped in Aincrad, the ones who couldn’t care for themselves. If fear was crippling adults, the youngest kids were obviously not immune. Akagi was one of two dozen or so who Sasha helped out. The church was inexpensive to rent and had everything Sasha needed to take care of the kids.

Doombunny had learned of them and had enlisted their help. They trapped live animals – rats, mice, and such – for Colorra to eat. Colorra needed food, live food, and Doombunny didn’t have time to trap them, or the ability to dedicate a Skill to that. The kids did and Doombunny paid them for what they caught. It was a mutually beneficial trade, one that gave the kids purpose and brought in col for them to rent the church and buy food. Sasha was grateful for the income and purpose it provided.

A few kids were able to fight in the safe hunting locations for col and items. Several more were runners and couriers, carrying messages, items, and supplies from one player to another, so long as they were in a safe zone. It was a good service and provided them with decent pay. More than enough to help out. Still, plenty were unable to do anything. They all had regressed in age due to the fear. They were prepared for an adventure game, for fun, not to be trapped like they were with real stakes. It was something Doombunny understood.

Soryuto and Doombunny met up at the prearranged location and time. Soryuto’s business was always longer than Doombunny’s. Doombunny did not mind. She was just glad to have an ally, an assistant to getting Colorra’s food.

BLADESCAPE: Level 75 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 71 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 66 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce
MALUS: Level 70 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 70 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 70 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 71 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 67 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search — Listen
KIEFER: Level 68 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing
SORYUTO: Level 66 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics
REISENKI: Level 68 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining

Episode 56 — Angry Voices and A Lullaby

Episode 56 — Angry Voices and A Lullaby
Sixth Day in the Month of Willow (March 6) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 56

The field boss meeting was going nowhere. The Geocrawler was the only field boss on Floor Fifty-Six. It was in a narrow mountain valley, just a short way from the village they were meeting at. It was blocking their way to the unmapped town and the surrounding area with three pillars, one of which would hold the boss Labyrinth. They had to defeat it to progress, except that was easier said than done. Multiple scouting parties had failed, as well as several proper raids, and they were now on day six of the field boss raid. Not that the Wondercolts had been there since day one, but even their scouting party had learned nothing new.

The armored millipede-like boss had horns and a humanoid mouth. It was the largest boss to date, easily standing as tall as a one story building, with an incredible length past it. It was sheer mass and armor, so much so that it was impervious to crushing, piercing, slashing, or thrusting attacks. It was deceptively fast due to the armored front legs, which, despite their size, were often eclipsed by the head. The underbelly looked like a weak point, except the valley walls made flanking impossible. At least not without getting crushed against the walls by the heavily armored body. Trying to slide an attack so low in a fight was impossible.

Asuna and Kirito were arguing over the next plan, which Asuna had proposed. They both had differing opinions and it was getting heated. Kirito and Klein had already tried the "Grand Meaty Meat Plan" and failed. The boss wasn't interested in the prime meat they had gathered and offered to the Geocrawler as a distraction. They were forced to retreat back to the safety of the village. Bladescape was glad the Wondercolts had arrived the day after that escapade. It would have been too embarrassing to be around as Klein failed as badly as he did. She thought Kirito was smarter than that, but Bladescape didn't know who came up with the plan. In the end, the boys had failed to gain even a moderate amount of success and simply wasted another day.

Asuna currently wanted to lure the boss into the village. The gates were unbreakable objects, but if the Clearers lured the boss to them and then opened them, the boss would, hopefully, target the NPCs. Kirito was arguing against it, not because it was a bad plan, rather he was arguing that the NPCs were not just breakable objects to be discarded. Asuna believed they would just respawn, something the players couldn't do. Kirito believed the NPCs of Sword Art Online were different from normal game NPCs, that they had more to them. He wasn't equating them to being human, rather that they were special and needed to be protected. Or at least not used as bait and allowed to be slaughtered. They had the heavy gate facing the Geocrawler in place for a reason. They obviously were afraid of it. Bladescape had to agree with Kirito. SAO did not have normal NPCs. There was no reason to believe the NPCs would respawn.

The game was incredibly complex and consistently undergoing what could only be described as updates. The guild contract scroll was no longer a scroll, instead being fully integrated into a player's menu, at least for the members with rights. It made things way more efficient than the original scroll and had more abilities being added in unscheduled and random "updates".

The argument between Kirito and Asuna almost came to physical blows. Kirito was swaying the hearts of the clearers, making Asuna's plan look like a cold-hearted strategy where any and all sacrifice was acceptable, no matter what the cost. Asuna didn't strike Kirito, instead challenging her opposition to a first strike duel. If Kirito won, they would abandon Asuna's plan, but if she won, he would support her plan.

Seeing the two of them going so low as to settle things with a duel was unexpected, but not a total shock. Most players only knew Asuna as Second-in-Command of the Knights of the Bloodoath. Bladescape remembered Red Riding Hood Asuna. Rebel Asuna who fought side by side with Kirito and defied the two main clearing guilds led by Kibaou and Lind. She remembered giving Kirito and Asuna a permanent offer to join the Wondercolts if they needed to. Much had changed over the past year. The two of them had once been inseparable, but they had been arguing more and more as time went by. Bladescape wasn't sure what pebble had started the rockslide that their interactions had become.

Kirito accepted the terms and agreed to the duel. Everyone migrated out of the stone hut being used to plan the strategy, into the center of the small village. This would be a very telling duel. When Thunderborne had dueled Asuna, they were both the same type of fighters, fencers using rapiers and capitalizing on speed and agility. Kirito was fast, but his One-Handed Longsword wasn't the same speed of a rapier. His lack of a shield did speed him up and change his fighting style, he didn't become reliant on a shield for his defense. He had to rely on agility, speed, and luck.

The clock finally hit zero, starting the duel. It was an impressive display of speed and agility, but not quite the same as what Thunder and Asuna had shown off. Kirito could see Asuna's strike and react, either to block, redirect, or dodge. Asuna had clearly picked up some tricks when it came to agility from Thunderborne, avoiding Kirito's sword with grace, despite the speed required to do so.

Bladescape saw the shift in Kirito, but only at the last second. He understood what Asuna was going to do for her counter. He blocked her sword and twisted the block into a stab, giving her upper arm a nasty slice. It was a good and legal hit, more than enough to count for the first strike duel. She didn't lose much HP, but it clearly stung. Losing hurt way more than the cut, but she kept her head held high. No one had any other plan for the boss and Kirito was fresh out of ideas after the meat strategy had failed, so Asuna ended the meeting. The clearers would see what they could come up with on their own and reassemble tomorrow. No one having a plan allowed Asuna to save face and recover her ego.

Bladescape cut her party loose for the day. They would hang around, in case someone had a brilliant idea, but they were not required to be with her for the meeting. She only had Natora, Thunderborne, Malus, Reisenki, and Kiefer. Everyone else was back home or out crafting. It didn't really matter what they were doing. Diemond might be needed for the fight, but the Wondercolts had two tanks in their party. Konpeito also might be needed, but she wasn't irreplaceable unless they needed a Viking woman with a giant axe who could bake confections.

The village didn't have much to it. It was walled off and the buildings were carved out of the massive boulders found all across the floor. It had already been thoroughly searched for quests and clues to defeating the Geocrawler. The small inn was booked up and the two restaurants were already packed. The village lacked a teleport plaza and it was a good deal's walk from the nearest one. Konpeito had promised to bring them dinner, so Bladescape wasn't worried about food. They just had to wait and it was still a bit early, at least for their normal dinner time. None of them were going to complain. Natora and Thunderborne went off to climb buildings and do some stunts to kill time.

Malus was content to just lean against one of the carved buildings, chewing on a piece of grass. She had started buying them somewhere just to chew like she would back home on the farm. Most grass broke into polygons, if it could be plucked, just like everything else did. There might not be anything else specific about it other than being able to be chewed, a common enough activity around the globe.

Kiefer and Issin from Fuurinkazan were sitting in the shade and had begun a dice game one of them had. They were betting singular pieces of col for fun.

Bladescape spent the time scrolling through the skills list. It was too public to read her book of memories. Bladescape's eleventh skill slot was coming up soon. She needed to plan ahead. Acrobatics had worked out well, but Bladescape was the lone Wondercolt without something to do in her off time.

Malus went fishing. Thunderborne and Natora would do parkour, like they currently were. Konpeito cooked and played music. Diemond made clothes and armor. Knightstar's consulting business had really taken off. If Knightstar wasn't in the field or consulting on a player's skill, she was trying to beat that battle dance quest. Doombunny had Colorra and drug mixing. Reisenki cooked, repaired their equipment, and now was refining metal as he prepared to start making weapons, all for fun. Kiefer was making curved swords, mostly katanas, in his free time. And Soryuto played music.

Nothing caught Bladescape's eye as being something that would be worth her time to unwind with. Iaido could only be practiced for so long before it got boring, plus she used it to prepare her mind for floor boss raids. Fishing, sewing, music, none of it had anything that she wanted to do as a hobby. They were all skill based. If they had guitars, she might do music, but so far not even a bad acoustic guitar was available. Her natural abilities were eliminated with a four stringed lute. Bladescape even checked the skill tree in Knightstar's guide, looking at what she could pick up in order to set her up for a future skill, but again, nothing held her interest. Her interest was on being the best Wondercolt she could be, in fighting, in clearing the game. Ultimately, Sword Art Online was a game and she wanted to play it. Being stuck in Aincrad didn't change her mind about playing it. None of those side skills interested her in other RPGs, why should they now? Just because she was currently looking didn't mean her interests had changed.

Running into wall after wall in her own indecision was stressful and not helpful. Bladescape knew she needed to relax and even more so since starting the overnight training regimen with the guild. It was a tough push and she was usually spearheading it. Seeing the others break off to do things to unwind made her realize how wound up she was. Being so wound up wasn't good for her mentally or physically. It might even be why she couldn't come up with a strategy to beat the Geocrawler.

Konpeito arrived, rescuing Bladescape from the pit of despair she had accidentally dug for herself. Soryuto and Doombunny had helped escort Konpeito, both to keep her safe on the journey between the two towns and to help her stay on task. Konpeito stayed on task long enough to deliver dinner, and then went off to find Thunder and Natora. Soryuto took food to Kiefer so he didn't have to stop his game. Currently he appeared to be winning more than he was losing.

Thunderborne and Natora came back, but without Konpeito. They had seen the guildmate's arrival from a rooftop and done another lap in a race before getting dinner. Thunderborne won, but Natora wanted a rematch once she had fueled up.

Except for Soryuto, Kiefer and Konpeito, they ate in a circle of friends. This felt almost like a picnic. Their meals while dungeon diving or in the labyrinths were always in safe zones and over rather quickly. They didn't feel like picnics, although they probably should. Bladescape didn't know how to make them feel like that, considering the fact that they were taking a break from a stressful activity before diving right back in. Picnics were more relaxed and fun. They didn't fit inside dungeons.

Konpeito eventually wandered back, humming to herself. She wasn't surprised to see Natora and Thunderborne, meaning she had forgotten about finding them. Something else had distracted her.

"I ain't heard that tune before," Malus said to Konpeito. "Usually you're hummin' our usual songs, but that one's different. Are you creatin' new ones?"

"Huh?" Konpeito asked. "Oh, no. It's a song Ruru taught me."

"I'm gonna regret this, but whose Ruru?" Malus asked.

"One of the villagers," Konpeito explained. "It's a local lullaby they sing to their children."

"Uh, they ain't got any kid NPCs here," Malus said.

"So?" Konpeito asked. "You don't have to tell them that and spoil their fantasy."

No one knew what to say. It was a rather simple tune. Konpeito began to play it on her penny whistle. It was even more lovely when not hummed.

Asuna, who apparently was still in town, stopped and listened in. "Where did you learn that?" Asuna asked. "It reminds me of something-" she suddenly paused. To Bladescape, it sounded like she was about to say it reminded her of something from her childhood.

"I learned it from my new friend, Ruru," Konpeito stated.

"Who is that?" Asuna asked. For someone who loved to talk, Konpeito had an interesting habit of answering questions in a way that forced someone to ask another one.

"One of the villagers who lives here," Konpeito explained. "She lives in the house with a small window carved by the door. The door curtain is red. Turn around, go back three houses, then left two, four right, and one left. That's the house. The song is a local lullaby they sing to the kids in the village. She taught it to me. It's a fun folk tune."

"Yeah, it is," Asuna said, distracted. "Have a good evening, Wondercolts."

Asuna wandered off in the direction Konpeito had indicated.

"So, when does the campfire start?" Konpeito asked.

"Campfire?" Bladescape asked.

"Well, we're camping here tonight, and camping means a fire," Konpeito explained. "Although, I don't have marshmallows for s'mores. They don't have them in SAO and I haven't been able to recreate them or ice cream in Aincrad, at least not yet. I'll eventually figure out ice cream. After all, I learned to make sprinkles!"

"I don't think that’s a fair comparison," Thunderborne poked. "And no fire, just open sky above us since the inn is booked."

"Aw," Konpeito whined. "Well, it's still half camping. I think I have a torch we could light and stick in the ground in order to tell ghost stories."

"No need," Natora said, chuckling. "I think we all want a quiet evening after the day we've had."

"Why?" Konpeito asked. "Did something bad happen?"

"We still haven't figured out how to beat the field boss," Natora pointed out. "And while it wasn't exactly bad, it was odd seeing Asuna challenge Kirito to a duel over a plan. Kirito won, so Asuna's plan was ditched."

"Why would he be opposed to her plan?" Konpeito asked in between twiddling with the whistle.

"Something about NPCs not being the same as objects," Natora said. "Asuna wanted to use them as bait. You had to be there to understand how Kirito framed their value."

"Of course they have value," Konpeito said with a shrug. "They might not have a soul, but they each are unique and each one serves a purpose. Good, bad, or ugly, they each have a use and should be treasured. Haven't you noticed that in your dealings with them?"

"They are the most complex NPCs I've ever seen," Natora admitted. "I don't know if I would go to the same length that Kirito, or you, do about their value. I think I'm on Asuna's side when it comes to them just being able to respawn, although it wasn't going to work. It was a desperate plan proposed after being stalled here so many days. All we have left is desperate plans."

"It was an interesting duel," Thunderborne added. "Asuna’s gotten better since I dueled her, which means Kirito is nearly unstoppable. I don't know why he sticks to longswords without a shield. Especially with his skill. Quite impressive, but I was pulling for Asuna to win, not because of the plan. I just wanted her to win."

"We aren't home," Bladescape reminded them. She didn't want someone to say something they didn't want to be heard. Asuna was still here, as evident by her random stop by. Well, she was likely drawn in by Konpeito playing her whistle. Still, she could come back and it was not something Bladescape wanted her to overhear. Asuna had to be steaming over the loss to Kirito. It was about courtesy. They were Wondercolts. Kindness was one of their traits; a founding pillar of their guild. Gossip was not good for their images.

Thankfully, Kiefer and Soryuto joined them, shifting the conversation. Kiefer had won big, taking Issin for a grand total of a hundred and fifty-two col. It wasn't a large sum, but to gain that much meant that Kiefer had won most of the time.

The Wondercolts retreated to a better place to rest up. They secured a corner where a boulder home backed up to the wall. It limited how people could approach them. Since the rise of Laughing Coffin, sleeping in the safe zone of dungeons had become significantly more risky. The same for openly sleeping in a town. All it took was for someone to drag a sleeping player outside the safe zone and attack them there. This village was small, making that feat easier. However unlikely something was to happen, especially with the crowd of Clearers present who were also camping out, Bladescape still posted a watch.

The morning brought a cold breakfast, but a filling one. Konpeito had come well prepared. She had sack lunches for them all too. She was getting a lot better at making high durability food that also tasted very delicious.

The morning also brought news of a meeting at nine. Someone had figured out a plan. They were meeting in the same building they had been meeting in. Konpeito, Doombunny, and Soryuto decided to stay and listen in. If they beat the field boss, there would be no need to walk all the way back to the other village with a teleport plaza.

The Wondercolts were there early. So was Fuurinkazan. Kirito arrived at a respectable time. He was clearly in the dark. Kirito or Klein were not the ones to figure the plan out. Asuna and the KoB squad with her were the last to show up. She had a look of relief and pride on her face. Whatever it was, Asuna had come up with a new plan.

She smiled at the Wondercolts as she stood in front of the strategy table. The room was silent, waiting for Asuna to start laying out the plan. "I know everyone searched this place over, several times, but an NPC does give a clue. Parsing it out wasn't easy. It’s the most innocent and easy to overlook clue, yet it tells us how the boss needs to be defeated!"

Asuna looked directly at Konpeito. "It actually was Konpeito of the Wondercolts who figured it out, although I don't believe she understands what she found. Konpeito, would you please come forward and play that tune you learned yesterday."

Konpeito shrugged and stepped up to the table. She popped her tin whistle out of the pouch she stored it in and began to play the lullaby.

"That!" Asuna said when Konpeito was done. "That is the lullaby of the village. It will put to sleep the Geocrawler, meaning we can attack its underbelly without issue. We just need to get an expert bard, someone who not only can play it, but generate the sleep effect."

"Oh! Me! Call on me!" Konpeito exclaimed, hopping a bit as she waved her raised hand.

"Yes, Konpeito?" Asuna asked. She clearly didn't want to get sidetracked, a valid concern when dealing with Konpeito.

"I'm a bard," Konpeito said. "I rarely use it to buff our party, we don't need it, but I probably should do it more often. I'm typically focused on solving the problem with my axe. Anyway, I can do it and I know the song."

"Why not?" Bladescape said, stepping up to the table, beside her friend. "It's at least worth a shot."

"Securing someone willing to come to the front and take that risk was proving difficult," Asuna admitted. "We will do it with Konpeito as our muse. If it fails, we will find another bard with a higher skill level. Everyone will get to simultaneously attack, but I still want a defense contingency for Konpeito, just like I expected to deploy for any other bard. It may take a moment for the effect to set in and put it to sleep."

"I'll cover her," Malus announced.

Harry One from Fuurinkazan also pledged to protect her and the KoB pledged a third tank, Tisroc.

Asuna laid out the plan. It would require them to quickly get in place as soon as it was asleep and they would attack on cue, as one, dishing out as much damage as possible before it woke up.

They had to set up their order. As soon as it was asleep, they would have to blitz down the valley, on whichever side the sleeping boss gave them. Pairing the narrow crevasse with the excessively long boss meant that their faster runners needed to be at the front of the assault, so they could get to the far end of the boss. The leader couldn't stop until the tail. No one would be able to pass if someone stopped prematurely. They were quartered into four squads.

Thunderborne was given the lead of Squad A because of her speed. Natora and Kirito were put under her, as well as three others who were quick on their feet: Triston, a Katana user; Inge, a fencer; and Amagi, a shield user with a scimitar. Squad B was under Asuna's leadership. They were mostly forwards with shields. Squad C was given to Bladescape. Bladescape got Kiefer, Agil and Klein in her squad. Squad D was under Ahoshta, a tank who was new to the front and was rumored to be able to rival Malus.

Konpeito giggled as she led their procession out of the meeting, flanked by Malus and Harry One, with Tisroc protecting the rear of their small party. Konpeito was playing "Mo Ghile Mear" on her penny whistle, not that anyone recognized it besides Bladescape, but it was a good song to march to when played properly. It rose and fell at a good rhythm which kept the spirit of the marchers high.

Their trip wasn't far. The valley was right outside the village. Konpeito stopped playing her whistle and pulled out Gjallarhorn, the LAB from Loptur. The gilded “flute” was made from an ox's horn and carved with images from the Norse Sagas. Bladescape had never seen or heard Konpeito use it, but apparently she could play it.

They were noticed by the Geocrawler, which let out a growl that shook the earth. It stamped at the rocky earth as it prepared to charge if they got closer. Konpeito responded with a blast from the horn. It was a great way to call everyone to battle, but not a good way to put the field boss to sleep. As the horn echoed back and forth between the canyon walls, Konpeito began to slowly play the lullaby tune. It was gentle and soothing, even at the hands of Konpeito. Bladescape felt an unexplained rush from hearing the lullaby, even as the Geocrawler began to struggle to stay upright as it fell asleep.

It rolled over, exposing its soft underbelly, and Thunderborne sprinted forward, leading them all, quietly, to battle. Bladescape couldn't see much since she was at the head of Squad C, but she stopped when the line did and raised her sword. She could see Thunderborne's rapier above the other heads, as well as Asuna's. Asuna's rapier swiped down, which was the signal to attack.

Bladescape triggered Avalanche, letting her squad attack the Geocrawler. The only sound was their sword skills striking virtual flesh. It was the quietest field or floor boss battle, by a long shot. Konpeito's lullaby could clearly be heard over their attacks. Bladescape felt something surge inside her once again as she attacked. Her strikes seemed to be faster and stronger.

Bladescape saw the health of the Geocrawler rapidly depleting. Then she heard Konpeito switch tunes and felt a pit of dread fill her stomach. The pit had to battle the two other odd feelings, but it was overwhelmed by a fourth feeling sweeping over her. That's when Bladescape realized the power of a bard. Konpeito was modifying the raiders with buffs. Bladescape didn't know what exactly she was giving them, but she had switched to something else so she could continue to boost them as a bard. The Geocrawler wasn't going to wake up in the short time it had left. If their attacks hadn't woken it up, little would.

With a rainbow of colors emanating from all of the sword skills, the Geocrawler shattered into polygons, adding more color to the narrow valley. At least for a few seconds. Everyone was panting heavily from their exertion. They all clearly felt relieved at the battle being over. They still had a section of the floor to clear and a boss Labyrinth to find and map, but they no longer had any roadblocks in between them and those tasks.

Konpeito sounded a celebratory blast from Gjallarhorn. Everyone regrouped at the entrance of the valley. Guilds had been split up and everyone wanted to get back to their usual parties before heading into the unknown. Everyone was relieved to have the way clear.

"Well done, Konpeito," Asuna said, bowing respectfully to their bard. "You had me worried when you switched tunes, but I see I shouldn't have been."

Konpeito giddily laughed at Asuna. "I had that thing asleep in the palm of my hand. It wasn't going to wake up for a solid forty minutes. Gjallarhorn magnifies any and all bard related stuff. It doubled the time of the sleep effect. It also gives me a status timer for each one so I don't let something lapse. No other instrument does that. I buffed everyone's attack speed, accuracy, and damage by a factor of point six six. That's a huge buff and triple what the tin whistle could give out. And I'm only getting better! With me around, who needs a Flag of Valor?"

The question fell short because most players didn't have any idea what she was talking about. Only a handful of people knew about it. Even fewer were in the raid to obtain it. Only three knew the owner of the flag: Kirito, Bladescape, and Natora. Asuna likely believed it was still in Kirito's possession.

"Thanks for the boosts," Bladescape said to stimulate the conversation past the silence from Konpeito's failed comment. "And great job playing bard and for finding the tune. As powerful as the buffs were, I think I prefer your axe."

"Of course you do," Konpeito retorted. "It's fun to play, but it's more fun to watch me dominate our foes!" Konpeito finished by striking a power pose.

Then she whipped the gilded horn up to her lips and gave it another blast, nearly blowing out everyone's ear drums. "Now I just gave everyone an endurance and speed boost! A full nine minutes just from that blast. Let's go conquer the rest of this floor!"

With that, Konpeito went sprinting down the canyon to find the adventure that was awaiting them on the other side. Bladescape couldn't help but smile before dashing after her cotton candy friend. It was fun to run and stretch her legs. She didn't let the fact that Thunderborne and Natora quickly outpaced her ruin the fun. Konpeito's laughter echoed off the canyon walls and it elicited a laugh from Bladescape. She heard the rest of her friends laughing too.

BLADESCAPE: Level 76 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 74 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 69 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce
MALUS: Level 73 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 73 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 73 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 74 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Crafting
DOOMBUNNY: Level 70 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search — Listen — Reveal
KIEFER: Level 71 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 69 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics
REISENKI: Level 71 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 57 — Qalphite Queen

Episode 57 — Qalphite Queen
Eighth Day in the Month of Willow (March 8) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 56 — Boss Chamber

A Qalphite Soldier clamped its pincers on Malus’ shield, putting it right where Malus needed it. She smiled as she triggered a skill. Her war hammer glowed red and came down on its head with a satisfying crack. Malus heard the others getting their hits in, but she couldn’t see them due to the size of the bug. Diemond was blocking them from an incoming bug and Malus made sure they could address it by landing the final blow on its noggin.

The Fifty-Sixth Floor Boss was another bug boss with its own army. They looked like tan-green beetles with a powerful pincer. The Qalphite Queen wasn’t as bad as Scorpia Queen of the Arthropods. This queen bug didn’t lay eggs, birthing new enemies, or poison the raiders, but her soldiers and guardians were numerous and very large, with shells that were difficult to crack. The only way to the queen was to cut a path the old fashioned way, with grit and steel.

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. A squad could surround a Qalphite Soldier or a Qalphite Guardian, but you had to do it quickly and kill it before the pincers of one or two of its friends came to the rescue. That was tricky to do because of their natural resistance to most damage types.

The guardians and soldiers were mixed together. They were not using the same fighting algorithms or the same level. The guardians were several levels higher than the soldiers and liked to break apart a group surrounding them by opening their elytra, the covers for their wings, and bashing the players. The game designers were at least nice enough to make them look different. The soldiers were a bit smaller, faster, and skewed towards tan in color while the guardians were a green-tan with light tan legs.

Thunderborne and Natora were doing a good job. They could poke holes in them decently fast but the overall raid wasn't going well. The two of them couldn't land critical strikes, even with Armor Pierce, and the damage they did do was heavily negated by the bug's high resistance. They mostly corralled the creatures, poking and prodding them to the squad for elimination. Malus and Diemond were the heavy hitters. Bladescape and Kiefer were drawing the aggro and keeping the attention of the insects while Diemond and Malus proved they actually knew how to strike with their respective weapons. Crushing their carapace was the only way to deal critical damage and even that was difficult to get, even with good hits.

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, Malus didn't reckon the Qalphite Queen would have much extra to give them that the soldiers and guardians didn’t already show.

The Iron Bulwark had proven in the fiftieth floor boss fight that she could be an aggressive attacker, but the raiders still saw her in a defensive frame. Malus 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. Malus 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, mostly because she could bait the bugs into biting it, which put them exactly where she needed them to squish them.

It was slow work but they steadily ground on. Malus was their big damage dealer. She was unyielding and unrelenting, leading Squad B forward. All she had been able to do the past five floor bosses was hold her shield and block. She did what she needed to do for the good of the raiders, but Malus hated not getting a few good blows in. Now she had the opportunity to make up for it and she was making very good use of it.

The next soldier fell and they were through the enemy’s line. They were not the first through. Squad C, all DDA members, were harassing the Qalphite Queen. She was slow moving and exposed, but her soldiers were coming to her aid, splitting her assaulters.

Malus charged forward, going for the queen, as Bladescape issued orders. Bladescape and Thunderborne focused on the Queen with Malus, while Natora led Diemond and Kiefer in protecting their backs from the guardians coming to save the queen. Split up, it was a lot harder to squash any of the bugs, but the Wondercolts didn't back down from either fight. Squad H — led by Agil, who had Kirito, Lobelia, Kamishi, and two others from smaller guilds — joined in the fight against the queen, putting their weight into the assault. Thunderborne was ordered to shift and assist Natora since they had more than enough players on the boss.

Malus was watching the Queen’s HP gauge. Bladescape was, once again, in the perfect position to take the LAB. Bladescape's biggest issue was that she often didn’t pay enough attention to time it right. She was a team player who fought for the good of everyone. It was up to Malus, for this battle, to ensure that Bladescape timed things correctly. They would not be caught slacking or trying to snipe the LAB, but Malus could strategically choose when they switched in, as well as what attacks she used, and time the delays. Bladescape paid attention to Malus' chosen skill and knew the delay she would be in. This time, the boss’ health was steadily and predictably being removed. Malus wasn’t Knightstar, but she wasn’t dumb either. She could pick out patterns in the world around her and take advantage of them. Plus, she knew how the others attacked and acted. She had to in order to block for them.

Malus lightly punched Bladescape on the arm to signal their moment to switch in. Bladescape followed after her. They were not the only ones moving on the boss. Malus’ four combo attack didn’t look impressive, but she knew the real power behind it and so did Bladescape. Bladescape went in with the best she had, Double Infinity, a nine 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 after Bladescape’s, but the Queen didn’t go down.

Malus didn’t hesitate, the boss was still alive, barely, and Bladescape was in her delay. Malus came in, roaring her own war cry. Her hammer slammed into the Queen, followed by a hook that smashed her glowing shield into the queen. The third attack was a powerful, fully body cross with her armored fist, using her Martial Art Skill. The Qalphite Queen burst into polygons, causing two other players to go through the dazzling display of colors instead of landing their hits to claim the kill.

There were still several soldiers and guardians left alive. They went into a rage without their queen leading them, but they lost most of their attack abilities and were finished off quickly. As soon as the last was squashed, the fanfare popped up and they all saw their personal drop lists. The LAB bonus screen was on top of Malus’ screen. Minions didn't matter for the LAB.

Malus ignored it for now and addressed everyone. “That was a mighty good fight, y’all! We did it! Fifty-Six Floors conquered and not a player lost in the last six raids!”

Cheers went up and Malus 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,” Malus said. “This place ain’t got a good feel to it, even with the bugs gone.”

When they got to the stairs, Bladescape spoke up. “Good job Malus. I’m happy you got it instead of the others. I was close, but what matters is that the boss is beaten.”

“You ain't mad, or jealous?” Malus asked. She knew Bladescape well enough to know something had to be bugging her.

“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 Arts Skill has come along nicely, specifically in your ability to trigger shield attacks.”

“Thank you, kindly,” Malus nodded. “It certainly has. Have you thought about doing the quest? I made easier work of it than Konpeito did. You’d have no issue.”

They chuckled, remembering Konpeito’s antics. While Malus did the quest when she had increased her strength to the point that she should have been able to do it with her fists, she had gone the smarter route. There was 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 of the impact. Malus just let an ox do the work and didn’t have the whiskers on her face very long.

They got up to the Fifty-Seventh 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. True to their tradition, they toasted in a local pub. This time, their motto was directed at Malus.

Back in Mishe, Malus immediately retired to her room. Not that she did much outside of it. The headquarters was nice, but she didn’t find most of it attractive for her own use. Others would sit in the common areas and read, chat, or play games. She’d rather kick back in her room and relax, alone without any prying eyes, and read one of the available fiction books. She spent most of the day with people. What little time she had left she wanted to herself and if she couldn’t be fishing, her room was the next best place to do that.

Malus had personalized her room as best as she could. She was probably the only Wondercolt not to get help from Diemond. Diemond’s image for the guild was amazing, but it clashed with Malus’ personal style. Malus's room was where Applejack could come free. Diemond's touch would only remind Malus that she was in Aincrad and not Applejack. It was this room that helped her addled brain reorient itself after the fight with the Fiftieth Floor Boss.

When she woke up from that crash, her whole body had hurt, badly, but her head felt like it was split in two, ready to let one language go. She had to decide which one to dump. If she walked away from Japanese, she couldn't function in the game, at least not as easily. Plus it would be rude to only speak another language. Of course, she couldn't ditch English because that is what she would use back home with her folks. Despite the headache, Malus figured out how to keep both. She had a notebook for jotting stuff down to help Knightstar and it was mostly unused. She had started to journal, really just writing anything and everything, in English. She picked Japanese over English, while still capturing the English language and bottling it up for safekeeping. How she would unbottle it when they got free, well she would cross that bridge when she got to it. It solved her headache and made life easier. That was all thanks to her room and how it helped her center herself.

Malus had gotten a quilt, not a bedspread, for her bed and she used orange sheets with red pillowcases. Finding someone to make a quilt had not been easy, but Argo was good at that stuff. Malus also commissioned a few pieces of art, all paintings of farms or orchards, with the exception of the one above her headboard. That painting was of a bowl piled high with several bright, juicy apples. Malus also had a few horseshoes on her wall, each with a hook on it, where she could hang things, like her bath towel or her cowgirl hat; a hat that Diemond hated and didn’t want to be associated with the Wondercolt image, despite it being a clear signature associated with horses.

Inside her room, Malus could wear the hat without guilt. She could also wear more comfortable clothes; jeans, a flannel shirt, and a pair of cowboy boots. What Diemond made for her was great, Malus loved and valued each piece, like the rarity they were, and she wore them outside of her room, but they were not Applejack's idea of "comfortable clothing." She could put on the clothes and hat that made her feel comfortable and relax; surrounded by images of things she liked. She didn’t have to perform for anyone; be it what she wore or how she fought. Her life in Aincrad was always a performance of some kind, except for when she was in her room. The others rarely came looking for her, they were too busy with their personal interest, which suited Malus just fine.

Malus had not been sitting down in her rocking chair long when a knock came at her door.

“Malus, it’s Knightstar and Bladescape,” Knightstar said. “Can we come in and chat for a minute?”

Malus stood up, using the menu to quickly change into a robe that was safe to be seen in. It also stored her personal items out of sight. No, Knightstar and Bladescape likely wouldn't care or even notice, but Malus liked to keep some things private. The guild was tight enough that they shared almost everything with each other, which wasn't bad, it was necessary for their survival, but it was nice to have some secrets. At least for Malus.

Malus opened the door and let them. "What's up, y'all."

"Well," Knightstar said, stalling out as she got nervous. She even tried to fix her glasses, but like so much in Malus' life, Twilight's glasses were not needed by Knightstar. Years' old habits died hard.

"Last Attack Bonus?" Malus asked.

"Yes," Bladescape said, rolling her eyes at Knightstar's sputtering nonsense. "And you came up here rather quickly, no time for an appraisal of the other stuff."

Malus shrugged. She had intentionally done that, but she wasn't going to blame them. They were close as friends and a guild. Konpeito was blatant yet clueless about showing off her three Floor Boss LABs. Only two were still used by her sugar coated friend. Doombunny had been quieter and so had Reisenki, but everyone had learned of their jewelry drops. Kiefer used the bracers as long as he could, but then had to retire them. At least for his use. He pawned them through Agil.

"I ain't actually looked at it yet," Malus said, opening her menu. "But I know what it is."

She found it easily enough and materialized the last Attack Bonus: Plate of Veracity. It was an elegant heavy metal armor torso piece: specifically a breastplate, backplate, tassets, and pauldrons. The steel was beautifully etched. The center of the breastplate was a tree, one Malus knew very well. It was a recreation of the NIST Gaithersburg tree, an immediate descendant of the apple tree from Issac Newton's home. It wasn't a particularly pretty apple tree, but it was old and easily recognizable because of its shape. The pauldrons, tassets, and backplate were decorated with apple leaves and blossoms. Most people would see a tree, leaves, and flowers, which were still beautiful. Only an apple farmer would be able to pick out the specific type of leaves and flowers.

"Wow," Knightstar stammered. "That is a gorgeous etching."

Knightstar checked the stats while Malus held it. Bladescape was specifically studying the etching.

Knightstar finished her analysis quickly. "Its stats are amazing. The armor is well above your current chest piece. The tree is a bit odd, I would have predicted a more stylized and uniform tree, yet the overall beauty is startling and consistent with late medieval etching techniques applied to armor. It will be an interesting contrast between the rawness of your shield to the elegance of the body armor. You're lucky it came with the tassets and pauldrons because they beautifully match. The armor has no buffs, but its defense is incredibly high. High enough to pad almost any strike except the most severe, like those from a boss. Even then most boss hits will be heavily reduced. The durability is substantial too. You may not need another breastplate before we conquer Aincrad. It has a total of sixty enhancement slots."

"That's great, but also a shame," Malus said. "Diemond's been lookin forward to makin us matchin sets. She’s aggressively levelin that skill for a reason. She's close too."

"Yes, but you are different from both her and Reisenki," Bladescape said. "And she knows that. You will always stand out and not only because of your shield. I think she is settling on the idea of only tying in the tanks to our theme, instead of making them match. Especially if pieces like this are obtained. If only it wasn't floral, but a horse instead. That would be epic."

Malus almost explained it, but decided to keep it a secret. At least for now. It would be a private boost to her confidence and she was concerned that it becoming public knowledge would lessen that confidence boost. The real power was in its ability to buff her mindset by encasing her in her roots, in her comfort and love. Or the idea of what apple trees meant to Applejack. Ultimately the trees meant very little, but they sparked a greater idea of family, friends, and the feeling of accomplishment over completing a job that was difficult, such as an apple harvest. Right now she could taste their fresh apple cider. She could smell the freshly baked apple pies she grew up with. She would savor those sensational memories and use them to fuel her future battles.

"Yeah, a horse would've been cool," Malus said with a casual shrug. "I'm happy to have it. It means somethin to me. I'm the element of honesty. It's a plate of honesty. That's cool, at least to me. Others ain't gonna see the meanin I do. I just wish you, Blade, could've gotten the LAB. You deserve one more than anyone. I tried to time it for you."

"Well, first off, you deserve it more than me," Bladescape replied. "You do more for the raids than anyone else and have since the beginning. Only for one raid we didn’t need you and your tenacity, stubbornness, and selflessness. I know the last several were tough on you because of your role, but you didn't complain; not even once.

“Second, I failed. My Majestic Lorium Claymore is not good enough, despite all of the enhancements I have on it. I failed myself. Tomorrow I'm going to speak to Lisbeth about getting a sword made. It's time that I move to player made weapons. I got that sword in the fiftieth floor boss battle, meaning there are no better drops out there. Although I’ve had great luck with dropped weapons, player-made are much better despite the expense. As hard of a lesson it was to learn, I learned it. I needed to learn it. Sometimes that means the hard way. You all have player-made weapons. My stubbornness got in the way.

“Are you going to go fishing?” Bladescape asked, changing the subject.

“Nah,” Malus shrugged. “I’m too tired. I ain’t used to long, offensive only battles. I ain’t you, Natora, or Thunder. I’m also weighed down by armor.”

“Konpeito says dinner is almost ready,” Knightstar added. “Fifteen minutes. We will see you then.”

“Sounds good, y'all,” Malus said. “I’m starvin. After, we can go through my drops. Then I’ll have nothin pressin and truly retire for the night. Maybe a hot bath first, it’s been a while.”

Bladescape congratulated her again as they left and Malus sat down, picking up her book and getting back to reading. She would definitely take a hot bath after dinner.

BLADESCAPE: Level 77 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 74 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 69 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce
MALUS: Level 73 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 73 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 73 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 73 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Crafting
DOOMBUNNY: Level 70 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search — Listen — Reveal
KIEFER: Level 71 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 69 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics
REISENKI: Level 71 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 58 — Harmonic Salvation

Episode 58 — Harmonic Salvation
Ninth Day in the Month of Willow (March 9) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 48 — Front Line 57

Bladescape walked through Lindarth, the main settlement of Floor 48, with the rest of the Wondercolts with her. The quaint city had an elaborate system of canals, meaning it had a plethora of charming bridges of varying sizes. The open city was surrounded by castle walls and, despite the canals, had plenty of grass with clusters of trees interspersed among the buildings. In the late evening’s sunset, it was quite beautiful and peaceful. The city was quickly becoming the main location for crafters. The buildings looked like cottages, but most were along a canal and had a waterwheel. The big ones had two waterwheels, with a few being large enough for three.

The waterwheels were used to power a number of different things, such as fabric looms, lathes, millstones, forge bellows, or grindstone wheels. It was a major advantage for many of the support-craft disciplines. The few skills that didn't benefit from water power would benefit from being in a stable, central location in close proximity to the major crafters. The forty-eighth floor was almost halfway up. Even when they reached the nineties, it would still be a simple teleport away to reach a place where many of the needs for the clearers could be found in one place. As spacious as the city was, it ultimately had a limited number of houses and an even more limited number of mills. They would be bought out quickly, and they already were going at a record rate, despite the cost of even the smallest buildings with a waterwheel. It was hard to imagine that a better place would come along for the crafters. It was nice to see them finally settling down into a permanent place of their own, instead of jumping every ten or so floors to set up new bazaars, where their customers had to once again find them.

The Wondercolts were headed to Lisbeth's new blacksmith shop. The smith was no longer working with a portable forge on a vendor's carpet. She finally had a store they could go to. It wasn't open for business, that would be happening tomorrow, but, late last night, Lisbeth had invited the Wondercolts to check it out the night before it opened. All of the Wondercolts were wearing something Diemond had made them over the past few months.

They had to cross a simple wooden bridge to get to the entrance. The building was sideways, along the canal, because the waterwheel was at the very back and the canal made a sharp right turn. The bottom half of the cottage was made of stone and part of the canal's structure while the top was typical medieval wattle and whitewashed daub. There was a separate, stone building behind it that had clay shingles, rather than the thatched roof of the cottage. The front had a porch, requiring a short staircase to get up to it. The rounded door was framed with brick and offset to the left corner of the building.

The sign out front was simple; a circular brass sign with a helmet on it. It looked like a giant coin. It was the sign Konelina Foundry once used, just bigger. Nemus had designed the original sign because he had always planned to make armor, rather than weapons, since they had three weapon smiths. It was good to see it live on, even though few people would actually understand the deeper meaning behind it.

Bladescape knocked on the door. It took a bit, but Lisbeth opened it. She smiled at them. Her excitement clearly couldn't be contained.

"Welcome, my most loyal customers, to Lisbeth's blacksmith!" She exclaimed. "I officially open for business tomorrow morning, eight a.m., but come inside!"

Lisbeth stepped back to allow her guests to enter. Her walls had spears, swords, maces, and axes on display. There were several glass cases that held knives, daggers, and shorter weapons.

"It's a little sparse," Lisbeth stated. "I spent nearly everything I had on it. Most of the weapons are junk; simple pieces from low quality metal and easy to make, but it's better than having empty space on the walls and shelves."

"Well, let us brighten your day!" Konpeito exclaimed. "I brought a housewarming cake! Reisenki has the sweet water he has perfected."

"Does this place have a home for you?" Bladescape asked.

"Mhm," Lisbeth said with a nod. "In the basement. It's nothing special, but I'll show it off anyway."

"Darling, this is a charming storefront," Diemond stated. "I love it." She squealed in excitement for Lisbeth. "And it doesn't matter that the living quarters are in the basement. You have them. That is what matters. If you need help with decorating, I'll gladly assist."

"I will be taking you up on that offer," Lisbeth said. "The storefront is pretty self-explanatory and the living space is sparse, so let me show you what a proper forge is like!"

They followed her to the only exit from the storefront; at the back, to the left of the counter. The forge was in the stone building behind the cottage, which made sense. The back door didn't lead directly into the forge. Instead, they were on a small wooden walkway in between the buildings. Below their feet was the overflow chute in case the main canal was backed up by the water wheel. To the right, along the back wall, the walkway became a set of stairs that continued into the stone foundation. Going straight ahead took them to the forge. It had a slight dip since the cottage’s door was higher than the forge's. The forge was more offset than it looked, at first glance, from the road.

The forge was an octagon, not a rectangle like it initially appeared to be. It required several steps down to reach the floor. From their entrance, it was easy to see the whole forge. The wall with the waterwheel was directly connected to two grindstones and the bellows. Power was as simple as throwing a lever to unlock the waterwheel and the canal water did the rest. They all were used to seeing small furnaces, barely big enough to heat the materials up. This one was sizable, taking up most of the wall with a very good chimney to take care of the smoke and an iron grate to block off the coals. The anvil wasn't tiny either. It was more like a table than an anvil. Lisbeth had a wider variety of tools, most of them significantly larger, now that she had a real forge. They were all neatly hung up and well organized.

In order from the stairs, heading right, down the steps brought them to the wall closest to the store. It had a cork board hanging on it for notes and orders. The only thing on it was a picture of Lisbeth with the deceased members of The Foundry. The next wall had a resources shelf and small finishing table. Then the anvil, which was directly opposite of the entrance. The furnace was next. Followed by the waterwheel connection and grindstones, and finally two more shelves for resources.

"This is a real forge," Kiefer said. "I'm thankful for what we have, but this is the real deal. Plenty of space to not only make stuff, but also to finish weapons off nicely."

"It is really nice," Lisbeth said with a beaming smile and content sigh. "Out of all of the properties available, this is the one I had my eye on since the front had moved to Floor 50. I was hoping no one would buy it before me. I almost can't believe it's mine, even after setting it all up. And I still have a lot I can upgrade for my equipment. This is just the lowest completed grade, which is leagues better than my portable forge."

“If you are working back here, how do you handle customers?” Knightstar asked. “Surely you can’t hear them enter.”

“No, I can’t,” Lisbeth said. “But player owned shops can hire NPC store-tenders. I hired Hannah Heinemann as my store-tender. Anything I’ve made or priced in the store’s system can be sold by Hannah. She can notify me if a customer needs to speak to me about custom work or, if I am too busy, I can change the orders so she tells customers I am not taking orders at the time. She can even tell players how much repairs will cost. I was going to tack a sheet to the wall, behind the counter, with repair costs, but since I hired Hannah, there's no need.”

“That is a big advantage,” Diemond said.

“I will be getting a chair or two for customers to use if I am stuck in the forge,” Lisbeth added.

“You don’t sound too thrilled about that,” Diemond stated.

Lisbeth shrugged and let out a small sigh. “Lindarth is great, but it solidified Ishoku Inji’s hold on the crafters. Even more are joining their ranks. I’m one of a handful in Lindarth who aren’t connected to the guild. Let's just say they are not happy with any independent crafters buying property in Lindarth.”

“How many are independent like you?” Diemond asked.

“Ashley, but they wouldn’t dare pressure her,” Lisbeth said. “She’s the premier fashion designer in Aincrad and she was the first to max sewing.”

Bladescape could see that Diemond was about to pounce at hearing that, however, she held her tongue.

Lisbeth didn’t notice Diemond’s look because she was focused on thinking. “Rendel is also a major shield maker who isn’t with them. He has leverage against them because he was the one who made the KoB’s shields. The Heraldry Skill is his specialty, which takes his shields to the next level. Piandao is a metallurgist who wouldn’t be caught in an alliance as it would essentially force him to craft new alloys for a guild, not for all of Aincrad. He is more useful to them working on his own and it helps that, unlike me, he is a friendly fellow. Lanark Mill gets away with it because they are their own guild of twenty weavers. They were established before Ishoku Inji and they work closely with the guild. Special pricing and bulk sale of fabric smooth things over and make it a profitable relationship between the two guilds.

“The rest of the independents or small crafting guilds likely don’t have the finances to buy property in Lindarth yet. I’m not blind to some of the advantages I had early on. The foundry was a great help to me to learn to hone my craft, and in instilling the idea about making the superior product and letting my work speak for itself. While I have a decent number of loyal customers who swear by my skill, they wouldn’t have been enough to buy this place. The Wondercolts have been my most solid customers and your consistent business helped cover a good chunk of this place. My oldest ones too. Part of inviting you over, besides showing off between friends, was to give you the opportunity to put orders in tonight. I expect to have a line tomorrow morning. But we can discuss that later."

“I’m not questioning your decision,” Natora prefaced. “But why not join their guild? You are a major crafter after all. Getting this place proves that."

“They might have started with good intentions, but they are now bullies,” Lisbeth explained. “Initially, it was to help the crafters gain experience and skill by providing refined materials at preferential prices to the smiths. When players started, they had to either choose to take raw materials and refine them, like metal ingots or fabric, or to craft the refined materials. It also gave those who would take up mining a steady place to sell to. Still a lower price than the open market, but a guaranteed sale and an easy to get to location so they could quickly get back to mining. The guild takes out some hefty taxes, particularly from the end manufacturers, to fund their own internal market industry. If I joined them now, I’d end up losing income, but being an outsider means they will charge me more if I need their services, because who else can I go to?”

“That’s nasty,” Diemond stated. “Not only is it mean to people, that model won’t be sustainable in the long term. If they were a business, well then it's a business that sources and produces its own materials from start to finish. As independent crafters in a guild, it will eventually collapse. Especially if they buy too many raw materials and process them before their final crafters can make use of them. They could tank their own prices and lose a lot of money.”

“Not to mention if their producers decide to back out and sell elsewhere for higher profits, they would collapse,” Knightstar added. “It’s a well intentioned model that always fails.”

“But will it collapse before we get free?” Lisbeth asked. “I don’t think so and I am guessing they are betting on it holding up until then. Originally, it worked. They also were kinder to outsiders because they were small, but now over half of the players who work with wood, metal, and fabric are in their guild. I’d say over seventy percent are, not that it makes any of the individuals bad players. And a huge percent of the miners are connected with them, as well as others who harvest the base materials for fabrics. The woodcutters are more or less independent, basically contractors, but less people need them.

“If I ever join a guild, I would only do so if it was more of an advantage to me to join then stay independent. I don’t know what would be a worthwhile advantage. Right now, I can’t think of a reason to join a guild, especially since guilds automatically collect taxes on income. If I need materials, I can work directly with miners to get what I need. I have a few solid relationships with miners where I buy above the guild prices, but below market prices. They make more, can get back to mining faster, and I save col. Most miners now also refine their ore because they have the skill slots available to and bars sell better than ore.”

“That makes sense,” Bladescape said. “Although guilds don’t have to collect taxes. That was a recent update in the last evolution of the guild contract scroll.”

“It’s evolving?” Thunderborne asked. “Like, leveling up as a guild?”

“No, it has nothing to do with levels,” Bladescape said. “It’s more like game patches.”

“So Kayaba is actively working on the game?” Thunderborne asked.

“Not necessarily,” Knightstar said. “I don’t know what he is up to. He might be, but Japan has been on the cutting edge of AI tech. If the game engine was designed properly, it could adjust things as needed. It already has to act relatively independently, to balance respawns, unlock floors and cities, as well as teleport players, run the NPCs, and manage quests. I’ve noticed a few evolutions myself, mostly in the increasing complexity that, to me, is more indicative of an AI sourcing materials for use rather than the creation of new material.”

“So then, what is he doing?” Thunderborne asked. “Just watching us?”

“Maybe,” Knightstar said with a shrug. “However, if his system is able to fully run on its own, as I believe it can, then he may have been apprehended by the authorities and, by now, may have been sentenced. That still would not guarantee that he could shut it down without harming us.”

“Why assume it can run on its own?” Lisbeth asked. “I don’t get to have talks like this with my small circle of friends. Most of them are crafters because they couldn’t make it in a fight and the majority of my customers are meat heads who don’t think deeply about anything. Most of my good conversations come from time spent with the Wondercolts and you are all typically in a rush.”

“Well,” Knightstar said, taking a second to organize her thoughts. “It comes down to the simple reality that the NerveGear has a very clear development period. A short one at that. Even if Aincrad was being planned for two years prior, well you can only do so much without having working hardware to match the program to. Even if all one-hundred floors were designed with their concepts, there wouldn’t have been time to code it all with the small team Kayaba had. We are talking hundreds of millions of lines of code, if not billions. It’s only logical to assume that key markers — like cities, key quests, floor themes, and bosses — were coded by the team and the rest of the time was put into an AI game engine that could manage it and fill in the blanks by using the internet to source material and ideas. The first two floors were pretty basic, yet they each would have taken a lot of time to code. The Town of Beginnings alone would have taken the better part of a month, if not longer, to script. I’m talking about the team working overtime to make it happen within a month and that would have left no time for hardware development or any other game design.”

“So basically impossible without an AI,” Bladescape said.

“Yes,” Knightstar replied with a nod.

“That raises some very interesting questions,” Lisbeth said. “I like to put my heart into every piece I work with. It doesn’t matter if I am forging the weapon or repairing it. I want the best work done, except I lack a certain amount of control. I know that every three months I have the chance at making an elite weapon, a masterpiece above the norm, but I sometimes feel like there is more going on between me, the weapon, and the system. Especially the longer I do the same process over and over.”

“I understand what you mean,” Bladescape said. “Sometimes this feels less like a game and more like a lucid dream. Like you can exert some form of control over your surroundings. Not that I’ve been able to pull it off, but it can feel like that. Or that, despite all of this and ourselves existing as game data, some things are more real than others when you touch or hold them.”

“As fun as this is,” Konpeito said from the stairs. “This is supposed to be a housewarming party! And I have very real cake in my inventory for us to celebrate!”

Everyone laughed. Konpeito was correct, they had been invited over to have the place shown off. Instead they were standing in the forge, talking about game mechanics. The forge wasn’t even their last stop. Lisbeth led them back to the cottage except this time they took the walkway’s stairs down, under the cottage. The living space beneath the store was larger than the store. Not by much, but it was enough. There were four rooms, the kitchen with a dinette, the living room which did have a fireplace in the corner, and two bedrooms, but only the bedroom that shared a fireplace with the living room was being used. Even then, it was just a small, cheap bed in that room.

Everything was sparsely furnished and very simple. It was clearly purchased from the game system, not players. Her living room furniture consisted of one hardwood chair. It even lacked a cushion. Bladescape noted that Lisbeth had put a bathtub in the other bedroom. It was out in the open because she had no need for a privacy screen, since she lived alone.

Konpeito coopted the kitchen for the cake, quickly cutting it into twelve even slices. She had even brought the tableware they would need, which was good because Lisbeth didn't have enough for all of her guests. She had not planned on someone bringing food. They toasted to Lisbeth’s success with Reisenki’s fruit infused water.

“I can’t find anything half this good in an NPC bakery,” Lisbeth said, both complaining and complimenting Konpeito at the same time. “You spoil me, yet you guys get to eat it every day.”

“I’ve never made this recipe before!” Konpeito exclaimed. “I just came up with it two days ago.”

“Wait, you came up with it?” Lisbeth asked. “Or was it in the system and you found it?”

“If it was, I didn’t find it,” Konpeito stated.

“She’s been messing around in the kitchen all week,” Reisenki stated with a shrug. “Supposedly she was trying to make ice cream. This cake is the result.”

“How did ice cream become cake?” Lisbeth asked.

“Frosting!” Konpeito answered. “I failed to make ice cream, but I made a very good creamed frosting. It inspired the four layer cake so I could use as much of the frosting on it as possible.”

“That’s the best you will get,” Bladescape warned Lisbeth before she asked another question. “It’s the best any of us can get, even Reisenki.”

“Even when I watch her escapades,” Reisenki added. “But you can’t argue with the results. Well, she could. She could argue with anything.”

As they finished the cake, Lisbeth returned to an earlier topic. “Part of the invite tonight was to see if there was anything you needed done before I officially open my doors for business and get swamped? I’ve got a line of regulars who want to get orders in or enhancements done. They’ve had to wait a few days and some of them are impatient.”

“Yeah, I do,” Bladescape said. “I was going to find you this morning, but then you sent the invite and I realized you couldn't. I’ve been getting by simply off of good luck with boss drops, but I recently learned the hard way that I can’t keep that up. Being on the Assault Team has its responsibilities and my sword is underpowered for my level. It’s time I move to player-made weapons.”

“Took you long enough,” Lisbeth sniped. “You were the last holdout in the Wondercolts.” Lisbeth held her hand up, stopping Bladescape’s response. “And yes, I know what you have gotten dropped. After all, I did almost every enhancement on them. They were solid pieces, equal to or above what most players could make for a decent price.”

“I didn’t exactly have an easy way to gauge that my sword is underpowered,” Bladescape added. “A decent number of the clearers use two-handed swords, but I can’t gauge the differences in damage dealt. I had to judge off of one-handed swords.”

“A two-handed longsword,” Lisbeth said. “That won’t be too hard. The real question is your budget. That will determine the metal I use and that will affect quality.”

“Liz, I’ve been coasting on upgrading drops,” Bladescape stated. “I want the best you can make. I’ve got the col to afford it.”

“I hope you do,” Lisbeth said, slyly grinning. “Five hundred hammer swings doesn’t come cheap.”

Bladescape was taken aback. She was used to the enhancement system, which was a low number of strikes on a timer. “Five hundred?” Bladescape stammered.

“Minimum,” Lisbeth stated. “I had to put a lot into my strength stat. A one-handed sword is taking me two hundred to two-fifty swings. The type and shape of the weapon determines the number of strikes. Doom’s knives range from twenty-five to fifty strikes. In many ways, it's a simple process, but in others, it’s not. The game makes sure that as long as I hit it enough times, it will form properly to the chosen signature. Still, to shape metal a player must exert a lot of force, just like a real smith. The denser metals also require more hits. We aren’t talking straight steel here. That won’t get you what you need.”

“What are you thinking?” Bladescape asked.

“You’re in luck that I stocked up for opening day, instead of buying furniture and tableware,” Lisbeth stated. “I’m not a metallurgist, but I can work anything they can come up with. I have a variety of ingots that would do, but I’m thinking that I should go with Black Rune, if you’re really not worried about the cost.”

“I’m not too worried about the cost,” Bladescape stated. The way Lisbeth was talking, Bladescape was getting a little concerned. She probably didn't need to be, not with what she had on hand. “Tell me more.”

“Black Rune is a mix of the base metal, Runite, and the dense metal, Obsidianite,” Lisbeth explained. “It should provide you with enough weight to crush armor, yet be light enough for a speedy recovery, while still being durable enough to hold its edge. A large bar is currently the priciest metal on the market, in part because it's new. No smiths are using it, but mostly because the amount of each material needed to forge an ingot is insane.”

“Define insane,” Bladescape pressed. She wanted to know the basics of what she would be swinging around.

“Piandao won’t share the ratio,” Lisbeth stated. “Just that it's a composition of runite and obsidianite. The item menu only states the metals in the alloy, not the ratio. It’s his trump card right now. He only keeps an alloy to himself if he loses a lot trying to make it. At least until he is satisfied he has recovered the cost. And in this case, the alloy ingot only comes in large. He also failed a lot of attempts to make a medium ingot for general use. He would only sell me the one ingot, it’s probably all he had, and buying the ingot required me to give him quite a few runite ingots along with a hefty sack of col.”

“Is that a special Skill, or is it part of Refining?” Kiefer asked.

“It’s a separate Skill,” Lisbeth clarified. “Not only does it require a solid level in refining, but it also is locked by a quest. Only a handful of refiners have done the quest to become metallurgists, but Piandao is the only one, that I know of, who is actively creating new alloys. Doombunny’s favorite alloy, Alchion, was developed by him. If there was someone else who was successful at making a new alloy, we would be hearing about it, even if they were trying. At least the metalsmiths would. Piandao has a board on the wall of his workshop with the tally of how many ingots it took to discover each alloy for a reason. Black Rune was over 500 runite ingots. He has dropped a few hints that he either works with or creates alloys IRL. It’s why he is so successful. He understands metal at the molecular level. Whatever his background is, it’s working for him in Aincrad.”

“I don’t get it,” Thunderborne said. “That’s what, a few inventory loads of runite ore?”

“No,” Lisbeth said, shaking her head. “You are very wrong. Most elite ingots require several ores per ingot. Runite is eight ores per ingot. Try four thousand pieces of runite ore and remember that runite is the currently hardest ore to mine and that it has only two known veins for mining. Just two miners can work at once to get runite. I was wondering why runite had shot up in price over the last three months and his experiments would be why. He has to let the market recover from his failed experiments. He can't make more right now."

Every Wondercolt was left shocked at the number of ore required to discover the alloy. They were clearers and members of the Assault Team. They barely touched metal ingots, let alone ore. But they could grasp the number, four thousand, at least well enough to understand the insanity of the repetition required to amass that total.

“You mentioned ingot size,” Bladescape said. “I know very little about smithing.”

Lisbeth rolled her eyes. “I’ll explain it. Small ingots are used for jewelry, small daggers and knives, certain bracers, buckles and buttons, and other small things. Regular ingots are basically everything else. Spears, one-handed axes, two-handed axes with only a single head, maces, hammers, most swords including some short two-handed longswords, shields, and every piece of armor. Large ingots are used for two-handed swords, two headed two-handed axes, mauls, two-handed maces, and tower shields. The armor smiths think that heavy metal chest plates will eventually require large ingots, but we are not there yet. Something like Malus’ chest plates require three or four regular ingots. And you won’t use a denser alloy like Black Rune for shields or armor. It’s an alloy specifically designed for weapons. Small ingots have more uses than large ingots and alloys can’t be resized. Whatever ingot of an alloy that you have, that’s what you have.”

“Let’s do it,” Bladescape said. “I look forward to seeing what you can do.”

Lisbeth had a dangerous look in her eye. “Are you sure? That many hammer swings, plus the only bar of a super rare alloy ingot, we are talking a three hundred and twenty-five thousand col. That’s the price I decided on when I bought the ingot. I’m not making as much of a profit off of it as you probably think.”

“Deal,” Bladescape said. “I’ll pay that so long as you do your best.”

Lisbeth scoffed. "I always do my best!"

That was very true. Part of the reason why Bladescape had been able to get by so long with dropped weapons was Lisbeth. Bladescape had been quite lucky with her enhancement success, something she attributed to Lisbeth's skill and care, not Bladescape's own luck. But the smith could waver back and forth from serious yet friendly, to hostile. It was just who she was. They were used to it. Bladescape could empathize with Lisbeth. Bladescape had her friends she was with and had learned from. She also had a few years on the smith. Lisbeth might not be the friendliest person or able to keep a smile going for very long, but watching her work and seeing the finished project changed many people's perception of her. Who needed smiles when she could turn out things better than the friendliest smith? Sweet talk couldn't compete with Lisbeth’s results. Players never felt swindled either. They always left satisfied.

Over three hundred thousand col was a lot. It would be a huge chunk of Bladescape's finances, but her room was fully furnished and personalized. Likewise, she had no secondary skill to train. Weapons and enhancements were her lifeline in the field. Most importantly, her guild was strong, meaning she would recover the cost decently fast. Fast enough not to worry about spending so much. Even if luck wasn't on her side and Bladescape's new sword was on the low end for the stats, it was still going to be a high range because of the quality of the metal. A metal no one else would have. It would make a bold statement in the next boss battle.

“This will be the perfect way to christen my shop," Lisbeth added. "All of the filler pieces upstairs were made on the portable one in order to wait and see what orders I got. Looks like tomorrow morning, I won’t be with the customers for very long. Just long enough to greet them and hear their congratulations over the shop. The NPC can take most custom orders. If it’s a basic metal and simple design, that can be automatically ordered. I don’t need to do a consultation. You had that unique barbarian sword, but you prefer the double edged style, correct?”

“Traditional, double edge, European longsword,” Bladescape replied. “Or great sword, claymore, bastard sword. Whatever name the historian wants to use for it. Knightstar can do the etymological argument if you want, I just want a regular blade profile, a believable one, not the comically wide cleavers some players carry.”

“I’ll skip that argument,” Lisbeth said. “I know the profile of the sword. The big swords can be more realistic, or ridiculous, in their blade size. I always prefer the realistic ones. There is a beauty to them. Rapiers are my favorite because of the artfulness inherently in the design. Gold or navy scabbard?"

"Probably navy," Bladescape said. "But I trust you to pick the right one for the sword's character."

Lisbeth just nodded silently in response. "Anyway, I figured at least one Wondercolt would have an order worth christening my forge with. Really, a new weapon for any of you, and two or three others, would be a great way to break it in. I know that whatever I make will immediately go to the front and be put to good use, freeing us.”

It was getting late. Bladescape paid Lisbeth for the sword before they left. Konpeito left Lisbeth a second cake and several dozen cookies. Lisbeth asked if she could put the cookies out for customers since there were so many and Konpeito was confused, because why else would she bring over the cookies? Especially that many. Lisbeth showed them out. Bladescape would be back tomorrow evening to receive her new sword.

Bladescape walked up to the smith’s new shop. She was excited to see what Lisbeth had forged. She was not expecting the crowd inside. There were twenty odd players checking things out and waiting to speak with a very worn out Lisbeth. She was clearly on the verge of losing it with the current customer.

Bladescape walked up to the counter. “This is busier than I expected.”

Lisbeth froze, clearly looking at the time in her vision, and then she somehow stiffened up even more.

“You didn’t get to it, did you?” Bladescape kindly asked.

“No,” Lisbeth squeaked. She totally ignored the customer she was currently working with. “It’s been like this all day. I guess I didn’t even eat lunch. I’ve had no breaks. Every time I thought I was free, someone needed something. I’ve got fifty custom orders and they are willing to wait upwards of a week! I should have said no at some point.”

“How long does five hundred swings actually take?” Bladescape asked.

“Well I don’t swing my hammer without purpose,” Lisbeth shot back. “Or haphazardly.”

“Just, tell me how many minutes it would take you normally,” Bladescape kindly said. “That’s all I’m asking.”

“Thirty to forty minutes,” Lisbeth answered. “Maybe fifty total when you count in heating the ingot.”

“Your shop says you close in half an hour,” Bladescape pointed out. “Maybe I could message Konpeito to make us dinner and then you could do it after? If you’re too tired, I understand.”

“Dinner sounds nice,” Lisbeth said, looking down at her stomach. She had to realize how hungry she was. “I’ll finish and close up shop, then make your sword. That’s kind of you and more than fair. You already paid me for the work.”

“The day is almost over,” Bladescape said, also ignoring the customer standing there. “I’ve had plenty of those days, where the customers just keep coming and coming and you feel like you got nothing done. It’s frustrating, but life and part of the job. Sucks when you’re an artist like you are, but, again, it’s part of the business side of the art.”

Lisbeth let out an exasperated sigh. “You’re right. Thanks for understanding. Would you flip the sign to ‘closed’ so no more people come in?”

“I’ve got you,” Bladescape said, walking to the front so Lisbeth could get back to the customer.

Bladescape was getting plenty of looks as she calmly made her way there. Everyone had heard the exchange. Not everyone was happy about it, some clearly felt snubbed. Others wondered what made her so important to the smith. Bladescape didn’t pay them any heed. They were all intermediate players and she was on the Assault Team. For now, she was a rank above them. She didn't like to pull rank, but needed to with the smith at times. She was confident in her choice and in Lisbeth. All she had done was provide Lisbeth with some grace and mercy, as well as an end to the hectic, but clearly successful, first day.

Bladescape flipped the sign in the window as the door was opened. It was someone she was familiar with, but not expecting to see, Asuna of the Knights of the Bloodoath.

“Good evening, Asuna,” Bladescape said.

“Oh, hey,” Asuna said, surprised to see her right there. “Wow, this is busier than I expected. Liz expected some heavier traffic, but her vendor carpet was never like this.”

“Yeah,” Bladescape said with a chuckle. “She’s been stuck at the counter all day. The life of an artist who has to sell her art as a service job. What brings you here?”

“Just getting equipment repaired,” Asuna said. “I wore down four rapiers since we started training yesterday. Godfree ran us all night. I always go to Lis. She takes care of all of my gear. What about you?”

“She was supposed to have made me a new sword, but that didn’t happen,” Bladescape stated. “Speaking of that, I have to order us dinner,” Bladescape said as she quickly messaged Konpeito. “Lis accidentally skipped lunch. She needs dinner before she can make it. Want anything?”

“Me‽” Asuna exclaimed, surprised. She was trying to decide if she really needed to stay. Obviously she did. Four rapiers were a lot to wear down. She likely didn’t have any more spares to fight with tomorrow. Thunderborne only carried four dungeon rapiers and her good boss rapier.

“Have you eaten dinner?” Bladescape asked.

“I just came from the field,” Asuna admitted with a tired sigh. “No time to cook anything, let alone shop for it.”

Asuna's stomach audibly growled, causing her to blush. Bladescape ignored it for her sake.

“I’ve seen you plenty at Lis’ carpet,” Bladescape said as she sent the message. “You’re not just another customer to her.”

“No, I’m not,” Asuna admitted. “We’re friends. Unfortunately, I couldn’t come over last night for the housewarming. Godfree couldn’t adjust the schedule.”

“I understand,” Bladescape said. “When we make those plans, we can’t derail them. Tomorrow, everyone’s going to be hitting the labyrinth. Equipment repairs don’t take long. After the day she’s had, Lis will want to do something normal. Assuming you can wait a bit.” A message came back from Konpeito, confirming the order. “It won’t take Konpeito long to bring us a hearty dinner.”

Asuna let out a tired sigh and leaned against the doorframe. “You’re not a normal customer either. I know your thing is friendship and kindness, but you had Lis over for Christmas.”

“That was fun,” Bladescape said, unable to not smile at the fond memories. She turned around and leaned against the window frame, watching the scene in the shop unfold. “We had a good time at Christmas. It had a rowdy ending, full of music and dancing and plenty of pie and other desserts. Dinner was a much smaller group, but for dessert Meigibu joined us. Argo even stopped by for pie.”

“It sounds like it was nice,” Asuna said. “With what Lisbeth described, yours sounded quite festive. The Knights had a much calmer celebration.”

The implication was clear enough. Asuna did not have that great of a holiday time with her guild.

“Well, come next Christmas, if we are still stuck in here, ditch your guild and join us,” Bladescape said. “Unless the Knights will be throwing a festive party. I’ll probably try and co-opt Godfree for our festivities. Who knows what other friends we’ll meet in between then.”

“You sound so sure that we will still be here,” Asuna said. There was a bite to her sour words. Accusatory even. “You’re even planning on it.”

“Why not?” Bladescape asked. “Maybe we will, maybe we won’t. I’d prefer to not be, but if we are, I want to have fun with the friends I’ve made in here. Planning it, which was just a few comments, won’t stop me from pushing as hard as possible to not have a third holiday season in Aincrad. But, considering how the first one was spent, and how much fun we had this time, I want to maximize the festivities. I won’t see these people once we are free. So, I’ll make mental notes if they come up and we will see what we can do in between now and then to clear the game.”

“That first one was interesting,” Asuna admitted. “We beat the fifth floor boss on New Year's Eve, just our small, rag tag cohort.”

“Those were good times,” Bladescape said. “Well, sort of. I don’t miss Kibaou’s angry yelling.”

“OKAY, LISTEN UP!” Lisbeth declared. She was both angry, yet forcing cheerfulness, creating an odd tone and mood. “I appreciate your business and interest, but I have over fifty custom orders to fill. It’s going to take me a week to do that. So please, come back in two or three days, once I’ve caught up on such a great first day in my shop!” She flashed a tired, but convincing smile.

“But, you’re going to be making her sword tonight,” someone complained.

“Hey!” Lisbeth snapped. “This is my shop and what I choose to do in my free time is my business! If I decide to make an order for a friend, I darn well will and you don’t get to complain or judge! I kept putting her order off for everyone else, so shut your trap!” Lisbeth actually stormed out the back to her forge.

Asuna groaned, clearly in pain for Lisbeth. She had to move out of the way of the door to let people leave. A few lingered, looking at something, but they quickly left.

The door opened and Bladescape was about to tell them the shop was closed, but it was Konpeito. She gave Bladescape a bag and left with only a wink.

“Come on,” Bladescape said to Asuna. “Let’s check on our friend.”

Asuna just gave a tired nod and followed Bladescape. Lisbeth was just outside the back, sitting on the steps leading down to the living quarters.

“I’ve got dinner,” Bladescape said as cheerfully as she could.

Lisbeth groaned as she stood up and started walking down the stairs.

“And Asuna is with me,” Bladescape added.

Lisbeth whipped around. “Why didn’t you lead with that!”

“It’s all right, Lis,” Asuna said. She couldn’t hold back a yawn. “I arrived just as you closed. You had a pretty busy day, but that’s good. The shop looks great too.”

Lisbeth let out a sigh. “Thanks. But don’t let my tiredness get in the way, come see the rest of what I have. Oh, but dinner.”

“I ordered three,” Bladescape quickly said. “Asuna arrived in time and hadn’t been able to fit in dinner either.”

“Oh,” Lisbeth said. She stalled out.

“I think we were heading inside,” Bladescape said.

“Sorry,” Lisbeth said, shaking her head. “I need coffee. I do have that. I’ll just have to brew it.”

“If you need to push making it off until tomorrow, that’s fine,” Bladescape said as they entered the home. “Asuna needs gear repaired, but I don’t need the sword tomorrow.”

“Except I’m looking forward to christening the forge by making your sword,” Lisbeth stated. “Once I have coffee and dinner, I’ll be ready for both and happy to do it.”

Bladescape put the three covered bowls on the table and then added the spoons. She had Asuna and Lisbeth sit in the two chairs. They needed it. Bladescape had a regular day and had slept the night before. Konpeito had included two different bottles for drinks. Neither were labeled. One turned out to be coffee, nice and hot. The other was iced tea. Konpeito hadn’t forgotten cups either. In the short time she had, she put a whole lot together. Too short of time.

When they uncovered the bowls, the entire house was filled with the savory aroma of a hearty stew.

“How did she do this?” Asuna asked, inhaling deeply. “She didn’t have time.”

“Well, I didn’t check the kitchen this morning,” Bladescape prefaced. “I’d wager that she had it simmering on the stove all day, like a proper stew should.”

“A stew should have dried out after a certain amount of time,” Asuna said as she picked up a spoon.

“She’s a great baker IRL and a good chef,” Bladescape said. “In Aincrad, she excels and defies the system. I don’t know how, but she has figured out how to make it work.”

“This is divine,” Lisbeth groaned. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was until a certain someone came in and made me realize what time it was.”

Bladescape chuckled at the remark before taking her first spoonful of the stew. It was amazing. Konepeito had been focusing on stews recently and managed to get them to simmer all day. She was working to expand her cookbook to cover meals that could be started in the morning, yet survive all day as they cooked. It didn’t always work. As Asuna pointed out, stews typically dried up or burned after too much time on the stove. It was best not to question Konpeito. Not when she was getting results.

Konpeito had really thought of everything. There was a box of cookies for dessert. They were not the same type that she had brought Lisbeth for the housewarming.

“There’s something written on the paper lining,” Asuna said as she picked up a cookie.

Once it was empty, Bladescape read it out loud. “Tell Asuna, it all has to do with the pot.”

“What does that mean?” Lisbeth asked.

“I have no idea,” Asuna said.

“I have an idea,” Bladescape said. “She recently destroyed a few sets of pots and pans pursuing the perfect cooking method for stew. I don’t know what she ended up buying, but something must be different about the last set.”

“Huh,” was all Asuna said as she thought deeper on it.

“Okay, that meal is going to make me tired soon,” Lisbeth stated. “She’s too good at cooking. But! I’m energized. That coffee did the trick. Let’s forge you a sword worthy of my name, my new shop, and your status. And then fix Asuna’s gear!”

They all laughed and headed to the forge. Lisbeth pulled the lever on the wall, connecting everything to the waterwheel. She went to her shelf and scrolled through its menu. The ingot she pulled out was a gunmetal blue color. It was much larger than Bladescape had expected it to be. Lisbeth didn’t have a problem handling it as she opened the grate to the furnace and put it inside.

“I don’t know exactly how long this alloy will take to heat up,” Lisbeth stated. “It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes at most. Then the rest is me swinging the hammer.”

“What metal was that?” Asuna asked. “I’ve not seen anything like it.”

“Piandao just made it,” Lisbeth stated. “He won’t release the composition outside the base elements. Just getting it cost me a lot, well, now it cost Bladescape a lot. It's called Black Rune, made from Runite and Obsidianite. It only comes in large ingots. I couldn’t make a rapier of it. It's a heavy metal, which isn’t good for speed weapons.”

The bar didn’t take long to glow white and Lisbeth grabbed it with a pair of tongs, plopping it on her large anvil. She set the tongs to the side and picked up her hammer. She opened the glowing ingot's window and selected the weapon class and shape. It took her a moment to get her mind right and then she raised her hammer. With each clang she forged the sword into existence with the song of a smith. Lisbeth’s song included the clang of metal, the crackling of the coals in her furnace, and now the sound of her waterwheel. Every so often Lisbeth had to wipe the sweat from her brow, but she kept herself on pace. Even if she missed a beat, she was right on time for the next.

Bladescape lost count of the strikes pretty quickly. Asuna was sitting on the stairs, tired but intently watching the process. It was thrilling to watch Lisbeth work and know that what was being done was her, Bladescape’s, sword. That was something special and unique, and not just because of the metal. This was her first player-made weapon. Hopefully it would last her for many floors to come.

As Lisbeth raised the hammer, the metal began to shift and change shape. It stretched on its own until it was the proper length and then the crossguard formed. It slowly stopped glowing as it cooled down.

The sword was the same color as the ingot, gunmetal blue. The ricasso stopped at the triangular flukes that protruded from the blade, about ten inches total. Forward of the flukes, the edge could be seen as a lighter blue, evidence of the high concentration of runite in the edge. In contrast, an almost black fuller ran from the flukes up three quarters of the blade, exhibiting the colors of the obsidianite. The crossguard wasn’t squared; it had a straight quillon that flared to a point, but above and below it flared with a rolling “w”, framing the center jewel. The whole guard was a lighter blue, like the edge of the sword. The handle was in two segments, with the lower half slightly smaller and much darker, showing off the obsidianite in the alloy. It had a pommel, the same blue shade as the alloy, that slowly expanded in diameter before quickly collapsing to a soft point.

Lisbeth practically dropped the hammer. “I really hate making two-handed longswords,” she groaned. “They take so many blows to form. Nothing else takes that much. At least this one was worth my time.” Lisbeth struggled to pry the handle off the anvil because of its final weight. “They also weigh a ton and I have a really high strength stat.” She opened the window. “Let’s see…wow…” Lisbeth stammered. “This is a masterpiece! I only get one of those every three months, at most. This is my second. Anyway, the weapon’s name is Harmonic Salvation. Interesting name. I’ve not seen one like it before. More importantly, it has fifty enhancement slots.”

Bladescape slowly approached the anvil as Lisbeth pulled a rag out of her apron pocket. She began to wipe the blade down. It showed the color a little better. With a little work, the jewel in the crossguard came to life, glowing a radiant amber. Lisbeth still had to wrap the handguard in leather.

“What color should the handle be?” Lisbeth asked as she went to another shelf, looking for materials. “With the clear break halfway, we could wrap it in two different colors, or only wrap the top part you will be using.”

“I believe the second was what was traditionally done,” Bladescape said, trying to remember a lesson, or rather comments, Knightstar had made before about two-handed swords.

“You would know,” Lisbeth replied.

“Would gold draw out the stone or overpower it?” Bladescape asked.

“I don’t know,” Lisbeth said, making a selection. “Let’s see.”

Lisbeth laid a golden piece of leather over the handle.

Asuna spoke up. “No, it overpowers the jewel. Try their blue.”

Lisbeth put their navy blue on the handle. It made the Black Rune’s unique color stand out more. The jewel shone like the first star in the night. The blue was chosen for both the handle and the sheath. Lisbeth had to craft the sheath, which was thankfully a quick process.

While she did that, Bladescape picked up her sword, Harmonic Salvation. It was heavy, she felt the weight, but she easily picked it up in one hand. Swinging it one handed would be impossible. It felt really good, it was well balanced, but her marvel was less about the sword or its weight. She was marveling over the name. The system generated random names. The more elite and rare the material, the higher the number of unique names. There would never be another sword named Harmonic Salvation, especially since it was a masterpiece.

But that wasn’t the marvel. Harmonic Salvation, just the name, gave her a powerful mental picture. Something from a lifetime ago, in another world. She remembered the legends from Equestria about the Elements of Harmony. They brought safety to Equestria. They brought salvation to it when it was overtaken and oppressed by Discord. Those elements had bled over into the human world, due to Sunset Shimmer’s past mistakes. Her friends each were a human carrier of an element: Loyalty, Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, and Magic. Together, the six were the foundation for friendship.

Sunset was a seventh element, not traditionally a part of the Elements of Harmony, but one found uniquely in the human world. Empathy was what she believed her element was and Princess Twilight Sparkle had agreed with her assessment. It was Sunset’s greatest strength. It changed her heart and how she saw the world. It’s how she could put up with so much in Aincrad, like Kibaou and Lind. She had the empathy to understand and forgive them, and move forward towards the real goal.

Outside of the first month or so, Bladescape hadn’t really seen any evidence of their magic in SAO. That was only possibly evident by their fortuitous acquisition of the ancient weapons. There were a few other oddities too, but so much of the system was new, untested, and changing. Now she was staring at something that told her the magic was there. Somehow, it was still with each of them. She might not have her geode necklace in SAO, but she had dived with it. It likely was still on her body. Maybe. The hospital might have removed it, but she had the magic before the geode, it was not the sole vessel of the magic. The magic had chosen her for something. It wouldn’t abandon her and she wouldn’t abandon it either.

She would fight. She would do everything she could to get as many people out of Aincrad as she could. She wouldn’t be reckless, but she would push it. She had been the model for her friends. She had done a good job at that. They were making an impact on the players around them, but holding this sword told Sunset it wasn’t enough. She needed to become the epitome of a Wondercolt for all of Aincrad to see. So that when she marched into battle beside players like Heathcliff and Kirito, she wasn’t eclipsed. Not for vanity’s sake, but because not being eclipsed meant that players saw her and were filled with hope, remembering her kindness, empathy, generosity, laughter, honesty, and loyalty. And by her being The Wondercolt in the eyes of the players, it would extend everything to the whole guild because it bore the same name. Also because she led it, making that transference easier.

The new sword wasn’t going to be able to do that on its own. She needed more to make a presence. Heathcliff wore red armor with white trim to set himself apart from the others. Bladescape didn’t plan to copy his inverted scheme, but she would talk with Diemond about updating their entire look. Leather Armor as a Skill didn’t bring the same imposing presence that metal armor could generate. At least not the jackets and lamellar armor equipment Diemond had Bladescape in.

“Are you going to try it out?” Lisbeth asked, pulling Bladescape back to the world around her.

Bladescape pivoted so nothing was in front of her and pulled the sword overhead, triggering Avalanche, a high level two-handed sword skill that brought the sword down onto the target. Her yell, coupled with skill, split the air in the small forge. Lisbeth accidentally dropped the sheath in her shock. Even Asuna looked surprised.

“It’s beautiful,” Bladescape said. “Great name too. It’s worthy of bearing your mark and name. I’m honored to carry such a blade.”

“The fact that you can so easily wield it is annoying,” Lisbeth said. “But I’m glad. You’re the one who needs to be able to swing it, not me.”

Lisbeth gave Bladescape the sheath. She slipped the sword into its home and then used the menu to equip it to her back. It was easy to draw from her back. It shouldn’t have been, it was too long, but that was how the game worked. It was longer by several inches than she was used to and the handle was also extended to allow it to be properly balanced. She would get used to it in no time. Bladescape sheathed it with ease and bowed to Lisbeth.

“Hey, you got me dinner,” Lisbeth said before Bladescape could say anything. “It was only fair that I keep up my end of the deal and finish it only a little late.”

Both of them laughed.

“Asuna, you’re up!” Lisbeth said. She was fully energized again.

“Not to be rude,” Bladescape said, pausing.

“Go,” Asuna said. “You don’t need to stay. I know you have a guild to lead. Thank you for dinner. I appreciate it.”

“Stay safe, both you,” Bladescape said, bowing quickly before departing.

There was a new kick in her step as she walked. The sword on her back didn’t feel heavy. It felt like it was part of her. It only reinforced her previous observations about the path ahead.

BLADESCAPE: Level 77 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 74 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 69 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce
MALUS: Level 73 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 73 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 73 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 74 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Crafting
DOOMBUNNY: Level 70 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search — Listen — Reveal
KIEFER: Level 71 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 69 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics
REISENKI: Level 71 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

The picture on Lisbeth’s job board:

Episode 59 — Conventional Diemond

Episode 59 — Conventional Diemond
Twelfth Day in the Month of Willow (March 12) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 35 — Front Line 57

Diemond stood in front of the council in their guild’s meeting hall. She was wearing her "idea dress," but it wasn't helping. She understood what they were asking of her, but she was unable to deliver. This was a first for her. Of course, there were some different considerations in Aincrad, specifically with the armor classes. Bladescape couldn't change armor classes at this point. Maybe if it was first started as a new skill, but she couldn't just replace it. Diemond had been working for three days on new designs, but none of them were landing.

Yes, Bladescape needed to have a more visible presence in inter-guild affairs. Her jackets and Lamellar armor looked good, but they didn't project outward. They didn't make her look bigger than she was. She looked more roguish than knightly, as if she was a one woman show. They didn't have the imposing nature needed to compete or even stand on the same platform as Commander Heathcliff of the Knights of the Bloodoath. Her armor was roguishly good looking, yet failed to be fierce. Even Asuna eclipsed Bladescape in her specialized sub-commander armor.

Diemond didn't know how to do what they needed her to do and that was the issue.

"Don't take this the wrong way," Knightstar said. "But you are conventional."

"Darling," Diemond said, pointing her pencil at Knightstar. "What you are wearing is not conventional."

"I mean in your use of materials," Knightstar clarified. "There is a whole other world out there. You make tons of outfits and clothes that all look great and have impressive defense stats, yet they center around several fabrics that all either are in the real world or have a direct counterpart. Aincrad has a lot of other things that can be used. That need to be used. I don't actually expect you to know it all, not with how you are out there every day with us, beautifully bashing your way through each fight."

"Thank you, darling," Diemond said. "That was lovely alliteration."

Knightstar nodded and continued. "You don't have time to chase down all of the possible leads in the fabric scene. Even if you did, you are not a gamer. You don't think like one. You don't know where to look for game type materials. You need to learn, somehow, but until you do, we are stuck. Outside of armor, that’s not a problem."

"Can we drop the names?" Diemond asked. "It's just us four in here."

"No," Knightstar said. "Because what I'm saying applies only to Diemond, not to Rarity. Rarity doesn't fight goblins and demons with a mace. Diemond can learn how to adapt to Aincrad. If Konpeito can, so can you."

"But she at least gets the same ingredients and seasonings," Diemond said.

"Actually she doesn't," Knightstar said. "She is recreating the seasonings she knows through experimentation. It's why she is making her cookbook. I have them for my guides as well, but I really can't follow what she is doing. I only log the successes. She has a lot more failures than I can keep track of."

"If you don't have one, can't you buy a guide or something?" Diemond asked.

"I looked," Knightstar said. "I ran down every lead and came up empty. No one is sharing their trade secrets. Not even the cooks. My Cooking Guide is mostly leveling strategies, no extra recipes or flavoring guidance. The guides available for metal smithing are incomplete and pathetic. Anyway, on topic, we have no way of helping you other than pointing out that you are beating a dead horse. At least you know."

Diemond didn't know if she was about to erupt in rage or burst out crying. Virtual Reality bodies emoted more so that intentions were not misread. Crying was the easiest example. Players cried way more easily than they would in real life. But this didn't feel like that. She was completely perplexed about the turmoil in her heart. It could go in either direction. It had to go somewhere. If it didn't, it would consume her.

"You're not the only one struggling," Bladescape said. "The only reason I went to a player-made weapon was because I learned the hard way that dropped weapons really don't compare to what players can make. SAO is the opposite, in that regard, to most games I've played. Listening just now, I finally understand why Konpeito keeps buying cookware and what has happened to the others. She’s been breaking them when she failed the experiments."

"Even I'm outclassed by SAO," Natora added. "I was on top of it for a while, but I didn't realize I fell behind. All we can do is catch up. The biggest issue was that we didn't know. Now we do."

"I'm starting to rethink everything," Diemond admitted. "We still look better than most guilds, but we come up short in certain areas compared to the KoB. They had the advantage of watching us so they could outdo us."

"They have more players," Knightstar said. "I've paid attention to what they have, purely out of curiosity. They only have a few variations. Everything is centered around one design and adjusted for roles and armor class from there. But they all basically look the same for a reason. We won't fix Konpeito, although she oddly matches herself, but we can step up our game. We never changed gears after the KoB arrived. We still played our image like we were dealing with Lind and Kibaou. The council failed to turn the boat all the way."

"I can absolutely up our game," Diemond said. "But I'm afraid it won't go far considering my current shortcomings in the field. That also still leaves Bladescape looking less than stellar."

"You have an idea," Knightstar prodded. "What is it?"

"Well, I need to find a tutor," Diemond admitted. "That will help me think in the ways I need to, however, it likely won't help me with Bladescape. It’s a question of style, not of stats. Materials increase stats, but they won't fix style. IRL, I would use a crafting foam and either paint it or cover it with a fabric to appear like metal, maybe some rhinestones for trim, but SAO won’t let me do that. I did try."

"But you have an idea," Bladescape said. "You're holding something back."

That was true. She was holding something back. Admitting it and openly saying it was not something Diemond wanted to do.

"Well," Diemond said, pausing. "I do, but it's not an option I like. Which I admit is somewhat vain of me. There is likely one other person, player, who could pull off what Bladescape needs."

"And that would be?" Knightstar asked. She was really giving no quarter today as she pressed for solutions.

Diemond really didn’t want to say it.

"Just say it," Bladescape said. "You're among friends. We know how good you actually are."

"Fine," Diemond huffed. She took a deep breath in. "As much as it pains me to admit it, you should speak with Ashley."

"Why is that painful to admit!" Knightstar exclaimed. "What's the big deal?"

"Jealousy, mostly," Diemond admitted. "I could be her if I wasn't bashing my way through the floors. I could run circles around her, certainly when it comes to real fashion, yet she is the one who gets the praise and the honor of being called the first to max Sewing, if she really did. All because she sells her clothes. Meanwhile, mine have been piling up in wardrobes, being seen by nobody unless a friend is wearing what I give them."

"I understand why that is tough to admit," Bladescape said. "However, just to be clear, are you saying you beat her to maxing the Skill?"

"Maybe," Diemond clarified. "It's close. I don't know the exact date I maxed it. I was designing and making a lot that week. While it may have looked like I let the Skill transition out of leveling, I was maximizing my experience return for most things. You spent a lot of sleepless nights grinding monsters for XP. I spent those nights making all sorts of clothes. Because why not? Especially if I had to spend the day bashing enemies. It wasn’t like I could sleep anyway."

"Why are they in wardrobes?" Knightstar asked. "Why not open a shop and sell them? Lisbeth has that NPC store-tender. That would help you."

"Darling, have you looked at the cost for buying a decent shop?" Diemond asked. "I'm basically broke. I'm not really broke, I just have no disposable income. My return has been on experience, not in Col. A whole lot of experience. I couldn't afford a place that's worthwhile, especially a location that is capable of competing with Ashley. The clothes can, but the location does matter. It has to be on par or better than what she has. It has to show the customers that they should be coming to me. Even if I did, I wouldn't be able to do custom orders. Although Ashley has tapered hers back significantly as well because too many people want things from her. She is coasting on her success and what her boutique generates from off the rack items. Still, I'm on the front line too much to even casually tend a shop.”

"That cost you a lot to get that info, didn't it?" Natora asked.

"More than I'll ever admit," Diemond grumbled. “Argo’s silence didn’t come cheap either. It will hold because I’m a Wondercolt and I keep her look updated.”

"Okay," Bladescape said. "I have two solutions. To start, while it's not a part of the solutions, tomorrow we are not going to hit the field. We will run a free day. In the morning, Diemond, Knightstar, and I will go meet up with Ashley to see what she can do."

"Pause," Diemond interjected. "I can't be there. If Ashley is even slightly open about what she can do, if I am there, I will understand her secrets and we could pull out and let me do it. You might get an audience, but you won't get a solution with me there. She is well aware of who I am and what my skills are. She didn't pay for Argo's silence."

"Okay, then who should go with me?" Bladescape asked.

"Why should anyone accompany you?" Diemond asked. "You are the recognized leader of the Wondercolts. You can barter as well as most players."

"Okay," Bladescape said. "Fine. Then I'll go to see Ashley in the morning. Diemond can find someone who can help her expand her creativity to the virtual game environment. Everyone else can run skills or farming. Whatever they want. As sudden as it is, we could use a break."

"I agree with the break," Natora said. "Also with the plan. You had something else though?"

"Yes," Bladescape nodded. She looked at Diemond. "Die, how much clothing do you have that could be sold?"

"Darling, it's not just clothes," Diemond explained. "I also have armor in all four categories. From boots to helmets, I could easily outfit fifty players for front line duty. Even more for the intermediate players. As to clothes specifically, we are talking about three hundred outfits for both men and women. Maybe four hundred? I haven't counted in a while. And those are just complete sets, not the other stuff that doesn’t have a specific partner, such as skirts, blouses, pants, and shirts. Most are unique pieces or limited runs, at least for the clothes. The armor has a lot of the same pieces since I can’t freehand metal like I can fabric. I also wasn't making things in our colors. I can only do so much blue and gold. Thankfully Aincrad doesn't have sizes, so they will fit anyone."

"Okay, well, figure it out," Bladescape said. "Because you need to unload that stock. You might not be able to have a shop, but that shouldn't stop you from selling it."

"I'm not going to peddle that much stuff sitting on a vender's carpet," Diemond stated. "It would ruin the brand's image."

"Right, but we could turn this headquarters into a shop for a few days," Bladescape explained. "And by we, I mostly mean you and Knightstar, because the rest of us won't know how unless someone directs us. Diemond, you need to get a return on your investment. More than experience. That starts by knowing exactly what you have so that we can pull this off. I'm thinking we can take an ad out in the paper and really push it for a week or two before the actual sale event. We’ll probably need a whole weekend with the estimates you just gave."

"Now you're speaking my language," Diemond said, a sly grin growing on her lips. This was an exciting idea. "It would be really nice to let all of Aincrad actually see my fashion brilliance. l already have a few ideas about how to organize this place to sell it all. I'll have an inventory list for you in the morning."

"Are you sure you will have time to do that?" Knightstar asked.

"Darling, I've not been stuffing them into random wardrobes," Diemond explained. "My work room may look messy, but it's an organized mess and it is also separate from the way I actually store finished products. I am much more organized about end storage."

"The earlier you can get us that information, the earlier we can schedule this," Bladescape said. "First you need to learn to expand your game material knowledge, but then we will sell what you've made. I don't think any of us realized you, A, made so much, and, B, hadn't been doing something to move what you made. That was our bad to assume you were selling them."

"Understood," Diemond replied. "I'll go start counting right now."

Diemond forced herself to walk out of the room. Skipping or running wouldn’t be graceful. She had some dignity left, mostly because the battlefield required very little. She could hardly contain her excitement at the idea of selling everything and, more importantly, having strangers wear her masterpieces. She was very proud of some of her designs. Several rivaled what she had made IRL. A short sale using the headquarters hadn't occurred to her. It also would not blow her exclusive status.

Her friends really had no idea how organized she was. One wardrobe just held male outfits; another held dresses; a third was solely for other miscellaneous women's clothes — such as blouses, skirts, and sweaters — that were not matching; one chest held fashionable footwear; another chest held unclassed armor; a third chest held leather armor; a fourth was just for light metal armor pieces; and a fifth was for heavy metal armor; the sixth chest was all for capes and cloaks; a seventh was full of helmets; and a the last chest was specifically for combat boots and gloves that any class could wear. Each storage unit told her how many items were in each. For the armor, she had to parse out what part of the body the armor fit on, but it didn't take long to write it all out. She had amassed more than she had realized. Knightstar would need to give the armor some form of grading for the sale, so they could separate the pieces in a way customers could quickly understand and also price them in batches, but they could do this and the prospect was divine.

Diemond got to bed later than planned, but it was still enough time to refresh her beauty. In the morning, the first thing she did was hand Knightstar her list. Knightstar was speechless as she read it. Her eyes said it all. She hadn't believed Diemond, not because she didn't trust her, but simply because it was more than any of them realized she was doing. That was enough to brighten Diemond’s heart as she sat down to eat.

As she ate the quiche Konpeito had made, she tried to figure out who she should go to. She knew some of the bigger players in the Aincrad fashion scene and was decently connected, all because of the color theory classes she taught from time to time, but most of them were not doing armor. They might have ideas, but she needed an armorer.

She decided to start with Lisbeth. She might know who to go to. Diemond didn't want to get involved with the crafting guild, Ishoku Inji, if she didn't have to. It would get complicated pretty quickly if she did. They likely wouldn't appreciate her having split focus and they would question her loyalty. She needed someone smaller. Someone who could understand her situation and preferably keep it quiet. The designer for the Wondercolts needing to be an apprentice this late in the game was scandalous. At least to the fashion scene it would be scandalous.

Diemond finished breakfast and bid everyone around the table a quick goodbye before heading out on her own. She was sharply dressed in a teal spring ensemble that brought out her eyes. It was professional yet fun.

Lisbeth had opened her shop only a few minutes prior to her arrival. Diemond found her at the counter, giving an order to a customer. However, it was not the same Lisbeth she had seen several days prior. Bladescape would have mentioned the change if she had seen it. Lisbeth had redone her hair, dyeing it pink and putting a white pin over her right side to keep her hair from falling in front of her eyes while working. It was a cute upgrade that suited the smith, drawing out many of her cuter features.

Diemond stepped up to the counter on the other side of the line. Lisbeth finished the transaction and smiled at her. "Diemond, what brings you here and looking all fancy?"

"Can I pick your brain for a quick minute?" Diemond asked. "I have a private, but simple, question."

"Sure!" Lisbeth said. She looked at the line of customers. "Everyone, I'll be right back. This won't take long."

Out back, Diemond suddenly choked over her question and revealing her own shortcoming. She changed tactics. "I see you changed your hair. It looks nice. It compliments you very well."

Lisbeth let out an annoyed sigh. "Asuna saw me on opening day and convinced me to do it. The customers love it. I've been getting compliments from almost everyone, but I'm not that sold on it. It makes me look younger than I am. Still, if it's good for the business, well anything to smooth over my rough edges. It takes some of the edge off when I snap at a customer."

"Customers rarely understand the artist," Diemond said. "It's so easy to be harsher than we mean when the work piles up and looking pretty can go a long way when our fuses are unintentionally short. Incidentally, that is why I came to you. I’m at the end of my fuse and I’m hoping you can help me. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm in a rut. I can do real fashion, but I can't do the game stuff. There are so many materials I don't know, things I don't know how to find to even experiment with. Metals are easier to figure out, but I'm coming up short in many regards. I was hoping you would know who to send me to? Someone who could teach me the game materials side of crafting armor and clothes?"

"I can understand why someone of your skill would find themselves in that situation. Let me think for a minute. There aren’t a lot of independent crafters, and most of us aren’t keen to share our secrets..." Lisbeth replied. She paced back and forth through her workshop a few times before a solution came to her. "I know someone who might be able to help and he isn’t connected to Ishoku Inji. He just got a shop in Lindarth and opened it yesterday. The guy's name is Ryukoken. Four houses south of the church, the one with two waterwheels. I got my armor from him and his weapon was made by me. Tell him I sent you. That should help."

"Thank you, darling," Diemond said, bowing. "Hopefully this will fix everything properly and make it so I can overhaul our look."

"If anyone can, it's you," Lisbeth said. "Well, maybe Ashley too. But I've seen your stuff and I've worn it. I still wear it to bed. It's wonderful, true art. You have an eye few players have and you get amazing defensive properties out of the basics. I can't wait to see what you do with whatever other materials are out there."

Diemond bid the smith farewell and let her get back to her customers. She went to find Ryukoken's shop. It was not hard to find, Lisbeth's directions were spot on, but what really stood out was his sign. It was a simple chest plate with an "R" stamped on it as big as possible.

Diemond entered the shop. No one was inside, not even an NPC store-tender. A few different suits of armor were on display. There were a bunch of shelves full of various helmets. Gloves were laid out in a glass display case, while a range of jackets were hung up on a rack. Diemond started to peruse the jackets while she waited.

"Welcome to my shop," an older gentleman said as he came to the front. His hair was white, giving a clue to how old he was, yet he dressed like a man half his age. He clearly had a sense of modern fashion. His eyes were appraising as he saw her and put on a smile Diemond recognized as that of a businessman. "What can I do for you, Miss? You don't seem like the kind of woman who needs armor."

"I don't, but that's because I make my own," Diemond explained. "Lisbeth sent me to you.”

If anything, his eyes turned sharper at the mention of Lisbeth, “Well, she recommended me for a reason, but why don’t we go to the back workshop where I have some seats,” he said. “It will be more comfortable. I still have to get customer seating.”

Diemond followed Ryukoken to the back where one of the waterwheels was hooked up to a spindle, making thread. The shop’s proprietor apologized for not having anything more than water to offer to drink as he led the way, to which she graciously accepted. They sat down at the work table after Ryukoken shifted some things to the side and set out two cups and a gourd pitcher.

“Now, what has you seeking me out?” Ryukoken asked as he poured their drinks.

Diemond took a sip to buy time and get her thoughts in order, but not so long as to seem insulting before answering. “I make the Wondercolts' equipment and design our image,” Diemond explained. “I'm a fashion designer, not a gamer. There is a whole world of different materials that can be used to make equipment. I don't know how to find them or make them work. I was hoping to learn from someone who is well experienced in the art. Lisbeth suggested you and I can see you have a good eye."

"You're Diemond?" He asked, setting his own glass down in surprise. Diemond simply nodded in response, causing him to sit back, humming in consideration. "I didn’t recognize you without your armor and you’re wearing makeup today. I know your work. I've seen your designs. I scouted your guild a few times to check out your direction. It's very, very impressive work. But, I understand why you came to me. That couldn't have been easy for someone of your skill. I won't let that information out if you don't want it known."

"That would be very appreciated, dear," Diemond replied.

"I can take you on as my apprentice," he said with a nod, leaning forward and picking up his own glass again and taking a drink as he thought. “But what I can teach you will be entirely up to you, and how much time and effort you put into learning. I understand that the first might be limited given that you fight on the front lines.”

Diemond had to suppress a smirk as she put her glass down. “No more than a week, but more realistically probably less than that. I wasn’t given a hard time limit for how long I could be away, but as you said, I do have other commitments to the front, and even though we haven’t put out the advertisement for it yet, the Wondercolts are planning on helping me move my backstock in the next couple of weeks so I will need to be there for helping to organize that. As for my ability to learn, well, while we can’t all be Knightstar, I do have a keen mind for new materials and fine details in the IRL fashion scene, and for everything else I am a meticulous note taker. It is only these virtual materials that trouble me since they often have strange sources, synergies and preparation methods that don’t quite make sense to me.

Ryukoken nodded his understanding and held up three fingers. "In three days, I can have you up to speed on at least the basics of everything available and how to determine the new stuff that is applicable to your craft. It will cost you though. Both for materials and for my time. It's nothing personal, just business. If I'm going to share my secrets, I need to make something off it."

"That's alright," Diemond said, taking another sip. "It's embarrassing, but it will be even more embarrassing later, if I must stop making our equipment because I lack the ability to make sufficient pieces. Being your apprentice hurts my pride, but that is just a bruise, nothing permanent. I promise not to share your secrets."

"What are your levels?" Ryukoken asked. "Just so I know you can do what I expect to teach you."

"That's fair," Diemond said. "Sewing is maxed. Light metal armor is over eight hundred. Heavy metal armor is over four hundred."

"That's absolutely enough skill," Ryukoken said. "I’m actually shocked you have sewing maxed. You’re always on the front. About the front, are there things you need to do, or can you start immediately?"

"I am free all day," Diemond said. "I'm sure it won't be hard to get permission for the other days. I just need to send a quick message."

He nodded and Diemond sent Bladescape a message about her timing. Bladescape told her she had it off and wished her luck. Ryukoken's fee was only fifteen thousand col, five thousand for each armor class. It would set her back for the upgrade she was about to do on her mace, but that couldn’t be helped. Selling her excess clothes would more than make up for it. What she learned about crafting leather armor would translate to unclassified armor. Diemond paid him and they got to work on leather crafting, starting with a list of the different types of hides that could be tanned.

BLADESCAPE: Level 77 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 74 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 69 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce
MALUS: Level 73 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 73 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 73 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 74 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Crafting
DOOMBUNNY: Level 70 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search — Listen — Reveal
KIEFER: Level 71 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 69 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics
REISENKI: Level 71 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 60 — Visions

Episode 60 — Visions
Thirteenth Day in the Month of Willow (March 13) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 48 — Front Line 57

Ashley's place in Lindarth was easy to find, located north of the teleport plaza. It was a nice, big, cottage with two waterwheels and it had at least a second floor and probably an attic. It was the biggest in the area and appeared to be three times the size of Lisbeth's shop. Unfortunately, getting to it wasn't straightforward. The canals complicated everything. Taking the wrong bridge could really take the player away from their goal.

Inside, the architecture was just like Lisbeth's shop, which made sense. It was certainly a lot bigger, but they were the same designs, medieval wattle and whitewashed daub with stone foundations and fixtures. The shop had several racks of very nice clothes with multiple full length mirrors. There was a summer section and a winter section, as well as a men's section. While it was smaller, the men's section had plenty on the racks. To Bladescape, none of it looked as good as what Diemond did, however, she had only seen what Diemond had given them, not the rest of her massive stock. Clothes weren't why Bladescape was here though.

Bladescape approached the female NPC store-tender. The store tender bowed to her, prompting Bladescape to bow back. "How may I help you today?"

"I was wanting to speak with Ashley about an order," Bladescape explained.

"I'm sorry, but Miss Ashley is not taking custom orders at this time," the NPC replied.

"Can you give her a message?" Bladescape asked. "Or pass it along? I assume she is here."

"At this time I can't take a message," the NPC said. "She is not seeing anyone."

"That makes no sense," Bladescape said. "How do customers get in touch with her?"

"You are welcomed to browse the current selection on the floor," the NPC said. "The price is listed on the item menu and I can finalize any purchases."

"I don't need clothes," Bladescape said. "I need to see if Ashley is able to fix my armor."

"Miss Ashley does not repair equipment," the NPC stated.

"I mean mine isn't good enough but maybe she can make it look better," Bladescape said, trying to be patient.

"Items already produced cannot be altered once made," the NPC said.

Bladescape was about to punch the NPC. Violence currently solved most of her problems. Even though it wouldn't solve this one, it might feel good to hit the NPC. Of course, that could cause a lot of other issues, one of them being barred from getting an audience with Ashley. The store-tender was just doing her job, responding how she was supposed to considering the circumstances set.

“I just need to talk to her," Bladescape said. "Maybe she can give me a referral to someone who can help me."

"I'm sorry, but Miss Ashley is not seeing anyone at this time," the NPC stated.

"This is a great business model," Bladescape sarcastically stated. "How she ever got to be considered the top seamstress, I have no idea." Yes, Bladescape decided to stoop that low with the NPC.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean," the NPC said. "Miss Ashley is the best tailor in Aincrad. That isn't a title she took, rather it's one given to her."

"Being a tailor is even dumber," Bladescape shot back. "A tailor only alters a current garment, such as taking it in size or making it fit properly. A seamstress uses already available patterns to make garments, but often can do alterations. Neither holds water to an actual fashion designer who creates clothing from nothing, with patterns the designer made themselves." All of that was lost on the NPC who just blankly smiled back at Bladescape. Bladescape rolled her eyes. She knew too much about the industry; literally just from listening to Rarity. "I'm looking for the best, for a project that I hear only Ashley can pull off, no matter what her occupational status is. How do I get in contact with that Ashley?"

"Miss Ashley does not take custom orders," the NPC stated.

"I don't believe you," Bladescape said, getting irritated. "Why doesn't she come out and tell me that face-to-face?"

"I'm sorry, but Miss Ashley is not seeing anyone at this time," the NPC repeated.

"Then why have I heard that she does amazing custom work?" Bladescape pressed. She was absolutely bluffing, but the NPC likely couldn't tell the difference.

"Miss Ashley no longer takes custom orders," the NPC repeated.

"Aha!" Bladescape exclaimed. "You said takes. I'm not asking her to take an order."

"I'm sorry, I do not understand," the NPC stated.

"I need to speak to her about a current order she is already doing," Bladescape tried. "For Bladescape, leader of the Wondercolt."

"I have no custom work ready to be picked up for anyone by that name," the NPC said.

"That's because it's not finished," Bladescape said. "I need to speak with her about it."

"I'm sorry, but you are not on the approved contact list," the NPC said.

"So she does do custom work, she just isn't taking orders," Bladescape pressed.

"That's correct," the NPC said. "You are free to browse the current selection on the floor. The price is listed on the item menu and I can finalize any purchase."

"How do players get on that contact list?" Bladescape asked.

"I don't know," the NPC admitted. "All I know is who Ashley has approved for personal contact. I am not aware of, or in charge of, how she does business."

"Yet you are letting a business opportunity pass her by," Bladescape said.

"I'm sorry, I do not understand what you mean,” the NPC kindly said.

She wouldn't stop smiling or using a kind tone. It was how she was set, but it was making Bladescape want to punch her in the face even more. Yes, the store-tenders clearly had an important role, but how else was Bladescape supposed to even speak with Ashley.

"I just want to speak with her about a business opportunity," Bladescape said, trying not to plead with the emotionless NPC. Any emotion it displayed was programmed in and fake. It didn't even understand sarcasm.

"I'm sorry, but Miss Ashley is not looking for business opportunities at this time," the NPC stated with the same smile.

Bladescape's hand balled up in a fist. She almost raised it, but saw something in one of the mirrors. By one of the large windows was a rocking chair. She could wait it out.

"Thank you," Bladescape said, releasing her fist.

She turned around and walked, resisting the urge to storm, to the rocking chair and sat down. At least it had a nice view of the calm city.

Bladescape got a message from Diemond. She was asking for a total of three days, including today, to be an apprentice. They could do without her for a few days, especially if it meant she would come back with a new set of skills and tools to take her armor crafting to the next level. Just the armor crafting, her fashion sense was sharper than ever. Bladescape gave her permission and continued to wait.

Bladescape played the waiting game for two hours, but she wasn't going to give up. Diemond was unable to come up with a solution and no one else had any ideas either. Blowing a day, waiting, was the best option. Admittedly, it was a poor one, Ashley likely didn't know she was even in the building, but Bladescape didn't care.

"Well this is a surprise," someone said from behind Bladescape. She must have dozed off, because the clock had jumped over an hour. "The leader of the Wondercolts, sleeping in my shop."

Bladescape stood up and turned to face Ashley, giving a proper bow first. "Please forgive the poor form," Bladescape stated. "I wasn't aware I had drifted off. That wasn't my intention."

Ashley was a formidable woman. She was dressed much like Rarity would dress, although a bit more garishly due to the fluffy collar of her open vest. She was confident in herself and it showed in her stance. Bladescape was on her turf.

"I heard you arguing with Rachel earlier," Ashley stated. "I was busy. I didn't expect to find you still here. It must be very important if you are willing to spend all day camped out in my shop instead of clearing the front line."

Bladescape couldn't tell if that was sarcasm or if she was patronizing her. She could have just shot straight too. In the end, it didn't matter, Ashley was speaking to Bladescape.

"Yes, there is work to be done," Bladescape admitted. "But I'm not the only one doing it. Taking a day or two off to set myself up better for future floors is wise and a must."

"You used a lot of interesting terminology while talking with Rachel," Ashley added. "You know the difference between a tailor, seamstress, and designer. Few players do."

"Well, I know Diemond IRL and she is all about fashion and designing. You pick up some things over time," Bladescape said.

"The Wondercolts already have a fashion designer," Ashley stated. "Why come to me?"

"Because this isn't about fashion," Bladescape stated. "It's about armor. You're looking at the best Diemond can design. The stats are excellent, but the look, not so much. Your name is what everyone says when they think of someone who could help me."

"What an interesting pitch," Ashley said. "I don't do custom orders though."

"Neither does Diemond," Bladescape said. "Yet both of you are consistently making things. As I said, she can't. She is tapped out of ideas." Bladescape swiped up her menu and materialized Harmonic Salvation. She caught it and partially pulled the blade out of its sheath to show it off. "You're looking at a one-of-a-kind sword. It's not just unique due to its name. What makes it truly unique was the alloy used. This was forged from Piandao’s latest alloy, Black Rune, and he only had one ingot. It's also my first player-made weapon.

"I've been in every boss battle, including the very first one. I haven't missed one yet. Now, I have an amazing sword, but my armor doesn't match the nature of it or my role. When we plan our strategy, I’m standing at that table, directly in the discussion. When the doors are opened to the boss chamber, I’m one of the first in. Many players recognize me for a variety of reasons, all positive ones, however, I'm nothing compared to players like Heathcliff. This is the best Diemond can do. She can't put me, visually, on the same level as the Commander is. I need a major image boost, one as strong as this sword, yet no one knows how to get me that. That is, unless you do."

"I know nothing about weapons," Ashley stated. "But I understand your quandary. I don't take custom orders anymore, however, I do take on projects that catch my fancy. This does. You're asking a lot, yet my armor would be worn and seen by the entire Assault Team, as well as most clearers. Doing something Diemond can't is very, very intriguing. Come, let's sit in my office and talk about the details. I know I can elevate your image to match Commander Heathcliff's."

Her office was on the second floor. I looked like the main room of a living space, but it was set up like an office.

"Your armor Skill is Leather Armor, correct?" Ashley asked.

"Yes," Bladescape said. "And it's too high to switch without dire consequences. Besides, I don't want to. It would slow me down. I need that agility to handle swinging such a large sword. My goal is to be the representative, to all Aincrad, about what it means to be a Wondercolt. To become Aincrad’s Wondercolt, which means honesty, loyalty, laughter, generosity, kindness, and empathy. They create a magic that we call friendship and it instills hope in people. Aincrad needs that hope."

"You certainly have my interest piqued," Ashley stated. “I’m hooked. But that means I would first like to see your figure better. I need to see how you stand. This has nothing to do with sizing and everything to do with matching your natural shape. I don't need you to be fully stripped down, but I need you to be in something comfortable."

“I know what will do the trick,” Bladescape said, standing up.

She had wondered why there had been a room divider, but now she understood. Behind it, Bladescape changed into an outfit Diemond had made a while ago. It was a simple black skirt with a maroon shirt. The shirt had her sunset cutie mark on it. When Diemond had made it, she had been learning to add images to her fabrics.

Bladescape walked back out and Ashley smirked. She had Bladescape equip her sword over the clothes and stand there, as naturally as possible. Ashley walked around Bladescape, examining her from all angles.

When she was satisfied, Bladescape was allowed to unequip her sword and sit down. Ashley wanted to see what defensive stats Bladescape was used to wearing. Bladescape handed over the lamellar armor. It had served her well, but Bladescape was aware that Ashley wasn’t simply looking at the stats.

Ashley set the armor aside and made her decision. “Gold will not do for your skin tone. You have a lovely olive complexion, but primarily gold armor will wash both out. Gold also won’t work with your hair.

“Besides, I won’t copy his image. I don’t have to stoop that low. Commander Heathcliff’s use of red makes a bold statement, which is what he wants. His red and white is a purposeful contrast that instills rage yet purity. He uses it to drive the liberation effort, as he calls it. Blue, your blue, is a good color to represent hope. Hope can be found in that red rage, or it can be a more peaceful wave. Never discount waves, they are one of the most destructive forces in the world, methodical and persistent, wearing down the rocks they dash themselves against until naught but sand remains.

“You may be in leather armor, but the best way to catch players’ eyes is with powerful, knightly armor. Or samurai, but you don’t use a katana or spear. It also would not fit your attitude or how you stand. Knights have a code, that, while similar, is different from samurai. Samurai were honorable in combat, knights protected the weak. There is honor in protecting the weak, but knights brought justice to those who were taken advantage of. At least that is the trope. You are much more knightly than a samurai. I’m sure you would look wonderful in a kimono, but you are not before me for fashion, you need armor that will make the correct statement.”

“That sounds exactly what we want for me,” Bladescape said. “But leather armor isn’t knightly. At least not high medieval knights.”

“That is because you are a fighter and I am the designer,” Ashley stated. “Leave it to me. Your job is to get what I need. Stats wise, Diemond set a high bar. To make something that can outshine the stats on this armor, you will need to bring me dagannoth hides. Thirty of them. To dye something like dagannoth will require a special item as well. I’ll need Blue Stones and Giganthum Flower Petals. Eighty sacks of the blue stones and thirty of the Giganthum Flower Petals. Distilling them down to a dye destroys much of them in the process. And then flax for the thread. It will need to be unprocessed, fifty bushels total, because it needs to be dyed to match the hides and dyed at the same time for a proper match. I’ll write it down along with their rough locations.”

Hunting dagannoths would be a worthy way to break in Harmonic Salvation. The current floor clearing wasn’t much of a challenge, especially in their parties.

“Are blue stones special?” Bladescape asked. “Stones come in a lot of different colors.”

“Yes, they are actually called Blue Stones,” Ashley explained. “Sacks of the standard size, not small sacks or large sacks. For a bushel of flax, all you have to do is collect fifty stalks and use a bundle tie. Those can be purchased, along with sacks, at most farming markets.”

“That’s a lot of flax,” Bladescape said.

“It takes a lot to make a very small amount of thread,” Ashley replied as she slid the list over to Bladescape. “And dagannoth is tough. It will require a tougher thread, which means larger diameter, so more flax.”

“How much is this going to cost me?” Bladescape asked before she picked up the list.

“Nothing outrageous,” Ashley said. “You are getting the materials for me and you get to wear something I made, while I get to say I made it. There are some other incidentals for crafting it that are not on the list, mundane things I can easily get. Two hundred thousand col is all I ask. I’m sure your sword was twice that, if not three times. Lisbeth couldn’t have gotten that ingot from Piandao any cheaper.”

“I can cover that price,” Bladescape said. “I look forward to not only seeing what you can do, but wearing your best.”

It was a double edged comment. In the front half, she built Ashley up and applauded her skill, while also issuing her a warning stab about making the best. Ashley clearly caught it but wasn’t fazed by it. No good designer would be.

“I’ll have you added to my contact list,” Ashley said as she opened her window. “If you need anything, you can send a message, but they are quite short. An info broker likely has more details than I will. I know what is out there and how to use it, not necessarily how to get it.”

A friend request popped up in front of Bladescape. She smiled at Ashley and accepted the request. “I will keep that in mind. I never actually entered the swamp on the fifty-fourth floor. It’s in the southeast, while the Wondercolts' efforts were north and to the west.”

"Well then, you should have fun," Ashley said with a coy smile. "But be careful. They are not easy beasts to hunt. They are the predators of the swamp. I know you have sufficient levels, you are in the Assault Team for a reason, but it wouldn't look good for me if you were to die while hunting them so I can make you armor. You have my full confidence in your skill, but that's also a warning that should be given."

Ashley wasn't sending Bladescape coherent signals. She couldn't tell if it was a jest, a true warning, or what.

"Thank you," Bladescape said. "No, my death would not look favorably on you, but at least you would be around to survive such a blow. I'd be dead. Dying isn't my thing, but I can't help but wonder if there was someone, or is someone, who has caused you to give such a warning."

"Well, I only use the rarest and best materials for any custom work I do," Ashley stated. "Some customers have taken risks they shouldn't have. I do not have a problem denying previous customers another opportunity to wear my work if they are too much of a liability."

"Well, I hope never to need you again," Bladescape said. "No offense to you. After all, I'm here for a reason."

"Yes, you are," Ashley stated as Bladescape went behind the screen to change back into her armor. "But your designer, Diemond, it won't take her long to unlock the secrets once she sees what I can do. Which is why this opportunity has piqued my interest."

"There are no guides on the advanced techniques," Bladescape stated as she came back out, ready to hunt the dagannoths. "How do artisans learn them?"

"Well, this is not my first rodeo," Ashley stated. "First time in a death game with real stakes, but I've played my fair share and learned how those systems functioned. After that, it was just a matter of finding a way for me to do the same things. The system may be different, but much of the crafting techniques are the same. Diemond is, as I understand it, a high society fashionista. This is grungy, underground stuff we are talking about. It doesn't make it up there for a reason. Her leather is refined and high quality, likely having a rare animal origin. That lamellar armor is very impressive for a high society designer, but it's clearly high society. Until she learns how to get grungy, she will only be able to work with fabrics others produce."

"Would you ever take on an apprentice?" Bladescape asked. "Not that I'm asking you to. It's just a question."

"I understand," Ashley replied. "But no, I wouldn't. Too many would want to learn from me. They would get to use the status of my name to boost their own. Diemond would not be able to learn from me."

"She isn't here for a reason," Bladescape added. "And she wouldn't want to learn from you. I only browsed what you had made for a short bit, but it's not quite high fashion. Almost, just a tad short. Your grunge gets in the way. As you alluded to, that's the big difference between you two. And you would clash over the approach to fashion."

Ashley let out a single, coy laugh.

Bladescape bowed to Ashley. "Thank you for your help. It shouldn't take me long to get this list taken care of. I'll stay safe. You have my promise for that.”

Ashley showed Bladescape out. After walking for a little bit, when Ashley couldn't see her, Bladescape typed a message to Natora letting her know she was going to be using the rest of the day hunting for armor materials. She remembered she needed to update them on Diemond's extra time off, but had just sent a message to Natora. The system wouldn't let her send another so quickly, without a reply coming back, so she had to send it to Knightstar. Knightstar said that would not be a problem. Natora said the others were wanting to help out. Bladescape sent them the information on the flax bundles. That was something she really didn’t want to do. As soon as she heard that item, she had been contemplating paying for others to gather it for her.

Then it was off to floor fifty-four.

BLADESCAPE: Level 77 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 74 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 69 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce
MALUS: Level 73 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 73 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 73 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 74 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Crafting
DOOMBUNNY: Level 70 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search — Listen — Reveal
KIEFER: Level 71 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 69 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics
REISENKI: Level 71 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 61 — Dagannoths

Episode 61 — Dagannoths
Thirteenth Day in the Month of Willow (March 13) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 54 — Front Line Floor 57

Floor Fifty-Four wasn’t that far off the front. It made sense to be hunting an elite monster near the front for the best material to make leather armor out of. Bladescape knew of the dagannoths. By chance, the Wondercolts had cleared in the opposite direction of the swamp they called home. The stories were imposing, but they rarely included any information on what was dropped. How Ashley knew, Bladescape couldn’t guess. Maybe Argo could hunt that intel down, but it didn’t matter. This would help them all identify places to harvest unique crafting materials as they continued to clear floors.

Bladescape stepped into an NPC shop and bought more antidote and healing crystals. The swamp probably had some poison creatures she might have to deal with. A single teleport crystal was available, so she snagged it. The guild had a good stock of crystals, but it wasn’t unwise to stock up instead of depleting their guild stock. They would eventually have to buy more to maintain their stock. Bladescape preferred to err on the side of caution.

The swamp was a boss-less dungeon. Dungeons typically had an end goal, the dungeon boss, or something unique to them. The Wandering Forest near Mishe had some unique locations and was good for hunting. Occasionally, the boss-less dungeons were little more than places that blocked the ability to access guild storage or send messages. That was what the swamp was: a block. The dagannoths were supposed to be found around the center.

Bladescape struck out from the closest city, cutting due west to the swamp. It wasn’t too hard of a walk. The swamp was clearly defined by thick trees forming a barrier, all of them willows. It backed up to the edge of the floor, forcing Bladescape to circle north to find the entrance. She finally did, but it wasn’t what she was expecting.

It wasn’t just an opening in the tightly packed trees. The willows gave way to a giant oak tree. The old oak had a wide root base, but split into two trunks. Their branches intermingled, making it like a secret passage into the dungeon. The roots provided an easy way to climb up to and through the split. As cool as it was, each side of the trunk had a board pinned on it, giving a warning. The painted wood used Kanji and warned of a large monster and a small man-eater. A third board was hung above the entrance naming the dungeon, Fearnog Bog.

Bladescape kept the warnings in mind as she stepped through the trees. It was not what she was expecting when she heard “swamp” or “bog.” It was a wet woodland, full of willow trees, alder trees, and some birches. The tree branches were oppressive, pushing the ceiling down and making it feel claustrophobic. The ground was either full of moss, sedge grass, a purple reed-grass, meadowsweets, and a surprising variety of irises that brought color to the bog. The birch trees added some white to the scene and the tree moss brightened the whole swamp up, making it a lively green.

She had to be careful where she stepped. The mud was thick and the water that was visible could be deceptively deep. Being a bog, what looked like solid ground sometimes turned out to be peat, floating on top of the water. Bladescape soon figured out the pattern. Moss and reeds were the peat, while the sedge grass and meadowsweets indicated solid ground. The irises were a misdirect, being on both. Still, there was very little solid ground to use, any given area rarely being more than three feet wide. It reminded her of island hopping; using logs and stones to bypass the peat and water as she traversed to the next solid spot.

Once she was no longer falling into the mud and water, things went smoother. Actually finding the dagannoths would be another thing. She didn’t have a long line of sight in the swamp. There were too many trees. Bladescape camped out, leaning against a tree as she took a moment to catch her bearings and decide if she should take the left or right fork in the path.

A red cursor among the grass popped up and Bladescape immediately put her hand on her sword, but waited to draw it. Being so low to the ground, among the tall grass didn’t make sense. It moved a bit as it seemed to be following a small animal, hidden in the tall grass and reeds. Bladescape remembered the rumors of some of the best meat coming from small, hard to see animals, like the elusive Ragout Rabbit. She carefully moved her hand to her throwing pick pouch on her belt and pulled one out. She slowly brought it up to her head, ready to trigger the skill to throw it.

Blade throwing had a variety of throwing implements. Bladescape had been able to try what Doombunny used, but didn’t like them. The picks were sleek and fast. Historically, shuriken came in a variety of styles, with some of the oldest being needles, nails, or picks. Something poked its head out of the grass. The name popped up, Alder Furmus, but it was clearly modeled off of the pine marten. Bladescape shifted her hand, triggering the throwing pick, and nailed the creature before it could bolt.

The menu popped up in front of her. No meat, but she did get Alder Furmus Fur. Considering she was on a hunting trip for hides, it was a good drop. Not what she needed, but it might have potential for Diemond. She would do her best to keep her eye out for more.

Bladescape decided to take the left path. It seemed more likely to take her into the center of the dungeon swamp. The path ended up taking her alongside a more open waterway. It had slight movement in it as it flowed alongside the path.

Bladescape ducked low, under a large tree branch, holding onto it to keep from falling into the water. She had just enough speed in her movement to avoid the attack that came from the water. She jumped away from it as she drew Harmonic Salvation. Her right foot landed on peat and she went halfway into the mud.

The thing that effortlessly crawled out of the water looked like an otter, crossed with a beefy dog. The name that came up was “Dobharcu.” Due to its size, Bladescape figured this must be the small man-eater that the sign warned of. No matter what it looked like, it was the size of a large alligator.

It gave her no break as it attacked. She was still half in the mud, which had her very low to the ground. Bladescape chose Avalanche because it got her sword up high, yet it didn’t get tangled in the low branches because of where she was stuck. The skill slashed down on the dobharcu, taking off most of its health and causing it to back off, but it wasn’t going to give up on its meal yet. It did give Bladescape the ability to get her leg out of the mud and fully address it. She went on the offensive, killing it with a second strike.

Bladescape was going to have to be more careful whenever she was closer to the open water. The dobharcu’s ability to lunge out of the water meant it was a trap. Bladescape wasn’t very good at seeing them ahead of time. Search was not a skill that highlighted traps, that was Reveal. She was decent at surviving them, but she tried to avoid springing them whenever possible. Having to duck under that tree, that might be key to spotting future traps.

However the dobharcu was not the dagannoth. It was fierce and large, but it didn’t drop what she needed. She had gotten lucky. They were clearly a dangerous beast. Harmonic Salvation was a better sword than anything Bladescape had wielded, just based on the proportional stats to the creature she had just killed with relative ease.

It took time to move through the terrain, especially now that she was watching any open water for signs of an ambush. The air also felt oppressively humid, sapping her energy. Eventually, she entered a clearly marked safe zone with the edge outlined by flowers. It was tiny, but safe. Bladescape sat down on a log and drank some water. She had a sack lunch from Konpeito and it was well past lunchtime. Bladescape enjoyed her late lunch, but she made sure it was a fast break and got back to the trek.

It wasn’t much longer until she finally got to the center of the dungeon. She had fought her way through ten dobharcus and killed six Alder Furmus. Hopefully the furs were worth something because Bladescape had lost three picks trying to get them. They weren’t terribly expensive and she expected to lose some, but that cost did add up. They were for emergencies, being faster than her sword, and giving her another option. They made decent hunting tools, but if she was actually hunting with them, she would use a different alloy. Hers were weighted heavier to pierce thicker hides.

The center had a sizable lake in it, which was open and free of trees. Most of what was around the edge were low hanging willow trees. There was an area that looked more open a little further along. If dagannoths were in the area, it wouldn’t be where she was, under the trees. They were supposed to be tall creatures.

Bladescape worked her way there, but paused. To get to the clearing, she had to travel over a log that was spanning a decently wide creek. On either side it was open water. It looked like it could be a trap. It certainly would expose her. While the log had a great width, it would require her to keep her sword sheathed for balance. Bladescape checked her overhead clearance. It was alders and a birch, no willows, but one of the alders was angled, in the way of her landing if she jumped it. It was clearly placed there to prevent players from using agility to skip over the log. Bladescape sucked it up, sheathing Harmonic Salvation and stepping up onto the log. Nothing went wrong as she crossed. It was an easy walk. She had fretted over nothing.

Bladescape finished the last ten yards to get to the clearing and found herself on a peninsula. The water line was clear and the willow branches told her the only way out was the way she had come from. What mattered was that she finally felt like she could stand up straight. Nothing was directly looming overhead and she had plenty of solid ground to stand on, at least compared to the narrow pathways she had been navigating. There was no other open ground to fight large monsters lakeside.

As damp as it felt, the lively green was much more visible without tree branches reducing the light. The flowers stood out much more, as well as the purple reeds and the birch trees. It wasn't so bad on the peninsula.

Her enjoyment quickly ended as something in the water moved and a red cursor popped up. It was further out, but coming towards her. Bladescape drew Harmonic Salvation in anticipation and took a few steps back to give her the best area to work with. A shark-like head slowly rose out of the water and continued to come. It continued to rise, connected to a large, upright body. As it came out of the water, Bladescape gulped.

He was bigger than she expected. The smiling shark head was 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 didn't even have paws or flippers or hands, just those claws. It leaned forward as it walked because of its heavy arms, however, it was balanced by a short, bony tail swinging behind it, attached to its body above its hips. The whole thing looked like it stalked the bed of the swamp more than it swam. If it even could swim.

This was not going to be easy going solo against such a creature. Ironically, it would be hard to have more than three players on the peninsula, at least not without ending up in the water and even three would have a high risk of ending up in the deep lake. It appeared to be designed for solo fighting the dagannoths. The only Wondercolt who would be advantageous to have with her would be Natora for her spear’s reach. It didn't matter, Bladescape was in a dungeon and couldn't call for backup.

Even though that would be smartest, Bladescape wanted to take it on by herself. It was her armor, but Ashley had to make it, so Bladescape wanted to get the hides herself. It was a point of pride, having her hand be instrumental in the making of her armor. Besides, she had faced over fifty floor bosses, many more field bosses, and she had lost count of how many dungeon bosses and flag mobs they had killed. If she could beat them, she could solo the dagannoths.

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. She dove out of the way of the other claws and it took a definitive step forward. The more steps it took. The easier it would be for it to back Bladescape into the willow branches.

Rapture was an upward slash attack. Bladescape chose a thrusting attack and Harmonic Salvation greedily buried itself in the beast, dealing four times the damage of the slash attack. It was a simpler attack, meaning it would remove less HP in a neutral setting, yet it had the shorter delay. The dagannoth hide was not neutral, it was resistant to slash but weak to piercing. Bladescape jumped back from the Dagannoth, once again narrowly avoiding the claws. Two dodges was all she got as another quick stab came as the creature used its other arm. The needle-like 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 the attack staggered the beast, eliminating the advancements it had made. Its territory was the water, but Bladescape was claiming the land.

Thrust was the name of the game. At least Harmonic Salvation was a long weapon. Thrust, block, thrust, dodge, hit taken, thrust, block, lunging thrust, dodge, reset, thrust, block, thrust, hit taken, thrust, dodge, dodge, thrust, block, thrust, block, thrust, dodge. Bladescape whittled it down as quickly as she could. It had a lot of HP, but Harmonic Salvation was a masterwork sword. She also had significantly more agility than the beast and was able to block or dodge most hits. Her armor's stats did a good job at protecting her, however, just like the beast, her armor was also weakest to piercing attacks and that was all it used.

Bladescape's triumph came with the glittering of polygons. She was left panting heavily, sticking 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 a health potion to be safe. She immediately refilled that pouch with one from her inventory so she didn't run low. 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. Which was oddly okay. Battle Regeneration was leveled by damage taken. A player had to get hurt, a lot, to level it up. Especially to max it. Naturally, as a set Skill, she wanted to max it.

Bladescape looked at the drop list. Dagannoths were apparently great for XP and gave decent Col, but what mattered was the hide she got from it. That dropped her to only needing twenty-nine more. Looking at 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 Malus. Bladescape was certain she had Diemond and Reisenki beat for strength. Konpeito was also a close runner up, but the rest of the Wondercolts were not strength-based fighters. Extended Weight Carry was useful on long days and in deep dungeons. It meant a player didn't have to ditch stuff in between combat just to be able to walk or get new, potentially better, items.

Bladescape saw the next one coming as she closed the drop menu. It was from her left. She stopped leaning on Harmonic Salvation and readied herself for another tough fight. This one had slightly different spines, but it didn't matter. They were all the same creature and she would kill as many as she needed to.

The first hour passed by quickly as the day grew older. She had only killed six others. It was taking between five and ten minutes to kill one. Then she had to wait several minutes for the next one to wade out of the water. It was a long fight for a single creature and it required focus and endurance that was unyielding and unforgiving. It would be easy to slip up and be punctured into polygons, forever lost. If she daydreamed and didn't stay ready, one would swim up onto land and attack her. Thankfully all of the boss battles had made her rather resilient and built her focus. Night grinding for XP also built focus and resilience, depending on the location and creature.

Thankfully the dagannoths came alone. If they were not as dangerous as they were, the dagannoths would make a great place to grind for XP. Their hides might make them worthwhile to hunt periodically, but that was unlikely unless there was a direct need for them. After floor 75, something new might come along, making their hides not worth the hassle. She might need them for armor upgrades.

As Bladescape readied herself to face the twenty-sixth dagannoth, she found herself facing something unexpected. This one was not the same as the others. Large green spines ran from its head to the tip of 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 bigger. They were more like small swords than claws.

Three health bars showed up along with its name, Bulcalla the Dagannoth Supreme. Bladescape rolled her sword in her palm nervously. This was an undiscovered flag mob. It likely wasn't a true dungeon boss, but that was a mere technicality now that she was facing it. Still, she had dragged out a boss dagannoth by killing just twenty-five regular dagannoths. Whoever had made the initial reports hadn't fought them too long.

And, she had to solo it. Bladescape wasn’t running. Her HP had been topped off for a while. The dagannoths had upped their game, so would she. Bladescape pulled out a poison made by Doombunny. It was for emergencies while hunting or clearing. Soloing an unexpected flag mob would qualify as an emergency. She smashed the vial on her blade, applying the poison.

“RAWH!!!” Bladescape yelled as she charged, taking the initiative. Its stab at her missed because of her quick movement.

Harmonic Salvation was hungry for the virtual monster’s flesh. It seemed to be drawn into the dagannoth. A deep piercing thrust was a good way to ensure the poison had time to transfer. She ripped the sword free as she jumped back, but was knocked to the ground from a swipe in midair. She had stupidly expected the boss to run off the same attack algorithms as the regular variants. A rookie mistake.

Bladescape immediately rolled along the ground to her right. Where she had been was stomped by the giant dagannoth foot. The stomp took a lot of its focus, allowing her to scramble up and hobble back out of the way of the next incoming stab. She pulled out a health potion from her healing pouch at her waist and fumbled it because her shoulder was numb. There were six or seven red claw marks raked along her right shoulder and arm. The fumbled bottle shattered on the ground. Bladescape dove out of the way of the next attack. It gave her the moment she needed to get a new potion and drink it. It was better safe than dead. She couldn’t rely on her battle healing skill too much in a solo boss fight.

During 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.

Harmonic Salvation was soaking up Bulcalla the Dagannoth Supreme's health, yet fifteen minutes didn’t even eliminate a health bar. The poison was working too, but it either wasn't very strong, or the dagannoths had great poison resistance. Bladescape was guessing it was the latter. Still, it was better than no help from it and she had taken down a sixth of its total HP. Slow and steady might win the race, but a marathon was always exhausting, no matter how quickly it was run. She pressed on until it came down to the final health bar, when it was in the red, and the boss threw its temper tantrum.

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 chained Sword Skills, before the delay kicked in, and unleashed Avalanche.

The boss staggered under the heavy blow. Bladescape’s delay ended before the stagger did. She unleashed Volcanic Eruption next. It wasn’t enough to finish the fight. 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, thankfully, but the mud was sucking her in. Bladescape saw her health had dipped to the red. She was able to grab a healing crystal, yelling “heal” as she rammed it into her chest, 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 and caused Bulcalla to reel back, freeing her.

Bladescape jumped up and rammed Harmonic Salvation into Bulcalla Dagannoth Supreme, straight to the hilt. The thrust was so quick and violent that Harmonic Salvation didn't have the opportunity to suck her in deeper. 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 then she 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 her knees amid the floating polygons. The total time for the boss fight was one hour and forty-seven minutes. Almost a two-hour solo battle with no breaks, no relief, and no back up. Bladescape double checked that nothing was coming and looked at her menu to see what she had gotten.

The XP dump took her to Level 78 and it gave her a massive amount of Col. Col she didn’t have to share with anyone else, either. Some was automatically taken to the guild storage, as a tax, but the rest was all hers. More importantly, the boss dropped ten hides. That was five more than she needed. But it was over. That was what mattered.

Bladescape decided against using a teleport crystal. Walking back would give her the opportunity to possibly kill more of the Alder Furmus creatures for their fur. She would have to once again face the traps she had triggered on her journey, but she felt ready to do that. She downed a health potion and began the trek back.

The trip back was still hazardous, but less so now that she had fought so many dagannoths and their boss. It certainly boosted her confidence. Dobharcus only tried to eat her six times. Meanwhile, she killed another eight Alder Furmuses, missed three others, and never got the chance to throw picks at four more.

Bladescape finally saw the oak tree but stopped a decent way back. The Silver Sagacity Circlet was a powerful object. It identified four players on the other side. It also showed her their cursor color, but none of them were in a guild. The orange guilds were not making formal guilds. These players all had Hide activated and, while they were very good at hiding, they were not Doombunny.

They hadn't noticed Bladescape. She could teleport out, but unless she backed up, they would hear it and know they were spotted. The only reason she could see them was because of the boost from her Silver Sagacity Circlet. She didn’t want to tip them off that someone had something that could beat their tricks. She needed to give them a reason not to think about it.

Bladescape chose her course of action. She could not leave them there, waiting for their unsuspecting target to arrive. Really, they needed to be put in their place. Their place was the prison the army maintained, but Bladescape couldn't bring four of them in, not alone, and she was inside the dungeon, unable to send a message out to anyone for backup. She fished out two vials of paralyzing pastes, applying one to her sheathed sword and one of the remaining three picks on her pouch. Thankfully she had refilled the picks held on the outside slots, but she was down to just those three.

“I know you two are there,” Bladescape called out, intentionally halving the number to give herself an edge, assuming they bought that she only could pick out two of them. “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 into view. 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 same kind of stupid grin Klein wore. Klein's goofy face was gleeful, their grins conveyed insanity. 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 top of the lid. They were undoubtedly members of Laughing Coffin, the murder guild.

“So,” Bladescape asked, flashing her own sly grin. “Am I a random catch or 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 our activities.”

“Well, if that was true, you should learn to Hide better,” Bladescape said. “And not just the Skill.”

“So, you caught on just before you exited and backed up in fear,” he spat, shaking his head. “Won’t make a difference in the end.” At least he had fallen for her misdirect as planned.

Bladescape put her hands on her hips. 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 were three vials; each was filled with a high-level anti-drug mix that Doombunny had said should protect her from most poison and paralyzing agents. Her other hand was by her throwing picks.

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, mostly from Doombunny's use of them in battle, but the Silver Sagacity Circlet was also warning her about the added effects. All it told her was that an effect was active, not what it did or the strength.

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, assuming she didn't leave the dungeon.

Bladescape’s plan wasn’t to kill them. She would cut them and let the paralyzer drug drop them before they could drop her. One against four wasn’t good odds, even with her levels being well above theirs. Time was also against her. A drawn out battle against four meant she was more likely to make a costly error, whereas their errors wouldn't be as costly due to simple math.

Bladescape took a few extra steps back and they tensed up. They knew she was faking. She shouldn’t have been surprised considering the dungeon she was trying to leave. Bladescape switched tactics and deliberately pulled out the vial from the pouch, brought 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 charged, blade forward, cradling it in her right arm as she gripped the ricasso. It was a solid way to compensate for the weight in a single hand. In the same motion, Bladescape flipped out two throwing picks. They nailed the first attacker before he could react and he dropped in a stream of curses.

The second faltered at the reaction of his friend dropping but recovered quickly. He wasn’t expecting him to go down, paralyzed. Bladescape jumped forward, and landed, immediately skipping back. She was able to stay inside the oak tree. The short sword missed because she baited him into striking first.

Bladescape drove Harmonic Salvation into his shoulder. It went clear through, forcing her 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. He couldn’t recover from being kicked off her blade since he was paralyzed.

“Now for you two,” Bladescape spat. “I’ll let you run, but I won’t. Your choice. You have five seconds to decide.”

Both stepped out from the trees they had been hiding along, trying to ambush her. 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 on his chest. He carried a short spear which had several nasty thorns on it to give maximum DOT.

Bladescape walked forward slowly, sensing their intent to attack at the same time. The tree would trap her when they did. Moving also baited the one with the spear to jump in. Bladescape saw the attack coming, she was familiar with the starting motion and color because of Natora, sidestepping the thrust and slicing at his legs as he passed. One was severed clean off and the murderous 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. That color, blue and gold, 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 long 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, but you still have time to earn that achievement.” He chuckled some more. “Doll Face, what is your name?” The way he said it was creepy, totally different from Klein. It left her with a chill, while Klein’s left her with a smile on her face because he was being fun or dumb.

Bladescape glanced behind her to make sure the others were still incapacitated, but kept half an eye on the skull masked player. “Bladescape. You?”

“XaXa, Red Eye XaXa," he replied in a cool manner. "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 that monster. The same dark lust began to surface.

But then she felt Harmonic Salvation in her hands. The crown was nothing more than a remnant memory of what once was. A past she had left. Now she had magic. In some way, even in SAO, it was here for her, helping her, because it chose her, and she couldn't do what it wanted her to do while stuck in this death game. It couldn't be overt like in the real world. That would let the game engine know something was off and they might be punished for it, but it could "randomly" name her first player made sword Harmonic Salvation, a reference only she would understand. One that would empower her. Bladescape gripped Harmonic Salvation tight and steeled herself from his swarthy ways.

“Have you met my friend?” Bladescape asked and she brought it to bear on him. “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. I won’t stoop to your level and cut you down. I will simply 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 a simple slash. XaXa didn’t move as her blade slashed at him.

CLING!

The estoc blocked her sword and then stabbed at her, impacting 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 her to activate Avalanche. It was targeted at his leg and Harmonic Salvation cut through it with ease.

Bladescape took a few steps back as XaXa dropped from the Paralysis. She didn’t drop her guard as 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 stuff 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’re 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. Courteousness 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 once they could no longer see her. In the meantime, as she walked, Bladescape sent a warning out to the members of the guilds she knew. 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’ve got a crystal ready if they decide to go for round two."

Bladescape messaged Knightstar. “LC tried to jump me. I’m fine. I paralyzed them. I got the hides I needed. On to the next item."

Knightstar kept it simple. "Understood. Glad you are okay. Do you need backup? Thunderborne looks like she’s about to run off to you even if you say no. We’re working on the flax."

”Thanks. Tell Thunder she can calm down. I’m going to collect Blue Stones on Floor 22 now.”

BLADESCAPE: Level 78 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 74 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 70 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce — Search
MALUS: Level 73 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 73 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 73 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 74 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 70 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search — Listen — Reveal
KIEFER: Level 71 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 70 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 71 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 62 — Blue Stones

Episode 62 — Blue Stones
Thirteenth Day in the Month of Willow (March 13) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 22 — Front Line Floor 57

Bladescape exited the NPC shop in Coral, the main settlement on the quiet 22nd Floor. It was late in the afternoon with a nice sunset coming through the slits in Aincrad between the Floors. She had come straight here from Floor 54. She had spent most of the day hunting the dagannoths.

Up to that point, Bladescape had spent a total of two days on the Floor. Both were during the radically short time it took to clear the docile floor. There were no monsters and it had no dungeons, bosses, or quests, at least that she knew of. Nothing worthwhile to their clearing efforts, other than a few days of relative ease. It was a Floor of Lakes and woods. Perfect for fishing and wood crafting. Malus came to this Floor to fish.

The NPC shop did not have any Blue Stones, which was no surprise, but it was a decent place to start. According to Argo, the stones were supposedly abundant on this floor and only on this floor. Bladescape was not sure where to go next, although she had a strong urge to head to their small inn. She was dragging from her time hunting the Dagannoths. The encounter with Laughing Coffin was also an enormous emotional weight to be carrying. Getting a good night's rest and starting in the morning might be wisest.

The Wondercolts would be off the next two days. Natora and Knightstar decided to extend the day off to a three day break. They all needed and deserved it. Diemond could finish her apprenticeship without worry and Bladescape could acquire what she needed for Ashley to make the armor. The others were free to do what they needed to, after they finished getting the flax, since they offered to help. The short message length meant that it was unclear who exactly was bundling flax, only that Knightstar was heading up that task and Thunderborne was with her.

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 black and red scales shimmered like a rainbow as the sunset caught them just right.

"And just what do you think you are doing here‽"

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 within the past hour.

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. At least the elapid was relaxed. That was a good sign.

"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 all were older players, at least in their forties. 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 another Wondercolt. Those precautionary measures are to protect you by having an escort at all times. Remember that?"

"You never liked that decision," Doombunny stated.

"That's not the point," Bladescape shot back. She was absolutely picking a verbal fight on an unrelated topic to consume the energy that had been unleashed into her body from the surprise. She needed to unwind, somehow. "Not right now."

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." Doombunny didn't say Laughing Coffin. She didn't want to disrupt the small-town folks who were just trying to survive in SAO. Floor 22 was quiet and a perfect place to live while waiting for SAO's to be cleared. "I'm not dumb. The others were busy picking and bundling flax. I skipped out and tracked you here to provide you back up. You got the hides you needed, now it's on to other things. Colorra and I will be helping you and backing you up, which is within the regulations the guild imposed on me. And there is nothing you can do about it."

Doombunny had a decently high Search level. It was rapidly gaining experience. She could track players, like friends, and being guildmates made tracking even easier. Bladescape had been able to do it for a while.

Bladescape finally 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. What I need next is on this floor and going home will kill my groove. I had one hell of a time hunting the Dagannoths and their flag boss."

"You soloed a flag boss‽" Doombunny exclaimed, 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. Or lack thereof, rather. At most, I could have had one other player with me. I unexpectedly ran into the orange players on my way out. They weren't hunting me. I'm not sure what they were waiting for. It was a big mistake on their part. I knocked them down a few pegs as I got free of their impromptu trap."

"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 on the Assault Team. Plus, 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 one other player as backup. Going solo had its risks and challenges, but it was the right move. The boss was designed to be soloed, not that it made it any easier."

"Then what are you doing down here?" another asked.

"I need to acquire a large amount of the item specifically called Blue Stones for a crafting project," Bladescape explained. "And not stones that are blue, but the item called Blue Stones. Floor 22 was where the info broker told me to start looking, 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. The boss had dropped her a lot of col. "But maybe you and others would be willing to help me. I'll pay you at least five thousand Col per full bag and I'll prorate smaller quantities. 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 sack. "This is the size of the sacks I need filled up with the stones. I'll leave twenty 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 two days, and we can trade here."

"You'll pay five-K for that sack being filled with Blue Stones?" He asked, clearly shocked at the prospect. It was likely a lot of money to him and the other fishermen, which was the point of the offer. "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 less menial work she had to do, the better. It would take too long if she didn’t pay for help and the Aincrad Materials Company would not do contracts for simple collection tasks.

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. It had been a very long time since she shared a bed with any of her guildmates.

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 and rarely that far out of reach.

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, traps, or animals. It also allows me to find specific items. It fills in the gaps of what Search doesn’t do."

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 eighty bags, this would be a huge task. An enormous menial task that needed more people to complete in a reasonable time.

"Great spot, Doom," Bladescape said, extending the bag. "Put it in here."

"What's wrong?" Doombunny asked.

"I need eighty of these bags," Bladescape explained.

"Oh my," Doombunny softly exclaimed. "Well, I am sure that was just a baby stone. Oh shoot! Now I sound like Konpeito going off about stones and their families."

Both of them had a good laugh. Konpeito 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. Or something like that. They could only follow so many of her dream stories, she wasn't the best storyteller, and they seemed to shift and change at times.

There had been nothing referencing, or even hinting at, rocks being like that in SAO, but it wasn't something they could fix even with logic. Some of Konpeito's neural networks were locked into infinite loops of false or illogical thinking patterns. Bladescape herself couldn't remember plenty of things and relearning others seemed impossible; hence her Book of Memories. For the other Wondercolts, most of them also had to have their own patterns set by the shock of it all and what this game actually meant. Every single player alive had trauma from being locked in Aincrad and it affected all of their minds in some shape or form.

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. They had soon gathered a good five bags from the first stream.

They continued to travel away from Coral, heading to the boundary wall of the floor. There was a lake that backed up to 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.

"Blade!" Doombunny called excitedly from further down the shore. "Under us are a whole bunch of the stones! Just waiting to be uncovered."

And that was the true power of the Reveal Skill. Search did a lot, but it couldn't pick out items, even with her Silver Sagacity Circlet. It certainly couldn't see deeper than surface level.

Bladescape began digging, tossing aside the regular stones with little care. After a good 8 inches were cleared away, there were plenty of stones hidden away. It required several holes, but they filled up sixty sacks just on that jackpot alone. They almost had what they needed, but night had set in, halting their work. The moonlight was strong, but it wasn’t enough to easily tell the color of the stones.

Every Wondercolt carried a sleeping kit for use in the field. They now had to keep watch if they rested, running shifts in case orange players came along, 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. It was especially useful in dungeons and labyrinths, when camping out in safe zones. Another great use was the overnight training, being able to set alarms and search fields helped them rest when they were out of rotation.

Since there were no monsters to worry about, they camped out overnight. Bladescape set a Search zone as they slipped into their sleeping bags. It was a very safe floor.

"What are you going to do about the others hunting stones for you?" Doombunny asked as they bedded down. “We found almost all of what you need.”

"I'll pay them, as promised," Bladescape yawned. The dagannoths dropped a healthy portion of col and the dobharcu's col drops were not shabby either. "They don't know how many I need and they also don't know how many we acquired. Bringing back extra won't be a problem either. Besides, I can afford it."

"Good point," Doombunny said. "About the first part. I figured you could afford it."

The night was a lot more peaceful than expected. The water gently lapping at the rocks helped calm them down with its lullaby. Bladescape slept soundly because of it. The morning sun, slipping in from between the floors, made sure they were awake through its gentle, but piercing, rays of warmth. Awake and up before their alarms woke them up.

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. Aincrad was supposed to be their new lives, but it was still a game at its core, despite what it had been turned into.

They got back to Coral about noon. News of their arrival sparked the fishermen and wood crafters to come and present their bags of Blue Stones while Bladescape and Doombunny ate lunch in the local NPC restaurant. It was the only NPC place to eat in the small village.

True to her word, Bladescape paid full price for a filled bag. Twice as many players had come to sell stones than the sacks she gave out. Many brought in sacks only half filled, or even less, their luck being lower than their friends. Bladescape paid what she thought was a fair amount for their harvest and the players living in Coral made some easy money. Everyone was happy and satisfied with the deals. In the end, Bladescape had eighty-nine full sacks of Blue Stones.

BLADESCAPE: Level 78 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 74 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 70 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce — Search
MALUS: Level 73 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 73 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 73 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 74 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 70 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search — Listen — Reveal
KIEFER: Level 71 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 70 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 71 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 63 — Flowers

Episode 63 — Flowers
Fifteenth Day in the Month of Willow (March 15) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 47 - Front Line Floor 57

Floor Forty-Seven, 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 Twenty-Two, it hadn't been that strange, but with the butterflies fluttering right in front of her, her behavior was decidedly odd.

"Fluttershy?" Bladescape asked, intentionally usually her real name to drive home the point. "Are you okay?"

"Mhm," she nodded. "Why?"

"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."

Doombunny shrugged. "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 LC running around. I can't wait to hear your account, when you tell the whole guild, so I can better prepare. 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.” She was slowly shaking her head, annoyed that she had to divert so much effort and energy to them.

"Your run in with them was unexpected. I know that. But it still doesn't change anything. My friend came under direct attack.” A sharp edge glinted across her eyes. “This death game has us all out of harmony. Plenty of people have died because of that man's choice to turn this beautiful, amazing piece of engineering, creativity, and art into this death game. As much as I hate him for it, as much anger and rage I carry, he didn't directly attack any players like LC is.” Doom relaxed a bit as she crossed her arms. Colorra was very alert, watching the other players. “He told us to conquer Aincrad and we could be free. All of us, without any catch, and without harming us or hampering us in any way.” There was compassion in her tone and her eyes. “I know the tally is over three thousand players dead; a third of us. He shares a good amount of the responsibility for their shed blood and needs to be held accountable.”

Doombunny had no idea how much she had just oscolated back and forth, often from extremes. Extremes never seen in Fluttershy, but, as she pointed out, she was not Fluttershy. She was different. She likely did not see how much she had changed. It would all be the same to her. Her kind heart could not handle the stress of SAO.

"But LC is different.” The cold fire was back in her eyes as they sharpened back up. “They broke the unspoken code we hold so dear. They intentionally made this a true 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. Colorra joined in, wrapping her head around Bladescape’s neck from Doom’s shoulders. "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. I wish we didn't have those protection orders in place, but I don't have a better solution. We don't want to lose you."

"My ears are always open if you need someone to talk to," Doombunny added.

The hug finished and they once again surveyed the area.

"Do you know what we are looking for exactly?" Doombunny asked.

"Sort of," Bladescape said. "I know they are in the north fields outside the city and safe zone, and that their big petals are golden in color. I only need their petals."

"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. “I relearned that lesson in the bog two days ago. I’m not even talking about LC. Solid ground was hard to find and out of the water these giant otter dog things would leap to make you their lunch if you got too close to their hiding spot.”

They departed north. It was an easy walk as they went through the fields. Outside of Floria, the flowers were not kept by anyone and grew wildly. A larger variety was sewn between the various monsters that popped up. There were a lot of grabbing vines, lapping tongues, and chomping teeth as they popped out of the ground. It was a very strange mix to add to the floral monsters. They didn’t stand a chance though. It was barely more than a stroll on a beautiful day, with the need for a blade only every so often.

Soon enough they reached the area Bladescape had been told to look. It was off the beaten path, in a world of its own. The entire field was covered in Giganthum flowers. Hundreds, laid out as golden orbs on a field of dark green. They reminded Bladescape of tobacco plants, where the top part was the golden flower and the bottom half were regular, green leaves. Bladescape walked over to the first Golden flower.

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 found her vision darkening.

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 wheezed.

"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 in the 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.

"Colorra can't be poisoned," Doombunny explained. "She is marked in the system as being resistant to all drugs. With my Beast Tamer Charms, I get a lot of her statuses applied to me. 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 collect everything alone? You have been better with me as your partner."

Doombunny was right. There was no reason why they couldn't do more.

"Honestly, I started alone and everyone was doing their own stuff," Bladescape said. "We took the day off and then it got extended. I didn't think to ask. It was a simple list. When pushed, I sent everyone else the request for flax simply because I didn't want to do it and knew it would take time. A lot of time. I didn't anticipate the dagannoths taking as long as they did and, when I realized I could really use one other for support, I was already locked in a dungeon, unable to get backup. It was too long of a trek just to find them. Anyway, I expected all of this to be done yesterday. Plus, there is a certain amount of pride about getting the special stuff for my armor by myself. It's that simple, but I guess it was naive of me to think that."

Doombunny was sweet as her inner Fluttershy showed more than it usually did. "I guess that makes sense. Picking the flax was monotonous and boring. It was a lot. I'm not sure if the others finished yesterday."

"What did the others end up doing?" Bladescape asked.

"Malus went fishing," Doombunny explained. "I don’t know where she went, but usually Malus fishes on Floor 22. We didn’t see her though.”

“When she fishes to unwind, she gets quiet,” Bladescape said. “I’m not surprised. She wouldn’t have approached us if she saw us. It’s her break. I wouldn’t have acknowledged her presence either.”

Doombunny nodded, accepting the reality. “Well everyone else was helping with the flax at first, but Thunder sent me a message yesterday saying Natora was going to lead her, Reisenki, and Kiefer into a dungeon and hunting, but I'm not sure where. Anyway, 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.

It took longer than expected. By the time they had enough the afternoon was growing late, but it wouldn’t be a long walk back. They just needed the flax which the others should have by now. Then they could bring it all to Ashley and let her get to work on Bladescape's armor.

Bladescape messaged Ashley: "I've got the hides, Blue Stones, and Giganthum Flower Petals. TBD on the flax. Also, the flowers are extremely poisonous.”

A message came back a minute later. "Great! I just found a better thread. Floor 42, the silk of the Star Spiders. Castle of the Two Kings, SE. The choice is yours, but the spider thread will be better."

Bladescape sighed and turned to Doombunny. “Looks like we are dropping the flax to go for spider silk. Floor 42, in the Castle of the Two Kings.”

“Okay,” Doombunny shrugged.

Bladescape messaged Knightstar with the update and invited everyone to join her. Knightstar wasn’t bothered by switching threads. Apparently bundles of flax sold for a good price, so their time was not poorly spent.

The walk back was easy. Bladescape and Doombunny had been tracking a party of six 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 hunting 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. It was an aggressive posture.

"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 basic 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, and centered on players like Kirito. The Black Swordsman still had a chunk of that stigma hanging around him. Bladescape, being well armed and ready for battle, was probably putting off the wrong vibe.

"What does this Floor have to offer someone like yourself?" he asked.

"Flower petals," Bladescape shrugged. "For a project. They can be used to make a dye for fabric."

"Is that right?" He asked, surprised. "Easy to get?"

"If you know what you are doing," Bladescape nodded.

"Not something easy to buy though?" He pressed, signaling that something was definitely off.

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 six on one. Just hand over your Col and the special flowers and that will cover the toll."

Only criminal players exacted "tolls" from others. They were not Laughing Coffin, but they were still criminals. They used intimidation and force to make the target believe they would die if they didn't hand over what was requested. Many would go as far as actually striking players to one hit away from death. At this point, a group like this wasn't doing this for the first time. They were well versed in the tactic.

"So, it is going to play out like that," Bladescape said, letting her annoyance shine through. She dropped her filters and confirmed their levels were all well under hers, thanks to her Silver Sagacity Circlet, and thus not a real threat even together. "I bet it took a while for you all to be green again, didn't it? Better green than dead. Let me pass or you will regret it, and if I hear about your guild roughing up other players, I will come back and haul you to jail myself."

"Hehe," 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. If they didn't attack her, they would still have green cursors, which would benefit them.

Bladescape sighed, crossing her arms. "Do your worst. I'm ready."

Bladescape didn't reach for her sword. She just stood there. Three tense seconds later the spear was thrust into her. The curved blade shined blue and ran her through. Bladescape didn't flinch. It hurt, but she had been hurt way worse by bosses and other monsters. 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. Battle Regeneration was doing its thing, keeping her health up, and it was trained by taking damage.

Her attackers, who now had orange cursors, stepped back. Bladescape shrugged. They looked her over, 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. What they could throw at her was still less than her Battle Regeneration skill auto restored during combat and their weapons were not strong enough to beat her armor, protecting her limbs from being hacked off. Bladescape purposefully did a big yawn as they attacked her, even going as far as to cover her mouth and stretch. Still, she didn't reach for her weapon.

"You know," Bladescape shrugged. "I still have some material to gather. This task was supposed to be the easy one. I guess I'll have to sidetrack from that for a bit."

"What do you mean!" their leader demanded. He was frustrated at their lack of progress. "What do you mean by sidetrack!"

"The Black Iron Palace has a prison for players like you," Bladescape stated. "The Army runs it and now that they do, orange players who are bound and escorted to it can enter cities so they can be brought there. I hear you get three meals a day, all the nap time you want, and you are protected from all of the scary 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 had taken a good-sized hit from the cuts. Doombunny was far above their levels and her weapons were 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, since he was not paralyzed, just bound up by Colorra. 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 good way, even with the small roll in the terrain. Bladescape turned and saw a party of fourteen running at them. They were in a hurry, but their weapons weren’t drawn. It wasn't to fight.

"What's going on?" the same guy who called out asked. He appeared to be their leader.

"These players attacked us," Bladescape explained nonchalantly. "Just prepping them for transportation to prison on the first floor, in the Black Iron Palace. The army maintains it."

"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?" another member asked. "Like a Wondercolt? That's their horse head symbol you wear on your cape."

"Yeah," Bladescape nodded. "I am Bladescape, leader of the Wondercolts. And that is Doombunny."

"Hi," Doombunny said, as she nervously smiled and waved at them.

"I didn't see her there," the first one said, a bit unnerved.

"Beast Tamers do their thing," Bladescape shrugged. “It’s always interesting having one in the guild.”

"It’s just the two of you?" he asked.

"Yes. We’re just getting some basic materials," Bladescape explained, nodding. "For a crafting project. No need for anyone else. We were on our way back to Floria, then these guys thought they could extort me. They didn't see Doombunny either. Once they chose to go orange, we put a stop to it so no one got seriously hurt."

"Want help?" He asked. "We're heading back to Floria too."

Their guild tags were different. They might be compatriot guilds, but if they were, then Bladescape and Doombunny were already in serious trouble. They were not displaying any concerning body language. Most likely they were more concerned about having criminals near their hunting grounds. That was a big risk to their daily safety.

"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 further prey on others."

"Yeah, that would be bad." The leader of the party said, cringing before holding out his hand. "I’m Rook, of Chess Players United."

"Thank you for your assistance," Bladescape said, taking the offered hand.

With backup, it was easy to move them. Doombunny used anti-paralysis drafts to unlock them from that shackle. They could freely move them under guard; they didn't need a chain gang. They did keep their hands bound behind their backs with plenty of rope to hold onto and at least two players holding onto the ropes, in case one tried to sprint away.

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 unattended. They had a variety of methods to deal with criminal players.

In the Town of Beginnings they marched them from the teleport plaza north, towards the palace.

"I haven't been back in...well I think the last time was when we bought our headquarters," Bladescape said. "This place is a distant memory."

"Yeah," Rook 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, even 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," he said.

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 whom the chairs belonged to entered.

"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. Along with our other three senior officers, we are the judges of this case and will sentence any players found guilty. Not everyone is interned in our prison for a variety of reasons, but they will get fair punishment. We keep a tight grip on who is here and why."

"Understood and appreciated," Bladescape said with a short bow. "My name is Bladescape, the leader of the Wondercolts. With me is my guildmate Doombunny."

Following that, Rook introduced himself and his guildmates. With their introductions finished, Bladescape launched into the explanation of their run in with the accused; the HAM guild, with Rook explaining what he saw and what happened from their perspective.

"I see," Thinker said. "Their orange cursors are undeniable. WCS, your reputation as a clearing guild precedes you greatly. Especially your work ethic and reliability. Your name too, is familiar, not just your guild's. CPU, you are not known to us, but your story corroborates that of The Wondercolts. 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.

"I think it is clear to everyone here what you were trying to do," Thinker stated. "Since it is your first time in front of us, all six of the accused shall be locked away for two weeks. That will be enough time for your cursors to turn green, but I warn you, if you end up in front of us, and are found guilty a second time for attacking players, you will be interned for the duration of Sword Art Online, for your safety and the safety of other players.”

That was a fair sentence and as close to real life sentencing strategies as possible. Japan’s judicial system didn’t use a “jury of peers." Panel judges were the decision makers and the Aincrad Liberation Force was a neutral party capable of fairly judging the case.

The guilty players were hauled out of the room under a variety of protest methods. The guards were not overly rough, but they were having none of their funny business.

“To both guilds, thank you for your assistance,” Thinker said. “The Aincrad Liberation Force is here to protect the everyday citizens, as well as all of the other players. I wish we didn't have to provide it, but we do. I only hope the mercy they just received will set them straight in the future. This service is free, however, we will barter better beds and food for their equipment and gear. We need funding somehow, but won’t leave them in poor shape when they leave. That will only encourage more criminal activities."

"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.. I’ve had too many distractions between this incident and Laughing Coffin attacking me."

"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."

They bid their final goodbyes and departed. The Wondercolts wouldn’t be Wondercolts if they didn’t properly thank the other guild. Bladescape had messaged Knightstar about what confections Konpeito had handy. Konpeito was at the Town of Beginning’s teleport plaza with a basket full of cookies and honey sweet buns. They were not expecting anything, but happily received the wonderful smelling sweets before they parted ways.

Episode 65 — Kalzuk Dungeon

Episode 65 — Kalzuk Dungeon
Sixteenth Day in the Month of Willow (March 16) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 57

Reisenki blocked the Tzhaar’s mace on his shield and Natora stepped out, ramming her spear into the torso of the four armed golem creature. The hit eliminated the last of its HP and it sparkled as polygons for a few seconds. The others were finishing off their enemies.

The Wondercolts, once again without Diemond, were dungeon busting on the front line. Diemond was spending the day applying what she had learned during her apprenticeship. She had a whole lot planned, but they didn't need to be around for it and she needed to focus. Ashley was also working on Bladescape's armor. Today was, barring any unforeseeable issues, their last day in their old gear and they were going out with a bang.

Busting was what Natora called speed running a dungeon. It focused on getting to the boss and beating it, not mapping or hunting down every last enemy. Busting was all about the loot. The Wondercolts were usually focused on experience or mapping. Busting also wasn't usually done on the highest level dungeons available, but they had been away from the front for several days. They had been seen heading out to the field for the day by just about everyone they cared to be seen by.

“This ain't so bad,” Malus said. She was doing this without her helmet, for kicks. Her HP and stats didn't need the small fraction the helmet would give her. “They got a wallop of HP, but they're pretty easy to take down.”

“Yeah,” Bladescape said, sighing contently. “For once, this feels like an adventure game. We can’t let it drag us into overstretching our safety, but it's fun right now.”

The others agreed and they continued deeper in.

They encountered a lone enemy, one who was wielding three split-bladed swords instead of maces. It was black with red joints, whereas the ones with maces were mud brown with red joints. The maroon ones wielded a spear.

Natora watched as Bladescape took it on alone. She was their highest leveled player. It didn't take her long to take it down, solo. Her new sword was powerful, but it only accentuated and capitalized on the skill Bladescape had already refined.

They soon ran into a pair of mace wielders. Natora took one and Thunderborne took the other. It was a contest of speed and skill. Thunderborne was fast, especially getting to her enemy.

Natora was calculated yet quick. She chose her path and busted her way through it. She used weapon defense to block a mace, sidestepped another, and rammed the spear home with a charging skill. She blocked the downward swinging mace and twisted, rolling it to her right, across the Tzhaar's body as she stepped left and used a five hit combination skill to decimate the last of its HP.

Thunderborne was still flipping and dodging, poking it whenever she could. These golem creatures were too thick for her lightweight rapier to quickly dismantle them. Thrusting weapons were not great, but Natora's spear had weight and that translated to more striking energy. Natora stepped over to Thunder's enemy as Thunder did a back handspring to avoid a mace. The Tzhaar never saw Natora coming and she finished it with a two-hit Sword Skill, both landing in its exposed back. Thunder could have done it solo, but she wasn't even halfway through its HP and, most importantly, she had lost the challenge.

Konpeito soloed one, decimating it with only two attacks, both of which scored critical damage. She was the undisputed master of landing critical attacks. Kiefer, Malus, and Reisenki also took their own shots at soloing enemies. They were having fun, that was what was important, and they were at the top of the level curve, even though they hadn't advanced far during this floor.

Even Soryuto, Knightstar, and Doombunny were enjoying themselves, although they didn't want to even attempt to solo one. The three of them were clearers, they didn't do floor boss battles, so it didn't really matter, the rest of them were doing it for bragging rights. Doombunny was mostly just happy that they were not fighting anything cute. These things were not even remotely cute.

The push continued with them fighting in their three teams. Natora was with Reisenki and Thunderborne. Malus was with Kiefer and Doombunny. Bladescape was with Soryuto, Knightstar, and Konpeito. Bladescape, Natora, Konpeito, and Malus were aggressive and unyielding in their march forward.

Natora 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 dealt deadly slash damage and they had higher HP and damage overall. Soloing them was not an option. They still plowed forward. New enemies in different parts of a dungeon were common and not a cause for concern.

Reisenki kept up with Natora’s and Thunder’s speed as they blitzed two Tzhaars and a Jalimcot, crisscrossing their attack vectors so that they could hit all three. Reisenki blocked the maces for Natora and then shifted to stop the scythes from hitting her. His axe eliminated the Jalimcot as Natora was released from her delay. She turned around and used a charging skill to stagger the closest Tzhaar and knock off most of its remaining HP. Reisenki charged past her, going to Thunderborne’s rescue. Thunder had gotten further away, due to her speed, before the delay hit, and only one Tzhaar was targeting her. She was free, but needed his shield.

Natora squared off with the Tzhaar. It was still staggered. She took a step forward with her right foot, triggering a weapon defense skill as it came out of the stagger. It hadn’t attacked her, so the defense skill had nothing to block. Instead Natora bent the skill to target the legs. In one clean move the spear swept the legs out from under the golem and then she drove her spear down into its chest, eliminating the last of its HP. She looked over to Thunder and Reisenki. Reisenki was in a delay as Thunder drove home back-to-back crucifixion combos to turn it into polygons.

Their three teams were currently split up, following different paths, as they hunted for the boss chamber. Natora led her team around the corner and saw nine Tzhaars and four Jalimcots. They were in front of the boss chamber.

“Do we try it?” Thunder asked.

“Reisenki?” Natora asked.

“If they were spread out, yeah,” Reisenki said. “But there isn’t either enough of a bottleneck for me or a wide enough area for us to not get swarmed. No go, from a defensive stance.”

“Yeah,” Natora said with a nod. “That was my read, but I want to hit them all. As fun as it would be, it isn’t worth it in a frontline dungeon. The others will be here soon. Should be here soon. Let’s fall back before one or more targets us.”

Natora was the last one to leave, walking backwards around the corner. They were not targeted. They stayed sharp as they waited, keeping their backs against the dungeon’s hewn rock walls. They didn’t have to wait long for Malus, Doom, and Kiefer to arrive. Bladescape, Knightstar, Soryuto, and Konpeito were only a minute behind them.

Natora gave a quick description of the area up ahead. She organized their offense and then led them forward. Of course, Malus and Kiefer were their center, while Natora took Thunder and Reisenki to the left. They pushed through the line and hit the monsters from behind.

The dead end in front of the boss chamber was cleared out fairly quickly with no issues. Everyone topped off their HP and ensured their pouches were full. They were well versed in their roles and everyone was ready to face a dungeon boss. Konpeito used her viking horn to buff their defense and attack before they faced the boss.

It was Bladescape who pushed open the doors and led them inside. 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 had to ensure they didn’t get knocked into the lava. It would likely mean instant death. Even if it wasn't, at the very least it would be a shockingly painful place to land and it would be hard for someone to pull them out before they died; especially without getting hurt themselves.

The Boss stepped out from the wall, wading through the lava as if it was nothing. The Boss was identified as Kalzuk, which made sense considering the dungeon name. He was a stone Cyclopes with a horned helmet that featured downward sweeping horns. He had three claws on each hand, held a large sword in his right, and three health bars popped up by his name. His body had glowing lines on it, as if his internals were pumping lava around like blood. Each of the joints, and some other areas, were slightly larger pools.

Natora took Thunder and Reisenki left. Malus was once again their center. As the battle started, slate gray rock minions jumped off the cliffs and onto the plateau. They walked on four legs and had a tail of sorts. Natora charged the first one and rammed her spear through it. It did the job and the minion shattered into polygons.

Reisenki took a swipe from a minion’s claws on his shield. It then spun and tried to slice him with its tail. Again, Reisenki blocked it with his shield and then his axe glowed and he blasted it to pieces.

“TAKE COVER BEHIND THE ROCKS!” Bladescape ordered.

Natora got her team behind a pillar, just in time, as Kalzuk blew lava all over the peninsula. The rocks and the columns protected them. To get to their party members further back, he stepped up on the land and walked inwards a bit.

Natora and Bladescape were out immediately and both scored strong hits. Natora 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, while still in her delay. She couldn’t change her course. Out of nowhere Thunder zipped in, leaping across the lava to vault off the wall and catch her in midair. It saved Natora from certain death.

Natora bumped fists with Thunder. “Thanks,” she said. “Come on, I saw something while flying that I want to try. Think you can hit the small pools on his body?”

“Easily,” Thunderborne said, drawing her rapier. “This is me we’re talking about.”

“Kalzuk’s left arm, at the elbow joint,” Natora directed as she turned and started to run. She was heading straight for the boss. She ignored two of the minions as she built up her speed.

Kalzuk was not engaging anyone, letting the minions do the work for him. Natora and Thunder were fast enough to escape his notice. Natora leapt, triggering a single stab skill. Her spear struck the point and she spun, catching a glimpse of Thunder’s jump, before she triggered a charging skill that pulled her away from the boss, clear of an immediate attack. Thunderborne had less weight so she landed ahead of Natora. Reisenki had rushed out, abandoning the minion he was battling to get his shield nearer to them as both of them were frozen. A minion leapt off of the wall, landing by Thunder but never got the chance to strike because Reisenki plowed into it, pushing it into the lava.

“COVER!” Bladescape yelled.

Natora was released in time and she sprinted to the nearest column. Thunder and Reisenki got to safety behind a low rock before more lava was vomited at them.

“Natora!” Bladescape called from where she was hunkered down. “Whatever you did, do it again!”

Natora had to let the lava pass by before she peeked out. Kalzuk’s left arm, the lava lines below the elbow, were now dark, not their previous blazing orange. It was a pressure point. The forearm was limp. More importantly, the first health bar was three quarters gone. The issue was the minions. At least a dozen surrounded them as more came leaping off the wall.

“New plan!” Natora yelled. “Everyone, go for the minions. Thunder and I will pop the pressure points and Reisenki will provide a shield if we need it. Just keep us up to date on any spewing lava and make sure the path is clear, while we run it. Reisenki, we are not going to stop much, Can you keep up?”

“Absolutely!” Reisenki shot back. “When you pause, I’ll be there to block, knock a minion out of the way, or heal you. Focus on the assault.”

“Thunder, I’m going to come in from the other side,” Natora yelled as she broke out of the cover. “Keep the pressure up and never stay still for more than a second or two!”

These were Natora’s favorite types of bosses. She cut out across the peninsula, dodging two minions as Thunder made the first move, targeting the boss' right arm. Natora slid on her heels as she changed direction, reaching her top speed in only a handful of strides. She was coming in at a much more forward angle than last time. Natora jumped, striking the boss’s left shoulder as she planted her feed on his chest. Before the delay hit, she vaulted backwards, flipping because her body was already in motion. The delay ended right before she landed. Natora hit the ground in a roll. She came out of it as Thunder deadened the right shoulder. Natora made another wide swing, trying to glance off the boss in her pass. It was successful and she also deadened the other shoulder.

The boss was down to a little over one health bar. He began to spew lava. Everyone got to shelter except for Malus, who simply threw her shield above her head and continued to fight a minion, lava splashing off The Iron Bulwark like the tide surging against a cliff.

Natora sprinted out, ignoring angles as she went straight for the boss. There was one pressure point that she needed to try, right at the neck. Her leap was high and she used a charging skill to ensure it had enough power behind the hit. She was immediately vaulting backwards off him without getting the opportunity to see the impact as she triggered a second charging skill to pull her away from the boss. Her delay was longer, but she landed next to Malus. Still, it wasn’t that long of a delay. Malus killed two minions in that short time. Her strength was so high that her hammer was smacking away their health in a single hit.

Kalzuk was deep in the red of the last health bar from the blow. The red glow of its lava veins was darker, but not black like the arms. Kalzuk went into a fury from having his health so low. He couldn’t use his arms, so he used his feet, stomping and smashing. Natora and Malus went in opposite directions. The boss destroyed many of the pillars and cover they had used to shield them from the lava.

Natora sprinted past Bladescape and Knightstar battling two minions as she worked to head him off. Thunder tried, but Kalzuk turned in the opposite way, presenting his back to Thunder. He stamped his foot down onto a pillar, crushing it in one go as Natora charged. She set her spear into position for a powerful three combination attack, two slashes making an X followed by a center thrust. She launched herself at the angry boss, using the last standing pillar to vault up high enough. All three strikes hit the pressure point on the neck, eliminating the last bit of HP Kalzuk had left. Natora couldn’t help but smile as the delay from her advanced sword skill froze her for longer than she normally allowed herself to be exposed. There were still two dozen minions to eliminate, but they were easy to knock out and done before she was released.

“Well done, Natora,” Bladescape said as everyone rallied around Natora. “Great catch and strategy. And you too, Thunder, great work.”

“That was fun,” Natora said, a sly smile on her lips. “I almost want to say we should do it again. But we don’t need to.”

“Dungeon blitzing is a refreshing change from our usual,” Soryuto stated. “It took some getting used to, but it was more fun.”

Natora pulled a blue teleport crystal out of her pouch. “Let’s jump out of here, back to Marten, and we can catch up on our loot there. It will be safer.”

Everyone agreed and Natora called out the teleport to Marten. They headed to a tavern and grabbed a large table. It was midafternoon, still too early for most clearers to be back. The tavern was almost entirely empty of players.

Natora found the Last Attack Bonus and materialized it onto the table. It was an obsidian shield. The long obsidian crystals were fused onto a red metal. As impressive as it was, Knightstar and Soryuto were having better shields made. Their order was with Rendil, the premier shield maker in Aincrad. They were supposed to be ready by the evening. Diemond had put in the order during her apprenticeship, as shields were a separate skill, and Diemond had little desire to make them.

They were just finishing up with their good drops when Bladescape stood up. Ashley had sent her a message, letting her know her armor was ready. Bladescape downed her drink and headed to Lindarth to pick it up.

Natora took the obsidian shield to Agil. She had a few other decent items to sell him. Those sales were easy to finalize. The shield was a different story. All of the frontline guilds, minus the KoB and Wondercolts, had players who could benefit from it. It wasn’t a piece for the intermediate players. It was a top tier piece of equipment. It should be used by a player already clearing the game. If an intermediate player could afford it, fine, but the price would reflect the target demographic.

Agil’s shop existed because of the frontline players. Many went to Agil, one of their own, to shop for elite equipment for a reason. The profit he made from them helped him cover the store when he worked with the intermediate players, getting them the equipment they needed to get to the front. He didn’t publicize his actions or make it obvious; the intermediate players were going to him because the frontline fighters did. He successfully capitalized on their emulation to give them a boost they never noticed.

Natora hated to split hairs, she preferred round numbers — by the thousands — while bartering and Agil knew that. Lisbeth’s base cost for a custom weapon was 100,000 col. Custom shields ran slightly higher, simply because fewer shield makers existed. It was easier to find a weapon smith willing to work with the same materials for cheaper, but that came with a less skilled smith and lower quality piece. Not every player used a shield and those that did were less interested in custom shields as they were in custom weapons, disincentivizing more players from smithing shields. Weapon enhancements took priority for most players over armor and shield enhancements. The tanks would enhance their shields first, then weapons, and leave armor for last. Armor and shields rarely had even half the enhancement slots a weapon had.

Natora didn’t mind taking time to barter, usually, because it often came with conversation beyond the item and prices. With an LAB, usually the bartering included the story of the battle. With Agil, it was much more straightforward, then they talked. Or they talked first.

Natora had opened with the story and then ran low on patience after initial offers were stated. “Look, Agil, I just don’t have it in me for any more of the usual back and forth,” Natora explained, leaning on the counter. “The lowest I can go is eighty. I know you will sell it for at least one twenty.”

Agil let out his own sigh. “A lot of players are feeling a drag right now,” he commented. “Alright, eighty thousand is fine. It’s a deal. I know of a few players who are looking for a shield like this. If only it was a tower shield a tank could use. Twenty enhancement slots are basically wasted on a regular shield.”

“I know,” Natora said with a shrug.

They exchanged the col and Agil said what he had been holding back. “I’m surprised Knightstar or Soryuto didn’t need it. I don’t recall what they have, but this was a very lucky drop.”

“Rendil doesn’t come cheap and he doesn’t make trash either,” Natora said. “Well, at least he never gives trash as the final product. I’m not exactly sure what Diemond ordered, I just know the price because the guild is covering that upgrade. If that shield beats what he gives us, well, you and I both know he wouldn’t hand over something worse than that.”

“So,” Agil said with a sly grin. “Diemond is finally making the move to bring the Wondercolts’ shields into her vision.”

“Something like that,” Natora said, taking a step back from the counter. “I already said too much.” She took another step back. “See you later, Agil. I have things I need to do.”

Natora ducked out and headed to the teleport plaza. She was excited to see what Diemond had worked up. She didn’t get to go to Mishe though. A message came through, notifying her that the shields were done, so she teleported to Lindarth and headed to the master shield maker’s shop.

Natora had paid Rendil three days prior for the order, but never knew what it was. Now she got to see them first, ahead of Diemond. The two kite shields were exquisite, perfectly capturing their blue and gold colors, including their horse head logo gilded on the face. The two tower shields were similarly designed, which made sense. The only difference between them was that Reisenki’s was made from a lighter alloy than what Diemond’s was. It lost some durability and defensive stats, but it would keep him agile and highly mobile. None of that was visible because of Rendil’s Heraldry skill.

BLADESCAPE: Level 78 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 75 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 70 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce — Search
MALUS: Level 74 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 74 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 74 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 75 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 70 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search — Listen — Reveal
KIEFER: Level 72 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 70 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 72 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 66 — Second Arrival

Episode 66 — Second Arrival
Nineteenth Day in the Month of Willow (March 19) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 57 — Marten — 5 p.m.

On the Twenty-Sixth Floor, the Knights of the Bloodoath had made their arrival known to Aincrad as they marched into the floor boss meeting in their uniformed armor and colors. They made an impression and showed what type of players they were. Then they secured their place at the top during the battle against the King of the Oathbreakers.

The Wondercolts looked good then, they had always had a sharp image, yet they were not able to compete with the KoB. Their image had shifted and evolved as Diemond leveled her skills. Still, the one thing they never had was an arrival. As the first guild in Aincrad and the first publicly recognized unified group before that, they were a staple. They set the original standard but the KoB raised the bar.

That changed tonight. Tonight the Wondercolts were going to “arrive.” Diemond was done with her new image for the Wondercolts after applying her apprenticeship to her craft.

The meeting was happening in Marten, the main settlement on the floor, in the central cathedral. The Wondercolts were purposefully the last to arrive. They had been turning heads as they made their way across the courtyard, before even entering the meeting.

Soryuto and Knightstar were the first in, shields down but equipped to display them. Their new kite shields, commissioned from Rendil the Shield Maker, were blue with a golden horse head on them. They both were in splint armor on top of their gold shirts and leggings. The splints were a blue steeled alloy riveted onto the blue leather with brass. Their chest was protected with a corset, and below it was a skirt of leather strips often protected with riveted metal squares. Both were paired with slim pauldrons, vambraces, greaves, and poleyns, all in the same split armor design. Blue leather boots and gloves protected their extremities. On their heads were sleek and feminized barbuta helmets with visors, which let their hair easily flow out the back. The helmets also were profiled to look like horse heads. Both of them sported blue Sam Browne belts with a gold pass-through buckle of a horse head set in a circle.

Natora was dressed in much of the same splint armor, although her pauldrons came with rerebraces down to her elbows — to give her full arm coverage — a splint armor gorget, and her thighs also had cuisses protecting them. Her boots and gloves were gold since almost none of her shirt or leggings were visible. She wore a double shoulder belt crossing over her chest to keep everything in place while performing acrobatic maneuvers. The Medallion of the Two Kings’ Breastplate was integrated into the right shoulder strap, allowing it to be easily flipped to choose the buff. She carried her spear against her shoulder, which now had a small pennant of blue and gold fabric strips attached at the socket.

Kiefer had everything Natora had, except his splint armor came with a breastplate, backplate, faulds, and tassets instead of the corset and skirt. The Sam Browne belt had a frog directly on the belt, which held his katana in the correct orientation and position. Several pouches were opposite of his katana, with his main one having two underneath it for more storage. His helmet was a lobster-tailed pot helmet, but it also bore a striking resemblance to a horse.

Thunderborne too was in Light Metal Armor, but she needed more agility over defense, prompting Diemond to tastefully adapt the design. Thunderborne had a splint armor dress. The dress itself was a houndstooth woven leather base, sleeveless, with a blue shirt and leggings underneath. The dress was woven out of three different shades of blue, plus one cord of gold. The blued splint plates were riveted on and were smaller to afford her more flexibility during acrobatic maneuvers. The dress’ skirt was without metal and used knife pleats to allow for a wide range of motion and a front panel for a smooth look, just like a Scottish kilt. She had splint arm harnesses on each arm – a blued splint rerebrace, articulated elbow piece, and a golden splint bracer – her gloves were simple blue leather with gold splints on the back. Her knee-high leather boots were dyed gold and had golden splints vertically riveted on them to cover the shins, with plates covering the toes and heels. The boots were laced on using blue leather cord. Each lace hook was a lightning bolt. The toe of the boots had a horseshoe stamped on them and she had gold Prince of Wales spurs with blue straps holding it onto the boot. Instead of a Sam Browne belt, she had a belt with two shoulder straps that crossed like an X over her chest, like Natora, but without the medallion. She no longer wore a helmet, instead her rainbow hair was tied into a ponytail with a gold ribbon that had a surprising amount of defense.

Knightstar, Soryuto, and Kiefer wore renaissance shoulder capes over their left shoulder, tied in place with a gold string to allow the cloak to be shifted to the rear if need be. The cloak was navy blue, with a border of gold horse heads, alternating directions, while the inside layer was golden. They only reached down to their hips. Natora and Thunderborne had the same cloaks, but theirs were integrated into the left shoulder strap of their belts. The string laced through tiny loops on the belt, allowing it to be shifted behind if need be. Konpeito was still wearing the Mantle of Hati and Doombunny’s coat didn’t allow for a cape.

Doombunny was in a dark blue, knee length coat that 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. 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. Underneath the coat was a yellow silverthread dress and blue silverthread leggings. The thin blue belt that kept her skirt in place also mounted her beast tamer’s charms and weapons, which had gotten upgraded. 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 to finish off the ensemble.

On her left hip was her dirk, Shadow Song, in a blue sheath. Her pink Qama dagger, Mourning Protector, was mounted at the small of her black for a right-hand draw. Off her right hip was her poisoned DOT crusader dagger, Endbringer, in a gold sheath. The coat covered everything on her unless she specifically swept it back to stay open. When open, the beast tamer necklace was on full display. Her earnings were also on full display when the hood was down..

Diemond had cleaned up Konpeito’s “Viking look” with a stamped leather breastplate with a metal scaled gorget and scaled faulds and tassets which were more skirt-like as they went almost to her knees. The layered breastplate was dyed navy blue and stamped with Viking knots and symbols. Every rivet, buckle, and lace was gold, while the scales were blued steel. Konpeito was still sleeveless to show off her tattoos, which fully covered her arms and shoulders. Her sleeveless shirt and trousers were blue. Her boots were plain, dyed blue, but she was wearing greaves and bracers both in the splint style with more spacing between each splint and connected by leather straps, not a leather base, which were blue. Her gold belt was simply tied around her waist and held her pouches. Gjallarhorn was on a strap that crossed over her body, not in a pouch.

Konpeito’s curls were half tamed. She was wearing them “shield maiden style.” On both sides of her head were four tiers of Dutch braids. The pompadour top had three asymmetric accent braids and was tied into a ponytail with the first tier of braids. The other six braids were also tied together into a lower ponytail. Everything past each ponytail tie was unbraided and raw. It both refined her look and made her look dangerous. The hairstyle’s messy finish appeared to give up on making it pristine, as if she had better things to fight than her curls. In reality, it had taken Konpeito over an hour to hand do the braids with significant help from Diemond for curl control. Thankfully, SAO would keep the hair in place now that it was done. Since she wasn’t married, Konpeito wore a kransen that ran in between the ponytails but laid flat over her forehead. It was woven from three blue and one gold chords.

Malus was in her Plate of Veracity. Diemond didn’t even try to match the etching, but she was able to get the color right for the rest of the heavy plate armor. Malus’s blue belt had three gold pouches and a hook for her hammer. Her new close helm was in the maximilian style having all of the ridges and lines. Malus was wearing a cloak, dyed blue, trimmed in gold, and with their gold horse head in the center. It went down to her calves and was attached to the hooks that came on the breastplate.

The close helm and cloaks were the only two things tying all three tanks together. Reisenki and Diemond each had blue tower shields with gold horseheads on their face, also made by Rendel. Diemond's was heavier and stronger, while Reisenki's used a lighter metal to allow him to be faster on his feet and move, yet still block anything he needed to. No one could tell because of Rendel's expert heraldry making them look the same. Both were in Maximillian style plate armor that mirrored each other and were a blued finish, which Diemond had manufactured. Their cloaks were the same as Malus’ and also attached to hooks Diemond had added. The only visible difference between Diemond and Reisenki was their weapons, plus height and build. Diemond was taller and slimmer, while Reisenki had some more bulk and naturally wider shoulders.

To everyone observing, it appeared as though Bladescape had changed from Leather Armor to heavy metal armor, complete with besagews at the shoulders to protect her armpits. The dagannoth hides had been tanned and hardened before being shaped into leather plates. Their finish even included a gloss to mimic polished metal. They were almost all dyed blue. Her pauldrons were gold, as were her couter, tassets, and poleyns. Her fingered gauntlets had a strip of gold at the first joint and the flared opening. Her greaves were open for her gold leather boots. Bladescape’s leggings and shirt were gold so they showed in the gaps of her armor. Her velvet cloak was blue, fringed in gold, and seamlessly had the extra-large gold horse head dyed on the center. The cloak connected to her besagews and it was designed to function with her sword on her back, with the cloak covering the sheath. She still wore no helmet, keeping with the Silver Sagacity Circlet. Despite being silver, not gold, the circlet was now a staple of Bladescape's head and being without it looked odd. The buffs were only growing more powerful as she grew.

The look on Asuna’s face was priceless. The Wondercolts had come in last, just as the meeting was called to order. It was obvious to everyone they had timed it that way and they wouldn’t deny it, but no one cared. They were stunned by the skill and beauty of the armor and image displayed by the Wondercolts.

“Forgive our late entry,” Bladescape said as she bowed to Asuna.

Asuna didn’t speak for a few seconds. She was lagging behind. “Think nothing of it,” she finally said while giving a short bow back. “I was getting concerned that you would not make it, but we had not seen much of you on the front, for this floor. Now I understand why. Let’s hope it performs to your expectations in the upcoming fight, for we need you in this one. Malus in particular, as this boss is a lava based giant golem.”

“We fought in the Kalzuk dungeon,” Bladescape said. “Similar boss, I assume.”

“Yes, our scouting reports indicate just that,” Asuna confirmed. “There are some differences in attack patterns, the floor boss uses a mace, and the minions have more variety, but that dungeon boss is the younger brother of the floor boss.”

“Same critical weakness?” Bladescape asked.

“Critical weakness?” Asuna asked. “We had no reports of a critical weakness in the scouting report. I helped clear the Kalzuk dungeon, but Kalzuk had no critical weakness. Not that we found.”

“Reisenki and I can kill it,” Natora said from where she was standing with the rest of the Wondercolts. “He’s all I need.”

“I led the scouting party for the boss,” Asuna added. “What is this weakness you are so sure of?”

“Stone exterior, glows with magma or lava lines?” Natora asked.

Bladescape couldn’t help but grin as Asuna confirmed Natora’s suspicions.

“Yeah, then there are tiny circles on the magma lines,” Natora explained as she approached the table. “Hit them and they act as pressure points. Hit them right and you can disable the function of the limb or anything past it. Thunder and I can knock out his arms in the opening assault, severely crippling its ability to attack. Should just be stomping, minions, and puking lava.”

“Well then, you two can join me in Squad A,” Asuna said. “Squad B can hold the tanks to cover us.”

“Hold on,” Natora said, actually putting her hand up to gently reinforce her words. “Typically, yes, but there is a reason why I first said I only need Reisenki. The damage dealers will need a good shield to immediately cover them, but they need to be fast and agile shields. Reisenki is a tank with agility and speed that is equal to, or better, than most forwards. He is fast. You, me, Thunder, Reisenki, Commander Heathcliff, and…” Natora snapped her fingers as she tried to recall the name. “Basse, from the DDA. We rock and roll, running with that as our main assault squad, and I literally mean running with the three shields blocking only in the worst case scenario. Malus can form the cornerstone of Squad B with other tanks and do the blocking we need, mostly against the minions. Every other team should be focused on the minions and a mix of two tanks, two forwards, and two damage dealers. Ah, screw it, Malus should pick three tanks, Bladescape should direct B, and Kirito should be there too. That way, Bladescape and Kirito can keep the tanks clear and free to protect us and also strike the boss if we need an offensive hit for the distraction.”

“You have certainly thought about this,” Asuna stated, taken aback for a second time in the span of only a few minutes.

“These guys are my favorite boss type to fight,” Natora explained with a shrug. “They make you think you need to play it slow, but it’s really a running game for the damage dealers. I seriously think Reisenki and I could take him, but that’s not the smartest tactic. Not when we can form a full raid party and give us the backup so that we have less to worry about as we run, specifically minion clearing. Plus, the extra damage dealers will make it go way quicker. Killing it and doing it quickly are two different things.”

Asuna took a step back from the table. “Alright, you are quite confident in this strategy. And if you are correct about this weakness, this is a very different battle. It’s yours to organize, as the strategy is yours.”

Bladescape also took a step back, leaving Natora in the center to address everyone. She looked fantastic in her armor and it was great that she was speaking up. Bladescape could attest to the strategy being sound.

Natora grinned as she cracked her knuckles and looked at everyone. “Well then, all I have to say is that there are no small roles in this strategy. I’ll pair teams up to complement each other. This should go fast, but he also will pump out a lot of minions, probably faster than our squads will be able to deal with them as we push him through the phases. Seriously, I mean it, there are no small roles. Three damage dealers blitzing a minion boss through his phases will rapidly decrease the time between spawns, potentially flooding the room, which makes running hard, so we need everyone else to keep the way clear for us as best as possible."

With that, Natora began to organize Squads C, D, E, F, G, and H. Malus knew which three players she wanted as her supporting tanks. Natora’s focus was first on triads of a complimentary tank, forward, and damage dealer. Then pairing the triads into squads. Fuurinkazan was spread across four squads. The six Wondercolts were across three squads. The KoB and DDA were also across four squads.

Natora knew the players well, including their fighting styles, and picked only the best. She didn’t care about the reputation or if she liked the player or guild. It made some players angry, mostly from the usuals who were either split up or not picked. Many whom she avoided were because they would want to do the usual, not what their squad was supposed to do. If it was going to fall on her shoulders, plus Asuna and Thunderborne, they couldn’t have the usuals screwing their run up.

Bladescape, Thunderborne, and Reisenki were the only ones who understood what Natora actually meant by “run.” Natora had a private chat with Squad A about the expectations. Bladescape didn’t listen in, she was with Malus as she laid out her expectations for Squad B, but Bladescape saw Asuna’s reaction several times. Malus was going to rely on Bladescape to direct them if they needed to shift their focus, but even if they had to, she wasn’t planning on letting the boss get near their runners.

BLADESCAPE: Level 79 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 75 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 70 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce — Search
MALUS: Level 74 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 74 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 74 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 75 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 70 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search — Listen — Reveal
KIEFER: Level 72 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 70 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 72 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Commercial Break Three

Commercial Break Three
I prefer a good word picture, but they say a picture is worth a thousand words. So, if I failed to properly paint the picture of the Wondercolts' “arrival” (not everyone can easily see a word picture), reference images will be at the end.

First a reminder about the Junishi Calendar, just for reference. Currently they are in the third calendar year, as they started in November.
Year One = Year of the Hawk (2022)
Year Two = Year of the Dragon (2023)
Year Three = Year of the Griffon (2024)

Junishi Calendar - Canon SAO months are in Orange.

Cypress = November
Holly = December
Silvergrass = January
Ume (plum blossom) = February
Willow = March
Sakura = April
Loquat = May
Bush Clover = June
Deutzia Flower = July
Wisteria = August
Chrysanthemum = September
Ash Tree = October

Base Statistics
These have been alluded to and do exist in SAO canon (with even less clarity). A player gets a set number of stat points when they level up, allowing them to tailor their build. Base stats are separate from active Skills, but the two do affect each other. Many skills will not appear to a player before they meet a hidden prerequisite base stat level, while many Skills can passively or actively enhance base stats on a skill-by-skill basis. Base stats always go up with each level, with additional points being granted that the player can distribute to their preference. Many pieces of equipment, and jewelry in particular, can adjust the base stats of a player. Base stats are split into Active and Passive, with the defining feature being if a player can assign points to them. Only Active Base Stats can receive points.

Active Base Stats:

Constitution (CON) — The primary stat affecting HP, but also slightly modifies resistance to poison, paralysis and environmental effects.
Strength (STR) — Primarily limits what weapons and armor a player can use. Heavy metal armors, and great shields universally require high strength. Mauls, maces, hammers, axes and two-handed swords often require high strength, but to a lesser degree, and some one-handed longswords and light metal armors do as well. Additionally, strength adjusts the carry weight limit of a player and provides a small additional modifier to HP.
Defense (DEF) — Directly affects a player’s ability to negate physical damage. Separate from HP and similar to Armor, Defense is a straight damage reduction calculated after armor but before HP is reduced.
Agility (AGI) — The ability to jump and move across uneven surfaces without losing footing, determining the speed and distance of both. Acrobatics directly modifies agility, and a high enough stat coupled with it can allow a player limited movement across vertical surfaces.
Speed (SP) — Base movement speed on foot. Primarily affects top running speed but also enhances top speeds for Agility. There is some, slight, modification for attack speed and recovery.

Passive Base Stats: * "Modifiers" (MOD) are deliberately left vague and undefined, just as most "hard" statistics remain undefined, but can be thought of as some percentage of the attached Stat. The only relevant information currently from a world-building standpoint is that it is there. * Hit Points (HP) — The Hit-Points of a player can be calculated as such: HP = (CON + STR MOD) x Level MOD + HP buffs * Attack (ATK) —Functions as the main calculator for damage dealt. Most commonly, ATK affects weapon damage, but it is highly crucial for martial arts. ATK is not a constant "hard" statistic, as there are a lot of factors that go into it, including but-not-limited-to: a STR MOD, AGI MOD, Weapon Skill Level MOD and the stats of whatever weapon is being used. The STR and AGI modifiers are additionally weighted depending on the weapon skill being used, so a heavy weapon such as a mace or two-handed sword will be affected more by STR, while daggers and rapiers are more heavily affected by AGI. A player can check their current ATK in their stats menu but cannot allocate additional points to it from their free pool. * Damage-Per-Second (DPS) — DPS is an unofficial stat , and therefore does not appear in any in-game menu. DPS is determined through a combination of a player's ATK, their skill in chaining together Sword-Skill combos, and the time it takes them to both be released from the delay at the end of a Sword Skill and begin their next attack, where the total damage dealt is averaged out across the time all factors combined take to complete. * Resistance (RES) — A hidden stat that modifies a lot of things, but is primarily important for certain tactile senses. Chiefly calculated through a CON and Level MOD, it attempts to turn "willpower" into a quantified statistic. How much a player is affected by hot and cold climates, poison, paralysis, and other statuses under the game's systems is tied to RES. Players have deduced its existence, but the formula to calculate it is unknown to them, though it is believed to be a very minor and gradual increase. This evasion of quantifiability is largely due to RES also seemingly being more highly subject to the Outside-System Willpower of individual players than other Stats typically are. * Visual Range (VR) — Another hidden stat that rarely changes outside of status effects or Skills that affect sight. VR at a baseline grants all players 20/20 vision regardless of their natural eyesight, though its primary purpose is to tie in the visual mechanisms of the game world to the players. It does play a crucial role for Search and Reveal to function. * Acuity (ACU) — A hidden stat, companion to VR but for hearing rather than vision, and likewise largely unchanging except for through status effects and Skills. The Skill Listen is directly tied into it, and is one of the few ways to actually affect hearing in-game. Without Acuity, Listen cannot function.

Typical Builds are:

Balanced: A balance of points across all five active stats. Knightstar and Soryuto are balanced builds. Many forwards with shields take a balanced approach.
Triadic: Another popular build for forwards that focuses on agility, strength, and defense. Reisenki is a triadic build, which means he is the most agile tank in the Assault Team and much closer to a forward with a shield, yet able to take significantly more damage. He wears lighter heavy metal armor to not weigh himself down and chips points into constitution and speed as he needs to.
STR-AGI: Strength and Agility build. Players like Bladescape, Kirito, and Konpeito sharpen their ability to move in combat while using heavier weapons. This is common for many forwards, particularly those who do not use a shield.
SP-AGI: Speed and agility build used by many damage dealers to jump in, strike, and back out. Strength is completely ignored in this build. Thunderborne, Doombunny, and Asuna are SP-AGI builds. The type of weapon and attack style dictates if a player decides to further tailor a secondary focus. Doombunny, and Asuna focus on constitution. Thunderborne puts points into defense.
DEF-AGI: Defense and Agility build. Players like Klein and Kiefer boost their defense to compensate for not having a shield and their agility to avoid attacks. Their katanas do not require high strength to wield.
STR-CON: Strength and Constitution used by some tanks to boost their health, particularly if they use a heavy weapon such as a mace, hammer, or axe. Defense is mostly ignored for stats points as it increases with each level. The tactic relies on the player's armor to reduce damage and high HP to absorb it, rather than DEF to mitigate it. Some damage dealers use this, particularly if they use a heavy weapon.
CON-DEF: The main tank build which focuses on boosting health and defense to survive in a fight as long as possible. Diemond is a CON-DEF build.

Nonstandard Builds:

Malus: All strength, with some to constitution.
Natora: Natora runs a customized slant build. Agility > Speed > Defense > Constitution > Strength. SP-AGI builds ignore strength entirely. Natora puts some points into strength as it can help for certain spears. Her speed is not much higher than her defense.

Known Guilds:

Wondercolts: WCS — Led by Bladescape, Natora, and Knightstar, they are a strong but small guild of close knit friends. A big player in clearing. Their colors are Navy Blue and Gold.
Divine Dragon Alliance: DDA — is led by Lind and a council. The next evolution of the Dragon Knights Brigade, their change was to separate themselves from the disaster that had been the leadership of the clearing effort. They still use the same colors, silver and blue.
Aincrad Liberation Force: ALF — Also known as “the Army” because of their steel and forest green colors, the Aincrad Liberation Force was formed by the remnants of the Aincrad Liberation Squad and MTD, the guild run by a player named Thinker. They are there for the common player, to spread information and resources to everyone.
Meigibu: MGBU — The Woman guild made up mostly of clearers. They epitomize the “art of being human” and are known to dress in traditional Japanese garb, even the males, on and off the battlefield. Lobelia is their leader. Their colors are white and emerald green.
Imperial Dragoon Guards: IDG — A clearing guild of eight middle aged men, all armed with shields and spears, led by Tagahashi. Their black armor with gold shields make a flashy statement for the lancers whenever they enter a fight.
Gael: GA — A guild of eleven members, all men, with the colors of yellow and red. They are crisp and sharp in all aspects and march to the tune of a fife played by their youngest member.
Knights of the Bloodoath: KoB — The top guild and the ones spearheading the liberation effort. Their colors are white and red. They are led by Heathcliff, with Asuna as their Second-in-Command (Leader of Team B) and boss strategist, Godfree as the commander of their vanguards (leader of Team A) and in charge of training, and Daizen as their financial officer. Uzala leads Team C.
Fuurinkazan: WWFM — Named for the war banner of Takeda Shingen which refers to the Art of War by Sun Tzu, the six member guild of guys is flexible in most combat situations, and very eager to prove themselves.
Amatsukami: AMKI — Meaning “Heavenly Gods,” the guild is composed of heavily armored champions; mostly forwards with shields and tanks. Gold and White are their colors. They are a medium sized guild with fourteen players.
Toraijin: TJN — The Foreign Tigers are a group of nine foreign players who were in Japan either for a college semester abroad or spending a year after college helping to teach English through a language program. Black and Orange are their colors.
Kawakatsu: KWK — Meaning “Leather Ones,” the small guild only wears leather equipment. No metal unless it’s a shield or their weapon. Brown with tan are their colors.
Kiniro Kotaka Toi: KKT — “No worries” is both the meaning of their name and their attitude. A fun loving guild pushing the front that claims to be assured in their victory, in every scenario.
Ishoku Inji: II — The major crafting guild.
Lanark Mill: LM — A textile crafting guild specializing in the production of fabrics.
Aincrad Material Company: AMC — A materials acquisition guild offering services as a clearinghouse for crafters, promising fast delivery, consistent prices and no questions asked.

Aincrad Material Company, Extra:
The Aincrad Material Company is run by Siel alongside his partner Phainda. Their prices have a reputation for being reasonable, matched in turn by their offers to buy the materials in the first place. When buying materials, they make it a point to tell the player what they expect to sell them at, making it easy to see the estimated profit margin. When selling, their primary pitch is never asking questions on what the materials are going to be used for or changing the price, no matter how much or how urgently a material is needed.

Seil primarily handles the buying and selling of regularly stocked materials while his partner Phainda runs the material contracts side of the business. If Siel doesn't have what a player needs in stock, Phainda draws up a contract to acquire it and posts the request listing in several sources, ranging from the newspapers to a steadily growing network of regular suppliers. When a player submits a contract to Phainda, they pay for the items up front and are guaranteed that they will have them by the set time. That contract is then given to an intermediate player, the “agent”, who does the actual hunting and receives the agreed upon payment for the materials. It is normally far easier for the members of the Assault Team to go to Siel and Phainda for their services, rather than hunting many items themselves. Agents are not a part of the guild; they are free to come and go for contracts as and when they wish.

Players:

Kirito: Level 80 — One-Handed Longsword — Search — Martial Arts — Hide — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Battle Healing — Extended Weight Carry — Dual Blades
Asuna*: Level 76 — Rapier — Two-Handed Spear — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — Sprint — Acrobatics — Cooking — Sewing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Heavy Metal Armor
Agil: Level 62 — Two-Handed Axe — Martial Arts — Weapon Defense — Leather Equipment — Equipment Appraisal — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry
Klein: Level 66 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Katana — Light Metal Armor — Shield — First Aid — Fighting Spirit — Battle Regeneration — Search — Extended Weight Carry — Listening

*Asuna possesses the very rare Crystal Bottle of Kales'Oh, which will store a skill without losing proficiency and allow for switching in another.

Wondercolts Data:

Bladescape (Sunset Shimmer): Level 79 — 15200 HP
- Two-Handed Sword — Complete
- Search — Complete
- Weapon Defense — 786/1000
- Leather Armor — 692/1000
- First Aid — Acquired
- Battle Regeneration — 468/1000
- Sprint — 479/1000
- Blade Throwing — 395/1000
- Extended Weight Carry — 374/1000
- Acrobatics — 256/1000

Weapon: Harmonic Salvation (Made by Lisbeth)
Armor: Dagannoth Hide Plate Armor (Made by Ashley)
Legs: Dagannoth Hide Plate Legs (Made by Ashley)
Gloves: Dagannoth Hide Gauntlets (Made by Ashley)
Boots: Dagannoth Hide Combat Boots (Made by Ashley)
Belt: Dagannoth Hide Belt (Made by Ashley)
Helmet: Silver Sagacity Circlet (Boosts Search and Visual Perception)
Ring #1: Treant’s Heart (Defense +5)
Ring #2: Ring of Agility (Agility +20)
Wrist #1: The Loyal Sun Bracelet (Attack +7)
Wrist #2: The Heavenly Prospect Ring (+350 HP)
Necklace: Geode Necklace (Defense +6)
Outer layer: Wondercolts Cloak (Made by Ashley)

Harmonic Salvation is a large two-handed European sword made of the rare alloy Black Rune. The sword is the same color as the ingot was, gunmetal blue. The ricasso stops at the triangular flukes that protrude from the blade, about ten inches total. Forward of the flukes, the edge can be seen as a lighter blue, evidence of the high concentration of runite in the edge. In contrast, an almost black fuller runs from the flukes up three quarters of the blade, exhibiting the colors of the obsidianite. The crossguard isn't squared; having a straight quillon that flares to a point, but above and below it flares with a rolling “w”, framing the center jewel. The whole guard is a lighter blue, like the edge of the sword. The handle is in two segments, with the lower half slightly smaller and much darker, showing off the obsidianite in the alloy. Its pommel is the same blue shade as the alloy, slowly expanding in diameter before quickly collapsing to a soft point

The dagannoth plates made by Ashley are predominantly navy blue, with some gold worked in. The hide was tanned and hardened into plates and given a coating to make it shine. The leather armor appears to be heavy metal armor, not leather. The armor is complete with besagews at the shoulders to protect Bladescape’s armpits. The pauldrons are gold, as are her couter, tassets, and poleyns. The fingered gauntlets have a strip of gold at the first joint and the flared opening. The navy-blue greaves are open for her gold leather boots. Bladescape’s leggings and shirt are gold so they showed in the few gaps of her armor. Her velvet cloak is blue, fringed in gold, and seamlessly has the extra-large gold horse head dyed on the center. The cloak connects to the besagews at her shoulders and it was designed to function with her sword on her back, with the cloak covering the sheath.

Silver Sagacity Circlet: A silver circlet with a blue gemstone that matches Sunset’s eyes in the center. The silver is expertly woven into a beautiful pattern that is both delicate and strong.

Natora (Ota Natsuki): Level 75 — 12890 HP
- Two-Handed Spear — 821/1000
- Purchase Negotiations — Complete
- Sales Negotiations — Complete
- Weapon Defense — 687/1000
- Light Metal Armor — 457/1000
- First Aid — Acquired
- Battle Regeneration — 378/1000
- Acrobatics — 541/1000
- Armor Pierce — 488/1000
- Sprint — 361/1000

Weapon: Blazefury Lance +4 (2D1A1Q)
Armor: Splint armor corset and gorget with pauldrons and rerebraces with
Breastplate: Medallion of the Two Kings’
Legs: Splint armor skirt, greaves, and cuisses
Gloves: Gold leather gloves
Boots: Gold leather boots
Belt: Double-Shoulder X belt with the Medallion of the Two Kings integrated into the right shoulder
Helmet: Barbuta Helmet with visor profiled to look like a horse head
Ring #1: The Proud Crest (Critical Attack +6)
Ring #2: The Jasper Drop Ring (Attack +4)
Wrist #1: The Brave Panther Armlet (Defense +5)
Wrist #2: The Serpentine Flower Armlet (Speed +6)
Necklace: Geode Necklace (Agility +8)
Outer layer: Renaissance shoulder cape, navy blue exterior with a border of gold horse heads, alternating directions, and gold lining, over their left shoulder

Her splint armor is on top of a gold, long sleeve shirt and leggings. The splints are a blue steeled alloy riveted onto the blue leather with brass. Her chest is protected with a corset, and gorget and below it was a skirt of leather strips often reinforced with riveted metal squares. The corset and skirt are paired with full pauldrons, rerebraces and vambraces to give her arms full coverage. Above her greaves and poleyns are cuisses. Gold leather boots and gloves protect her extremities. On her head is a sleek and feminized barbuta helmet with a visor, allowing for her hair to easily flow out the back. The helmet is profiled to look like a horse head. To hold her pouches, she wears a double shoulder belt crossing over her chest to keep everything in place while performing acrobatic maneuvers. The Medallion of the Two Kings’ Breastplate is integrated into the right shoulder strap, allowing it to be easily flipped to choose the buff.

Knightstar (Twilight Sparkle): Level 70 — 10981 HP
- One-Handed Sword — 816/1000
- Shield — 932/1000
- Light Metal Armor — 746/1000
- Appraisal — Completed
- First Aid — Acquired
- Battle Regeneration — 300/1000
- Acrobatics — 360/1000
- Extended Weight Carry — 367/1000
- Armor Pierce — 146/1000
- Search — 28/1000

Weapon: Reach of the Light +2 (1A1S)
Shield: Kite Shield with gold horse head on the blue face. (Made by Rendil)
Armor: Splint armor corset with pauldrons, vambraces
Legs: Splint armor skirt, greaves, poleyns and cuisses
Gloves: Blue leather gloves
Boots: Blue leather boots
Belt: Blue Sam Brown Belt with gold pass-through buckles of a horse head set in a circle
Helmet: Barbuta Helmet with visor profiled to look like a horse head
Ring #1: Solar Beauty Ring (Attack +7)
Ring #2: The Bright Force (Speed +4)
Wrist #1: Ocean’s Grace Armlet (Defense +6)
Wrist #2: Virtuous Balance (Critical Attack +4)
Necklace: The Playful Star Pendant (Agility +5)
Outer layer: Renaissance shoulder cape, navy blue exterior with a border of gold horse heads, alternating directions, and gold lining, over their left shoulder

Reach of the Light is an arming sword with a gold and silver twisted crossguard. It has had one enhancement for both Accuracy and Sharpness added and no failures.

The kite shield is navy blue with a golden horse head on the face. Her splint armor is on top of a gold, long sleeve shirt and leggings. The splints are a blue steeled alloy riveted onto the blue leather with brass. Her chest is protected with a corset, and below it is a skirt of leather strips often reinforced with riveted metal squares. The corset and skirt are paired with slim pauldrons, vambraces, greaves, and poleyns, all in the same splint armor design. Blue leather boots and gloves protect her extremities. On her head is a sleek and feminized barbuta helmet with a visor, allowing for her hair to easily flow out the back. The helmet is profiled to look like a horse head. To hold her pouches and sword, she uses a blue Sam Browne belt with a gold pass-through buckle of a horse head set in a circle.

Malus (Applejack): Level 74 — 16973 HP
- One-Handed War Hammer — 560/1000
- Greatshield — 635/1000
- Heavy Metal Armor — 921/1000
- First Aid — Acquired
- Extended Weight Carry — 579/1000
- Battle Regeneration — 645/1000
- Fishing — 568/1000
- Search — 302/1000
- Martial Arts — 360/1000
- Rend — 256/1000

Weapon: Earthshaper +16 (4H4T4D2A2Q)
Shield: Iron Bulwark
Armor: Plate of Veracity with color matched pieces made by Diemond
Belt: Blue leather belt with a ring to slip her hammer into.
Helmet: Close helm in the Maximilian style
Ring #1: Spotless Passion Ring (Speed +8)
Ring #2: Heavenly Stone Ring (Agility +6)
Wrist #1: The Amethyst Breath Bracelet (Strength +7)
Wrist #2: The Enchanted Moon Bracelet (Strength +8)
Necklace: Geode Necklace (HP +500)
Outer layer: Long Wondercolts’ cloak

Earthshaper is an adamant war hammer with a flattened square head, a bearded axe on the back, and a top spike. The grip is wrapped in gold leather. There are a total of thirty enhancement slots with two having failed. Heaviness, Toughness, and Durability all have been enhanced four times, while Accuracy and Quickness have been enhanced twice.

The Plate of Veracity is an elegant heavy metal armor torso piece: specifically a breastplate, backplate, tassets, and pauldrons. The steel is beautifully etched. The center of the breastplate is a tree, the NIST Gaithersburg tree, an immediate descendant of the apple tree from Issac Newton's home. The pauldrons, tassets, and backplate were decorated with apple leaves and blossoms.

Diemond was able to match the color and design of the Plate of Veracity for all of the other pieces, but she could not do the etching. For her helmet, she wears a close helm in the Maximilian style.

Thunderborne (Rainbow Dash): Level 74 — 12365 HP
- Rapier — 957/1000
- Sprint — Complete
- Acrobatics — Complete
- Weapon Defense — 678/1000
- Light Metal Armor — 412/1000
- First Aid — Acquired
- Battle Regeneration — 360/1000
- Armor Pierce — 469/1000
- Martial Arts — 178/1000
- Blade Throwing — 68/1000

Weapon: Ruby Sabre +21 (7D5Q5A4S)
Armor: Splint armor dress
Gloves: Blue leather with gold splints on the back of the hand
Boots: Gold leather with gold splints and Prince of Wales spurs
Belt: Double-Shoulder
Helmet: Gold hair ribbon
Ring #1: The Pearl Rainbow (Speed +5)
Ring #2: Bright Spark (Agility +8)
Wrist #1: Amber Seal Bracelet (Defense +5)
Wrist #2: Lavish Rainbow Armlet (Agility +9)
Necklace: Geode Necklace (Speed +6)
Outer layer: Renaissance shoulder cape, navy blue exterior with a border of gold horse heads, alternating directions, and gold lining, over their left shoulder

Ruby Saber is Thunderborne’s primary or boss rapier. It is styled a carmine Pappenheimer Rapier. She carries several generic dungeon diving or clearing rapiers due to rapiers having a low durability. A tough dungeon can wear down two or three rapiers with ease, making it a risk for a fencer to use their primary sword too often. Four enhancements of twenty-five failed. Of the twenty-one that took, seven are Durability, five are Quickness, five are Accuracy, and four are Sharpness.

Thunderborne wears a splint armor dress. The dress itself has a houndstooth woven leather base, sleeveless, woven out of three different shades of blue, plus one cord of gold. The blued splint plates are riveted on and smaller to afford her more flexibility during acrobatic maneuvers. The dress’ skirt is without metal and uses knife pleats to allow for a wide range of motion and a front panel for a smooth look, just like a Scottish kilt. Underneath it is worn a blue long-sleeve shirt and leggings. She wears splint arm harnesses on each arm – a blued splint rerebrace, articulated elbow piece, and a golden splint bracer – her gloves are simple blue leather with gold splints on the back. Her knee-high leather boots are dyed gold and had golden splints vertically riveted on them to cover the shins, with plates covering the toes and heels. The boots are laced on using blue leather cord. Each lace hook is a lightning bolt. The toe of the boots has a horseshoe stamped on them and she has gold Prince of Wales spurs with blue straps holding it onto the boot. Instead of a Sam Browne belt, she had a belt with two shoulder straps that cross like an X over her chest. She no longer wears a helmet, instead her rainbow hair is tied into a ponytail with a gold ribbon that has a surprising amount of defense.

Konpeito (Pinkie Pie): Level 74 — 13310 HP
- Two-Handed Axe — 854/1000
- Cooking — Complete
- Weapon Defense — 712/1000
- Light Metal Armor — 802/1000
- Martial Arts — 699/1000
- First Aid — Acquired
- Battle Regeneration — 347/1000
- Music — 785/1000
- Blade Throwing — 312/1000
- Bard — 357/1000
- Extended Weight Carry 109/1000

Weapon: Honor's Call
Armor: Leather and metal scale armor
Legs: Blue silverthread trousers with splint greaves.
Gloves: Splint braces with silverthread gloves
Boots: Short blue boots
Belt: gold leather belt tied on, no buckle
Helmet: Viking kransen with shield maiden hairstyle
Ring #1: Pink Spark Ring (Critical Attack +7)
Ring #2: Angel Orb (Attack +5)
Wrist #1: The Sapphire Breath Bracelet (Attack +6)
Wrist #2: Lunar Stone Bracelet (Critical Attack +4)
Necklace: Geode Necklace (Agility +12)
Outer layer: Mantle of Hati

Honor’s call is a double headed axe with no curve in the bits. The axe head is in the shape of an “H” and made from Adamite, leaving it a smoky green color. The shaft is wrapped in woven leather cording of five blue cords, a gold cord, and a red cord. No enhancements have been done.
Konpeito’s new “Viking look” is a stamped leather breastplate with a metal scaled gorget and scaled faulds and tassets, which are more skirt-like as they go almost to her knees. The layered breastplate is dyed navy blue and stamped with Viking knots and symbols. Every rivet, buckle, and lace is gold while the scales are blued steel. Konpeito is still sleeveless to show off her Viking tattoos, which fully cover her arms and shoulders. Her sleeveless shirt and trousers are blue. Her boots are plain, dyed blue, and she wears greaves and bracers both in the splint style with more spacing between each splint and connected by leather straps, not a leather base, which are blue. Her gold belt is simply tied around her waist and holds her pouches. Gjallarhorn is on a strap that crosses over her body, not in a pouch.
Konpeito’s curls are half tamed. She wears them “shield maiden style.” On both sides of her head are four tiers of Dutch braids. The pompadour top has three asymmetric accent braids and is tied into a ponytail with the first tier of braids. The other six braids are also tied together into a lower ponytail. Everything past each ponytail tie is unbraided and raw. Konpeito also wears a kransen that goes in between the ponytails but lies flat over her forehead. It is woven from three blue and one gold chords.

Diemond (Rarity): Level 75 — 15686 HP
- One-Handed Mace — 813/1000
- Greatshield — 642/1000
- Sewing — Complete
- Heavy Metal Armor — 789/1000
- First Aid — Acquired
- Battle Regeneration — 505/1000
- Light Metal Armor Forging — 815/1000
- Heavy Metal Armor Forging — 412/1000
- Extended Weight Carry — 289/1000
- Jewelry Making — 241/1000

Weapon: Silver Lining +26 (5H6T5Q5A5D)
Shield: Tower shield (made by Rendil)
Armor: Maximilian style plate armor blued
Belt: Gold leather belt
Helmet: Close helm in the Maximilian style
Ring #1: The Diamond Crest (Speed +4)
Ring #2: The Crystal Tear (Attack +6)
Wrist #1: Diamond Vigor Armlet (Defense +4)
Wrist #2: The Silent Vigor (Defense +5)
Necklace: Geode Necklace (Defense +10)
Outer layer: Long Wondercolts’ cloak

Silver Lining is a flanged mace. The flanges come to a sharp point and have trefoils punched out to reduce the weight. Silver Lining is complete, with four failed enhancements. Accuracy, Durability, Quickness, and Heaviness all have five enhancements, while Toughness has six.

Diemond’s shield by Rendil is a tower shield with a blue face, gold horse head on it, and trimmed in brass.

She wears Maximilian style full plate armor with a close helm with a blue finish. A gold belt with pouches and a ring to slip her mace is around her waist. Attached to the front of her pauldrons is the cloak, dyed blue, trimmed in gold, and with their gold horse head in the center. It goes down to her calves.

Doombunny (Fluttershy): Level 70 — 10555 HP
- One-Handed Dagger — 762/1000
- Hide — Complete
- Fighting Spirit — 649/1000
- Blade Throwing — 871/1000
- First Aid — Acquired
- Battle Regeneration — 301/1000
- Familiar Cooperation — Acquired
- Mixing — 413/1000
- Search — 201/1000
- Listen — 251/1000
- Reveal — 52/1000

Weapons: Shadow Song (general use dirk), Mourning Protector (paralyzed qama dagger), Endbringer (poisoned DOT crusader dagger) — All made by Lisbeth
Throwing Knives: Alchion throwing knives set and ebony kunai (unnamed producer)
Armor: Yellow silverthread dress
Legs: Blue silverthread leggings
Gloves: Blue fingerless silverthread gloves
Boots: Generic blue boots
Belt: Thin blue belt.
Helmet: Blue Silverthread headband
Beast Tamer’s Charms & Geode Ring
Outer layer: Dark blue knee length cloak

On her left hip is her regular dirk, Shadow Song, in a blue sheath. Her pink qama dagger, Mourning Protector, is mounted at the small of her black for a right-hand draw. Off her right hip is her poisoned DOT crusader dagger, Endbringer, in a gold sheath. All three knives have twenty enhancement slots and none have been enhanced.
Her two throwing knives holsters are one piece, all blue, sharing a belt under her dress and with the holsters dropping down to above her knees. Each holster holds four knives on the face, with five rows behind. The right thigh are her regular throwing knives and her heavier kunai on her left.

Her knee-length cloak is dark blue and has pockets hidden inside to securely store her poisons and potions. It also has wide, reinforced and strengthened shoulders for Colorra. 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. Underneath the coat she wears a yellow Silverthread dress and blue silverthread leggings. A thin blue belt keeps her skirt in place and also mounts her beast tamer’s charms and weapons. Doombunny also wears a blue headband to keep her hair in place when she isn't using the hood, blue boots that only cover up to her ankles, and blue Silverthread fingerless gloves to finish off the ensemble.
The coat covers everything on her unless she specifically sweeps it back to stay open. When open, the beast tamer necklace is on full display. Her earnings are also on full display when the hood is down.

Kiefer: Level 72 — 12419 HP
- Curved Sword — 520/1000
- Slash-Weapon Forging — 365/1000
- Light Metal Armor — 687/1000
- Weapon Defense — 589/1000
- First Aid — Acquired
- Katana — 658/1000
- Battle Regeneration — 423/1000
- Search — 314/1000
- Blade Throwing — 205/1000
- Armor Pierce — 99/1000

Weapon: Mist’s Fury
Armor: Splint armor breastplate, backplate, faulds, and tassets gorget with pauldrons and rerebraces
Legs: Splint armor greaves and cuisses
Gloves: Gold leather gloves
Boots: Gold leather boots
Belt: Blue Sam Brown Belt with gold pass-through buckles of a horse head set in a circle
Helmet: Lobster-tailed pot helmet
Ring #1: Bright Bliss (Agility +4)
Ring #2: The Sweet Cross Ring (Defense +4)
Wrist #1: The Onyx Tribute Bracelet (Attack +7)
Wrist #2: The Vibrant Class Armlet (Speed +4)
Necklace: Geode Necklace (Attack +9)
Outer layer: Renaissance shoulder cape, navy blue exterior with a border of gold horse heads, alternating directions, and gold lining, over their left shoulder

Mist’s fury is a new katana, having forty enhancement slots. The handle cord is gold with a gold and blue tassel while the sheath is navy blue. The brass tsuba is a chrysanthemum. No enhancements have been attempted.

His splint armor is on top of a gold, long sleeve shirt and leggings. The splints are a blue steeled alloy riveted onto the blue leather with brass. His chest is protected with a breastplate, backplate, faulds, and tassets. Breastplate and backplate are paired with full pauldrons, rerebraces and vambraces to give her arms full coverage. Above his greaves and poleyns are cuisses. Gold leather boots and gloves protect his extremities. His helmet is a lobster-tailed pot helm, also bearing a resemblance of a horse. He also uses a blue Sam Browne belt with a gold pass-through buckle of a horse head set in a circle. The belt has a sword frog directly on it to properly align his katana.

Soryuto: Level 70 — 11300 HP
- One-Handed Sword — 722/1000
- Shield — 764/1000
- Light Metal Armor — 624/1000
- Music — 505/1000
- First Aid — Acquired
- Fighting Spirit — 400/1000
- Armor Pierce — 235/1000
- Acrobatics — 156/1000
- Extended Weight Carry — 10/1000

Weapon: Last Rites +10 (4D2A2S2Q)
Shield: Kite Shield with gold horse head on the blue face. (Made by Rendil)
Armor: Splint armor corset with pauldrons, vambraces
Legs: Splint armor skirt, greaves, poleyns and cuisses
Gloves: Bleu leather gloves
Boots: Blue leather boots
Belt: Blue Sam Brown Belt with gold pass-through buckles of a horse head set in a circle
Helmet: Barbuta Helmet with visor profiled to look like a horse head.
Ring #1: Majestic Soul (Agility +4)
Ring #2: Lunar Aura Ring (Speed +4)
Wrist #1: Jade Spiral Bracelet (Attack +5)
Wrist #2: The Grand Blessing (Health +250)
Necklace: Geode Necklace (Defense +6)
Outer layer: Renaissance shoulder cape, navy blue exterior with a border of gold horse heads, alternating directions, and gold lining, over their left shoulder

Last Rites is a narrow crusader style sword with twenty-eight enhancements. Six have failed. Durability has been enhanced four times, while Accuracy, Quickness, and Sharpness each have been enhanced two times.

Her kite shield is navy blue with a golden horse head on the face. Her splint armor is on top of a gold, long sleeve shirt and leggings. The splints are a blue steeled alloy riveted onto the blue leather with brass. Her chest is protected with a corset, and below it was a skirt of leather strips often reinforced with riveted metal squares. The corset and skirt are paired with slim pauldrons, vambraces, greaves, and poleyns, all in the same split armor design. Blue leather boots and gloves protect her extremities. On her head is a sleek and feminized barbuta helmet with a visor, allowing for her hair to easily flow out the back. The helmet is profiled to look like a horse head. To hold her pouches and sword, she uses a blue Sam Browne belt with a gold pass-through buckle of a horse head set in a circle.

Reisenki: Level 72 — 14894 HP
- One-Handed Axe — 885/1000
- Greatshield — 556/1000
- Heavy Metal Armor — 496/1000
- Equipment Repair — 633/1000
- Metal Equipment Repair — 412/1000
- First Aid — Acquired
- Battle Regeneration — 366/1000
- Cooking — 571/1000
- Metal Refining — 104/1000
- One-Hand Weapon Creation — 72/1000

Weapon: Storm-Forged Battle Axe +6
Shield: Tower shield (made by Rendil)
Armor: Maximilian style plate armor blued
Belt: Gold leather belt
Helmet: Close helm in the Maximilian style
Ring #1: Leiurus Ward (protects against all poisons)
Ring #2: The Defiant Flame (Attack +7)
Wrist #1: The Infinite Spark Ornament (Agility +9)
Wrist #2: The Serpentine Twins (Agility +4)
Necklace: Geode Necklace (Agility +6)
Outer layer: Long Wondercolts’ cloak

Storm-Forged Battle Axe is a steel battle axe with a twisted shaft, and a circular hammer counterbalance for the wide face. A fleur-de-lis is carved in the face to reduce weight.

Reisenki’s shield by Rendil is a tower shield with a blue face, gold horse head on it, and trimmed in brass.

He wears Maximilian style full plate armor with a close helm with a blue finish. A gold belt with pouches and a ring to slip his axe is around his waist. Attached to the front of his pauldrons is the cloak, dyed blue, trimmed in gold, and with their gold horse head in the center. It goes down to his calves.

Sam Browne Belt
A very common design of belt named for Sir Samuel J. Browne. He was a British Indian Army General who invented it due to losing his left arm in combat. He couldn't grab the sheath with his left while drawing his sword or keeping it from shifting on him, so he used the chest strap to keep the belt and sword in place. Many military dress uniforms use it, historical uniforms and current one, as well as many police dress uniforms, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They also have been used in fashion.

A good example of the cloak hooks and the renaissance capes:

Splint Armor: Arms Street's “Lady Warrior” was the basis for the splint armor worn by Knightstar, Natora, Soryuto, and Kiefer.

Konpeito's armor was inspired by:

And Shield Maiden Hairstyle:

Bladescape's Armor was inspired by the “Morning Star”. Obviously, the black steel would be replaced by blue, but it shows the location of the gold plates and generally how it should look.

Maximilian Armor:

Malus' chest piece is "etched" and a good example of how "etching" can look is "The Paladin" by Armstreet. Obviously, hers has the tree on it and apple tree leaves and blossoms.

And the NIST Gaithersburg tree:

Episode 67 — Diemond Success

Episode 67 — Diemond Success
Twenty-Fourth Day in the Month of Willow (March 24) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 35 — Friday Afternoon — Front Line 58

Bladescape could only watch and wait for direction from either Knightstar or Diemond. It was time for Diemond’s clothing sale. They had been advertising it in the paper for over a week and spent a good amount of col to do so. Last night they moved furniture so they could set up the shop. None of their furniture was in the dining room or meeting hall. The clothing racks and display tables had been dropped off this morning so everything could be set out. Also bought were dividers and mirrors, which allowed them to make changing rooms for the customers to try on the clothes or just hold it up to themselves and use a mirror to see how it looked.

The dining room was the men's section. Armor was in the main hallway, separated by class. Inside the meeting hall was where the woman’s clothes were. Diemond had four times as many clothes for women than men, however, her stock of men's fashion was still substantial. The women's clothes were separated by full outfits and individual pieces; skirts, blouses, shoes, sweaters, shawls and shrugs, coats, leggings, miscellaneous items, and fashionable women's footwear.

Knightstar was in charge of armor sales, since she could help the players understand the stats better than anyone else could. Thunderborne and Natora were helping Knightstar. Armor took up more room on a table than neatly folded clothes but it had a lot more duplicates. They had chests under the tables that were filled with the duplicates so the three of them could pull another piece out when one was sold. Kiefer was on duty for the men's fashion. Soryuto and Doombunny were covering the women's clothes. Konpeito was running the kitchen. They had fruit infused water and treats for their customers and she needed to keep the refreshments full. Malus and Reisenki were balancing the front door, to limit who was coming in so they were not overwhelmed. Diemond, as the designer and creator of everything in the sale, was mostly going to be in the women's section, but she would move around as needed. If any VIPs came, Diemond would assist them in any section they would browse.

Bladescape was running "security." She was basically just keeping an eye out for any issues. Players could steal things, but that wasn’t their primary concern. They were letting strangers into their headquarters and some shoppers might be coming just to poke their heads around the headquarters of a top clearing guild and see what it was like to be a Wondercolt. Bladescape was blocking the stairs, which were roped off, but the rope was a passive deterrent. Plus, since many of the pieces were unique, they might have some fighting between players over specific items. Hopefully not, but having an obvious enforcer could prove advantageous. Diemond wanted security and had been the one to assign everyone's role.

On paper it looked like a solid plan. They had members in each section to help customers and make the final sale. Forty players would be let in at a time and anytime someone left, they would let the next person in. In reality, Bladescape, Knightstar, and Diemond were concerned that forty players would quickly overwhelm them for purchases. That wasn't considering answering any questions or consultations, which could easily tie someone up for a good amount of time.

They were opening at 5 pm and it was 4:30. The line outside was already quite long. Players had been hearing so much about the style of the Wondercolts and how they were made in house, especially after their successful "second arrival" and then Natora’s success in leading the floor boss fight on the fifty-seventh floor. That had generated a lot of attention on the Wondercolts, all positive. Plus the marketing campaign in the paper.

Many players didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to snatch elite fashion from the elusive designer of a major frontline guild. Ashley might not take custom orders anymore, but she had a store. Diemond was literally unavailable since she was a member of the Assault Team. Tonight, they would be open until 10 pm, to allow for the crafters and business owners the opportunity to come after they closed for the day. There was no need for them to close early. The clearers had a much easier time adjusting their schedules, but they too didn't have to worry about missing the sale. Tonight wasn't the only time either. All weekend long they were hosting it, unless they sold everything. Saturday would be a fourteen hour day, 8 to 10. Sunday would run them only ten hours as they planned to wrap it up at 6 pm. It was going to be a mentally brutal weekend with little rest, but it would be worth it to have Diemond's clothes out there among the general populace, as well as to help Diemond finally recoup the costs she had sunk into leveling her crafting, including maxing her sewing and light metal armor. She was rapidly advancing heavy metal armor.

The door to the antechamber was closed, but the exterior door was already open. Malus opened the inside door and spotted Bladescape. Clearly Bladescape was the one Malus wanted. The crowd outside was angry. That much was clear from the noise they were making. Bladescape quickly headed over to her friend and Malus slipped all the way inside, closing the door behind her.

"Uh, Fuurinkazan showed up to discuss business, guild to guild," Malus explained. "They're in the waitin room. I told ‘em it ain't a good time, but they pressed that it was important. The crowd thinks they're gettin early access to the sale. Ain't nothin more we can do to make em understand that ain't the case."

Bladescape gave Malus a nod. "Somehow I'm not surprised that Klein picked such a bad time to come talk business. I can speak with him until we open the doors."

"Just him, or all of em?" Malus asked.

Bladescape had misunderstood that it wasn’t just Klein, not that it mattered. "All of them," Bladescape decided. "I know they will leave when asked. Klein may be a goof and the rest are sometimes barely any better, but they are mature enough to follow that simple of a rule."

Malus just nodded and opened the door, telling them all to come in. She held open the door for them, but then headed back out front to back up Reisenki.

"So, what brings you by, at such an inconvenient time?" Bladescape asked. She wanted to get straight to the point.

"Actually the sale," Klein said.

"Malus said you didn't want early access," Bladescape immediately stated. She had to control the situation. They might be friends, but that didn't necessarily make them more important customers. At least not for early access. They could get in line with everyone else.

"We're not," Klein replied. "We figured you could use some extra hands, hence why all six of us are here. Eleven isn't a lot and you made a very big deal out of the sale. The line of players waiting is testimony to the player's excitement, but it's eleven of you. Diemond makes fabulous stuff, which we personally know, and we’re pretty certain you could use some help you can trust."

Bladescape was not ready for such a mature answer, especially after how poorly he started the discussion. She didn't know what to say.

"We certainly could," Diemond said, joining their conversation. Obviously they had been overhead, not that they were speaking quietly. "We could use a few more hands, but this setup doesn't make hiring help easy. You're right, I didn't know who to trust that was not already committed elsewhere, especially since I wanted players knowledgeable in each category and none proved to have that knowledge. That plan may have failed, but I know we can trust you. You are better than nothing and I’m positively certain you will all do a wonderful job. You do know the hours for the weekend, right?"

“Yes,” Klein said with an affirmative nod. “We can be here all weekend for the listed times.”

"I'm in favor of it too," Knightstar said, joining them. "We are stretched thin. Final call is on you, Bladescape."

"Okay," Bladescape said with a nod. If Diemond wanted it for the sale, she got it. "I won’t deny the help, but first we need to discuss the payout. It doesn't sound like you are doing this out of the kindness of your heart."

"That stings," Klein said, acting like he had been deeply wounded by the comment. "Although it's sort of true. We’re trying to get a new place and figured this would be a better way than grinding in the fields for col and items to sell. Easier too. Well, compared to fighting. It's been a rough week. We get a break of sorts and get to help out our friends. A win-win scenario, for us and you.”

"My offer is three percent of the profit per player," Diemond said. "That should be fair. We expect to make a lot. The Wondercolts members are not expecting to get paid, but I was planning on giving them a percentage of the sales as thanks. I'll simply solidify it at three percent across the board. I'll still recover most, if not all, of what I spent on materials. I'm that confident in what I made and our prices, as well as our marketing. Does that sound fair to you?"

"Absolutely!" Klein exclaimed. "We were hoping for a set compensation. I'm not sure whose hand I'm supposed to shake or in what order."

"It would be mine," Diemond said. They shook on it. "Now, if all of the men in Fuurinkazan would come with me, I have ensembles to put each of you in, so people know you are working for us."

"Someone should join Blade on security," Knightstar advised. "And another should swap with Reisenki so he can help Konpeito in the kitchen."

"Klein will go with Bladescape and Dale can help Malus," Diemond dictated. She had already sorted out all of their roles. "You two need to stay in your armor, although I want to put you in sashes."

Bladescape, Malus, and Reisenki were wearing their armor to reinforce the idea that they were in charge, although none of them were carrying weapons or shields. Malus and Reisenki had blue sashes on which matched their guild's colors, but Bladescape was wearing a gold one since the blue would blend in with her armor. It was a good way to tie them into the guild while they played their role. Konpeito was in one of her chef outfits, which was colorful. Diemond was in an elegant blue and gold “robe de style” dress. Everyone else was in blue robes, inspired by Tibetan monks, with golden sashes and ties around their waists. Diemond put Fuurinkazan in the same thing, except the robes were gold and they used blue sashes. Clearly she had made both blue and gold versions in order to decide which to use.

Dale swapped with Reisenki, who switched to his black and red chef outfit and joined Konpeito in the kitchen. Issin was sent to the men's section to help Kiefer. Kunimittz and Harry One were placed in the armor section to help Natora. Diemond shifted Knightstar to help with the women's section. Knightstar would be more useful there than Thunderborne.

Thunderborne and Dynamm were placed in the antechamber. With more hands helping, they switched payment tactics. It didn't take long to set up two checkout tables. The new tactic would help deter thieves as well. Without needing to do the sales, it freed everyone else up to solely assist customers as best as they could. Everything had a price tag on it and they had advertised the sale as priced to sell. There would be no bartering. They didn't have time to go through that process. Everyone was updated on the new plan.

With two minutes until opening, Diemond opened the inside doors. Bladescape quietly observed as she stepped up to the front doors, and took some deep breaths. As soon as the clock changed to the hour, she stepped out of their headquarters to quickly address the customers. “Welcome to the first day of Diemond’s Dazzling Boutique Blowout! Look your best, outside of your best! Please stay organized in line, be patient, and be courteous. We will get to everyone as soon as possible, but for the sake of order and a better shopping experience, we are limiting the number of players allowed to be inside at any given time. As soon as someone leaves, the next in line will be allowed in. To ease the shopping experience, we have several stations with water and a delicious assortment of confections for your enjoyment. As a final note, thank you for coming out!"

Bladescape watched Diemond confidently stroll back inside as Malus and Dale began to let people inside. It quickly became a sea of shoppers. Everyone was wearing a lot of different things. Plenty of players came in their armor, likely needing something besides it to wear. It got noisy, just from the general chatter, but they were not overly loud. Bladescape recognized several members of the Assault Team or clearing effort.

It was quite easy to tell who was surviving and who was thriving. It didn’t really matter, as there was plenty of stuff with prices to fit most budgets. The sale had been advertised as such for a reason and it was bringing in players from all different floors and economic statuses. Knightstar, Soryuto, and Reisenki had scouted what was being sold by other tailors to help set the prices. Diemond’s stuff was much better, both in aesthetics and quality, as most tailors were using the system to make their garments, not free-handing like Diemond was. They also were not trained in fashion. Mishe was a good, central location for this to happen at. The lower level players felt safe on Floor Thirty-Five. It was a popular city to stay at and many were hunting on the floor and the five above and below it.

Bladescape and Klein did move positions as they ran security. Someone was almost always in front of the stairs, but they checked on all of the areas and made their presence known. The kitchen was marked off limits and their two cooks being inside would eliminate any issues. Being posted by the inside doors, overlooking the checkout tables proved to be a good location and it allowed Bladescape and Klein the ability to nonverbally communicate. Whenever Bladescape was by the checkout tables, she tried to track the sales statistics. Her best guess was that at least half of the shoppers purchased something.

Players were enjoying the water and treats available as they shopped. It was mostly a variety of small cookies, things Konpeito could quickly and easily churn out. With Reisenki now in the kitchen, they could do even more, but it was still centered on bite sized baked confections that were easy to hold in one hand. That was another thing Diemond wanted for the sale. It was a common stereotype that bridal shops provided champagne and cake for shopping brides. While some did, most didn't, yet the idea behind the silver screen trope held true: comfortable and happy customers were more likely to buy something. They couldn’t provide a one-on-one experience for each shopper with their small numbers, but they could offset that inability with the bribery foods. It was a simple thing Diemond wanted for the three day sale. It cost the guild very little to fulfill that request and there was no reason not to. It also kept Konpeito in a place where she would be more useful and not be a problem if she was a little distracted.

The craziness of the first few hours dramatically slowed down at nine. The fanatics had been in line early and the news had not had the time to spread by word of mouth. An ad campaign was one thing, but word of mouth recommendations carried more weight. Tomorrow was guaranteed to be busier, all day long.

Bladescape went into the dining room to check on the customers there as she did her security rounds. Two customers were looking at things. One was checking out shirts and the other was looking at some jackets. Both Issin and Kiefer had clothes in their arms, holding them for the respective customer they were helping. Bladescape recognized the one who was checking out a black, long sleeve shirt with gray piping from the shoulders to the cuff.

She walked up right behind Kirito, keeping her voice low. "Don't you think black is a little over done?"

He glared at her from the corner of his eye as he glanced over his shoulder. "What's it to you?" He sniped. "Black is the only color I look good in."

"Alright, alright," Bladescape said, taking a step back. "I'm just surprised to see you here. Glad to see you, but a bit surprised. I figured this would be too high profile for you."

"Have you seen what others are selling?" Kirito asked, still just looking over his shoulder. He wasn't going to turn around. "And their prices? High cost for average quality and lackluster designs. They get away with it because only a few players make decent enough clothes to sell. I refuse to pay their extortion fees. This sale doesn't come with those fees. They are selling crappy socks that cost more than this shirt. I have enhancements and equipment to pay for. You know how expensive those get, particularly when you have to pay for materials to be gathered by others."

"Yeah," Bladescape nodded. "I do. Saving money is never a bad thing, especially when you're getting a better product. I’ve never looked at the price of socks. I think I only own the pair that I started with." Bladescape had to think about it. "They are always under my boots. I'm always in boots. Everything is automated with the menu. Do I even use socks?"

"Yes, Darling, you do," Diemond said as she entered the room. "And no, I've never updated anyone's socks. They are nice for cushioning boots or shoes and can help keep feet warm in cold areas, but they don't have any defensive stats. They are the most energy intensive garment to make and they require a special loom which only can make socks. The prices players sell them at are absolutely ridiculous. I probably need to make some for us. They are just such a nightmare to produce for something so small."

"I'm not even going to ask how socks are made IRL," Bladescape stated. "I'm guessing I don't want to wade into that deep of a pond."

"That shirt will look good on you, Kirito," Diemond said, moving them along. "Assuming you want to stay with the dark and shady scoundrel look. I did actually make that shirt with you in mind. I was playing with emboldening the black motif. The shirt turned out well, however, I still haven't figured out how to embolden the motif. It is a motif for a reason."

"I don't know what you mean when you say that," Kirito admitted.

"Most people don't, dear," Diemond replied. "I'm used to it by now. Pay no heed to my ramblings. Just make sure you have a cookie or two before you go, if you haven’t already."

Diemond walked off, muttering to herself. Bladescape just shrugged to Kirito. She didn't know what to say and Kirito wasn't much of a talker. Bladescape left him to his browsing since Kiefer was helping him. Bladescape did see Kirito leave several minutes later with a few items, all dark colors, including the shirt.

It was just past nine-thirty when another surprise entered. Lisbeth was instantly recognizable, even with the recent change from brown to pink hair. She now had a white pin holding some of it back from falling in her face, a nice touch. The cloaked figure walking beside her was not instantly recognizable. At least not until Bladescape saw the telltale white boots. Asuna's fame was increasing rapidly due to photos posted in the paper and she has been a central figure. The lower floors were not a place she could easily walk around without getting mobbed by fans. The closer to the front, the more normal it was to see her there. With only a dozen or so players browsing, Asuna pulled her hood back to be more comfortable.

"Lisbeth!" Diamond exclaimed, dashing over to embrace her. "Darling, you are looking lovely this evening. Asuna, dear, you are looking your usual, lovely self as well. I love the cloak, it's a wonderful shade of caramel, although you looked better in a brighter red. Yes, I understand why you need it and why you don't want red. Is there anything in particular that brings you fine ladies here tonight?"

"Lis needs something better than these stiff blacksmith clothes," Asuna stated. "Something cute which will tie in well with her hair and be better for the shop."

"This is all Asuna's idea," Lisbeth groaned. "First the hair, now my clothes. It's interesting being on the other side of things with the Wondercolts, but I'm still not thrilled. I look fine." The last comment was to Asuna.

"Fine is not fabulous," Diemond stated before Asuna could argue with Lisbeth. "Or fierce or fantastic. You can continue to look like a boy in those smith clothes, or…wait, do those actually give you some type of protection? I never wear leather or canvas while forging, but all of the smiths do."

"No," Lisbeth sighed. "It’s all to fit the look of a blacksmith, which is why Asuna dragged me here. Better here with you than, well, almost any other so-called designer."

"Lighten up, Lis," Asuna said, gently elbowing the sour smith. "Enjoy the moment."

"Yes, darling," Diemond added. "Enjoy it. We'll ensure you look fabulous and feel fantastic."

Bladescape couldn't help but smile as Asuna and Diemond all but dragged Lisbeth into the meeting hall. Bladescape hadn't previously thought about how Lisbeth looked since she was a blacksmith, but Asuna and Diemond certainly had. Diemond knew where everything was originally put and what was initially available. In no time she would have Lisbeth buried under a mountain of clothes to try on. It was fun having the roles reversed, even though Bladescape wasn't helping or observing.

"Who was that?" Klein asked as he ate a cookie. "I mean the chick with Asuna. I obviously know who Asuna is, although we have never been formally introduced. Somehow that always gets skipped."

"The smith Lisbeth," Bladescape explained. "She enhances the Wondercolts' weapons. She designed all of our weapons too." Bladescape almost reminded him that Lisbeth was at the Christmas celebration, but decided to hold back for the moment.

"So she's the one who made that fancy new sword you're swinging," Klein stated. "She's cute. Is she single?"

And that was why Bladescape held back. Klein couldn't be trusted. Or rather, he could be trusted to inspect every woman he saw and hit on them.

"If you're smart, don't let Asuna hear you ask that," Bladescape warned. "But I honestly don't know. Neither do I care. I have more important things to worry about."

Klein shrugged as he ate another cookie. He had been sneaking them all evening. He probably thought he was clever enough to get away with it, but Bladescape had seen him every time he went to sneak one. He had done nothing wrong, which made it all the more enjoyable for Bladescape to silently muse over his antics.

Malus and Dale closed the outside doors at ten. The only customers left inside were Asuna and Lisbeth. Bladescape could hear that Diemond was currently teaching Lisbeth how to walk like a model as she showed off whatever they had her trying on. Every so often Asuna would laugh. Doombunny and Soryuto were still in the meeting room, helping or enjoying what was happening. The official closing time for their first night didn’t matter since they were close friends. Well, as close of a friend as they could get with Asuna at this time considering the guild dynamics; certainly comfortable and not acquaintances.

“I guess we’ll be back here by seven-thirty,” Klein said to Bladescape. Everyone had congregated in the hallway. They were trying to stay out of the way of Diemond and Asuna. Lisbeth didn't need more of an audience as she tried on all of the outfits. “It’s a bit of a walk to the plaza from our current house. It took us longer to get here today than planned. We wouldn't want to be late."

“Why?” Konpeito interjected before Bladescape could agree to the time.

Klein let out a tired sigh. “I guess we could rent an inn in Mishe, but we are trying to save every piece of col we can for a new place. One closer to a teleport plaza.”

“We have the guest bedroom for a reason,” Konpeito stated. “And there just happens to be six unoccupied beds up there. One for each of you."

Bladescape had been completely focused on the sale. Fuurinkazan was not a part of the original plan. She was rolling with the changes and Konpeito was right. It was why they set their spare room up the way they did. So far, just Lisbeth and Yuna’s team had used it.

Bladescape shrugged. “Why not? This is a good reason to use them and we did choose to make it into a guest room with beds. Six was the most we could comfortably fit. We intended it for friends. It's a little odd since you are currently employees and friends, but you are more than welcome to stay."

Klein flubbed his first reply and had to take a moment to rest. He was tired. The long week, plus the evening, was clearly displayed on his tired face. "We would like that very much. Thank you for the kind offer of your home.”

“I’ll make an extra fun breakfast for us all!” Konpeito exclaimed. “It'll be just like a sleepover!”

“NO!” Bladescape interjected. “Not like a sleepover.” She had to make sure Klein didn’t get any dumber ideas in his head.

“Awe,” Konpeito whined. “Can I still make a fun breakfast?”

“Absolutely,” Bladescape said with a grin as she rolled her eyes. “Make the greatest, most fun breakfast you can. It’s just not going to be like a sleepover. They are our guests, with their own guest room, and we have our own bedrooms.”

“We get it,” Klein said. "Well, maybe not Konpeito, but the rest of the guys do."

“Well, dinner’s ready!” Konpeito added. “Come into the kitchen when you are ready.”

“One moment,” Diemond said, clapping to get their attention. The doors to the meeting hall had been closed. “We’d like to see what you all think of our favorite ensemble for Lis. So, without further ado, presenting Lisbeth!"

Diemond stepped to the side, out of the doorway as one was opened from the inside. A very different Lisbeth stepping into view. There were no hints of her working with metal or around a fire or a forge. Ignoring Christmas, they had always seen Lisbeth in pants and a heavy apron. She was never publicly wearing anything very feminine.

The smith was now in a wine red outfit that looked somewhat like a waitress, except not. Lisbeth certainly did not stand like a waitress. The top had slightly puffy sleeves that ended in French cuffs. The front of the top looked like it was open to display a white blouse, but the blouse was sewn in. The matching skirt had a white underlayer that was slightly longer, giving the top layer a bit of fringe at the bottom. The wine red skirt was paired with a white apron. A red and yellow ribbon was around her neck, making full use of the blouse's collar, and it was pinned in place by a round sapphire set in gold. Lisbeth was in tan, knee-high boots that were laced all of the way up and there was the hint of a red garter on her left leg, peeking out under the skirt.

Lisbeth walked out, a bit shy at first, as she tried to model the unfamiliar outfit.

“Work that runway!” Diemond called in encouragement. Lisbeth blushed as she tried to stride more confidently.

Bladescape smiled as big as she could and clapped to encourage the smith. It couldn't be easy with all of the guys watching. Plus, Lisbeth didn't really know the guys in Fuurinkazan. All she had to judge them by was over Christmas dinner.

“Well, hello gorgeous,” Klein said as Lisbeth stopped several feet away, striking the best power pose she could muster. “Where exactly is this smithy of yours?”

Lisbeth’s eyes snapped to him as her anger flared up. She was putting herself out there in more ways than one and Klein, who was clearly a lot older than she was, had the gall to try his cheesy pick up techniques at one of the worst moments. Lisbeth’s rage was never unleashed as Bladescape's elbow slammed into Klein’s gut, just under the ribs, forcing the air out of his lungs in retaliation for his stupid, boyish ways.

“And to think you were doing so well, too,” Bladescape said as Klein doubled over in pain. “Remind me why we said 'yes' to hiring you for the sale?”

“Cause you needed help?” Klein wheezed as he collapsed onto the floor.

“Yeah, but we could have hired the rest of the guild, leaving you out of it,” Bladescape shot back.

“Good point,” Klein coughed.

"Dude," Dale said with a disappointed tone. "Lisbeth was at the Christmas celebration. Not cool, man."

“You look fabulous, Lis,” Bladescape said, putting her attention back to where it was supposed to be.

“It feels like it’s a little much,” Lisbeth stated. “I certainly don’t look like a blacksmith, or feel like one. I’m not sure if it’s me.”

“Diemond wouldn’t have sent you out unless she was confident that you could pull it off,” Bladescape replied. “Asuna wouldn’t steer you wrong either. It might take some time to adjust to it, but it looks great on you. It's very smith chic. After all, you are not just any smith. You're one of a kind with more heart and soul than most smiths.”

“I don’t always agree with Diemond’s choices for me,” Thunderborne added. “But I’ve learned to trust her because she is never wrong when it comes to fashion. Even if I’m not fully jiving it.”

Everyone else echoed their agreement or gave encouragement.

“I already promised to give it a try for a week,” Lisbeth said. “And with the price, how could I not?”

Lisbeth spotted something on a table and walked over to it. She picked up a metal breastplate. "Diemond, you made this?"

"Yes," Diemond said. "I did. I'm competent in armor smithing. That one was made before I underwent my apprenticeship. I'm even better now. I just need to learn how to forge some more unique designs than the presets in the menu. I can’t freehand metal armor designs, not like I can with fabric, but I won’t let the system dictate my fashion sense. I'm running designs and system mechanics by Knightstar and Natora."

"This is a really beautiful piece," Lisbeth said. "I can't believe this was just the system. It's styled with a personality that reflects the metal, not a preset design. You're really talented. How do you have time for it all while still fighting on the front?"

"For starters, I barely sleep," Diemond explained, walking up next to Lisbeth and looking over the breastplate, musing. "A lot of it happens at night. Second, I do most of this IRL. That makes it much easier. Fashion isn't just a love of mine, I am a fashion designer. I've been selling clothes and making custom dresses for a while, I just haven't had the capital or time to establish a proper storefront. I'm still a little young for either of those. Over the exchange program, I got to see the Tokyo fashion scene, just not as much as I wanted to. We still had time for me to catch more. I was also in several clubs at school, including the Kimono Club. I was being taught how to make kimonos, not just wear them. I live and breathe fashion."

Diemond sounded more and more wistful the longer she talked, “I put some things on pause to come to Japan. As much as I had already made my mark, I knew it would help me stand out even more, which would help me get the elite internships I want. I would already be a world traveler. A fashion designer must be comfortable with international travel; be it Milan, Paris, New York City, or London. Within the next two decades, Tokyo will be officially declared the fifth fashion capital. They are basically there already, they just need a little more support in the official channels to be admitted into the elite club. Knowing the language, culture, and a bit of the city, particularly the public transit, will be a huge advantage for me, whether it's during an internship or on my own."

"I didn't realize you were that far into the scene," Lisbeth said, sounding a little down as she polished the breastplate. "You make me feel like I've done nothing with my life."

"Darling, get those thoughts out of your head," Diemond said, rather firmly to help shut them down. She softened up. "Yes, I have skill, but I know there have been some key moments that I never could have orchestrated. Call it whatever you want; fate, luck, an unhealthy obsession with fashion for as long as I can remember, but don't try to compare yourself to me. While I typically hate to mention the topic of age, I am a few years older than you. That alone gives me an advantage that you haven't had yet. You will get your moment to shine out soon enough, like a lone star on a cloudless night. Keep putting your best into every weapon you craft and every enhancement you add. It will teach you the resilience and determination that you will need when you find what deserves your heart and soul after we get free."

"Maybe it is as a blacksmith," Malus said.

"Thanks, but I know I don't want to swing a hammer all day long in a hot forge," Lisbeth said. "For one, I don't have the strength for it. The system does most of the hard work for me and I had to push all of my stats to strength to help me do it. It's a fun thing to do, but nothing more than a hobby in a game. A way to get by."

"You and I should absolutely get lunch soon," Diemond added. "Well, it will probably need to be breakfast with my schedule. Or maybe a late dinner. Whatever, we will work it out. Just some time where we can chat a bit more freely and privately. Anyway, let's get you rung up and out of here."

"Thank you for the help," Asuna said to Diemond. "I love fashion but you have a real eye for helping someone out. I understand why now. I'm an amateur compared to you."

"Don't sell yourself short," Diemond said. "You did wonderful and you know Lis in a different way than I do. That perspective was quite helpful. It was you who steered us towards this style, letting me pull us to the finish."

"Thank you," Asuna said. "While helping Lis, there were a few pieces I spotted that I wanted to buy for myself."

"Of course, Darling," Diemond said. "I thought something had caught your eye. I can take care of both of you so everyone else can eat or finish getting ready for tomorrow. I would simply love to do it for you."

The two of them headed back into the meeting room. Lisbeth followed after them. Doombunny and Soryuto came to the kitchen with everyone else, leaving Diemond alone with the two girls so things could be a little more private as they finished everything.

Konpeito and Reisenki had made a wonderful dinner of meat pies and sweet buns that were still warm and slathered in honey. Everyone was tired and hungry so they immediately dug in. It was bittersweet, knowing that they would have a longer day tomorrow. They wanted to get to bed to be as rested as possible.

It wasn't long before Diemond joined them. She was poised and proper as she grabbed her pie. It was clear that she wanted to ravish it, but wouldn't succumb to such brutish behavior. At least not when she was merely hungry.

"I think that was a very successful start," Knightstar said. "Most people bought stuff. And we still have a lot left to sell."

"Tomorrow will be busier," Bladescape said. "We got a great start tonight which will ensure it is busier tomorrow. Word of mouth will be our ally, which is why it's good that Fuurinkazan is staying in our guest quarters."

"Oh good," Diemond said. "I thought of that earlier, but was too busy to bring it up to one of you. That makes things so much easier. I need to tidy up the women’s section, but the rest looked ready to go."

“We did our best,” Issin said. “But Kiefer and I had nowhere near what that section has.”

“Men’s fashion is well regulated with little ability to deviate,” Diemond absentmindedly said. “That’s not a bad thing. There is a lot that can be done within its confines, suits are always a good bet and can quickly be personalized or jazzed up, however it really comes down to pants and shirts for men. But the female figure has a lot more to capitalize on and a variety of standards, meaning there are three times as many styles of dresses than there are for types of suits. Plus other items like skirts and various types of blouses. Anyway, as much as I adore certain trends in male fashion, women’s fashion can keep things fresh a lot easier. Which works out fine. The women in Aincrad are more likely to come clothes shopping than the men are and the game demographics is predominantly males. The men will have a small wardrobe, but the women will shop for more and do so regularly.”

“Lots of words and things I didn’t understand,” Klein stated. “It’s a good thing you are pretty.”

Diemond let out a tired sigh. “In my circle, that was perfectly understandable. I can’t help it that you are you and I don’t hold it against you, or anyone, and not because you called me pretty. That is a fact. What I hold against you is your treatment of Lis and completely forgetting that she was at our Christmas celebration."

Klein started to protest and then let out a heavy sigh. "That's fair. I'm tired. It was a bad week and we aren't exactly making it easier on ourselves by trying to get a better place."

“Then let's head to bed,” Bladescape said. "Everyone needs rest."

It was the push everyone needed to break away and begin that process. Bladescape led Fuurinkazan to the guest bedroom, which was merely a formality since they knew where to go. At least enough for verbal directions. The Wondercolts kept the beds made up, making the process smooth. Bladescape went down to her room and quickly changed into her pajamas before falling face first into her bed.

Konpeito had an incredible amount of energy. She was baking and cooking at the same time and making it look easy. Breakfast was “leaning tower of pancakes,” with scrambled eggs, bacon, blueberry muffins, and fruit. The tower of pancakes was not exactly leaning, but no one cared. What mattered was that Konpeito had fresh 'maple syrup.' It was not easy to get in Aincrad. The Aincrad equivalent of maple syrup was something that was exclusively player made and it was a difficult process to get the sap needed.

They didn’t have a lot of time before opening. While the others were fine tuning their displays, Bladescape and Klein stepped out front with Malus and Dale. Bladescape was shocked by the number of players already lined up.

“It’s twice what it was last night,” Malus said before Bladescape could ask. “At least twice. I ain’t able to get a headcount.”

“If it stays like this, they will clean us out,” Bladescape said. “But that’s what we want.”

Diemond stepped out to greet everyone and then saw the crowd. “Yeah, not worth it,” she said. “I can’t project my voice loud enough to be heard by everyone. Malus and Dale can start it in two minutes.”

Bladescape and Klein followed Diemond back inside. Thunderborne and Dynamm were ready for the rush with paper and pencils to quickly do the math. Every price tag ended in either a 0 or 5, to make adding easy, but several items could quickly overwhelm the mind when time was a concern. Especially after a few hours when every transaction would blend together.

The start was hectic. Malus and Dale had been unable to prevent a slight surge from the enthusiastic customers. They ended up with more than forty. Bladescape had to get a headcount for them so they knew how many to let out before sending more in. Fifty-six was the final count Bladescape had scraped together.

The excitement slowly waned as the day grew older. Many of the players were there to check out the headquarters, what they could, and free snacks didn’t help deter the tourists. At least most tried to look like they were shopping or actually did shop, even if they didn’t buy anything. Bladescape didn't really blame the tourists for wanting to see what it was like in a major guild's headquarters.

Throughout the course of the day, Bladescape saw quite a few players she knew. She greeted who she could. Triston, Inge, and Photizo made appearances as intentional buyers. Lobelia, Shikiku, Yori, and Babs from Meigibu came and bought some things. They were on a mission, looking for something specific, which indicated a friend, likely in Meigibu, had shopped their sale last night. Meigibu had been growing recently. It helped that they had mostly backed out of being in boss raids. Lobelia and Kamishi still showed up when they could, hoping to be selected to fill a slot. They were in a decent number of raids.

Yulier from the Aincrad Liberation Force was another shopper Bladescape knew. Her Army uniform quieted the shoppers, something that clearly disturbed Yulier, until Bladescape exuberantly greeted her. Diemond had come out of the men’s section because of the silence that had fallen over the crowd and treated Yulier to her personal attention. Their happy greetings and acceptance of Yulier was enough to break the spell silencing the shoppers.

Tioga and Arroya, who had worked with Yuna before she fell in battle, came in together to shop. Bladescape was able to greet them since she was posted by the transaction tables. Shaka came a little while later, with a girl Bladescape didn’t recognize on his arm. He was clearly still trying to impress her, so Bladescape greeted him. The girl, who was an impressionable woman at least as old as Bladescape, was dazzled by him being known by a Wondercolt.

Hakowaru was someone Bladescape hadn’t seen in a while. He was typically running alone or in small groups. The Wondercolts had given him an axe before the first boss fight. He had defended Natora after the duel. He no longer was using axes. Instead, Hakowaru used a Kusarigama, which was a very difficult weapon to use, let alone get access to. Less than six players used them and Hakowaru was the first and rumored to be the best. Bladescape couldn’t speak with him because she was by the stairs, but Natora struck up a conversation before helping him with their armor selection.

Diemond greeted someone Bladescape didn’t know, Hikari, who was clearly a smith and who Diemond knew more than just by name. Diemond showed her into the women's section. Meanwhile, Natora greeted someone she knew, Failsafe, and she used English for the initial greeting and exchange before switching to Japanese. Failsafe was a two-handed swordswoman who was looking for new boots that matched the obsidian armor she was wearing. Her green boots did not pair well with her black battle dress.

The rest of the shoppers mostly blended together in Bladescape's mind. She could only remember so many of the faces as she sought to also keep an eye out for thieves. Players stood out from time to time for various reasons. Sometimes it was the armor or clothes they wore, other times it was for being really tall or having brightly colored hair.

A young girl, who couldn’t be more than thirteen, stood out; not because of what she wore — although her red combat ensemble was very high quality and noteworthy — but because of who she was with. Or rather, what she was with. On her shoulder was a Feathered Little Dragon. She was a beast tamer and it was an impressive beast to have tamed. The tiny dragons were not to be trifled with. A small group of them had tried to tear apart the Wondercolts after either Thunderborne or Natora, possibly both, upset one of them. They were fast, agile creatures and had healing abilities, making it a difficult fight. This one was quite docile and not rattled by the crowd, but that likely would change if its master was in trouble.

Lunch and dinner were handled in the same manner. Klein or Bladescape would rotate from security to covering the position of the next person on break. If the player was actively working with a customer, things got complicated. The transaction tables were another bumpy place. The easiest switches were the door guards. Everyone got their well deserved break and meal, albeit both were short.

The evening saw more players from the front lines coming in their armor. Bladescape was by the inside doors when one of her favorite players stepped through.

“Godfree!” Bladescape exclaimed in greeting.

“Bladescape!” Godfree replied, smiling as they bumped fists. “Fancy meeting you here.”

Bladescape laughed at the corny joke.

“Did you come to get better armor?” Bladescape shot back.

“I wish,” Godfree said, shaking his head. “I’m sure it could give my current set a proper challenge, but the guild rules dictate I must get it from the same guy who gave the biggest bribe to Daizen. That can only change if someone new bribes Daizen even more.”

Both of them laughed heartily at the comedic bits.

“I'm here partially to spy on you,” Godfree added. “I wanted to check out your place. It’s nice. It could use some seating, but you have plenty of room to work with.”

Bladescape laughed. Godfree always brought a smile to her lips and heart. And not just because of his orange-brown curls and beard. He was the friendliest member of the KoB. When their level training crossed, he was very willing to swap training information, or just chat, while both of them waited to get into rotation.

“You guys are on Floor Thirty-Nine, in Nolfret, right?” Bladescape asked. She had never visited their headquarters.

“Actually, yesterday we moved,” Godfree said. “Now we occupy a spot in the all steel city of Granzam. It fits what we need better, but I hate that city. It’s windy, cold, and there are no trees or greenery.” Godfree let out a single laugh. “I was thinking of getting a Bonsai tree to brighten my space up and then I realized I don’t even know where to get one!”

Konpeito stopped in front of them, balancing a tray on her head and one in each hand. “Grown tree, seed, or seedling?” she asked Godfree.

“Uh, tree?” Godfree said. “I’m afraid I wouldn’t have time to grow it from a seed. But do you need help with the trays?”

“Nope!” Konpeito exclaimed, popping up on one foot. Despite their wobble, she didn’t spill anything. “You should really try the snickerdoodles.”

“Which ones are those?” Godfree asked.

Bladescape pointed them out since Konpeito couldn’t remember. They were on the tray balanced on her head. Bladescape also took one.

“Kotai recently moved his shop to Algade,” Konpeito explained. “He sells both trees, seeds, and seedlings, whichever way you decide to go. He also sells cacti, aloe vera, ferns, orchids, and potted bamboo. Anything and everything you need for a kokedama you can find at his shop. He will even help you set one up, for a price, which I found reasonable, but then I remembered I kind of need my bed. I settled with a rock garden instead. Much more comfy to sit on.”

With that, Konpeito was gone, dancing around the customers with practiced ease while not spilling anything. She set a tray on an empty one, then used the free hand to shift items from the other two, before pulling out the empty tray and heading to the next station to continue refilling them.

“She always amazes me,” Godfree said. “Her agility, how hard she can hit with that axe, or punch. Somehow she stays on point, despite having no focus. It's an interesting balance she finds. These cookies are amazing. What did she call them?”

“Snickerdoodles,” Bladescape answered, chuckling. He was right about Konpeito. “It’s a sugar cookie rolled in a lot of cinnamon sugar before it's baked.”

“So this is how people get diabetes,” Godfree said with a laugh.

Bladescape let out a laugh of her own. “It certainly doesn’t help. Moderation is key. Konpeito has been able to make almost anything she could normally bake. The only two she hasn’t figured out yet are marshmallows and ice cream. The ice part of ice cream is her biggest issue. No NPCs sell it either.”

“Huh, I hadn’t noticed, but you’re right,” Godfree said. “Now I want some.”

“Sorry,” Bladescape said with a shrug. She held up a spare snickerdoodle as an offering. Godfree took it without hesitation. “Other than spying on us, did you have something in particular that you were looking for?”

“Well, I’m looking for a few things, but the most pressing is red socks," he explained. "I noticed during this move that I only have one pair of socks, so I figured I ought to fix that oversight.”

“Join the single pair club,” Bladescape said with a sly smile. “I learned last night that I only have one pair too. Apparently they are a giant pain to make. Diemond doesn’t make socks.”

“Darn!” Godfree exclaimed. “The prices the others want for them are exorbitant.”

“So I hear,” Bladescape replied. “You’re not the first person who has had them on their list and complained about their going rate.”

Diemond stopped in front of them. “Would you two be sweethearts and take three steps to your left?” she asked, as she directed them with her hands. “So you are not blocking half of the entrance.”

“Oh, sorry,” Bladescape said as she stepped to the side. “I should have paid attention to that.”

“And the price they are selling their threadbare socks is tantamount to thievery,” Diemond added. “I will endure the torture and start making some socks. What color, Godfree?”

“I was looking for red,” Godfree said, surprised. “But if it’s that much of a hassle, don’t worry about it.”

“Don’t think anything of it, darling,” Diemond said. “I may hate their production, but I want to rescue whoever I can from their greedy hands. Besides, it makes it all the sweeter when the recipient receives them and I know they really appreciate it.” Diemond was gone without another word.

Godfree looked at Bladescape and she just shrugged. “You said those were your first. What else were you looking for?”

“I’m hunting for a good coat or cloak that will keep me warm in that iron monstrosity they call a city,” Godfree explained. “Also, I now need warmer clothes. My room just feels colder now. I have been able to keep Heathcliff from sending me to a place of my own, because I do too much with training and our general members. I need to be there. He set me up with the second nicest room, his being the nicest. Anyway, that’s part of the reason why I noticed I only had one pair of socks. I never noticed while packing, but when I tried to kick back and relax last night, well I usually did that without socks to stretch my toes. But it was too cold. Not that my socks smell or are dirty, but it felt wrong putting them back on.”

“Slippers,” Diemond said as she walked past them again. “Specialty footwear.”

“She had made so much,” Bladescape stated. “We didn’t realize just how much she had until a little over a week ago.”

“With all I can see, I hope she is close to maxing sewing,” Godfree said.

“First or second to max it,” Bladescape said. “She didn’t let fighting on the front slow her down. Apparently, while I was doing my overnight runs, she was doing the same but making clothes. I don’t know where she is for metal crafting, but she has to be steadily progressing in those skills. Sometimes her fashion sense doesn't pair well with armor, which isn't her fault. They are two different fields for a reason.”

“Clearly,” Godfree said. “I know who made your snazzy new armor. They did a good job and Diemond should be very proud of taking care of all that she does. Needing help on a few pieces, well I was only half kidding about the armor earlier. I don’t believe there was ever a bribe, but we have our maker. He isn’t part of the guild. She is. That’s very impressive.”

“We probably need to say it more to her,” Bladescape said. “But, let’s get you into a pair of slippers. I happen to know where the specialty footwear is. We can start there.”

“Happen to know?” Godfree asked.

“Klein and I are doing security,” Bladescape explained as she walked to the other end of the hallway. “We keep people from fighting over one of a kind pieces and watch out for thieves. Also we make sure no one tries to sneak upstairs.”

“Have fights broken out?” Godfree asked.

“Thankfully, no,” Bladescape said. “But a lot of what is being sold are one of a kind pieces or very limited runs, so it is a valid concern.”

“And thieves?” Godfree asked.

“As far as we know, no one has tried to proliferate anything under our watch,” Bladescape replied as she stopped in front of the table with unisex boots and shoes.

Nothing out were slippers. Bladescape checked the chest under the table and found them in the inventory list. Quite a few. Bladescape couldn’t tell what the names meant, so she had to pull each pair out. She put them on the table, one by one, for Godfree to examine. There were a variety of styles and materials; open heel, closed heel, clogs, moccasins, and even boots.

Bladescape stood up and found Godfree examining a pair of black moccasins with fur lining. It looked like the Alder Furmus Fur Bladescape had gotten while getting her dagannoth hides. “I have to say, I love the one size fits all policy.”

“It is handy,” Bladescape said with a grin. “Especially for a man of your size.”

“Daizen pushes the limit with everything he puts on,” Godfree shot back with a laugh. “I have to drag him out into training in a few days so he stays with the level quotas. He’s great at finances and bad at everything else. I would love to say that he would get in shape if he could, but even I don’t believe that!”

There were a number of portly gamers who had gotten caught in their real bodies when Kayaba changed the rules. There was no way to trim down or bulk up in SAO. If there was a fitness program or way, someone would have found it by now and capitalized on it.

Godfree settled on the black pair of slippers as Bladescape quickly organized them on the table. They went to the men’s section, but none of the coats found his fancy and the cloaks were as light as his normal one was. They did find a few different pairs of warm lounge pants and shirts. He chose two matching pairs, green and blue. Godfree didn’t want to wear the KoB guild colors all the time, especially in his private room.

As Godfree left, Agil arrived. “Man, I can’t believe the buzz about this sale,” he immediately said, laughing. “I had to come down and see it for myself. I’ll need to speak to Diemond about letting me sell some of her stuff. That would be a huge moneymaker.” Bladescape rolled her eyes at Agil. “That was Godfree of the Knights. He’s third in command and he came here in his armor, not even trying to hide it.”

“He was hoping we had reasonably priced socks,” Bladescape stated, taking down Agil with logic and facts. “And he didn’t care who saw him because he and I are pals.”

“Look at you, networking,” Agil prodded. “But do you have socks? I can’t find a pair that isn’t either way overpriced or barely together.”

“No, we don’t,” Bladescape said. “Diemond hates making them. Apparently it's time consuming. More than you would think. She always preferred a needle and thread, not yarn and looms.”

“I guess that makes more sense about why they're priced so high,” Agil stated. “Maybe I should start sewing so I can sell decent pairs in my shop.”

“With the rest of the cardboard items?” Bladescape asked.

Agil just rolled his eyes at the joke. “So, you actually hired Fuurinkazan to help?”

“That’s the gist of it,” Bladescape said with a shrug. “They showed up, offering to help, and we were short handed. It’s worked out well.”

“You know, there are some rumors going around,” Agil quietly said. “They say either Klein is trying to snipe Kiefer and Reisenki, or that he is trying to court you.”

“Ha ha,” Klein sarcastically said as he came up behind them. “What’s the cardboard sword swindler doing here?”

“I can come for clothes,” Agil replied. “Plus, I’ve been friends with the Wondercolts longer than you have been; since the first boss raid. I really came to see if the rumors are true. So, are you sniping their members or pursuing Bladescape?”

“You think you’re clever with that second one?” Klein asked.

“I think I know you and you dog on most of the girls in this game,” Agil shot back. "If not every single one."

“He may not be that smart, but I am,” Bladescape stated. “Besides, he literally hit on someone last night with me standing beside him. A young high schooler.”

“Whatever,” Klein said, waving his hand as he walked off, rather than be verbally reprimanded by the kindly giant.

“I’m going to have to come up with a better fake rumor,” Agil said. “I’m not sure what would be better to bug him with.”

“I’m not thinking straight,” Bladescape said. “You know Lisbeth, the smith. She came in to get a new outfit. That’s who he tried to hit on, as she modeled what Diemond had helped put her in. While she was clearly nervous about the choice. We still haven’t told him where her shop is.”

Agil grimaced. “Ouch, that’s really poor form, even from him.”

“I put him in his place,” Bladescape added with a shrug. “Otherwise, he has been well behaved. Enough so that they are staying in our guest room. This has been a tough two days for us and we still have tomorrow to go.”

“Good luck on that,” Agil said. “Since you don’t have socks, I’ll get out of your way. If Diemond ever decides to make them, I’ll pay a fair price!”

“I’ll let her know,” Bladescape said as he started to walk away. “Grab a cookie or two on your way out and have a good night.”

“Will do,” Agil said as he snagged a few cookies from a tray he passed. “Catch you later!”

During her usual rotation, Bladescape saw Diemond greet a few people personally. They definitely were designers. They were seeking her out and also wanting to see what she had done.

Another player who came by that surprised Bladescape was Phainda. She stood out partially because she was looking for Diemond. There was something deeper happening, but Bladescape had no idea what and had not been close enough to covertly listen in. Phainda was in the relatively new look of the AMC. It was based on some British guy’s idea for men’s fashion in the early nineteenth century. Bladescape only knew that because of her last contract, when she inquired about the formation of their new look. Whoever their designer was, they did a wonderful job making the AMC stand out yet look professional, however, they had used an unknown designer. Phainda’s accent colors for her boots and fancy cravat tie was red, while Siel was in blue. The warehouse staff were in green. They had launched a few brokers under Phaindra who were able to also submit contracts and they were in gold.

Things stayed busy until 9:30. They hadn’t been worried about restricting people for a few hours, but it suddenly went dead, with the last few customers in line to check out. Bladescape turned around to survey the current stock she could see to get a sense of how much they had sold. She didn’t start as several gasps came from the players. Bladescape turned back around and saw Argo brazenly walking between the two lines. Her hood was down, openly displaying her whiskers.

She came right up to Bladescape, getting into her personal space. “So, having a little sale? Kind of cheesy doing it out of your house.”

“Well, The Rat would know cheese,” Bladescape retorted.

“Dang!” Argo hissed. “I walked right into that one.”

“If you’re here for socks, Diemond hasn’t made any,” Bladescape added. “That was why Agil stopped by. That and to see the event with his own eyes. He wasn't the only one, but the others had more items they were looking for.”

“Dang, I don’t have any extra socks, do I?” Argo growled. “But that isn’t why I’m here. I’m actually here to shop. Believe it or not, I don’t always wear this. I wanted to come last night while the pickings were fresher, but I got caught up with…work troubles. Enough about me. Let’s see what’s left.”

Argo stepped around Bladescape and headed into the meeting hall. Bladescape just shrugged and went back to surveying what was left. The best of the armor was gone. There were still plenty of intermediate pieces left. The men’s section was about a third of its original size. The women’s section was about the same. It was harder to tell because it was significantly larger in both number of articles and the layout.

Knightstar leaned against the wall beside Bladescape. She looked worn out from helping customers all day, without the chance to sit down. They watched Argo browsing different sections. It looked haphazard, but Argo never did anything haphazardly.

“The women in SAO have been dying for fashion,” Knightstar finally said. “They are each buying a lot to compensate for the missed opportunities.”

“Anyone asking you about socks?” Bladescape asked.

“Stockings, but we only have leggings,” Knightstar said. “Why?”

“Apparently socks are super overpriced, poorly made, and everyone needs them,” Bladescape explained. “Actually, it was always the guys mentioning them.”

“That makes sense,” Knightstar said. “Have you seen the shoes Diemond has displayed? Most don’t need socks. You don’t want to detract from them by wearing socks. Men’s and Women’s shoes are very different entities.”

"I know that, but it's so easy to forget that stuff while living in Aincrad," Bladescape said. "I only ever wear combat boots. But, an important question, if you are willing to speculate-"

"Yes, Diemond has made up for all of her material costs," Knightstar answered. "Even with the cuts she is giving out, it's more than enough. Our sales estimates were to have this much left tomorrow evening. We are in a very good position. The pickings are getting slimmer, but there still is plenty of variety. I'm honestly glad Asuna brought Lis. Asuna can vouch that we aren't milling around, doing nothing. Also, it happened last night while the selection was better."

"So can Godfree," Bladescape said. "He came by. He wanted socks and some warmer clothes. They just moved to Granzam."

Knightstar shivered. "Ugly city, and cold. I can understand why they would though. Their guild has considerations that we don't. Size is a major factor. I like this place, but the Knights have moved twice now. We can't afford to get left behind, even if this is a stellar place. Image matters. We have to project strength and stability. That includes financial. We did a good job at that with our new armor and equipment, but the best way to show off financial stability is to get a newer place closer to the front. I like Mishe. It is quaint. I have no problem with the residents, but we are technically starting to slum as the front line moves away from us."

"It's important to think about, but not an immediate issue," Bladescape said. "Thanks for the input. I shouldn't be surprised at some of the people we know who came, but I was. Even Argo is a surprise."

"Well, she does love Diemond's work," Knightstar said as Diemond was advising Argo over a dress. "I have lost track of how many times Diemond has remade her cloak, updating it with newer materials and better stats. That woman from the army was a big surprise."

"She silenced the whole place," Bladescape said. "Just by entering. That's odd and concerning. I know Yulier is a good person, so what is going on down there?"

"I don't know," Knightstar said. “Did you catch the dragon tamer?”

“Do you mean the girl with the Feathered Little Dragon familiar?” Bladescape asked.

“Yeah,” Knightstar nodded. “I had only heard of her, they call her Dragon Tamer, but what is more interesting is that Doom and her are not merely acquainted, they know each other quite well. I was on the other side of the room with a customer, but she made a beeline for Doom once she spotted her. I didn't get the sense that it was a newer friendship, I think it goes back much further, before they had familiars. The dragon is so comfortable with Doom that it hopped onto her shoulders, so it could watch its master as she gauged clothes that caught her eye. Doom even opened her inventory and pulled out whatever treats it eats and fed it. As in she already had some with her.”

“I had no idea,” Bladescape said. “I never saw any of that, but Doom has always been good at disappearing and being quiet. Konpeito knows everyone and everyone knows she knows everyone. Diemond is more subtle, she knows the people in her line of work. Doom sneaks friends in. No one realizes she is even gone, let alone has made friends.”

It was fun finding Fluttershy’s hidden friends, in either reality. It was always a marvel to Bladescape. There was something to the quiet kindness that was both selective and intimate. She chose her friends well and they never were surface level friendships. If she chose to invest in someone, she became good friends with them.

“As clear as their friendship was, it was equally clear that they had not seen each other in a while,” Knightstar added. “Which makes sense considering the developments on the front since the new year. But that is information and news that I keep track of. The Dragon Tamer is an intermediate player, someone within the scope of my work. You know the entire Assault Team by face, half of them by name, and many of the clearers too. Certainly all of the leaders and their guild names. Anyway, Who else did you see?"

Bladescape and Knightstar compared lists. Bladescape had missed a few people they both knew, as they went straight to the women's section. A good number from Meigibu had shopped their sale. It was fun to know that they were not just a sideshow, but seen as a legitimate sale that everyone should pay attention to.

Argo bought several pieces and disappeared into the night. Everyone celebrated the day’s success over cake and went to bed. They could quickly tidy up in the morning before they opened.

Natora stopped by Bladescape's room briefly to debrief in private. "I'm glad you helped Godfree. Not only did it give me a much needed break, you two are getting along well. We need that relationship to grow and stay strong. Asuna's been distant for a while, not that she was ever great pals with us or that I'm blaming her. She is much closer to Lis than any of us. I'm glad she came and brought Lis, but we need a solid anchor with the Knights. Godfree is that anchor. Without either of you, the relationship doesn't exist. As a guild, we need that pretty badly since the Knights are running the show. Kindly running it, but running it."

"I'm still stuck on socks," Bladescape admitted. "But yes, it's good to see that relationship maturing. He is a cool guy. He always gives me the time of day and leaves me with a smile. Asuna is friendly, but not like Godfree. I know I can get a hold of him if we need to talk. Kirito snuck in last night. I didn't see him enter."

"But you ticked him off pretty good," Natora added, chuckling. "Wait, didn't he also want socks?"

"Yeah, that was something on his list," Bladescape said. "It's on a lot of people's lists. High demand, high prices, low supply, and subpar quality. I do find it funny that Diemond hates making them."

"Huh, maybe I need to pick sewing next," Natora said, thinking. "And start my own sock empire."

"You could," Bladescape said with a laugh. "I'm not sure if you would really want to, but you could. I know Diemond is going to force herself over the next week or two to rectify our sock shortage. She seems to be mentally racking up the orders for the important players to the Wondercolts."

"Well, I hope she gives herself a break before starting," Natora said. "She is doing a good job not showing it, but this whole thing is coming down to her. We have just enough hands on deck, but all of us are subpar for Diemond's quality. Doombunny is her most qualified sales rep. I never realized how much she knows about fashion and sewing. Still, Diemond is running around more than we realize, dropping comments and suggestions, helping so many customers. Thankfully armor is more or less straightforward, she can leave that in my hands, but today I noticed her bouncing back and forth between the men's and women's sections a lot."

"I saw some of that," Bladescape said. "She stopped and spoke a few times to me and someone else. I know she stopped by when Godfree was there. We were accidentally blocking the doorway. I didn't know she had made slippers and they seemed to be what he needed, since we didn’t have socks. He left satisfied and with several other things.”

"At least they didn't cost him a lot if they don't work out," Natora said as she headed to the door. She paused. "Hey, do you think Ashley has been spying on us? During the sale?"

"Well, Argo showed up and was incredibly confident. Abnormal confidence level," Bladescape stated. "But I wouldn't be surprised if Ashley did send a team and had them make some purchases. After all, Diemond could topple her empire. I understand there are few decent designers, but none that rival Ashley. Except for Diemond, who is both not a threat and a threat. We will end up doing this again. Probably only a single day with less stuff, but Diemond will eventually have to move what she produces. That makes her a threat. One with less access than Ashley because Ashley at least has a store she keeps stocked with pieces she makes."

"That she will," Natora said as she opened the door. "We will keep a better eye on Diemond's production. I'd rather do this for a single day, not a weekend. Let's keep them shorter, even if that means adding a few more."

"Agreed," Bladescape said as Natora left.

Sunday proved to be very much like Saturday, except breakfast was quiche, scones, jam, and cheesy grits. The hype tapered off quicker than any other day, with only about thirty customers inside and no line at the door once the sale started, but it was all customers who wanted to buy stuff. A quarter of them were repeat shoppers. They often brought friends who hadn't come yet. The shoppers were almost exclusively intermediate players who could afford the day off.

The evening finished strong. They had a few customers inside when they closed the exterior doors. It was nobody important and the Wondercolts were not hard set on them leaving. They didn't kick them out, they had been let in before closing. They did their best to help them finish their shopping. They wrapped up a little over thirty minutes after their closing time, which wasn't bad. Especially since they ended much earlier than the previous two nights.

Everyone gathered around Diemond to hear what their leader, at least for the sale, had to say. "I'm very happy with the turnout and sales. So brava to you for working so hard and well over the weekend. We sold about ninety percent of everything! While I tally up the final sales in order to distribute payments to everyone, please, feel free to browse what is left and take anything that catches your eye. You deserve it."

"Payments?" Soryuto asked.

"Yes. Darling," Diemond said. "I'm giving a three percent cut to everyone who worked. I was planning on some monetary compensation for my friends and then Fuurinkazan showed up, looking to be hired. I struck the deal with them and I won't cheat my friends just because we are in the same guild. So please, if you have been eyeing something, feel free to take it. It doesn't count against you for your cut."

Everyone split up. Bladescape had seen a leather jacket in the women's section that fit her usual style. It was still there. She grabbed it and a pair of shoes she had eyed several times. Most of the boys went to the men's section, although Kunimittz wanted a pair of combat gloves and boots, plus a pair of slippers. Everyone got something and met up in the center hallway again.

"Well, we far exceeded our goal!" Diemond happily exclaimed.

She began to hand out their payment, starting with their guests. Six players in Fuurinkazan, plus ten Wondercolts, made sixteen members. They had a forty-eight percent cut of the profits while Diemond took the last fifty-two percent. It was well earned all around and what Diemond pocketed more than covered what she spent on her Skills.

Fuurinkazan took home eighteen percent, a very hefty chunk of what they needed to upgrade their home. They were going to reexamine the properties for sale to see if their profits would be enough to get someplace nicer.

Before they left, Konpeito had cake for everyone to share, to celebrate the success of the sale. Then she brought out dinner, since they had only rotated for lunch breaks. The Fuurinkazan boys were not going to say no to Konpeito's cooking. It was nice to relax, knowing they wouldn't be facing crowds of customers. Tomorrow they would go back to facing monsters and enemies in their quest to conquer Aincrad.

Episode 68 — Rise of the Necromancer

Episode 68 — Rise of the Necromancer
Ninth Day in the Month of Sakura (April 9) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 59

Bladescape led the Wondercolts out of their Headquarters and to the Teleport Plaza in Mishe. They teleported to Floor Fifty-Nine; the front lines. Argo needed their assistance on a quest that had information about the floor boss. The Wondercolts were the muscle of the operation.

Natora was partied up with Diemond, Reisenki, Knightstar, Kiefer, and Thunderborne. Bladescape had Malus, Konpeito, Doombunny, and Soryuto in her party. Argo would join Bladescape's party, if she joined one at all.

They had teleported to a small hamlet near the south edge of the Floor. Only about forty percent of the Floor was mapped, however both field bosses were eliminated. In another four or five days the Labyrinth would be found and the players would all flock to it and focus their efforts on mapping and clearing it so they could find and beat the floor boss. The Wondercolts were undertaking this quest for the good of all the players and to help a friend. The reward would hopefully be worth it, after all it was a quest, but it wasn't their primary goal.

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; in 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. Her 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's a puzzle quest. And time is currently a factor.”

“A little trouble?” Bladescape asked, alluding to the orange cursor. It wasn’t her plan to openly 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 low double digits, and I have come across a snag or two. They say the best defense is a good offense.

“But it doesn’t matter, because I couldn’t do this on my own anyway. It’s too much combat for me alone. 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. Besides, it's a one-shot quest. It’s 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, despite what the rumors might say, 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 party 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. He is notable 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," Natora 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 until the quest is over,” Argo warned them.

“We are ready for it,” Natora said. “We checked our gear and stashes before leaving. Konpeito brought plenty of food too.”

Argo stepped past the unmarked threshold, followed by Bladescape. Natora's party brought up the rear. A notification window popped up in front of everyone except Argo. Just by entering the forest, the quest was started by them all. Proximity triggers, especially trapping dungeons like this, were fairly common.

They continued on. 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 came up to Bladescape and Argo and voiced her concern. “This is starting to feel like the Forest of Wandering, which we mapped for you.”

“I don’t believe it's the same thing,” Argo said. “But you're right, 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,” Natora said. “If things go south and we get separated, well you have Argo and Bladescape while I have Knightstar. Knightstar and I can solve any maze that is set on an algorithm. And with two tanks, plus Thunder and Kiefer, we will be fine if we end up separated.”

“Then do it,” Bladescape said. “Be careful, but let’s solve this unease. We will stay posted here.”

Natora took her party and led them down the closest rabbit trail. They anxiously awaited their return as the minutes passed by. Argo had alluded 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 Reisenki with Natora, spear ready to strike over Reisenki’s shield. Kiefer was guarding their backs. They all lowered their weapons in relief and then joined up further forward.

“It was a wide circle, with two splits,” Natora reported. “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. It felt like the shadows were darting around.”

Soryuto 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,” Soryuto said, sucking it in. “The worst of it was not knowing it was coming. The claws moved right through my armor.”

"Your back has three red marks," Doombunny said.

“That’s problematic,” Natora 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’ve had armor piercing enemies before, but we’ve never had an enemy that can completely 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 their parties.

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, even Argo's claws were out, but with the monster’s focus on the cabin, they made easy work of them. The shadow creatures were more of a problem. They all 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 regular 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, from the skeletons, 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 killed. I have lived in these woods my entire life. This is my home. I built it from logs I cut with my bare hands. My dearly departed wife and I raised five children here. Each of them went off to the city to live. This is all I have left of many things, besides memories."

"I'm sorry that you feel that way," Doombunny said. "We can't solve that, but we will solve the issue with the necromancer."

"We can clear them out of this forest," Argo offered. "But surely a man of your reputation and age must know something about the big guy who holds this area hostage."

"I know not what you speak of," he said. "I only know of the Necromancer and his hold over this land."

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," he said, pointing to it. "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," he added. "I don't want to be forced out of my home by them. If I leave, it will be on my own terms!"

"Your kids are pressuring you to move in with them, aren't they?" Doombunny asked.

"Have been for years," he replied.

"At least they care enough to be concerned with your living situation," Doombunny said. "It may not be an optimal solution, but they care. That is something to cherish."

"You're kind words are wise," he said.

"Come on y'all," Malus said. "Let's kick skeleton, er, butt."

They all laughed.

"Before you go," the man said, stopping them. "Because of your kind words, I will 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 with 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 provide him access. The substance glowed on each of their foreheads and then it was absorbed into their skin.

"There!" He exclaimed as he finished with the last Wondercolt, Reisenki. "That oughta help."

Bladescape rubbed her forehead. It felt weird during and after. But if it helped them at all, that was what mattered. And they had the boost because of Doombunny's kindness.

"We have a cabin to find," Argo said. "Thank you, kind sir. We will return as soon as it is done."

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. At least they could now see their cursor and HP bars.

The first stream was crossed by walking over a set of 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 Malus's weight as she tried passing 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," Natora 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," Natora said. "It is probably either a bend in the same stream, or a 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 gray, not white. They're supposed to be white. We can't just walk over them without worrying about any consequences."

"Good catch," Natora 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," he explained.

Thunderborne got impatient. "We're 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 said with a smile. “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, Ruby Sabre, 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 just 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, putting her rapier on her shoulder. "Plus, he also admitted to being a Necromancer. Well, an apprentice, but that’s still really bad."

"He did, " Natora 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!" Natora decreed. "Thunderborne, you lead Reisenki and Soryuto in protecting the body. Don't let it fall into anyone's hands. Got it?"

"Why me?" Thunderborne posted with a whine.

Natora 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!” Argo added. “Into the cabin."

"I'm staying," Knightstar said. "A fourth defender is a good idea. Besides, you three won't need me."

"Not a bad plan," Bladescape said, accepting the revised edition.

"Cabin!" Natora 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 Natora closed the door. It was a bare cabin with few furnishings. A table, some chairs, and a couch.

"Three," Natora said, finishing counting. She opened the door and poked her head out. Their friends were still there.

Natora 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?" Konpeito asked.

"Yes, candlesticks usually come in pairs," Natora said.

Konpeito held up the candlestick she was holding. "I mean, I have one in my hand."

"Where did you get that!" Natora asked, panicking a bit.

"Relax," Bladescape said, putting her gloved hand on Natora's shoulder.

"We don't have time," Natora 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," Konpeito said, bringing them back on track. "On the mantle."

"Then put it on the other side of the mantel," Natora said. "As close as you can to being even."

Konpeito skipped the few feet to the other side, humming "Legend You Are Meant To Be."

"Hey!” she popped. “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!" Natora said, jumping to the door.

Malus stacked up first, then Bladescape, Diemond, and then Argo. Natora 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. He had two health bars.

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, not that their critical damage factor was that high.

Konpeito went with the opposite approach, whipping Gjallarhorn to her lips. She blew three long blasts. It baited a large portion of the skeleton army into focusing on them while also boosting her friends’ defense and attack.

Doombunny sent two knives flying at him. They flashed in the sunlight of the glade, displaying the shine of having drugs applied. The necromancer fell to the ground as the skeleton army ceased all attempts to march through the portal. Diemond, Malus, Kiefer, and Konpeito were already in a smooth switch system, blocking and cutting down the skeleton army. Doombunny was launching her heavier kunai at the skeletons.

"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 back on. Each had nasty blades protruding off the gauntlets, like big knives that could slash and hack an opponent apart. “Plus, I don’t want to waste a bard’s buffs.”

Bladescape nodded and they 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, Natora 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 as she played the role of support artillery from the porch. 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, Klein had it, but it was even scarier when it was used by meek and peaceful Fluttershy. Typically Bladescape saw Doombunny, but Fighting Spirit always made her see Fluttershy. The question that she always found herself asking was “how much of her friend Fluttershy was still there?” Had this game consumed her essence?

It drew the skeletons' aggro and Konpeito let out another two blasts from her horn, confusing the skeletons about who to target. Everyone else capitalized on their confusion and finished them off a minute later.

They ran back into the cabin and Konpeito switched the side of the candlestick. Malus and Natora were already formed up at the door. Argo opened it and they rushed out.

Their friends were under heavy assault, outnumbered a solid five to one, if not more. They were hunkered down behind shields trying to survive.

"HEAL!" Thunderborne's raspy voice screamed as she used a crystal on Soryuto and then she drove Quadruple pain over Reisenki and into the skeleton that was pounding on his shield

But they were no longer outnumbered so heavily as the rest of the Wondercolts plowed into the side of the Skeletons, blindsiding them. Bladescape and Argo dashed around to the other side, executing a pincer maneuver. It was effective as the skeletons shattered one by one. Their friends got the rest they needed as the aggro of the monsters was split. Reisenki, Soryuto, 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, Natora wasn't finished. "Blade, Argo, Malus, Konpeito, Doom, and Diemond, with me. Kiefer, the others are your charge."

They followed Natora back into the cabin.

"Spread out and look for anything useful,” Natora said. “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. Natora 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 Malus 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. Natora switched the candlestick and then took it with her. Argo had taken the books. They met their friends outside.

“We made it because of Konpeito’s buffs,” Thunder immediately said. “Seriously helpful. Who would’ve guessed they could go through a portal?”

“That’s really impressive magic,” Argo admitted.

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 and stuff to a wagon with an ox hooked up to it.

"You live!" The old man happily exclaimed when he saw them. "These are two of my kids and their spouses. They braved the woods for me. I leave now not because of the Necromancer, but because my children are right. Your kind words made me realize that I need to move to the city, closer to where they and my grandchildren are. 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, convincing him to leave, 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. She turned back to the old man. "But, Sir, do you know anything we can do to stop the Necromancer? What about your protective barrier here?"

"I am sorry,” the old man said. “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, just don't let him enslave anyone else."

"We won’t," Bladescape assured him.

They watched them get in the wagon and depart. The quest finished when he was out of sight. They got a ton of XP, a good amount of Col, some random items, and best of all, the ownership of the cabin, although it was split between Argo and the Wondercolts.

"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.” Her smile was coy. “Plus, a little satisfaction on the side." A few quick clicks revoked her claim on the cabin.

Natora handed Argo the candlestick. “You may need this.”

Argo simply nodded as she took it. Natora was right. It might be useful for a later part of the quest. After all, its other half was out there, somewhere.

"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 two bedrooms were empty. The kitchen was sparse, but the necessities were there, including a sink and an oven. It wouldn’t take much to upgrade everything inside. The white line was a safe zone and it could act like a door. Only approved players could step across it, unless they were invited past by a Wondercolt.

"Hey!" Konpeito called out to them from where she was in the living room. "Argo! Blade! Natora! Look what I found."

Bladescape and the others found Konpeito 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 maker’s mark.

"You don't think...?" Bladescape asked.

"No," Natora immediately said. "I think it's a misdirect. Pure and simple. But I have a growing feeling that the Necromancer is our Floor Boss. And we won't get to throw poisoned picks and knives at him."

"You have them poisoned!" Argo exclaimed. "I was trying to figure out how he was going down so fast, but once he fell, I couldn’t see him behind his skeleton horde, so I focused on the battle. Then he was leaving. Poison makes a lot of sense. I should have guessed that with Doombunny in your guild."

"Well, Doombunny’s were poisoned," Bladescape said with a sly grin. “The rest of us with Blade Throwing could easily set ours up to be as well.”

With the quest finished, they parted ways with Argo. For now, the Wondercolts went to clear a dungeon lower down for col. They would figure out what to do with the house later.

BLADESCAPE: Level 79 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 75 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 70 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce — Search
MALUS: Level 74 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 74 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 74 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 75 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 70 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search — Listen — Reveal
KIEFER: Level 72 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 70 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 72 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 69 — Catacombs

Episode 69 — Catacombs
Fourteenth Day in the Month of Sakura (April 14) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 59

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, taking the tea to the meeting hall. It tasted more like rosemary, but it gave the caffeine punch of an espresso shot. Or at least that was how it made her feel. Konpeito was not allowed to have any after the one time she had tried it. She literally had bounced off the walls, all over the place, and it ended in a sudden crash where she was out for the next 18 hours.

Bladescape sat, thinking, as she enjoyed the tea in silence. 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 her. 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 an offensive party.”

“Rough night?” Knightstar asked, putting a reassuring hand on Bladescape’s.

“Yeah, a bit,” Bladescape shrugged. “Boring mostly, but one mistake can cause 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, but the only lasting damage was my pride.”

Bladescape was briefly distracted as Konpeito skipped past the open doors, humming loudly. As much as she liked Mishe and their place, Bladescape wanted a new Headquarters. It would be nice if the meeting hall was a bit more separate. They could close the doors, but that would make it seem like they were blocking out the members from attending what was officially an open meeting. 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 “Natora will likely agree. 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’ve been slacking off," Bladescape said. She lost focus as she remembered how many nights she had slept in her bed, safe. 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 fewer 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. "Our arrival in our new gear and success in that battle proved that."

Konpeito rang the handbell she had picked up to signal a meal was ready. It could be heard anywhere inside the building.

"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, at least not 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 puts a lot of pressure on you. Natora can cover the days fine, but the overnight training is falling on your shoulders."

"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 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 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 enough that sometimes she wanted to stop advancing, wipe her skills clean, and settle down to peacefully wait it all out. She always knew that she couldn't sit still and let others do the work. She would get bored. As tired as she got, knowing there was nothing better for her, that kept her going. Somehow.

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. Good morning, Doom. It’s good to see you." Bladescape couldn’t stop the giant yawn.

Kiefer and Soryuto 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 Soryuto would.

Konpeito was good and getting better, despite having a maxed skill, but Bladescape 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 Malus, Reisenki, Kiefer, Natora, 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. They were better in boss battles, but outside of them, Thunderborne often charged ahead, alone. She relied on Malus or Diemond to cover her to the point where she opened herself up dangerously if Malus or someone couldn't support her.

She wanted to fix those problems, but it would come from fine tuning how they 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 also fought, but they needed to make their clearing days go smoother.

Bladescape got them out and on their way to Danac. As they teleported, Thunderborne and Natora 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. She never reprimanded them for it.

The two of them always kept things interesting. Natora was a great officer, but she would lapse when safe in their headquarters. Her competitive side would come out. The running in the HQ had to be stopped after they knocked Soryuto down the stairs and hit Diemond and Knightstar on the second floor. They had caused a food fight during one breakfast. It didn’t matter how small the piece of bread was, it was thrown, all that mattered was that it almost sparked a larger battle. The soccer pitch on 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, knocking people down when the ball got loose, and that was what was important.

The two of them walked too close to the edge of trouble far too often in their games. Thunderborne had once tackled Natora, innocently and out of fun, so hard it broke the harassment codes. It had earned her an orange cursor for two 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 Bloodoath to speak with their council. Godfree laughed out loud, getting a kick out of the incident. Heathcliff was silently humored by her tale. The rest of his Council wasn’t as humored. Asuna told her to reign in her guild members more. Still, the KoB’s understanding and support of the accident had been enough to stave off any other problems, particularly between the DDA and the Wondercolts. 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 they were currently clearing 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 a troublesome pattern. Bladescape 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. Natora and Knightstar were just as turned around, as there was no puzzle to solve or logic behind the structure.

Eventually a shadow popped out of the wall, trying to bait them into a chase. Their day 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 were 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. It made tweaking their strategy difficult as her own mind sometimes forgot the important stuff she wanted it to remember.

Bladescape needed the rest that the safe zone 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 it. 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 and she was a critical piece of that equation.

Meeting players in the safe zones happened fairly often. Groups stayed with their own. The smaller safe zones caused more issues if they got crowded. This visitor was not their normal. Kirito entered the safe zone to eat his own lunch. Konpeito was immediately by his side, offering him a cupcake. He happily took it. The Black Swordsman had eaten enough of her treats to not be able to deny the offer.

But that was not really where her focus was. She forgot about Kirito 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 with 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. She had to put everything she had into becoming the best; the fastest, 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. Except that solution didn’t provide her with any relief. She could only see it as weakness and inappropriate for a leader.

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 a 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 they grouped up around their party leader.

It was just in time too, as another party came towards them. It took a moment, but then Bladescape grinned as some hope filled her. It was their 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 more complete picture. She studied the mostly 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’re 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. Players you don't normally run with. 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 her 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, even 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 to start with and on top she had to lead at times. Lead, analyze, run stats, try to crack the Steps of Battle quest, 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. Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle shared a bond the others didn't. The both had crossed the line of their own goals, becoming what they did not want to be, yet were pulled back by their friends. If anyone was her anchor in this world, it was Twilight.

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 Konpeito for dinner. It was a far too common occurrence for her to forget. She would thank her in the morning. She needed to destress.

Bladescape sat down in the cushioned, high-backed chair, without putting any clothes on. She focused on breathing. In and out. Breathe 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 tried a different approach. She grabbed her bathrobe off its hook and her towel and headed to the bathroom. The large, square tubs were more than enough to stretch out during a bath. She chose the temperature and filled the tub with steaming water. Then she slipped into it, lounging in the soothing water. It took some stress away, but her mind wandered back to the issue at hand.

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. Their 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 up to them.

Except, Aincrad 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 fearless Wondercolt to lead them into battle. She was the image of the Wondercolts, to her friends and to the other players.

Bladescape left the bath as it cooled down and toweled off. She tossed her robe on for the walk back to her room. Once again behind the safe door, she popped on her sleepwear and flopped onto her bed. She didn't fall asleep. Her mind was on fire, trying to remove the battle blur 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 ascension 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 now: HP Bars, equipment stats, levels, and game information. Stats without character or personality behind them, the very things that made up a person. 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 nightstand’s lamp, it shined brightly. Not on the stand was the cape that bore their golden horse head symbol.

That was Bladescape. If she was set 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. Sunset Shimmer didn't look like that back in her true home.

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. 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 yellow and red sun was an image of her soul and her special talent in magic. 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. That was the symbol she wanted. She wanted to burn her enemies like they were standing on the surface of the sun itself.

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 consuming 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.

Out of desperation to calm her mind, Bladescape sat up in bed and pulled out her Book of Memories. She might not know what she was looking for, but it always knew. She opened it to the center and found herself rereading the conversation with Mister Shinmi during the Iaido competition.

"Good, but what is my aim?" Sunset asked.

"I wish I had learned that lesson a long time ago," Sunset snorted.

Bladescape instinctively knew what her true aim was: to beat the boss in the Ruby Palace, freeing everyone from SAO.
She felt she stood on integrity more than her own life. It was why she kept going to floor boss raids and doing what she did to clear the game. Even the overnight training, alone or with friends, was based on the integrity to clear the game for those who could not fight for their freedom. She had gotten close to laying her own life down for that a few times.

She certainly was practicing love as phrased in the text by her sacrifice and hard work to clear the game. By it, she too was brave. They were literally crashing through the barriers between floors in their quest to get to the Ruby Palace.

She turned the page and read on.

Bladescape was absolutely a warrior and locked into a war. She had been deployed for eighteen months with little respite. Still, she did strive to combat the darkness. She absolutely was rising above the others and standing strong in the midst of the storm. She had done that at CHS with the equestrian magic a few times, but now she certainly was. Kibaou wasn’t on the front, Lind had lost his edge but was still present. The Wondercolts, thanks to her, stood as one of the top guilds.

Sunset involuntarily touched her geode necklace that was hidden under the uniform. "Yeah, I have. A few times. What else?"

"I see your point," Sunset admitted.

"I never saw leadership like that," Sunset admitted.

The question was coy and it excited Sunset to see him in this playful, yet serious, light.

"What?" Sunset asked, smiling mischievously.

"That is a good one," Sunset said, nodding. "I never thought of it like that."

The morning preparations were not as formally laid out in the conversation, but she did that. From waking up to leaving the front door, she was committing herself to whatever trials the battles of the day would bring. However, she could add in the commitment to being the Wondercolts’ light. That may help her current dilemma.

Mister Shinmi was right about her being unable to not be out front, and that was said well before any discussion about SAO happened. In so many ways she already was carrying-out leadership in the way he described. She was one of the hardest training players, being the strength and pillar of her friends. She remembered that third morning, when she made the decision to first commit to that.

In many ways, her cutie mark was a spiritual aspect. It was reflected only in herself, by herself. She already was a Wondercolt from her time at CHS. She wore the colors with pride. Now she just had to commit, daily, to carrying the horse head symbol of the guild. She also had to find a better balance point for her life. Her friends needed her to be balanced in order to be unwavering in her dedication to their shared goal and to them. She was standing stronger because she was stronger. They each had their strengths, she couldn’t be standing as well as she was without them, but she was the one they rallied to.

Episode 70 — Catacomb Cubed

Episode 70 — Catacomb Cubed
Fifteenth Day in the Month of Sakura (April 15) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 59

Fuurinkazan was waiting for them at the Danac teleport plaza.

“Morning, Doll Face!” Klein said with his stupid grin.

“Good morning, Klein,” Bladescape said with a chuckle.

“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 Konpeito 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 seventeen 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 players. 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 LC. 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 sale together, Natora 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," Natora 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 Natora will be leading Party Two."

"Kiefer," Bladescape explained. "We have been working him through some things. I figure if we put Kiefer in charge of Dale, Issin, Soryuto, Diemond, and Reisenki, it would be a good mix of independent fighters, while gaining leadership skills for him. Natora can work with Harry, Malus, Knightstar, and Thunderborne, which will leave us with Dynamm, Kunimittz, Konpeito, and Doombunny."

"I'm down with it," Klein said. "We can always reorganize things if we need to later on. 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 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 picked their path. With the crisscrossing of the catacombs, the three parties quickly separated as they chased down side passageways. Since Dynamm was their only shield, and Kunimittz and Doombunny were strictly damage dealers, Klein and Bladescape had to be strong forwards. Kunimittz was well versed at being a damage dealer without many shields to protect him. Konpeito was also a strong 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 Konpeito 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. 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 now going to have to, somehow, 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. Fortunately, they were not here just to map. They all needed the XP. It was obvious they were near the front of the overall explored area from the number of enemy encounters. There were 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.

Suddenly, Klein's eyes widened. “That’s Kirito!” he exclaimed. “Let’s go! He's 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. Konpeito beat them to it by blowing her Viking Horn, buffing them. A second blast drew the aggro of the skeletons to Konpeito. At least half were seeking her out. The only thing to do was cut them down and let as few as possible through so she didn’t get swarmed, but her ability to handle multiple enemies meant Bladescape wasn’t too worried.

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.”

As she sliced yet another skeleton in half, her blade clanged against an unmoving object, even as the skeleton popped into polygons. As the polygons separated, Bladescape realized the room was 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 as the delay hit with the penalty for failing to complete the skill. They had joined his fight out of nowhere. It was the courteous thing to do.

“What up Kiri-dog!” 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?"

“What?” Klein asked. “We can’t party up with friends who are outside our guild?”

Kirito rolled his eyes at Klein. "Do 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’s 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 so stubborn."

Bladescape shrugged. "He has to be to make it this far solo. A guild isn’t easy for a guy like him."

"I am fairly certain he was in one a while back,” Klein said. “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, 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 to fight for a longer time before they bail. It's getting harder for info brokers to get the boss details. This isn't the lower floors anymore. We are having to change tactics after Floor 50 to gather first hand intel on the boss and its attack patterns."

“Lower floors?” Bladescape asked. “Klein, I know when Fuurinkazan arrived. You don’t actually know the battles we had on the lower floors. You didn’t work with Kirito during those floors. We did.”

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. Parties couldn’t access guild storage inside labyrinths and dungeons either. 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. They didn’t respawn. Kirito could beat it solo. So could their party of five, probably. Together was still the wisest option.

"It's not worth it," Bladescape said to Kirito. "I know you can take it, but why? We’re here. Let’s do it just like old times."

“Fine,” Kirito growled.

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 was, as usual, an amazing fighter 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 mid 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, but I have no idea what would even make sense."

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.

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 were eight 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 will go 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.

The layout of the Labyrinth took time to map. Each of the eight 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. Konpeito had packed everything in picnic baskets. She had so much food for them that Bladescape wasn’t sure how they would eat it all, especially the large assortment of desserts she had prepared. None of that was a problem with Thunder, Natora, Malus, and the boys of Fuurinkazan.

After their break, the catacombs once again 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 nine P.M. 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 Konpeito 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 place 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 three on them. It was tighter than she wanted it to be for use on a teleport out from the bottom half 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 by your side," Klein shot back. "And the Wondercolts. We do need to think about teaming up more."

Bladescape rolled her eyes at his lame verbal poke. The rest was true though. "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; being without a tank drained her energy. Kiefer and Soryuto 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 Soryuto by his side, Bladescape had an idea. She would take both Kiefer and Soryuto with her to the Sand Crabs and see what she could do to get them to define their relationship.

Episode 71 — Coupling

Episode 71 — Coupling
Fifteenth Day in the Month of Sakura (April 15) in the Year of the Griffon
Front Line — Floor 59

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, Soryuto, don't get comfortable," Bladescape said. "I want you two with me. We are restarting the overnight training runs. We leave in thirty minutes, and Konpeito, can you make us some overnight bags?"

"Me!" Kiefer exclaimed. "And Soryuto?"

"Yeah?" Soryuto asked, confused but intrigued.

"Don't worry Soryuto, you won't be the tank," Bladescape clarified. "I fight beside Kiefer a lot, he fights beside you a lot, and I rarely 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."

“We need to pick that back up,” Natora added. “Sucks, but so does a lot in life.”

Konpeito came skipping out of the kitchen with three food sacks. She tossed one to each of them 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 almost always count on Konpeito to have a bounce in her step.

"Where are we heading?" Kiefer asked as they left.

"Floor 54," Bladescape replied. "There's a long lake in the west. All along, buried in the sandy shore, are giant sand crabs. They come out and attack you. High defense, high XP, high attack, but slow movement and attack speed. It's 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, at least for a farming spot. 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 teleport plaza and began to move to the location. It was busier than when Bladescape had been there two nights ago, but there was no wait time. Six spawn points along the beach were not being used. Several parties had a rotation going within their group 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'll 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 crabs.

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, the defense 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 carved off a huge chunk of 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, Mist'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.

Soryuto switched in. Her shield, obviously, was very effective at blocking the claws. Her sword, Last Rites, 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 eighty-nine 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 fourteen 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 or shield enhancements," 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," Soryuto commented. "We could blow through eighty-nine 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, which will mean less players come here to train, and that's alright with me."

"You are going to be here, a lot," Soryuto said. There was some regret and pity to the comment.

"I will be," Bladescape nodded. "But I will grind away for eternity until we are all free. On Floor Two, we were Level Eleven. We got to Floor Thirty-Six while in the Fifties. Now we are at Floor Fifty-Nine and the guild is basically only fifteen levels above it. The point is, that with each floor, we lose distance. The closer to the Ruby Palace we get, the closer the Floor Number gets compared to our levels. We used to be double, triple, even ten times the Floor number; now we are maintaining only a small margin above it. 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 may get."

"Crab spawned," Kiefer said, jumping up and charging in.

The allotment of crabs were dispatched with ease. With three of them rotating, it barely took them 15 minutes to cut them all down. They were back to lounging almost annoyingly quick.

"Look," Bladescape said after drinking some water. "We all have to train and we are starting a new rotation. Natora can do a lot of the day leading, but it’s still a lot of pressure on her, me, and even Knightstar. 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. Quite a few of us are on to your two's romance, or sort of romance, and we support it."

Soryuto was blushing a deep red and Kiefer tried to dry his now sweating palms on his metal splint armor.

"I’m not sure who all knows or suspects," Bladescape clarified. "Almost certainly Konpeito. But she probably doesn't realize the others may not be 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 Soryuto 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. That’s failing before you even try. Life is more than that. Especially in this world as we try to get back to our true home."

"Well?" Soryuto asked Kiefer. "You have been the one greeting me in the morning and making sure you were the first and last person I see each day. I have been waiting on you. What's holding you back?"

Kiefer sighed and flopped down so he was laying down all the way on the sandy shore. "It's..."

Kiefer stalled out, clearly struggling over what was holding him back. Bladescape and Soryuto 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 One 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?" Soryuto asked. She had been considering that option for a while now.

"Friends, true 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 tough 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 face 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’s a real possibility, but going into something like a relationship, you have to believe that it will last. Which is why break-ups are hard.

"But the end reward is amazing if you stick it out. You guys already know each other and you have gotten to get to know each other even better since coming to Aincrad. Your relationship has already been put through so much strain, yet it’s 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, and dedication, for yourselves."

"My greatest fear is not protecting you because I am focusing on combat," Kiefer admitted.

Soryuto replied honestly. "If you don't put your full focus there, you will die. That is something that we cannot let happen. Not after we already lost Lessa and Joltron. If you die because you are focusing on protecting me instead of the game, that is even worse. Alnair can’t fight for his freedom, although he is now at a place where he could be doing more, if he wasn’t caring for Gauvaine. Gauvaine, she is still paralyzed by fear. You are one of our best fighters and your focus, for us all, needs to be fighting for us all."

Soryuto slid over to Kiefer and hugged him tightly. "Besides. I’m on the front line and doing fine. It's not like you have anything to be worried about. I’m strong. 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. Soryuto will you date me? Will you join my side permanently so we can support each other?"

"Yes," Soryuto said, sighing contentedly into his chest.

"Times up," Bladescape announced as the next sand crabs began to burrow out from the sand. “I’ve got them.”

Bladescape started the next round of crab fighting. When they switched, Bladescape saw Soryuto had a new edge to her fight and 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 would both make it through SAO.

After they cleared out the crabs and were forced to wait for the respawn, Bladescape told them her plan. "Like I said earlier, I'm not sure who knows. At least, it's not been openly discussed by the other members. So you guys will need to make an announcement to ensure there's no confusion. That’s probably best done at breakfast."

"We can do that," Kiefer said. "I would be glad to tell the guild in a few hours."

"Same," Soryuto smiled. She was a whole lot happier. Clearly she had gotten what she wanted for a few months now. Bladescape missed the early stages of love. She had missed out on that with Flash Sentry because of her own view of the relationship.

When they got back to their Headquarters it wasn't quiet. It was too loud for it being so early.

Bladescape was unprepared for what they had walked into. The whole place felt like a bomb had gone off. She was unsure what was happening, but everyone was in the meeting room. Knightstar and Natora were at their seats behind the dais. Knightstar was on her feet and leaning on the table, seething, yet almost everyone was in their sleepwear. Doombunny and Thunderborne were the two not, but Thunderborne was in a tracksuit, while Doombunny was in her field gear.

"What's going on?" Bladescape demanded.

Knightstar immediately shot back an answer in her rage. "Fluttershy has been sneaking out for who knows how long! She won't tell us an exact time. She has been intentionally breaking the guild rules, without regard for her friends, as she risks hunting alone and being captured by Laughing Coffin! But no, she is more important than the safety measures we put in place to protect her. She isn't even sorry!"

They had walked in on a conversation that had clearly been going on for a decently long time. Long enough that they had traded most of their arsenal. Now it was just hurt feelings and Bladescape had to play catch up.

"You all see me as Fluttershy!" Doombunny declared, standing up. She was more controlled, but quite angry. "Your sweet, innocent friend who is kind, quiet, shy, and owns a soft, fluffy bunny. Your friend who needs to be protected and cared for, and it's okay that she gets left behind and is forced to stay home because there are evil people doing evil things. Except that evil people exist in both realities.

"But I'm not her! I'm Doombunny. I've done things I never would do in the other world. Killed animals I would normally have cared for. I shed plenty of tears over them. Aincrad doesn't know Fluttershy, it only knows Doombunny. This is our current reality and we all share it. Fluttershy is a figment of your imagination! A shared figment.”

She pointed at Knightstar, “Just like you are not Twilight Sparkle.” Then her finger moved to Natora, “you are not Natsuki.” Doombunny pointed each of them out, “you are not Rarity, you are not Pinkie Pie, you are not Applejack, you are not Rainbow Dash, you are not Takumi, you are not Niko, you are not Isamu, and you are not Sunset Shimmer! What you all were in that world is gone. All that matters is what you are now. That is stats and skills; not farmer, or athlete, or fashionista, or baker, or anything you once were!"

That stung to hear. Bladescape hadn't been a part of the conversation, but she was now a target, being fully drawn in. She did remember that Doombunny had ignored the policy and came to help her get materials for her armor, which technically broke the rules for a short bit. There were more important things happening when she did and she stayed inside safe zones, making it easy to forget about. Now that Bladescape thought about it, it was too well executed to be the first time Doombunny had snuck off.

Doombunny wasn't done. "When we were told we were now residents of Aincrad until we beat the game, I wanted to hide. Instead, I stayed with the group, trusting you all, and you all got me to not just be along for the ride, but to fight! You are overbearingly concerned about me, yet you ignore other things. Blade still doesn't have a fun skill to relax. How long till she cracks under the pressure? Konpeito is schizophrenic or bipolar, literally switching from baking to battle in a split second and then back out once it's done. Malus won't talk to anyone about most things. Diemond stress sews out of compulsion, that's all that needs to be said about that.

“Yet you are worried solely about me? You don't know Doombunny and I'm rarely invited to go out training on the off hours, even though I need it. So long as I meet the bare minimum that Knightstar calculates, that is all that matters. None of you actually know my level, do you? All of you are just blindly following Knightstar’s calculations!"

Bladescape was able to see it, but she had learned to ignore her friend's levels, out of privacy for them. She was able to tune out most people's levels. It was typically useless background noise in her vision that she screened out. For a moment though, her curiosity got the better of her and the circlet highlighted Doombunny’s level. Bladescape was shocked. Doombunny was level 78, eight whole levels above what Knightstar had her last recorded as.

“I'm done being just along for the ride because it doesn't make me safer!" Doombunny declared. "It weakens me. All I can logically conclude is that you all like a weak Doombunny. That you need me to be weak so you can feel better about yourselves. and I won’t stand for it! I’m not your pet or a princess that needs rescuing. If you can’t see that then we will have to part ways, because I refuse to be treated as such!”

That was a very serious accusation. Bladescape had to take a moment to come up with a good response. She didn't want to lose her friend. It was a delicate situation that needed the right touch.

“Darling,” Diemond sniffed, wiping her wet cheeks. “You can’t seriously believe that is our belief? We don’t-”

“All I have is the evidence,” Doombunny coldly interrupted. “I get left out of the training unless Knightstar says I need to level up. Either it’s malicious intent or incompetence. Neither help me survive, let alone thrive. Neither are good for me, and all this guild is concerned with is their image and the ones who fight the floor bosses. The vote for putting restrictions on my movement either came down to the image of not being connected with Laughing Coffin or not believing in me.”

"You're right about being left out of the training," Knightstar agreed. "We're going to be restarting the overnight training sessions, getting everyone in rotation-"

“I don’t need your rotation!” Doombunny spat.

"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, Soryuto, 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 they do, and it still doesn't give a response to the ruling of the guild being disregarded for weeks, if not months, by Doombunny!"

"I DON'T CARE!" Bladescape shouted, before her tone became bitter. "I don't care. Finally someone else in this guild took their own combat leveling initiative. We abandoned her so I’m happy she took the initiative."

“I ain’t able to deal with this right now,” Malus spat. “I’m goin fishin.” She walked out, in her pajamas, without any hesitation or even a glance back. No one even attempted to protest. No one even knew exactly where she fished, just what floor.

Bladescape was tired. A tough day before and then overnight, she was ready for another day, but Knightstar was right, she would need sleep within the next sixteen hours so she could start the cycle again. The day dulled her mind, like a sword with a false edge on the spine. The edge was sharp enough for fighting, but not sharp enough to sort this mess out. She had missed a lot of context and now Malus was gone. She didn’t even know how it was discovered.

One thing got caught on the dulled edge of Bladescape’s mind. Doombunny was right; they heavily relied upon Knightstar’s statistics. Bladescape was the exception to that, but otherwise level training was dictated by the detailed statistics Knightstar kept.

"Well that's just great," Knightstar said, sarcastically. "Now what are we supposed to do without our main tank!"

"Hey!" Reisenki 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 ramblings contradicted itself.

“I’m going back out,” Doombunny stated. “Or are any of you going to try and stop me?”

“Can we?” Natora asked. She looked at Bladescape, forcing Bladescape to respond.

“Doom is right,” Bladescape shrugged. “We have no ability to enforce such a rule on her or any other member. All we could do is kick them out of the guild. That's not an option I want to resort to. I never liked the rule put in place for Doom."

"I can't come up with anything either,” Natora shrugged. “We stick together, but, well, I’m going back to bed. Malus can fish and think, however, I need to sleep on things.” Natora got up and went back to bed. She was the second person to leave.

Doombunny met no resistance as she left with Colorra slithering behind her. Diemond left the room in the direction of her crafting room. Konpeito huffed and went to the kitchen. Kiefer rolled his eyes and took Soryuto's hand, guiding her upstairs so they could get some rest. Thunder and Reisenki did not stay either.

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. Even Natora had that edge on Knightstar. There was a reason why Bladescape went to Knightstar for stats advice but debriefed with Natora. It was the same reason why Natora had asked Bladescape about enforcement, not Knightstar, despite Knightstar obviously being at the center of the issue.

Knightstar hadn't gone to a Floor Boss battle since the Fifth Floor. She was too afraid, but she wasn't about to admit it and look weak. Soryuto hadn’t either, but she was confident in her personal role. Doombunny might not want to go to boss fights, but they had gotten her into the thirty-fourth boss fight. She held that, unintentionally, over Knightstar’s and Soryuto’s heads.

As a councilor of a guild considered part of the Assault Team, Knightstar had a reputation she was trying to protect, but they both knew that Knightstar needed the Wondercolts more than they needed her. It was an implicit understanding the three councilors had come to realize a while ago but never had any reason to state. Now it seemed like that was all Knightstar was calculating. The Wondercolts got her many of 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. They too would suffer without her, but they could likely adjust to fill the gap in their knowledge. Those calculations completely removed friendship from the equation.

Bladescape had no idea what to do. It didn't help that she had missed most of the argument. She didn’t want to think about it, at least consciously. She hated the restrictions that had been forced upon Doombunny and Bladescape had been able to stay neutral by abstaining from the voting process in order to fairly run it. Sleep wasn’t an option for Bladescape. She would just lay in her bed, awake, forced to ruminate on what little of the argument she had heard. She decided to go kill something while her mind digested it all. Bladescape broke the impasse by turning around and walking out of the meeting hall doors to go do some solo hunting.

Bladescape headed straight for the teleport plaza. She didn’t pay the waking city any heed. As she got to the teleport plaza, she realized she had caught up to Doombunny. Bladescape wasn’t going to say anything, except Doombunny stopped and turned to face her, not teleporting.

“Coming to spy on me?” Doombunny snidely asked.

“Nope,” Bladescape shrugged. “I’m off to kill something. I don’t feel like sleeping. But where do you go? I never see you in rotation at any of the usual places.”

“Floor Fifty-Two," Doombunny answered. "To the wilderness.”

“With the black dragons?” Bladescape asked, surprised. Even if the danger of the black dragons was removed, it was a poor location to hunt.

“They never bother me,” Doombunny shrugged. “I hunt the Dire Wolves that roam the ashen wastes.”

“Interesting,” Bladescape nodded.

“Are you headed to the sand crabs?” Doombunny asked. There was no more edge on her voice. It was a sincere question, free from the emotion displayed only a few seconds ago.

“I was sort of thinking of going to the ants,” Bladescape shrugged. “Not as good, but I don’t feel like I have the energy and the line there is short now.”

“It won’t be as safe as the ants, but do you want to join me?” Doombunny asked.

Bladescape was taken aback by the question. She had no idea how to respond. She realized her eyebrow was raised at Doombunny.

“Colorra and I are safe and efficient," Doombunny explained. "And Collora is as good as any partner, but it gets lonely. It’s not for everyone though, so if you aren’t up for running, you shouldn’t come.”

Bladescape hadn’t trained with Doombunny in a long time. It had been weeks. The last time Doombunny had officially trained was with Natora. It would be good to see how she handled the solo hunting and combat.

“The Floor Fifty-Two I recall isn’t an easy place,” Bladescape replied.

“The Dire Wolves are no joke,” Doombunny shrugged. “Farming XP from anything while using a dagger is difficult, especially since I lack a conventional defensive skill. I found that the safest and most lucrative way is to speed kill whatever I am fighting. Kill them before they can hit me. Most locations don’t offer a fast enough source of enemies and places like the Sand Crabs are dangerous for me, but the Dire Wolves roam in large enough packs with a good frequency that it is worth it. I hunt them, not farm them. It is a lot of running though.”

Bladescape shrugged back. “If I can’t keep up, I can teleport out. This is your show today Doom, lead on."

BLADESCAPE: Level 79 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 75 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 70 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce — Search
MALUS: Level 74 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 74 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 74 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 75 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 78 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search — Listen — Reveal
KIEFER: Level 72 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 70 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 72 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 72 — Main-gauche

Episode 72 — Main-gauche
Sixteenth Day in the Month of Sakura (April 16) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 52 - Front Line Floor 59

Floor Fifty-Two was a quiet floor. Few people leveled there because of the Ashen Wastes. In the north there were the volcanic hills. Combined they were known as The Wilderness. A landscape of dead trees, various creatures that were always hostile, and a smoking mountain that was certainly mimicking an active volcano, just without lava, casting a shadow on the entire area. The Wilderness 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 now appeared to be slightly different. The target was a pack of five black wolves, almost the same color as the ash. Her search quickly added their name and info. They were Level 88 Dire Wolves. They were nine 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 sword as she ran after her. She applied a 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 she 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. "I chose Listen as a Skill. While most players only see it as being used on their fellow players, it's useful for other things. I hear things the others miss, including quest information. For Level Seventy, I did a quest that got me a skill that’s not on anyone’s radar. Main-gauche, meaning left hand, is a defensive skill that allows me to use this parrying dagger. It’s almost exclusively for deflecting an incoming attack, not stopping one like a shield. That is why it has a wide, narrow crossguard and a plate that wraps around my hand and anchors to the pommel. It's there to protect my hand from a weapon, like a shield, if I fail to deflect the weapon. It can’t deflect weapons over a certain weight, however, 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 there to direct and defect incoming attacks, and control their direction with the crossguard and shielded grip. It's a defensive tool used in traditional fencing alongside a rapier. It’s supposed to be used by someone like Thunderborne who needs speed for their rapier, but can’t afford a shield, so it won’t slow them down while giving them more options to defend themselves with.

"For the system to actually allow me to activate the offensive stab skill, it's a very particular set of circumstances. I've done it once. Just once, as I gained those eight levels. 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 I do have the blade coated with a paralyzer."

Bladescape grinned. "It still looks like you are duel wielding daggers."

“Yeah,” Doombunny said, shrugging. She opened her menu and the parrying dagger disappeared. It was replaced by a small circular metal plate with a center dome. It was no more than ten inches in diameter and all metal. "This is a buckler, not a small shield,” Doombunny explained. “A true buckler is the other item used with a rapier. 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 or 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, which helps hide my actions."

Doombunny thrust the buckler all the way out, towards Bladescape. Bladescape immediately understood what she meant. As small as the buckler was, the further out it was from Doombunny and the closer it was to her enemy, the less the enemy could see. Rapiers and fencing was a very different set of tactics from maces and swords in medieval melee. Fencers didn’t, historically, wear armor. At least not like knights and warriors did. They also never fought knights.

“So, are you going to tell Thunder about the skill?” Bladescape asked. “I assume she could use it.”

“I want to, but no,” Doombunny said. “There are some things I still need to figure out before I start to push that information out. For one, I want to sell it. Obviously not to Thunder, probably not Asuna, but the parrying dagger and buckler are the quest rewards. I don’t have a better one in either category and keeping it quiet means I haven’t been able to get a better one. I haven’t been allowed to do anything necessary to get the answers I need. If I had, then everyone would have realized I started leaving long ago.”

“That’s fair,” Bladescape said. She didn’t want to go down a path that would take them back to the argument. She was supposed to be getting her mind off of it. Training with Doombunny probably wasn’t the wisest way to do that, but she wasn’t going to back out now. “How are you going to keep it quiet now though?”

“I don’t plan to use it around the others,” Doombunny stated. “I know I can trust you because you abstained from the vote. You purposefully made it so that you would break a tie. You didn’t want to vote because you knew what they wanted to do was wrong, even if it was instinctual. But, I will need to take some days off so I can get the answers I desperately need. I don’t want to keep it from Thunder, but she couldn’t use what little I know.”

A howl interrupted them, alerting them of the seven wolves charging at them. Bladescape launched herself into battle. Doombunny was very aggressive, even 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. Colorra took out the last two.

"That’s 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’s a buckler. It’s not attached to my arm and 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 Doombunny’s best — it seemed like Doombunny had begun keeping many things from them because of her confinement orders — not what Bladescape had applied on her blade, but Harmonic Salvation was doing most of the damage to each wolf in a few swings.

Doombunny was also scoring repeated critical attacks, magnifying her DPS. She was accurate on top of the speed. Daggers were great against a soft target like the wolves, despite how close they required the fighter to get to such a dangerous creature.

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 bitten.

"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 undetected."

"Then we will have to be careful," Bladescape sighed.

"I have no doubt we could take one," Doombunny stated. "I’m not suggesting we try, but your weapons defense should be able to block a fire breath attack, right?"

"Yeah," Bladescape nodded. "It should, assuming I timed the correct action right."

"And I would just need to get inside its 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 really 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 and red snake buried in 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, especially with the numbers Bladescape was getting.

Doombunny dropped out of the tree and Bladescape followed. Doombunny switched from the buckler back to the parrying dagger. She clearly preferred the dagger.

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. No skill was triggered as it skewered itself to the hilt. The Dire 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 Nine P.M.. 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 the day’s successful hunt 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 meeting hall and Konpeito 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 several dozen 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 it in the northern wilderness on Floor Fifty-Two," Bladescape explained. Doombunny had told Bladescape that her time hunting Dire Wolves did not need to be kept a secret, just the Extra Skill.

"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,” Bladescape said, unsure what had Knightstar so happy. “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. "Well she technically has Colorra helping. So two, not truly solo."

"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 Malus either. I did get Konpeito, Diemond, Reisenki, Thunder, and Natora to the sand crabs. Kiefer and Soryuto stayed home. We got a late start, but were there all night and only got in about an hour ago. Malus isn't back yet and she still 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."

"Except I can't compete with a dragon if we get caught,” Knightstar stated. “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 eighteen months. Think on that. We have made it eighteen months in a high-stakes, anxiety provoking, death game, without getting into any major arguments. We have been a well-focused, single minded machine and 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 Natora went off on their own. Konpeito just built sand castles. Diemond just sat there too, sunbathing, at night, in an actual bathing suit. Reisenki 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've been afraid to take Konpeito to 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 them and several other creations she had 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 be so mean. I fractured us. Malus 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. Natora said so when we openly discussed that we had no recourse but to remove members from the guild. She said we would stay together. We will. This changes nothing. It’s not the end."

Konpeito had been hopping into the meeting hall with food and halted. "Why would it be the end?"

"The fight yesterday," Knightstar mumbled. "When I tore us apart."

"Oh yeah," Konpeito shrugged. "I forgot about that."

She walked over to them and put a breakfast pie in front of each of them. Konpeito 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, not dissimilar to quiche, yet still distinct. They were wonderfully delicious.

"Look, Knightstar," Konpeito said as seriously as she could in her good mood. "Friends fight at times and we hurt each other's feelings. But we are all here and all still friends. You’re taking this way too seriously."

"She ripped into all of us," Knightstar sniffed. "She ripped into you."

"So?" Konpeito asked.

"What‽ Do you not remember anything from yesterday morning?" Knightstar exclaimed.

"Well duh,” Konpeito said, rolling her eyes. “It was only yesterday. But I took out the trash and let it go. That is how Konpeito 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!” She exclaimed with a giggle. “I was playing in the sand. Was I not supposed to 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 Konpeito would do, build sandcastles."

"I need to get these pies to the others. I can hear them all in the dining room." Konpeito stopped and turned back to them before squealing. "Also, Kiefer and Soryuto are finally together!"

The news only made Knightstar groan sadly. Konpeito nervously backed away 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 it’s 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 Soryuto finally getting together. Reisenki had been waiting for them to start dating. He had even been trying to push them together by annoying Kiefer into making a commitment.

The only spots empty at the table were Knightstar and Malus.

After breakfast, they formed two parties and headed to the Labyrinth. 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.

BLADESCAPE: Level 79 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 75 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 70 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce — Search
MALUS: Level 74 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 74 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 74 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 75 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 78 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche
KIEFER: Level 72 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 70 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 72 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 73 — Blacklist

Episode 73 — Blacklist
Seventeenth Day in the Month of Sakura (April 17) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 59 — 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 swing by. Is something up?"

Her eyes were deadly as she tried to keep her voice nonthreatening. "I will owe you big time if I can spend the next five days here, in complete privacy, no questions asked. A-and no matter who comes knocking, I'm not here."

"Yeah," Bladescape shrugged. "Our spare room is open for your use. Think nothing of it. We put beds in there for guests. Most of the others are asleep or already in their rooms. I'll go, privately, inform them. But first, follow me to our luxurious spare room."

"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 Konpeito does."

"What is up with that?" Argo asked as they got back to moving.

"It's something she does in real life," Bladescape explained. "She just…knows things. I can't explain it. She can't explain it. She doesn't even know she knows but no one else knows. You just have to experience and accept it."

"Interesting," Argo mumbled.

Kiefer and Soryuto 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.

"Hey, you two," 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," Soryuto said with a nod.

In the spare room, all of the bedside lamps were off except for one. Underneath it, 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 flavored 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've had to start baking that this morning to have it ready now. This isn't the first time she has been weird about knowing things."

Bladescape sighed and sat down on the bed. "It's a complicated tale."

"What does PP stand for?" Argo pressed.

"It stands for…" Bladescape paused. "Look, I trust you. You're here for a reason. But I know you have a job and it's information. Everyone says you would sell your own grandma’s stats for the right price. To explain it, we have to talk about private, I.R.L. stuff."

Argo was on very good terms with the Wondercolts for a reason. They knew her in ways few did. It was safer more than it was a gamble. She came to them for a reason.

"It won't leave this room," Argo said, sitting beside her 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," Bladescape said, shaking her head. "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, her real name," Bladescape explained. "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 Konpeito. Malus is Applejack, Doombunny is Fluttershy, Knightstar is Twilight Sparkle, and Thunderborne is Rainbow Dash. The six of us are in Japan for a semester in a high school foreign exchange program. That's where we met Natora, her name is Natsuki, she is another student at the school we were attending. We met Reisenki, Soryuto, and Kiefer in-game. The three of them I found shortly before the very first boss raid. I saved them, they were half our level, but two of their party members died before I could stop the goblins attacking them. So, that is us in-game. Our history as friends IRL 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..." Argo paused before she could take her own bite, her face pulling into a contemplative frown. "On second thought, there could be worse 'games' to get stuck in. Like being in a bubbly, all female boarding school."

Bladescape chuckled. "Yeah, that would be bad."

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 fundraising adventure before coming to Japan.

"I knew there was something I liked about you all," Argo said with a sly grin. "You girls are too wholesome and that's a good thing. It moves this game forward more than most players know. You were able to take the abuse of Lind and Kibaou because of it. It's amazing you have been on the front line, fighting, rather than breaking apart to craft. Yet you all are on the front lines and for a reason. Your IRL experiences have prepared you well for this world. Something few other players can say. That wholesomeness, plus what I now know is real experience, is why I keep going coming back to the Wondercolts 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 neutralized them. I have to hide from his goons until I can figure out how to solve a few problems."

Bladescape chuckled darkly. "Could we hit the streets with a black ops team and handle it?"

Argo grinned back mischievously.

Bladescape made her pitch. "Give Doom your jacket, paint on the whiskers, and she can probably 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. It's actually easier than you probably realize too, because the rumor is that I use a team, that I'm simply the 'Head Rat.' I will need some info from a, well I’ll call them a friend, before we start."

Bladescape stood up. "I'll get Diemond to make us the cloaks."

Bladescape woke up Diemond. She only told her what they needed, not what they were for. Diemond had no problem replicating the cloak she had made several times by now, as well as making matching base layers for Doombunny and Bladescape.

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.

Konpeito baked for them and Bladescape notified Knightstar. She didn’t like how Knightstar was looking. She was quiet and apathetic about what Bladescape was doing.

Bladescape pulled Natora aside. Natora 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 to keep 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, mostly 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. The circlet gave her a green cursor, health bar, and the player's level. Playing along fit the style. It was obvious that Argo also knew it was occupied 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.

"So, this is where you ended up," Bladescape said. It shocked Argo. "You didn't go far."

"I thought that was you under the hood," Mo said. "So, you're helping Argo. This just got very interesting."

"You know her?" Argo growled.

"I didn't know she had a shop," Bladescape argued back. "Last time I saw her, she had a vendor's carpet in the bazaar south of the teleport plaza. I got my circlet from her."

"That explains a few things," Argo said, dropping the subject. She shifted her focus back to Mo. "Floor Fifty-Nine 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 don’t 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. Obviously, my services are known, but they have only grown since."

"Clearly," Bladescape replied, nodding to acknowledge the parts directed at her.

Argo grinned from 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 whom 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. Not only did Argo know the info broker, but Mo’s response was also a quip at Argo's own name's lack of originality. Bladescape was acquainted with him as well. He has sold her the information about how to purchase their headquarters. He was often easy to find.

"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, instead 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," Mo explained. "Everyone thinks Argo has rat informants, so you need to do more to match that. That means you need to dye your hair to match hers and wear the same clothes under the cloak."

"The second is already done," Bladescape said as she opened her cloak. "Anything else?"

Mo nodded. "Wrap your hands, wear gloves, paint yourself a darker brown and make sure to add whiskers, hunch over more so that you appear the same height as Argo, let the cloak cover for your bad posture. 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, Lisbeth looked cute with pink hair, but Bladescape had never had an interest in even redoing the cut of her hair.

“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. Not only will it reflect badly 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 to 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 my own. 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," Mo stated.

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’s 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’s 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’m 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. "I also have three other things for you, Doombunny, to borrow. This is a Crystal Bottle of Kales'Oh. It will allow you to save a skill inside, removing it from your list while not resetting it. The second is a copy stamp. The stamp allows you to copy Argo's claw skill, at its current level, and set it into another player's open skill slot. It doesn't work for hard locked skills, like any that require a quest. The claws are an evolved skill, so you can copy them. So long as you keep your beast tamers charms on, you can use one of your familiar's skills that you will be comfortable with, not a set of unknown attack combinations. The last item is a ring that will allow you to sound like another player, based on whatever ID you select. You just need to speak as Argo would, the ring will do the rest."

"These will be a great help," Doombunny said. "We appreciate your support."

"No one backstabs the info brokers and gets away with it," Mo spat.

Mo stepped Doombunny through saving her Blade Throwing skill and then copied Argo's claws to her skills list. The process was simple enough, but an error could eliminate a lot of hard work on Doombunny's end. The stamp was left with Mo. The bottle and ring would be returned with the necklace.

With everything set, they teleported to Floor Eleven. Argo 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 dyed brown like Argo's. While they did that, Bladescape sent everyone a guild-wide 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 they didn’t need tied back to the guild. Natora sent a guild-wide confirmation of the temporary removal and the immediate reinstatement as soon as the mission was done. Natora would be the one to readmit them.

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 Thirty-Four, 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 brown.”

Bladescape took the opportunity to buy more than body paint, though she couldn't help the pang of nostalgia when she spotted one the exact shade as her amber coat when she was a Pony. 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, yellow, and red. It was better to buy a variety of paints and be forgotten. It was more memorable if you purchased a single item.

With everything procured, they grabbed an inn room. They all stripped down and painted themselves in the same shade of brown, from the tips of their toes, all the way to their scalps. Colorra was painted as well to keep her from immediately being recognized as a ruby krait. It wasn’t hard to add the whiskers after. They put back on the copies of Argo's equipment and then their “rat eared” cloaks. Doombunny was able to hide the necessary charms to access Colorra's sword skills, while Bladescape had to remove the Silver Sagacity Circlet. Argo 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, especially for Doombunny who was much taller than both of them, but they eventually worked it out.

Doombunny took a moment to figure out what the attack combinations were like for the claws under the beast tamer's charms list. Since the claws were an evolution of the dagger, they were the same, with the same initial motion. Doombunny accurately knew what damage she could do with them.

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 and a one handed sword of the same design for Argo. Bladescape didn’t like the sword, but it would do. It was almost as short as the one handed one Argo got.

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, with Hide active, was invisible and free to walk around. 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. She felt pretty blind without the boost from the circlet.

Doombunny popped up in front of her, almost making her scream, except 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 dark figure in the town. Bladescape got several looks, but most probably 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.

“The claws are laced with a paralyzer," Doombunny said. "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. “And the ring?”

“See for yourself," Doombunny said, sounding exactly like Argo.

Both of them looked to see Argo above her head. Obviously the ring was set and working.

“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. Same with my voice out of her mouth. Anyway, 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 her path out."

Bladescape 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 of everyone. 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, flanking him, but she didn’t cross her arms. She set her hand on her sword hilt, keeping it in front of her chest and under the cloak.

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 were 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?” he asked, referring to Bladescape.

“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’re 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 actions. 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’S 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 being forced into the duel by the Argos.

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 the NPCs. It was wrong, but I won’t do it again!”

The buzzer sounded and the duel started.

Doombunny appeared right in front of him. “YOU CERTAINLY WON’T!” she shouted, sounding exactly like Argo. Her claws glowed as she slashed him across the chest. It took off two thirds of his HP. Then she was gone, before he was on the ground, sobbing in his paralyzed position.

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 Bladescape. “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, even letting her whiskers show more to assert that it had always been her. 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. That’s how I am still on the front lines, alone without backup. My small team doesn’t operate on the front line like I do. Their focus is elsewhere. 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 any further down.

“That’s for all three quests you forfeit,” Argo declared, bending down to get closer to his face in the cobblestone street. “And it’s for sending those four after me, to put a stop to my progress. When they failed, you must have freaked. But unlike you, I am actually reasonable. I’ll cancel this duel and remove the paralyzing agent, 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 stood up. 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," she stated. "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 Ninety-Five, not Eighty-Five. His info is as poor as his judgment.”

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 chainmail 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 and ring. With a few clicks, Doombunny replaced her Blade Throwing skill and gave back the rare Crystal Bottle of Kales'Oh.

“Thank you,” Mo said with a sly grin as she took the last item. “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 three 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. 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 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 and assuming it isn't an anti-crystal zone. 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. “Bladescape already knows that I sell the best to who they need to go to in order for us to get free as soon as possible. Also, 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," Mo added.

“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 since we first met.”

“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 used the door’s menu to “knock” and let them know they were back. A minute later Reisenki opened the door.

“Hey,” He said, looking them over and then stepping to the side, and letting them inside.

Natora was in the storeroom, doing an audit. She came over and extended the guild membership status to both of them. It felt good, right, safe even, to accept and be an official Wondercolt again.

“She is going to sleep in the guest room,” Bladescape told Natora. “And all three of us need baths. Who is here?”

“Konpeito, Reisenki, and me," Natora said. “Kiefer took the rest to the Sand Crabs. I’m auditing our supplies and Reisenki is helping Konpeito 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. Knightstar is following up on something else, on her own, and Malus, as you know, is fishing."

Bladescape nodded to Natora. Doombunny had already escorted the info broker to the spare room, but it was wise to be cryptic about Knightstar as well as tossing Malus in the mix. Bladescape could deal with Knightstar later.

"You're on duty,” Bladescape said, as she patted Natora on the shoulder. "I need a bath and a nap."

“I can see that you need a bath,” Natora said with a laugh.

It felt good to get the paint off, returning to her usual olive complexion. 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.

Before she went to bed, Bladescape tried the nail polish on her toes. She alternated between red and orange, trying to match the colors she usually wore. When she put her gear on, her toes wouldn't be seen. How she painted them was up to her and she planned to take full advantage of that.

BLADESCAPE: Level 79 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 75 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 70 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce — Search
MALUS: Level 74 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 74 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 74 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 75 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 78 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche
KIEFER: Level 72 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 70 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 72 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 74 — We Were Wondercolts

Episode 74 — We Were Wondercolts
Twenty-Third Day in the Month of Sakura (April 23) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 59

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. Malus 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, 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 Konpeito baking, Bladescape was taking them to the best cheesecake restaurant in the game, which also happened to be in Mishe. She wanted Konpeito to have a break as well after everything that had happened over the week. The guild 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 knew of the young girl, the legendary dragon tamer, but Silica had never been formally introduced. Silica had come to Diemond's sale, Bladescape remembered Pina, but it had been busy and no one knew that they were friends with Doombunny and Colorra. The two beast tamers had bonded and met up fairly often, especially over the past month or so, however Doombunny and Silica were old friends. Doombunny had once asked for one of the spare ancient knives they had gotten on the first floor. Silica had been the recipient. That was ages before either of them had become beast tamers. Mishe was where Silica often stayed.

"We don't want to bother you," Bladescape said.

"Oh, it's not a bother," Silica happily smiled. "I only just ordered for myself. It gets lonely eating by myself. 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 Forest of Wandering a few-" Silica went silent, blushing

"Kirito rescued you?" Diemond asked, intrigued to find out more, especially with how distant and cold Kirito had gotten since the Fiftieth floor was beaten.

"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’s part of the problem. I've not found anything solid and I'm not anywhere near where you all 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 waited for their food. “They tried to tear our group apart when we first ran into them.”

“Sorry,” Thunderborne and Natora both said. It was clear from the look they gave each other that they both thought they had been the sole instigator of that incident.

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 was a very different story from the one Bladescape told when asked to elaborate about their encounter.

Malus and Knightstar were still not present when they got back from dinner.

"Everyone get a good night's sleep." Bladescape said. "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."

"One moment!" Diemond exclaimed. "Everyone stay right where you are!" She rushed to her crafting room. "I have something that might help." A moment later she came back with tiny gift bags.

"I have one for everyone," Diemond explained. "I think the owners are obvious with the colors of each bag. It's taken me a long time to craft them and get them right. Doom, Darling, your charms forced me to adapt, so I went with a ring."

They all opened their bags and Bladescape found herself looking at a very convincing replica of her geode. The necklace gave her a sizable reduction in her skill delay length. Doombunny's had been adapted to the ring, but everyone's matched very well to the originals. Natora, Kiefer, Soryuto, and Reisenki had ones that matched their personalities. Natora'a was a volleyball, Soryuto's was a music note, Kiefer had the Kanji for "samurai," and Reisenki had a flame.

"Thanks, Diemond," Bladescape said, surprised she was the first to speak. "These are amazing. I can't believe you copied them so well. I never doubted your skill, just the limitations of the system." Bladescape put hers on, swapping out her other necklace, The Unmounted Force. The old one was a minor boost to her defense, the geode was a much more useful enhancement. Bladescape was very glad to have it once again against her skin.

"The system was not easy to hack," Diemond confirmed. "Since the sale, I've been putting my efforts into maxing heavy metal forging and jewelry making. There is a rather long list of semi-precious stones in Aincrad. I had to learn to cut and shape them, but it worked. And the enhancements came out wonderfully. I'll use Thunderborne's as an example. I couldn't pick the strength of the enhancement, just that it would enhance attack speed. It came out very, very well.

“Bladescape had delay reduction. Thunderborne had attack speed enhanced. Diemond had strength enhanced. Doombunny had defense enhanced. Konpeito had critical attack boosted. Natora was given a necklace that boosted her agility. Kiefer's added attack. Reisenki's added agility. Soryuto's boosted her defense.”

"These will help," Bladescape said as she held up both Malus' bag and Knightstar's bag. "I'm sure of it."

Before Bladescape left, she used the store room to quickly change into a more comfortable outfit, one Diemond had made for her. Well, she didn't have anything besides what Diemond had given her. Bladescape didn't need to track Malus through the system. She teleported to the 22nd Floor, to a small fishing village. It was where Malus preferred to fish. Or at least mentioned as the place she usually was nearest.

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 three sitting at a table and drinking from mugs. All three were grey-haired, older 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’m looking for Malus. She is a friend of mine. Blond hair, solid build, loves the color orange, and fishes in the area."

The men looked her over for a second before the one in the middle spoke up. "If you mean Mal, then yeah, we know her. Take a left outside and then the sixth cabin, the one with the bright orange door, that's hers."

"Thank you," Bladescape said, bowing before giving them a wink to go with the smile. Then she headed to 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 possibly grandkids. They were, at the very least, missing birthdays they would never get back. Bladescape was growing up, sort of, while they were missing their families growing 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 and much brighter than any of the other cabin doors. She stepped up onto the short porch, with its single rocking chair, and knocked on the door.

The door opened a minute later. Malus was there, standing in what Diemond would only describe as gross rags. Everyone else would recognize them as fishing clothes. Her hair was a braided ponytail, a different look from her usual.

"Hey," Malus said, still standing there.

"Can I come in?" Bladescape asked. "We need to talk about a few things."

"Sure," Malus 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 up. The bed was above the small kitchen.

"Nice place," Bladescape said. "How much a night?"

"Rent?" Malus snorted. "Oh, no. I bought this back in October."

"You bought this‽" Bladescape exclaimed.

"Yep," Malus shrugged. "I keep ‘er on hand to retreat to. She ain't even five minutes walk to the water. She's only twenty to the best fishin' spot on the Floor, probably the whole of Aincrad." Malus sat down in her comfy chair and gestured to the only other piece of furniture to sit on; a plain, but cushioned, chair.

Bladescape settled into the other seat. “I like your hair. It looks good with the braid.”

“Uh, thanks,” Malus said. "But you didn't track me down to talk about my hair. It’s gotta be important. You’d have sent a message if it ain’t."

"I would have, but you never responded to Knightstar. Why me?"

"Her freak out messages?" Malus snorted. "Never read em. I was fishin’ I got a dozen in a few, short hours. The game stopped her from sendin' me more. Somethin' about spam an' anti-harassment systems triggerin'. I told it not to mark her, but kept the filter on."

"That's part of the problem," Bladescape said, not holding anything back. Malus was obviously fine and level headed. "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," Malus stopped her. "Things 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‽" Malus exclaimed, almost jumping out of her chair. "Sure, she went off hard on Doom before you arrived, but that wasn't the end of us. Sure, we were mad, but none of us said the end. Or blamed anyone except Doom. What else did I miss on my vacation? You looked ready to say somethin'."

Bladescape gave Malus her bag from Diemond. The geode necklace brought joy to her heart, stunning her into silence. She immediately put it on.

"Well," Bladescape said, putting her leg on her knee. "Let's see what else you missed. Kiefer and Soryuto are officially 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 Dire Wolves with Doom. It was intense, all running and sprinting from pack to pack. I’ll certainly be joining her again. She can’t farm XP like the rest of us, not with what is available. She needs to go on the heavy offense to grind XP."

"Well that ain’t easy," Malus chuckled. "Thunder and Natora might enjoy it too."

“The black dragons require Doom to be a party of two or the dragons will target her,” Bladescape explained. She turned serious. "Malus, we need you back. We tried to scout the boss, but three giant skeletons kept us out. We got nothing out of it."

"You’ve got my shield," Malus 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," Malus said. "First, I gotta change out of my fishin' gear."

Malus climbed the ladder to the loft and disappeared for a moment. She came back in normal clothes. It was just denim pants and a long sleeve flannel shirt, like she wore on the farm, including a cowgirl hat and boots. Diemond would not approve, but Bladescape didn’t mind and it shouldn’t dictate Malus’ off hours clothes.

"So, do yah got any idea where Knightstar slash Twilight is?" Malus asked. “She ain’t in the guild to track.”

"Some," Bladescape said as they walked to the teleport plaza. "It won't be hard. Similar to guildmates, friends can locate each other on the game map. 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’s tracking ability since that city is a maze."

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 a player continued to master the Skill.

The green trail that lit up in Bladescape's vision traced 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. 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," Malus 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. It was Twilight's star cutie mark cleverly framed as a compass. "So...I guess we wait until morning?"

"We passed a few inns on the way," Malus stated. "What time is the meetin'?"

"Five pm," 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 some of the tales from the past few days. Malus got a kick out of Kopeito's sandcastles. Focusing her away from playing in the sand would be difficult.

From six to eight, they were outside the storefront, trying the door every ten minutes. When it finally opened at eight, 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, all displayed books are for display only. Opening them gives an overview of the book and a list of its content, but not any statistical information. Also, as with all printed copies, there may be new information that comes after the printing and any previously copied version 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. Customers can always come in to manually update their copies.

"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 composed of the best knowledge available to the author. It does not guarantee to hold all creatures in Aincrad within their pages. I am able to 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 cover more Skills.

"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 or location. 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 the private information about your skill level you wish to get help with. 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?"

"Lisbeth," Bladescape immediately said, earning her a dirty look from Malus. She wasn't going to give Twilight a chance to deny them because she knew it was them. But Lisbeth was someone Twilight would meet with.

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.

"Follow me to the consult chambers," The NPC said.

The consultation chamber was a small, private study. The walls were filled with bookshelves, fully filled 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 really were. She certainly recognized the two of them.

Malus 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’s simple. We need all Wondercolts on hand for this. We scouted the boss chamber yesterday. The strategy meeting is at five. And yes, we are still a guild. As strong as ever."

"Strong?" Knightstar scoffed. "Malus 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. "We had an argument as a guild. We argue IRL at times. It's not only called life, it's natural because we are each individuals with different views, personalities, and likes and dislikes. 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," Malus added. "Who don't judge you by your words, but your actions. I admit, my choice to walk out wasn’t helpful. I had no idea what to do and couldn’t think straight. I apologize 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 points. "I at least should have gotten it to start at the beginning and worked through in a calmer manner. I came in late and I spoiled the golden opportunity to set things right among my friends. I let the sharp words continue their emotional pain by not keeping us together.

"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’s 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 on our days off, we were unified. I couldn't even get a hold of some members all day! Malus ignored me completely!"

"I went fishin'," Malus defended. "If it was important, I would’ve 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 got any idea how hard it is to be the shield of the guild? I feel like I have to defend all y’all plus the other players. I get no breaks fer' y'all. So yeah, I walked out, but I’m back. Cause we have a boss to beat and lives to save. An' I am their shield. I’m the Iron Bulwark."

"Malus 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’s 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," Malus 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 Malus and standing up. "Knightstar and Twilight are Bladescape's and Sunset's and Malus's and Applejack's friend. Which is more important than guildmates. If you need something, anything, let us know. The boss raid meeting is at five pm, at the big chapel in Marten. 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 battle. Because I want to hug them with my real body, in the real world."

Bladescape pulled out the little gift bag for Knightstar and set it on the table. “Diemond made them for everyone. She only finished them the night before last.” Then Bladescape walked out of the room.

Malus was shocked that Bladescape was giving up. She stammered as she scrambled out after Bladescape. Outside the store, Bladescape explained before Malus could even pick a fight.

"Her walls were up. It wasn't a battle that could be won today. She had made up her mind. Unmaking it will take a little time and proper tactics. The geode copy is a good start. 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."

Malus just gave a single nod. "I’d love to say she only went off about safety margins, but it got personal. Mostly ‘tween Knightstar an Doom. At one point she asked if Doom had been drinking her own drugs."

Bladescape's face said it all as she recognized the weapon that those words formed. Then she felt that dagger stab herself in the chest. It wasn't a stab in the back and that was why it hurt so much more. All she could do was start to navigate them to the teleport plaza.

“I still ain’t got a clue what Natora was thinkin,” Malus added. “She mostly just sat there.”

“You left before that became clear,” Bladescape said. “Doom told us she was going back out, alone, unless any of us would try and stop her. Natora asked if they even could. We had no enforcement and she was trying to sort that mess out. Both Natora and I clearly stated that removing anyone from the guild was not an option we were willing to take. At least not over that. I guess Knightstar didn’t believe it.”

BLADESCAPE: Level 79 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 75 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
MALUS: Level 74 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 74 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 74 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 75 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 78 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche
KIEFER: Level 72 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 71 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 72 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 75 – All In

Episode 75 – All In
Twenty-Fourth Day in the Month of Sakura (April 24) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 59 — 5 P.M.

All current Wondercolts were at the meeting. Argo was insisting they all were there. After working on the quest with them and receiving their markings, it made sense, although she didn't know about Knightstar yet.

They were the first guild 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 Asuna and Commander Heathcliff.

Bladescape smiled as Fuurinkazan came in, but it dropped as the DDA came in right behind them. Agil and other free agents arrived only a short while after. About seven hundred players were on the front line, but not many did the boss fights. About two hundred total, most in small guilds. There were always around fifty players from non-boss guilds trying to get into 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."

"I can't tell you any more than what the paper already circulated," Argo shrugged. "I know some of the players in the room were there that morning. I dealt with Iliad for his crimes against us. Done and done. Enough said.

“As for the boss, the Wondercolts know pretty much all I do and they can add anything they have deduced. 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, possibly the shadows, and maybe other undead, all led by that Necromancer. That is who we have to deal with. Thanks to Iliad, I wasn't able to track, kill, or confirm his death. In the one quest with him I got to finish, 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 Natora. Natora 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’s the Necromancer and when we go in, that is the real fight. He was likely controlling the skeletons, we just couldn’t push them back enough to see him."

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," Natora 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 nine, how many did you bring in? Twelve?"

"Twelve," Asuna confirmed with a nod. "But, we have never seen anything like that before. I doubt it is a farce."

Natora shrugged. "At least let me tell you what we saw with the Necromancer. 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 it to attack our other party. He escaped through his own portal after we dropped his HP far enough.

"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. Back then, we had a height advantage to see him clearly. This time, he will be elevated on that platform on the far side of the room. Along with our height advantage we had a range advantage with some throwing blades. He was raising those skeletons in groups of twenty. About one group every four 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. Five skeletons a second is the rate we have to counter. I bet thirty 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 taking down Serigatal The Wolf Master. She doesn't want in 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 Colorra’s smooth head. "We have ten available Wondercolts ready and able for this raid."

Asuna nodded her head slowly, still not sure what was going on. "Then if we are facing waves of enemies, we primarily 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 of the squad used Shields. Fuurinkazan scored a slot and so did the DDA, although their members were mixed up to create well balanced teams. As usual, the KoB had a Squad and they would take the center position. Almost all KoB soldiers would be using shields.

Bladescape personally picked the two players she wanted for the Wondercolts. She needed two shields. First she chose Tagahashi, leader of the Imperial Dragoon Guards, who was a lancer. His black and gold armor looked sharp and he was a good captain and fighter. The other chosen was Lobelia of Meigibu. Bladescape was happy to be working with Lobelia once again. Her shield, sword, and beauty would be appreciated and well used.

When the meeting was over, the two of them joined the Wondercolts. Lobelia bowed, which prompted Tagahashi to not skip the cultural pleasantries. Bladescape bowed back to them.

"Thank you for having me," Lobelia said.

"Yeah," Tagahashi added. "It’s been a few Floors since I was picked. Thanks."

"I remember a skilled lancer," Bladescape said to Tagahashi. "And a good leader. That is why I picked both of you. 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. Although I have no qualms about admitting that I know Lobelia on a personal level. I made my choice for the reasons stated."

“And I thank you for it,” Lobelia said. “I look forward to fighting alongside you once more.”

“You have a new sword,” Bladescape commented.

“Yes,” Lobelia said with a coy smile. She drew the silver falchion. The handle was wrapped in green leather and the ring pommel had several decorative ribbons, in Meigibu’s white and green, tied to it. “Kubikiri Orochi is a masterpiece crafted by the smith Kaiwan. He is an up and coming smith and it was his first masterpiece. I almost felt bad receiving it. Almost. After all, it was a custom order. He made it because and for me and was fairly compensated for his work.”

“Yeah,” Bladescape said, patting the handle Harmonic Salvation. “I understand what you mean. I’m friends with my smith, Lisbeth, and Harmonic Salvation was her second masterpiece. She was christening her new smithy by making it. Seeing it produced was an amazing experience.”

It didn’t take long to lay out what the parties would be. The Wondercolts were purposefully placed on the right flank. Bladescape would be relying on Lobelia to lead the second party, with Tagahashi as her second. Malus, Konpeito, Soryuto, and Kiefer would be under her leadership. Bladescape would try to cut through the horde, using the chamber wall for protection, with Natora, Thunder, Doombunny, Reisenki, and Diemond, in an effort to slide by the enemy waves and strike directly at the necromancer.

Back at their headquarters, Argo was waiting in the antechamber. Bladescape wasn’t surprised to see her. She let her in and took her to her room, rather than talk more openly.

"Knightstar?" Argo asked when the door was closed. "I noticed she wasn't with you, but then you said three before Colorra 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 Malus didn't either. Knightstar has backed out and away from her friends. She is in a dangerous head space and has put up walls. Literal ones by starting her own bookstore that sells her guides, too. I had no idea how much she had 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’s a Wondercolt. You’re lacking without her. Not that you can't handle yourself."

"That’s the tough part," Bladescape said. "We are lacking without her. Sure, we can handle it, but we are lesser without her and not because of her skills, but because she is our friend."

"Yeah," Argo said, with a nod. "But, now I have to ask, because we see where Knightstar went when she cracked. Doom has Colorra; Diemond has her clothes; Konpeito has baking; Kiefer, Soryuto, and Reisenki are all crafters as well; and Malus has, if I remember correctly, fishing. What of you? And what about Natora and Thunder?"

"I'm fine," Bladescape assured Argo. “And Thunder and Natora get into their own shenanigans outside of the clearing effort.”

"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 Malus failed to respond appropriately to Knightstar. I know it wasn't intentional. I assume Malus 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?"

Bladescape looked Argo dead in the eyes. "I do Iaido on our roof when I can, but it has become more of a focusing tool before boss fights. My escape is knowing there is no escape until we beat this game. If I’m not fighting, I’m either sleeping or preparing to fight. If I’m not clearing, I’m training. That is my life and role 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, or didn’t feel like she did, 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-analyzed it, breaking everything down to numbers and equations."

"You are avoiding the question," Argo pressed. "Just don't lose yourself trying to save yourself. That never ends well. Especially with the stakes we have going on. Know how to live in this world, so you can make it to the end. We are eighteen months in and not even through sixty percent of the game."

"I'll look into it," Bladescape said. She let out a sigh as her own mind agreed with Argo. "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, Agil, and Lind can't be discounted, although Lind has been rather silent the past few months. Agil’s shop keeps nudging him out of contention, but he could be a contender if he pushed. He shows us that this game is more than levels with the way he fights. Klein is moving up the ranks steadily. As good as Malus is, she is too stagnant with her giant shield and she knows it, but she’s exactly what we need in our raids. A cornerstone to build our attack off of. Doombunny is getting up there too, but she isn't strong-willed enough unless she gets backed into a deep corner. Her only edge is poison, which is a fair and legal edge. 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 four 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 about. Your pedestal is at the proper height, but all four of you are on flimsier pedestals than you realize. Knightstar was on one of the strongest pedestals for the clearers and it just crumbled, pretty easily too."

Bladescape nodded and Argo walked to the door to leave. Bladescape escorted her out. Konpeito gave Argo a bundle of cookies before she could leave.

Bladescape entered the meeting hall and found Natora at her seat, reviewing notes. She didn’t appear to notice Bladescape. Only a few days ago there was just one councilor at the table and that chair was now empty. Bladescape wasn’t worried about the politics within the guild, even with public acknowledgment about their inability to enforce rules outside of removal. What worried her was that Malus had walked out and left. Bladescape too had left. Knightstar had been alone as it all seemed to come crashing down around her.

They needed their friend back.

“Good, you’re both here,” Doombunny said as she closed the doors.

Natora peeked over her papers with a raised eyebrow as Bladescape took her seat. It was empty to her left. There were plenty of times where the seat on either side of her had been empty, but never permanently.

“What’s up?” Bladescape asked.

“I got the details of your visit from Malus,” Doombunny stated. “It’s even worse than I thought. If she hasn’t come back because of the necklace Diemond made, then we have to up our game. The major rift was between me and her.”

“That may be,” Bladescape said. “But she didn’t just walk away from you. She sees it as about us all. She lost faith that we were strong as a guild. She removed friendship from the equation.”

“That may be, but you can’t mend it,” Doombunny said. “Only I can. I caused her to eliminate friendship from the equation. I don’t regret my actions, only some of my words. Still, some things I said needed to be said.”

“You’re not wrong,” Natora said. “You said some very true things many of us forgot. Some things that are never easy to hear. What’s your plan?”

“Operation Midnight Redemption isn’t an easy plan,” Doombunny stated. “It will require a quest to retrieve some special materials and some time. I already have spoken to who I need to in order to investigate the viability of the plan. At this time, that’s all I will say.”

“Alright,” Bladescape said with a nod. “Do what you must. I trust that you will progress it at a good pace, considering all of the factors.”

“Unfortunately, this is one time where more time will be an advantage,” Doombunny stated. “It will mean a greater understanding of the void in her life. Right now, that void is small and easy to miss.”

“I understand,” Bladescape replied.

Doombunny was correct. If the geode necklace didn’t bring Knightstar back to them, then anything done over the next week would have no greater effect. Good wine was not made overnight.

BLADESCAPE: Level 79 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 75 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
MALUS: Level 74 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 74 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 74 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 75 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 78 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche
KIEFER: Level 72 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 70 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 72 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 76 — Necromancer Falling

Episode 76 — Necromancer Falling
Twenty-Fifth Day in the Month of Sakura (April 25) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 59 — 5 P.M.

On the way to the raid meeting location, Natora 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 get a second chance to fight a floor boss with all of the Wondercolts."

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’m sure you will work it out. If any guild will, it’s the Wondercolts."

"Thanks," Bladescape said. "We think so too."

Diemond began to chastise Thunderborne but Malus 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 soon 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. 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 with my weights 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 shot, 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 two 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.

When Bladescape saw it her heart stopped beating. "Diavel" popped up above the character directly across from her. Blue colors, a basic bronze short sword and small shield with a blue sword on it. Diavel was the one who organized the first boss raid and he was the only casualty. This raised NPC looked exactly like he had.

Other names were popping up in her vision: Keita, Sachi, Tetsuoi, Sasamaru, Ducker, 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 three thousand 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 do! The dead are dead! It's not going to be easy to kill the images of 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’s not a weakness to mourn their passing. It’s 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 an NPC, 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 of what was my whole world, Floor Fifty-Nine as you call it. I went and read your monument of life. I checked to see what was going on outside this world. 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 ordered. "Give them no quarter! Let them find their rest swiftly."

Bladescape reached into a pouch and pulled out the strongest poison Doombunny had provided her. Doombunny handed both Lobelia and Tagahashi weapon poisons. Bladescape broke the vial onto Harmonic Salvation, coating the sword with the substance.

“MO GHILE MEAR!” Bladescape yelled, charging forward. The others echoed her words; their motto, their cheer, their lament. Konpeito skipped the motto and blew into Gjallarhorn. The blast from the horn echoed off the walls, buffing the defense and attack of each raider.

Diavel was the one who had come up straight across from Bladescape. The Necromancer Apprentices were chanting as they worked to raise more dead players. The Assault Team’s initial plan was still the same 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 Diavel. 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.

Diavel'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 slid up and over her head, being redirected by Doombunny’s parrying dagger. Bladescape skipped back and out of the way. Since his swing was completed, 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. The elapid slid off of Doombunny's shoulders with its powerful muscles supporting itself as it wrapped about Diavel 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. They were used to the snake killing monsters or creatures, not killing players, or what looked like players.

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, gray, and then he was polygons.

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, if not more. 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 avatars that they were now in.

Bladescape slipped back, ensuring their two parties were squared away. Natora and Lobelia had kept them organized during the charge. They were heavily engaged with the first wave, pushing them back as best as they could. Shields halted weapons and their sword skills glowed. The poison on their weapons put the dead back to sleep faster than their swords could. They advanced forward, well ahead of the other squads. Lobelia didn’t let hers advance as far, otherwise the enemies would slip through the opening and surround the other squads.

Their advance ended as a team of four lancers locked shields, right along the wall, stopping them. Doombunny’s knives flashed past Bladescape, each one finding the leg or foot of a lancer, dropping them with paralysis. Bladescape, Natora, and Thunderborne were on them in an instant. A good lunge was all they needed from the swords. Especially with the poison added on top.

As Bladescape shifted to press forward, she froze as she saw her next opponent. She lost all feeling in her body. It was Yuna, fully dressed out in her blue troubadour fighting outfit, what she was wearing when she sacrificed herself to save a large number of players. Bladescape steeled her heart and put Yuna to rest by plunging Harmonic Salvation through her heart while cursing Akihiko Kayaba for this torturous game.

The next wave descended upon Bladescape’s squad. It was led by a young woman, barely older than a girl, with a two-handed spear. 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. There was a hesitation behind the assault, 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. The others behind her bore the same guild tag.

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 the girl'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 Thunderborne. Thunderborne saluted her with a wink.

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," Kirito 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. I’ve killed two I knew, one I fought beside. There are other names and avatars I don’t want to see come up. All he did was put images on skeletons. They are nothing more than that."

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 Thunderborne sliced his head off before Sasamaru could do anything else.

"GO!" Bladescape 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.

Thunderborne and Bladescape nodded at each other in understanding. They knew they had just cut down the image of good friends of Kirito. It was a tough reality, even knowing they were nothing more than monsters coded to look like the players they knew. They were nothing more than the skeletons they had expected, except they had faces and names.

Bladescape’s party was split, with everyone but Thunderborne and Bladescape in sync with their tanks. They were not very far away, but two “resurrected” players stood in the way of unifying their party. A teenage male with starter gear named “Coper” and a straight standing 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 Thunderborne as the four of them charged at each other. Thunderborne 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 froze in pain as Thunderborne ran her through from behind. Bladescape took the opportunity presented to her and finished the fight.

"Nice job," Bladescape praised as they dashed to Group D.

Reunited with Group D, they were briefly safe. Both downed health potions in their momentary lull.

Doombunny was panting heavily with closed eyes and wet cheeks as she had her back safely against Diemond. Colorra was rubbing her head against her cheek to comfort her. Diemond was standing firm, but not doing well either. They were against the wall for a reason as Reisenki and Natora fiercely protected their flank and back. Bladescape couldn't comfort her or praise anyone as they came under assault from the flank.

Thunderborne took over for Natora as Bladescape took on three who tried to get at them from the rear. Their names were Alita, Kassadin, and Tasfi; all three bore the same guild tag, Meigibu’s green rose. Natora downed a health potion and took a quick moment to catch her breath. Then she was shoulder to shoulder with Bladescape, helping eliminate the remaining resurrected Meigibu members.

With their squad back together, Bladescape got them together enough for another solid push forward. It didn’t last long. Reisenki stumbled and fell. Bladescape stepped into his spot as Natora helped him up.

Bladescape immediately understood why he had fallen. Her heart had stopped beating. Two resurrected players stood out from the others. They both had starter gear, which was the most common armor seen, but the girl held a two-handed mace and the boy used an axe and shield. She had relived that day many times since, she didn’t need to see their names to know it was Joltron and Lessa.

The Wondercolts were frozen, not that any of the other parties were faring any better, but they had a different role. Bladescape stepped forward as her heart began to furiously beat, begging her not to do what she was planning to do. They were images, snapshots. What Bladescape remembered of them was more real than what the Necromancer could recreate. She had to cut them down and push their party forward. That was her burden as their leader.

Joltron and Lessa split up, flanking Bladescape as she advanced. Bladescape unleashed a two hit combination at the resurrected Joltron, trying to overcome his shield, but he was quick and she was immediately chaining a second skill to deal with Lessa. The upward slash connected with the heavy mace and then shattered it as Harmonic Salvation proved it was the superior weapon. The sword was slashed back down and then rammed into her chest, knocking off what little HP was left after the slash.

As the polygons filled her vision, an axe buried itself in her spine. Somehow it hurt worse than what she had just done and was about to do. With the axe still in her back, Bladescape knew exactly where he was. She reversed her grip and rammed Harmonic Salvation backwards as she slid her right foot further back. She could feel the resistance of virtual flesh and heard him exhale. The pressure on the axe was also let up. Bladescape brought her feet together, properly, before twisting around, into a new stance while she slashed at him. The cut at his head was not stopped by his shield, and through the polygons Bladescape saw Soryuto. That was the greatest pain of all, seeing her guildmate’s soul be crushed. Soryuto had mounted Joltron’s shield, enshrining it as a wall hanging in her bedroom. Thankfully Kiefer and Lobelia were right there to support her, while Tagahashi and Malus kept the party together and pushed back against the hoard trying to swallow them.

Bladescape’s party charged forward with renewed vigor. They had seen their leader intentionally take on the heaviest burden they could imagine and they were not going to let that gift go to waste. Thankfully, no one else was anyone they knew. They finally broke through the summoned enemies to see the Necromancer on his platform, chanting, and his apprentices below him, also chanting.

“Natora! Thunder! Doom!” Bladescape called. “With me! You know what to do!”

They left the two tanks behind and rushed towards their real targets. 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. The middle apprentice yelled and Bladescape saw him fall to paralysis and poison, Doombunny’s doing. Thunderborne rushed ahead, skewering the last apprentice and transferring a strong dose of weapon poison to him.

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.

Natora was already shielding them from two of the resurrected players. They killed who they could as they fell back to Reisenki and Diemond, who were fighting their own battle. It was not going well. Diemond was on the offensive as Reisenki lost the will to fight. Seeing the images of Joltron and Lessa had broken him pretty badly, but he was holding together what he could.

As they reformed their squad, Bladescape checked back on the Necromancer. She saw a raid group break through the enemy wave and then 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, some of you are very ruthless, but now they truly are dead. Even I can’t raise them up again. 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," Asuna shot back, 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 torturous to fight and especially strike down. This would be brutal.

BLADESCAPE: Level 79 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 75 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
MALUS: Level 74 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 74 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 74 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 75 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 78 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche
KIEFER: Level 72 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 70 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 72 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 77 — Mirror Mayhem

Episode 77 — Mirror Mayhem
Twenty-Fifth Day in the Month of Sakura (April 25) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 59 — Boss Fight — Late 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, for their copies, were facing clones in a darker gold, accented with brighter blue. Directly across from Bladescape was her copy, gold with blue and teal hair, and wielding a brown 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; Konpeito 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. Malus and Natora, take care of Malus' 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 and Tagahashi, the rest are yours. Fight as a unit, picking off single targets. Got it?"

They all confirmed and Bladescape issued her last order. "Reapply poisons and let's end this nightmare. Oh, and watch out for Konpeito's clone. It's a loose and unpredictable cannon."

Konpeito 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. Malus and Natora headed out next.

Lobelia and Tagahashi had to be given more poisons. They applied it quickly and then Lobelia was following 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 teal 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. 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. With the other raiders around, Thunderborne couldn’t perform the raw speed or acrobatics she had in the duel with Asuna. She lost as the clone overcame her speed. Even Asuna’s clone had Thunderborne outmatched in that regard. 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 retaliation. 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 shield in its left hand.

Harmonic Salvation did its job as her 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, and stay together!"

"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, Konpeito and Doombunny found Doombunny's clone. The gold cloaked clone was quick and agile, launching a furious set of attacks at Konpeito with its dagger. It was only using Doombunny's primary, non-poisoned blade. The other two were not even present in the copy.

Konpeito staggered from the pain and saw the glowing red dagger thrust at her face. With a crystal-clear ping of metal on metal, Doombunny redirected it with her parrying dagger, saving Konpeito. Konpeito responded by chopping her axe down, over Doombunny's back.

A white and cyan colored Colorra struck Doombunny in the leg. Colorra responded from her hiding spot by biting her own clone. They thrashed back and forth, but the real 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 Konpeito. 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. Konpeito 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 Doombunnys separated. Colorra wrapped herself around the neck and shoulder of the clone, forcing her arms to be pinned and ending any chance of the clone gutting the snake.

Doombunny took the opportunity provided by her familiar and repeatedly slashed open the stomach of her own clone. Konpeito stepped out of the way and drank a health potion. She wasn't going to risk hurting, or killing, Colorra with her big axe. Even as good as she was with scoring critical hits, it was not the right time to take such a risk.

Colorra dropped into a coil as Doombunny's clone popped into polygons. She immediately climbed onto Doombunny's shoulders. Doombunny nodded to Konpeito and they split up to hunt other 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 set of algorithms, 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 second 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 player clones that needed to be dealt with. Malus, 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 Fiftieth Floor Boss solo for ten minutes, his nickname as "The Living Legend" was solidified. On top of that, he had a unique skill, Holy Sword. That combat ability and Unique Skill were paired with Liberator, his sword and shield weapon set. The cross shaped kite shield and crusader longsword were apparently one item and the sword was sheathed on the back of the shield.

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. 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, although 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. Kirito’s clone had taken up all of it. 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 the 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. He blocked it with his shield, something that grounded his feet, allowing Bladescape to take a few steps back.

On the other side of Heathcliff, Bladescape saw Konpeito 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 Konpeito's setup and thrust her sword home, piercing the back of Heathcliff's clone and skewing him all the way to the flanges marking the ricasso of Harmonic Salvation. 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!" Konpeito 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 Konpeito bounced excitedly over to her. She was in the gold inversion of the Wondercolts' blue. Everyone almost rushed her, but they were confused by their immediate interaction.

"You're right, me!" The clone exclaimed. "It 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.

"Well, me, you missed one clone," Konpeito laughed, leaning on her Axe.

"I did? Where! Who!"

Konpeito giggled. "You, silly!"

The giggles and laughs were over. Konpeito 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, Konpeito brutally brought her Axe straight down overhead, slicing the clone in half and shattering it to polygons. A clear critical attack.

Everyone stood there in shock, even as the congratulations were given by the game and their menus popped up. Only Fuurinkazan had seen Konpeito 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.

"Konpeito," Diemond said, not moving closer to her friend. "What just happened?"

"What?" Konpeito 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," She pointed to a player in the DDA. "Your clone, 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, just like I was doing!"

"Why?" Thunderborne immediately asked for everyone. Everyone heard her question.

"Well duh," Konpeito 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!" Konpeito 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. Konpeito 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'," Natora said, correcting her. "It means boxer, or one who fights with their hands. As in, your Martial Arts Skill."

"Oh!” Konpeito 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 Konpeito'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’m 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,” Kirito replied. “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 Konpeito 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’s 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 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 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. I've known players who died, I have tried to save a party and been unable to, and I had to cut them down today, but I’ve 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 back on straight and dealt with it. Exactly as you needed to. We all are going to have nightmares about this raid.

"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 teleport gate was triggered, the 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 true weapon," Doombunny explained. "I’m the only player on the front line who primarily fights with a dagger. I didn’t switch to claws or have a backup weapon, just knives. It’s a quest locked Extra Skill, Main-gauche. 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’s a speed based defensive skill based on historical European fencing. At this time, I’m not ready to release the quest information. I’m still preparing the guide for the difficult quest."

"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 thrust with the dagger or bash with the shield. That is the only time it can happen. 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 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, it is very impressive to have a primary dagger fighter on the front line. Twice now I have fought in a floor boss battle with you, but never close by to actually see your skills in use."

"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 well in this fight, keeping your heads about you better than most. That is no surprise knowing how key you have been to the liberation effort, but most players don’t realize just how stable of an element you are for the effort. We need more players, and guilds, like you."

They departed, but 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. Bladescape still remembered the early days when the two of them were a nearly inseparable duo. Something had apparently changed between them, or at least for Asuna. 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.

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 more 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 with people I am always around. Currently, 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 have much time left 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 Lobelia and Tagahashi out for a drink, like they always did, and the twelve of them toasted to a successful battle. Lobelia joined in saying their motto. Tagahashi was unable to say it, but he could join in both the toast to their success and the lament of the fallen. A tough battle mentally, a close one statistically, but they had no deaths. They just had to relive many of those deaths today. Saying another lament for the fallen was appropriate.

Lobelia was the one who asked. "Miss Konpeito, what exactly are those gloves? If you don't mind me asking."

Konpeito 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.

The black gloves were knuckleless and had gold piping. They were short too, barely covering any of the wrist. It looked like they were cloth with some leather strips to reinforce them during unarmed combat.

Diemond picked them up and read the information. "It says fifty-percent reduction in Martial Art Sword Skill delay period, and ten-percent increase to both attack and critical damage to all Martial Art attacks while being worn."

"That is a good one," Bladescape said, lifting her glass to Konpeito. "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. "Asuna’s clone ripped me apart. I couldn’t move like I could during our duel. I was trying to regain my HP to a safe level."

"I know," Bladescape said before anyone else could speak. "You all were recovering or fighting other battles. It’s just that too many players, others not at this table, were seeing a duel, not a boss battle, when they could have helped out. So I am really glad the LAB went to a Wondercolt, or one of our squad-mates, because I know how hard you worked."

"Are you sure you're not jealous?" Konpeito asked, a bit meekly. "We all know how hard you have been working for a Lab. I was certain you would get it once you broke through and attacked the apprentices, but then he disappeared."

"Oh, I am jealous," Bladescape admitted. "But it's a good jealousy. I'll get my LAB soon enough. This was, once again, 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," Konpeito sighed, happily as her eyes began to water. "Thanks, Blade. Besties for life!"

"Besties for life!" Bladescape declared back.

"Is anyone else wondering why it went to Konpeito and not Heathcliff?" Natora 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 Konpeito get the gloves?"

"Cause it's Konpeito?" Thunderborne shrugged. “Maybe to copy us he had to put himself in each copy? So, he wasn't fully defeated until the last clone was. His minions were his apprentices."

No one else had any other idea why the Last Attack Bonus went to Konpeito. It didn't really matter. The battle was so twisted, it would haunt everyone involved for weeks to come and would linger for life. If that trick was played on Floor Fifty-Nine, then worse ones had to be awaiting them.

Bladescape was even more determined to get the Last Attack Bonus. That was Konpeito’s fourth one and she wasn’t even trying. That fact was actually annoying.

Bladescape raised her mug. "I noticed we Wondercolts all moved up a level. We have been through a lot, so well done, all!"

A round of cheers went up at the optimistic news.

BLADESCAPE: Level 80 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 76 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
MALUS: Level 75 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 75 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 75 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 76 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 79 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche
KIEFER: Level 73 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 71 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 73 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 78 — Skill Slot Eleven

Episode 78 — Skill Slot Eleven
Twenty-Sixth Day in the Month of Sakura (April 26) in the Year of the Griffon
Front Line — Floor 60

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.

She certainly needed it. Her sleep was still dreamless, meaning she didn't have any nightmares about the day before, but she had not gotten much sleep. The memories that accosted her made sleeping difficult. Daviel, Yuna, Lessa, and Joltron stood out the most.

A knock came at the door. Bladescape didn't stop reading while she called for them to enter.

"You okay, Sugarcube?" Malus asked.

Bladescape looked up at Malus. She was in her full armor, war hammer dangling from her hip.

"Yeah," Bladescape replied. "Why?"

"Fer' starters, ya' missed breakfast," Malus said. "No food fights, but I had to tell Natora and Thunder when they could get seconds. 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," Malus replied. "You don't lose track of time. What're you workin' 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?" Malus asked.

Bladescape had walked into the question. "I promised Argo I would do a fun, relaxing Skill, but I haven't found anything interesting."

"When did ya make that promise?" Malus pressed.

Bladescape thought for a second. "Two days ago, when she visited us after the boss raid meeting. She was checking in about Knightstar."

"Ah," Malus said with a slight nod. "You've always talked, but when did y’all get so close?"

Bladescape chuckled with a smile. "You were on your fishing break. Argo alluded to it in the boss meeting. The other info broker who killed quest NPCs so she couldn’t complete them. She needed to hide for a few days, so she came to us. Not that we will ever acknowledge her stay in any way, unofficially or officially. Just forget I said anything."

"Got it," Malus nodded. "And forgotten. Still, Sugarcube, ya got that promise to keep. Take a day or two, try different Skills, an figure out what’ll help ya relax. I know Natora will agree. We need ya at your best, but we don't need ya to have another combat skill. Try bakin', or sewin'."

Bladescape raised her eyebrow at Malus, the unasked question was obvious to her friend.

"Okay, neither of those are your thing," Malus admitted. "You'd know by now if it interested ya. But we got some extra metal, go bang out a sword, or try to make a breastplate, or throw out a line an catch a fish. Just go try stuff. Natora can handle the guild, it's why she’s your second. It's new 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," Malus smiled. “I'll go tell the others an get em movin'."

"I'll get breakfast out, somewhere," Bladescape added.

"Good," Malus chuckled nervously. "Cause I kinda forgot to make sure we left food for you."

Bladescape chuckled. "It's not easy controlling them for breakfast. Or you. You may be calmer, but you can eat just as much as them."

"No it ain't," Malus 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 by the time she was ready to leave. Bladescape jumped to Floor 48. She was going to get Harmonic Salvation upgraded. Lisbeth should have the metal materials by now for her upgrade. Bladescape had put out a contract for what she needed and Pheadra had come through. She could 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, 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. "Asuna, do you have a moment?"

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 Second-in-Command."

Asuna sighed. "Sorry, I wasn't giving you a look for the name. I was confused about you talking to me."

Asuna looked over at the other customers in the store for a moment, seeming unsure before coming to a decision and motioning for Bladescape to follow her outside. They didn't go far, just around to the back of the shop next to the canal and under a small copse of trees that offered them some privacy. Bladescape leaned against one of the trees while Asuna stood at the canal's edge, looking at her own reflection before she continued. "Yesterday made me question a lot of things, but I never forgot the standing offer you gave Kirito and I to join the Wondercolts if the need arose. You and I, we haven't really gotten to know each other, but we certainly aren't just acquaintances. I was there when your sword was made, after you got the three of us dinner. We probably should fix that; I just don't know how. Like you said yesterday, we both are busy with our guilds. Anyway, please call me Asuna. I don't want to hear formalities from you unless the situation clearly dictates it. I have enough of that in my everyday life. I heard how you handled my clone, and then I saw you handle the Commander's. I couldn't pick up my sword against it, not even to help you. It was too real. You're an active guild right there besides us in our quest to free everyone. Plus, 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 often call me Blade. I certainly consider you a friend, but I would like to make you a closer friend than you are. Dropping the formalities is a good step forward with forging our friendship. You mentioned the stress we live under for our positions. Since I saw you, I wanted to know what you do to relax? For fun? I'm asking because I don't have anything and everyone is afraid I'll crack. Rightly so."

"Oh," Asuna said, surprised, turning to face Bladescape fully. "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 you max it soon. I didn't take you for a cook though. Doesn't the guild have support players for that?"

"Actually, no,” Asuna admitted. “We aren't like the Wondercolts in that regard. We don't really have support roles. Some of the others cook, but usually they bring stuff in for meals, however, I don't live at the KoB headquarters like the Commander or you. I'm one of the senior officers and the Commander insists that they have their own place, separate from the headquarters. The guild bought and furnished my home, so I cook often enough. I enjoy it. If I eat guild food, it's usually packed for us to use on 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. Although it never should be. I only came to the clothes sale cloaked to avoid being mobbed by fans, not because I was afraid of being seen."

Bladescape couldn't help but chuckle. "I figured that's why. Mishe is very busy now with mid level players and the paper loves to talk you and the Knights up." Bladescape sighed. "Well, cooking and sewing are not my thing. I would know. It's not like Diemond or Konpeito 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 about Konpeito. 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. "IRL she is just as bouncy as she is in here. 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's either on point, or wildly off. We're a bit concerned, at the very least, but she is brilliant. If you ask her what number she is at, she will tell you, but none of us know what she is counting, only that it is getting higher and she never has to think to answer. 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. Also she loves to score critical hits and is very good at putting her axe right where it's needed."

“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," Bladescape reminded her. "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 now that my sword is back up to full strength."

"Thanks," Bladescape replied. "Your time was appreciated. Good luck with the work. I'm here to drop my sword off to be enhanced."

Asuna departed and Bladescape walked back inside and 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 added as she handed over the other enhancement materials. "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 and timing. Her services were now in high demand. Since she had put on the new outfit, she had doubled, if not tripled, her business.

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 an interest in armor, or cooking, or weapon smithing, but the Wondercolts don't have a shield maker. Not that I would be of any use for a long while 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 thought, 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 at cost."

They settled on a price for her tutorship and Bladescape dropped Shield Crafting into her eleventh 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 IRL.

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 IRL for her to really enjoy it the same way. Maybe if she had started with the Skill at the beginning, like Diemond and Konpeito, things would be different, but right now she was trying to relax, and all she was doing was making 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," he shot back. "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. For someone like yourself, a dedicated member of the Assault Team, time management is key. This was time well managed and they prove that."

Bladescape grunted. "Alright. You're right. They do prove I didn't waste my time and they are good shields for starting out. I'll put one up on the wall of my room. 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 Malus’s sake, but it was pointless.

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 she 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 clearing. She was puzzle solving or playing through a story, not grinding for XP or Col, or mapping out uncharted areas and dangers of new floors. 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. Having leverage on someone as powerful as Mo could prove to be useful, not that she really wanted to have leverage against anyone.

Bladescape finished the day on their roof, throwing daggers into a target while she waited for the rest to get back. It was a good way to raise her Blade Throwing Skill. Her success with the shields and painting them were praised by the others, but they also understood it wasn’t for her. Konpeito decided to hang half of them up in the hallway and Diemond chose the two with the Wondercolt heraldry to mount on the meeting hall wall. They wanted 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, without a dungeon or clearing happening. 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. 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 Malus gets when she goes fishing.”

Bladescape sighed, frustrated. “Thanks. That's good to know. We will keep an eye on you, just to be safe.”

“Darling, keep it on all of us,” Diemond said. “Although, I can barely keep myself together. I can’t watch out for you, Malus, and Konpeito, let alone the others. We have to practice our own self care first and foremost. That is still sewing for me. Skill or not, self care is important in these highly stressful times.”

Diemond stepped close to Bladescape and whispered in her ear. “Don’t tell anyone, but I'm certain Thunder goes to a spa on her days off. She doesn't go to the same spa I go to, or any of the other major ones, but 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. I know she paints her toes, too.”

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, especially if it threw her off her groove.

Bladescape let Konpeito know she was going to sleep in late. Konpeito promised to have something in the dining room for her. She insisted on making her breakfast before Bladescape retired early.

Episode 79 — Cutie Mark

Episode 79 — Cutie Mark
Twenty-Seventh Day in the Month of Sakura (April 27) in the Year of the Griffon
Front Line — Floor 60

Bladescape woke up at her usual time, but didn’t leave her room until the others were gone. She enjoyed, as best as she could, laying in her bed. The breakfast waiting for her was good. It was topped off with a Sunset Shimmer themed cupcake. Konpeito always knew what to do for her friends, at least when it came to cooking and treats.

The cupcake did spark an idea. So much had happened in between the idea and now. They had teamed up with Fuurinkazan to clear the catacombs because Bladescape couldn’t see how well they were working together. A major part of her frustration had been set aside to deal with the more important drama, but it was still there. She had fully taken up their horse head symbol as a replacement of her own. It was for the good of her friends and the clearing effort, a direction she was even more certain was the correct choice despite the recent happenings, but that did not mean she couldn’t wear her mark. Konpeito was proof enough.

Bladescape threw on a black skirt and a cyan top that Diemond had made for her before traveling to Algade on Floor 50. She happened to know who Konpeito always went to. The artist had changed locations, twice, but Konpeito was still getting work done and she wasn’t tight-lipped about Eglon or his location. The parlor was easy to find.

It looked like a stereotypical tattoo parlor, with their art all on the walls and a bit of a grungy feel to the establishment, yet it was clean and surprisingly cozy. There were two areas sectioned off with low dividers. They shielded anyone getting work down in more sensitive locations, yet were tall enough that the artist could see over and check on whoever came in.

Eglon was busy with a customer, but his associate came right up to her. She was a pretty young woman, but “grunge” fit her description perfectly. Jet black hair that finished in a mid purple, cropped into a soft wedge bob. Black denim shorts cut very short and a black crop top was all she wore, which was not typical for Japan. She had tattoos over most of her body.

“Just here to stare or do you want somethin done?” she asked.

“Sorry,” Bladescape apologized. She hadn’t realized she had been staring. “I was coming to have something done. Eglon was the recommendation I got. I, uh, haven’t done this before or considered it. It’s a bit of an impulse.”

“That’s pretty obvious,” she said, a smirk on her face for a brief moment. “I’m Eshta, his associate. I do this IRL too, okay. Since it’s your first, then I’m guessing you’re not lookin for anything complicated? If that’s the case, I probably can do it just as good as he can. Either way, we’ll treat you right and make sure it looks amazing. It’s our work on your body. I take pride in my art, no matter how simple or complex it is.”

There was no reason for Bladescape to not trust her, at least not any less than she would trust Eglon.

“Yeah,” Bladescape said with a nod. She pulled out her book of memories. “The two toned sun on the cover, that’s what I want. It’s an important symbol to me. Not the swords, just the sun.”

“Alright, not bad,” Eshta said. “It has life and character to it. For it to work as a tattoo, it just needs to be outlined in black to make it stand out. That includes the divides. Not a thick line, but just enough to make it pop out from your skin and from the other colors. Otherwise it will blend together and it will look like a gradient, not two distinct colors. That’s just how skin works, especially with your olive skin tone and the colors yellow, orange, and red.”

“That makes sense,” Bladescape said.

“The next thing is how big and where do you want it?” Eshta asked.

That question threw Bladescape. She hadn’t actually thought it through. Deciding to do it and then navigating to the shop was as far as she had gotten.

“I think I mentioned it’s a bit impulsive,” Bladescape nervously admitted. “I didn’t think that far ahead.”

“You also mentioned it’s an important symbol to you,” Eshta said. “Let me take this to the back, where my drawing desk is. I’ll sketch it up on a template and then we can lay it on a few places so you can see. If we need to go bigger or smaller, we can. It will take me five minutes, which will give you some time to catch up. A little impulsivity isn’t bad, not when this symbol is important to you.”

Bladescape really did not want the book out of her hands. It contained so much sensitive information. She handed it over anyway. “Okay,” she said.

“Take a seat in the chair in the other section and just relax,” Eshta coached. “It’s a good symbol with good meaning to you.”

Bladescape sat in the chair. It was quite comfortable, which made sense. If the person wasn’t comfortable when there were needles and ink at play, it could easily mess up the tattoo. There also was a table to lay on if they needed the player in another position.

Bladescape didn’t have a flank, not like she did in pony form. She could get it on her butt cheek, but then it wouldn’t be easy to see. She wasn’t planning to broadcast it to her friends, but she wanted to be able to see it when she changed. She wasn’t concerned about future armor styles revealing it, the dagannoth plates would take a long time to enhance and the stats would be hard to beat, but Diemond was a fashion designer. She might give her something that would expose the tattoo, even partially, as a gift. Especially if Diemond did not know to avoid such designs.

Eshta came back and immediately handed Bladescape the book of memories back. She showed her the template and an enlarged, colored version she would use as her reference when it came to coloring it in. The black lines were truly there just to give it depth and definition. Four inches, from the top ray to the bottom ray, was a bit big, but going smaller didn’t seem wise. It was the same size as on the Book of Memories, it just seemed bigger going on her body.

“I know I want to be able to see it,” Bladescape explained. “Without a mirror and when I change.”

“Alright,” Eshta nodded. “That’s good. You made a solid step forward. If you want that, then you don’t want to go too high on the chest. It will become too hard to see when you look down. Unless we go for the bosom.”

“Makes sense,” Bladescape said.

“If you will take your top off, I can start laying the template out for you to see,” Eshta added.

Bladescape did so without a problem. She was glad the privacy screens were there and she was suddenly happy it was Eshta, not Eglon, doing the tattoo. No doubt he would be a professional, but it didn’t feel quite as exposing. Eshta laid the template out on her abdomen, just a bit in front of her hip. The location would eliminate crop tops or anything low cut, but Diemond hadn’t given her anything that exposed her belly.

“I’ve always found good success here,” Eshta said. “It’s a cute spot for a tattoo on most women. The curves of their figures add something to it that men lack. You’re not an exception there.”

“It almost gets to my rib,” Bladescape commented.

“Yeah, it could be taken down to three inches and still shine, but the bulk of the design is in the center, which is three inches. It may be a simpler design, but it will have plenty of definition to easily be seen by you. And, maybe, that special, lucky, someone. I can’t actually get it lower, to a more teasing location, with the game settings in place. I don’t recommend removing that for a tattoo. It’s better to have the system in place.”

“Yeah, I can agree with that,” Bladescape said. “I didn’t know there was a way, but I also don’t have anyone special.”

Bladescape had not heard of a way to change or remove the required undergarments that protected every player, but it sounded like there was a way. Somehow, that made sense. They were supposed to live here and accept it as their lives. Logic would follow that there would be a way to disable those default safety settings. There might be an age restriction in place too, preventing underage players from removing it.

“Really?” Eshta asked, looking up at her. “A girl as pretty as you has no one special?”

“Well, one dude hits on me, but he hits on every girl,” Bladescape stated. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “He’s a friend, that’s all. He enjoys being a goof. Otherwise, I’m on the front too much for anything to happen.”

“I thought that was the same guild tag,” she said. “Your friend is a fun customer, but a bit of a wild one. Not in the bad way, just a bit-”

“No need to clarify,” Bladescape said with a laugh. “I know what you mean and she is.”

“Well, you both are doing phenomenal work clearing the game,” Eshta said. “I certainly will never complain. I am surprised to see you here at this time of day. She usually comes in later at night.”

“My smith won’t have my sword enhancement done until lunch,” Bladescape explained. “So, it’s a slow morning for me.” She looked at the template still being held there. It was easy to see, without a mirror. It was a good location. “Alright, let’s do that spot and that size.”

“Great choice,” Eshta said with a smile. “I will want you to lay down so we can get as flat of a surface as possible to not distort it. Anywhere near a joint, you want to make sure it’s in the normal position without pulling or depressing the skin.”

“Makes sense,” Bladescape said as the template was removed. “Oh, if you could not mention me, to anyone, that would be appreciated. Not everyone in the guild is approving of her choices and if they found out I got one, well, I don’t need that drama. This is for me and no one else.”

“Not a problem,” Eshta said as she helped Bladescape onto the table, as it was on the high side so the artist wasn’t struggling by being bent over too much.

The table was a bit cool, but that would change soon enough. Eshta had her clasp her hands over her breastbone. It was the closest they could get to her arms being in a natural position without being in the way.

“Now, it will sting a bit, at least for most people,” Eshta warned as she did something with the template. “Just do your best to relax and breathe steadily. Common reactions are jerking and tensing up, but both you don’t want to do, so just focus on your breathing and staying relaxed. I’ll take care of the rest. If you need me to stop, just say it, but most people find it a dull and constant pain, but tolerable. The needle is only on you for a few seconds, five at most, otherwise your body may start to twitch involuntarily. Plus, I have to move it. It’s not like drawing with a pen.”

“Understood,” Bladescape said as the template was aligned in the same spot. This time, it stuck and then the top layer was peeled off. “Did you just leave a tracing?”

“Yep,” Eshta said. “It goes a very long way to ensure it’s done right. I may have a steady hand, but it's a lot easier to stick to a line than it is to freehand something. Especially with the lovely curves in this design. Tattoo guns are not pencils or pens.

“Normally, I would have to shave the area and sterilize it, but here I don’t need to. I also don’t have to worry about wiping away blood or excess ink. The system makes that process smoother. I will have to wipe away the tracing, where I’ve done, to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I say that just so you’re aware if you want this, or something else, done in the future; IRL. No real artist will risk the person getting an infection. It also will be easier to shade than outline. I can do this in an hour, easy, but unless you get a lot of work, most people can barely take thirty minutes the first time. Course, it goes faster without having to keep everything clean.”

“Makes sense,” Bladescape said. She was trying to focus on relaxing. Knowing some pain was coming didn’t make that easy. It just kept creeping at the edge of her mind. “And thank you.”

“No need to thank me, I’m a professional,” Eshta said. She did flash Bladescape a warm smile as she held the tattoo gun up in Bladescape's view. “Remember, if you need a break, just let me know, but I know I can get this done faster than you think. The hour will go by fast.”

She started the tattoo gun, causing it to buzz as it moved the needles up and down at a rapid pace. As scary as it suddenly was to hear the buzz, it was nice to see it start so she wasn’t immediately expecting it to be touching her.

It was a burning pain, a bit hot, but then it was gone. Bladescape had been able to not tense up. Well, not that badly. She just focused on her breathing. The pain lingered, but she could feel the outline happening. It was smooth and quick. The pain was dull, it didn’t increase over time or stack. Even the area left behind, it was more of dull numbness left in its wake. Where the needles were, that was always a burning pain, yet it was tolerable. Which made sense. Sure, people had different levels of pain tolerance, but it couldn’t be that painful. The average person was able to get tattoos done.

Bladescape was shocked when the tattoo gun was shut off. Eshta wiped the area clear one last time to take off the last of the tracing.

“Take a look,” she encouraged.

Bladescape looked and saw a perfect outline of her cutie mark. The pain was nothing compared to the comfort of seeing the familiar mark once again on her body, and it wasn’t even colored in yet.

“It looks great!” Bladescape exclaimed. “I’m already happy.”

“Good,” Eshta happily said as she focused on switching out the ink and needles. “I said it was a good design with life and character to it. I think it really shines more on you than it does on the cover of that journal. At least I assume it was a journal.”

“You are right,” Bladescape said. “It does look better on me than on the journal. Definitely thanks to your skilled hands.”

Eglon knocked on the paneling. “Mind if I come in and see? I always love seeing the different stages and I never saw the original design.”

“Sure, come in,” Bladescape said. She felt comfortable letting him in. Everything here was very professional yet personable.

“That’s a very beautiful design,” Eglon said. “Great placement too. Just the right size. It will look phenomenal once colored in, although it absolutely could stand alone without the color. I still say color it.”

“Absolutely color it in,” Bladescape said.

She knew she was smiling. This brought up some very old feelings she had forgotten about. There was always a lot of praise and joy when a pony got her cutie mark, with everypony wanting to see it. There was a constant showing off of her flank, which was way different from showing off her butt as a human. Sunset Shimmer, as a young unicorn, had been no different.

Eglon stepped out as Eshta was ready to continue. This time, the pain was the same, but it was being shaded in, so the feeling was different. The pain left was also the same, but the wake was not in a line she could easily feel. This was a back and forth action or up and down, depending on where Eshta was. The rays got pretty tight and curvy. Eshta’s steady hand was very evident as she fluidly moved the needle without missing any spots. The coloring really did not take long and then they were on to the gold.

Bladescape was surprised it was over when it was. Eshta had said the time would go by quickly. Bladescape certainly felt everywhere the needle had been, but it was still a surprise that it was done. Looking at it though, it clearly was. It was flawless, at least from what Bladescape could tell. Everything was as promised. The gold really stood out, as did the red, from her skin because of the expert line work. They really defined the shape and made it flow.

“It looks amazing!” Bladescape said.

“Good!” Eshta said, smiling. “I knew you would be satisfied with my work.”

It was easier, and better to play it off as that. Bladescape couldn’t express what it felt like to once again have her cutie mark on her. That was one thing that had always been missing as a human. She did what she could with clothes and other things having the mark, but now she knew how to really fix it and would once she got back.

Right now, this mark, it was hers and hers alone. She could put her armor on and wear the horse head symbol and be the leader of the Wondercolts like everyone expected and needed, while also bearing her mark. It absolutely would ground her on the tough days. She still needed to fully find her balance point, with something fun to relax her, but she was now a good deal closer to that balance point.

She now understood why Konpeito had gotten the first set of tattoos. It was a way to bring the real world into Aincrad in a way that could be grasped. Of course, the roots for both of their symbols were different. They were not comparable in any other way, but she would absolutely see them differently on her friend now. In a much more positive light, rather than just rolling with Konpeito being typical Pinkie Pie and remembering how they had lifted her spirits.

Eglon saw the finished job and sang his praises once again. He liked it even better now that it was colored in. That made Bladescape smile.

“Thank you,” Bladescape said. “I appreciate the praise and, Eshta, you really did phenomenal work. I will never regret this.”

“Good,” Eshta replied. “I never doubted you would. I’m very good at my job.”

Bladescape put her shirt back on. Apparently, IRL they usually wrapped a tattoo in plastic wrap to keep it from leaking, both blood and ink, onto clothes. It took a few days to settle and there was a way to provide good skin care to ease the pain and help ensure it didn't get infected. In SAO, the pain would be gone shortly and there was no need to worry about ruined clothes.

Bladescape paid for the work, the price wasn't unreasonable, and thanked her one last time.

Episode 81 — Operation Midnight Redemption

Episode 81 — Operation Midnight Redemption
Part 1 of 3
Floor and dates are not stated for a reason. Each segment may jump, including ahead of the current main chapter. They are in order of the tasks in the quest.

Doombunny trekked through the forest. She was on a quest chain, seeking special material for her gift to Knightstar. The gift that would reignite the friendship between them and bring her lost friend back to the Wondercolts and all of her friends.

The quest would not be easy, and it was a solo quest; the only assistance she could get was from Colorra. So far, Doombunny had passed the first part of the quest, retrieving the gold Radial Charm Bracelet. No one could beat her to finishing the quest now because they didn't have the bracelet. There were thirteen charms for the bracelet, scattered across Aincrad. Some were likely on floors currently locked. Only six charms could be attached to the bracelet at any given time, but switching charms would be easy. However, only two of the charms were what Doombunny needed for the project.

She would go one charm at a time, step by step, as quickly as she could while still contributing to the clearing effort. Each charm had a riddle that would guide her to the next one. Sorting out the answer wouldn't always be easy. Reveal and Listen were going to be key skills for the treasure quest. The first charm was the Painite Blossom. As the first charm, it was perhaps the easiest to deduce and find.

Floor Seventeen had a dungeon, the Forest of Five Hills. It was rather calm, even when it was on the front lines. On the summit of each of the five hills was a different flowering tree: Dogwood, Magnolia, Cherry, Crapemyrtle, and Crabapple. The key was the color. The Dogwood and Magnolia were white flowers, while the Crapemyrtle had lavender blossoms and the Cherry Tree had pink blossoms. Painite was a rare gemstone, like a dark ruby, and the crabapple tree was a Prairifire Crabapple; maroon flowers. It was the only tree that had blossoms close to the color of the gemstone.

Doombunny ascended the small hill. The tree was always in bloom. It had a good sized canopy, as wide as it was tall; only twenty feet. The blossoms covered up the leaves, making the whole thing shine its beautiful maroon. The blossoms were not very big, yet all that could be seen were maroon flowers.

Doombunny used Reveal to find the odd one out. It was near the top, in the center. It would be difficult to get to. Doombunny climbed into the tree, getting herself as high as possible. Colorra was too heavy for the narrow branches at the top. The blossom was several inches out of her grasp. Doombunny double checked her footing and then jumped, snagging only that blossom.

The fall out of the tree hurt. She bounced off branches with a bone shattering smack and broke others on her way down. Doombunny landed face first in the grass. She groaned as she looked at her outstretched hand. The blossom was still there, cradled in her fingers.

She rolled over and sat up. She looked it over. It was a beautifully carved piece of stone. The painite was a unique gemstone and the light played off it beautifully to show its depth. The item menu said it gave +150 points to strength.

Doombunny checked her quest log, pulling up the “Charms of the Iron Radius.” It had the next riddle.

Many imitate Me, yet none are Me.

I am the example all are measured against.

From Markets to Menus to Monsters and More, My copies are plentiful.

Once you know what I am, you can find Me in the vault of the lower palace.

Remove only Me or forfeit the rest.
The answer was obviously Col. The bits of coin were minted from the standard. Their menus readily showed how much Col a player had and Monsters dropped Col. The Ruby Palace at the top of Aincrad was likely the upper palace, meaning the lower one was the Black Iron Palace.

Doombunny stood up. She didn’t know much about the Black Iron Palace. It held the Monument of Life, where every player was recorded and their names were struck out if they died. The Army used it as their headquarters and interred criminals in the attached jail. There were no rumors about a vault, but the Army both wouldn’t let that information slip out and they might not even know it was there. Their members likely didn’t have Reveal as a skill.

Colorra crawled up on her shoulders and Doombunny used a teleport crystal to take them to the Town of Beginnings. She immediately activated Hide. The Army might allow her to search for the vault, especially if they didn’t know about it and got whatever was left, assuming the puzzle only excluded Doombunny from not taking anything else, but Doombunny wasn’t certain she could trust them. It was in her best interest to search without permission, relying on the shadows and Hide. If she got caught she could ask for forgiveness and seek permission. If she first asked and was denied, she would be in a worse position as she defied their ruling and snuck through the palace.

The soldiers were easy enough to avoid, despite their numbers. Hide was a visual Skill, Doombunny still had to be careful about the noises she made. Her footsteps could be heard, but she was careful and intentional with each step. Listen, Search, and Reveal helped her keep several moves ahead of the soldiers as she searched the halls of the palace.

It was all too easy. Across from the main chamber, where their council met, was the vault, hidden from sight. Reveal highlighted the door and informed her that the wall swung inward. She had to wait for a time when they wouldn’t notice her entering it. The lock was hidden behind a false brick and she had to use the bracelet as the key to open it. She heard a click and then pushed on the wall, swinging the door open. She had to be swift, getting inside and then closing the door behind her.

The vault was the most magnificent place Doombunny had ever seen. There was more than col inside. Bars of gold, gilded suits of armor, walls of jewel encrusted swords and glistening shields, fully ready for use. Doombunny was surrounded by the treasures of an entire kingdom.

On the far wall was a bronze stand with a red velvet top. Whatever was on it, it was separate from everything else for a reason. Doombunny approached it. The top cushion had two items, a gilded dagger and a single piece of col. The golden coin was unlike any that Doombunny had seen. It was crisp and sharp. It was perfect in every way.

The riddle was clear, only the coin could be removed. None of these treasures, even with all it could do for the clearing effort, were nothing compared to the value of Knightstar, both as a friend and to the clearing effort. Even the dagger, perhaps the most powerful Doombunny could ever get, was not worth more than the coin. The coin was why she was here. Knightstar was the reason for it all.

Doombunny carefully lifted the gold coin off the cushion. She stepped back from the pedestal, gripping it tightly. Leaving the room was the real trick. Doombunny tried a teleport crystal, but the vault was an anti-crystal zone. It blocked their use. She had to leave the way she came. Until she left, the stage of the quest wasn’t over because she could take something else.

There was a tiny peep sight in the door, not visible from the outside. The council was leaving their chamber across from the hidden vault. Doombunny watched their very slow exit. Thinker and another officer had stopped walking and spoke in the hallway. It was painful to wait. Finally they moved on and Doombunny timed her exit.

Reveal only gave her so much information. As she slowly closed the door behind her, more soldiers came down the hallway, from both directions. Doombunny got the door closed without it making a sound and dashed into the council chamber. She closed those doors behind her and slipped into the corner. From there she teleported to Granzam.

Granzam was quickly becoming the city of the smiths. Some had taken up residence in Lindarth, but the bulk of them didn’t find the city to their liking, especially with how the major crafting guild made them feel. While Granzam lacked water wheels for power, the city’s infrastructure was designed for smiths and molten metal. From the smelting of ore to the manufacturing of equipment, the multi-floored workshops were well ventilated and maximized for the production of metal objects.

Doombunny headed to the lower city as the light faded. She entered the unmarked shop and picked up the handbell on the counter and rang it. She set it back down on its small, cushioned pedestal and waited. Hyorinmaru was the sculptor helping Doombunny.

“Well, if it isn’t my toughest client,” he said with a sly smile as he wiped his hands clean of his current project.

“I just came to see if you have been able to acquire the materials necessary,” Doombunny said. “I’m progressing the quest to get those two charms as fast as I can.”

“Everything is coming along nicely,” he said. “The bronze is good. It took time, but I made a large enough block of wax. It’s a very detailed carving, so I’m doing a wooden version first to work out the finer details before I carve the wax. By the time I have it done, you will have the charms. The glass needs to be made and the Vulcanized Sand arrived today. That won’t be hard to make when it comes time to do it.”

“Good,” Doombunny said with a nod. “Glad to hear it. What matters is that we get it done right.”

“You will get my best,” Hyorinmaru assured her. “My absolute best and we will make sure it’s right.”

Doombunny was on a very menial task to earn the third charm. She was helping a farmer on the Ninth Floor clear his south field so he could plant crops. Colorra was unable to assist her in this task. The south field had a lot of rocks — of varying size — scattered about, which would tear up the plow. She was picking them up and moving them to the east field, where they were supposed to be more or less evenly spread out across the east field. It was idiotic, but that was what the farmer wanted done.

The farmer needs your help, it's quite a task,
To move his rocks, and put them to bask.

In one field, they lie all around,
But in the other, they're nowhere to be found.

To move them there, you'll need to think,
And solve this puzzle, without a blink.

Arrange the rocks in a specific way,
To make them move, and clear the way.

First, find the rock that's marked with a star,
And place it at the front, not too far.

Next, pick up the rock that's the heaviest,
And place it at the back, with the rest.

Then, move the rocks in a snake-like way,
Until they're all in the other field, hooray!

With this puzzle solved, the farmer's task is done,
And his fields are ready, to bask in the sun.

So, put your puzzle-solving skills to the test,
And help the farmer, with rocks put to rest.

She had been working for several hours, overnight. They had spent the day clearing and this was the only time she could do the task. It was slow work, but easy compared to fighting monsters, and it was safe. She was inside a safe zone. She was tired, but would be able to fight in a few hours when they got back to clearing.

Doombunny was not the only one awake. Bladescape, Thunderborne, Malus, and Kiefer were at the sand crabs, grinding all night for XP. They each could solo the crabs, Doombunny could not because her daggers made her fight too close to the crabs and they couldn't break their tough shells. She would have to hunt the Dire Wolves of the ashen wilderness in Floor Fifty-Two. Besides, she was the Wondercolt with the second highest combat level, below only Bladescape who was well above everyone. She could afford to spend the night moving rocks for the next charm. She would spend quite a few nights on this quest, but it would be worth the sleepless nights.

Doombunny picked up the last rock and carried it to the east field. It was a big one and a real struggle, not because she was tired, but because the small boulder was on the edge of her strength limit. It hadn’t looked that big until she went to pick it up and found most of it was buried under the ground. She dropped it onto the field, ending the task.

Doombunny hadn’t copied their exact placement in the move, but now the east field had the rocks scattered all about, just like she had found the south field. It would make plowing it impossible. The only thing the east field was now good for was laying fallow.

“Not bad,” the farmer said, coming out of his home. “Very well done. I appreciate the help. My shoulder won’t be healed for another week, just in time for the planting and the east field is now ready for the rocks to begin fertilizing the soil.”

That explained the weird orders. Doombunny had no idea how stones were capable of fertilizing the ground, but she was too tired to ask. She still had time to get a solid nap in before hitting the fields with the others.

“Take this stone,” the farmer said, handing her a small item. “I found it a while back while rotating the rocks, but it’s unlike the field rocks you moved. I never did take it to the city to sell, but a merchant passing by once told me it was worth more than my entire farm was; twice over even.”

Doombunny glanced at the stone in her hand then bowed to him, thanking the farmer for the gift. She wished him well and left. The teleport plaza wasn’t far and she was soon home. No one was up as she made her way to her room.

Inside, Doombunny sat down on her chair and looked at the charm. It was called “The Iron Opal,” however, it looked like a regular black opal. Not that any black opals were regular. The raw opal had a hole drilled in the narrow end and a string through it, knotted into a loop.

The Iron Opal, when attached to the Radial Charm Bracelet, gave her a boost to her carry weight limit by fifteen percent. It was a very powerful enchantment. The Painite Blossom had an enchantment of +150 Strength, which was an equally strong enchantment. An enchantment of +20 was considered very good. Equally impressive was the Col Standard. The coin boosted Col drops for the wearer by fifteen percent.

None of them were what Doombunny needed for her project. She had ten more to acquire. The order of the charms was unknown. Most of their names were also unknown and they all lacked descriptions. The Painite Blossom and Iron Opal were two of the charms she knew the names of before starting. Also known were the Vial Of Life, Ammolite Metalmark, and Stars of the Forgotten Night. The Stars of the Forgotten Night were the original reason why Doombunny began the quest, the project needed something nearly indestructible for the heart of it, and the charms lacked a durability factor, making them the perfect item to use. On top of that, “metalmark” was another name for the Riodinidae species of butterflies. This project was certainly going to be interesting, especially if she effectively destroyed two of the most powerful charms not only in the quest, but in all of Aincrad.

Knightstar's friendship was worth it.

In a ruined castle, with stories untold,
Lies a vault of treasure, with mysteries unfold.

Two kings once owned it, but now it's deserted,
With a keeper of the vault, who's still alert.

To find the vault, the moon must be high,
The key is only awarded if you survive.

Take nothing but the Tuft of a Rainbow Cloud or lose it all.

Floor Forty-Two held the Castle of the Two Kings, where they had killed Star Spiders to obtain their silk so Ashley could make the thread for Bladescape's amazing armor. They had fought as a guild to help Bladescape. Diemond had not been present, but she was going through her apprenticeship to learn to use game materials for her crafting; she was doing it for her friends and guildmates.

Now Doombunny stood on the steps of the ruined castle once more, except she was alone. Well, Colorra was with her. The night sky on the bottom of the floor above them was beautiful; full of stars and new constellations. This time, the quest dictated that it was only in the moonlight that she could get the next charm, which timed out perfectly for her packed schedule.

Doombunny pushed the doors open, entering the ruins. The star spiders would still be in the castle, but she wasn't heading into either side of the split castle. She only needed the central chamber, which was without the spiders and not killing any spiders meant the boss wouldn't appear. Even if the flag mob did appear, blocking her exit, she could use a teleport crystal to leave.

Doombunny walked towards the thrones. She was alone and it was night, plus she had the active quest. Someone began to materialize in between the thrones. Doombunny continued to walk forward. The polygons finished assembling the person, except it wasn't a person. It was a midnight blue alicorn with ebony armor. The alicorn's tail and mane were like a starry night.

"Fool!" The alicorn shouted, revealing it was a mare, not a stallion. "I am the keeper of Mikadzuki no Kagi, the key to the vault of the Twin Kings. It was not placed in my care lightly. I have the ability to make you fear the night. Flee now, while you still have my mercy!"

"No!" Doombunny confidently shouted back as she stopped and drew her dagger, Endbringer. "I came for a single item in the vault. Either you can let me inside to take the Tuft of a Rainbow Cloud, or I'll take the key from you, but the two kings have been gone for centuries. Look around you! This once beautiful castle is now in ruin. You are not standing in the moonlight because of a skylight, but because the roof is open to the elements. The drapes and carpet are worn and moldy. There is little reason to guard that key with your life. I seek only one item, a trinket, not a treasure."

"I swore on my life to protect the key and treasures in the vault for all eternity!" The alicorn shouted back. "I will not simply let you take any item, no matter how inconsequential the treasure may seem. Yes, the castle is in ruin. The brothers had a fight and split. The older brother of the sun would go on to build the Ruby Palace, while the younger brother of the moon built the Black Iron Palace. One day they shall reconcile with each other and return for their treasures!"

Doombunny flipped the dagger into a reverse grip. While an impractical grip for a real knife or dagger, the reverse grip was part of the starting motion for several One-Handed Knife Sword Skills.

"Then defend it with your life!" Doombunny declared.

Before she could charge up the stairs. The Alicorn reared up as its horn glowed. As it came down, it launched an amethyst bolt of magic at Doombunny. She dove out of the way, rolling onto her feet with practiced ease. She dove in the other direction and then back as she avoided two more bolts.

The distance between them grew too great and the Alicorn disappeared in a flash, only to reappear beneath the thrones. Although Doombunny was in range of the bolts once again, the winged unicorn lowered her horn and charged.

Doombunny dove out of the way of the charging equine. She came out of the dive in a roll, spinning so she was facing it. The alicorn slowed to a stop and turned around. It was angry, but didn't make any moves. It had stayed on the centerline of the hall the entire time. Doombunny shifted back to the center and the Alicorn charged once again.

Doombunny sheathed Endbringer, pulling out Shadowsong, her paralyzing blade. She slashed at the equine as she slipped out of its path. Its legs ceased their movement as the flag mob was paralyzed. The alicorn rolled along the ground, unable to do anything to stop itself. It had been at full speed when it became paralyzed.

It was painful to watch, but Doombunny remained steady and focused on her goal. She walked over the paralyzed equine and fished around its neck, finding a silver chain. She pulled the chain out from under the breastplate and found the key she sought. The skeleton key had a handle that ended in the full moon, just a crescent removed from the left side which was attached to the handle.

The paralyzing agent was the strongest Doombunny could make. The guardian would be incapacitated for a while. Long enough for Doombunny to do what she needed to do.

She walked up to the thrones. Reveal told her where the keyhole was hidden. It was behind one of the heavy tapestries. She pushed it aside and inserted the key, giving it a twist. The hidden door sprung open with a click and Doombunny entered the vault of the Two Kings.

It was dark inside, requiring her to use her night vision, but otherwise it was similar to the vault in the Black Iron Palace, although there was no col among the artifacts. Like that riddle and item, she was unable to take anything but what she came for. It wasn't at the far end, like the Col Standard had been — something else was there on that pedestal — instead it was under a crescent moon banner halfway along the left side. It sat on a counter with many other fine jewels and items. The rainbow cloud was just that. It looked like a disheveled metallic cotton ball that was dyed like a rainbow. That made sense considering it was a tuft of cloud.

Doombunny picked it up and walked out. She closed the door behind her by turning the key the other way. Once it was sealed, she pulled it out and walked back to the paralyzed alicorn. She put the chain back around her neck and tucked it under the breastplate.

"There," Doombunny said. She held up the tuft of cloud. "You still have the key and I got the only item I needed. Everything else is inside. I touched nothing but this bit of cloud. That effect will wear off soon, but I'll be long gone before it does. Have a good night."

Doombunny strolled out of the castle. Once she was across the rope bridge, she teleported back to Mishe. In the light of her bedroom, the Tuft of a Rainbow Cloud was more metallic in appearance than cotton or cloudish. It had to be firmer in order to survive being a charm. This one gave her a boost to her speed by twenty percent.

In the fields, where the flowers bloom,
Lies a plant, with the power to consume.

The herbalist needs it, to cure an ill,
And the plant's name, you must fulfill.

"Mistmilk pollen," its name may be,
And the herbalist needs it, urgently.

But beware, this plant is hard to find,
And only true seekers can seek it in kind.

It grows where the mist kisses the ground,
And the moon's glow is the only sound.

But don't be fooled, by its beauty so rare,
For the mistmilk pollen can be quite a scare.

With thorns so sharp, they'll pierce your skin,
And the scent so strong, it can make you spin.

But if you're brave, and persevere,
The herbalist's cure will soon be near.

So, put your seeking skills to the test,
And find the plant, for the herbalist's quest.

Doombunny cautiously inched closer to the Lancer Hive. The aggressive bee-wasp hybrids were not to be trifled with, but they held the cure to a local illness in their honey. At least, that is what Doombunny believed. Working through the story given in the quest, plus several old journals of an old herbalist who was long gone, Jasmine Flower. The cure was mentioned and so was the Lancer Honey, but that was it. The Lancers pollinated the Mistmilk Flowers and the pollen of the Mistmilk Flower made those who breathed too much in sick.

The herbalist Doombunny was helping lived on Floor Twenty-Five, on the other side of the Floor from where Colorra had lived. Doombunny was unsure if any players had gotten ill or poisoned by the Mistmilk pollen, but NPCs were certainly very ill and they would die without the cure. More importantly, curing the NPCs was how Doombunny would receive the next charm.

Her mixing skill had no application here. Doombunny was working through the clues left in the journals to deduce how to formulate the cure. The last thing she needed was the honey. How Jasmine Flower had gotten it the first time was never stated. A Lancer sting would knock off 500 hit points, guaranteed, plus a poison effect. More would certainly attack anyone they deemed a threat to their hive. Lancers had killed a lot of players on this floor. Thankfully, there were only three hives on the floor, but they sent out patrols of ten to twenty Lancers and lone scouts were seen all over the floor.

Doombunny wasn't worried about the poison, the Beast Tamer’s Charms prevent that because Colorra couldn’t be poisoned or paralyzed, but getting stung would be catastrophic as it would trigger a cascade of other Lancer stings. She might not have time to teleport to safety before getting swarmed. Getting this close to the hive was dangerous, very dangerous, yet it had been done. Well, for the story it had been done and that meant there was a way.

Currently Doombunny was working off a theory. She was wearing the cloak and healing mask that Jasmine Flower had worn when curing the Mistmilk illness. The cloak looked very similar to their hives and the mask mimicked their red and white stripes. Lancers were all around her, zipping in and out of the hive's several entrances and patrolling for threats.

Doombunny's gloved hand, also in red and white wrapping that the healer had worn, entered the main opening of the hive. She continued her slow encroachment of their space until she felt a comb. The journals had detailed sketches of the hives, apparently taken from an abandoned one. She knew what it should feel like and gave the comb a tug. It broke off and Doombunny backed out slowly. A Lancer was on the comb, but it bailed when it realized it was outside the hive.

Doombunny backed up and stuck the honeycomb in her inventory and quickly walked out of the area. She had to stay vigilant, but the immediate threat was no longer present. Getting her heart to slow down was not easy and the walk wasn't too far. It still was very elevated when she got back.

With the honeycomb, Doombunny began to extract the honey and follow the steps she had pieced together. It was a simple recipe once it was untangled from all of the journal entries. When it was done, Doombunny gave it to the herbalist. She wrote it down as the herbalist took the cure to the first patient.

Doombunny had to patiently wait for the herbalist to come back from her rounds. While she waited, she removed Jasmine Flower's clothes and put them back where she had found them.

"You did it!" The herbalist exclaimed as she barged into her own shop. "You found the cure!"

Doombunny was relieved to hear that, not that she doubted her deductions. She had spent a lot of time mulling it over. It took her several days.

"I wrote it down," Doombunny said, sliding the recipe forward. "I'm glad it worked."

"’Worked’ is putting it lightly," the herbalist said as she picked up the recipe. "They immediately began to improve. This cure is no longer lost, thanks to you, and no more lives will be claimed by the flowers. You were very brave. I think I will be able to do what you did. For now, there is enough of the cure left to treat quite a few patients."

The herbalist set something on the counter. "Please, take this token," she said. "It is the flask of the very first health potion Jasmine Flower created. The ones in your pouch are her recipe. She made several revisions to the recipe, strengthening it each time, but this vial held the very first draft. Not that it is actually large enough to be considered a draft."

The crystal vial was a miniature of the health potion vials they used. It was a quarter of the size, at most, and was a good size for the charm bracelet. Doombunny took it and thanked the herbalist, taking her leave. An examination of the "Vial of Life" charm revealed that it boosted constitution by +150. Constitution was the base stat which dictated HP.

Doombunny placed it inside the jewelry box she had made for the bracelet and its charms. She wrote the name on the inside of the top and included the attribute. It was an easy way to keep them all together and remember what each one did.

In a magician's library, where knowledge abounds,
A hidden charm is waiting to be found.

Search the shelves high and low,
For the stone's location, you must know.

It's said to hold power beyond compare,
But finding it will take more than just flair.

You seek a stone, "out of time" indeed,
Found by a magician who discovered it but didn't foresee.

He knew not the secrets that the stone could unfold,
And now it's up to you, to obtain the stone to uphold.

So search high and low, in the magician's domain,
And with perseverance the charm you'll attain.

But beware, for the power it holds is great,
And in the wrong hands, it could seal our fate.

Doombunny was picking through the archives of an old magician who had disappeared. Some said he disappeared protecting the world, others said he died on an adventure or of old age. Either way, the town on the Sixtieth Floor kept his old library in decent shape. She wasn't looking for a book or a scroll, she was looking for the charm. Discovering the location of the library had taken some time and info purchased from Argo. Even then, it was very general. All she had was his name and the city. From there she was able to eventually gain access to his library.

Doombunny finally reached the last of the bookshelves. None of them had any hidden sections and the walls behind them were solid. She turned to his desk. It was cleaned up and set in order, having nothing on it but a standing magnifier glass, quills, ink, and some parchment paper. The desk itself was intricately carved all around, except for the smooth top. The drawers were full, but not of anything useful.

Using Reveal highlighted a corner of the desk. The area had pictures of constellations and the moon. When Doombunny touched the square, it shifted. Pressing on it only locked it further in place. She pulled it out and turned it clockwise, once, pushing it back in place with nothing happening. A second turn proved to be nothing. She turned it a third time and nothing happened. A fourth turn put it back in its original orientation, but that still did nothing. She began to move counter clockwise. When it was upside down, it clicked into place.

Part of the top popped open, knocking over the quills and ink. Doombunny stood up, looking at the tiny section that had opened up. She fully lifted the lid.

Inside was a piece of red sandstone or quartzite. At least that is what it looked like. It was polished to a shine and shaped like a teardrop, with a hole in the top of the tear. A thin gold chain was looped through the hole to allow the charm to attach to the bracelet. It was identified as "Fragment of the Palace Charm." It reduced the skill delay period by twenty percent. For a dagger wielder, that would mean Doombunny would have almost no noticeable delay from even her longest delay skill. It would make chaining skills much safer.

The only problem was her beast tamer charms. The two fur bracelets each boosted her health by +500. That was a staggeringly high amount of HP to gain and subsequently lose if she removed a single bracelet. Doombunny couldn't wear any more jewelry and she wouldn't need any more because they were a Floor Boss Last Attack Bonus. The quest would never measure up to some of the bonuses she got. Her entire fighting style since that boss fight had shifted to maximize the boosts from the charms. Doombunny wasn't thrilled with the style the Beast Tamer's Charms were in, but they usually stayed hidden. This charm bracelet would have its own power, but it would also be garish and odd considering the size of the charms she had been getting. Six would flop around her wrist while fighting. They may not be troublesome if her arm was using a shield, but both of her hands were always in motion with her current fighting style. At this time, she didn't want to lose 500 hit points. She relied too much on that HP for the margin of error needed to survive a hit or two while she was in a delay.

To conquer the obstacle course, and earn the charm so rare,
You must be quick and nimble, with skills beyond compare.

The course is filled with challenges, each one more difficult than the last,
But with determination and focus, you can overcome them fast.

You'll need to climb up walls, and swing across chasms deep,
Run through fire and ice, and dodge obstacles that creep.

The course is long and grueling, but the reward is oh so sweet,
The "Ribbon of Seven Thousand Threads," a charm that's hard to beat.

To start your journey, you must find the entrance hidden away,
A puzzle that requires insight and wisdom to play.

Once inside, you'll need to navigate through twists and turns,
Avoiding traps and pitfalls, and making sure to learn.

There are clues along the way, hidden in plain sight,
Use them to your advantage, and you'll be alright.

With every challenge you overcome, you'll be one step closer to the prize,
The "Ribbon of Seven Thousand Threads," a charm that truly shines.

So, gear up and get ready, for the obstacle course of a lifetime,
Conquer it with skill and determination, and the charm will be thine.

Doombunny was working her way through the obstacle course. It was the third and final one in the gauntlet. She had already passed one high obstacle course, requiring good agility and balance, with the second phase being a maze. Colorra was home, resting safe and sound. The elapid would only throw off Doombunny's balance and be extra weight she didn't need.

This second obstacle course was all low work with low visibility. It required plenty of agility and strength, but unlike the previous one which was an open room, where she had to use the obstacles to get to the exit at the top, this one had no ability to see anything beyond the next hurdle. It was mostly tunnels and chutes, with low ceilings, as she worked her way up to an undefined point.

Doombunny was stretched out, her feet on one wall and hands on the other, while she inched her way over a pit. While she would likely survive, it would not be a fun fall. She made it to the other side and rolled onto her back to recover. Her abs hurt and so did her back. She couldn’t even sit up because the ceiling was so low.

After crawling out of the tunnel, she saw the final obstacle, a “spider wall” climb. Two parallel walls about four feet apart and a vertical ascent of 30 feet. There was no front or back, making the two walls the only surfaces to use. Thunderborne would have had no issue, but Doombunny didn’t have Acrobatics as a skill. She would have to conquer it with her own agility. Thankfully, she stacked her stats into agility, not strength. Some strength would have been nice. At least each level increased all stats, including strength.

Doombunny stepped between the walls and looked above her. It felt like a very long way. She set her right foot on the right wall, digging in with the ball of her foot. She steadied herself with her hands and stepped up, planting her left foot on the wall in the same manner. It was a trick, requiring alternating the proper application of pressure. Her palms were flat against each wall. With a lot of effort she pushed out with her hands and lifted her feet as quickly as she could, as high as she could, replanting them before her arms gave out. Then she basically stood up on the balls of her feet, balanced a few feet above the slim floor.

Doombunny could not avoid seeing the open pit in front of her. She looked down at her feet to ensure they were set and saw the floor give out as it turned to polygons. Now she was perched in between two columns descending from the ceiling. If she fell it would really hurt.

The sight wasn't fun or helpful, but Doombunny quickly began to move up the wall, alternating between her hands and feet, basically holding herself in place as she brought her feet up into her body and reset them against the wall. She was doing this for Knightstar, for Twilight, her friend. A friend who meant more than the scary pit in her stomach or the disorienting feeling of being suspended so high up.

She pressed on, knowing that her strength wasn't that great and if she fell, she likely wouldn't get to redo this, at least not today. She was nearly spent from all of the other climbing, balancing, and using her body in ways it wasn't used to in order to overcome the obstacles presented. High or low, they were challenging, but none were as tough as this one.

Then she was there. Her hands grabbed onto the top, and she pulled and rolled herself out of the hole in what became the floor. Doombunny took a break. Her shoulder, hips, and thighs were screaming in agony to her, as were her abs. There was no time limit and no enemies, so she could safely rest up.

This whole obstacle course was part of a regular dungeon, but hidden unless a player had a high enough Reveal Skill. They also needed a key. Doombunny's key was the charm bracelet. This place likely could train Acrobatics, but that was it. Some players might consider the challenge fun, Thunderborne either would enjoy it or be bored because it was too easy for her, but Doombunny did not. It was just one more obstacle in the quest for the charm she needed for Knightstar's project.

Doombunny finally rolled onto her hands and knees and stood up. She walked over to the wall where a gilded chest sat. There was no lock or latch, which was a bit odd, but what really caught her eye was the rim of the base that the lid sat on. It had an impression in the gold. Doombunny pulled out the charm bracelet and unlatched the chain. She pressed the chain into the impression and it fit perfectly.

There was a click and a section of the bottom trim, on the side, popped out. In the small drawer was a pink ribbon with a baby blue center and buttercup edges. It was knotted into a tiny, but perfect, bow. There was a golden chain that connected to the back pin to make it a usable charm.

Doombunny picked it up and tapped on it. The Ribbon of Seven Thousand Threads boosted agility by +150. That was a stellar boost, especially for someone with no Acrobatics skill.

The chest held her dungeon prize, a set of boots that boosted agility. They were pretty strong in defense stats, almost as strong as what Diamond had made her, except they had the agility buff. They would likely replace her current boots.

Radial Charm Bracelet:

Painite Blossom (Applejack) — +150 Strength
Col Standard (Rarity) — +15% col dropped by monsters
Iron Opal (Pinkie Pie) — +15% Carry Weight
Tuft of a Rainbow Cloud (Rainbow) — +20% boost to speed
Vial Of Life (Mage Meadowbrook) — +150 Constitution
Fragment of the Palace (Star Swirl) — 20% reduction in skill delay
The Ribbon of Seven Thousand Threads (Somnambula) — +150 Agility

Episode 82 — Learning To Ride

Episode 82 — Learning To Ride
Twenty-Eighth Day in the Month of Sakura (April 28) in the Year of the Griffon
Front Line — Floor 60

Bladescape was raring to go, but she wasn’t heading out with the others. She still had a few days left of downtime to do questing and she had things that she needed to do to be ready for the followup quests. Specifically, she needed to learn to ride a horse. Breakfast was good, but rushed as the others were focused on clearing the new floor.

“Blade, I have food packed for you in a sack on the kitchen counter,” Konpeito stated.

“Thanks,” Bladescape said as she stood up. “I need to get moving. I would like to finish the last two quests I promised to do by the end of tomorrow.”

“Good luck and have fun,” Natora said and Bladescape walked into the kitchen.

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 European equestrian outfit.

“Join us,” Mo said, smiling under her full feathers and bright hat.

Bladescape sat down, picking up the cup of tea obviously 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 have a question, how does riding get you the halter?”

Mo was good at information. Bladescape had been open with her, mostly, but it had been late last night.

“I believe I told you that before I killed the witch, I learned some information about two segments of the quest,” Bladescape stated. Mo nodded to her. “The princess was the witch. Her father, the king, is setting players up, wanting the items for himself and she wanted the dish to get back at him. He wants the Whetstone, plain and simple. I don’t know why. However, he already has the halter, except it is being used by his own knight in that quest and that knight will try to kill me as I ride into the correct arena. It’s a trap, but I haven’t figured out what that angle is for, maybe just to get rid of me after getting him the other two items?”

“Interesting,” Mo replied, lost in thought. Her eyes snapped back 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 Twelve. Boots owned a corral there. She had acquired it a year ago from a quest that required a skilled rider to complete it. Floor Twelve also had a variety of wild horses. She had spent much of her time hunting them down and capturing them. She only kept a few of those horses for herself, selling the rest to the NPC market. She owned four horses and taking care of them was a big enough task. They were not familiars and Boots was not a beast tamer.

Boots quickly had two horses saddled and ready to go. She handed the reins of the chestnut horse to Bladescape. “Autumn Blaze 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 about it at all.

What she had picked up the day 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 Autumn Blaze more, and harder. It took a lot of prodding, but soon Autumn Blaze 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. It was freeing. Feeling the wind rush past her face, blowing out her hair, while also having the surging muscles beneath her was a different feeling from anything else. 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's 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 by both parties.”

“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 Autumn Blaze to make small adjustments like simple side steps.

They took a break for lunch. Bladescape took Boots out to a local place for all she had done and knowing how much more she would do. Boots appreciated it. It was clear that she lived a meager lifestyle, not that she was unhappy as she cared for her horses. She was one of the happiest players Bladescape had met.

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 gave a promise that I would find something to relax," Bladescape explained. "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, I consider us friends, but I don't believe it is in my best interest to tell you that," Bladescape calmly replied. "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's for her own 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. Of course, most of what she said about Mo could easily be applied to Argo.

"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 side, 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 that is a straightforward and clean contract. Also, I'm enjoying it. I'm 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," Boots explained. "I buy a lot and I sell a lot, but 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. It's been more enjoyable than I expected." 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 her forehead. "This is Diamond Tiara," Boots explained. "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 High School that bore the same name.

"She has spirit," Boots warned. "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 firmer to start until she gets used to you."

"Got it," Bladescape nodded.

She mounted the taller 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 more quickly and soon Boots taught Bladescape how to deal with a jump. When Diamond 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 between her. Her legs and knees were her shocks. 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's like you have a deep understanding of the horses and that is like a true rider. Let's race back to the corral and work the finer movements like earlier."

Bladescape just nodded and then got Diamond 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 an impressive display of natural skill by the equestrian.

The slow stuff was the same 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," Boots said.

"I'm ready," Bladescape replied. "It's still early for dinner, at least for me. That's life on the front line."

Boots smiled mischievously. She soon came back with a larger horse, 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 a brown horse with a flaxen mane 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'm on Wind Rush, a full stallion. You're on Fire Streak, a gelding. He's calmer than a stallion but will serve you well. He's 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 Twelve. 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 charges and maneuvering moves to help give Bladescape an idea of what combat from horseback was like and how much the horse had to be directed. Both horses were used to the sound of battle, so they wouldn't spook, they just needed to be told where to go and they would do the rest. They had no problem charging each other and blitzing by with no room to spare.

When their swords finally clashed, Bladescape was outmatched. Fire Streak 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 it more 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 shouldn’t be beating a member of the Assault Team just because we are on horses. It’s the sword, not your obvious skill.”

Bladescape had the open skill slot, even to use temporarily. Heraldry might be plugged in, but the switch would be simple. The problem was any new weapon Skill wouldn’t be enough to beat the quest with. Even with a top tier sword, she wouldn’t have enough Sword Skills to do anything.

“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, passed Boots the reins, 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," Bladescape explained. "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. Playing that card against their friend was kind of mean, except Bladescape was on a schedule. She couldn’t be absent from the front much longer.

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," Bladescape explained. "It needs to be the minimum length for a two-handed sword, as light as possible, built for speed and use in tight quarters. I need to be able to use it with one hand. This isn’t for front line combat, so the stats can be lower. This is what I tried to use and it failed me horribly."

She showed Lis the basic sword she had used. It was the same one Argo had gotten her for that mission.

“That's a tricky order,” Lisbeth replied, not even checking out the menu on the offered sword. “I have the materials here for it. You're 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 connected the water wheel, to heat the forge, while she got the materials from her shelves. It didn’t take long.

“How is the outfit working?” Bladescape asked, making idle chatter. “You're still wearing it."

Lisbeth let out a big sigh as she started to soften the metal. “It's working great. I'm hot news because I'm the cute and adorable smith who can make top tier weapons. It has tripled 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. The hit count was lower because of the type of sword she was making. She also was well rested compared to when she made Harmonic Salvation. It didn’t take her long to forge it. With the sword done, she passed it to Bladescape.

“Its name is Bajutsu,” Lisbeth declared, rather spitefully. She didn’t think the name fit. Lisbeth only had a few sheaths premade and matched the handle to it.

The sword was plain. It had a brown leather hilt and pointed pommel. There was a bump in the center of the long handle, exaggerating how long it was. The crossguard 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 of the sheath.

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 enough yet perfectly for what she was going to be doing.

“What exactly are you doing that you need a sword like that?” Lisbeth pressed. “You're grinning, yet it has to be the worst sword I have ever made since I became good at making swords. The balance point is in the handle, in a bad way. It isn’t a sword I would be proud to admit I made. And the name is weird.”

“A quest requiring combat on horseback,” Bladescape said as she pulled up her window.

“Horseback?” Lisbeth stammered.

“Yes,” Bladescape said, grinning. “I’m taking a short respite 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. 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, making full use of both rings on the sheath, and then she mounted Wind Rush. Bladescape followed suit and mounted Fire Streak. They trotted back to the square and tried again. This time, Bladescape came at Boots with confidence. She kept Fire Streak 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 her horse, 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 before she passed her at full speed.

“Alright,” Boots said, catching her breath. “I don’t think I have much to teach you there. You're keeping Fire Streak moving like you need to.” Boots took a deep breath in and let it out. “I fight from horseback on this Floor for fun. That is more of what I was expecting from you the first time we tried, well, a little less actually. Your reaction time is far beyond what I thought was possible.”

Bladescape couldn’t help but smile as she laid the blade across her lap.

“I tested the weight of the sword,” Boots stated. “But, while it's 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'm very strong,” Bladescape stated. “I have to be in order to wield Harmonic Salvation. Plus, this was made with what the smiths usually refer to as speed metals; lighter and faster metals or alloys designs for speed weapons like rapiers, daggers, certain spears, and some one-handed swords. Usually they are not good for two-handed weapons."

“What is your cavalry sword’s name?” Boots asked.

“Bajutsu,” Bladescape replied.

Boots snorted. “Appropriate name, despite how plain it is.”

“I was first 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 was priceless. I forget, Japanese is my second language, I know the root is referring to a combat art, but what exactly does Bajutsu mean or give reference to?”

Boots snorted again. “You're correct about the root. Bajutsu is the traditional Japanese martial art for combat on horseback. It's 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 horse 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 good room for lots of horses.”

Bladescape mulled all of it over in her brain. Japan loved perfecting things into an artform. It was an aptly named sword, once again, by a system that was supposed to be impartial and random.

“And it's 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 a dice to determine the rest.”

“Maybe,” Bladescape replied. “That is what the official system setting is, but I'm not so certain it holds true any longer. Harmonic Salvation is a very appropriately named sword for me. It’s not the first powerfully named weapon the Wondercolts have used. I've noted some things where it seems that the user and the game engine can sort of synchronize. It's a highly adaptive and sophisticated game engine connected to a game console that literally reads our minds. That's the best I can explain it."

“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 was 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 the line, definitely deserving it. 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. 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 noise of the hoof steps. It grew to a thunder as they went from a strong trot to a full on gallop.

Bladescape chose her path. She would pass by one bandit and then go between two more. Fire Streak 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. She was very good at combining them with the movements of her horse, which also lessened the issue of her delay. Fire Streak 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 and 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'm a member of the Assault Team,” Bladescape reminded her, still laughing. “My Two-Handed Sword Skill is maxed and I have a solid sword in my hand. We're on Floor Twelve. 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 a shocked and silent 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 understanding how a horse walked and moved. She molded herself to that as she directed Fire Streak 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'm 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're 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 alloy, 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?” Bladescape asked.

“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 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 sixteen 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. Or pay Phaedra to contract the acquisition. The sword was becoming stronger, but rarer, and so were 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 made the cut to be put up for sale. 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's 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's 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.

“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'll 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. It felt good to spend money on others who deserved it and had helped her out so much. It served her better buying them good food than sitting in her wallet, doing nothing.

BLADESCAPE: Level 80 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Open
NATORA: Level 76 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
MALUS: Level 75 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 75 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 75 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 76 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 79 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche
KIEFER: Level 73 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 71 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 73 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 83 — The Halter of Eiddin Klydno

Episode 83 — The Halter of Eiddin Klydno
Twenty-Ninth Day in the Month of Sakura (April 29) in the Year of the Griffon
Front Line — Floor 60

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, where she was born, did not have a dictated answer like the other two. 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 a blue NPC cursor.

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 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 rich 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's 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. At least until the bottom of the mountain where you would have room to dismount, but I wouldn't mind taking you to the city. It would be my honor.”

He smiled at her. “Oh, that would be very appreciated. But first, I would like to know a little about my traveling companion. Like 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?” the old NPC asked.

This was another moment where things could go awry, but the way he had eyed her a moment ago, concerned with his safety, made Bladescape certain 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. “The first item I was to retrieve was also supposed to be the reward, yet I didn't just have to rescue the princess, I had to hand the reward over. That's when I realized I had been lied to and double crossed first. He didn't know that I was successful in getting it. The King can’t be trusted with what he wants. Besides, I’m also a very dangerous enemy to have, yet a good friend to those worthy of my friendship.”

“I see," the old man said. "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. Something special was up. Based on where they were, she had a guess as to who he was, but she should address it properly by first taking care of her horse.

Bladescape dismounted. “May I put my steed in the stable?”

“Of course," he said. "I will meet you at the front steps.”

The old man no longer looked as old as he did on the mountain path. His white 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 certain 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, solving the larger puzzle first, and then you made it through to the whetstone without breaking a sweat."

"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 few things," 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's safe and secure. She should really be here with us. I was doing this for her, with a promise of a reward from her, not from the quests. I am sort of like a knight, going on quests for my king. The king gets the ultimate glory and the item sought because I serve him, yet I get to boast about my deeds and am well cared for by the king."

Merlin sighed and then snapped his fingers. 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 up 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's back at my home which you took me from. It's 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 a box which I then secured with a lock and then locked it in a secure vault. If you send me back home and give me two minutes before you bring me back here, I can have it for you, still in the box, untouched."

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 also was feeling gracious because you offered me a ride. I always observed, from a distance, those who tried to get the dish, but watched all of them fail. I was checking up on your progress since, however, I was not aware you had a steed and neither could I have guessed that you would overtake me."

"She's a good horse, but she's rented," Bladescape said. "I don't own her. Although, after learning 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 shows. 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 unlocked the box before extending it. Merling 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, she 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? It's cold, like frozen water, yet this time of year has no ice."

"A treat called ice cream,” Bladescape explained. “It's frozen cream made from milk. My friend is still trying to learn to make it, but she hasn't figured out how to evenly mix the water, milk fat, and air and freeze it before they separate. She can make any other treat you want, except ice cream. It's 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 and also 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 at least 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," Merlin said, standing at the table, but not sitting down. "Since it was used, for a 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's 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 so she could enjoy the chocolate flavor.

"I quite enjoy the flavor," Merlin said after a few bites. "What is it?"

"Chocolate," Bladescape replied. "From here, it's 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 sword, axe, 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; with durability, sharpness, and quickness receiving a sizable boost. The sharpening also added five more enhancement slots for Bajutsu. It now had twenty-five total attempts, with four 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 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. Thankfully the ricasso shortened the cutting edge. When the fourth pass was finished a screen popped up.

Bladescape was speechless. The sword had been enhanced by a higher factor than Bajutsu had. All five stats had been increased: Accuracy, Durability, Heaviness, Quickness, and Sharpness. Although its weight had stayed the same, heaviness was the statistic that allowed her to break weapons and armor. The sword also was “hardened” and the blade now had a total of a hundred enhancement slots. Harmonic Salvation had been a blade that would take her, fully maxed out, easily into the eighties, possibly all the way to the Ruby Palace. By Floor ninety, they would have new materials available and Lisbeth should have maxed her smithing Skill, which would allow her to forge weapons with better stats. Still, Harmonic Salvation was a masterpiece. Unless a failed enhancement utterly botched the sword, it would be hard to beat when fully enhanced. A hundred enhancement slots would certainly allow her to fine tune the sword to her exact needs. It would require some game changing metals and another masterpiece to clearly beat Harmonic Salvation. 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 statistics, 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 who made both blades, will be interesting. She cares for and enhances my swords. She knows them both very well."

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 retire 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 murderers. Most players would have, justly in self defense, but she saw something inside them. That is why."

How Merlin knew that, Bladescape was unsure. It wasn't something to press at the moment. He had stated he observed the first quest yet it sounded like he wasn't in the habit of spying on players.

"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 argued. "I may need to get information about things from her, or some of the rare items she collects. The circlet I wear is one of those rare and unique items that she acquired and I bought from her at a fair price."

"Two cannot do this quest," Merlin replied. "You started it when you killed the witch. She has been useful, but she cannot do anything directly, not 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 this for you and we will sort out some fair compensation."

Mo nodded to Bladescape 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 adhere to our contract." Mo tipped her head to Bladescape and turned to Merlin. "Merlin, if I'm truly not needed, then 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 person in this world. You have seen and done things others could not dream of; even your friends in your guild do not truly understand. It is why you did not kill 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 two meals. You also bought her a finer sword than she will ever be able to afford. Even your smith, you took her 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, pulling her journal of memories from her inventory to show Merlin. “And I have unfortunately forgotten much of it. I do know that it has its dark spots. I turned against the people who loved and cared for me and taught me many good things, to take a path where I became cold, vindictive, manipulative, and ultimately evil, but it has also been a story of my redemption. I got a second chance and did not waste it. I see things differently now, hence 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, like happiness, but it can help buy things that will truly 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. I know there are secrets that she keeps, doing good things by protecting the objects from bad people.”

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 probably do this on my own. Much has changed and my memory is foggy in its old age. I can guide you, but this will rest on your shoulders. Yet I have no fear about this task because your shoulders are already broader than most 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 populace.”

“I may argue for the use of an item,” Bladescape stated, putting her book away. “The Ruby Palace is our goal for many reasons. It's a noble and honorable quest against a grave evil that has ensnared this land and it's probably the same evil that keeps you from reclaiming those objects and the one that dispersed them in the first place.”

“You are more perceptive than you look,” Merlin grinned.

“And you know more than you are stating,” Bladescape fired back.

“What is it you want to know?” Merlin asked.

Bladescape nodded once. “At the moment, I have one question. Something I intentionally did not ask with Mo here. The whetstone hardened my swords. 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 twenty-one enhancements I add will automatically take, with no rate of failure?”

“Not even if the smith doesn’t do it fast enough,” Merlin explained.

"Too bad I already failed several on Harmonic Salvation," Bladescape said with a sigh.

"The process of sharpening your sword on the whetstone does more than harden the blade," Merlin stated. "It also stripped away those imperfections in the metal, resetting them. Your sword no longer has any failed attempts."

That news shocked Bladescape. She didn't know what to say. It was an amazing feat. It really elevated Harmonic Salvation, and the sword was already one of the best in the Assault Team.

He continued explaining more. “That is why I won’t let it leave here, or be used willy-nilly. Your friends are all upstanding and amazing, but the likelihood that there will be a clash of swords, where you all have to kill other players, is great. That is the only way to stop murders. But you, you found a noble and honorable way when no other would. A full confrontation won't allow you the options you were able to devise.”

“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. They enjoy the twisted thrill of forcing others to experience it, but only cowards can twist that into enjoyment. When the shoe is on the other foot, they will change their tune.”

“For many reasons, I hope you are right," Merlin said.

“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's 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 for?”

Merlin stroked his beard a bit. “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's 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 the mess. 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 riding it, but no other person can join you. You do not wear this ring. Putting it on your finger triggers the teleport.”

“I understand,” Bladescape replied, repeating it so he knew she understood. “Put it on and I come here. But I don’t wear it.”

“Correct,” Merlin nodded.

Bladescape put the ring in a quick access slot so it didn’t get lost. 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 Twelve please,” Bladescape said. “I will switch mounts and then come back here to be sent to where I need to go.”

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 her 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 to need 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 you a guarantee that the horse will survive. I wish I could, but it's impossible for me 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.

“Take Wind Rush, as he’s a charger," Boots explained. "He is meant for battle, as you saw yesterday. 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 Wind Rush’s saddle and mounted him, with Boots spotting in case she fell. She got up fine and situated herself in the saddle. She tested drawing Bajutsu. It hung well and came out easily. She slid the sword 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's 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’s 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. She saw me arguing for her to stay involved. Also, I promised to bring what I could to her. You are warned, but I doubt anything will come of it for you, since your contract was fulfilled. Now, I must be off so I can bring Wind Rush back to you tonight and not too late.”

Wind Rush 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 Wind Rush 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.

Wind Rush 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 knight's charger!"

“He's 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 outside the arena. There you will find the challenge.”

Bladescape nodded and Merlin teleported her and Wind Rush 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 entries. 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 certainly 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. We do know that the red entrance will return you here.”

“Thank you,” Bladescape said. “I will retrieve the halter.”

Bladescape turned Wind Rush 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 Wind Rush 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 Wind Rush shift into a full gallop, unafraid of what was on the other side.

Bladescape drew Bajutsu, a nice ring added 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 larger sized arena with tall stone walls and a looser 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, putting him to Bladescape's right. Bladescape got behind him as Wind Rush was once again at full speed despite the constraint 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. Wind Rush 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 Wind Rush left to open up room. Blade leaned out of the way of the cut and pulled Wind Rush 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.

Wind Rush 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 Wind Rush. Bladescape wasn’t ready for that change. Now she knew how the knight felt. She was not ready to dismount yet. She let Wind Rush run. He sensed the danger. He was a stronger and bigger horse than the knight’s was, allowing him to outpace the horse for a bit, but Bladescape knew her valiant horse would only have so much in him. The knight’s horse was clearly a courser, geared towards the stamina of a fight, not simply 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 Wind Rush to the left, where he rammed his shoulder into the other horse’s neck. Bladescape stabbed across her body and Bajutsu's tip pierced the armor of the knight. That was a very satisfying hit to score. The knight’s horse reared and kicked. Its hooves struck Bladescape. Without a helmet the shoed hoof striking her head was enough to cause her to black out.

She awoke on the ground, Wind Rush 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.

Wind Rush 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 solo. The blade moved cleanly under the helmet yet above the gorget, decapitated the knight with ease.

Bladescape didn’t try to stop Wind Rush 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 Wind Rush. Chasing the horse had taken up more time than the fight had and both she and Wind Rush were tired. This was probably the last sprint Wind Rush 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 breathe.

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, leaving four gouges in the sandy floor.

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 Wind Rush’s saddle. Wind Rush was a good two 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 unexpected puzzle of the halter. Bladescape mounted Wind Rush 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. Wind Rush was trooping on, thankful for the rest he got, but he needed more. The knight’s horse was still tied to Wind Rush 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 Wind Rush over to it, at a gentle walk. She dismounted and stepped over to the spot. Something was peeking out of the sand. 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 direct drops. Or better put, didn't outside the rare exception. This was one of those exceptions. The only one she knew of.

Bladescape let out a heavy sigh. She was tired. She looked back at the horses. They were both spent. At least the knight’s mount was now calm and okay with being led around by Wind Rush.

Bladescape mounted Wind Rush. 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 couldn't really 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 Halter of Eiddin Klydno.”

Merlin reverently took it from her. “Thank you, Bladescape. I will secure this. I will send you to Floor Twelve. 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 eleventh. 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's one thing to do these Glass Tower Quest pieces because they help us all, but it's another just to run around doing quests all the time. Plus, I still don’t have a Skill to put as my eleventh. 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'll be back to find out what you mean by 'Greatsword' as soon as I can, but today. Probably late.”

“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 Wind Rush’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, Wind Rush.”

“And I um, got a second?” Bladescape stammered. She shrugged. “I don’t know. It's 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. Wind Rush was nearly spent. The halter wasn’t on the horse, so I tied him to Wind Rush 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.

Wind Rush 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 Wind Rush.

“She at least needs to rest here for the night,” Boots told Bladescape. “Then what? Do you want her? You enjoy riding. The best thing would be to own a horse.”

“I live in a city and I have no room to have a horse,” Bladescape replied. "I honestly never thought it through as I brought her back. I just did it. I don't think I want her. She is good, but she doesn't feel like mine. Can you sell her?”

“There is a market, but you can sell her just as easily as I can," Boots said.

“Do you want her?” Bladescape asked.

Boots groaned, leaning up against the stall’s wall. Wind Rush stuck his head out, nudging her and forcing Boots to pet his muzzle. “I do. She is a beautiful red roan. She is trained and from her menu's info, she is almost in heat. Wind Rush will be ready for breeding shortly as well and I haven’t had a chance to breed horses yet because of the timing. So I have a use for her.”

“Can you cover the daily costs?” Bladescape asked.

“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's a good gift, or if you prefer, compensation for loaning me Wind Rush.”

“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, but it still felt right. “I really did enjoy the quest today. And, as tough as the fight was, it was a good battle. I enjoyed it all.”

“You're 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'd have it caught.”

“That would be appreciated,” Boots chuckled. “My attempts to catch the one on Floor Twelve, 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.” Bladescape sent Boots a friend request and she accepted it. “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 G's. She had not been, recently, looking at her own list to choose from.

Merlin continued. “A sword, like Harmonic Salvation, could benefit from the Skill that was styled 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 true 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. The master lists were more useful for long term planning.

Bladescape picked up Greatsword and slipped it into her eleventh Skill slot. She approved overwriting Heraldry 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 art 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 a long blade can make deadly use of.”

Bladescape nodded slowly. Harmonic Salvation’s handle was long enough for three of her hands, plus a little extra. 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 ‘Divine Blade.’

Merlin was helpful, but useless at the same time. Still, she was thankful for his aid. She never would have found Greatsword where she was looking.

“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 and will,” Bladescape nodded. “It triggered some things in my mind. Good things.” Bladescape 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 riding.”

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. Even just riding would be fun. It wasn’t really any different from what Malus did while Fishing, except Malus sat on a dock and Bladescape would get to experience the floors and all they had as she rode. It would mean always having a sword ready, even if she stayed on the lower floors, because monsters and enemies existed on almost every floor.

Between riding and her cutie mark being tattooed on her body, Bladescape was sure she had found her balance point. It was interesting that both weights on the scale had to do with horses, yet were radically different from each other. One was her life as a pony, the other was riding a horse. Neither were seen in the other’s world.

“You’re right,” Bladescape grinned. “I did fulfill my promise. I'll do a lot more riding. That will be how I relax in this world and it will give Bajutsu a continuous purpose."

"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 Bajutsu on Harmonic Salvation’s rack. She would also need another sword mount for Bajutsu. She would deal with that later. In the morning, she would be going back to the front with her friends. Well, after she made a quick pit stop at Lisbeth’s Blacksmith shop to update her on the changes to her swords.

Bladescape took off her armor through the menu and almost put on her pajama, but caught sight of the tattoo; her cutie mark. It was so easy to see, especially when she was already looking down at the menu. It brought immense comfort to see it. She smiled to herself and finished putting on her pajamas. Even covered up, she knew it was there. She could feel it there. That was what mattered. Even as the rest of her was Bladescape, Sunset Shimmer would reside in that mark, that one bastion of refuge on her body. The rest of her could become Bladescape the Wondercolt because that was who was needed in Aincrad and for her friends.

BLADESCAPE: Level 80 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 76 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
MALUS: Level 75 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 75 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 75 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 76 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 79 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche
KIEFER: Level 73 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 71 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 73 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 84.1 — Back on the Front

Episode 84 .1 — Back on the Front
Thirtieth Day in the Month of Sakura (April 30) in the Year of the Griffon
Front Line — Floor 60

Bladescape entered Lisbeth's smithy. She was behind the counter, leaning on her arm with her head in her hand. The counter was rather low to be in that position.

She was obviously bored as a customer tried out different axes. Her NPC shop assistant could handle the sale. 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 only liked one of yesterday’s three surprises.”

"I have no idea," Bladescape shrugged. "Probably not, but I'm 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. She focused on her customer. "Look, you can finalize a sale of anything on my shelves through my store assistant. I need to focus on one of my longest and best customers."

"Fine," he said, distracted.

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 grabbed her mouth to force her to be quiet. The door to the forge was open. Lisbeth, as mad as she was, tried to bite Bladescape’s hand but it was cupped properly. Licking it only caused her tongue to drag across the leather of the gauntlet. Lisbeth shot her a very piercing glance before rolling her eyes. She composed herself and Bladescape let go. She lowered her voice. "One hundred! That can't be right! Harmonic Salvation had fifty enhancement slots!"

Bladescape chuckled with a grin. "The quests I was rushing to do the other day, specifically the one on horseback, well Bajutsu performed marvelously. I ended the fight by severing 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 judgments the, uh gift, used, but the quality of the blade is one of them.” It was close to the truth, a white lie, and safer with Merlin’s kicking Mo out.

"All attributes were raised, failed enhancement slots were restored, 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?"

"Yep," Bladescape nodded. "I wanted to let you know so that you were not too surprised when I dropped it off next. For either sword. Bajutsu isn’t going to be ignored by me.”

Lisbeth sat down, hard, onto her anvil and groaned. “You're going to make me enhance it all one hundred 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 too many failed. They would be stress free enhancements but the sheer quantity was a headache to think about.

"So," Lisbeth started. "You plan to take Harmonic Salvation to the Ruby Palace?"

"If I can," Bladescape nodded. "It's a masterpiece. With the boost I got and maxing the sword, I believe it will still be a masterpiece sword worthy of making it to the end."

Lisbeth thought over it. "Yeah, it may be capable of that. We won't know till Floor Ninety and what enhancements you chose, but Harmonic Salvation should still be a very good sword. Never discount Piandao creating something game changing. Although your track record with keeping up with a weapon of sufficient strength is poor."

"I will listen to your guidance, Lis," Bladescape said, bowing a bit to the smith.

Lisbeth just rolled her eyes over the dramatic display. "Why bother upgrading Bajutsu? Are there more quests with horses?"

"Maybe," Bladescape shrugged. "I'm 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. More importantly, it's how I will relax and blow off steam. I know Bajutsu isn't the best sword you have made, but Lis, it is the best cavalry sword you have made. Although I never specified it to you, it was designed for use on horseback and it excels at it."

Lisbeth sighed, bored. They heard the door open, meaning either a customer had come in, or the one looking at axes had left.

"I have to warn you," Lisbeth prefaced. "Metal prices are spiking. That includes what you will need for enhancements. Piando might be trying to make a new alloy, or other smiths are getting into the market. Maybe some miners dropped out. I don't really know why, only that they are spiking."

"That's okay," Bladescape shrugged. "I will figure that out, but right now, I really need to catch up with the others so I can help progress the game today. My break is over, but I needed to inform you of the change before I forgot."

Bladescape went back to the storefront. 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 bear his stress. He was sweating and overthinking everything. She walked over to his side, but he didn't notice her. Bladescape 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’re 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 town closest to the frontline 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 areas 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 set into their lower respawn pattern.

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 too close. Their antlers were spiked and they did a lot of piercing damage on top of the damage from getting rammed. The antler spread was massive. Bladescape quickly learned to lock 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 the moose 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 Malus, but Diemond was a force to be reckoned with. She was one of the best tanks in the game.

The moose popped, giving Diemond a break. Natora 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. Malus was with Doombunny and Konpeito. Kiefer, Soryuto, and Reisenki were a team. Natora was heading up the other party with Thunderborne and Diemond. They were well balanced. Bladescape joined up with Natora, choosing to fight with Diemond for a change. It would give Malus more opportunities to strike back, something she didn't get to do enough of.

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 for its main street and an intersecting street, both lined with wooded businesses and houses between one and 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. A few quests were 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.

Malus 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. Soryuto and Doombunny were swapped for optimization and then the teams headed on their way. Soryuto's shield would be an added bonus to the kill quest team.

Since they had the advantage of being the group of four, Bladescape, Natora, Thunderborne, and Diemond went after the farm. It wasn't easy to drive the bandits off; more came at them once they had cleaned out the farm, and then a third wave tried to drive them away. The last wave was led by a flag boss.

He died easily as Natora 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 the length of Blazefury’s Lance. Without his feet on the ground, he was defenseless as the spear ended his reign of terror. The poison on the tip played a strong role too.

It was late when they finished the quest. They grabbed dinner and Bladescape began to prepare their new strategy. Kiefer, Reisenki, 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, Malus asked the question. "Overnight trip, or we gonna crash here?"

"I say overnight," Natora said. "We have had enough rest. Let's at least pound the area around the town and clear it for the others. Judging from the directions we believe the major players took, 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," Soryuto 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," she explained. "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 rapidly wetting cheeks.

"I ain't gotten my food yet," Malus stated.

"Come after us," Natora said. "You three can eat, square anything away that you need to, and then join us."

"Sounds like a fun party!" Konpeito 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 formally 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 and it would have slowed down their job. All of the earlier combat made it 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. Let's do this smartly, so I'm giving Omega orders."

"Fast as possible and reduce our margin of error," Natora 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 Konpeito were teamed up and in position quickly. Natora and Reisenki were together with Doombunny officially on their insert 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 avenue of attack.

When her internal clock hit one minute before entry, Bladescape applied the poison to Harmonic Salvation. Konpeito was humming "Friendship Through the Ages" while she applied the poison to her axe.

The digital clock ticked one more minute forward and Bladescape silently rushed to her chosen target. Konpeito fell behind immediately, 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 Reisenki and Natora seemed to have also started late.

Bladescape rushed to her next target and repeated the stab. Konpeito was loud as she finally caught up, ending Bladescape's silent assault.

These gang members were not like the ones on Floor Twelve. They were on Floor Sixty, the front line. The gang members were level Seventy-Two. Even with poison, killing them quickly meant Bladescape had to deal multiple slashes, hacks, and stabs before they were dead. The same went for the other Wondercolts.

The Wondercolts quickly became out maneuvered as their spread out 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 alone. Konpeito was somewhere. The others had managed to regroup.

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 a disproportionate amount of damage compared to what her high level Sword Skills in the Two-Handed Sword Skill dealt. She could cut the gang members down with half the effort. Bladescape also realized that with a simple adjustment of her hands, she could switch between the Sword Skills for Two-handed Sword and Greatsword. 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," Malus 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," Natora said. "The mine will be restrictive 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 Soryuto 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 that they needed to be careful.

The mine wound its way into the ground. It soon forced them to split up. Reisenki, Natora, and Konpeito took the right path, while Bladescape led Malus, Thunderborne, and Doombunny went 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 situation. "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's twenty, including the boss. His name is Haskins the Miner. He doesn't actually have armor, just a pair of heavy overalls with a tattoo of a crossed pickaxe and sledgehammer 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 three NPCs with them, tied up. One is Thomas. They were putting them through initiation. We can still save Thomas."

"Strategy?" Malus asked Bladescape.

"Malus and Doom go for Haskins,” Blade immediately dictated. “Thunder and I will draw the aggro of the others, and hopefully Natora can soon finish up and then they jump down and join us."

Doombunny nodded in agreement. Malus just shrugged and turned, gripping her hammer tight.

With a roar that echoed off the unstable walls, Malus 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're certainly one of us."

Gang members cut Thomas and the others free. They shoved pickaxes into their hand and then they charged Malus. Doombunny slashed Thomas with her parrying dagger, taking him out of the fight. 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 besides their red cursors.

Bladescape was quickly surrounded and free to work with Greatsword. It was the most efficient manner to eliminate them. The sweeping movements of the early skills allowed her to quickly address multiple angles and attackers. She didn't focus on one specific target, that would make her vulnerable to the others, she let the skills flow and shift to address the next issue. She cut them down faster than if she had taken them on one at a time.

Malus was blocking only when she had to, choosing to bash Haskins as fast as she could. Her glowing shield attacks were dealing more and more damage. 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 adjusted to fight the eight gang members focused on her. She quickly finished them off and turned to help Malus. She watched as Malus bashed Haskins and then he retaliated by bringing his pickaxe down onto her head. She saw the bit pierce her helmet. It shattered, destroyed for good, and Bladescape saw the pick stuck in Malus's head. Her health dropped deep into the red.

Malus roared in anger, whipping her glowing hammer up. The powerful blow forced Haskins to lose his grip on the pickaxe. Malus 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, war hammer wielding player could.

Bladescape leapt at a gang member that had just recovered from the paralysis effect. He had only a little health left, but she could not let him get near a compromised Malus. One or two good hits and Malus would be dead.

Doombunny was charging with Shadowsong, trying to delay them in an effort to save Malus.

One did get to Malus, from her blind side. The idiot NPC roared as it lifted its pickaxe to attack. Malus spun, swinging the Iron Bulwark as it glowed. The giant hunk of iron cut through the gang member like a sword.

Bladescape let out a sigh of relief and drove Harmonic Salvation down into a paralyzed gang 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 Malus was calmly standing with one in her head meant that Malus had more strength than Bladescape could even mentally grasp. The Iron Bulwark had not split her stat points, putting them almost exclusively to strength.

Malus 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 Malus.

Congratulations and fanfare began as Natora killed the last gang member. Bladescape pulled the pickaxe out of Malus'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. It was a very good thing that Malus had been the one to fight the boss.

Malus picked the pickaxe up with ease and brought up the menu. “Huh, says it’s ‘Haskins’ Pick.’ Looks like it's got some buffs for minin. The weight’s mighty high. I ain’t got no use for it, but I’m sure we can find someone who can.”

“Hey, you’re the only one who can hold it,” Bladescape pointed out. “Do what you want with it. Well earned.”

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," Bladescape explained. "She said that you and your dad had a fight, you took the family sword here, and they want both the sword and you back."

"My sister sent you?" He asked.

"We had helped others in town already, so she thought she could trust us," Bladescape said. "Your dad might still be angry...well family is family and important. It's 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," Bladescape said. "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. She could not see much in the low light.

"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 Labyrinth map data for free and sold the maps and data for dungeons for below average cost. 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 to help. It would all go to the guild coffers.

"Gather what we can," Bladescape ordered. "If we need to pull the guard team in we will. I doubt it though, since Malus is with us. Let's load up and get going."

"Blade," Doombunny said. "I'll cover the leak. I know exactly who to go to get the info out and start a bidding war on what we have."

"Let's load you up," Malus said, tossing a large rock to Doombunny.

Doombunny shrieked and barely sidestepped it. The rock thudded onto the ground.

"Right," Malus chuckled. "I forget my own strength in here too. I'll let ya pick up what ya 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, tied with Thunderborne. She had enough to unlock Extra Weight Carry, a natural development from leveling through combat, but otherwise her stats were primarily 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 Malus.

"You did a good job, but so did his pickaxe," Malus said.

"Fine, I'll make you a better one," Diemond said, waving it off. “One harder than your thick skull.”

Doombunny distracted them. "I'll meet you at the Teleport Plaza."

Doombunny teleported out while the rest of the Wondercolts went to the supply shed. Malus broke the lock with her hammer and they raided the storage shed for everything of value. Thomas took the sword and rushed off, heading back home.

They walked back, dealing with the moose whenever they had to. It was a little past 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 new 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 and would help out the next clearers who arrived.

Thomas' sister found them and thanked them. It officially ended the quest, which they had forgotten to turn in.

BLADESCAPE: Level 80 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 76 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
MALUS: Level 75 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 75 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 75 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 76 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 79 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche
KIEFER: Level 73 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 71 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 73 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 84.2 — The Boys Are Back

Episode 84.2 — The Boys Are Back
First Day in the Month of Loquat (May 1) in the Year of the Griffon
Front Line — Floor 60

They were still pushing the front line on Floor 60. Despite running overnight, their day was only half over. 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 more than twelve hours."

"What happened to Reisenki 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. Klein had forgotten about Knightstar's departure.

Bladescape played it off well. "We don't kick anyone out." Bladescape grinned wickedly. "We whipped them into their proper place.”

Reisenki broke down laughing, unable to keep it together longer with how tired he was. He set off a chain reaction as all of the members from both guilds laughed.

"Did you girls just wake up?" Dale asked.

"Nah," Natora shrugged. "We have several 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," Konpeito warned. "They're too hard to pack for missions past twenty-four hours. Which is why they taste so good! They're always fresh!"

"We know where you live," Dynamm grinned. "And we aren’t afraid to track you down."

They all were tired and broke down laughing again before better jokes could be exchanged.

"HEY! YOU! HELP!" They all turned to look at the male NPC running through the street to them in a panic.

"What's 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. "Everyone, just dump the drops into guild storage. We can sort it later."

They quickly used their menus to transfer the heavy ore, weapons, and other junk - like the moose heads - that they could. The main reason was to assist in lightening their loads in any way possible and making it easier to move heavier objects. In the mine, 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.

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. 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 Malus' helmet?"

Malus 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 matter at hand.

"Screw it," Malus exclaimed. "This cattle drive ain't gonna drive itself!"

Malus began to jog into the mine. Reisenki passed Bladescape and Klein before either of them could react.

"Oh what the heck," Klein shrugged.

Bladescape sprinted into mine. "The girls are beating you to the punch!"

Klein growled as he scrambled after her.

Natora took charge outside. “Doom, Thunder, and Soryuto, stay outside with me. We'll keep everyone clear.”

The rest of their guilds rushed into the mine. Malus and Reisenki were already at the collapse and 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!" Malus growled. "This isn't my first time baling hay in a termite-eaten barn. You got a better idea? We ain't got Knightstar to run a calculation, an even if we did, we ain't got time for em.”

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 Malus." Bladescape shrugged. "I guess we won't move that one."

"I'm strong, but an agility and defense build," Klein added. "You?"

"Agility and strength," Bladescape answered.

Agility, speed, strength, defense, and health were the passive build factors that players used to customize their stats in Aincrad. Every time a player leveled up, they got a few points to assign. Leveling up always increased all stats, but that was a scaled increase based upon each level, with a slight factor for play style or current stats. Typically a player focused on two complimentary passive stats. Health was something most players idly increased with leftover points.

Most tanks were defense and health builds, with plenty increasing their strength to offset heavier weapons and armor. Reisenki was the odd one out as an agility, strength, and defense build. Forwards varied by their play style, but many were split with two primaries like strength and agility or defense and agility. Plenty went with a balanced increase of all base stats. Others took a triadic route, focusing on three stats. Damage dealers typically went with agility and speed, although players like Konpeito or Agil chose strength and either agility or speed.

They all stopped as the world around them shook. Rocks fell from the ceiling and they held their breath. After a minute of silence Malus was again moving rocks.

"Almost there," Malus grunted. "I can see a glow from a lantern."

"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."

Malus grunted. "We ain't gonna abandon y'all without puttin’ up more of a fight."

Bladescape made a judgment 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."

Dynamm started to protest. "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. Reisenki tossed aside a small boulder and then Malus pushed a rock through at the top, making a hole.

"It's hot in here," Klein said, wiping sweat from his brow. "There’s no airflow. How many do we have to get out?"

"There are ten of us," the voice on the other side said.

"One at a time through the opening," Malus ordered them. "Let's go! Time ain't our friend."

The first trapped Miner, a young lad, came up to the hole. Malus and Reisenki 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 sixth one out, the walls shook and Bladescape ducked, covering her head from the pieces of rock falling on her. They waited patiently, seeing if they could push their luck. The seventh 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," Malus 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, he had no friends behind him to help push him through, the wall gave way. Everything began to collapse again. Malus's shield suddenly popped onto her arm and she threw it up to face the ceiling.

"Run!" Malus grunted.

Reisenki 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!" Malus ordered her as the mine destabilized. They were in a death trap.

Bladescape was shoved forward by Malus. She started to fall but a firm hand caught the back of her cloak and kept her up. It shoved her forward again, on a more solid footing.

Bladescape glanced back and saw Malus 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 Malus 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 kept the NPCs back enough that they were not in the way of the exit. 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.

Malus finally emerged, coughing and covered in a layer of 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," Malus said, standing tall. It lasted only a moment as she began a coughing fit. They got her water and sat down among the mining 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 really mattered to Bladescape was that Malus was safe. That they all were safe. It netted them solid XP, based on how many men they rescued, and a good amount of Col too, also based on each man rescued. They got all ten out, reaping the full reward.

"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, most being normal, easy, quests. This was...well I don't know what it was, but we made it out and got all ten miners out, that’s what matters. Malus 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 skull. The boss led a gang that was in an abandoned mine. 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."

“Now what?" Klein asked. The question might have been directed at Bladescape, but anyone was open to answering it.

"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 twenty-four hours, no major 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," Klein stated. "I only have so much energy. At some point, I have to worry about living and staying sane. What about you? Do 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 horse, now that I enjoyed. Turns out, I have a lot of fun riding horses and, as a 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."

“Can't be that much more difficult than IRL,” Malus said with a shrug. “Still, it ain't ever caught my eye as somethin to do here. I'll keep my fishin pole.”

Bladescape shrugged. "I was doing the quest for a specialty info broker 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."

Natora stepped over to Bladescape and Klein. "Now what, leaders?"

"I'm down for field clearing," Klein started. "Looks like the quests are dry here, for now. Then again, we're not back in the town to see what's 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 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's 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 forty-four, 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," Klein said. "And I don't sense they are out in this quadrant."

"So what brought you here?" Bladescape asked.

"Avoiding the DDA," Klein said with a shrug. "Another verbal argument and the KoB was being snobbish and elitist."

"They can put on 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 collapsed, that wasn't an unfounded concern. "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. Natora, Thunderborne, Dynamm, and Doombunny teamed up to speed kill. Malus, Diemond, Reisenki, and Harry One decided they wanted to "Tank out their frustrations" by joining up so they could all get their hits in. Dale, Soryuto, Kiefer, Issin, and Konpeito 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. After all-"

"I know," Klein said, cutting her off. He didn't want to hear the rest of it. "Still, it will be fun to fight, side by side, guild leader and guild leader, alone together for the day."

"At least for the next few hours," Bladescape replied. "I'm safe, but we are on low sleep. The Wondercolts 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 either could play the defender if needed, but they rarely needed it. The better strategy was 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 clearly 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. Klein might as well know. She, oddly, trusted him. "Well, I went into the Fifty-Nine Floor Boss raid one XP away from Level Eighty. Didn't get to there as we fought through the dungeon. Just missed it, but I'm glad. It was the better spot to level up at.”

Klein was shocked. "Eighty! I- I-I’m not even at Seventy! That’s 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. 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 our school. Being the ones who stood up for what is right. We did some interesting stuff. Anyway, when SAO started, we learned to survive together, as a team, then picked up Kiefer, Reisenki, and Soryuto. We never hesitated to join the effort Diavel put together. Natora and I were trying to figure out how to organize a group effort when we ran into him and he was already setting it up. We’ve been tight together since, through thick and thin. Lind and Kibaou put us through quite a lot in those first twenty-five floors."

"And Knightstar?" Klein asked.

"She burned out," Bladescape admitted. "After an 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 theirs because of our personal stress. Diemond is a great example because none of us realized just how much stuff she had made due to our other focuses. When Knightstar fell, she had no one to catch her. We're working on a plan to get her back. She shut herself off from us and that's not a good thing. Really it has fallen to Doom, her insistence, and the plan is in motion. I trust Doom, although I don’t know the details of the plan, just that it will take time."

"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 ten Wondercolts. Don't forget that."

Bladescape couldn't get a reply as a heavy yawn took the moment away. She tried to make up for it. "Thanks Klein. It's good to know that you are there. And Fuurinkazan too. The same goes to you. We will gladly back you guys up anytime. You weren't there for twenty-five."

"What do you mean?" Klein pressed.

"We have maybe a hundred and twenty, on a good day, at our Floor Boss raid meetings," Bladescape explained. "I know not everyone comes, so we have at least two hundred members of the Assault Team. Anyway, we send nearly a quarter of them into battle. Sure, we got better, casualties are infrequent and low, but a single boss taking out ten, fifteen, or hell, twenty players. That would be a significant blow to our progress. Clearing is one thing, being on the Assault Team is a different game. I've seen plenty of guilds quit. It makes…"

Klein gave Bladescape a little time to think. "It makes what?"

She decided to just tell Klein. She did trust him and he was another leader. He understood while the others, except Natora, wouldn't. Even Natora only held part of the responsibility Bladescape shouldered.

Bladescape shrugged. "I'm a combat build. I love combat and riding horses, and half of what I do on horseback is chase down low level bandits and kill them from horseback. As much as I'm a combat junkie, I'm beginning to wonder about how long I personally 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. Natora is a strategist and solid party leader, our flag bearer who is to my right, just a pace behind to ensure I’m out front. Knightstar fed me stats and data and gave us a lot of great information to choose the best path, but she was really only a supporting element, not a leader. Natora props me up as much as she can, but it's basically on my shoulders, which is why I promised a few players I would get a hobby after the last boss raid.

“I did and I got some much needed mental rest while questing and riding. It was really fun, even the quests. I also did some other, personal, things that will help me stay grounded and strong.”

Klein only needed to know that she was taking care of herself as best as she could, not about the tattoo. He would absolutely want to see it and become focused on it until he got his wish. It was her secret, her private retreat and trump card against the game and system.

"But this all goes beyond me,” Bladescape said. “Fuurinkazan is a small guild and we are not much bigger. Both of us are on the Assault Team for a reason. 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? Especially if we lose a lot like we did in the twenty-fifth floor boss raid."

"Your secret is safe with me," Klein said. "And I also wonder what we will do on the later floors. If we even can do it. That's something I personally have to think about because I'm their leader. Just me alone."

"Even with good friends, it gets lonely at the top," Bladescape said. “We will figure it out as those challenges come.”

"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’s as much as you are getting out of me."

"Awe, come on!" Klein protested. "It's going to take me ages to get eleven Skill slots. At least give me a taste of that power!"

Bladescape rolled her eyes. "Not even the others know my chosen Skills anymore. Knightstar wasn't even tracking my progress the past several months. The only way I would reveal that list is if I got married in the game and then only to my husband. Although I'm not familiar with that function of the game, outside some rumors, it might be readily available info to your spouse."

"Fine," Klein grumbled. His goofy grin turned mischievous.

A moose respawned and they were immediately charging at its location. Despite the conversation topic, they were as in sync with each other as they fought. They communicated well, clearly 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," Malus said when they were done. "We had a barrel full of fun, bashed what we needed to, but we weren’t gettin outta that jam, least not quickly. Which was fine till now."

"No problem," Klein shrugged. "It was a fun way to end our time together."

“Anytime, dears,” Diemond said. “It's refreshing to be out with more than just Wondercolts.”

“We're heading into town, are you guys coming?” Bladescape asked.

“Nah, we'll stay out for a bit,” Klein replied.

The parties were all dissolved and the Wondercolts and Fuurinkazan said their farewells for the time being. They would certainly see them soon.

BLADESCAPE: Level 80 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 76 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
MALUS: Level 75 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 75 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 75 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 76 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 79 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche
KIEFER: Level 73 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 71 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 73 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 84.3 — Plaudit

Episode 84.3 — Plaudit
First Day in the Month of Loquat (May 1) in the Year of the Griffon
Front Line — Floor 60

They had just split from their time working with Fuurinkazan on their way home, approaching 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 that would rent the horses out. 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 had caught her attention. It was a yellow horse, almost golden in color, with a white mane. 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. He would be considered a charger, not a courser.

Bladescape walked closer and saw the white diamond 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. 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.

Bladescape wanted him and he seemed to want to be her horse. She had passed on the mare the other day, something she now found kind of stupid, but that mare didn't catch her eye, or heart, like this gelding did. It was love at first sight. It wouldn't hurt to inquire about his price.

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 a snort.

Bladescape found the NPC out back, shoeing a horse. “Are you here to rent a horse?” the NPC grunted as he put the last nail in place. "They're good steeds, steady and quick."

“The yellow horse, the one with his head out the door, is he for sale?” Bladescape asked.

The NPC wiped his forehead free of sweat and stepped over to see which horse she meant. “The palomino gelding?”

“Yes,” Bladescape nodded.

“Yeah, he is," the NPC admitted. "But he ain't an easy horse to ride. That's why I never rent him out.”

“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 fifteen hands high, or just under five 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 slow gallop in the corral. Riding him only intensified her desire to own him.

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 a hundred and fifty thousand Col.”

That was steep. Much higher than Bladescape expected. She knew the other horses were not that high, or else Boots would be better off. That was the cost of a player-made weapon or a few material contracts. Still, Bladescape had enough and the price meant he was a higher tier horse than most. There had to be tiers if there were several legendary horses which could be captured and broken in. She had felt it by how he moved and seen it in how attentive he was. The price was not a deterrent.

“Deal,” Bladescape grinned. “I’ll take him.”

She exchanged the Col, also buying a 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. "We don't have a place for him in our home."

“I have an idea,” Bladescape replied. “That player who helped teach me to ride, Boots, she has a stable. I'm 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. This stallion is steady. I'll meet you all back home. I won't be leaving the safe zones.”

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 Twelve, 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'm 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’s wonderful, but don't you live in the city? That's 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 five dumbest things to spend your money on!"

"It totally was an impulsive purchase," Bladescape admitted. "You heard me laugh and saw my joy from riding. It's how I'm going to relax on my days off. I saw him on my way off the front lines today. He caught my eye in a way no other horse has. I was able to ride him in the corral, fell in love, and now I own a horse. The other mare just didn’t catch my eye, not like he did. I'm still on that quest chain, waiting for the next one to become available. I may need to ride for other parts and I'd rather not risk one of your horses again. Still, riding is fun, that's the real thing that will relax me, not the quests."

"You will need a better saddle," Boots said. "Thankfully I know someone 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,” Bladescape prefaced. “But do you have any suggestions?"

"The first horse that comes to mind is the old racehorse, Plaudit," Boots said. "He was a purebred stallion that has the rare distinction of being a AQHA registered purebred and a PHBA horse because he was a true palomino. Although palomino isn't a breed, but rather a 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 own. He was quite the race horse. Of course, that’s by modern standards. If we were to take this to medieval standards, Plaudit would have been a courser, similar to this guy here. And Plaudit was a very good courser. There is a very fine line between courser and charger, but I would call him a charger. He definitely is a very noble steed with a good head."

"That’s 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. His home was set as Boots’ stable, in case he lost his rider and had to get back home on his own. 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’s valuable," Boots replied. “I have a feeling you won’t stay on Floor Twelve.”

“I could use a horse at times to assist in gathering enhancement materials,” Bladescape said with a shrug. “Well, I would enjoy it, not need. I have Sprint, but it isn’t as fun as riding. Nowhere near as fun.”

Boots chuckled. Bladescape bade her, and Plaudit, goodbye and 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, Ishoku Inji. With him was Relos, a well known smith for their guild, and Piandao, the finest metal expert in Aincrad. Piandao was the creator of Black Rune, the rare alloy that Harmonic Salvation was made from. The other Wondercolts had kept them waiting for Bladescape to arrive, but provided them with refreshments.

Bladescape first bowed to them. “Forgive me,” Bladescape said as she sat down across from them. “It’s 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's understandable and they treated us well, 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 put the word out,” Bladescape replied, staying calm and composed as the negotiations unfolded. Bladescape didn't know what Doombunny had done, but it was telling that only one entity was here before her. “I delegated that to a member who offered, who said they knew the best way to get that information out. I also noticed that you brought Piandao, meaning he assessed it for you."

"I assessed it," Piandao confirmed. "I'm here because of that and because I’m interested in the material. I’m not a part of the negotiation or associated with Ishoku Inji."

Bladescape nodded to him. It was good to hear him disclose his relationship and intentions. "I don’t want to rip you off," Bladescape prefaced. "After all, this material will most likely prove vital for the Assault Team and other players. Still, I know your profit margin will quickly exceed ten times what this sale will be at. I'm not afraid to negotiate.”

Veros grinned as he sat there. “While I know your reputation as Wondercolts, I didn’t expect an easy negotiation for this intel.”

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's what we could gather, and it's all cash. We have the Col to transfer to you right now.”

“I’m tired,” Bladescape admitted. No one else was here to do business with them and the offer was a good one.

“We had heard you were working overnight,” Relos said. “You put a lot of good effort into freeing us. So we put the best offer we could 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.”

Bladescape 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 added, 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, certainly not with the flag mob we defeated 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 which require guards. 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 some sleep,” Veros said, standing up. “Thank you for wisely selling it to us.”

“And thank you for quickly making it worth my while,” Bladescape said, also standing.

They all bowed to each other in parting. Veros and Relos let themselves out while Bladescape stood there, next to the table with the money on it. Piandao had stayed seated.

"I heard from Lisbeth that she used my alloy to forge your sword," he said. "I was wondering if I could see her fine craftsmanship?"

Bladescape nodded to him with a tired smile as she drew Harmonic Salvation, displaying the sword in all its glory for the metallurgist to examine. With permission, he checked the menu.

"This is phenomenal work," Piandao stated. "I knew she would do it justice, but I had no idea that it would go as far as it did."

"It's a masterpiece," Bladescape said. "By the game's system, not just by our measurements. It's literally a cut above the rest, and it happened while she christened her new forge. You produced a very fine alloy, or rather alloys, and I have little doubt that the materials helped contribute to that masterpiece status."

"You humble me, greatly," Piandao said. "I’m glad it has gone to someone as deserving as you, Bladescape, Leader of the Wondercolts. It gives all of my work greater meaning. All of that work was learning the system and how to create alloys. It's not easy, but today I know for certain that none of my effort was ever wasted."

"Never discount your effort," Bladescape assured him. "We all play our pivotal roles to clear this game. Without you, the front line would not be as far as we are. Your alloys have been repeatedly used by Wondercolts. I believe you are familiar with Doombunny."

“Quite,” He said with a smile. “She stood out early on because she came to me to get materials, yet she wasn’t a smith. I’ve always been happy that she can make good use of it.”

“She certainly does,” Bladescape said with a laugh. “Saved me and the others plenty of times.”

"Speaking of the front line," Piandao said, shifting the topic a bit. "You mentioned it and they didn't ask. All I had to examine was that small piece of ore. It was enough for an assessment, but I know you got more. I would like to purchase what you have."

"I was expecting them to stipulate that in the negotiations," Bladescape admitted. "I wasn't going to automatically sweeten their deal."

When the mine collapsed, they had quickly chucked everything not needed into the guild's storage. Bladescape found all of the ore and began to lay them out onto the table. There were three sizes. She had to officially pick up the col from the negotiations and placed it directly into the guild's coffers.

Piandao was immediately examining the three different sizes and writing down some notes. It was a good haul, especially considering the fact that it was all loose chunks. It would be enough for him to begin experimenting with.

"Each piece is quite rich, without much excess material to remove," Piandao said. "I think it's a heavy metal, but it may be a base metal. I'm hoping it's a heavier base metal. We need some new base metals. From my inspection, I expect that two of the smallest pieces will produce a small bar. While the standard bar will take two medium ores, or four small ones. The large ones you have will take two to make a large bar, or four medium. Possibly sixteen small ores will make a large bar, but that isn't always the case."

Piandao gave Bladescape the offer for all that they had. He wasn’t messing around either. Bladescape didn't haggle and accepted it. She hadn't met him before now, but she liked him. All the things she had heard about him were good. He was also a good friend to have. Being independent from Ishoku Inji was a bonus, as the guild still caused trouble for Lisbeth and other independent crafters.

Piandao was used to carrying a lot of weight and had deceptively high strength. He easily carried it all out in his inventory. Bladescape bid him farewell and held the door open for him. If the crafting guild realized their mistake, Piandao could easily state that he had stayed to see the first item made out of his special alloy.

The Wondercolts would make good use of the money from the sales. Bladescape wasn’t thinking about weapons upgrades 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 75. A place that was closer to the front, even though this place was amazing and everything they needed. They had an image to keep up and staying on Floor 35 had lost its touch. The Knights of the Bloodoath were on Floor 55, in Granzam; their third headquarters since their arrival. The Divine Dragon Alliance was on Floor 56 on their second headquarters. 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 to cover such an upgrade.

BLADESCAPE: Level 80 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 76 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
MALUS: Level 75 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 75 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 75 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 76 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 79 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche
KIEFER: Level 73 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 71 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 73 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Commercial Break Four

Commercial Break Four
If you want a reminder about passive and active base stats and the Junishi calendar, that can be reviewed in Commercial Break 3.

A lot has happened since the third commercial break. Last time, the Wondercolts had arrived for their second time. Now, Knightstar is no longer a member of the Wondercolts, having retreated into her own nightmares; while still launching her own successful store for guides. Her specialty is her comprehensive Encyclopedia of Aincrad, which covers the monsters in one volume, with their stats and known drops, including drop rates. While the materials volume covers the known ways the object is used and the source(s) it comes from.

Doombunny has been working on “Operation Midnight Redemption” (OMR) to bring Knightstar back into the guild. To remind her of what she is missing and that her fears are not true. That is taking her on an epic puzzle quest across Aincrad. Each of the thirteen charms has a riddle and much of the task itself is also a puzzle. They are the most powerful charms in the game and crucially include “The Stars of the Forgotten Night” charm, which is at least close to Twilight’s stars mark/cutie mark, which will make an amazing addition for Doombunny's final project and really bring it together. She does not know the order of the charms, forcing her to go one by one, only getting the details on where to go next after she completes a task. She is working as fast as she can and has since recovered:

Radial Charm Bracelet: can carry six charms at once

Painite Blossom (Applejack) — +150 Strength
Col Standard (Rarity) — +15% col dropped by monsters
Iron Opal (Pinkie Pie) — +15% Carry Weight
Tuft of a Rainbow Cloud (Rainbow) — +20% boost to speed
Vial Of Life (Mage Meadowbrook) — +150 Constitution
Fragment of the Palace (Star Swirl) — 20% reduction in skill delay
The Ribbon of Seven Thousand Threads (Somnambula) — +150 Agility

Known Guilds:

Wondercolts: WCS — Led by Bladescape, and Natora, they are a strong but small guild of close knit friends. A big player in clearing. Their colors are Navy Blue and Gold and their icon is a gold horse head on a navy background.
Divine Dragon Alliance: DDA — Led by Lind and a council. The next evolution of the Dragon Knights Brigade, their change was to separate themselves from the disaster that had been the leadership of the clearing effort. They still use the same colors, silver and blue.
Aincrad Liberation Force: ALF — Also known as “the Army” because of their steel and forest green colors, the Aincrad Liberation Force was formed by the remnants of the Aincrad Liberation Squad and MTD, the guild is run by a player named Thinker. They are there for the common player, to spread information and resources to everyone.
Meigibu: MGBU — The Woman guild made up mostly of clearers. They epitomize the “art of being human” and are known to dress in traditional Japanese garb, even the males, on and off the battlefield. Many are beautiful embodiments of the onna-musha, the female samurai from throughout Japan’s history. Lobelia is their leader. Their colors are white and emerald green. The guild symbol is an emerald rose.
Imperial Dragoon Guards: IDG — A clearing guild of eight middle aged men, all armed with shields and spears, led by Tagahashi. Their black armor with gold shields make a flashy statement for the lancers whenever they enter a fight.
Gael: GA — A guild of eleven members, all men, with the colors of yellow and red. They are crisp and sharp in all aspects and march to the tune of a fife played by their youngest member.
Knights of the Bloodoath: KoB — The top guild and the ones spearheading the liberation effort. Their colors are white and red. They are led by Heathcliff, with Asuna as their Second-in-Command (Leader of Team B) and boss strategist, Godfree as the commander of their vanguards (leader of Team A) and in charge of training, and Daizen as their financial officer. Uzala leads Team C. Their current headquarters are in Granzam.
Fuurinkazan: WWFM — Named for the war banner of Takeda Shingen which refers to the Art of War by Sun Tzu, the six member guild of guys is flexible in most combat situations, and very eager to prove themselves.
Amatsukami: AMKI — Meaning “Heavenly Gods,” the guild is composed of heavily armored champions; mostly forwards with shields and tanks. Gold and White are their colors. They are a medium sized guild with fourteen players.
Toraijin: TJN — The Foreign Tigers are a group of nine foreign players who were in Japan either for a college semester abroad or spending a year after college helping to teach English through a language program. Black and Orange are their colors.
Kawakatsu: KWK — Meaning “Leather Ones,” the small guild only wears leather equipment. No metal unless it’s a shield or their weapon. Brown with tan are their colors.
Kiniro Kotaka Toi: KKT — “No worries” is both the meaning of their name and their attitude. A fun loving guild pushing the front that claims to be assured in their victory, in every scenario.
Ishoku Inji: II — The major crafting guild.
Lanark Mill: LM — A textile crafting guild specializing in the production of fabrics.
Aincrad Material Company: AMC — A materials acquisition guild offering services as a clearinghouse for crafters, promising fast delivery, consistent prices and no questions asked.

Players:

Kirito: Level 82 — One-Handed Longsword — Search — Martial Arts — Hide — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Battle Healing — Extended Weight Carry — Dual Blades
Asuna: Level 78 — Rapier — Two-Handed Spear — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — Sprint — Acrobatics — Cooking — Sewing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Heavy Metal Armor
Agil: Level 68 — Two-Handed Axe — Martial Arts — Weapon Defense — Leather Equipment — Equipment Appraisal — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry
Klein: Level 69 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Katana — Light Metal Armor — Shield — First Aid — Fighting Spirit — Battle Regeneration — Search — Extended Weight Carry — Listening

Bladescape (Sunset Shimmer): Level 80 — 16120 HP
- Two-Handed Sword — Complete
- Search — Complete
- Weapon Defense — Complete
- Leather Armor — Complete
- First Aid — Acquired
- Battle Regeneration — 654/1000
- Sprint — 562/1000
- Blade Throwing — 547/1000
- Extended Weight Carry — 465/1000
- Acrobatics — 399/1000
- Greatsword — 75/1000

Weapon: Harmonic Salvation (Made by Lisbeth) & Bajutsu (Made by Lisbeth)
Armor: Dagannoth Hide Plate Armor (Made by Ashley)
Legs: Dagannoth Hide Plate Legs (Made by Ashley)
Gloves: Dagannoth Hide Gauntlets (Made by Ashley)
Boots: Dagannoth Hide Combat Boots (Made by Ashley)
Belt: Dagannoth Hide Belt (Made by Ashley)
Helmet: Silver Sagacity Circlet (Boosts Search and Visual Perception)
Ring #1: Treant’s Heart (Defense +5)
Ring #2: Ring of Agility (Agility +20)
Wrist #1: The Loyal Sun Bracelet (Attack +7)
Wrist #2: The Heavenly Prospect Bracelet (+350 HP)
Necklace: Geode Necklace (Defense +6)
Outer layer: Wondercolts Cloak (Made by Ashley)

Harmonic Salvation is a large two-handed European sword made of the rare alloy Black Rune. The sword is the same color as the ingot was, gunmetal blue. The ricasso stops at triangular flukes that protrude from the blade, about ten inches total. Forward of the flukes, the edge can be seen as a lighter blue, evidence of the high concentration of runite in the edge. In contrast, an almost black fuller runs from the flukes up three quarters of the blade, exhibiting the colors of the obsidianite. The crossguard isn't squared; having a straight quillon that flares to a point, but above and below it flares with a rolling “w”, framing the center jewel. The whole guard is a lighter blue, like the edge of the sword. The handle is in two segments, with the lower half slightly smaller and much darker, showing off the obsidianite in the alloy. Its pommel is the same blue shade as the alloy, slowly expanding in diameter before quickly collapsing to a soft point. The blade has been hardened, preventing enhancements from failing, and expanding its enhancement slots to 100 and restoring the failed attempts.

Bajutsu is a plain sword with brown leather and steel fastenings, barely qualifying as a two-handed longsword. Made from a lightweight (speed) alloy, it is very quick. It loves to bite and cut without Sword Skills. The sword was made for a quest, to use on horseback against a mounted knight. Bladescape plans to continue to have it with her when she rides.

The dagannoth plates made by Ashley are predominantly navy blue, with some gold worked in. The hide was tanned and hardened into plates and given a coating to make it shine. The leather armor appears to be heavy metal armor, not leather. The armor is complete with besagews at the shoulders to protect Bladescape’s armpits. The pauldrons are gold, as are her couter, tassets, and poleyns. The fingered gauntlets have a strip of gold at the first joint and the flared opening. The navy-blue greaves are open for her gold leather boots. Bladescape’s leggings and shirt are gold showing through the few gaps of her armor. Her velvet cloak is blue, fringed in gold, and seamlessly has an extra-large gold horse head dyed onto the center. The cloak connects to the besagews at her shoulders and was designed to function with her sword on her back, with the cloak covering the sheath.

Silver Sagacity Circlet: A silver circlet with a blue gemstone that matches Sunset’s eyes in the center. The silver is expertly woven into a beautiful pattern that is both delicate and strong.

Along with her equipment, Bladescape owns Plaudit, a Palomino gelding. Standing at fifteen hands tall
(about 5 feet at the withers), he is alert and perky with a trailing diamond mark on his muzzle. The well-built stallion is a charger, perfect for intense bursts of charging and military action, but less suited for hard riding over many hours. Boots is taking care of him for Bladescape.

Natora (Ota Natsuki): Level 76 — 14560 HP
- Two-Handed Spear — 821/1000
- Purchase Negotiations — Complete
- Sales Negotiations — Complete
- Weapon Defense — 912/1000
- Light Metal Armor — 673/1000
- First Aid — Acquired
- Battle Regeneration — 591/1000
- Acrobatics — 541/1000
- Armor Pierce — 774/1000
- Sprint — 488/1000

Weapon: Blazefury Lance +20 (4D6A6Q4S)
Armor: Splint armor corset and gorget with pauldrons and rerebraces
Breastplate: Medallion of the Two Kings’
Legs: Splint armor skirt, greaves, and cuisses
Gloves: Gold leather gloves
Boots: Gold leather boots
Belt: Both shoulder X belt
Helmet: Barbute Helmet with visor profiled to look like a horse head
Ring #1: The Proud Crest (Critical Attack +6)
Ring #2: The Jasper Drop Ring (Attack +4)
Wrist #1: The Brave Panther Armlet (Defense +5)
Wrist #2: The Serpentine Flower Armlet (Speed +6)
Necklace: Geode Necklace (Agility +8)
Outer layer: Renaissance shoulder cape, navy blue exterior with a border of gold horse heads, alternating directions, and gold lining, over their left shoulder

Blazefury Lance has twenty-seven enhancement slots with no failures. Durability has been increased twice, and both accuracy and quickness once. The black shafted jūmonji yari spear has a maroon head almost a foot long, sharpened squared cross-blades, and a metal collar with a tassel of gold ribbons.
Her splint armor is on top of a gold, long sleeve shirt and leggings. The splints are a blue steeled alloy riveted onto the blue leather with brass. Her chest is protected with a corset, and gorget and below it is a skirt of leather strips often reinforced with riveted metal squares. The corset and skirt are paired with full pauldrons, rerebraces and vambraces to give her arms full coverage. Above her greaves and poleyns are cuisses. Gold leather boots and gloves protect her extremities. On her head is a sleek and feminized Barbute helmet with a visor, allowing for her hair to easily flow out the back. The helmet is profiled to look like a horse head. To hold her pouches, she wears a double shoulder belt crossing over her chest to keep everything in place while performing acrobatic maneuvers. The Medallion of the Two Kings’ Breastplate is integrated into the right shoulder strap, allowing it to be easily flipped to choose the buff.

Malus (Applejack): Level 75 — 18222 HP
- One-Handed War Hammer — 831/1000
- Greatshield — Complete
- Heavy Metal Armor — Complete
- First Aid — Acquired
- Extended Weight Carry — 862/1000
- Battle Regeneration — Complete
- Fishing — 954/1000
- Search — 562/1000
- Martial Arts — 588/1000
- Rend — 431/1000

Weapon: Earthshaper +32 (10H10T6D3A3Q)
Shield: Iron Bulwark
Armor: Plate of Veracity with color matched pieces made by Diemond
Belt: Blue leather belt with a ring to slip her hammer into.
Helmet: Close helm in the Maximilian style
Ring #1: Spotless Passion Ring (Speed +8)
Ring #2: Heavenly Stone Ring (Agility +6)
Wrist #1: The Amethyst Breath Bracelet (Strength +7)
Wrist #2: The Enchanted Moon Bracelet (Strength +8)
Necklace: Geode Necklace (HP +500)
Outer layer: Long Wondercolts’ cloak

The Plate of Veracity is an elegant heavy metal armor torso piece: specifically a breastplate, backplate, tassets, and pauldrons. The steel is beautifully etched. The center of the breastplate is a tree, the NIST Gaithersburg tree, an immediate descendant of the apple tree from Isaac Newton's home. The pauldrons, tassets, and backplate are decorated with apple leaves and blossoms.

Diemond was able to match the color and design of the Plate of Veracity for all of the other pieces, but she could not do the etching. For her helmet, she wears a close helm in the Maximilian style.

Thunderborne (Rainbow Dash): Level 75 — 12945 HP
- Rapier — Complete
- Sprint — Complete
- Acrobatics — Complete
- Weapon Defense — Complete
- Light Metal Armor — 754/1000
- First Aid — Acquired
- Battle Regeneration — 487/1000
- Armor Pierce — 613/1000
- Martial Arts — 341/1000
- Blade Throwing — 256/1000

Weapon: Ruby Sabre +35 (10D10Q8A7S)
Armor: Splint armor dress
Gloves: Blue leather with gold splints on the back of the hand
Boots: Gold leather with gold splints and Prince of Wales spurs
Belt: both shoulder X belt
Helmet: Gold hair ribbon
Ring #1: The Pearl Rainbow (Speed +5)
Ring #2: Bright Spark (Agility +8)
Wrist #1: Amber Seal Bracelet (Defense +5)
Wrist #2: Lavish Rainbow Armlet (Agility +9)
Necklace: Geode Necklace (Speed +6)
Outer layer: Renaissance shoulder cape, navy blue exterior with a border of gold horse heads, alternating directions, and gold lining, over their left shoulder

Ruby Saber is Thunderborne’s primary or boss rapier. It is styled as a carmine Pappenheimer Rapier. She carries several generic dungeon diving or clearing rapiers due to rapiers having a low durability. A tough dungeon can wear down two or three rapiers with ease, making it a risk for a fencer to use their primary sword too often. Four enhancements of twenty-five failed. Of the twenty-one that took, seven are Durability, five are Quickness, five are Accuracy, and four are Sharpness.

Thunderborne wears a splint armor dress. The dress itself has a houndstooth woven leather base, sleeveless, woven out of three different shades of blue, plus one cord of gold. The blued splint plates are riveted on and smaller to afford her more flexibility during acrobatic maneuvers. The dress’ skirt is without metal and uses knife pleats to allow for a wide range of motion and a front panel for a smooth look, just like a Scottish kilt. Underneath it is worn a blue long-sleeve shirt and leggings. She wears splint arm harnesses on each arm – a blued splint rerebrace, articulated elbow piece, and a golden splint bracer – her gloves are simple blue leather with gold splints on the back. Her knee-high leather boots are dyed gold and have golden splints vertically riveted on them to cover the shins, with plates covering the toes and heels. The boots are laced on using blue leather cord. Each lace hook is a lightning bolt. The toe of the boots has a horseshoe stamped on them and she has gold Prince of Wales spurs with blue straps holding it onto the boot. Instead of a Sam Browne belt, she had a belt with two shoulder straps that cross like an X over her chest to keep everything in place while performing acrobatic maneuvers. She no longer wears a helmet, instead her rainbow hair is tied into a ponytail with a gold ribbon that has a surprising amount of defense.

Konpeito (Pinkie Pie): Level 75 — 14200 HP
- Two-Handed Axe — 976/1000
- Cooking — Complete
- Weapon Defense — 943/1000
- Light Metal Armor — Complete
- Martial Arts — 916/1000
- First Aid — Acquired
- Battle Regeneration — 656/1000
- Music — Complete
- Blade Throwing — 545/1000
- Bard — 678/1000
- Extended Weight Carry 365/1000

Weapon: Honor's Call +24 (5A5D5H5Q4S)
Armor: Leather and metal scale armor
Legs: Blue silverthread trousers with splint greaves.
Gloves: Splint braces with silverthread gloves
Boots: Short blue boots
Belt: gold leather belt tied on, no buckle
Helmet: Viking kransen with shield maiden hairstyle
Ring #1: Pink Spark Ring (Critical Attack +7)
Ring #2: Angel Orb (Attack +5)
Wrist #1: The Sapphire Breath Bracelet (Attack +6)
Wrist #2: Lunar Stone Bracelet (Critical Attack +4)
Necklace: Geode Necklace (Agility +12)
Outer layer: Mantle of Hati

Honor’s call is a double headed axe with no curve in the bits. The axe head is in the shape of an “H” and made from Adamite, giving it a smoky green color. The shaft is wrapped in woven leather cording of five blue cords, a gold cord, and a red cord. No enhancements have been done.

Konpeito’s new “Viking look” is a stamped leather breastplate with a metal scaled gorget and scaled faulds and tassets, which are more skirt-like as they go almost to her knees. The layered breastplate is dyed navy blue and stamped with Viking knots and symbols. Every rivet, buckle, and lace is gold while the scales are blued steel. Konpeito is still sleeveless to show off her Viking tattoos, which fully cover her arms and shoulders. Her sleeveless shirt and trousers are blue. Her boots are plain, dyed blue, and she wears greaves and bracers both in the splint style with more spacing between each splint and connected by leather straps, not a leather base, which are blue. Her gold belt is simply tied around her waist and holds her pouches. Gjallarhorn is on a strap that crosses over her body, not in a pouch.
Konpeito’s curls are half tamed. She wears them “shield maiden style.” On both sides of her head are four tiers of Dutch braids. The pompadour top has three asymmetric accent braids and is tied into a ponytail with the first tier of braids. The other six braids are also tied together into a lower ponytail. Everything past each ponytail tie is unbraided and raw. Konpeito also wears a kransen that goes in between the ponytails but lies flat over her forehead. It is woven from three blue and one gold chords.

Diemond (Rarity): Level 76 — 16886 HP
- One-Handed Mace — Complete
- Greatshield — Complete
- Sewing — Complete
- Heavy Metal Armor — Complete
- First Aid — Acquired
- Battle Regeneration — 845/1000
- Light Metal Armor Forging — Complete
- Heavy Metal Armor Forging — 846/1000
- Extended Weight Carry — 461/1000
- Jewelry Making — 376/1000

Weapon: Silver Lining <> (8H12T10Q5A5D)
Shield: Tower shield (made by Rendil)
Armor: Maximilian style plate armor blued
Belt: Gold leather belt
Helmet: Close helm in the Maximilian style
Ring #1: The Diamond Crest (Speed +4)
Ring #2: The Crystal Tear (Attack +6)
Wrist #1: Diamond Vigor Armlet (Defense +4)
Wrist #2: The Silent Vigor (Defense +5)
Necklace: Geode Necklace (Defense +10)
Outer layer: Long Wondercolts’ cloak

Diemond’s shield by Rendil is a tower shield with a blue face, gold horse head on it, and trimmed in brass.

Doombunny (Fluttershy): Level 79 — 14350 HP
- One-Handed Dagger — Complete
- Hide — Complete
- Fighting Spirit — 741/1000
- Blade Throwing — Complete
- First Aid — Acquired
- Battle Regeneration — 614/1000
- Familiar Cooperation — Acquired
- Mixing — 784/1000
- Main-gauche — 670/1000
- Listen — 421/1000
- Reveal — 367/1000

Weapons: Shadow Song +16 (4A4D4S4Q) (general use dirk), Mourning Protector +12 (2A2Q6D2S) (paralyzed qama dagger), Endbringer +20 (10D6A2S2Q) (poisoned DOT crusader dagger) — All made by Lisbeth
Throwing Knives: Alchion throwing knives set and ebony kunai (unnamed producer)
Armor: Yellow silverthread dress
Legs: Blue silverthread leggings
Gloves: Blue fingerless silverthread gloves
Boots: Generic blue boots
Belt: Thin blue belt.
Helmet: Blue Silverthread headband
Beast Tamer’s Charms & Geode Ring
Outer layer: Dark blue knee length cloak

Her two throwing knife holsters are one piece, all blue, sharing a belt under her dress and with the holsters dropping down to above her knees. Each holster holds four knives on the face, with five rows behind. The regular throwing knives are on her right thigh and her heavier kunai are on her left.

Her knee-length cloak is dark blue and has pockets hidden inside to securely store her poisons and potions. It also has wide, reinforced and strengthened shoulders for Colorra. 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. Underneath the coat she wears a yellow Silverthread dress and blue silverthread leggings. A thin blue belt keeps her skirt in place and also mounts her beast tamer’s charms and weapons. Doombunny also wears a blue headband to keep her hair in place when she isn't using the hood, blue boots that only cover up to her ankles, and blue Silverthread fingerless gloves to finish off the ensemble.
The coat covers everything on her unless she specifically sweeps it back to stay open. When open, the beast tamer necklace is on full display. Her earrings are also on full display when the hood is down.

Kiefer: Level 73 — 13825 HP
- Curved Sword — 731/1000
- Slash-Weapon Forging — 485/1000
- Light Metal Armor — 987/1000
- Weapon Defense — 961/1000
- First Aid — Acquired
- Katana — 736/1000
- Battle Regeneration — 632/1000
- Search — 564/1000
- Blade Throwing — 415/1000
- Armor Pierce — 452/1000

Weapon: Mist’s Fury +14 (4A5D3Q2S)
Armor: Splint armor breastplate, backplate, faulds, and tassets gorget with pauldrons and rerebraces
Legs: Splint armor greaves and cuisses
Gloves: Gold leather gloves
Boots: Gold leather boots
Belt: Blue Sam Browne Belt with gold pass-through buckles of a horse head set in a circle
Helmet: Lobster-tailed pot helmet
Ring #1: Bright Bliss (Agility +4)
Ring #2: The Sweet Cross Ring (Defense +4)
Wrist #1: The Onyx Tribute Bracelet (Attack +7)
Wrist #2: The Vibrant Class Armlet (Speed +4)
Necklace: Geode Necklace (Attack +9)
Outer layer: Renaissance shoulder cape, navy blue exterior with a border of gold horse heads, alternating directions, and gold lining, over their left shoulder

His splint armor is on top of a gold, long sleeve shirt and leggings. The splints are a blue steeled alloy riveted onto the blue leather with brass. His chest is protected with a breastplate, backplate, faulds, and tassets. Breastplate and backplate are paired with full pauldrons, rerebraces and vambraces to give his arms full coverage. Above his greaves and poleyns are cuisses. Gold leather boots and gloves protect his extremities. His helmet is a lobster-tailed pot helm, also bearing a resemblance of a horse. He also uses a blue Sam Browne belt with a gold pass-through buckle of a horse head set in a circle. The belt has a sword frog directly on it to properly align his katana.

Soryuto: Level 71 — 13500 HP
- One-Handed Sword — 842/1000
- Shield — 967/1000
- Light Metal Armor — 848/1000
- Music — 505/1000
- First Aid — Acquired
- Fighting Spirit — 510/1000
- Armor Pierce — 579/1000
- Acrobatics — 313/1000
- Extended Weight Carry — 214/1000

Weapon: Last Rites <> (4D6A9S6Q)
Shield: Kite Shield with gold horse head on the blue face. (Made by Rendil)
Armor: Splint armor corset with pauldrons, vambraces
Legs: Splint armor skirt, greaves, poleyns and cuisses
Gloves: Bleu leather gloves
Boots: Blue leather boots
Belt: Blue Sam Browne Belt with gold pass-through buckles of a horse head set in a circle
Helmet: Barbute Helmet with visor profiled to look like a horse head.
Ring #1: Majestic Soul (Agility +4)
Ring #2: Lunar Aura Ring (Speed +4)
Wrist #1: Jade Spiral Bracelet (Attack +5)
Wrist #2: The Grand Blessing (Health +250)
Necklace: Geode Necklace (Defense +6)
Outer layer: Renaissance shoulder cape, navy blue exterior with a border of gold horse heads, alternating directions, and gold lining, over their left shoulder

Her kite shield is navy blue with a golden horse head on the face. Her splint armor is on top of a gold, long sleeve shirt and leggings. The splints are a blue steeled alloy riveted onto the blue leather with brass. Her chest is protected with a corset, and below it is a skirt of leather strips often reinforced with riveted metal squares. The corset and skirt are paired with slim pauldrons, vambraces, greaves, and poleyns, all in the same split armor design. Blue leather boots and gloves protect her extremities. On her head is a sleek and feminized barbute helmet with a visor, allowing for her hair to easily flow out the back. The helmet is profiled to look like a horse head. To hold her pouches and sword, she uses a blue Sam Browne belt with a gold pass-through buckle of a horse head set in a circle.

Reisenki: Level 73 — 16830 HP
- One-Handed Axe — 973/1000
- Greatshield — Complete
- Heavy Metal Armor — 799/1000
- Equipment Repair — 856/1000
- Metal Equipment Repair — 654/1000
- First Aid — Acquired
- Battle Regeneration — 649/1000
- Cooking — 725/1000
- Metal Refining — 104/1000
- One-Hand Weapon Creation — 271/1000

Weapon: Storm-Forged Battle Axe +16 (8H5D3A)
Shield: Tower shield (made by Rendil)
Armor: Maximilian style plate armor blued
Belt: Gold leather belt
Helmet: Close helm in the Maximilian style
Ring #1: Leiurus Ward (protects against all poisons)
Ring #2: The Defiant Flame (Attack +7)
Wrist #1: The Infinite Spark Ornament (Agility +9)
Wrist #2: The Serpentine Twins (Agility +4)
Necklace: Geode Necklace (Agility +6)
Outer layer: Long Wondercolts’ cloak

Storm-Forged Battle Axe is a steel battle axe with a twisted shaft, and a circular hammer counterbalance for the wide face. A fleur-de-lis is carved in the face to reduce weight.

Reisenki’s shield by Rendil is a tower shield with a blue face, gold horse head on it, and trimmed in brass.

Episode 85 — Operation Midnight Redemption (2 of 3)

Episode 85 — Operation Midnight Redemption
Part 2 of 3
Again, the Floor and dates are not stated for a reason. Each segment may jump, including ahead of the current main chapter. They are in order of the tasks in the quest.

In the forest hidden, those the wise hearts seek,
A charm of great power, rare and unique.

At the foot of a tree, the riddle so fine,
Cross a wild river, with all creatures in line.

Climb the mountain steep , by the puzzle's decree,
With keys in stone, unlock the destiny.

In the shadows' embrace, a guardian creature waits,
Face it with valor, in this journey's embrace.

What's the object of this tale, so vivid and brief,
Where the Triadic Trefoil holds dreams and belief?

Doombunny howled in frustration and banged on the door, nearly breaking down in tears. She had followed the clues, which took so long to decipher because they were very generalized. When she had started searching, the floor was not unlocked yet. Once she realized that, she followed them over the correct river and up the correct mountain. She had literally climbed a mountainside that was rather steep, practically a cliff.

It was not that simple. This charm was the worst. The puzzle dungeon was guarded by a drake. A small one, but it could breathe a bit of fire. At least it could not fly, but it had been a very difficult fight, even more so since they were on the front. The stupid, overgrown lizard was only the beginning.

Behind it was a very long series of doors. All around her was the proper iconography of the trefoil. Well, the trefoil was a three dimensional knot, what she was seeing were typically called triquetra, the two dimensional version, most often depicted as a type of knot. Konpeito had known all about them and gave her a crash course on the Celtic uses and meanings, as well as the Vikings’ use of them. It was a common symbol across the globe.

Konpeito had no idea why she was interested in it and did not care. Doombunny had spoken with her in the kitchen, so she was chatting while she baked pies. Now that she thought of it, pies which were never eaten by any Wondercolts and Konpeito had completed Cooking a while ago. They just disappeared.

While Konpeito had called them Celtic knots, Doombunny had not realized she would have to deal with actual knots. Especially with all that she had to surmount just to enter the dungeon. As stupid as the overgrown lizard was, she hated killing the drake. It was somewhat cute, albeit hyper aggressive. It was going to tear her to shreds and eat her. Obviously she did not let it. It was an anticlimactic fight, as the drake was susceptible to poisons, but not paralyzers.

Fifteen doors she had gone through, each one being unlocked by properly untying the knotted rope. Each door was harder than the last. Door number six began to have two knots while door number eleven started three. Now at fifteen, she would either be finished or she would have another five to go. None of them could be cut, they were immortal objects. Doombunny had unraveled three of them, but was stumped on the fourth. It was beyond annoying.

This should not be as hard as it was. She had come too far to turn back now. She had the day off, a rare occurrence. She had to maximize her questing. She had hoped to get through three today, but it was well past noon. She would be lucky to finish this one today.

Doombunny yanked on the knot but it did not budge. It did provide her with an alternative angle though. One that gave her an idea. With the inspiration, she finally undid it and proceeded to the next door.

The puzzles had changed design with the sixteenth door. There were sets of holes drilled in a square, evenly spaced between them. They were not single knots to untie. The ropes ended in color coded pegs. She could move the pegs, giving her different access and angles to untangle the mess. The first puzzle had four. At least the ropes were dyed in different colors.

With some ingenuity, she solved it. Successfully moving the pegs until the ropes were unraveled and in their color-coded positions. That unlocked the door. The next one was the same, but with five ropes. Ironically, it was Knightstar who would have no problem with these puzzles. Natora might be a close second, but she also could be lazy and not want to put that much effort into the task since it did not serve her grander goals. Bladescape also would struggle to focus on something so trivial. Both of them were out hunting materials for enhancements.

Doombunny finally got it and was allowed to continue. The next puzzle was six ropes. The colored ropes made the puzzle feasible. She was slowly getting the hang of undoing the tangled mess.

She finally reached door twenty and its eight ropes, becoming truly aggravated as this one lacked the color coding. She would have to take notes to keep track of everything. It took her more time to solve than she wanted to spend on a single puzzle task. She would not get to a second quest today.

The last door opened to a vault. It was not much bigger than a walk-in shower. There was only one item on the lone pedestal. She approached it and found the charm sitting on top with a piece of paper underneath. It was three triquetras, connected at the corners by passing a loop through the two flanking it. When she picked them up, she realized they were actually trefoils. They had a three-dimensional aspect to them besides how they intertwined and were soldered together to make them one charm that did not move. The rest of the golden ropes making up each knot did not touch themselves. The design was interesting, a play on knot theory. It was impossible to unravel the knot without cutting it, an intriguing thought exercise.

The charms themselves were impressive. The charm boosted attack by a hundred and fifty points. Being a passive base stat, there was no way to improve it except for leveling up. The stat helped magnify the damage dealt, with the bulk of the factor coming from the weapon itself, as it also had an attack stat. That one could be modified through enhancements.

Doombunny read the next riddle. It was on the paper. She would have to find a garden that was dead and overgrown. It appeared that she needed to restore it. Hopefully it was simple. The reward was the Radial Orchid.

Doombunny got a guild-wide message from Bladescape, as she was not in a true dungeon, merely a cave. The material hunting team had come up short, a bit of bad luck for the RNG of the drops, so they were working late. The message dictated that dinner was on the individual. Doombunny teleported to Algade, where she could more easily find Argo. If Argo could figure it out and point her in the right direction, that would save her a lot of time.

Argo was in a cafe, waiting to be needed. It was the perfect moment to get help. When Doombunny showed Argo the riddle, it did not take long for her to identify the location. It was in Selmburg, which was Floor Sixty-One. It looked like she would get a second quest done today, just like she originally wanted to.

Amidst the peaks of a watery land,
A garden lies waiting for a helping hand.

Once a thriving paradise of flora rare,
Now a barren wasteland in need of care.

Weeds and thorns now rule the day,
Choking the life of plants that once did sway.

But a hope remains for those who seek,
To bring back the garden from its bleak.

With tender love and careful toil,
The garden may again shine with royal soil.

Doombunny was sweeping up the courtyard of an old woman’s villa on Floor Sixty-One, Selmburg. The owner could no longer maintain it, but she was not the one who had planted everything. That was done by her great, great, great grandmother. Since then, it had fallen into disrepair.

Most of the projects to fix things were easy to do without a Skill. Pulling weeds and trimming the garden plants was also an easy task. Easy, but huge. The size of the garden was staggering and things had been unattended for far too long. At least it was a good respite and easy compared to what she had just done.

That was her current task in the charm bracelet quest; to restore the garden and find the woman's bracelet which had been lost the last time she had tried. Doombunny had found the lost bracelet almost immediately. Reveal made that easy. It was under a mountain of dirt inside a large, square, porcelain pot. The bracelet was all the way at the bottom. Doombunny had to remove the old bonsai tree first and carefully set it aside. Once she had retrieved it and given it to the woman, she went about fixing up the place and bringing new life back into the garden.

Malus and Diemond would be a lot better at it than Doombunny, but only she could help the woman. It was easy enough, she just didn't have the practical know-how for certain things, which Malus would instinctively know, or the decorative eye Diemond would have.

Trimming the plants was simplistic. The shears and plants knew what their best state was. The clippers restored the plants with a snip. Now she was cleaning up after all of the weeds and clippings which had fallen on the paved courtyard, not disappearing into polygons. Everything was put into the compost bin, officially using that object once again.

Doombunny finished and surveyed the garden. It was stunning. The best, most beautiful and rare plants in Aincrad had been collected and planted inside. Roses had been cultivated until they had become their own species of rose. Old bonsai trees were once again looking exactly like they needed to look, their organic shape displaying their uniqueness. Orchids, bluebonnets, lilies, and other rare flowers were now in full bloom; thanks to Doombunny giving them a reason to blossom.

"This place looks like I remember it!" The old woman exclaimed as she came out of her house, into the courtyard garden. "I remember it this way in my youth. Of course, the bonsai trees have grown quite a bit since then, but this is marvelous work."

"Thank you," Doombunny said, bowing politely to the older woman. "It was my pleasure to help you set this gorgeous place right."

"I have something extra special for you," she said. She pulled out a tiny chest and opened the lid. Inside was a golden flower. It reminded Doombunny of a Lady's Slipper Orchid, but there were some distinct qualities to it. "This is the Radial Orchid," she explained. "It was very rare. The last blossom known to the world was plucked and dipped in gold to preserve it. This is that flower. May it brighten your day with its beauty."

"Thank you," Doombunny said, accepting the gift. She checked out its properties, which boosted search by fifteen percent.

Where earth and stone hold secrets deep,
Whispers of ages, voices long past,
A warrior's slumber, an eternal sleep.
Riddles they offer, trials that must last.
His legend etched in swiftness and light,
Each answer wrong, now a specter form,
A path descending, hidden from sight.
A ghostly challenge, a gathering storm.

Mark well the ground, where shadows extend,
Knowledge your weapon, wisdom your guide,
A trail concealed, where footsteps may bend.
Their questions like riddles, twisting inside.
Seek where time falters, its pace swift and slight,
Mislead by doubt, by echoes astray,
There lies the tomb, bathed in fading light.
Or triumph with truth, and find your way.

The swiftness of thought, a fleeting refrain,
Should failure ensnare, and spirits ignite,
Unravel the path, where legends remain.
Stand firm with resolve, bathed in reason's light.
His resting place now awaits, for those who last,
The guardians shall judge, their verdict unfold,
A testament found, from a glorious past.
And only the worthy shall pass through the hold.

Doombunny had a gauntlet of riddles. It was the second one she had to face. Answering the ones to get her the charm bracelet was tedious, but there were only six, as it had other puzzles she had to solve. For this task, she had no idea how many there would be. They would be given by guardian ghosts and failing an answer would trigger a fight. They would be lower level, but likely could not be poisoned. Failing too many would seal the chamber holding the Golden Compass.

The two-part riddle to find the burial catacomb for the resting place of the The Flash Knight, Magnus had taken a long time to solve. For the longest time, Doombunny did not realize it was two separate riddles merged. Many poems and riddles followed the rhyming scheme of ABAB, alternating their rhymes. In her case, it was not about style, just two separate riddles written as one. One to guide her to the location, the other to tell her what she would face.

There was a door in the catacomb, blocking her progression. It was locked. The lock looked like a skeleton key, but the stone frame beside it had an indent. She had seen it before. It was the shape of the charm bracelet. She pulled it out and pushed it to the slot. She heard it click and Doombunny pushed open the door.

She was not prepared for what she saw, not that she had any clue how it would look. Flanking the long hallway were alcoves. The end of the alcoves held torches which provided light. There was a bit of a curve to the left, blocking the end from view and making it impossible to tell how many riddles she would have to solve. The alcoves on the left were standard catacomb shelves, filled with boxes holding the bones of the dead. Mirrored on the right were similar alcoves, except each one had a statue depicting the person buried there, with a sarcophagus behind the statue. At least she would not have to bounce back and forth to each side. Knowing how many would be nice, but it was part of the challenge.

Doombunny approached the first statue. The ghost materialized before her. The garments were unlike anything Doombunny had ever seen, but the ghost was personalized, just a translucent being. It matched the statue.

It spoke the first riddle, the hollow words echoed off the stone walls. “Echoes from the shadow realm, whispers of things yet to come. Thought’s strange sister dwells in the night, is swept away by dawning light. Of what do I speak?”

A menu popped up in front of her. It held four answers. This would be easier since she had a selection. Doombunny had been concerned about her ability to endure the mental trial of an undisclosed number of riddles where everything was a possible answer. This lightened the intellectual load.
● Love
● The Moon
● Dreams
● Indigestion
This riddle was a good warmup. “A dream,” Doombunny answered.

The ghost nodded to her and disappeared. Doombunny went down to the next one. It also was quite personal and different. This one was a knight or warrior of some kind.

“I am born in the heart's deepest fire,
A flicker against the vastness of night.
I challenge the tyrant, the doubt, and the liar,
My strength found in what I know is right. Of what do I speak?”
● A dream
● Justice
● Hope
● Courage
That one was “courage.” She moved on to the next statue.

“The smallest lark could carry it, while a strong man might not. Of what do I speak?”
● A Plague
● A tune
● Wind
● A coconut
The last option was rather funny, as a lark could not carry a coconut. The answer was “A tune.” She kept going.

"The youngest son in dying breath, His life, a path of pain and fear. The gift he seeks, in mother's death, Is naught but sorrow, naught but tears. Of what do I speak?”
● A dog's loyalty
● Love of family
● The gift of magic
● A thirst for revenge
This one was harder. Doombunny had to think through it and ask for it to be repeated. She finally answered “a thirst for revenge” and was right.

“I am the song that lingers in the air,
A tale of valor, a whispered prayer.
From ashes of conflict, my spirit takes flight,
A symbol enduring in the dawning light. Of what do I speak?”
● Legend
● Resilience
● Memory
● Peace
● A phoenix
“Legend,” Doombunny answered.

The spirit shook its head. “Resilience is the answer.”

There was no warning. The specter in front of her suddenly had a sword in its hand and thrust it at her. Doombunny could not move out of the way and was impaled in the shoulder. She stood there with the ghost blade in her, shocked at the sudden pain and over failing. Colorra tried to snake up its arm, but just fell through the incorporeal monster.

Doombunny felt her anger flare up as the blade was retracted. She was doing this for Knightstar. She could endure this. The greater pain was not having Knightstar with them. Doombunny was still with her friends and so should Knightstar. She would get her back, show her the truth and light the path for her. Right now that meant killing the guardian ghost.

She drew her slashing knife from the small of her back and jumped clear of the ghost. She popped off her buckler, just in time to redirect the sword. She struck with all she had. At least her knife could cut it. Colorra just stayed out the way as Doombunny shredded the ghost.

It was not a long or hard fight. She was on the fifth floor, having entered from the catacombs of Karluin. Even though the quest was started in Myujen on Floor Forty-Nine, she was far above the earliest starting level. The greatest issue was possibly locking herself out by failing too many of the riddles.

Doombunny headed to the next one. Colorra decided to stay on the ground. It was better, in case Doombunny failed another one. She would not be caught unaware again.

The next ghost was ready, with no hint of knowing about the fight. "Her hunger sated, vengeance near, the maiden bathed in dragon's blood. Despite her strength, despite her fear, her greatest foe in her heart still holds dear. Of what do I speak?"
● Love
● Duty
● Betrayal
● Temptation
Doombunny guessed “betrayal", as it required trust and hurt the heart most when it was someone close. She was wrong. It was “love.” She avoided the spear and proceeded to destroy the mean ghost.

“I’d neither a guest nor a trespasser be; in this place I belong, that belongs also to me. Of what do I speak?”
● Aincrad
● Home
● The Town of Beginnings
● Death
That one was easy. The answer was a “home.” Her mood improved for getting one right. She relaxed as she walked to the next statue.

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. The debt of blood must be paid in full. Of what do I speak?”
● Murder
● War
● Vengeance
● Love
She figured out the answer, “vengeance,” and proceeded onward.

"Born to toil, his freedom lies, Beyond the field where he lies. In honored halls a warrior dies, And thus the legend has begun. Of what do I speak?"
● A thirst for glory
● Faith without measure
● Sacrifice
● The need for riches
She almost got it wrong, but realized that it was “Sacrifice.”

“I am the spark that ignites a grand flame,
The act of defiance that alters the game.
Though small I may seem, my power remains,
To topple the mighty, to shatter their chains. Of what do I speak?”
● Rebellion
● Change
● A choice
● A voice
● An idea
Doombunny knew this one from her own life in Aincrad. It was “a choice.” Just like she had chosen at the start to stay with her friends; to fight with them, to become the best damage dealer she could be, and to ask Colorra for her venom rather than take it.

The next specter was ready. “A poison of the soul, passion’s cruel counterpart; from love she grows till love lies slain. Of what do I speak?”
● Religion
● Jealousy
● Children
● Women
The answer was Jealousy. That one was easy.

“My voice may falter, my steps unsure,
Yet onward I press, seeking the cure.
Each stumble a lesson, each fall a new start,
The map of my journey etched upon my heart. Of what do I speak?”
● Determination
● Adventure
● Wisdom
● Direction
● Change
None of them seemed to fit. Determination was not correct, as its steps would not be unsure. Wisdom was too wise for this riddle. Adventure usually did not come with stumbled lessons. It was a tossup between change and direction. She finally gave up and guessed “change.”

She was wrong and paid for it, but she made the ghost pay for its stupid riddle. It was not a good one.

“In quiet moments, my strength finds its source,
From whispered wisdom, an unwavering course.
I weigh my choices, my actions held dear,
For the path I must walk, the future draws near. Of what do I speak?”
● Self-reflection
● Purpose
● Fate
● Time
● Guidance
This was another one Doombunny understood from her own time in Aincrad. It was “purpose.” She had to find hers, so did Konpeito, and possibly some of the others. Bladescape knew hers, their leader, as did Diemond, although Diemond also found a purpose beyond designing, being one of their strongest shields.

“The bones of the world stretch towards the sky’s embrace. Veiled in white, like a bride greeting her groom. Of what do I speak?’
● Stars
● The mountains
● Clouds
● Sheep
Only two were on ground and it obviously was not “sheep.” “The mountains” made sense, especially in the winter when they would be covered in snow. Doombunny was correct. She smiled as she headed to the next guardian.

“I am the hand that reaches out in need,
The promise whispered, the unspoken deed.
Where others waver, I stand firm and true,
My word a bond, my actions ever blue. Of what do I speak?”
● A friend
● Kindness
● Loyalty
● Honor
● Truth
They rhymed, but it was interesting that the riddle used blue. It was mere coincidence that Dash/Thunderborne’s primary color was blue. Her element was loyalty, which was also the answer. Doombunny moved on.

“She wields the broken sword, and separates true kings from tyrants. Of what do I speak?”
● Weakness
● Queens
● Time
● Mercy
This was a beautiful expression of Mercy, as Lady Justice was pictured holding a scale and a sword. Lady Mercy would have to hold a broken sword. Without a sword, Lady Mercy could not deliver punishment deserved, justice, yet the broken sword, while still a symbol of justice, was broken because of the choice not to give what punishment was deserved; the definition of mercy.

"Forged in the fire, with heat and with might,
My edge gleams brightly, a flash in the night.
In hands of the valiant, justice prevails,
I sever the darkness, where evil assails. Of what do I speak?"
● Sword
● Honor
● A warrior
● Strength
This one needed no deliberation. It was “Sword.” Doombunny passed on to the next.

“No man has seen it but all men know it. Lighter than air, sharper than any sword. Comes from nothing, but will fell the strongest armies. Of what do I speak?”
● Lightning
● Fire
● Women
● Hunger
This riddle was another of pure poetry in its description. “Hunger” was the answer. Doombunny was allowed to continue.

“I have a tongue but cannot taste,
A sole but leave no trace.
I speak all languages, yet utter no sound,
And my home within bindings and covers is found. Of what do I speak?”
● A book
● A thought
● The wind
● A shadow
● An echo
Considering she was doing this to get Knightstar back, it was a very appropriate riddle. “A book” was the only choice that made sense. Even without options, it was clearly “a book.”

“I dance and shimmer, a flicker of light,
Born from the darkness, defying the night.
A child of the hearth, both gentle and wild,
My warmth brings comfort, my spirit beguiled. Of what do I speak?”
● A star
● A smile
● Hope
● Fire
● Love
This was another easy one. “Fire” was the obvious answer without a selection.

“With keys but no locks, and space but no room,
You can enter, but never walk into its gloom.
I hold worlds of knowledge and stories of old,
My power unfolds as the pages are told. Of what do I speak?”
● The mind
● A dream
● A map
● A song
● A library
Doombunny thought they would be harder, but it was another easy one. “A song,” Doombunny said to the ghost, some warrior who was already holding an axe. The axe was swiped up, burying itself in her chest.

“Wrong!” The guardian ghost exclaimed as he pulled his axe free. “The mind is the right answer.”

“Son of a…” Doombunny growled as she stepped back, drawing her slashing knife and grabbing her buckler. “You’ll pay for such a cheap trick. I don’t even understand that one.”

The guardian ghost flipped its axe to point at her as it shifted its shield in front of it. “The mind holds the keys to a person’s thoughts, memories, and ideas, which can unlock the imagination, and understanding.”

Doombunny let him come at her. She pushed the axe out of the way and dove to her left, getting in a good slash, taking down a quarter of its health. It was the only good one. He did not fall for the same trick, adjusting how he attacked with his axe, making redirections impossible. His shield was a large Viking style round shield. It covered him very well.

Unable to break the long stalemate, Doombunny was out of ideas. Her weakest match up was a shield user with a larger shield and a mace, hammer, or axe. Her agility was not high enough to get around his shield. Doombunny dodged back and put her buckler back on its hook. Her left hand grabbed a kunai. He never saw it coming and it hit him square in the forehead, staying there. His eyes crossed as they tried to see what was in his skull. Doombunny did not miss that opportunity. Her knife sliced him across the neck and then was thrust down, over his shield into his heart.

Doombunny physically spat now that it was over. She still felt like she should have blood in her mouth from his initial strike to her chest. She grabbed her buckler and began the long walk back to the next statue. She had unintentionally dodged back the way she came and transversed more than she realized.

The next guardian specter did not notice her armed state or comment on the fight. It launched into the riddle. “My form may shift, my colors may change,
From soaring mountain to whispering range.
I carve the landscape, and shape the shore,
My strength unrelenting, forevermore. Of what do I speak?”
● Water
● Wind
● Time
● An artist
● A sculptor
Shore eliminated “wind.” It was obviously not “an artist” or “a sculptor.” That left “water” and “time.” Doombunny looked at the ghost. She appeared to be a priest of some kind. Her cowl had golden radiations as if it was a sun. The robes, though translucent, appeared to be orange or red, possibly both.

“What is your name?” Doombunny asked.

“I am the Revered Mother Perpetua,” the spirit answered. “Why, child?”

Revered Mother was clearly a title, so Doombunny decided to use it. “Because, Revered Mother, two of the answers make sense. Water shapes the shore, rivers carve out canyons, and even rain and snow shape the tallest peaks. The color depends on what the water is carrying with it. Water can be liquid, snow crystals, or ice.”

She gently interrupted Doombunny, “and yet it requires one thing to do all of those.”

That was the hint Doombunny needed. “Then the answer is ‘time,’ Revered Mother.”

“Well done, child,” she said with a smile. “Your test is nearly complete. Good luck finishing it. Now, go in peace.”

That was a very pleasant exchange. Doombunny really did not have time to talk with each of the ghosts, but there probably was a lot of lore she was missing. Possibly even clues they would give.

"I bear the mark, I serve my time, but in the end, I am not freed. My life was his, his gift my crime. Is this the justice I receive? Of what do I speak?"
● Mercy
● Servitude
● Loss
● Hatred
None of the answers made sense. Mercy would likely not be another answer and it did not fit. Loss would not have a service or time, nor would it have to do with justice. The same for hatred. Doombunny racked her brain, trying to figure out how servitude worked. The process of elimination left it as the only one, but being unsure in the answer would not look good. Especially with how the ghost was eying her. He was getting ready to strike.

Interestingly, it had no weapons. On each wrist was an iron shackle with a longer segment of chains, broken off from their anchor. He was going to use them like whips to attack her.

The chains did trigger a memory from history class. Over various time periods and cultures, many servants were working off debt, be it for a crime where they owed money, or other reason. That form of servitude fit.

“The answer is servitude,” Doombunny confidently stated.

“Yes,” he said, nodding to her before disappearing back into the statue.

Doombunny could see the door. There were only seven more riddles. She went on to the next.

“Though I may tremble, I will not yield,
My resolve a fortress, my spirit a shield.
In the face of darkness, my light will remain,
A beacon of strength through tempest and pain. Of what do I speak?”
● Perseverance
● A soldier
● Love
● Bravery
● Faith

“Oh my,” Doombunny said out loud to herself. This one was tough. It was not “Love.” “Faith did not make sense either. “A soldier” was close, but too specific. This riddle was looking for an abstract answer. It was either “Perseverance” or “Bravery” and both were good fits.

The old ghost warrior let her think. He was not going to pressure her. It took time, as both were often intertwined together. Applejack/Malus was a perfect example of how both were. While “strength” was usually the word they associated with her, she was brave in every fight, especially the boss fights, and persevered no matter how difficult they got. Day in and day out, she displayed that perseverance as well as her bravery.

Upon hearing it a second time, Doombunny figured out the answer. The riddle referred to the ‘face of darkness’ and standing up to it, which was a brave act, not a persevering act. Doombunny gave her answer and he disappeared, letting her proceed.

“I lead the charge, a voice amidst the roar,
Guiding my forces on battlefields of yore.
My strategies born from wisdom and might,
A beacon of strength in the darkest of night. Of what do I speak?”
● A commander
● Courage
● Victory
● A king
“Courage” was a good answer, but it lacked ‘strategies’. “King” was a solid choice, but not all kings led the charge. Even if they did, many grew too old for combat, yet served for years still. But “a commander” was always at the head of a charge, even if they were not the senior most officer.

It was the correct answer and Doombunny stepped over to the next statue with five to go. That was exciting now that she could see the door. She was still ready for a fight, but it was almost over.

In her glee, she almost missed what the ghost said. “With untamed fury, I rage and I sweep,
My power awakens, as the world lies asleep.
Chaos and ruin, a force in my wake,
Nature's wild wrath, the earth it will shake. Of what do I speak?”
● Earthquake
● Destruction
● Hurricane
● Change
“Earthquakes” certainly shook the ground, but they did not rage or sweep. “Destruction” and “change” were not forces of nature. The only answer was a “hurricane.”

“Unbending, unyielding, my form stands so bold,
Against blades and arrows, my strength will uphold.
A bastion of safety, where refuge is found,
My purpose is noble, with honor I'm bound. Of what do I speak?”
● A fortress
● Loyalty
● Perseverance
● A Shield
“Fortress” was close, but a soldier who died was sometimes honorably carried back home on their “shield.” “A shield” was noble, as it was an active force which could be used to protect people, but “a fortress” was more neutral as it sat still. Doombunny was right and moved on with just three to go.

“I have no wings, yet I soar through the sky,
A vessel of dreams where spirits may lie.
Weightless I drift, where the currents may lead,
A silent observer, a whimsical deed. Of what do I speak?”
● A wish
● A cloud
● A memory
● A kite
● Inspiration
This riddle was a fun one. It was obviously “a cloud” and she was right. Doombunny skipped to the next one.

“I am a shield against the storm's harsh blow,
A sword that gleams, a flame that will not grow low.
In unity I find my greatest might,
Defending the fallen, championing the right. Of what do I speak?”
● Brotherhood
● Strength
● An army
● Justice
● Revolution
“An army” had swords, but did not fit the flame or “championing the right.” Justice was not a shield against a “storm’s harsh blow.” Neither was revolution. Strength was too neutral, not necessarily being in the right or “defending the fallen.” “Brotherhood” kept people together through all of that and often meant they would fight for each other, especially if one of them fell.

Her deduction was correct and Doombunny danced over the final statue.

“Cold and unyielding, a heart forged in flame,
With strength unrelenting, I conquer and claim.
My will is as solid, as mountains so high,
In battle or hardship, on me you'll rely. Of what do I speak?”
● A leader
● Discipline
● Iron
● Endurance
Leaders came and went, not necessarily always the same one being relied upon, eliminating that option. “Endurance” did not make sense with “conquer and claim.” “Discipline” was a good option for it all, but it had to be built. If someone did not build it, they could not rely on it. That left “iron,” which did have to be melted and purified from iron ore in a flame. It was strong and it could be used to conquer and claim, as well as for equipment in battle.

Doombunny looked at the last guardian ghost. “The answer to your riddle is iron.”

“Correct,” he said. He nodded to her. “The door is unlocked. May it serve you well.”

Doombunny hummed as she pranced in her joy to the door. A lot more time had passed than she realized. She pushed the door open and found herself in a gorgeous crypt. Many things were laid out on stone tables. The sarcophagus in the center was beautifully carved. But none of that mattered. What mattered was on the shield carved into the sarcophagus. Sitting there was a tiny compass, a trinket in many regards, but lore wise it had guided The Flash Knight, Magnus, on all of his adventures.

She plucked it off the shield, along with the piece of paper it sat on. She had to unfold it and the text was quite faded, but it was the next riddle. She opened the menu on the tiny compass. It gave 150 points to the accuracy of any equipped weapon. It was a staggeringly high boost.

Radial Charm Bracelet:

Painite Blossom (Applejack) — +150 Strength
Col Standard (Rarity) — +15% col dropped by monsters
Iron Opal (Pinkie Pie) — +15% Carry Weight
Tuft of a Rainbow Cloud (Rainbow) — +20% boost to speed
Vial Of Life (Mage Meadowbrook) — +150 Constitution
Fragment of the Palace (Star Swirl) — 20% reduction in skill delay
The Ribbon of Seven Thousand Threads (Somnambula) — +150 Agility
Triadic Trefoil (Rockhoof) — + 150 Attack
Radial Orchid (Mistmane) — +15% Search
Golden Compass (Flash Magnus) — +150 to equipped weapon’s accuracy

Episode 86 — King Black Dragon

Episode 86 — King Black Dragon
Twelfth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 12) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor — 52 — Front Line Floor 62

Bladescape and Doombunny were sitting in a charred tree on Floor 52. They were relaxing and enjoying some yellow frosted cupcakes with pink sprinkles after training Doombunny's Main-gauche Skill for several hours. It was a well deserved rest after all of the running they had done. 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. They were dressed in black, the perfect camouflage for the ashen 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 try and 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 girls 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 bandana tied around her forehead which made her look fierce. Bladescape held up the picnic basket to Kirito.

"Cupcake?" She offered. "Konpeito baked them fresh this morning. I know you like her baked confections."

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 great. 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," Bladescape explained. "She speed kills the wolves, leveling up really fast. She did it solo for a bit, but it’s better, well safer, when I’m with her. It's the best way to work on her Main-gauche 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. The crabs, like most XP farming spots, are dangerous to a dagger exclusive fighter. Anyway, we take breaks in the trees, and if a group of wolves are all below us, Colorra drops out of the tree and destroys them. After all, she is an arboreal snake.

"However, that doesn't explain you. The assistance was appreciated, especially your quick reaction to make sure we were safe, without knowing who we were. The Wilderness is one of the most dangerous places to be alone. Doombunny at least had Colorra for backup when she did this alone. You clearly 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’m here doesn't matter. Just as long as you two are safe. That’s 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 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," Kirito said, annoyed he was having to defend his choice. "There's a big difference between them and a few dragons."

"Wrong!" Bladescape snipped. She had been ready for him to make that mistake. The fact that he didn't just walk away signaled that he remembered, despite his mood, the early floors and their heavy cooperation and friendship. "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 Natora with me. The swamp didn't allow for a full party, but here, 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’re 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 from 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 place. You’re 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 though Bladescape doesn’t 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 alone and 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’re not."

"We are too!" Bladescape shot back before she mentally took a tally of their healing supplies. They would have 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 as well. 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 would 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. 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 the dragon 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. Roaring their motto, she brought the dragon's attention to her as she charged him. He roared back 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 tiny 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 allowed him to 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 sword without breaking stride and chugged a health potion. Her Battle Regeneration Skill helped get her health back up into the Yellow. The dragon was distracted by Doombunny and Kirito. It staggered 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 leapt 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 breathe 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 breath 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 her entire body, she stood there, leaning against Harmonic Salvation to stay up. Bladescape's heart stopped as she 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, without her, her friends would soon see the same screen.

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 breath. 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 about the two of them. For being a powerful dragon, and flag mob, it was easy to draw the aggro. It wasn’t used to being picked on.

Doombunny roared and began to glow. Colorra came out of the ash and wrapped herself around Doombunny's torso, not mounting her shoulders. Doombunny leapt forward, low, with the 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 battle cry and then unleashing a long slash on the shoulder of the dragon. She twisted so the follow up 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 a quick moment to plan.

"Run!" Kirito ordered them. "I can handle him."

"Are you kidding!" Bladescape exclaimed. "We did all that to just run? I don't think so! It's down a third on the first HP Bar. You and I have fought side by side in many boss battles. You fought my clone! You brought us in to help you beat the fifth floor boss and maintain the balance between Kibaou and Lind! 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’re 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. I knew her, the ones spreading the lie didn't."

"Ask and it’s yours," Bladescape said. "As long as we can take this boss down together."

"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 was probably a random drop of decent quality.

"Kirito," Bladescape stammered as she saw him holding a blade in each hand like it was natural. He was well acquainted with what he was doing. "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 an 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 Flag Mob. Regular black dragons were supposedly Level 160. 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 King Black Dragon's information and stats were massive. Maxed search wouldn't unveil them, but her circlet did. The flag boss was Level 250, three times the level Bladescape was and it had way better health and defense stats than she did. The fire, obviously, could cook her in her armor. The jaws would be instant death. The claws would shred even her armor and probably eliminate the durability, permanently destroying it. There was no margin for error, and yet, Bladescape had no doubt they would beat it. The game had already given them its worst. All it could do was stack the levels of the greatest threats against them so they were not on equal footing.

Bladescape had no idea where Doombunny had gone, but she had been on the other side of Kirito as they charged. Bladescape swung 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 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 Sword Skill for his double blades 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 dedicated 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, repeatedly, to paralyze the dragon, but 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 was finally 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 two swords with a loud yell, "STARBURST STREAM!"

The sword skill 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 automatically canceling the skill; immediately putting him in a severe penalty delay.

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 elapid 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 whipping tail before it could reach the frozen 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. After fighting for a little bit over an hour, 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. A Dragon's Hoard 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 take a break and eat. 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's 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 big 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 to a fully gray bar, and then you leaped back to life."

They didn't speak anymore of the fight and 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. Main-Gauche is the closest, but as you know, it isn't 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. 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 Main-gauche skill. I didn't see it during the battle, but after she had triggered the teleport plaza, I heard Commander Heathcliff ask her directly about it. Specifically about her duel wielding blades. I know the answer she gave, but he didn't buy it."

"What do you mean?" Doombunny groaned from where she was cradled in between a split branch.

"You shot straight with him," Kirito prefaced. "But he had not heard of the skill or quest. Otherwise, it looks like a unique skill, and no one knows how to access that quest either."

"Well," Doombunny said, weighing something in her head. "I can’t help that, and no, I’m still not ready to reveal the quest. I have to build that guide, but it's more complicated than that."

Kirito sighed, shaking his head a bit. "I can't believe you fight with a dagger 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, propping 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. The wolves I hunt, it breaks my heart to use them for my own personal gain. I have to kill them, and others, to get stronger so I can get home to my other animal friends and take care of Angel Bunny. Sure the dragon today 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. Just like everything in this twisted game!"

"Angel Bunny?" Kirito asked. "Is that the name of your pet rabbit, IRL?"

"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 Angel, but I often add the bunny on there. I know he is confused and scared without me, but he is the inspiration for my name."

Kirito nodded his head in understanding. "Well, Doombunny, I didn't exactly see an animal lover out there, understandably, but I did see a brave beast tamer with a familiar who took advantage of critical moments with an impressive speed that is probably in the top ten for attack speed. Asuna is brave too, but she can fight too defensively. The same with Thunderborne. You only ever do offense. You have no choice but to charge in, afraid or not, and cut your opponent down before you are cut down. It's a courageous attitude and you have a lot of it."

"But I'm afraid of almost everything in here," Doombunny retorted.

"It's not the emotion, but the action," Kirito said. "Courage is doing what is necessary or right despite fear. But you said it's an extra skill from a quest?"

"Yes," Doombunny answered. "I know how I wiggled my way into the quest. It's specifically designed for fencers, to be paired with a rapier, but I believe that anyone of sufficient skill with a one handed weapon can prove they should be allowed to learn it. Rapiers are the easiest, then longswords without a shield, and then a dagger. The other one handed weapons will be much tougher. I haven't passed that information on to anyone yet, not even to Thunderborne. There has been some unintended drama inside our guild lately. I'm still trying to fix one error I made. I'll release the information when I'm ready. When I'm more confident in the advice and guidance I can give them. Thunderborne and Asuna are on my very short list to reveal it to."

"I can understand that choice," Kirito said. "I'm solo for a reason, to avoid such drama. I'm sure both Asuna and Thunderborne will appreciate the information when you are ready to give it out." Kirito looked at Bladescape. They had a much better view of each other than he had of Doombunny. "And you, you're 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 had left. It’s powerful, but basic. Also, the sword skill used was a different color than avalanche's."

"Uh, well," Bladescape stuttered. "I got a new skill slot after the necromancer raid. I was supposed to be looking for a blow off, relaxation type skill. I found nothing I wanted to do as a Skill. I needed to find my balance point. I did, in horse riding, which I needed for a set of quests I started the other day. That isn't a Skill, leaving me with an open one, and I found a new one I hadn't seen on my list or heard of before, Greatsword. It's not on any info broker 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 stated. "Maybe it's an extra skill, maybe not. Either way, for both of you, at the very least they are Extra Skills with difficult prerequisites to obtain and a lot of power respectively. Since I got Dual Wielding, I’ve been wondering and waiting for the next Unique Skill to be found, just like Commander Heathcliff is. I think you, Bladescape, might have it.

"But going public with a Unique Skill isn't wise. Players will get jealous. Things can get nasty, fast. 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 so special? What makes them unworthy of that Skill? It's 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. The rest of us, we’re members of the Assault team, Front line players, and the others work just as hard as we do, or almost as hard, 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."

Kirito was right. The other Two-Handed Sword users would hate Bladescape for having a Unique Skill. Even if it was an Extra Skill, she didn’t know how to pass it on and they would hate that. Jealousy was a good enough reason to kill. Her death might allow someone new to get it.

Ignoring all of that, Bladescape would feel bad. She had no control over having unlocked it, but that also didn’t mean she liked leaving others behind. It would be much better for her if it was an Extra Skill. Okay, if she was honest with herself, she did feel bad. Especially when she saw Dale, Suisei, or Koco. She did her best to push it off, but she still had no idea how to teach others.

"What is the point of Unique Skills?" Doombunny asked, annoyed at their existence. "I understand the hidden evolutions and Extra Skills, but those all have things any player can achieve. Any player can train a curved sword and unlock Katana. Both rapier and two-handed sword are skills that must be unlocked through one-handed sword. Any player can beat a quest to gain Martial Arts, Meditation, or Bard. Even Main-Gauche is obtainable, but a Unique Skill, for one person? That's mean."

"That's the very point," Bladescape explained. "Unique Skills are designed to balance out this death game and keep it going. It makes players want them, drives them forward, so that the 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 One Hundred, they are the best in that Skill. They will be, or should 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, Dual Wielding isn't something I want to tout around. I’m not like Heathcliff, but he is separated because of his role. No one bothers him over his Unique Skill. Besides, 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 will be the strongest player in Aincrad. I want to lead the charge into the Ruby Palace. I know I'll have to settle with entering beside Heathcliff, but I will be there at the front of the team."

"We will keep all of this under wraps," Bladescape assured him. "I've already been careful about when I train Greatsword, since I don’t know how to pass it on. I will be there right beside you and Heathcliff as we enter the Ruby Palace.

“I think Doombunny is safe from harassment. A lot of players already fear her because of Colorra. Plus, once you get past that front, she is a kind player with a good heart. A lot has been on her mind, but she will release the information sooner, rather than later, and even without her guidance, players can still hunt for the quest and complete it."

"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. 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! No, I didn't mean girl as in a 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. I remember the early days, 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 after a fall and pull you up to the next level. That's the only reason I'm on the front lines with a dagger. Sometimes, that’s 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 yet here you are, calming me. It was awesome to fight with you, both of you, once again. I'll keep my mind more open about friends, about people who can be trusted. You're 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 getting what he needed from my dead body. He miscalculated and they killed him. Still, I think of Coper with mixed emotions."

Bladescape choked on the water she was drinking as she heard the name. "Coper? As in a boy about fourteen, brown hair, average height. Light leather armor and a small shield with his starter sword? ‘Cause I battled 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. Actually, a really long time ago, shortly before the first boss fight. Well before she met Pina and I met Colorra. 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, we’re close 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, or farming items for upgrades, or leveling my mixing skill. That or I'm doing a quest for some specific crafting materials for a project. It's exhausting keeping those three fronts up."

"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. She had transitioned to a new system, one where her pick holder had six slots: two open, four covered, with the cover split between two flaps. The covered ones were laced with either poison or a paralyzer. Similar to Doombunny's sheaths being made to always apply the poison to the blade. Managing the system so that it was always ready wasn't too hard.

"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 feels like he dropped his hoard into my inventory."

"That’s 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 twelve hides, more than he needed. His gear was light and required less 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 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 needed for such a powerful skill. I have a recommendation for a good swordsmith. Now I certainly have enough Col for their very best. If the King Black Dragon was going to break my sword, at least it dropped a significant part of what I needed to cover commissioning a new sword."

"I'm done hunting," Doombunny added, 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 any 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: Level 85 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
DOOMBUNNY: Level 81 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche — Search
KIRITO: Level 87 — One-Handed Longsword — Search — Martial Arts — Hide — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Battle Healing — Extended Weight Carry — Dual Blades

Episode 87 — Life Lessons

Episode 87 — Life Lessons
Twelfth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 12) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor — 52 — Front Line Floor 62

Kirito, Bladescape, and Doombunny walked from the tree they had been resting in to the nearest town, Edgeville. 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 sweetly said.

"Why?" Bladescape asked. She had no idea what business Doombunny had there or why she seemed to be hesitant about divulging it.

"Colorra needs more food and I get hers from there," Doombunny said.

"Oh," Bladescape replied. She might live with the elapid and beast tamer, but she wasn't a part of that process. She had really no idea what that meant. It was an afterthought, but she probably should at least understand what it meant. "Can I come with you?"

"Sure," Doombunny shrugged. "It's no secret. Soryuto often went with me and then, at the start of the restrictions she did it for me, but it was hard to rely on just her and then it had become a secret. Now that I'm not breaking any rules, it isn't anymore."

"Could 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 buy it. I have to pay to have it caught."

"Caught?" Bladescape asked.

Doombunny just nodded and turned, heading to her destination 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 fruit tree along the streets. It was a low durability fruit that had to be caught or the ground would shatter it. Bladescape watched a man sitting under one, staring up at it, wishing one would fall so he could sell it for a measly price and buy enough food to barely satisfy his hunger and live another day of the same, pitiful existence. It would satisfy him more than the small fruit would. The Army claimed to distribute things evenly among the lower players, but it didn't seem like it could handle such a large task. Or have enough to go around.

Bladescape saw the destination once they entered the small square in front of a church. Despite the quiet air, it obviously had a lot more going on than just being a building. Doombunny confidently strolled 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's 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're used to seeing equipment and gear, although some don't like it, but you will be fine. Gin, Kain, and Mina do what they can in the field, along with some of the others when they are feeling up to it, but it's dangerous, as you know. Safety is the most important thing for us. They don't push the safety limit. It isn't worth it. They just get what we need and that's 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. The city had plenty of rats and mice to trap. A player just needs to know how."

"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's 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.

The boys 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 deal with them," Doombunny told them.

"And you are?" Gin asked, directing his attention to Bladescape. "Soryuto used to come, but I've not seen her in a while. You, we haven't met."

"I'm Bladescape," she answered. "And it’s Gin, right?"

"Uh-huh!" He said, nodding with mouth open wide in shock. "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 longsword and a greatsword.

"How heavy is it?" Gin asked.

"Try it," Bladescape grinned.

The kid couldn't be that much younger than her, Fourteen at most, probably twelve or thirteen, but he was looking and acting more like ten. Both of them were like that. Kirito was about fourteen There was a huge difference between these boys and others, Kirito being only one of many, a year or two their senior. A difference that was, back in Japan, minor. Gin had to be having a hard time in Aincrad, lost without his family and friends who normally would have taught him and helped to guide him through such a difficult time. It was a good thing Sasha had found him.

Gin struggled to pick Harmonic Salvation 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 breathe.

"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's told you not to get involved in their arguments. You're 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 not 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 hunting spots," Gin said as he pulled up his menu. "It takes all three of us an entire day to get enough Col and items to sell. We sell the hides and buy bread. It also covers the cost to rent the rooms at the church."

A basic iron sword popped out and he expertly caught the short blade in his right hand. With a quick flip the blade popped out of the sheath and he snagged it in his left 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. "And finding a left handed sword is a tough thing."

"Hey!" Gin exclaimed. "But thanks. 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 unwisely."

"Not bad," Bladescape said. "Solid life strategy too. It looks like you are learning well while in Aincrad."

Gin sighed. "Real school would be better, although I didn't always like school. 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're 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," Gin stumbled. "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 sort of 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 his level, but I also had some really lucky drops. 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 and cover rent, 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 as the kids' jaws dropped in astonishment. The amazed exclamations that followed took a few moments to subside before Doombunny could continue. "It attacked us first, giving us no option. We came here to pick up food for Colorra. I assume the others have been able to catch some."

"Oh yeah," Gin said with a grin, trying to be cool. "They've 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's about that time. We may not have much, but it's always enough."

"Sure," Doombunny said with a courteous bow. "We'd 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 my room. She can change in there."

"Yes, Miss Sasha," 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 three work for everything, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" Mina asked as they headed up the stairs.

"I mean, you three don't take handouts," Bladescape explained. “Gin said he saved for his sword.”

"No, we don’t," Mina said. She had no reservations about her answer. "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. School doesn't give you good marks just for showing up. The same for university and a job. She calls it work ethic. She's right. It may not be easy, but that's life. Or so I hear. SAO doesn't see us as the kids we are."

"You're not wrong," Bladescape said. "Life does require work. You don't get handouts easily and none you should just expect. Work ethic is important. " 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. "This is Miss Sasha's room."

Bladescape stepped inside and swung the door till it was open just a crack. There was barely enough room for the door to swing in between the frame and the bed. She pulled up her menu and made some mental notes. Mina was clueless, despite the questions Bladescape asked.

Bladescape changed with a few clicks into one of the dresses Diemond had given her. Her wardrobe back home was getting stuffed with dresses and outfits Diemond had given her. She always kept several on hand to change into, to allow her to match the formality of the setting. Finding them was typically easy, but the massive drop list from the King Black Dragon had changed that for now. At least Bladescape didn't need anything fancy or formal for tonight.

Mina showed Bladescape the way back to the dining hall. Sasha and Doombunny were off at a separate table in the corner. 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 twenty kids in the room, split about evenly between boys and girls. 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 and that had to add up quickly. Plus they mentioned renting rooms to sleep in the church.

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. Most under my care act between eight and eleven, but their trauma isn't a set regression, the age they display can vary and is based on averages. It's not scientific, but typical kids don't act a specific age all of the time. Anyway, thirteen is the youngest a player can be for Sword Art Online, without parental permission. That 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," Bladescape added. "She said you like to teach them work ethics."

"In the beginning, the Army helped some," 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, not owing them anything, but they are now causing trouble, even harassing some of the kids. But that isn't relevant. Mina was correct, I'm doing the best I can to teach them to learn the lessons they should be learning as they grow up; about personal responsibility, a good work ethic, and being proud of their good work. Plus what school I can teach, but most of them are beyond my elementary teaching ability. They do still have plenty of fun, as you can see."

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, I just mean that you really love these kids and you're doing everything you can to make sure they make it through each day and out of here alive, as ready to face the world as they can be. That is a huge gift they likely don't understand right now."

"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 side has 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. Other, older players are paid runners too, making competition tight, but we offer cheap services and take the simpler running requests the kids can handle.

"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 list 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 materials, 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. As I'm sure you know, Bunny and I, as well as several friends, are in Japan for a high school exchange program. We certainly understand the value of work ethic, but we also saw a lot of people during our support raising for the program offer us more than we could offer them, because they saw the value of the program and believed we would make very good use of it. It was their generosity about our hard work that ultimately got us to Japan.

"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 have proven they deserve the upgrades. I'd love to do for them what our big donors, as well as the smaller ones, did for us; be a donor who can help them go somewhere greater, because I see the need and that they will make good use of what I can provide."

"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 to them and all of the kids!"

"Colorra and I wouldn't miss it," Doombunny added.

"I guess we have a solid party for tomorrow," Bladescape smiled. "Five will be fun. Six with Colorra."

"We have enough spare rooms rented," 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. She had to restock from their guild storage, a simple enough task.

"Yeah, we're well supplied,” Bladescape added as she closed her menu. “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. I don't take that trust lightly."

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 Konpeito 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 to improve it. They were renting the rooms. It was cheap and stable housing, but it was another factor in the cost of Sasha's operation.

Everyone went to bed early because they were kids and Sasha had a lot to do in the morning. Bladescape did her best to turn her mind off as she 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. It took some time, but she eventually drifted off into her dreamless sleep.

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 them were fearful, even though they had seen her in regular clothes the day before, but most of them were in 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 Rainbow Dash level of confidence as she strode through the dining hall to where Doombunny and Sasha were. 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 have never really slept well in Aincrad. Still, I'm rested and sharp, that is what matters. It will be a fun day."

"You better eat quick," Sasha warned her. "Gin is raring 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 with a lot of energy and some extra sass. She shouldn't give you a problem."

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 invited them to the party and they accepted. Gin's, Mina's, and Kain's HP bars popped up in the corner of her vision, beneath Doombunny's. 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 dropped her search filters, letting her see player levels. All three of them were Level 22. That was not bad considering how long they had been in Aincrad and only hunting in the area outside the Town of Beginnings.

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. "This way will have better spawn points. Where you are pointing is too close to the exterior wall."

"The army hunts where you want to go," Gin stated. "We need to avoid them. They always run us off, so it's not worth it."

"They don't have exclusive 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 it 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, would 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. Sadly, the XP wasn't helpful anymore for the kids at their level.

The Ruby Krait 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 airdrop 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 hanging from a branch, 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 oak tree at the top of the hill would make for a good rally point throughout the day. It was also the tree that had been burned in her mind when Natsuki had shown them images from inside the game. Out of all of the floors, all that she had seen, it was still the most picturesque spot she knew. At least to Bladescape. There were better spots for a lot of reasons, but this spot was idealistic in nature.

"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's better left to 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'm sure they already have good tactics. I just want to help them improve what they already know."

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, just in case. I have plenty of healing supplies too, but I want you to ignore me and show me the best you have."

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 swung a basic cut at the boar as it turned on him. The creature charged and Gin blocked it 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. That was a major hurdle for many players, of all ages.

It was a tough fact of playing SAO. In here, you could be stronger, faster, better and more powerful than in real life. 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 the kids' 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 you do a lot of the blocking while hunting?"

"Uh-huh," 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 quick 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 Sewing. 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. They're both above sewing and more important for my daily job."

"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'll provide you with what you need to double your Sewing skill. If it works, you won't need your One-Handed Sword Skill, so we will still get you back on track with Sewing."

Mina nodded and pulled up her menu. She paused and took a deep breath before she switched out Sewing for One-Handed Spear. It pained her to do it. She obviously loved having Sewing as a Skill. She trusted Bunny, who trusted Bladescape.

Bladescape opened her own menu and pulled out a steel 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 understood the principal 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 Sales Negotiation. I do all the selling and most of the buying."

"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 risen high enough that it was no longer streaming through the gap 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 came 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. "These are 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. She wasn't a fan of them because of the rumors she'd heard about their behavior towards other green players, but this guy was pushing it too far with how aggressive and demanding he was being. Limiting information about a spot was one thing, but 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 own a spot. There are plenty of other places on this Floor where you can hunt. For now, we're here. Shove off."

"Listen here, Lady!"

"You have no idea who I am," Bladescape said, interrupting him.

It stalled him out. Before he 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, 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're 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 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 one-eighty 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 forty levels on him, minimum,” Bladescape replied. “But I see that many of the rumors are sadly true. They're pressing hard for their own gain. You would be wise to listen to Miss Sasha and avoid them as best as you can. Let me and her handle them for today.”

Several boars respawned, ending the discussion. Over the next several hours, Bladescape slowly gave them their upgrades, starting with weapons and shields, and then turning to their armor. 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. The kids were a little bit away.

"Doom," Bladescape said as she took a drink of water, keeping her voice low to not be overheard. "I have an idea, but it's a bit dangerous. Higher risk usually comes with greater reward." Doombunny nodded so she continued. "I want to jump floors and take them to a training area, like the sand crabs. 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 crabs. Just an hour could have them jumping levels. More levels, more HP. More HP, safer hunting."

Doombunny looked over at where Gin, Mina, and Kain were sitting in the grass and snacking. “How long would it take them to level up doing what they have been?”

“To get to twenty-three, fighting the boars, six months or so,” Bladescape answered. “They’re stalled out here, well under their safety margin even before the better equipment I gave them today. We were on Floor Ten by the time we were at where they're around right now, and they're still hunting boars.”

"Gin, Mina, Kain," Doombunny called out. "Please come here."

They scrambled up and ran over 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. Immediately or when you tell us to."

Doombunny pulled out three blue teleport crystals. "We are going to hop to a higher floor and go to a training location. 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 safely. We wouldn't ask otherwise."

"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, since we are in a party, you will gain XP from each kill Miss Bladescape makes. We can rapidly level you up in an hour, more than you can do here on your own in a few months, even at the best spawn points in your safety margin."

"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. "Daily you each work hard doing what you need to for Miss Sasha and the others. You do a great job, but the XP you get no longer reflects the importance of the job, or what you could be getting while still staying under your safety margin. You do what you must and stay safe, that is the important thing, but that means you have all passed beyond the point where the amount of XP you are getting is well below the effort you put in hunting. This will also make it safer for you to hunt, and allow you to hunt faster as well. It isn't weapon XP, but it is overall 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'll 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. Freeing everyone as soon as possible was more valuable and a greater gift than most players could grasp, even those on the front line, including Bladescape.

BLADESCAPE: Level 85 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 79 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
MALUS: Level 80 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend — Sprint
THUNDERBORNE: Level 79 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 79 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 80 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation — Rend
DOOMBUNNY: Level 81 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche — Search
KIEFER: Level 78 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 77 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 78 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

GIN: Level 22 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Search — Hide — Sales Negotiation
KAIN: Level 22 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Search — Hide — Purchase Negotiation
MINA: Level 22 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Search — Hide — One-Handed Spear

Episode 88 — Of Crabs and Commanders

Episode 88 — Of Crabs and Commanders
Thirteenth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 13) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor — 52 — Front Line Floor 62

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. Bladescape would solo them and give the kids a raw level boost. The goal was to get them all to level 30, an advance of eight levels, where they would each get another Skill Slot and be exponentially safer hunting in the fields every day. They were taking several safety measures, including each of the kids always carrying 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, 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 them."

"That’s 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 help trap the animals. They also help the other kids survive here."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Thinker said to the frightened kids. He bowed a tiny amount. "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'm 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. It's not easy running the largest guild. I'm trying to increase our hunting on the higher Floors, yet 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'm glad to hear you kids are doing ok, better than many adults. Reaching everyone like I want is hard."

Gin got bold. "Sir," He said, bowing respectfully. "We've been able to get by, but your soldiers force us to the side, where there are no good respawns. I know you need to hunt, but it's usually just the three of us who can. We can't even put together a full party of six like you can."

Thinker's sigh was soaked in 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're 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 an XP grinding spot 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's 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 since the start of the year. 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, signaling the hour.

"I have to go," Thinker said. "I'm 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.

As Thinker began to jog off to where he was supposed to be, Bladescape led the kids up to the teleport obelisk. Bladescape teleported first, followed by Gin, then Mina, 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 right," Gin declared. "So I can draw my sword if I need to."

"It is a pretty calm walk," Bladescape said. "But you're thinking ahead. You need to think ahead while hunting. Know the issues that may come up and how to react. That way, if it does, you will be able to react, while someone unprepared will likely freeze."

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 fifteen 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-brown, shaggy curls. It was the leader of the KoB Vanguards, Godfree.

"Hey!" Godfree called out in a warm greeting when he saw her. "Well if it isn't my favorite Wondercolt! 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 five."

"Got yah covered!" Godfree winked as he wrote her down. "The other Wondercolts party left here not too long ago."

"Thanks," Bladescape said. "I know one came here to train and the other was taking a whack at the boss Labyrinth. I see the Knights are out in force tonight. Running overnight, or just late?"

“That depends on if they can catch up or not,” Godfree shot back. “More than likely overnight. We’re a tad behind what was set as the goal.”

“You must be if all of you are here,” Bladescape said with a chuckle. “You usually have better guild locations worked out.”

“No spot is better than the sand crabs right now, even with the wait,” Godfree said with a shrug. “I can’t help it that you led us to your radically better spot. You ought to be smarter about who you tell.”

Bladescape broke down laughing. Godfree started laughing too.

“You win,” Bladescape conceded. “It’s been too long of a day. I can’t shoot something back with a straight face.”

That was a usual first exchange when they met at a training location. The name of the game was to make the other player laugh first, while only using phrases or speech that made sense. In other words, if someone else was listening in, don’t be the one to get caught making the joke.

Another familiar KoB member slid 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 of the Wondercolts," 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 casually, deflecting the topic. "But I've 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 am still 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. "Colorra likes live food, since she is a snake. Doombunny gets it from a small group of kids who are being cared for by a young 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 fourteen, yet they have regressed several years from the trauma. Most are not capable of fending for themselves, however, some, like the three with us, are able to hunt in the fields outside the town so they can buy the basics for them all to live and rent rooms. 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, which would work for them, stuff they casually earned while training earlier, 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's 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're 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 our top priority. We're 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 a marvel, always willing to help others," Commander Heathcliff stated. "Any time, any way, and not for your own glory or self promotion, but because the players need it. 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. The game had a minimum age for a reason, but parents could give permission to bypass it. Even though I didn't know about them, I thought the Army would be taking care of them."

"They have some new issues coming up," Bladescape stated, leaving that specific topic alone. "They were helping the kids early on, but I understand the guild is massive now and struggling to stay afloat under its own weight. I don't know the details of why, but I spoke to Thinker on the way here and he was hoping to reshuffle their hunting groups to make things better soon."

"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. Taking up the sword to care for others, yet knowing that it is impossible to level up if you sacrifice in such a manner. Godfree, put them in my party's place on the list. Let us get them into rotation faster so they can go home. You're 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 seams.

Bladescape bowed, intentionally going lower than normal and staying down longer than usual. It was to show her great respect for him and as a visual thanks. "Thank you, Commander," she said as she righted herself.

"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 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 were clearers. They 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 and this was unusual. Unusual always could be twisted into some excitement, even if it was short lived.

"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 Doombunny the Krait Tamer. This just made my day!"

"Nice to meet you," Bladescape said with 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 go. 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 to her at the moment. They were still diligently holding onto their blue teleport crystals.

They got to Godfree who instructed them which area they had been 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 their motto as she leaped forward. She brought Harmonic Salvation up, overhead, and activated Avalanche. 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 exploits the creatures had 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 Bladescape 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. 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. On the other hand, 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 three levels from your kills! Just sitting here, you got me two whole levels!"

Bladescape sighed, content, and checked her internal clock. "Good. That's 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 twenty-four 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 versed at killing the sand crabs to not take advantage of that opportunity.

When Bladescape finished the last crab in that respawn cycle 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 is my favorite ronin doing 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 quiet and odd with all the Knights of the Bloodoath here," Klein stated. "I guess they really are having to push to level up. Even Commander Heathcliff is present, and Lightning Flash Asuna too. A Knight is always tending the list, so they have a solid rotation going compared to the rest."

"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. The kids 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 Konpeito's cooking is, maybe we could go somewhere and 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 menu 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 hour meant several things had come to fruition. Gin was level 31, Kain was level 30, and Mina was level 30. Bladescape had also 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' levels, as they should be.

"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're now above thirty. They're 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're not ready to face, and I am okay with that. I know that someday I'll be ready, just not right now."

"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. "We have 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. You won't need to go hunting tomorrow either, so I’m not worried about you being too tired to hunt. I still want to get you out of the field to a safer spot."

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 a weird vibe."

"I felt that," Doombunny said. "Don't they usually level in dungeons and the less popular areas, so they can do field maneuvers?"

"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," Klein admitted. "This Floor Boss is going to have to wait a few more days. We haven't really entered the labyrinth yet. 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’s up with that?"

Bladescape chuckled. "Remember Floor Sixty, when we met there? I told you about horse riding and questing?” Klein nodded. “I needed something I could wield on horseback, but I only have one weapon skill, two-handed sword. Bajutsu is a light and short two-handed blade meant for use on horseback. Don't 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's 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 both the real world and SAO," Bladescape admitted. "That's why I could 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 allowed the kids to 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 platform.

He answered her question before she could ask it. "Cupcakes, Doll Face. You're going to your HQ. Your HQ has Konpeito, and it always has those delectable cupcakes she makes. We won't be in rotation for a few hours. I can make a side trip for them."

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's 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 colorful like the Wondercolts' headquarters.

They stepped inside to the warmth of the antechamber. Bladescape opened the interior doors to the headquarters proper for them all. Bladescape had no idea who was partied with who and what they were up to.

"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. Bladescape started to hear Diemond talking to herself as she worked. That was good because they needed access to her old stock to help Mina get further ahead with Sewing and regain what she had sacrificed.

The real party was Konpeito's laughter in the kitchen though. She was baking and wearing a very cute baker's dress that was borderline dangerously short. It was matched with pink leggings to balance the length out, and there were plenty of ruffles and frills to it. However, she was missing her usual layer of flour. Reisenki was laughing with her. His back to them as he sat on the island beside a busy Konpeito. Konpeito also had the kitchen cleaner than usual.

"Hey," Bladescape said, announcing their presence.

Reisenki 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 Konpeito being Konpeito.

"Nice to meet yah!" Konpeito exclaimed with a bounce. "I'm Konpeito, just like the candy. 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.

"Cupcakes?" Klein asked, butting in and getting straight to the reason he was in attendance.

"Got more in the oven," Konpeito smiled. "But if you give me a second I'll have the other half of this dozen frosted and sprinkled!"

Konpeito pointed the frosting bag on the other half of the cupcakes and, with a skill honed by real life experience, she had each frosted with a perfect 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, without threatening to go over the edge.

"They are fresh and hot," Konpeito 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," Konpeito said, a harsher tone than normal. 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. It may look weird, but it tastes right! 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 Konpeito had no way of knowing what their favorite foods were. 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, but had not set a date yet.

"Bunny caught me up," Diemond said. "As quick as one can in two minutes. I have what you need, but first, Konpeito 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 Reisenki to get him to crack as she narrowed her gaze at him. He broke quickly and explained the situation. "We're 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 labyrinth, 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 Malus. We took a written and secret vote and our ballots are in the box on the table. We haven't looked at them. Malus never said a word the entire time. Natora basically let Thunder lead it. Diemond was Thunder's opposition. Malus is waiting for you to discuss it. She really never said a word or reacted to anything the entire time, outside saying to wait for you. She's always a quieter member in meetings, but it got eerie, almost scary how quiet and blank she was. 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 Konpeito was in the middle of pulling out two more baked trays of cupcakes. Klein probably hadn't eaten in a while.

"We will get it sorted out," Bladescape said. "Bunny, if Natora and I decide a popular vote is even necessary, we’ll let you vote."

Kain just shook his head at the adult talk and grabbed the last cupcake. He had finished first so he got the reward. No doubt it would have been different if no more were being made.

"Klein, Reisenki, 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 Sewing skill of One-Thirty-Seven. 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. It was a big sacrifice to make this morning. 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 it 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 if we devoted our life to them we wouldn't be able to be on the front line."

"I have plenty of good bread I can pack for them," Konpeito 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 Reisenki 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 Reisenki 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?" Konpeito shrugged. "I haven't decided my answer. Sooooo, until I do, he has a shot."

Konpeito 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 plain bread and other stuff that wasn't as good. We should have at least thought about them."

"Brave, smart, and caring," Bladescape said with a warm smile. All of the Wondercolts, and Klein, were smiling at the kids. "Don't worry. We're bringing food for them. In the morning they will eat very well.

"Your spirit, your mindset, 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. Never expect a reward, but 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 have more than you guys know. Mina, I have a sword for you so that you will have an equally strong weapon if you switch back, even temporarily, from the spear.

"Now, while Konpeito packs the food, let's get you guys loaded up with Mina's Sewing materials."

"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, as she had only been friends with Sasha. 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's 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 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 received a +1 Strength ring, +1 Attack ring, and +50 Health necklace. Kain was given +1 Defense ring, +1 Strength ring, and +50 Health necklace. Mina was gifted a necklace of +50 Health Points and the earring pair was +2 Attack.

"I'M ALL PACKED!" Konpeito 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 the kids, appropriately, carry what they had earned. They were not going to rescue them with their significantly larger carry weight limits. It would build good, healthy pride in their abilities.

"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 in his goofy ways 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 quiet 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 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, concerned 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. The Wondercolts train there all the time. There also were a lot of high level and very skilled players around. If something went wrong, they would have jumped in and helped. Plus, Gin, Kain, and Mina promised to follow our every order. I stayed with them and Bladescape has soloed the Sand Crabs plenty of times. She was safe, the kids were safe, and everything was fine.

"What is most important is that they all are at least level Thirty. We replaced Mina's Sewing with One-handed Spear and now that she is Thirty, she has locked Sewing 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. She kept her voice down, but it obviously wasn't easy. "They gave me materials to fix that! I will be higher than I was in no time! Diemond had plenty of extra stuff 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, for the sake of their sleeping peers. "We had to go to our headquarters anyway. They had supper while we were there, so they are well fed, and we have donation food. Both high durability prepared food and fresh ingredients. You guys can cook fresh stuff for a day or two, and Gin, Kain, and Mina can take a break tomorrow before starting again, this time to stay ahead of your needs."

Sasha was distracted as she gave her thanks. "You leveled them up to Thirty?"

"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 lot 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 half a dozen cupcakes for them to snack on from her menu. 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 twenty-seven. 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 while 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… well, adult things, with others who have switched that safety function to 'off.' It's buried deep to protect the kids and players 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, it can't be enabled again, but I assume it was added to put even more realism in the game as we live in this new reality."

"I had heard rumors, but not that it went that far," Bladescape said 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 initially doubted she could flip the switch on her own, but it was a question to ponder. More of a question about who would make it worth the risk?

But then Kiefer and Soryuto 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. If they got married, however, 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 eighteen, kids, 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 spent most of the day working on helping them learn strategy, in their group and against what they hunt. I had to teach them to think about problems before they possibly happened, so they can properly respond. You're older, with more life experience. 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 if you don't know.

"But that brings up something I've been thinking about all day," Bladescape said, leaning forward and making sure she had Sasha's full attention. "It's very brave of you, asking to come with us to train. With Gin, Kain and Mina today, we were very careful to make sure they were never in any danger. On the other hand, the only time they would have been in any real danger even without us was when we took them to the sand crabs. They're still hunting the boars outside the Town of Beginnings, which is safe, but by the time the Wondercolts were where the three of them started at today in levels, we were fighting on Floor Ten, and were still comfortably inside our safety margin. You're doing a good job, teaching them the lessons of self-reliance and hard work, but what they aren't learning is how to take risks.

"I'm not saying that they need to push the edge and place themselves in the same kind of danger the assault team does," Bladescape pressed on, ignoring the harsh look she was getting from Doombunny and Sasha's skeptical frown. "But they need to start learning when and how to take acceptable risks. Life is full of uncertainties, and you miss one hundred percent of the opportunities you don't take because you couldn't see how they would turn out. I didn't push them to take risks today, because I could tell they weren't ready. I'm also probably not the best person to teach them that lesson because I can be a bit reckless myself, and I can't be with them every day to make sure they aren't getting in over their heads, but you can.

"Even getting Gin, Kain and Mina comfortable with hunting goblins around Tolbana instead of the boars around the Town of Beginnings would allow you to do a lot more for the children every day, but with the skills, equipment and levels they earned with us today they could even go up to Floor Ten and still be well outside of being in any real danger as long as they are comfortable with and remain vigilant of the risks, and with the profits from better hunting you could all afford ingredients for better food and more days off to do the things you enjoy."

"I understand what you're saying, but I'm not sure if it's the right thing to do." Sasha said after a moment. "I see it as my responsibility to make sure these children get out of here. Gin, Kain and Mina are certainly the bravest of them, but if anything were to happen to them..."

"I understand." Bladescape said, nodding with an understanding frown. "It's a lot to ask. All I'm asking right now is that you think about it. Now, let me just send a few quick messages out and we can start getting tomorrow organized."

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, WCS HQ." She sent it. The sand crabs were not a dungeon, so they could get messages while training there.

"I have a plan," Bladescape assured Sasha. "At the very least, Konpeito, Diemond, Reisenki, 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 at 6 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 four of them, they will handle the kids just fine. Konpeito babysits twins all the time. If she can handle those two, she can handle two dozen with three 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're already a shining example for the kids, but you're 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'm still uncertain about my side of the deal, but I am certain you can handle the kids fine. A day away, even working on my levels, well it won't be bad. It will be good for me, just strange."

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 usual.

BLADESCAPE: Level 86 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 79 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
MALUS: Level 80 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend — Sprint
THUNDERBORNE: Level 79 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 79 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 80 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation — Rend
DOOMBUNNY: Level 81 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche — Search
KIEFER: Level 78 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 77 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 78 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

GIN: Level 31 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Search — Hide — Sales Negotiation — ?
KAIN: Level 30 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Search — Hide — Purchase Negotiation — ?
MINA: Level 30 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Search — Hide — One-Handed Spear — Sewing

Episode 89 — Guild Business

Episode 89 — Guild Business
Thirteenth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 13) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor — 52 — Front Line Floor 62

Bladescape and Doombunny got back to the headquarters before the others were back from the Labyrinth. Reisenki, Diemond, and Konpeito were lounging around in the meeting hall, waiting for the meeting to start. There was a sealed box sitting in the center of the dais.

Bladescape took her seat at the dais and leaned back, pushing the chair onto the back two legs. She put her feet up on the table, ignoring the box. 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, Natora, Malus, Kiefer, and Soryuto 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 Natora.

"Fine," shrugged as she walked to her seat, still breathing a bit heavy. "Slow because so many parties are trying to level grind. 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 enough of that. 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 and clicked on the menu. "This is better than my current one!"

Thunderborne drew the sword. It was a blaze-orange blade; a sharp contrast to the black grip, guard, pommel, and sheath. The dish-hilt rapier’s guards were dragon wings with the handle and pommel being styled as a dragon tail.

"What is this?" Thunderborne asked. "I mean, I know it's a rapier and I know it says Dragon’s Brand, but where did you get this?"

"Complicated story kept short, two days ago Doom and I got interrupted early in our training,” Bladescape explained. “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 I knew it was good and you’d need it, although I thought of it as a solid backup during training days."

"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.

"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."

"We couldn't have done it without Doom," 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 likely dead.

"Since I'm leading her on a specialized training run, the kids need a caretaker. Doom, who the kids know as Bunny because the name ‘Doom’ upsets some of them, will be leading Diemond, Reisenki, and Konpeito in covering for Sasha. There are a lot of kids. Gin, Kain, and Mina, who we were training all day, will assist the four of you. We made this plan after the kids went to bed, so they don't 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. "Natora, Malus, Kiefer, Soryuto, and Thunderborne, you are to hit the Labyrinth to do what you can. I know it is slow. Play it safe and teleport out if you need to."

"Got it," Natora said with a nod. “Easy enough.”

"Good," Bladescape said. "I would rather you come back earlier and have a break than push it. Konpeito, 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. Malus was wringing her hands more and more as she listened.

"This is a whole guild operation," Malus stated, actually speaking up in a full guild meeting. "We all got our roles to play. Even if that means hittin' the Labyrinth, well we have to keep hammerin away at her. Y'all with me are ensurin' that the others can take care of the kids, their safety. The safety and survival of the younguns is top priority. I ain’t gotta clue if we’ll get an opportunity to help em again. It's certainly turned into a much bigger operation than originally planned, but honestly, it's a good one. A Wondercolt type operation which we’re known for! And with all the level grindin' that everyone is doin', this is the perfect moment 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 to bed!" Bladescape said. "Unless you absolutely have to do something for tomorrow's prep. The kids won't be easy to handle. I've seen them devour food and how Miss Sasha does it, well 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 Natora went upstairs to bed.

"Let's give them a moment and then debrief in your room," Natora quietly said to Bladescape. Bladescape nodded in reply.

After several minutes of silence, Bladescape stood up and put her chair in order. Natora did the same. Neither touched the box. They simply 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 alone and you have a big day tomorrow. I hope being short one player again won’t be a problem. If you need the sixth, we can shift Reisenki to you."

"We can handle it," Natora assured her. "We took it slow and got a good break in while in a safe zone. We didn't get far, but we made progress. What you're doing is more important, not just for the kids, but for our own morale. When I heard about it, all I could think about was what if any of my younger siblings were stuck? Sure, it would be quieter in the house, but emptier. If one was stuck, what would be best for them? And the answer is what we are doing as a guild.”

“Malus was certainly thinking about her sister,” Bladescape said. “She spouted off because she isn’t able to do anything and she knows her best role is the labyrinth as your shield, but she would love to help them.”

“And I need her,” Natora said with a sad nod. "As to the weight on my shoulders, I’m not in your shoes, leading everyone. I’m used to the pressure of sports games. I won't snap like Knightstar, that was a tough lesson we all learned, but I'm sure she will be back. I know Doom will succeed. We're going to need to schedule a break soon. Malus carried us in the labyrinth. It’s a tight squeeze in many of the passages. She needs a fishing break soon. And now with the kids…" Natora just finished with a shrug.

"We’ll get her one," Bladescape assured her with a nod. “Everyone will get a well deserved break. I know, It was a light day today for me in many ways, but I was constantly on guard to ensure their safety while also instructing them."

“It’s a mental strain,” Natora said. “Not a break either. Also, taking on the King Black Dragon with just Doom and Kirito had to expend you three.”

“We all almost died several times,” Bladescape said with a nod. “Closer than we’ve ever been, and I’ve been close a few times. Namely, Twenty-Five when I was nearly skewered in half. It was kind of dumb, but we couldn’t leave Kirito alone to fight it.”

“Speaking of dumb,” Natora said, rolling her eyes. “Last night Thunder basically forced us into a vote for a new councilor. She wanted the seat. Malus didn’t want anyone to fill Knightstar’s seat because it’s Knightstar’s. Diemond didn’t think Thunder was a good candidate. Hence the sealed box on the table. I know Malus voted for Knightstar, but everyone else had a secret vote. I couldn’t stop it since I was alone, yet nothing they did actually made the vote binding to the Council, so I kind of just let it play out and hoped voting would make everyone feel better for a bit.”

"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, if not longer. "I think both jobs were too much on her shoulders. We can't afford that. Twilight is our friend. We made a mistake in how we handled everything. When she comes back, she doesn’t need that extra stress."

"We can't afford to lose you either," Natora retorted. "Is horse riding going to be enough?"

"I love combat," Bladescape admitted. "But horse riding, it will be enough. I know where I can go to have fun with the woman who taught me to ride, Boots. We can have fun riding together. It will be good. It will sometimes include light combat. Also, on the days off, I did other stuff, including the quests, and it has me more grounded. I am solid again, probably more than I ever have been in Aincrad."

"Okay," Natora said, accepting it. She shifted back to the intended topic. “I think Malus is our better choice to fill the third seat.”

"She was my only choice," Bladescape said. "Thunder doesn’t have the clear headedness that Malus has, at least not in Aincrad. Thunder can make a decent frontline officer, but she wouldn't be very good at council duties and inter-guild diplomacy. Not to downplay her importance, but forcing a non-binding vote shows she doesn’t have the right mindset needed. At least for inter-guild affairs, I know Malus will be respectful and shoot straight, probably being too trusting and honest, but that isn’t as dangerous. Maybe we need to build a designation system to give members key roles. We have Guild Leader, Lieutenant, and we had a Statistician, but we should probably give out squad and guild roles."

"Like what exactly?" Natora asked. "Sell me on it.”

"We know our guild," Bladescape said with a grin. "Official titles: I am Leader, you are my Lieutenant and strategist. There is a key difference between strategy and stats."

"Of course," Natora agreed.

"Konpeito is our Chef, Diemond is our Armorer, Malus is our Principal Tank or Third Councilor, and Kiefer and Thunder are our Sergeants for when we have a third party. I like the idea of having a Party Leader who isn't on the Council. If we get tied up, they can still lead one of the parties. Unlike the KoB or DDA, we don't need a training officer who can make sure the lower level players can rank up and keep watch over leveling quotas. Today was a perfect example of the required flexibility. We had three parties, Thunder and Malus were with you, so Kiefer led the third group. We could use a few more designated guild positions. We are just large enough to justify it."

Natora playfully punched Bladescape in the shoulder. "Alright. I’m game. That'll bring new life into our roles, and when Twilight remembers who she is and who we really are to her, when she comes back, she'll 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're here for each other but that doesn't mean we can always pick up when others are having a hard time, or just how hard of a time they are having.

"We need to continue this talk, but with Malus, in private. She has helped run a farm, organized large events, and more. She hasn't played a death game, but she has plenty of logistical experience and a different view than either of us.”

"One last thing," Natora said, before they split. "The rapier wasn't all you got. You got something else."

Bladescape wordlessly nodded. Natora didn't leave so Bladescape gave a vague answer. "I have to figure out what it is, but I haven’t had the opportunity. I don't think it can be used. It's not a weapon or piece of equipment, that much I know."

Natora shrugged, not knowing what else to do. She flashed a smile with a wink 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. It was good to see her cutie mark. She hung up her armor for the few hours of rest that 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. 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, instead of putting them on, and tossed them onto the bed. She exited her menu.

Bladescape began to explore how her body felt in her hands. For over a year and a half, she had never actually tried to feel her virtual body. 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, yet, did she really "know the back of her hand?" Especially if that hand was really a hoof?

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 basic, white undergarments. Diemond would have a blast making lingerie, except 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 to 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. She had severed it at the neck, way more neck than this had. 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 with it being 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 very cognizant that she didn’t fall asleep in Aincrad like she did in the real world.

BLADESCAPE: Level 85 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 80 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 80 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend — Sprint
THUNDERBORNE: Level 80 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing — ??
KONPEITO: Level 80 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry — Rend
DIEMOND: Level 80 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation — Rend
DOOMBUNNY: Level 81 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche — Search
KIEFER: Level 79 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 77 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 79 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 90 — Training Sasha

Episode 90 — Training Sasha
Fourteenth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 14) in the Year of the Griffon
Front Line Floor 62

When Bladescape opened the doors at 5:50 to wait for Klein's arrival, 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 to you too, Klein," Bladescape said. "I hope you already had breakfast, because Konpeito 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 come with breakfast. What are we up to?"

"The kids we trained yesterday, their caretaker asked for help boosting her levels so she could better care for them,” Bladescape explained. “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, Reisenki, and Konpeito 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 ten parties going today and none of them are big hitters. You would be the only Assault Team guild going."

"Don't care," Malus said as she passed them at the head of the labyrinth party. "Besides, Thunder has a new rapier to try."

“We can handle it,” Natora said. “Unlike you.”

"We got this," Thunderborne said with her usual, cocky confidence as she walked backwards out the front door. "I'm awesome. And the new sword is awesome. It makes me twenty percent cooler!"

Once they had passed, Bladescape turned back to Klein. "They have strict orders to not push it. If they hit orange, they're teleporting out. I doubt they will be out past lunch."

"READY!" Konpeito 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!" Konpeito said, nodding her head with a big grin. "Papa Rock and I took on the evil Peep Witch and her marshmallow zombie army. It was delicious and fun. And we once again saved the rock candy harvest and all of the residents of Sugar Valley!"

"Are your dreams always like that?" Klein asked, a little disturbed.

"Um," Konpeito 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 grubby mitts on the rock candy harvest." Konpeito leaned in close to whisper into Klein's ear, except she 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 Sugar Valley. Its location was lost in the Bubblegum Forest."

"Come on, Konpeito," Diemond called, saving Klein and refocusing Konpeito 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'm certain you will be able to handle them. They're 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. Reisenki 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, Konpeito. And the boy not in armor, that is Reisenki, one of our tanks and cooks. The last is Klein of the Fuurinkazan guild. He is a good friend and was with us at the end of yesterday evening. He 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's very appreciated."

"Of course," Bladescape replied. "Round two is you, me, and Klein, but before we start that, why don't you introduce the others 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's a lot of love between both sides," Bladescape quietly replied.

"Yeah," Klein sighed. "I know you're 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 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. Both of them are probably within two years of these kids. A few others on the front 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 and we can't think about them when we're there. We're needed there, to help free them from this game because they can't do it. We do what we can do today and then we go back to focusing on clearing the game, 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.

Konpeito immediately went to assist 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 that he is exceptionally skilled with his sword and he won't let anything happen to you. His defense is top notch, as is his reactionary speed. I have fought by his side in multiple battles, including many floor boss battles. Now, where exactly is your Skill at? And stats?"

"I've been taking care of them from the beginning," Sasha said, stalling. "My dagger, it's at fifty-three. And I am Level twenty-seven."

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 forty by the end of the day?"

Klein got his act together. "Totally. Although 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 some of the kids 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 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 knife?" Klein asked as they headed to the teleport plaza.

"The Twenty-Ninth Floor has that cave dungeon with the slime creatures,” Bladescape said. “You and I can raid that in our sleep. With us blocking, Sasha can slash them and get her Skill up. Because she is older and has more life experience, she has a better head on her than the kids do. 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. We spent most of yesterday working the kids through tactics, not level XP. In the evening, we switched to go for raw Level XP. She needs both."

"Not a bad first move," Klein admitted.

At Agil's store in Algade, Agil dug up a dagger from his junk bin 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 an enemy. By the end, she was jumping in and out with the 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's 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's 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’s funny. It’s 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 glowed orange with the motion. The move was a feinted 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. Also, Harmonic Salvation is a masterpiece weapon."

"Well, the loot’s not bad for Floor Twenty-Nine" Klein said as he slid through his drop list.

"I'm just shy of Level thirty," 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 Forty," Bladescape reminded them. "Klein?"

"I hate saying it, but The Rose Tournament is always a good one,” Klein said. “I think she's ready."

"It’s a great amount of XP for a very short time commitment," Bladescape agreed.

"What is that?" Sasha asked.

"Floor Fifteen'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, and if Klein is suggesting it, he passed as well. We even got Bunny to pass and she was nowhere near your level of confidence. She went last and we coached her through it. You won't have a problem."

"You’ll be fine," Klein agreed. "Besides, it will also raise your dagger Skill substantially. It’s meant for players level Thirty or so, but you won't have a problem."

"Alright," Sasha agreed. "Let's do this quest!"

Bladescape lightly tossed Sasha a blue crystal. "Then we better teleport."

They teleported and went to the castle. The city was one of the many that players did not live in. 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,” Bladescape explained. “Doombunny makes them from Colorra's venom. It will guarantee that you win."

"Isn't that cheating?" Sasha asked, still not taking the vial from her outstretched hand.

"Nope," Bladescape grinned. "The rules don’t state no poison. Apply it to the blade as the first battle starts. It's quiet here 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 eleven times. We passed eleven times, and we watched another twenty odd players 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 Sword Skill. Even without the poison, it was a powerful blow to his shoulder. 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. Plus, there was over a year's difference between then and now, with both players getting used to living in Aincrad.

The next opponent used a spear. Bladescape coached Sasha on how to avoid the spear. The lightly armored NPC fighter had the advantage against most players without a shield. 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 work.

The next three opponents were a lightly 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. 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, which landed and did the job.

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 boost. However, in its heyday, most challengers failed the quest and didn't get the skill points.

"Now what?" Sasha asked.

It was Bladescape's turn. "Klein, remember the ruins on Floor Thirty-Three? 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's 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: Level 85 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 80 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 80 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend — Sprint
THUNDERBORNE: Level 80 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing — ??
KONPEITO: Level 80 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry — Rend
DIEMOND: Level 80 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation — Rend
DOOMBUNNY: Level 81 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche — Search
KIEFER: Level 79 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 77 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 79 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Klein: Level 75 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Katana — Light Metal Armor — Shield — First Aid — Fighting Spirit — Battle Regeneration — Search — Extended Weight Carry — Listening
Sasha: Level 30 — One-Handed Dagger — Cooking — Sewing — Teaching — Family — ?

Episode 91 — Round Two

Episode 91 — Round Two
Fourteenth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 14) in the Year of the Griffon
Front Line Floor 62

Sasha had done well in the dungeon that Bladescape and Klein had cleared with her and then against the tournament quest. Now they were heading to an old grinding location. The small town nearest the dungeon on Floor Thirty-Three came into view. It was completely devoid of anyone but about two dozen NPCs. The forest path leading away from it was clear and so were the multiple warning signs at the start of the path. Each one was about the very skeletons they were after.

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 usually did.

Bladescape wasn’t paying attention, not like she usually did. Search picked up the movement inside the bush before her intuition did. She lunged with her left hand and grabbed Klein's armor at the neck and yanked him into her and then behind. He somehow stayed up as he stumbled over. 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.

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. 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, black brown poncho, hood up, and with a wicked grin on his lips. His arms were wrapped in cloth. Bladescape had seen the same thing before and now that she was fully on alert, she realized what they had walked into. Laughing Coffin were not only in the bushes; they were everywhere. The safe zone their trio was heading to was LC’s camp.

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 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 where Klein had pulled Sasha to. She needed to give herself room from the first murderer and she visually confirmed the location 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, a yellow, and a blue crystal. 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 sixty seconds or 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 to the antidote.

Harmonic Salvation was a big sword, but despite its long length, it only took a quick sweep to sever his leg 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 thirsting for her blood, that they were trying to kill her, 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. If they feared the Assault Team, they hopefully would cease their actions. She needed to secure that fear before leaving and Klein had given her a short time frame.

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 to, but she visibly shivered. She tried to see his eyes beneath his hood but all she could see was an enthralled grin. It was like they didn't exist. His grin was all that mattered and he was having fun.

"So, the troublesome Wondercolt is once again facing Laughing Coffin," he said with a smooth voice. It was exotic, not a dialect of Japanese, but an accent. "And this time, while it's once again a chance meeting, she has stumbled into our nest. She kicked our nest, so we will respond like the hornets we are." He didn't need to laugh for Bladescape to hear the madness in his voice. He was a vicious killer with no soul and one who knew it and enjoyed it. He knew this feeling not from Aincrad, but from real life.

"I hope your friend, 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 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 the player was 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, allowing 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 any direction she needed.

Sparks flew and metal ground as 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 enough back to reset after she clashed weapons with them.

Bladescape let Harmonic Salvation continue in its sweep, rather than fight 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. He had waited to jump her at the most opportune moment. 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. 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, especially in any emergency. 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. 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 I got from the chick on New Year's day. Yeah, I was there at the start of it all."

The mention of the necklace was the focus Bladescape needed. 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 got in a few steps, 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 or apply the paralyzer. 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 feel warm 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.

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 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 all of Aincrad 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 she didn't stop after that. SAO was a game, but, now that their very lives depended on clearing it, it was life driven by game parameters. At its root was “ambition.” To survive, a player often had to choose to work long hours in dangerous situations and risk their life to get better, stronger, faster, unlock new Skills, attacks, and all the game had to offer. Bladescape, although she hated admitting it and tried to hide it, was one of the most ambitious players in the game. She just did not broadcast her ambition as egotistical like most gamers did.

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, although the system likely wouldn’t give her one because he was permanently branded, she would have 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. Her very core could not be redeemed 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, yet, 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. She had driven the Wondercolts to the top and didn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. How long would the others last before they broke off like Knightstar had?

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'm now in control of the situation along with my men." He pointed at Bladescape. "You there, you and the red samurai 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… chest. It looks nasty and has to hurt."

Bladescape looked down at her left breast 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'm fine. Sore and mentally exhausted, but I will bounce back. Somehow."

"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 an open and shut case. I saw his tattoo and the woman said you three had been attacked by Laughing Coffin."

"We were attacked by them," 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. Or was proof of 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, the safe zone stops the bulk of the pain. 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 to Klein after all.

The pull was swift and clean. 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 follow up after it was pulled from her chest: straight behind him, the spear tip having made a smooth but powerful one-eighty 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 the move, 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: Level 85 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 80 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 80 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend — Sprint
THUNDERBORNE: Level 80 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing — Search
KONPEITO: Level 80 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry — Rend
DIEMOND: Level 80 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation — Rend
DOOMBUNNY: Level 81 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche — Search
KIEFER: Level 79 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 77 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 79 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 93 — Filling The Seat

Episode 93 — Filling The Seat
Fourteenth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 14) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 35 — Front Line Floor 62

After a lot of fun with the kids, ending with Konpeito's delectable dinner, the Wondercolts finally regrouped at their Headquarters in Mishe. It was still 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.

Malus was intending to retreat to her room before an appropriate bedtime, but Bladescape and Natora asked to see her in Bladescape’s room. That was unusual, but the two of them did talk a lot in private as they led the guild and made plans.

“What’s up, y’all?” Malus asked as Natora closed Bladescape’s door. “This ain’t about the labyrinth. Natora can give you the run down.”

“No, it’s not about that,” Bladescape admitted. “Natora and I wanted to have a chat with you. We have spoken about it privately, but things apparently came to a head the other night when I wasn’t home.”

“The vote Thunder pushed?” Malus asked. That was easy enough to guess, but she still had no idea where they were going.

“Yes,” Bladescape confirmed.

“You know, y’all ain’t gotta follow the results,” Malus said. “The Wondercolts are led by a council, not popular votes or a single leader.”

“I haven’t even looked,” Bladescape stated. “And yes, we know it’s not binding.”

“Then what’s this about, y’all?” Malus asked. She was getting annoyed about all of the prancing around the issue.

“We need to fill that third seat,” Natora said. “We want you to fill it.”

“I ain’t takin Knightstar’s seat,” Malus stated. “Ain’t no way.”

“Now, hold on,” Bladescape said, putting her hand up to stop Malus’s protests. “Hear us out. First off, the seat isn’t Knightstar’s. She was who Natora and I needed in the beginning, specifically her ability to give us statistical information to survive. Also to break any ties, which we never had. We made our mistakes with her.”

“You’re makin another one right now!” Malus growled. “We just keep plowin ahead and no one is gettin her back! No one is remindin her who she is and that we’re her friends!”

“That’s also not true,” Bladescape calmly said. “Knightstar is a delicate situation. We are working on it. By we, I mean Doombunny. She has a plan to fix the rift that was torn. The rift was centered around her, so she is the best person to fix it. I don’t know the details. She's kind of keeping it quiet, but there was mention about a quest to get something special.”

“I share your sentiment,” Natora added. “I’m more of a mind to bust her door down and drag her back here. That may work between teammates, in certain scenarios, but not between friends. Not when feelings are involved. I haven’t known her as long as you two, but that morning stung. Doom slapped everyone, equally, with the truth.”

“That’s not what this is about,” Bladescape said, to redirect them back on topic. “Look, Malus, even if Knightstar were to walk in the door right now, Natora and I wouldn’t put her on the council. It was too much for her. We want her help with the stats, not her voting ability. You, though, you have a lot of experience with things Natora and I don’t. You’ve helped run a farm and organized a large family reunion. In Aincrad, you are an unmovable tank. You're level headed. The other members of the Assault Team see you as a leader. A cornerstone that they can rally to. A bar they can’t reach yet will always aspire to match. The ideal tank. Those are all very important optics to have in a guild officer.”

“And they respect you,” Natora added.

Malus didn’t want to lead anyone. They were right, she did have experience they lacked and a different view of life. She was important to the Assault Team and it would look good for the Wondercolts if she took that seat, but she didn’t want it.

“That’s all fine and all, but if y’all have to put someone there, why not someone who wants it, like Thunder?” Malus asked. “She’s led lots of sports teams.”

“The most others have seen of Thunder boils down to two moments,” Natora said. “Killing the scorpion boss’ eggs and running with Asuna and I in the fifty-seventh boss chamber. Oh, and when she challenged Asuna to the duel over the nickname, ‘Lighting Flash.’”

“Don’t forget her leading the first team against the Geocrawler,” Bladescape added. “Still, that’s four moments. Malus, you have not been in one floor boss battle and been key in a dozen or so, for a variety of reasons. At least a dozen, but that really isn’t the point. It isn’t a popularity contest and we don’t need the captain of a sports team. Not for the council seat. The other night shows just how rash she can be. We need stability, level headedness, and that organizational know-how that you have and she doesn’t. Also, Thunder isn’t the best for social etiquette, which is still important in Aincrad, especially for certain guilds. You can handle Heathcliff and the Knights of the Bloodoath if they were to visit us, while Thunder would struggle to match the expected decorum. Together, the three of us will make the strongest leaders the Wondercolts currently have.”

“If we wanted Thunder, or Kiefer, we’d be speaking with them right now,” Natora added.

Kiefer was someone Malus hadn’t considered for leadership. Then again, he had led a few others the other day in training. He had a lot of potential.

“So, I just gotta sit in the seat and break a tie if y’all disagree?” Malus asked.

“For the most part, yeah,” Bladescape said with a shrug. “You may be asked to help consult, but that’s no different from what we normally would ask you. Maybe a little more responsibility, like advising us about when we need to give rest days or switch to a lighter load, but most stuff will fall on Natora and I. We didn’t balance it properly with Knightstar. She had a business she was running alongside guiding the guild, and we didn’t realize what the extra stress was doing to her. Regardless, that was always how we intended the third seat to function for us."

“I’m sure you have more to contribute than you think,” Natora added. “You handled everything really well today.”

“What did happen?” Bladescape asked. “I didn’t expect you to be there for long, just longer than you were. It didn’t sound like you left due to trouble.”

Natora nodded to Malus.

"Nah, no trouble, least not on our end,” Malus said. “Few groups were clearin today, but one that was, was Meigibu. Lobelia lost three in the labyrinth the other day. Bad luck, plain and simple, however, they’re strugglin, flounderin as clearers. I sort of offered for us to join hands with em once again.”

“Good call,” Bladescape said. “We don’t want to lose them. They’re a strong force in the clearers. Not many guilds are their size. Plus, they are our friends. We certainly don’t want to lose them as friends. Who did they lose?”

“Three I ain’t familiar with,” Malus said. “Newer women who weren’t at our Christmas shindig. It was, uh, Hanun, Anaya, and Siress.”

“They need levels and morale,” Natora added. “It’s not going to be easy with the tight spot they’re in. Their morale has taken a big hit. Being fresh off their three losses, well that’s a really low blow to any guild, but especially them. Like us, they are very social and friendly with each other. A big family. Anaya, Hanun, and Siress were new members, but older friends of some of their members. I know Jade was close with them. I didn’t know them.”

Bladescape could remember at least seven names since they arrived on Floor Twenty-Six: Tasfi, Marta, and Alita died in the thirty-ninth floor boss raid. Kassadin and Phaedra perished, but she didn’t know when. Losing Anaya, Hanun, and Siress was a big blow. There were other deaths for the guild too, which Bladescape did not know the details of. For their size, it was a lot to lose. They had lost others as fighters for the usual reasons too.

Bladescape just gave a slow nod as she thought over something. “Well, I also could use a larger support network tomorrow,” Bladescape admitted. “It’s been odd for me the past few days. Laughing Coffin has me off my groove.”

“What exactly happened?” Natora asked. “A second run in with them?”

Bladescape sighed and brought them up to speed.

“You got lucky,” Malus said. “Glad you’re safe an that Klein was there to back ya up.”

Bladescape opened her menu and caught the spear. It was an evil looking weapon. Malice was forged into each thorn. The pain each thorn caused was something Bladescape could personally attest to.

“Wicked,” Natora said, shaking her head. It was not the cool ‘wicked.’ “Where did that stab you?”

Bladescape pointed it out. “I can still feel it, but it didn’t stop me as intended.”

“And Klein removed it?” Natora asked. “One handed or two?”

Bladescape rolled her eyes. “He was a perfect gentleman, but it required both of his hands.”

“That had to be even more painful than the stab,” Natora said. She started to laugh at her comment.

Bladescape rolled her eyes again and let out a single laugh. “It would have been, now that I think of it, but at the moment, I had just brutally beaten a man. Flogged him with my sword in my rage. That wasn’t something I was really concerned about when it came to removing the spear. I needed to speak with Thinker and having it in me wasn’t going to be conducive to that discussion. It was an odd feeling, having a rod in my chest, but not actually causing sharp pain. It was dull. It was in there good, too. I would have felt worse if I wasn’t in plate armor. The plates were a nice buffer for his hand and I wasn’t getting it out on my own. Like I said, he was a gentleman about it and had a swift, strong pull. He does deserve the good marks for his excellent maturity.”

“Good, cause otherwise I’d have to box his ears,” Malus said. “Anythin else to discuss before I take my seat?”

“Not that I can think of,” Natora said.

“We'll make the announcement at breakfast,” Bladescape determined. “We probably will get some questions, but let us answer them. It’s our decision, not their vote.”

“Then I’ll see y’all in the mornin,” Malus said.

“Oh, one last, tiny, thing to think about,” Bladescape said. “We've been discussing adding formal roles and structure to the guild. At ten players, we are large enough to make use of it. Not just officers for a command structure, but things like designer, chef, and such to boost the importance of everyone’s roles.”

“That’s a mighty fine idea,” Malus said. “I agree. I’ll think on it.”

Bladescape and Natora nodded to her and Malus left. She went up the stairs to her floor and room. Inside, she could relax. She was going to need a fishing trip real soon, but tomorrow obviously wasn’t good for it. For now, she could get the solace she needed from her room.

Leading wasn’t her idea or goal, but she understood why they picked her. It was a good reason with plenty of forethought. They had essentially decoupled the seat from Knightstar, eliminating Malus’ main argument. Malus would make her contributions when she could, how she could. She wouldn’t be dead weight. Maybe as a councilor she could get Knightstar’s recovery effort moving along faster.

With Malus gone, Natora pointed to what was on Bladescape’s desk. "What's that? Is it the other thing you alluded to from the King Black Dragon?"

Bladescape sighed and sat down on her bed. "Yeah. It's called the Black Draconic Visage. It has an item ranking of S, but I have no idea what it's for. I assume some type of crafting since it isn’t food, but 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 rather, that I killed it with Doom and Kirito. That is a complicated mess of a situation."

"Yeah, you mentioned something about that yesterday," Natora said. "But it led to something good. You ended up helping the kids and Sasha only because you joined Doom when she went to get Colorra's food from them. I'm really glad we were able to do that. Being large enough to do it and also hit the labyrinth is a big plus.

"I'm glad you chose Klein to help. As much of a goof as he is, he's rock solid in a fight and we needed everyone else where they were. We may not have run into Meigibu if we were running a team of four. We probably would have been too slow in our own battles. We did a lot of good today. Things that will resonate with them for the rest of their lives, not just in Aincrad. They have Sasha taking care of them, but they will always remember us giving them the day we could, plus the day prior for Gin, Kain, and Mina. It’s a lasting impact across realities. Sasha really needed some backup and she got it."

"Thanks," Bladescape said, smiling at Natora. It was good to hear that assessment. "I'm glad to hear it all went well on the other fronts. It was good to finish our level goal with Sasha. I don't know her plans for her two new skill slots, but she has them. Yesterday she didn't even have the hope of another one on the horizon."

"It's hard to believe that Sasha is only a few years older than us," Natora added. "Twenty or twenty-one. The kids are only four or five years younger than us. That isn't a big difference. Heck. Kirito and Asuna are somewhere between us and the kids. Fourteen, maybe Fifteen, when they joined. Silica probably was twelve, the same age as most of the kids, yet she looks way more mature in her youth than they do. She is at least surviving on her own. Age is so different in Aincrad, yet we still hold onto the conventional system we grew up with. A chronological system that has social expectations sewn into it."

"Klein made a comment about that too," Bladescape said. "Sort of like he was hitting on me, except he wasn't as direct as every other time. And it was bad timing, my head was still swimming."

"He's desperate," Natora said with a chuckle. "Ignoring the doofus, it's hard to not think about age considering what we did the past day or two. I could take the same train, same car, with Sasha every day as I went to school, but we wouldn't ever speak in ways necessary to become friends because our ages require us to play different roles. That's not a bad thing; I like those ideals — for one it keeps older guys like Klein from hitting on me — but we are not out there, in Japan. I'm not sure what that would mean when we get back, but does that even matter? What if we don't get back?"

Bladescape shrugged. "Klein equated it to all of us being born in Aincrad on the same day. He isn't wrong. Neither is he, or you, wrong about age not meaning the same thing. Kirito looks older than he is, or at least is treated as older, because of his position, something he earned in many ways and crafted in others. Same with Asuna. I'm sure the same goes for the Wondercolts. Heck, I'm friends with Godfree. He's married with a kid on the way. Well, by now the kid has to have been born. He doesn't even know if it's a boy or a girl. The point is, by Japan's social standards, he and I shouldn't be friends. Not easily.

“As you said, it's appropriately protective. Maybe if he owned a restaurant or store I constantly frequented, but the train analogy is a good one. Same with Klein, Agil, and some others, yet what is five years difference? I get it, there are some big life events between seventeen and twenty-two, university being the main one. That's pretty big, yet five years after that, the five year difference doesn't matter much. So what if it starts early?"

"And yet, both of us have fallen into the same pitfall many others are in," Natora said. "The old guys, the retro-gamers who are clearly over forty yet are not a part of the middle-aged crew, there are quite a few of them. None on the front, though, because they don't believe they can do the same things we can simply because of their age. It's not easy overcoming that mental block. The trap all of us, or many of us, have fallen into-" Natora stopped mid-sentence and thought over something. "Let me ask a question instead. Have you had a birthday since SAO started?"

Bladescape reflexively looked at the calendar, except it was in the junishi of Aincrad, not the months and days format she was used to. It took some math to figure it out, but it wasn't too hard. She didn't have the energy to do it at the moment. Officially on her passport, her birthday was officially the day she entered the human world from Equestria. "At least one," Bladescape admitted.

"I've had two," Natora said. "We don't remember or celebrate birthdays because they don't actually mean anything in Aincrad. It's not just because Aincrad uses a different calendar. The change is really just in the names of each month. Yet, adult or not, you haven't graduated. I could, but I'm not quite ready for the university entrance exams, which basically puts me in the same boat as you. I don't have anything else to add other than that. It's something to think about, but not obsess over. I'm not sure if it even matters.”

"It's a good mental exercise," Bladescape said. "But I don't know if it matters either. Part of me wants to say 'screw the system' except I want to get back to that system and I also don't know how to screw it."

"I've taken up enough of your time," Natora added. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. No matter what time it is."

"Thanks," Bladescape said. “You too.”

“Thanks, but I didn’t have the run in like you did,” Natora shot back with a wink to lighten the mood.

Natora left the room and Bladescape put the dragon head in her materials storage, for now. She almost hung Harmonic Salvation on its setting, but instead she grabbed the thorned spear. It was a pathetic weapon compared to what she had, or even what Natora used, but it had almost killed her and probably claimed the lives of several other players. It would also make for a good reminder for her so that she didn't falter again. She put it on the rack where Harmonic Salvation usually went. She would get it mounted to preserve it on the next free day, probably the day after their labyrinth dive with Meigibu. Thankfully, Rico had flexible hours.

Bladescape pulled out the necklace she had taken from Kurayaro's neck. It had belonged to an unnamed girl he had murdered, probably with the same spear she now owned. She was one of the first known players directly killed by a fellow player, although Bladescape didn't know their names. It held no enhancement, which meant that it held sentimental value 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.

A player 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. Scarves and sweaters were just two examples. SAO was more complicated and immersive than slapping on a few preset types of armor or clothes. Their menus did a lot, but they were not the only way. The system was adapting to fit their needs, albeit a bit slowly sometimes.

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 longer 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, including her golden base layer. She didn't need to wear anything under it or under her leg plates. The geode was usually sitting on the gorget. It was sometimes visible, especially if you were up close like Kurayaro had gotten. The chrysanthemum necklace would have to sit completely under her armor. Against her olive skin, it was mostly lost because it was so finely crafted, 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. She lazily traced her cutie mark with a finger. She might not be able to feel the tattoo, but she still remembered the dull ache left in the wake of the tattoo gun as it outlined the mark. It made it easy for her to trace it without looking.

Bladescape rolled out of bed when her alarm went off 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, the last one to the dining room.

"Glad we didn't have to wake you up," Malus 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, IRL, and possibly Equestria."

Malus 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. "For one, they would have to run an internet connection through to Equestria, and I’m not sure if that's even possible."

"Sounds silly when you put it like that," Malus 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 Natora.

"Not yet," Natora said.

Bladescape stood up to address everyone. Most of them had been paying attention to the conversation anyway. "Everyone, this morning Natora and I want to officially announce that, after a lot of consideration, Malus will be taking the empty seat on the guild's council. It was a decision we have been going back and forth on for a while now to keep the power balance in the guild strong and fair. We also have another guild announcement. We are going to be giving out some positions soon, to make us more officially organized. We're large enough to assign real positions. We're open to suggestions as we develop that plan. We simply want to make a way to formally recognize how much each of you does for the guild.

"Now for the day's plan. Yes, we are hitting the Labyrinth, but for those who don't know, we aren't doing it alone. We're going to be teaming up with Meigibu. Lobelia and her guild will be waiting for us at the labyrinth's entrance.

"This is a tough labyrinth. It's heavy, slow, and with narrow passageways. The Knobbled Hobgoblins wield a lot of maces. Today, our shields will earn their worth. I am guessing we will end up in new parties with our friends in Meigibu, but to start, Malus will have Doom, Soryuto, Kiefer and myself. Natora will take Diemond, Konpeito, Thunder, and Reisenki. That splits us to two shields and at least one damage dealer in each party. Soryuto has been dealing with their maces well."

Everyone agreed with the plan and no one raised an issue with Malus taking her new position. Bladescape needed a break from leading after the previous day and it would officially put Malus into the Councilor role, while having Bladescape as backup if she needed it. Everyone finished breakfast and, for those who were not ready, split to get their armor and equipment. Bladescape, Natora, Thunderborne, and Malus went to the front foyer, as usual, to wait. Today, Bladescape actually sat down in a chair rather than stand for the five minutes it would take for everyone to assemble.

BLADESCAPE: Level 85 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 80 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 80 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend — Sprint
THUNDERBORNE: Level 80 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing — Search
KONPEITO: Level 80 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry — Rend
DIEMOND: Level 80 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation — Rend
DOOMBUNNY: Level 81 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche — Search
KIEFER: Level 79 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 77 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 79 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 94 — Operation Midnight Redemption (3 of 3)

Episode 94 — Operation Midnight Redemption
Part 3 of 3
Again, the Floor and dates are not stated for a reason. Each segment may jump, including ahead of the current main chapter. They are in order of the tasks in the quest.

Amidst the vast Serengeti plains,
A legend waits to be untamed.

The Heart of The Great Lion, a prize so rare,
Elusive as the beast with golden hair.

The Great Lion with a heart so pure,
A treasure many a daring adventurer sought.

The pygmies who dwell high up in the trees,
May help you seek the beast with ease.

Through the grasslands and the forests deep,
Your journey to find the lion shall keep.

With wit and will, and courage bold,
You must track the lion, quick and gold.

Only then, with the Heart in sight,
Will you complete the quest with might.

Floor Twenty-Nine was themed after the Serengeti. It felt like being on a safari. Or at least what nature shows always made it seem like. Lions, kudu, springboks, and a three-horned rhino populated the floor. The NPCs were all pygmies who lived in huts hanging from large acacia trees with sprawling canopies. Four or five trees were all that was needed to suspend an entire village.

The lions were what Doombunny was targeting, but not just any lion. Colorra happily stalked the savannah as Doombunny sought The Great Lion. He was a flag mob which was incredibly elusive. No one knew his true strengths or stats, but Floor Twenty-Nine wasn't that high. Players caught glimpses of him from time to time, yet none had come close to fighting him. Somehow Doombunny was supposed to do that. The riddle got her to the floor and gave her the target, while the pygmies told her the location:

"High above the rock and tree,
Beyond the river, you'll find me."

He stalks only in the light,
For the night cannot reveal his true might.

She was past the river. Search, Reveal, and Listen were her tools. They gave her the advantage compared to any other hunters. It also helped her avoid monsters that she didn't want to fight and reminded her how beautiful the world of Aincrad truly was. She had been sludging through life since Knightstar left — she was mad at losing her friend, mad at herself for speaking the truth, mad about getting caught, and depressed because a dear friend was missing — trying to get the quest done to get her friend back. Before that argument she had been living a lie and was angry all of the time. She was still angry, she hated Kayaba for his trick, but currently she had the amazing sounds and beauty of the landscape to remind her why she wanted to play this game in the first place.

This world was worth protecting, but there was no way it would be saved once they were free. No one would ever visit Aincrad again. It would be, understandably, shut down and likely erased, although preserving it as their eternal tomb made sense. Erasing it would be erasing at least part of the lives lost. It was a shame though, because it was a beautiful world that was livable art. No other artist got to have the viewer truly step into their work and enjoy it, until Aincrad and VR became the new medium.

Doombunny, with Colorra’s help, killed a lion that couldn't be avoided. It had hunted her down, giving her no other option. It was a regular lion, not The Great Lion. Even without Colorra it was easy enough to cut down the ferocious beast since the front line was over twice as high as Floor Twenty-Nine. It did give Doom a good cut with a swipe of its claws and the paw had batted her away with ease, but it couldn’t stop the Ruby Krait venom.

Doombunny took a break from her hunt and sat on a log to eat lunch. Colorra had eaten her fill from her hunting excursion, but Doombunny was hungry. This was not how she wanted to spend her free day, but it was what she most needed to do. According to the NPC pygmies, The Great Lion would not be found at night. It only appeared while the sun was shining.

Doombunny didn't hear the player approach. Search had failed her and so had Listen. She had been enjoying the sounds of nature too, yet he slipped through her protections. She didn't turn around, not yet. Not now that she could sense him. He was close, but not too close. Her hand calmly slipped to her dagger.

"Young Lady, Master of the Ruby Krait, what is it you seek?" The man asked in a deep voice. It was powerful and fearsome, yet had a soothing gentleness to it.

"I seek The Great Lion," Doombunny calmly replied, trying not to give away how prepared she was to fight.

"Why do you seek him?" He asked her.

For some reason, Doombunny felt like she could trust the stranger with the truth. Maybe it was his voice? He may have snuck up on her, but he had not attacked. He could have, but didn't. A threat would have struck with a weapon or paralyzing agent, or by gloating, not with a conversation. Or maybe she didn’t dare not answer him because of the authority in his voice.

"I seek to obtain his heart," Doombunny stated.

"Will not obtaining his heart kill him?" He asked.

Doombunny tensed up. Until that moment, she had been able to push that fact aside. Now there was no avoiding what she was trying to suppress.

"Yes, it would," Doombunny admitted. "No, I don't like that. I've done many things I don't like since coming to this world. Befriending Colorra is one of the few things I have done that I don't have some distaste for. She is my light in the darkness."

"Then why do you wish to carry out this plan?" He asked.

"Because I need to, for a quest," Doombunny justified. "Eventually, the quest will give me a charm which I need. I screwed up. I had an argument with a friend and am trying to patch it up. I'm preparing a special gift, something to remind her of our friendship and hopefully reignite that spark inside her, which she buried underneath her own fears. Hopefully I can get through to her with the gift. If I knew how to get only the charm I needed, I would, but I don't. I only get the information on the next charm, a riddle, after I obtain the previous charm. The order is a mystery, as are most of the charms."

"This friend is very important to you?" He asked.

"More than you can understand," Doombunny flippantly stated. "She is one of seven. We are incomplete without her. I made a choice and ended up hurting her and causing her to leave the guild and retreat away from her friends. I spoke the harsh truth, but I was selfish in certain actions I took. We need her back, all six of us, and she needs to be with us to help her, mentally and physically. I'm scared for her. So I'll kill something that breaks my heart, but only because there is no other choice."

"You must love her very much," he said.

"I do," Doombunny confirmed. "She is family, closer to me than my own brother is, especially since we got trapped here. You know what it's like; you build the relationships you can. Survive how we can in this world.

"Eight of us started together on day one. We made it through the first month because we stayed together. We didn't lose anyone to the game. Losing her as a friend, having her shut us out and leave the guild, that is the greatest loss we have personally experienced together, besides losing our freedom. We don't want to lose her permanently. If she can't fight anymore, that’s okay. We just want her back in the guild, among her friends. We need her back in the guild. We are not complete without her and she is not complete without us.

"We are like a seven petaled cherry blossom, except we are missing a petal. The seven of us are not from Japan. We came here on a foreign exchange program. We got to experience a lot and we wanted to experience VR because, where we are from, we won't get something like the NerveGear for a long time. We started with an eighth friend, from the school we attended, who got us into the game. Then we picked up three in-game after Sunset, well Bladescape in here, our leader saved three of their group of five. I'm sure it eats at her more than she lets on, but she did all she could to save them and was far away when they were attacked and they were lower levels than were safe to be at for the area. She rescued them and then they became good friends. The eleven of us are the Wondercolts.

"I'm sorry," Doombunny apologized. "You probably don't want to hear about all of that. I don't know why I shared so much with you. Our personal drama is our own, not your burden."

"It's fine," he said. "Think nothing of it. But you don't appear to be like the others who hunt on this floor."

"No, Colorra and I are not," Doombunny answered. "We are members of a frontline guild, Clearers. We have always been Clearers and most of the guild is on the Assault Team, directly fighting the floor bosses to obtain our freedom. I've fought three floor bosses, except I never wanted to face any. I did it because I was needed. Once as another body necessary to fill out our numbers and the other two for my particular skill set."

“Tell me about these battles,” he said. “You seem distraught and I know nothing of them.”

Doombunny opened up about each boss battle she had joined and why she had decided to join them. It was interesting telling a stranger such intimate thoughts. Clearly she needed to voice them. She certainly couldn't speak some of it to the others. A therapist in Aincrad would be handy, although they would probably always be booked up.

"What are you doing here?" Doombunny asked. "You know about my life. What about you?"

"I roam the various lands," he said. "You haven't looked at me. Most would have turned around as soon as I spoke."

"I don't need to face you to understand that you are not a threat," Doombunny replied. "Even though you made it through my Skill barriers, avoiding being detected as you approached, a threat would have done something. Instead, you started a conversation."

"You are a kindhearted soul," he stated. "Yet you have sharpened yourself into a dangerous blade. A double-edged sword which cuts in both directions. Hatred is your biggest burden, something you are not used to feeling. Battles are ugly affairs which bring out the worst, even in the best."

"Yes, they are," Doombunny said. "And you're right, I'm not used to the hate I feel, but the hate and anger helps drive me forward, to survive. Colorra wouldn't have asked to join me if I didn't have a kind heart and our fight wasn't righteous."

"What hate and anger really burden you?" He asked. "And why?"

Doombunny felt the anger snap up and couldn't suppress it. She was too used to its presence, but she was not used to speaking about it.

"Kayaba stole us from our lives," she spat. "I can't go home to my family because of him. I can't finish school because of him. I have to kill beautiful creatures, and plenty of ugly ones, because of him. This beautiful world is living art, yet he ruined it by splashing our blood on it.

"Worse, I don't get to go home to my animal friends because of him. Angel must be so confused and hurt, worrying about me. The others at the shelter I volunteer at, they are, well I don't know what's happened to them because I'm stuck here, but if they were not adopted, they too must be confused. I was their one stable thing in life as they waited for someone to come along and bring them into their family. It was supposed to be four months. Four months in Japan for school. A fun four months, with good life challenges. Instead, I've been gone for two years and we are not getting out before the end of the second year, not with how our progress has been. I don't know the full extent, but laying in a hospital bed for two years is very detrimental to the body. Three will be problematic. The longer we go, the worse it gets. Some may not survive by time alone. We have to get free."

Doombunny was beginning to wonder who it was. As far as they knew, Kayaba was unaccounted for. If anyone could get past her Skills, it would be him. He could probably appear wherever he wanted to, right past her barriers, without setting them off. She didn’t remember what he looked like and had never heard his voice before his tutorial, except she barely remembered what that sounded like, just the giant GM robe in the sky that no one wore.

"It was certainly a great injustice which was done," he said. "Kayaba Akihiko is learning that no matter who you are, even if you create the world for people to live in, life does not go the way people plan. That is life as a human."

And that ruled Kayaba out, but it was an interesting question. Doombunny squared her shoulders. It was time to find out who this mystery man was.

Doombunny turned around. She was shocked into silence and awe. He was certainly not what she was expecting.

Standing before her, in all his glory, was The Great Lion. His golden coat shone as if it had light inside each hair. The mane was voluminous yet not overbearing. He stood so sure of himself, was calm, yet clearly there was nothing tame about him. He was an ancient beast, which was evident by his size, although he looked to be in his prime. Doombunny couldn't believe that he had spoken to her.

"You bear a heavy burden," he said. It was clearly the lion speaking and with the same voice. It was just odd to see a lion speaking. "You have regrets, as you should, yet you seek to fix the mistakes you made. That is noble and right of you."

Still, the first thing that came to Doombunny's mind was something he had said. "What do you mean, when you said Kayaba is learning about life not going his way?"

"Child," he said with a lion's smile. "No one is told anyone's story but their own. Your story is one of pain and suffering. Anger, wrath, deceit, were how you expressed that suffering. Each one trapped here is suffering, but not all in the same way. The very things you love most are out of reach, with no substitute. What you must do to survive only widens the wound you have inflicted upon yourself." He laid down, rolling onto his side. "At least let this stroke of your knife not cause you pain. I offer you my heart for your quest."

"I-" Doombunny stammered as she looked at him, laying there. She wanted to sit by his side, stroke his lovely mane, and continue to speak with him, not take his heart. Except he was offering it up to her.

"Child, it is okay," he said. "I give it freely to you, a gift, in hopes that you will find your kindness once again."

"I don't want to take it," Doombunny stated. She started to tear up. "Why did you have to speak? Speaking made you real, as real as Angel Bunny or any of my other animal friends. If you had attacked me, I could have killed you and taken it and moved on. This is worse."

"But then it would not be a gift," he explained, not getting up. "Have no fear, cry no tears, my gift is well given, by my choice. I cannot do this for you and you must do this for yourself. You will get no condemnation from me about using your knife to fight your way free. At least this stroke will be different. It won't be for survival. It will be to fix what was accidentally broken. That is why you are here, looking for me."

Doombunny stood up and took a step forward through her tears. She reached to her right hip, drawing Endbringer. At least she could make it swift.

"No, Child," he said. "Your poison blades are just that, poison. They will taint the gift I offer. They serve an important role for you in your fight, but they negate the guiltless stroke I am telling you to deliver."

Doombunny sheathed Endbringer and pulled out her regular knife. It rarely saw use anymore. She tried to wipe away the tears, but they just kept coming as she approached his side.

"I wish we could speak longer," she said.

"When the burden is too great to bear, when you remember your true heart, seek me out and we shall talk," he said. "Your tears are proof your lost heart is still harbored inside you. Until then, take my heart and bring Knightstar back to the Wondercolts."

Doombunny lifted the knife. She didn't know what Sword Skill to use. She looked down at him and he smiled back at her. His fierce eyes still showed the wild beast that he was. He was no tame lion, but he was happy to do this for her. He understood what he was asking of her. He understood that it would mean he would cease to be. He was a flag mob. A one-of-a-kind boss which would not respawn. His words to her were meant as encouragement, even though he knew they were not true.

In the end, Doombunny didn't use a Sword Skill. She plunged the knife down into his chest. The single strike was all that was needed. The Great Lion shattered into polygons, leaving his heart for her. When worn on the bracelet, it boosted her defense by twenty-five percent. That was a significant boost, above the others by a decent margin, yet still within the ballpark of the others. Really the grand slam while the others were home runs.

Doombunny still had time to acquire the next item. It was the Ammolite Metalmark. She could, at the very least, finish the day ahead of schedule and retrieve the second to last charm.

In the jungle I reside,
Where dense foliage does hide.

I flutter lightly on the breeze,
A wondrous sight with grace and ease.

My body’s pink, adorned with gold,
A rare pattern to behold.

What am I, can you unveil?
A butterfly, a splendid tale.

Doombunny never expected to be back where she was. Floor Twenty-Five had been the destination of an earlier charm, but this was different. This time she was walking through the high canopy jungles the ruby krait called home. The poison streams were no longer a threat to Doombunny, thanks to the Beast Tamer’s Charms. She saw the flash of red at times in the canopy high above her. Colorra was draped across her shoulders, enjoying the ride. The snake was happy to be among familiar trees and more relaxed than normal, but Colorra was never going to complain. She enjoyed fighting alongside Doombunny and as a Wondercolt. Even though many either forgot Colorra's independence or did not know it, the elapid was still content with the situation.

The jungle was more than just the home of the ruby krait. Inside would be a tree covered in butterflies. She had to catch the right one to receive the second to last charm. This charm would be used for her gift to Knightstar.

The forest was not fully mapped by anyone because of the dangers it still posed to most players, but rumored to be at its heart was a tree shimmering in a rainbow of colors from all of the butterflies which would rest on it. Mo had been the one to know that detail. Why she did wasn’t clear, but she sold the information for a fair price.

Doombunny finally found the tree, but it wasn’t what she was expecting. Yes, all colors and manners of butterflies were resting on it; contently flapping their wings. Plenty more were fluttering all around it: skippers, emperors, brushfoots, longwings, snouts, admirals, swallowtails, and metalmarks. It was beautiful, however, the tree was in the middle of the water. Its roots did create an island, but she had to get over to it.

The water’s toxicity itself wasn’t a concern, but she didn’t know how deep it was. She didn’t have a swimming Skill. Also stacked against her was the fact that dangerous creatures lurked in the open water. The back bays and small creeks were too shallow for the dangerous creatures.

Colorra dropped off her body and sprinted into the water. It suddenly became a tumultuous scene filled with a lot of splashing. It became even more confusing as male ruby kraits came out of hiding and joined in the fray. They were there to protect a matriarch. Some even dove from the high branches they were in, straight into the water. At one point, something like a caiman surfaced, rolling and thrashing as it fought against the dozen kraits attacking it, many having wrapped their way around it to squeeze it to death.

The water calmed down as quickly as it had erupted. Plenty of black heads with red arrows surfaced. Colorra swam out onto the roots of the tree. Doombunny understood why they were looking at her and she entered the water. It was deep, but shallow enough to allow her head to stay above the water. She got over to the roots and climbed up onto them.

“We are teleporting back,” Doombunny stated to Colorra. The elapid just nodded back to her.

Now the really hard part came. She wasn’t sure what the metalmark charm actually looked like. It could be one of the butterflies that turned into the charm, or it could be something else entirely. Metalmark screened out a lot of the butterfly species, but it still left plenty of options available. She didn’t want to hurt them either.

Doombunny walked around the tree, looking for anything that stood out. Nothing did, but the tree was very large and old. She made another pass, taking note of each metalmark resting on it. She ended up by Colorra again when she spotted it way up high.

It was a pink Riodina lysippus metalmark with soft yellow stripes. That wasn’t the normal colors, but what really set it apart was the size. It was almost as large as her head and it had a smaller butterfly riding it.

Collora was quick, spotting where she was looking. Her scales shimmered with a double rainbow as she secreted more of her coating to increase her friction. It was the only way for her to climb a tree that she could not wrap herself around. The butterflies scattered as their rest was disturbed. Through their colorful wings, Doombunny saw Colorra stop just below the giant metalmark and lift her head. Then the elapid was in a freefall.

Catching a six foot snake in free fall was not an easy task. Somehow Doombunny managed it, but she was sticky from all of the extra scale slime. Collora’s head was immediately in front of her face. In the elapid’s lips was the charm. The body was pink sapphire and the stretched-out wings were made of gold. The chain hung off the head. It was missing the antennas and legs, a common tactic as those were too easy to break to be on a charm.

Doombunny took it from Colorra and gave the snake’s head a good petting before she shifted her onto her shoulders. The charm gave a fifteen percent increase in artistic skills’ outcomes. That would be any of the crafting Skills which had stats for the item made. For Cooking, that would increase the durability of the food item, meaning it could be kept longer.

Her quest was updated with the final riddle clue, but she would have to wait till it was dark. She messaged Hyorinmaru and he was fine with staying up late, waiting for her. He was excited to finish the project. Doombunny informed Bladescape of her absence for dinner and teleported to Algade to get dinner at a faster place. It was almost dark.

When the twilight blossoms are in full bloom,
return to the castle of the sundered siblings.
Inside the vault you shall find the greatest prize of all,
the stars that once upon this floating castle shone,
but were ripped from existence.
Their remnants are yours to take. No other items may you take.

Six lies and a truth are the stars.
Only one choice might you make,
for all soon will be gone and only truth can remain in your palm.
The truth of who all of you are.

Doombunny stood in front of the Castle of the Two Kings for a third time. Once again, it was night time. She entered it, ready to finally finish this long quest. This was for the final charm. The one she was really after. Of course it had to be the last one.

Doombunny wasn't even a quarter of the way to the thrones when the keeper of the key appeared.

"YOU DARE TO STEP FOOT IN THIS HALL ONCE AGAIN?" The alicorn shouted. "INSOLENT GIRL! I SHALL MAKE YOU REGRET THAT CHOICE! YOUR PREVIOUS TRICK WILL NOT WORK ON ME ANYMORE, FOR I AM AN AGELESS BEING OF MAGIC!"

"THEN I WILL DO IT THE HARD WAY," Doombunny yelled back. "Unless you would simply help me out. After all, I could have killed you last time, but chose not to."

“That was your failure!” the alicorn stated. “Now face the consequences of your choices!”

The equine guardian leapt off the throne platform and charged Doombunny, horn glowing a beautiful amethyst. Doombunny drew her poisoned dagger as she stood her ground. Just before she was trampled, Doombunny skipped to the side, slicing at the equine’s flank. Her dagger skipped off something and Doombunny spun around to face her. The alicorn now had a translucent midnight blue shield and sword, both being summoned and held by her magic.

The alicorn changed Doombunny, no longer keeping to the center line as she kept the shield in between her body and Doombunny. The sword sliced through the air, barely missing her as Doombunny dove out of the way. As she rolled out of the dive, she had her parrying dagger out and ready. The next slice of the sword was redirected by the dagger and Doombunny sliced at the alicorn. All her dagger hit was the shield, but the offensive move was intentional.

As much fluidity as the sword and shield had, simply because they were not attached to limbs, they both were stagnant. Doombunny sparred with the alicorn, sharpening her solo combat skills as she tried to get around the shield. It was always just mobile enough to shift into the way, denying Doombunny the satisfaction.

Doombunny eventually gave up, skipping backwards, to gain the distance she needed. She squared off against the alicorn, parrying dagger forward and knife raised up, poised to attack.

“This is your final chance to surrender the key,” Doombunny warned. “In all of my attacks, I was merciful. I tire of this though. I must retrieve the final charm. Either let me do that, or die and I will become the keeper of the key. If I become the keeper, there is nothing to stop me from taking anything I want, or everything. Make your choice! Play nice or die!”

“I SHALL STOP PLAYING WITH YOU AS WELL!” The Alicorn declared.

Doombunny smirked. The stalwart defiance was admirable in an NPC. Still, the alicorn had massively miscalculated. Colorra struck, sinking her fangs in the haunches of the equine, just above the joint where there was no armor. The elapid was gone before it could get kicked. All that mattered was the poison it left behind.

Doombunny dodged a bolt of magic as the sword and shield disappeared. She dodged several more as the alicorn went into a rage as its health rapidly disappeared. It was over within two minutes.

Doombunny sheathed both daggers and walked over to where the Alicorn had physically dropped the key. She picked it up and checked the quest log. It hadn’t changed. She was still supposed to only take the remnant stars, nothing else. However, she did have a new quest that was started: Keeper of the Moon Key. All it said was to protect the key and the treasures inside the vault. She would have to audit the vault later, in the daylight if she could, to see if it was worth taking anything or not. Then again, taking anything could fail the quest. It was an odd one. She had bigger things to worry about right now.

Colorra climbed onto Doombunny’s shoulders and then Doombunny walked up to the thrones. She pushed aside the tapestry and inserted the key into the lock. With a twist the door was open and she once again walked into the vault, this time heading to the far wall. On the bronze pillar in the back of the vault were the remnants, laid out side by side, in a single row, on a velvet cushion.

The stars were all six pointed, with five smaller ones surrounding the center one. The one in the center was the largest. Points of the big star acted as the bridge to connect the smaller stars by their points so that it all was one item. The center star was a purple or pink, it was difficult to tell the exact shade through the night vision filter.

The trick was to pick out which of the seven were the true Stars of the Forgotten Night. The others were replicas, meant to protect the real one. She could only choose one and touching them was also out of the question. Touching could be seen as being held in the hand.

The first five were fakes. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy were the first five to come together. They were five of the six Elements of Harmony that Princess Twilight spoke about and which they represented in this world. Princess Twilight, in her world, was the sixth. Sunset had no Equestrian counterpart to her Element of Harmony, however, she was the sixth human to join the group. Knightstar, human Twilight, was the seventh to join the group and take up her Element of Harmony.

Doombunny had to ask Bladescape more about the Elements of Harmony and get a run down of their Equestrian origins. It was the only logic she could muster for the number seven. It also explained the other charms Doombunny had labored to get. One for each element, one for each Pillar of Equestria, and one for Sunset, the bridge between two worlds.

Doombunny decided to take the sixth one. The sixth charm she had retrieved was the Fragment of the Palace, which represented, as best as Doombunny could deduce, Sorcery, which was the root of Twilight’s element, Magic. After all, she had searched a magician’s library for it. That was the best correlation she had.

Doombunny took a deep breath in and picked up the sixth one. The other six shattered as soon as it was off the cushion. Doombunny's hand still had her chosen fragment. She backed up, exiting the vault and locked it back up.

Only once the vault was sealed did she look at it. It looked very much like the mark Twilight always had. Better still, it was in her hand. It hadn't shattered, meaning she had picked the correct one. The charm boosted Reveal's skill by twenty percent, or 200 points out of a thousand. It would push max Reveal to 1200. As great as that was, she wasn't retrieving it for its statistical power.

Hyorinmaru was waiting on Doombunny to bring the charm. Her personal quest was over. Doombunny double checked her quest log. It was updated, assigning her one last task: attach six charms and equip the bracelet.

Doombunny chose the Painite Blossom, Iron Opal, Cor Standard, Fragment of the Palace, Golden Compass, and the Heart of The Great Lion — Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Starswirl, Flash Magnus, and Sunset — She then equipped the bracelet through the menu, officially ending the quest. She swapped it back to the beast tamer's charms' fur bracelet and teleported to Granzam.

The steel city was icy cold as the wind blew through the city. Without the warmth of the sun, it was a very cold place to live. Inside the workshops, forges, and foundries it was warmer, but, even then, few people wanted to live in metal homes with little cheer. They might work here, but they left to live in other places.

Hyorinmaru was awake, patiently waiting for Doombunny. It wasn't yet midnight. He took the Ammolite Metalmark charm and the Stars of the Forgotten Night charm from her and bid her goodnight. She left so he could lock up his shop and head up to his bedroom above it. He did live in the city, despite its drawbacks.

Doombunny went home. Her part of the operation was over. Hyorinmaru would finish it in a day or two and then it would be delivered to Knightstar, where the choice would be up to her.

Radial Charm Bracelet:

Painite Blossom (Applejack) — +150 Strength
Col Standard (Rarity) — +15% col dropped by monsters
Iron Opal (Pinkie Pie) — +15% Carry Weight
Tuft of a Rainbow Cloud (Rainbow) — +20% boost to speed
Vial Of Life (Mage Meadowbrook) — +150 Constitution
Fragment of the Palace (Star Swirl) — 20% reduction in skill delay
The Ribbon of Seven Thousand Threads (Somnambula) — +150 Agility
Radial Orchid (Mistmane) — +15% Search
Triadic Trefoil (Rockhoof) — + 150 Attack
Golden Compass (Flash Magnus) — +150 to equipped weapon’s accuracy
Heart of The Great Lion (Sunset) — +25% to defense
Ammolite Metalmark (Fluttershy) — +15% increase in artistic skills’ outcomes
Stars of the Forgotten Night (Twilight) — +200 Reveal

Episode 95 — Meigibu

Episode 95 — Meigibu
Fifteenth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 15) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 62

Bladescape was staying back, letting Natora and Malus take the lead for the day. The Wondercolts were clearing the labyrinth with Meigibu. They had unofficially teamed up with them the day before and then had arranged for an official joint effort 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.

Malus, now the Wondercolts' third councilor, was leading Doombunny, Soryuto, Kiefer and Bladescape. Natora was leading Diemond, Konpeito, Thunder, and Reisenki. If Malus needed help leading, Bladescape would be right there, but the apple farmer would be fine.

The walk to the meeting point wasn’t far. Meigibu was already at the entrance, beneath the pillar of ivory that not only served as the pillars between floors, supporting Aincrad’s weight, but also as the 62nd Floor’s Boss Labyrinth. Meigibu was easy to spot because they were such a large guild. Bladescape counted forty players, most likely organized into five full parties, and two smaller parties of four and five. Most of them were in green, Eastern Style armor, and those that were not had something white or green to tie them into the guild.

The entire guild bowed to the Wondercolts, who bowed back with less unison, in greeting before Lobelia spoke. “Thank you for joining us today. We all look forward to clearing with you. Strong backup is appreciated.”

“We always enjoy dungeon diving with friends,” Bladescape replied with a smile. “Your guild has grown since we shared Christmas desserts. We know your skill, as well as Kamishi's and many of the others. The new faces are no doubt just as strong. It's tough with so many guilds level grinding."

"That it is," Lobelia agreed.

“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. “Reisenki and I are ready to face those maces.”

Bladescape drew Harmonic Salvation, signaling them to move in, but it was Malus who headed in first, the Iron 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 personal quotas. It didn’t matter how many were still trying to train at once, they needed to level up to move forward. The handful of guilds who were clearing the Labyrinth hadn’t even broken onto its fifth floor. The Wondercolts and Meigibu were soon back to their last stopping point and not long afterwards they climbed the stairs to the fifth floor.

Bladescape didn’t have to do much fighting. Malus and Soryuto had everything locked down well. Kiefer was able to deal the damage necessary, plus it allowed Malus and Soryuto more chances to attack. Doombunny was her usual, ruthless self, despite the fact that she was using just her regular dagger, Mourning Protector, and her throwing knives. Colorra’s venom worked great against the hobgoblins, but she was only striking when necessary to conserve her reserves. It took time to refill and if Doombunny was extracting it for drug mixing, the snake couldn't afford to drain what she had in a fight.

Bladescape hopped back behind Soryuto 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 Meigibu party. The nine teams had been split up in smaller groups of at least two parties as they mapped the fifth floor of the Labyrinth.

The Meigibu 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 frozen with fear, 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 girls, but Harmonic Salvation collided with it in time; the blow shattering the mace. The Hobgoblin was still dangerous without his weapon, 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 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 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 Meigibu. 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 Meigibu 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 lunge. 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 rest of 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 just finished the last hobgoblin in front of them. They were doing fine without her.

This Meigibu 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 over at her party. Malus nodded, knowing what Bladescape was thinking. Kiefer saluted with his Katana, also in agreement.

The two parties were working closely together as they continued along their chosen path, but Bladescape stayed with the Meigibu 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. They just needed someone to believe in them and Bladescape did.

The Meigibu party consisted of Eos - one of the seven men in Meigibu - the party’s axe wielding Tank. Kate used a hammer and a small, metal round shield, embossed with a red cherry blossom. Suiginto wielded a double headed battle axe with her Viking round shield, painted white. Babs, who was decked out in darker orange metal armor that was backed by amaranth cloth, was a lancer with a larger heater shield that was white. Suiko was a shy forward with a curved sword and medium kite shield. The last member was Ithilien. Clad in soft green armor to match Meigibu's secondary color, she was the katana user who had frozen when the hobgoblins had knocked the other five to the ground.

Lunch was late, finally happening when they found a safe zone. It was already occupied by the other parties diving together, but they had only just arrived, barely ahead of Bladescape's two parties. There was a difference in what Meigibu could pack for lunch and what Konpeito had been able to throw together with little notice. Konpeito hadn’t been able to make more than 10 meals. However, the difference wasn’t that noticeable. Meigibu obviously had a few cooks in their ranks.

Bladescape sat next to Malus and Natora. She wasn’t trying to hide anything, but she wanted to chat, quietly. “How are things?”

“In what way?” Natora 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.”

Natora sighed. “I'm already helping another party. Kiefer and Soryuto are with another one, Thunder is with yet a different party, and 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 for yourself. 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 and could use some more levels, but they are still on the front for a reason.”

“But they've got too much heart to give up,” Malus said. “We see their strength. They're stumblin’, but ain't face first in the mud. Not yet. They just need someone to catch em and set em proper."

“Forty,” Bladescape sighed. “Forty players. If we lose them off the front line…”

“It’s like losing an entire boss raiding party,” Natora finished.

“I’m following your two’s lead,” Bladescape said, leaving it there and taking a bite of her sandwich.

“I’m followin’ Natora,” Malus added.

“Great,” Natora groaned. “I hate being the vanguard.”

The three of them laughed together and then continued to eat in silence. They had to be ready to go first, even if no one else was. 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. Malus and Doombunny split off to work with another Meigibu Party and Kiefer and Soryuto joined Kamishi. The Wondercolts were spread out, but they were turning the seven Meigibu parties into forces twice as strong as they had been acting.

Bladescape was leading three parties: Eos’s party, Lya's party which had picked up Malus and Doombunny, and Kamishi’s party who had Kiefer and Soryuto. 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, plus the ones waiting for an opening to attack.

Malus was leading Lya's party to victory on the right flank. Kamishi and Kiefer were holding the center. Eos had two hobgoblins banging on his tower shield. Each time their mace hit his shield, he was rocked back, but his feet were grounded. They were holding though.

Bladescape looked away for half a second, to double check the right flank. Malus 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. Eos 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, Kiefer, and Soryuto were charging to the left flank, ahead of them to stabilize the entire line. Malus 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. Eos 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 Eos 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. Make the kills rack up as fast, if not faster, as if you were a forward with a shield. Compensate for needing to rely on the rest of the squad but don't blame yourself. It happens and we are a team so that we can help each other out."

“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 the Wondercolts' motto as she bolted towards the line. The distance wasn't that great. The other six issued their own war cries 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 originally planned on reinforcing the line, but her plan shifted as she charged and had her fighting spirit reignited. 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 honed 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 as she got back to everyone. “I needed that. After yesterday’s debacles, that was...pleasant. However, the rest of the day can’t ride on my shoulders. I'm still not at my best."

“That was,” Lya said, finding herself 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. Always have been. We worked hard to get where we are 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 lotta sleepless nights,” Malus added. “But worth it.”

"It shows," Kamishi said. "We could use some advice on that. To stay relevant."

"You're more relevant than you are giving yourself credit for," Soryuto said. "I see it, we all see it, you just need to see and believe it. I know Tifa fights with claws, but we have Doombunny with us. She uses daggers on the front line! If she can, Tifa certainly still can, plus everyone else. And we also have Konpeito, whose focus is fun, friends, and food. She fights with us, yet often is absolutely distracted, while still somehow staying on point."

"Point taken," Eos said. "But how do I get better, so that I am solid on my feet? I know it's Malus I'm currently compared to, I've heard the stories of the Iron Bulwark, but you, Soryuto, can withstand the pounding of two hobgoblins with ease. I am a Tank, but I can’t hold any more."

"It takes time," Soryuto said. "The hobgoblins are making me stagger and that's okay so long as I don't fall. Their weapons are heavy and I'm functioning more like a tank. Malus has been a great example I get to see on a daily basis, as well as giving all of the Wondercolts lessons in holding our ground. 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 didn’t show any," Doombunny stated. "But we have done this enough times. It's still a newer skill. I'm 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 Meigibu members. Kamishi and Eos 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 the bulk of the females 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 Meigibu, which was thirty-three. Ignoring the Wondercolts, there were another twenty or so clearers who were female, spread out among the various guilds, typically as the sole female or a pair. Asuna was the only female in the KoB.

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 notable features were two statues, each one being a seated troll.

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" question and then an angry growl.

The statues cracked and shattered, like the shell of an egg. 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 two health bars, and both were identified as a generic “Cave Troll.”

Bladescape issued orders. "Malus and Eos, you two tanks are my blockers. Keep the pressure up on Lefty. Soryuto, you will be their strong shield user and take their right flank. I need your agility to be available for adjustments. Ithilien, Doombunny, and Suiko, you are with Malus and Eos as their damage dealers. I'll take Kate, Babs, Suiginto, Pyrrha, and Kiefer 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 against two trolls, we can do this."

They reorganized to fit the new structure. Kamishi took command of the damage party, leaving Malus in charge of Eos and Soryuto. Bladescape's party of six was going to have to be fast and efficient. They had two shields, two lancers, and two power forwards.

"Kiefer, we need a quick takedown," Bladescape stated. "Give righty all that you have."

"Got it," Kiefer said with a nod before charging forward.

The Wondercolts's samurai didn't disappoint either. The combination attack was one Bladescape was familiar with and she used it to her advantage as the troll howled in pain.

Bladescape used that moment to leap onto the oversized maul it carried 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 missed the neck, as planned, but with her weight and gravity in her favor, the sword was hilted. Not an easy feat with the length and flanges.

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. Kiefer had gotten Babs and Pyrrha to give the troll a taste of their spears. Bladescape landed hard, the wind having been knocked out of her.

Righty swung at Babs and Pyrrha. Pyrrha jumped back to avoid the massive maul. Babs raised her shield. Bladescape saw her eyes go wide in terror as she realized her mistake. It was too late and the maul smacked into her, tossing her back.

On the other side, Eos was knocked over but Malus held as Lefty swung his maul at them. Doombunny struck hard as he was stopped by Malus 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, with many of the others also joining the fight.

Soryuto blocked a severely delayed Kamishi from Lefty and then sprinted to Righty. She made several cuts at the leg of the troll, drawing its attention. In retaliation, it raised its maul overhead and brought it straight down to squash her. Soryuto skipped back, narrowly avoiding it. The troll punched at her. She stopped the fist on her shield. The maul swung at her and Soryuto ducked low, under its path. She braced herself down behind her shield for the next attack.

It didn't come as Kiefer and Bladescape let loose a fury of Sword Skills on the back of the troll. Kate, Suiginto, and Phirrha charged in as well, sword skills triggered. 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.

Kiefer sprinted over to Babs. Her health was almost gone as she laid there, breathing heavily. Kiefer 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. Kiefer picked up her spear and put it in her hand. He nodded to her with a reassuring smile and then charged back into the fray.

Doombunny had also 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 as the troll stumbled backwards towards them. She unleashed Viper, a seven hit combo, all stabs. It was almost as fast as Thunderborne 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 as she landed. She stabilized herself and looked at Lefty. She saw Kamishi and Malus charge in from two different sides. They both had high level Sword Skills triggered with multiple combination attacks. The troll had three quarters of his second health bar left. It was gone as the two of them struck.

It shattered and Bladescape breathed and a sigh of relief. The menu popped up, showing the drop list. It wasn’t bad XP, but pitiful Col since trolls were too dumb to save any money. 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 at the same time.

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 Meigibu 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. Natora, Thunderborne, Reisenki, and Konpeito were out front, clearing the way, along with six of the seven guys in Meigibu. Malus was too slow to keep up with them. Konpeito kept showing most of them up in her usual fashion by scoring critical attacks that obliterated a hobgoblin because of the added damage factor.

BLADESCAPE: Level 85 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 80 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 80 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatsword — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend — Sprint
THUNDERBORNE: Level 80 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing — Search
KONPEITO: Level 80 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry — Rend
DIEMOND: Level 80 — Mace — Greatsword — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation — Rend
DOOMBUNNY: Level 81 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche — Search
KIEFER: Level 79 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 77 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 79 — One-Handed Axe — Greatsword — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 97 — Morning Meeting

Episode 97 — Morning Meeting
Sixteenth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 16) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 35 — Front Line Floor 62

As soon as Malus, the last to arrive for breakfast, sat down, Kiefer asked the question he had been waiting to ask. "Is Meigibu going to merge with us?"

Natora and Malus 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 sides knew that we needed to talk with our guilds first. We will have a meeting again in a few days with everyone present. 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 it, slowly. We probably won't become members of Meigibu 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 three of you who don't have horses on your armor are Blade, Reisenki and Doom. Bladescape and Reisenki have our symbol on their cloaks. 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 redye 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 very valid concern and it is noted."

"Nothing is set in stone," Natora 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 and would also be appealing to the members of Meigibu?"

"I have already been playing with a few Eastern Armor designs," Diemond noted. "That enterprise isn't new. Fuurinkazan was the main source of that inspiration. It should not be hard for me to have options made up."

"Not to be mean or rude," Reisenki said. "But what can they do for us? What do we get out of it?"

"Security," Natora said. "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's strength in numbers and that's true here. We're 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's fun. We get along great with Meigibu, better than we do with Fuurinkazan. Fuurinkazan just comes around more because of Klein dogging on Bladescape. And for Konpeito's confections.

"But on point, rotations mean that Malus 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. Now you will have more time for your creative love. Bladescape can ride her horse more too. We all need more time off but can't afford it with our small size, yet this fixes both.”

Bladescape spoke up. "Konpeito, 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."

"Reisenki is great help, but I could use more," Konpeito agreed. "I love cooking for you guys, but it does get tiring. Sometimes it's a lot of pressure for the quick turnarounds we do."

Malus leaned forward onto the table. "Sugarcube, anytime you don't wanna cook, all yah gotta do is let us know. We can easily get food elsewhere. We don't ever wanna take advantage of your love, even if it's an accident."

"Thanks," Konpeito smiled.

"We will need to level them up toward us," Natora explained. "We will need quotas, real quotas, and once they are there, we can solidify party tactics and they, we, will become a great fighting force. It will take a lot of work for everyone, but 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. "I like many of their members. They are wonderful ladies. But! I draw the line at not being blue and yellow Wondercolts."

"Noted," Bladescape said with a nod. "Now, gear up and let's get the day's work started."

"I always thought we would absorb Fuurinkazan," Soryuto said as they stood up. "They would be living here just for Konpeito's food if they thought they could get away with it."

Everyone laughed. Soryuto 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 have gone worse," Malus said to Bladescape as they gathered in the atrium. They were the only two armed and ready for the day.

"I don't know what I was expecting," Bladescape admitted. "We barely got the idea together last night. Are we imposing our will on them?"

"Yes, we are," Malus nodded. "But it ain't 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 em, get their feedback like Diemond's points, but ultimately it's up to us. Just like it's up to the rider to direct the horse."

“I never thought about our symbol,” Bladescape said, looking at the one on her pouch belt. “That is a major problem. Same with the colors."

“It may be, but it may not be,” Malus stated with a shrug. “We have no idea what they will want when we meet up again.”

The rest of the guild wasn't much longer. Then it was time for another day in a very tough labyrinth.

BLADESCAPE: Level 85 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 80 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 80 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatsword — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend — Sprint
THUNDERBORNE: Level 80 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing — Search
KONPEITO: Level 80 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry — Rend
DIEMOND: Level 80 — Mace — Greatsword — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation — Rend
DOOMBUNNY: Level 81 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche — Search
KIEFER: Level 79 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 77 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 79 — One-Handed Axe — Greatsword — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 98 — One plus One equals W

Episode 98 — One plus One equals W
Twentieth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 20) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 35 — Front Line Floor 62

Meigibu had just arrived. Kiefer had greeted them. Bladescape was in her room, mentally preparing herself. She had just finished doing Iaido for an hour on their open roof. It not only passed the time, but it helped focus her mind for the lunch. It was not very relaxing, but it was a decent way to shrug off the stress through forced repetition and slowing down. It was a form of focused meditation as she let everything go except Iaido.

The meeting hall had been transformed into a giant dining hall. They were seating fifty people. It was just going to work. The head table was for the six leaders: Bladescape, Natora, Malus, Lobelia, Kamishi, and Shikiku. They had six tables set up to each hold six members. Only the leaders were assigned seats. A few chairs would be empty, but that was fine.

The evening prior, Bladescape and Lobelia had met up to discuss the meeting. It was a lunch event, where the food could be used to allow players to internally process everything, Meigibu was bringing desserts and drinks.

Konpeito had assured Bladescape that she could pull off a meal for everyone. Reisenki was less sure, but behind Konpeito all the way. Both of them had been up very early to start and they didn't cook breakfast.

Yesterday the Wondercolts had only cleared for half of the day. Diemond needed more time for her requested duties and Konpeito and Reisenki needed an early bedtime. Preparing the meeting hall fell to everyone else.

It didn't matter that they were off the front. The Knights of the Bloodoath, Divine Dragon Alliance, and Fuurinkazan had finally deployed to the labyrinth. The other guilds would be joining the push in a day or two. Natora had distributed the labyrinth map they had. It not only acted as proof of what the Wondercolts had done, but it also gave the others a boost. That was more important. They would likely have a boss raid meeting in a day or two and break out into the new floor in three or four days.

No one was going to expect to see the Wondercolts clearing the labyrinth today or tomorrow, which was good because this whole business with Meigibu was still undecided and also being kept quiet. Nothing was official for a reason. The Wondercolts council had no reservations, but some of their members did. Their concerns were noted, primarily Diemond's points about their armor. They could not simply change colors or their guild tag, as everyone had plenty on them with the emblem — everything from buckles to stitching — plus they were excellent pieces not only in their colors, but using materials that were not cheap or easy to get, and everyone had been enhancing their armor. Bladescape's armor alone was something that would be impossible to recreate. Ashley would not redo it and Diemond was still learning to harden basic leather into moldable plates. That process took time and it only increased for higher quality, rare materials. Plus, Diemond had no idea how Ashley dyed the leather to make it look like metal. At this time, they were backed into a corner in regards to their colors and symbol. Their name was more negotiable, but the final name would need to fit the symbol and colors.

Bladescape put on a dress that Diemond had made her. It was an abstract pattern of maroon, orange, and black, with some teal thrown in randomly. Her usual colors in the real world. The wrap style dress was paired with black heels. Her circlet and jewel matched enough to work and her hair was done up in a smooth bun with braids.

With Bladescape changed and ready, she headed down. She was as mentally prepared as possible. Delaying would look bad, as she was the leader of the Wondercolts and prospective leader of the members of Meigibu.

A little over half of Meigibu had been to the headquarters. Those that had not were being shown around the second floor by Soryuto. Really, as Bladescape passed them, they were done and just chatting in the hallway.

Lobelia was in the meeting hall, speaking with Kiefer and Natora, by the head table. Kamishi and Shikiku were with her. Bladescape approached them and bowed first. She received a bow back from the three guests.

"You look lovely," Lobelia said before Bladescape could say anything. "The colors and patterns are bold yet refined."

"This is one of several dozen dresses Diemond has randomly given me," Bladescape said with a laugh. "I do really like it, but unlike you, we don't usually change after we are done for the day. They only get used on days off. Even most supplies shopping is done by members before they go home. Soryuto leaves the most and always in an outfit Diemond made. You, though, are looking your usual, lovely self. I don't think I have seen this kimono."

"You have," Lobelia said. "But the obi is new."

They were interrupted as Malus came into the meeting hall. She was arguing with Thunderborne. It was the third argument in a week Thunderborne had started. Thunder was against expansion. She liked their current team and didn't want to have it shaken up. She also wanted Knightstar back before they considered a merger. She was not satisfied with the answer from the council and Doombunny only reported that her progress was steady, but slow. Doombunny was always running off and had stepped away three times over the past three weeks, since they didn't have a day off scheduled, and spent a lot of nights away.

"We've told you plenty of times already, Thunder," Malus growled as she came over to the other leaders. "Knightstar is bein taken care of. That's on track. Just cause you ain't seein it don't mean it ain't bein worked on. We all want her back. So drop it before I drop you." The final threat was not said lightly. Malus was deceptively quick when she wasn't in her armor and she could clock Thunderborne hard enough to knock her out and break the criminal conduct code in the process. That was without using a Martial Arts skill.

Malus, like almost everyone else, was in something Diemond had made. So long as it was semi formal, it didn't matter what they wore. The only problem is that Diemond made what Diemond made. Malus was never given things she would typically wear in the real world. It couldn't even be considered cowgirl chic. She looked good, but the skirt and blouse was a Malus style, not an AJ style. Not that Malus ever complained. She had never publicly spoken to Diemond about anything to do with fashion. Armor and equipment design was the closest she got. It was almost as if she was ignoring the topic altogether.

"Welcome back to our home, y'all," Malus said, pushing past the argument with Thunderborne. "Glad to have y'all back."

"It's a pleasure to be back," Shikiku said. "It is nice to see the Iron Bulwark in red and orange, not iron and steel."

"Thank ya kindly," Malus replied. "I'd tip my hat to ya if Diemond would give me one. Well, one that wasn't covered in rhinestones, bows, or feathers."

Everyone laughed. They all knew Diemond enough to understand Malus' poke.

"How are you feeling, Malus?" Lobelia asked. "About this whole thing?"

"Honestly, I'm excited to see where today takes us," Malus answered with a shrug. "The Wondercolts have a diverse set of responses, but the Council has been in deliberations among ourselves. After hearing them out, that is. Natora is right."

"Oh?" Lobelia asked, looking at Natora.

Natora glanced around. A few players were in seats, but most were out in the hallway talking with each other or with the Wondercolts. Or they were in the kitchen, doing final preparations. They did not have privacy, Thunderborne and Kiefer were standing among them, but all of it was about to come out.

"We, well I, have concerns about our size going into the seventies," Natora said. "It's going to get harder. It already is hard. How much we can do as a guild is directly reflected in our size. Safety is another point and larger numbers are safer. Malus has understood my concern, Blade has questioned it herself, but that was the first time either has shared my concern."

Malus just shrugged.

"And your thoughts, Bladescape, about Natora's assessment?" Kamishi asked.

"I'm neutral," Bladescape admitted. "I don't know if that is an issue we will face, but I also don't know if it won't be. It may very well be. I focus on leading in the field and let Natora feed me information I need to make the best decisions. I stand by her, even if I can't directly back it up. Her logic is sound and well thought out. I do wish we had Knightstar to run those calculations by. We could go pay her, but it's not that critical. Not yet. I'd rather let Doombunny finish her plan before we approach Knightstar again."

"I didn't realize it was her shop the other day until I was already inside," Shikiku said. "The Guiding Star name really made sense when I realized it was her books on the shelves. I only knew it was a game guide store and that's why I was there. The NPC store tender took care of me. I never saw Knightstar."

"She took a while to come down right after she opened it," Bladescape said. "I believe she stays in the apartment above unless she needs to see a client."

"Two players entered as I was finishing my purchase," Shikiku added. "I couldn't help but overhear. One was there for a consultation and the other was dropping something off. It was odd. He was quiet about the delivery. The other player seemed clueless, but I noticed the badge hanging off his belt. It was the same symbol as her store's sign."

"Oh, she has a statistics team," Bladescape casually explained. "I've kept tabs on her. She was using most of them prior, but formalized them about a week after she set up the shop. She pays them to get specific information she is missing. The core is four players: Matsasumi, Yang, Daichi, and Yatsuhashi. They are not an official guild. Players that join on and off or run solo are Hakowaru, Failsafe, Scarlatina, Alistair, Monty, Branwen, Taiyang, Weiss, and Blake. Failsafe, Yang, Scarlatina, Blake, and Weiss are all women. The rest are males. They are all solid intermediate players. We actually know Hakowaru. He was in the first few boss raids, but for one reason or another he fell out by floor fifteen. He has since switched from an axe to the Kusarigama."

"He's the only one to use that weapon, right?" Kamishi asked.

"As far as I know, yeah," Natora said. "It's a quest-locked Extra Skill, but he won't share that info. Not even the Skill requirements. I've seen him in action while material hunting. It's impressive. He butted heads with both Lind and Kibaou and was eventually forced off the front. It's a shame, but specialized Skills like his are difficult to use in group efforts like boss raids without a solid team that’s used to working with them."

Konpeito rang her dinner bell. Only she rang the giant hand bell like she did. The chaotic clang and pings were not melodic. They were a warning. Reisenki, if he used it, made the bell sing.

They were doing everything buffet style. It was all laid out on the dining room table. The dining room chairs were either being used at the head table, or in the storeroom. There was enough room to go in, around the table, and out. Of course, the leaders were sent first. Bladescape, Natora, and Malus let their guests be first, then they followed.

It was the distraction they all needed. Lunch was amazing. Konpeito had outdone Christmas. Handheld meat pies, several stews, a dish that passed for real ramen, pastas, and a wide variety of vegetable sides, including twenty pounds of mashed potatoes.

It was wonderful to eat good food and chat about nothing in particular, but eventually the chatter quieted down. Everyone had eaten their fill and they all knew the reason why they were there.

Bladescape stood up to address everyone and the room fell to a quiet never seen in the headquarters. It certainly caused Bladescape to pause as her breathing stopped. The Wondercolts had always been open for discussion. Decisions were never forced upon members. They all had made some big decisions over their time in SAO, but the Council had never forced upon all members a decision. This was not a time to make such a decision, it was a moment to hear the members of both guilds. That was all Bladescape had to do.

"We are glad you all are here today," Bladescape said. "Konpeito and Reisenki outdid themselves on lunch, but now it's time to talk. Not for me or anyone at the head table, we have talked to each other, we need to hear from you.

"We all are on the front lines. It doesn't matter how long or short, we all are there and we have seen and experienced the dangers and horrors. We know how difficult it is to battle on, daily, to free ourselves. Meigibu had been a powerful force in that fight. At forty players strong, you are one of the largest guilds in the game and losing you would be a big hit. This is why this merger has been proposed. Now is the time for us to hear your thoughts, questions, and concerns. I know the Wondercolts have their own. So I will turn it over to you, but please, be kind and orderly or we will be forced to moderate the discussion and that will only hinder voices. All of your voices are equal and valid."

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. Once one person did, more would.

“What do you think?” Bonnon asked. “You all 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 of leadership." It was evident that him asking wasn't the push they needed to start talking. Bladescape had to push them all forward. "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 on the Floor before. As we climb to Floor One Hundred, the Floor number gets closer to our Level. What we once had outpaced by ten, five, or double, we are now barely above.

"I see the larger ramifications of losing forty players. For context, the average boss raid has forty-eight players. No, I am not speaking about any of you becoming members of the Assault Team, just the equatable size. What it would actually mean to lose forty clearers is essentially as bad as if we lost an entire floor boss raid party. I led the rescue mission for the disastrous floor Twenty-Five raid. I've seen what it means for a boss to decimate a raid party. I also was instrumental as we opened up to other guilds after that raid, along with Lind, and Meigibu was one of the new guilds we tested. I was impressed then and I'm still impressed now.

"But, what the real point is, the Wondercolts have always had clearers who would not go into boss fights. Yes, the majority of us are members of the Assault Team, but we are not a guild solely in the Assault Team and we respect the members who have chosen to not go into those fights, mostly. Ultimately we gave an encouraging push and they understood the two times we requested all hands on deck. Even the other time with Doombunny, we could have done it without her, but we are thankful she stepped up because she was the best for the job. Still, it wasn't easy on her and we don't plan on asking a fourth time.

"Anyway, being a clearer is important. Very important. No less important than the Assault Team, at least in my eyes. That's where I expect most of you would end up, still being clearers like you are now, but with support and rest. We are not actively looking for new members for the Assault Team. We simply don't want to see forty good players burn out while clearing. We think we can provide the support and help needed to keep you there, or most of you there, if you so choose, assuming we go through with this."

"You switched to we," Elora pointed out.

Bladescape let out a sigh. She had messed up and crossed the line she didn't mean to.

"You're right," Bladescape admitted. "I didn't mean to. It's not easy leading the Wondercolts. Certainly parts of our direction are a result of who I am and how I think. Others are because I start to think like we decided we need to go. If I don't believe in our choice, we will likely fail, but if I believe in it, we have a much better shot at succeeding. Sometimes the I and We of Bladescape and the Wondercolts blend together."

"Are the Wondercolts united on this merger?" Elora pressed.

"No," Bladescape admitted with a shrug. "Technically, the Council is only unified so far as having this discussion. I could not vote right now. We have talked about the various prospects, but we needed to hear from everyone, to make a better informed decision. Until then, I won't, can't, cast my vote. Which is why it isn't supposed to be me talking, but I understand why some of you want to hear from your leaders first. We just don't want you to blindly follow us or feel pressured by us."

Bladescape sat down again to force them to move forward, into the member discussion.

Eos stood up. "You all have a nice place here, but I know there are only twelve bedrooms. Do you have plans in place if we do merge?"

Natora stood up before Bladescape could. "The Wondercolts need to secure a new place within the next month. Sorry, Thunder, I know you like Mishe and our place, so do I, but we have to. Yes, everyone, this place is great, but the Wondercolts have fallen behind being here at Mishe. The DDA are on their second headquarters while the KoB are on their third. This is our first headquarters. It has served us well, but it's not good enough anymore. Not for our image. Regardless of how we proceed, shortly we will be securing a new headquarters. How today's discussions go will dictate how we go about doing that. We may need to look at a headquarters and housing separately. Or we may be able to secure property that has both. We don't know what is available because we haven't started looking."

Thunderborne stood up as Natora sat down. "Look, I like most of you fine. I've met and fought beside most of you for a while, but I really don't want to expand. I like our group the way it is, or was, when we had Knightstar with us. It's not the Wondercolts without her and I joined to play this game with my friends. Sure, that went sideways the minute the game officially launched, but I still don't want it. It has nothing to do with any of you. I don't want to expand at all." Thunderborne sat down, not expecting a response. She had heard the Wondercolts' counter arguments.

"And if we don't want to fight anymore?" Pyrrha asked.

That was an interesting question, specifically since it came from Pyrrha. She was one of Meigibu's best fighters and a very good lancer. She did not look like a player who wanted to leave the front.

Bladescape stood up to address the question. "I said we are used to having clearers. If everyone joined today, there would be fifty of us. That is a very large size. We would need support staff. By that I primarily mean cooks, but that also means players who can run errands for our crafters and fighters, so they can stay in the field instead of leaving it to do it while the shops are open. Depending on how things play out, that might mean a team formed specifically to hunt materials for upgrades, crafting, or col. Support roles often are pushed down as being less important, but they really are the skeleton of any organization. The Clearers and Assault Team are the muscles, but they need a strong skeleton to be anchored to, to work."

Lobelia stood up so Bladescape sat down. "What she says is true. I agree with everything. I just want to add that having support and family, which is what Meigibu is and I know the Wondercolts are that way too, it is good for us and natural to have those bonds. If you stay just for the family and work in a way that supports the rest, that is not only acceptable, it is honorable and humbling that you would choose to stay in our family. We would not think less of you. Neither will we think less of you if you decide a merger is not good for you for whatever reason. If we go through with it, all we need is a 'yes' or a 'no', from members in both guilds, not a reason why you choose to join or not."

Lobelia sat down but no one responded. Everyone sat in silence as they thought. To Bladescape it didn't appear as if they had any questions. They had already thought through them or had gotten their answers in the time leading up to lunch.

Diamond stood up and clapped a few times in rapid succession. It brought everyone's attention to her. "Kiefer and Soryuto, would you two please be darlings and prepare the presentation?" Both of them got up and slipped out of the meeting hall.

Diemond continued to speak. "Now, since no one is saying anything, I shall give you my thoughts. The future guild name is technically negotiable, but I would prefer to stay the Wondercolts. We built a very strong association with the name and the positive attributes of what players think when they hear it. We have been there since the first floor boss battle. It's not a name to lose from the liberation effort lightly.

"With that stated, as you all know, I am the Wondercolts' designer — I know I saw quite a few of you at our little sale a few months back — and not just for the clothes the Wondercolts are wearing today, but also for most of our armor. I'm still catching up on heavy metal armor. My point is, our armor and equipment are not only some of the best out there, they are actively being enhanced. That is more than what most of the Assault Team can say. We can't just replace it, so we can't change the colors. We would have to stay blue and gold as well as using the same guild tag because a lot of our stuff has our symbol on it. Too much to allow a change. Capes and cloaks would be simple to redo, but stitching and buckles, our horse head symbol is in most pieces. We are both the girl guild and the horse guild, which is fine by me. After all, I designed the integration.

"Your armor is likely not at the same level as what I can make and your colors, as much as I love them, well you don't have custom color pieces like I have made for us. I know how expensive they are to do and adding color is even more expensive due to the required techniques. You have done a wonderful job weaving them in, but you don't have the integration we have established and can establish for you. But! I have two designs to show off to you. They are works in progress and not finalized, but I am satisfied enough to show them off. I never give previews for a reason, but I hope this gets you excited."

Kiefer and Soryuto came back into the room. Each was in a similar, but different, style. Each had an Eastern flair to it, yet matched the current Wondercolt image.

"Soryuto is modeling the women's light metal armor," Diemond explained. "It is splint mail with an Eastern flair. Kiefer is wearing the design for the heavy metal armor, which invokes the image of the samurai. I can make the samurai armor in a more manly cut with better lines for the male figure for those who use Light Metal Armor. Leather armor is much more diverse and I am learning to mold leather plates like what Bladescape wears. You all have seen Doombunny's outfit and she has no armor skill. If anyone is classless, I can make a lot of very high quality pieces in a variety of styles. We have no standard for classless and really lack one for Leather Armor as well, and Konpeito is her own, long, story. Can you all raise your hand if you don't use metal armor?"

Delton, Jade, Helia, Tifa, and Eowyn were the five players who did not use metal armor. Tifa was the only one who was classless. She was similar to Doombunny in her build, a speed based damage dealer who fought up close, except she used claws for her primary weapon. Eowyn was a shieldmaiden with a stout, but short, broadsword. Helia was also a shieldmaiden, except she carried a thick-bladed scimitar. Jade carried a crusader longsword and crusader kite shield. Delton was the only male who didn't wear metal armor and he carried a xiphos and small shield.

"Well, I would not have to stamp out the same design for each of you," Diemond stated. "I can make it flow with your energy and fighting style. For the rest of you, I don't stamp out armor unless I am farming experience. I'm too good to let the system control everything. No two pieces are the same. As unified as we look, if you look at our armor, you will see small differences, ways to bring out the uniqueness of each player. As you can see with what Soryuto is wearing, well I was playing with design and colors, specifically trying to make Fuurinkazan look better than the ragtag group they appear to be. You can see how some of the metal splints are colored differently. Battle and large numbers dictate speed and efficiency, but as a fashionista, as a designer, I make the important pieces each with their own flaunt and flair to make the wearer feel special, for you are. It is a special thing to wear something I made. Even more so if I made it in our colors, for our members. You never see second hand sales of our custom armor for a reason."

No one responded to Diemond, issuing in the second silence of the discussion. Kiefer and Soryuto took their seats in the armor they were modeling.

"Eh," Konpeito said with a shrug. "More members equals more fun. Right?"

"Good," Nora said with a relieved sigh. She wielded a two-handed war hammer. "I'm 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."

"Us cooks have to stick together!" Konpeito exclaimed. "Oh! My cupcakes are going to burn!" Konpeito bolted out of the room.

"Nothing was in the oven or the stove," Reisenki immediately stated. "I double checked. Unless she snuck back in, but I followed her out."

"It's Konpeito," Bladescape replied. There was no point in hiding her eccentricities, if they were even hidden at this point. "We can only do so much. Still, she cooked a lot of this meal and feeds us all daily, yet is still on point in every fight we have been in."

"We've seen her two sides," Chok said, unphased by Konpeito. He was a sword wielding tank and had fought directly with her in their joint venture in the labyrinth. "Nora alluded to the men talking and we have spoken together. We joined Meigibu for what they offered. Companionship and purpose greater than what we were doing ourselves. We back the merger. Delton was on the fence, but, and he can speak for himself, he likely will transition to a support role, not a fighter."

Delton simply shrugged to back up the statement.

"Well, that means we have enthusiastic members about a merger," Lobelia openly stated to the other leaders.

Osouji, the sole fencer in Meigibu 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 across the table from 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 ya would be very welcome to help keep us goin',” Malus said. “You know 'em and ya know how to handle a larger guild. We'll need that expertise. Plus, ya earned it.”

“Just me would give us an even council,” Lobelia pointed out.

“And with the new size, five would be better,” Bladescape added. “It sounds like Kamishi does a lot for you, and I fought beside him the other day. He is fast, smart, strong, and wise. He knows how to lead, and he is your lead man. 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 five."

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, or any real lines.

No one responded.

"Just sit down," Kamishi told her, speaking up after not responding to the offer. "They are all followers."

"Excuse me?" Malus snorted.

Kamishi looked across the table at her, locking eyes with Malus. "You heard me. They all are followers. Even the Wondercolts."

Malus was taken aback and offended. Kamishi didn't stop as he explained. "None of that is bad. Every player in this room is a warrior. Everyone can fight on the front lines. It took dedication and spirit to make it where we have. Some of us need some training to stay current, but even without it, we all have proven that we are warriors deserving to be here.

"The world is split into leaders and followers, and there are significantly fewer 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, player, or human.

"Doombunny and Tifa are perfect examples. They are amazing at what they do. Few have the guts they each, individually, have. 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. Claws are a close third for speed and close second for daring attitude. Despite those steel nerves and undisputable skill, when we teamed up the other day, Doombunny stayed with Malus. Tifa stuck with Nereid. You wouldn't ask either to lead a unit on the front lines. That would be dumb. Their strength is to be led and pointed to the job. Then they use their unique 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. 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. A fierce fashion designer who is a leader in that regard, but not for this stuff.

"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 suddenly 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.

"Natora 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 Meigibu are great warriors too, but most of them default to the guys. Pyrrha is the one exception. Everyone else follows the model and direction of the others. 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 all 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.

"The bulk of the Assault Team are followers. The bulk of the clearing effort are followers. Tenacious vanguards, but followers. The leaders stick out, especially the good ones."

"And me?" Malus asked.

Kamishi shook his head slowly. "Sorry, but you are a follower."

Natora saw it coming and yanked Malus back into her seat as she tried to stand up.

"You can lead a good 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. 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. Sometimes you direct the tanks, a small group, but that always comes back to your role as the cornerstone and them helping you be that cornerstone. You know what you need better than anyone else.

"Lobelia, who I swore to follow, is nearly 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. She certainly isn't the only one unable to hold on under the pressure. After all, that is why we are here, meeting with you and discussing this merger."

"And you are a leader," Malus snipped.

Kamishi laughed heartily. "I'm the leader of the followers. I prefer to be the supporter of the leader, just like Natora. 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 on point the entire time. I know my limitations, and I led a guild from the beginning to floor eighteen.

"This game is brutal and many of us have been fighting on the front line since the start. That means over eighteen 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. If we took one we would fall behind and be unable to catch up to the fight. 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 plenty of 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 her friends. 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 of his speech. 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 Meigibu has lost friends and companions to it. I hope you will all join us and play a critical role in the guild and front line fight. Cooking for fifty players is not easy, but knowing we are going back to a warm dinner is very important for morale. I don't know how to even express the depth of how it will keep us going. 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 need support comrades. Konpeito won't fully let go of the kitchen, but she earned that role. Today is yet another example of how she earned it."

"Question?" Suiko 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. Malus had come up with this answer in their council deliberations. "The Wondercolts' Council believe the best course of action is to allow those who are unsure about permanently joining to have the status of 'probationary Wondercolts.' You, Suiko, have a lot of friends here, and plenty of new ones to gain. Friendship isn't something I want any of you to lose and I know everyone, Wondercolts included, don’t want to leave their 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, you can leave with no need to give a reason. Every player in this room understands that a guild is a personal choice and a family, especially in SAO. 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. The Wondercolts have been able to get by with just a council since we had eleven at most."

"I can solve that," Lobelia said. "I was personally reflecting on that yesterday. My father is an officer in the Japanese Self 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. "But that deliberation is best done in private. Everyone can continue to hang out, or leave. Go craft or do anything you need or want to do. Lunch is over and so is the open discussion. You have no obligation to stay."

Bladescape stood up and the others followed suit. The regular members stayed seated. They could stand and bow, but the relaxed setting kept them in their seats to quietly let the leaders leave first, out of respect.

The best place was a room Bladescape had not been in for a while. It was Knightstar's study. Now unused and empty, it was the perfect place to meet. Malus grabbed a couch from the main room on her own, while Natora and Kamishi grabbed a second.

“That was a harsh push, partner,” Malus said as they sat down. “I reckon ya just shoved some of em out the door.”

“Maybe,” Kamishi said with a shrug. “For players like Thunderborne, she needed the push to see the situation properly. Bladescape was softer and pulled them in, relaying the foundation of the support roles we need and the probationary status. Most, if not all of them, don’t want to give up, they just need to be inspired, revitalized. That’s why we are having this talk. You know we don’t want to leave. If we did, we would have split up before you could have caught us. Jade, Delton, and Ithilien are done fighting. We all know that and they made it clear. The others will come along in the hope that they don’t have to leave, that Bladescape and the Wondercolts are the solution.”

“That inspiration will be important,” Bladescape said. “I am a little concerned about being able to inspire them and about having all of the solutions.”

“It’s not all on you,” Kamishi said. “That’s why you have a council. You are at the head and the general everyone follows, but you don’t plan or execute the strategy alone. You have a team to do that with. That way you can confidently walk out of the strategy meeting and lead them into battle and they will follow because you have the confidence and you have inspired them to follow that confidence. It will require all of us to ensure that the confidence and inspiration is there for the members to grab onto.”

That was good to hear. Bladescape was feeling better, but it would be rocky. She just needed to hold steady at the helm and lead them through the transition.

Bladescape looked at Lobelia. "So, structure?"

"Every unit should have a lead and a secondary officer," Lobelia explained. "I'm mostly familiar with the Maritime Self Defense Force ranks, so we can use those ranks as our base. They will have ‘kai,’ ocean, in their name. Our senior officer ranks can go to the council, but we will have enough parties that we will need the extra leaders. Most ranks have itto, nito, and santo added to further separate the group. Players won't think much of it if we do it right.”

“Our primary color is blue,” Natora pointed out. “Like water. No one will think twice about us using naval ranks.”

“I had not considered that, but you’re right,” Lobelia said. “We can have several leaders with the same rank, there does not have to be a single chain of command. We need something simple and clear. At the head, kaisho, admiral. Below that, kaisa, captain or commander. Then kaii, lieutenant. That will give us a three-tiered council which will be robust and strong enough for our needs.

“For the other party leaders, we can keep it very simple. Itto, first rate, and nito, second rate. It gets us away from kaiso, petty officer, another very similar sounding rank. Fast and efficient.”

"Where does that leave Shikiku?" Bladescape asked. "She is in these deliberations for a reason, even though she is not a councilor."

"I don't want to be a councilor or leader," Shikiku said. "I understand that I am looked up to, but that is a very different role."

"You deserve a special position," Lobelia said. "You have a good rapport with the members. You always know what is going on and have given me guidance that way. Socho is the senior most rank applied to the Self-Defense Force. It won't require you to lead, but it will set you apart. We will likely become less accessible to the general members, but you should be able to maintain your connection with them and act as their emissary. It is an honorable position to take."

"I can accept that," Shikiku said.

"Sounds good," Bladescape replied. "We need that connection with all of our members, but I understand how this will really separate us. What else?"

"Who takes what ranks," Natora said. "As Lobelia pointed out, there are plenty of times where it will matter."

"May I propose the order?" Shikiku asked. "As best seen by the members and by your talents."

"Please," Bladescape said. "That is a good place to start and better than possibly letting egos get in the way."

"Bladescape should be kaisho," Shikiku reiterated. "Natora's leadership and tactical skill should place her as kaisa. She has led a floor boss raid. Lobelia needs to be higher up to promote unity in the new venture, plus she is a skilled leader, just tired, so she shall be our second kaisa. Malus and Kamishi lead less but are important in their own rights. They shall take the rank of kaii."

Everyone sat there for a moment and reflected on the proposed order. To Bladescape, it provided a give and take for the merger. The original Wondercolts could not be seen as superior or more important than their new ones. Plus it was focused on strategic and leadership skills. She did agree with that order.

It was clear no one was going to speak first, so Bladescape did. After all, she was their senior leader, their Kaisho. "I like it. It balances skill yet shows that the new members are not valued or looked down as less. We are merging together, not overtaking.

"What about other roles?" Bladescape asked. "Like a training officer or senior cook? Kiefer had become quite skilled at leading the training session we run. He knows our tactics and what has brought us success."

"Having a dedicated position to keep us informed is wise," Lobelia said. "Plus, they can run those operations without needing one of us to be present. Meigibu has no one in a position to do that. Kiefer will be a good choice. He too can receive the rank of santo, basically ensign."

"Can we stop Konpeito from taking over the kitchen?" Natora asked. "Or better put, is anyone better than her?"

"None of our cooks are anywhere near her skill level," Shikiku said. "They are good, but none are maxed. Even if they were, she has a knack in the kitchen that rivals her fighting ability."

"You didn't see her in the Necromancer fight," Lobelia said. "I still can't believe how cold and ruthless she was over killing her clone. In front of everyone and with a smile on her lips. I think she was laughing too, or had just stopped. With such fighting skill, if she truly is a better cook, then she is a legendary chef."

"That flip was disconcerting," Natora said with a chuckle.

"She almost has Reisenki maxed in cooking," Bladescape added. "I swear, it's like her cooking experience that her skill no longer needs gets transferred to him. We probably don't need to designate kitchen positions more than that though."

"Itamae will place her above the others, as she deserves," Lobelia said. "She doesn't do much with sushi, and she is in pink, not white, but she deserves the title."

"That will make her day," Malus said with a chuckle.

"Anything else?" Bladescape asked.

"One more thing," 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 immediately answered. "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 energy of a platoon. Or better put, we are on a ship, but we need the most comprehensive fighting ship, like an aircraft carrier with a lot of different aircraft for different roles. The point is, we can gain that flexibility if we integrate defense conditions into our structure."

"Defense conditions?" Malus asked.

"Commonly called DefCon," Lobelia explained. "Usually they come with a color. Green is no threat, yellow is a little heightened threat. Orange is threat but no war, yet troops are ready to move. Red is an active war. And blue typically means nuclear weapons have been launched."

"That's no good," Natora said. "Blue is our color."

"We can make the colors our own," Bladescape said. "Blue can be for regular parties. Gold, or yellow, can be the secondary ones, where we have our raiders separated into two groups. We can make internal changes between those two as we need. We should probably have a color for special assignments. Assigning fifty 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 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. That will be clear and concise and not require us to track each member down for notifying them of the day's assignment."

"If not a few others to make it easier on everyone," Natora said. "Tactical redundancy."

"I like it," Lobelia replied with a wink. "Now you are thinking like a soldier. Especially a kaisa."

"Natora Kaisa," Natora said, nodding her head with a sly grin. "I like it."

"Good," Lobelia smiled. "Because it will get used a lot, but we need it to be used to pull off a guild of forty-ish clearers with ten 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?" Malus 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 about 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 with this to start. We have a course set. In a week we will do a ceremony of some sort to officially bring us together."

"We can set that up," Shikiku said.

"And we will secure a new headquarters," Natora said. "And fight the floor boss."

Bladescape nodded, approving of both. "Okay, then we will also need stats for every member in five days. Give them the time to think, but we will need to know to make our final leveling 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 far along 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 party leaders. 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. Konpeito 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. Reisenki is in the kitchen too often and also repairs our equipment."

"Noted," Kamishi said.

"We have a few who maintain things for us as well," Lobelia added. "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," Natora 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. It's not about what they chose, we're not assessing that, just trying to make sure who they are fits properly with everyone. We need all of us, together, to assign everyone, but this lays a very good foundation, and we don't know all of the Meigibu 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 an early and extended dinner. We should give the Wondercolts a break, as well as Meigibu. Not every Wondercolt is thrilled after all."

"Alright," Lobelia replied. "Lead on."

"I hope Konpeito didn't plan on making dinner," Natora said. "She can go overboard sometimes and I won't be there to eat my half. Neither will Malus. It will all rest on Thunder's shoulders."

Members of both guilds were spread throughout the headquarters. Not every Wondercolt was there or easy to immediately locate; just Diemond, Konpeito, and Reisenki. Konpeito and Reisenki were in the kitchen with the other cooks in Meigibu. The meeting hall had been put back in order.

The leaders headed out to their dinner. It would be the first of many dinner meetings to plan the guild's activities.

BLADESCAPE: Level 85 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 80 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 80 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatsword — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend — Sprint
THUNDERBORNE: Level 80 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing — Search
KONPEITO: Level 80 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry — Rend
DIEMOND: Level 80 — Mace — Greatsword — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation — Rend
DOOMBUNNY: Level 81 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche — Search
KIEFER: Level 79 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 77 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 79 — One-Handed Axe — Greatsword — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 99 — Headquarters Hunting

Author's Note

I decided to drop both 99 and 100 at the same time. There is a blog for the pictures, as a commercial break is a little bit away still.

Episode 99 — Headquarters Hunting

Episode 99 — Headquarters Hunting
Twenty-Fifth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 25) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 50 — Algade — Front Line Floor 63

Bladescape sat down across the table from Argo, who was eating whatever was in the bowl in front of her. It was the same dingy cafe in Algade that they usually met in, which meant it didn’t look like the ramen it supposedly was. Ramen in SAO could taste right, but it never looked right. Argo wasn't going to stop eating and Bladescape wasn’t going to try to stop her.

"The Wondercolts need a new headquarters," Bladescape said, trying to keep her voice low enough to not be overhead. Only two other players were in the cafe, but it was a tiny restaurant. "Mishe isn't impressive anymore. We have fallen behind in that regard."

"No, it isn't impressive." Argo stated in between bites. "And you have."

"We want, need, something grand, big even," Bladescape said, trying to not tip Argo off about the merger. "We need plenty of room for things like crafting, cooking, practicing blade throwing, and other things. A full forge would be nice."

"A full forge is asking a lot," Argo said. "I think I know where to send you, but it's just a rumor, not solid info."

"How much?" Bladescape asked.

"Five-thousand col since it's a rumor," Argo said. Bladescape pulled it out of the guild's funds and passed her the money. "Floor Sixty-One is mostly water with mountainous islands, but it has that gorgeous marbled city, Selmburg. Head to Selmburg's docks. You will find an old man with a small sailboat, just big enough for him and two full parties. It will take some convincing, but he will take you east to Thorn Island. All I know is that completing its quest allows you to purchase property on the island. It seems to be a one-shot quest, which means one piece of property. If you want grand, nothing is grander than a private island."

"No idea what is on it?" Bladescape asked.

"Nope," Argo shrugged. "Look, I went to the island, but stopped when a quest screen popped up. I wasn't ready to take it on solo and I had no reason to. You now have all the info I know. I don't do property quests because they don't get me the info I need, but the quests for property that I do know always come out with very, very nice property as a purchasable reward. As to having all that you want, well you're talking to me because nothing publicly listed fits your needs. A quest property is your only option. All of the good stuff is from quests. A full forge is a lot to ask in a guild headquarters. You would be better off buying a forge separately, cheaper too, but I get why you don't want to. Grand or big isn't hard to find, especially with Selmburg's offerings, but the forge is. Good luck."

"Alright," Bladescape nodded. "We will check it out."

Bladescape let Argo go back to her meal and went back to their headquarters for a meeting. She relayed the information to them and they decided to go for it. They ensured they were ready for a quest and then teleported to Selmburg. The man at the docks wasn't hard to find. He refused to take them because the island was cursed. After a long conversation that went nowhere, they ended up bribing him to take them.

The boat took its time sailing on the calm waters. Floor Sixty-One had been easy to clear since it only had three dungeons and lacked solid ground. All of the islands were mountainous, like the ring of fire I.R.L. where each island was actually a volcano sticking out of the water. The quick clear and no grinding spots contributed to the clearing effort stalling out like they did on the next floor.

"I just remembered this floor," Diemond said. "It was bugs. Slimy, icky, nasty, bugs."

Bladescape nodded. "Yeah, it was. I don't doubt that our enemy will be bugs, however, I think it will be worth it."

Soryuto also didn't want to face the bugs and neither did Doombunny. That wasn't unexpected for their usual crew. Bladescape didn't either. Bugs were the one thing she hated fighting in SAO, but she kept her mouth shut about it, gambling that it would be worth it. She wouldn't be surprised to find out the others were like her, masking their feelings in hopes that it would pay off. Plus, as their leader, Bladescape couldn't afford to let the others know she didn't want to fight bug monsters. She was supposed to be fearless, at least in her image.

It was clear what island they were headed to, but their angle of approach prevented them from seeing much except that it was surrounded by tall cliffs and it had the obligatory high mountain peak. It wasn't a small island, that was evident, so it might have enough space for everything they needed. It was at least partially curved and more elongated than it was wide.

The NPC steered them over to a dock and the Wondercolts disembarked. They were immediately presented with a quest screen. The quest was called "Crenellation Infestation," which certainly sealed their enemies as being bugs. Bladescape accepted it and they told the sailor that he could leave. He was very willing to leave them there. The NPC clearly didn't like being so close to the cursed island.

Bladescape led everyone down the wooden dock to the inset stairs. She stopped at the bottom, causing a pile up. The stairs had some fifty steps and rose some thirty feet. What was more concerning was that at the top of the stairs was grass; grass that was taller than they were. While she went up the narrow staircase, she would be unable to see anything and, at the top, the grass would still block their vision. Search would be her only way to not be surprised.

"Looks like we need to do some gardenin, y'all," Malus said.

Bladescape expanded her search field to see what lurked out of sight. It lit up with multiple warnings. "Yep, plenty of hostiles,” Bladescape reported. “At least twenty. I'll head up and cut the grass to establish a foothold."

No one objected and Bladescape climbed the steps. When she finally got to the top, the bladed flora was twice her height, making Bladescape feel like a small insect. This quest was off to a great start.

She drew her sword and cut down the grass in front of her, sweeping her blade low. It shattered into polygons, leaving a well-manicured lawn in its wake. She made the next cut higher. The grass shattered to the same, well-manicured height. She made several more cuts, establishing plenty of cleared ground for them all to organize on.

Bladescape looked back to call the others up. Search warned her that an enemy was eminently close. Bladescape shifted her view and saw a giant, brown cricket hop out of the grass. It headbutted her in the chest and she shrieked in terror. Bladescape fell backwards, down the steps. She didn't stop until she slammed into the others, knocking most of them down.

The bug stopped at the top of the stairs, but it didn't hop down. From her spot in the pile, Bladescape could see that it was called a "Giant Weta."

"Is anyone not tangled in the pile?" Natora grunted from the bottom.

"I'm on the pile," Konpeito stated. "Does that count?"

"GET OFF!" Doombunny yelled, pushing at Konpeito. "You tackled me because I wasn't trapped!"

"Cause piles are fun!" Konpeito protested.

Konpeito got up with another shove from a crushed Doombunny. She fished through a pouch and pulled out one of her hira-shuriken. It glowed as she triggered the skill and threw it. The circle of steel bounced off the wall, off the head of the bug, and then off the wall and a step before it returned to Konpeito's outstretched hand. She dramatically blew on it like it was a smoking gun. The bug was gone from getting hit with the weapon, a critical hit was scored by their Viking comrade.

Back on their feet, everyone headed up together.

Malus whistled in shock. "Gardenin is gonna be an interestin chore. I've pulled weeds before, laid down sod, grown grass from seeds, but I ain't never bushwhacked like this. We need a weed eater. No, gotta go with a tractor pulled mower."

"Fresh out of any and all of those," Natora said. "Swords will have to do. Blade, how many enemies are we looking at?"

"Ten off that way, East," Bladescape said, pointing. "West has another twenty. Something is off in the Northwest too. I don't know if it is a geological feature, or a building, but there is a lot more behind them and to the north. It's on the edge of where Search fades out."

"We will have to map it," Natora said, playing with her map, which didn’t show much. "This won't be an easy quest because of the limited visual information. The grass is tall enough that it is blocking us from seeing even the top of the mountain I glimpsed as we approached. We also will have to make sure we don't fall off the cliff. With gear on and no swimming skills, it will be a bad result if we do."

"Then we should pair off and tackle this grass while we hunt down the bugs," Bladescape decided. "The East seems small and well contained, with the West stretching along further, judging from the spread of the enemies. Natora, take three and go East, mapping and eliminating those enemies."

"I'll take Thunder, Doom, and Malus with me," Natora said. "Doom will be able to give us an edge with her Search Skill. Thunder and Malus can handle anything big we might face."

"Kiefer and Reisenki will make a good pair," Bladescape said. "The same with Diemond and Soryuto. That is a sword and a tank in their pairs, allowing for easy cutting. I will take Konpeito with me. We just have to cut the grass and it will automatically trim to what is under our feet."

Malus grunted as she took a swipe at it with her hammer. It blasted apart the grass with ease, leaving the grass at the same height. "Well, y'all, that’s some good news. At least we can all be useful."

"Be careful," Bladescape said. "We don't know what exactly is lurking in the grass."

"We already lost Konpeito," Diemond said with a sigh.

Bladescape looked around, easily finding the trail of cut grass that Konpeito had left in her wake. It almost immediately took a sharp turn, meaning she was no longer in view. She could be heard from the tinkling sound of the polygons and because she was letting out one long "weeeeee" in her joy.

"She will be fine," Natora said. "Probably. She's adaptive and great at handling herself. Blade, you can handle this part solo too."

Bladescape let out a sigh, annoyed at herself for not ensuring Konpeito didn't wander off. "Right. If I can snag Konpeito, I will, otherwise we will gather together after the West is cleared of enemies so you can find us. At worst, I send a guild wide message to assist in the regroup. Let's focus on eliminating the enemies and not worry about gardening until after."

They all agreed and broke off into their teams. Bladescape went due North, cutting her way across to the other side. It didn't take her long to get to the cliff.

Bladescape paused there. Nothing was in her immediate threat zone. She wasn't in need of a break, but from her vantage point, she didn't have the grass blocking her view. They were on a large, crescent shaped island and it was dominated by what could only be described as a castle. A castle was considered grand and this one was also spectacularly huge. She could see multiple buildings inside the exterior walls. It should have enough room for everyone, plus plenty of space for the rest of their activities.

Bladescape began to clear West, along the cliff. She soon found Konpeito's trail but it bounced off the cliff, cutting Southwest across the island. Bladescape had to kill three other Weta bugs as she cleared. She had enough heads up that she could clear plenty of space ahead of their arrival, forcing them to emerge from the grass before they could attack. They couldn’t ambush her from the grass. All they tried to do was headbutt her, but it was still disconcerting. Harmonic Salvation stopped them rather easily. She kept tabs on the others through Search and her map, and watched as they each eliminated the bugs.

Bladescape got to the forward wall of the castle and cleared due west, along it. The middle had a gatehouse and the walls were tall and sturdy. Worn, but solid with proper crenellations and machicolations. With the wall clear, she went back to the gatehouse to set up the rendezvous.

Konpeito jumped out of the grass. "Found you!” she exclaimed, pointing at Bladescape. “Now it's your turn to hide while I search for you!"

"Not yet," Bladescape said, snagging her by the black wolf cape as she tried to hop off. "We are getting together here."

"To clear the castle?" Konpeito asked.

"Yes," Bladescape said, resisting a sigh. "To clear the castle as a guild."

"Okay," Konpeito shrugged.

Diemond, Soryuto, Reisenki, and Kiefer were not far behind them. Natora soon came down Bladescape's path, leading her team.

"Hostiles eliminated," Natora reported.

"Same here," Bladescape said. "At least for outside."

"A castle of the size I saw will make a fine headquarters with plenty of space," Natora said. "We also found a teleport plaza on the west lawn. It couldn't be triggered since the quest isn't done yet."

"A private plaza will be crucial for making this place worthwhile," Bladescape said. "The boat ride to Selmburg was not quick or efficient. I have no doubt that this is going to be worth it. I'm a little concerned about being able to afford it, but assuming we can, we probably won't find a better place out there. There certainly isn't anything on the market like it."

"Quest first," Natora said. "It should be offered at a discount since the quest is part of the cost. We can worry about the finances after. What’s on the other side of the wall?"

"Search identifies fourteen hostiles,” Bladescape answered. “No idea what, but I doubt they are the same as the weta things."

Bladescape opened the doors to the gatehouse. It was empty, but it was clearly a place they could outfit to greet visitors and allow them to comfortably wait, sheltered from the elements while someone came to greet them. It was like their current foyer, but sized up for the castle. They would need to make it comfortable with the size of the castle. Upon receiving notification of a visitor, it may take a few minutes for someone to walk down to greet them.

They entered the castle's interior, lower ward. It was walled off and rectangular, with a building to the left and a cliff dead ahead. The north face had a rampart at the top of the cliff, meaning the center of the island was a plateau with buildings on it. The exit was in the northeast corner.

The lower ward had a bunch of giant green insects with strong shells that peaked up like a spike. They were appropriately called "Thorn Bugs." They noticed the Wondercolt incursion and began swarming them.

Bladescape had a few seconds to issue orders. "Same teams!”

Konpeito whipped out her special horn and gave it two clear blasts, buffing their defense and attack.

Malus took the first bug head on. She swung her hammer, triggering one of her spike skills. It pierced its shell, but ended up lodged there. Before she could pull it out, the delay hit. Doombunny jumped out, thrusting savagely into the bug’s face. The attack destroyed the last of its HP.

Bladescape lost track of the others as she was forced to deal with one on her own. Konpeito had skipped off, swinging her axe and mixing in martial arts Sword Skills. Harmonic Salvation was heavy enough to crush the armor, breaking it as she brought it down on each bug. The thorn bugs were no match for the ten of them.

The building was locked and they wordlessly moved towards the exit, which was a natural choke point. They had to pass under the gatehouse, which spanned from the top of the cliff to the other side of the wall. It served as a barrier, stopping the eastern lower ward's wall from going further up. In a real castle, blocks like that prevented the entire castle being taken from a single point. A steel gate was visible above them, but it probably couldn't be lowered.

On the other side of the gate was another section and it was on a gradient. It wasn't a steep angle, but it was enough to help get them closer to the buildings that sat above them, on top of the center plateau. They were along the interior curve of the island now.

A dead tree was immediately to the right, past the gate. Off it came two oversized caterpillars. They had faces with mandibles. The three tanks blocked and Natora and Thunderborne made quick work of them by executing thrusting sword skills over the shield wall.

A little further up, the ground leveled off. There was a teleport plaza to the right and two long buildings to the left, each three stories high. The cliffs still rose above them with its own wall. The wall ran above the buildings, despite their height.

On the flat surface in front of the buildings was a sea of the caterpillars. There was no need for any orders as the Wondercolts were noticed. The Wondercolts charged into battle, hacking apart the giant larvae. They wouldn't grow up to be any beautiful butterflies because they were not designed to do so in SAO.

Once they were clear of enemies, they checked the doors to the buildings, but they were locked. There was no way to go inside which meant there were no bugs inside to clear out. That was a comforting thought. They wouldn't have to remember that the place they slept or ate in once had bugs nesting in it.

The second building of the middle ward ended below a circular battlement. Further ahead, on the outside wall, was a circular tower battlement as well. The tower was nestled up against a building that curved outward a bit and also had a central tower that rose above its four stories, like a little observatory. Back on the inside wall was another long building that was four stories as well.

The sloped area between the buildings was filled with black and orange “termites.” They were called Magmamite Soldiers and their glowing stomachs were not for show, but actually reservoirs of lava. The Wondercolts needed their tanks as they hid behind their large shields until they could attack. Bladescape stayed back, directing the battle. They had to be careful of the giant mandibles as the damage dealers jumped out to blast the Magmamites with whatever sword skills they could. Doombunny stayed back, launching her throwing knives with an unmatched accuracy.

"That was incredibly disgusting and disturbing," Diemond immediately stated when the last magmamite soldier was killed. "I hate feeling as small as I do."

"I think we all do," Natora said, saving Bladescape from having to make the admission. "But look at this place. If we clear it and buy it, it's going to be amazing for us on so many levels. Try keeping that in mind."

"I will," Diemond assured them all. "Let's move on to get it over with so I don’t have to keep it in mind. Once I decorate everything, I won't remember.”

There was no complaint there as they continued north. A very large building was dead ahead, with massive double doors, but it was locked, just like every other building. Off their right, due East, was a rear gate and a smaller building north of the building with the tower. To their left was a way to go up to the center plateau.

Bladescape headed to the left and the others followed. It was a sloped path up to the top area, but it was narrow and flanked by walls. The narrow part was filled with more Magmamite Soldiers. As they neared the top, Magmamite Enforcers replaced the soldiers. They were red instead of black and slightly larger than the soldiers with a bit more HP. Bugs or not, the Wondercolts made quick work of them because of the level discrepancy.

The center of the upper area had a massive termite mound. Out of it came soldiers and enforcers. Every time they finished a wave, another came. After the fifth, a very big termite came crawling out. It was The Magmamite Emperor and it had three health bars.

Bladescape directed the Wondercolts into a triangular pattern, issuing a tank for each point. Reisenki, Kiefer, and Soryuto went to the right, Diemond, Natora, and Thunderborne went to the left. Konpeito and Doombunny stayed with Malus and Bladescape in the center.

They hit it with everything they had, retreating behind the tanks whenever the emperor's abdomen began to glow. It shot out lava with a lot of heat and force and it did so often. Doombunny sniped it with throwing knives whenever she could. She had to refill her holster several times, taking the time to move them from her menu to the holster. Natora clearly claimed the final blow, but the quest was still open. None of the buildings on the plateau were able to be accessed and the peak was a steep cliff, also off limits.

"Looks like we need to head out the back to clear it out," Bladescape said once they were finished checking everything.

They walked back down, meeting no respawns, and made a beeline for the rear gate. It opened up into a sloping, grassy ward that had wooden walls backed by packed earth palisades. At the bottom, a stone bridge spanned the water to a smaller island. From their position, they could see the island had a bunch of dead trees and a ruined tower. To get to it though, they had to deal with giant Dead Leaf Mantises. Each one looked like a dead leaf: crinkled, blotchy brown, and at least seven meters tall. There were only sixteen of the predatory insects, but they were all being perfectly still and none had acknowledged the Wondercolts' arrival. It wasn't like they had been sneaking around either. The bugs were going to wait for them to engage, hoping the Wondercolts would walk by without noticing them like a normal, unsuspecting insect.

"I don't like em bein taller than us," Malus said. "The rest I could handle, but this is creepy. Just plain wrong, y'all."

"Their spread is set up so that, if we don't watch our backs, the others can snag us," Natora advised. "We will have to be very careful in how we engage them. I’m thinking small strike teams."

"Yeah," Bladescape said. "Malus, Reisenki, Thunder, Konpeito, Natora, and I will go for the one on the left. The rest of you, stay alert but in reserve. Konpeito, stay close to Malus. Use her for cover. No wandering around."

"Okay!" Konpeito happily exclaimed, twirling her axe for fun.

Natora stayed with Malus and Konpeito. Thunderborne was with Reisenki and Bladescape. The two tanks were side by side as they slowly advanced, using the wall to protect their backs.

They edged up, moving into the mantis' striking range and then closer to get to theirs. It was unbelievably fast as it struck. It went over the tanks and grabbed Natora in its raptorial legs, the thorns piercing clean through her armor and snagging her across the torso. It yanked her off the ground towards its head as she screamed in terror.

Konpeito leaped out, swinging her axe. She severed the foreleg, landing in a roll. She came out of it and hacked off the other one as well. She spun, fluidly transitioning under the mantis where she hacked off its abdomen with a critical strike.

Bladescape snapped out of her initial shock and jumped in, followed by Thunderborne. Thunderborne went for piercing the thorax as many times as she could as fast as she could, while Bladescape focused on the legs. As it fell to the side from the loss of half its legs, it shattered, having run out of HP.

Bladescape looked back at Natora, who had been dragged back to a safer spot by Malus with Reisenki guarding them.

"Fall back to the others," Bladescape ordered Konpeito and Thunderborne.

Konpeito was furthest out and had to dodge two strikes to get to them, but she got away cleanly. Bladescape saw the red line across Natora's chest. It was leaking red polygons. An antidote potion was administered to stop the DOT from the thorns and then a health potion was downed.

"How are you doing?" Bladescape asked.

"A bit better," Natora said with a shaky voice. "Still scared and my heart isn't going to calm down for a while. The pain wasn't bad, but the speed…” She shivered at the thought. “I wasn't ready for that, despite being ready. I'm very thankful for Konpeito's quick thinking and heavy hitting axe. She saved me. Nice work finishing it off."

Konpeito was in her own world, twirling her axe.

"We need a new plan," Bladescape said, moving on. She was not going to let these oversized bugs get the better of them and stop them from owning this castle.

"Blade throwin," Malus suggested. "I know, it’ll probably take a lot of em to finish each off, but with poison, it might work."

"It will be very slow," Bladescape warned. “Assuming they don’t have a resistance to poison.”

Bladescape called Doombunny and Kiefer over. Konpeito’s circular hira-shuriken were not going to pierce the mantises enough to deliver the poison. The two of them examined their stock of weapons. Bladescape had twenty-four picks; a set of six on the pouch with three backup sets inside, but none in her inventory. Doombunny had just upgraded her set, but she hadn't gotten rid of the others. Even after the fight with the Magmamite Emperor, she had over 150 knives on her, in varying conditions and poison strength. Thunderborne was using picks as well, but only had one set, forcing them to dismiss her for this task. Kiefer had four-pointed shuriken, three sets. The next question was if they could pierce the mantises’ exoskeletons.

Kiefer, Doombunny, and Bladescape formed up on Reisenki and slowly got into throwing distance. Doombunny threw a mid-level knife, scoring a hit and successfully transferring the poison effect. It didn't move, a perfect hunter, even as the poison depleted its HP. It finally shattered. They slowly proceeded to eliminate the rest of the praying mantises in the same manner. It took time, a lot of time, but it was safe.

Even with the back field cleared, the quest was still active. The last place they could go was across the bridge to the smaller island. The stone bridge was worn and cracked, even having a hole in part of it. They avoided it and stepped onto the island of dead trees. A weathered path wound its way to the broken tower, which was bedside a small peak on the island.

Bladescape started to lead them down the path but stopped as a round thing popped its head around one of the dead tree trunks. It floated out on wings. It was soon joined by a blue and a pink one. They were colorful balls with eyes, wings, and mouths. The name "parasprite" popped up beside them.

"Konpeito, Soryuto, pull out your instruments," Bladescape said. "The legend of the parasprites is clear. They love music and follow whoever is playing it. That is how you get rid of an infestation. In our case, you two will draw them in with your song while the rest of us surround them and then start exterminating."

"Okey-dokey-lokey," Konpeito said as she whipped out her fife.

Soryuto pulled out her ukulele and the two of them quickly decided what song to play. The parasprites began to bob to the music and more came out of hiding. Bladescape directed the others into flanking positions. They had to let the parasprite audience assemble before they could surround them. Otherwise, they would block some from going towards the music.

It took three songs for them all to assemble in front of the musicians. When they had them encircled, Bladescape ordered the attack. As soon as they were attacked, the swarm stopped paying attention to the music. Konpeito and Soryuto joined in the melee. The parasprites had very little HP and were weak enemies, however their agility made them difficult to hit. Even Konpeito missed a few times. Without knowing their weakness, rooting them out of their hiding places on the island would have been extremely difficult and time consuming, if not impossible.

They didn't even get a break when the last one was finished off. They heard a loud buzzing. From the other side of the tiny mountain came a swarm of oversized bees that were yellow with blue stripes. They were identified as "flash bees." Their stinger was shaped like a lightning bolt.

"They probably have shocking paralysis attacks," Bladescape warned.

The flash bees descended on them with exceptional speed. They were agile, making them hard to hit, but not to the same degree as the much smaller parasprites had been. Kiefer was the first to get stung and he was paralyzed from the attack. Malus stood over him, blocking him while the effect wore off. Everyone else was fending for themselves, trying to avoid the stingers as they set up their attacks. It was madness for a bit, until the swarm was reduced to a dozen bees. Then the tables turned and the bees were on the defensive.

Bladescape killed the final flash bee. The fight wasn't over as a thunderous buzzing sound rolled over the island. From the other side of the peak came an extremely large flash bee. "The King Flash Bee" was clearly nothing to be trifled with. It flew straight at them, stopped a short distance away and shot lightning from its stinger at Bladescape. She had killed the last of its soldiers, so she was the target. Bladescape couldn’t dodge the attack and was paralyzed.

The others charged into battle, not allowing it the opportunity to prey on a defenseless Bladescape. Soryuto jumped over to Bladescape and used a yellow crystal to immediately end the paralysis. The King Flash Bee’s two attacks were either shooting lightning from the stinger or going in for a melee strike with its stinger. A shield stopped the stinger and it was easy enough to avoid if you lacked one. There was plenty of "wind up" before it charged, stinger first. The lightning attack was harder to avoid, having a wider area of effect, but it only targeted one player. Spreading out, the wise tactic, fixed the area of effect issue.

Bladescape joined the fight as soon as the three-minute effect was over. She got it back immediately by slicing off one of its blue legs. The Flash Bee King was not happy and Bladescape became its sole target. She spent the rest of the time running and dodging, working to bring it close to her friends so they could get hits in. It ignored their attacks, intent on taking Bladescape down.

That changed when it entered the red. It retreated above them, too high for their throwing weapons to reach it as it reset itself. The dive wasn't at any particular player. It smacked into the ground, plunging its stinger into the ground. A wave of electricity rolled out from it.

Everyone was hit with a strong paralysis effect when the wave hit them. Soryuto survived because she was the furthest from the epicenter and was able to time a vertical jump to let the wave harmlessly roll under her. She charged the king bee, unleashing her best Sword Skill on it before it was able to take off again. She chained a second, risking the delay penalty, but it paid off as her sword's final strike was critical, dealing more damage than the oversized bee could take.

As it floated away as polygons, they were all greeted with fanfare. The quest was over. Soryuto quickly checked her drop menu before she used crystals to overcome the paralysis.

Bladescape immediately looked at her drop list. They hadn't been getting any info on the drops during the quest. The entire thing had been treated like one long battle. She had a lot of junk and odd items dropped. Her list was full of molten glass, probably dropped from the magmamites.

"Interesting," Konpeito loudly mused. "I got quite a few S class food items. They are just labeled as Thorn Leg Meat." Konpeito materialized one and caught it. It looked like a very long, brown crustacean leg."

"Ew!" Diemond shuttered. "I know what we fought. S class or not, Aincrad or not, that still is a bug leg. I'm not eating it. I got plenty dropped too."

"Aw come on, Die, cultures all across the world eat insects," Konpeito replied pointing the leg at her.

"Yes, but how many of them do so out of a lack of food compared to cultures where they have a lot of farming?" Diemond asked.

"I dunno," Konpeito shrugged. "I guess not many. There are better sources of stable food and easier to farm or raise than bugs. Does it matter though, if it tastes good? This is Aincrad, not IRL. They are not the same bugs and, even so, the bugs we killed dropped these, we didn't pull them off the carcasses. It's a separate item."

"I do have standards and that falls well below mine," Diemond said, snubbing her nose at the entire idea.

"Yeah, I have to back Diemond," Natora said. "I don't want to eat the bugs, even though I know they logically are not actually bug parts cause we are in Aincrad."

"Suit yourselves," Konpeito said, stashing the leg back in her inventory. "I'll find some use for them eventually. Everyone can give me the weird meat."

"Just promise us you won't feed it to us without letting us know," Doombunny said.

"I promise," Konpeito said. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Everyone pulled out the Thorn Leg Meat they had dropped and gave it to their chef. Konpeito would know who to pawn it off to. S class ingredients should sell well. The name wasn't too incriminating to the original.

Soryuto caught a longsword she had materialized. It was a beautiful, ornate, one-handed sword. The sheath was ivory, with a rich blue handle and a gilded crossguard and pommel. The crossguard was set with three sapphires and the etching of the gold was exquisite.

"Is that the LAB?" Bladescape asked.

"Yes," Soryuto said, not taking her eyes off the blade. "Its name is Rakurai, which means lightning strike. I was about to start my search for a new sword. I guess that is over now, especially with the stats."

"Draw it," Kiefer said, excited to see the sword.

Soryuto grasped the hilt firmly. She took a step back and drew it with purpose. The silver blade had a blue shine to it. Soryuto did a few test swings. The blade glowed blue and her eyes went wide in terror. The Sword Skill triggered itself and 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."

"Thanks," Soryuto said as she sheathed the sword. "But we finished the quest. Now what?"

"I got a new objective," Bladescape said. She pulled up her quest log. "The objective is 'Purchase Thorn Island'." Bladescape clicked on the quest and a screen popped up, asking her if she wanted to purchase the island. "Natora and Malus, look at the screen. We need to evaluate if the property is worth the price. This isn't something that I should decide by myself."

Natora looked over Bladescape's shoulder and whistled. "We have the cash, barely. I said the price would be discounted because of the quest. Twice now we can barely skate by. We have such great luck.”

Everyone laughed. Obviously, buying this place was rather lucky, even if it would wipe their finances. The sale of their old HQ and the merger should pad them more.

“What are the listed amenities?" Natora asked.

Bladescape scrolled through the amenities. The whole island was marked as their territory and a safe zone. Thorn Island came with a visitor teleport plaza as well as a private one that guild members could use. There was a Guild Hall and a "Great Hall" which held the kitchen and dining room. Two barracks with individual rooms. They had an armory with a forge inside, plus a private arena and a stable, as well as the exterior "visitor gatehouse." The palace had a private council chamber and plenty of rooms for their council and senior officers. The things listed that they hadn't seen were the main garden, palace garden, swimming hole, lighthouse, two sailboats, Ward Gatehouse, and a tower.

"That's everything we need," Malus said. "And then some. It's got a full forge. It's a lot of bedrooms, way more than we'll ever need. Why not?"

"Hey, we are doing a big merger in a few days, more mergers might happen," Natora pointed out. "It's excessive, but I am excited about things like the arena and swimming hole. We couldn't ask for anything better than this. It has everything we need for our current selves, us after the merger, and still gives us room to grow if we need to. I say yes."

"Malus, your official vote?" Bladescape asked.

"Yes," Malus definitively stated.

Bladescape looked at the others. They were patiently waiting for them to make a decision. They might not be voting members, but their input mattered.

"Any objections from anyone?" Bladescape asked.

"We have the col, so why not?" Thunderborne asked. "It's a castle! We will never get another opportunity to live in a castle outside of Aincrad."

"It will make some serious buzz, in a good way," Kiefer added.

"It has a forge," Diemond said. "That is all I needed for me to be on board. That and being able to afford it. Because Thunder said it well, it's a castle! We can all be princesses!” She let out a squeal in excitement. “Oh, and princes for our gentlemen.”

Everyone laughed at Diemond's enthusiasm. Their current and incoming men were all very good gentlemen and understanding of the female pronouns collectively used since the guild was heavily skewed towards the women.

"Alright," Bladescape said with a sly grin.

BLADESCAPE: Level 85 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 80 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 80 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend — Sprint
THUNDERBORNE: Level 80 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing — Search
KONPEITO: Level 80 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry — Rend
DIEMOND: Level 80 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation — Rend
DOOMBUNNY: Level 81 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche — Search
KIEFER: Level 79 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 77 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 79 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 100 — Expedition Exploration

Author's Note

I decided to drop both 99 and 100 at the same time. There is a blog for the pictures, as a commercial break is a little bit away still.

Episode 100 — Expedition Exploration

Episode 100 — Expedition Exploration
Twenty-Fifth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 25) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 61 — Front Line Floor 63

Bladescape hit "accept," buying Thorn Island. They all were enveloped in blue light as they were teleported. They were relocated to the visitor teleport plaza. The front lawn was neatly trimmed and the castle clearly stood out. Everything broken or worn had been fixed when they bought it, including replacing the worn stones so they were fresh and whole. The palace, tower, and mountain top stood well above the exterior walls. The dead forest they had fought the final boss in was now a beautiful garden, clearly visible from the visitor teleport plaza.

"I will have some fun designing flags and banners that can be seen as soon as you arrive,” Diemond professionally stated. Then she let out a squeal of excitement over all of the possibilities.

They headed to the gatehouse. Without the tall grass, it was easy to see the true scale of the walls. Natora estimated that they were twelve meters, forty feet, tall. Inside it was warm, but bare, waiting for furniture. Like their Mishe HQ atrium, it could be accessed by any visitors and they could use the panel on the wall to announce their arrival. It was a solid twenty feet wide by ten feet long.

Their map had been updated to include the names of buildings and areas of the castle. The Front Lawn was the grassy area where the Visitor Teleport Plaza, VTP, was, as well as the Docks with their two sailboats.

Past the gatehouse was the Lower Ward. The repaired walls were strong, especially the one looking down on the ward from the plateau the palace sat on. Assuming the castle was real and could be attacked, if someone breached the gatehouse, archers from that height could easily eliminate any attackers. The stable door could now be slid open. It had ten stalls, five on each side of the center aisle, as well as being ready to have farrier equipment installed, plus storage. There was a circular battlement north of the stable where the wall met the cliff, which was labeled as the Stable Battery. Several lanterns were hung up at different parts of the lower ward for when night set in. They looked like Nineteenth century gas lights.

They went under Ward Gatehouse. The massive iron portcullis gate was impressive, but it couldn't be lowered. It was fixed in its open position. They had plenty of clearance walking under it and it certainly made the whole thing feel like a real castle.

Beyond it was the Middle Ward. There was a slight slope to most of the ward. The tree to their immediate right was no longer dead. It was a small cherry blossom tree, already in bloom. The same lanterns, either mounted or on a lantern post, were present to keep with the theme for the exterior lighting. The palace cliff was exposed and the palace was sitting directly on it, with no overlap. The palace walls made a smooth transition and included some windows. The inner cliff was rough, but straight. The exterior walls of the Middle Ward were shorter, only twenty-five feet at most, as no one could get up the cliffs from the water. There were limited stairs to get up to the rampart. The first building was the Guild Hall and across from it was the Guild Teleport Plaza, or GTP on their map. Past the Guild Hall was the Great Hall. Each building was massive, roughly a hundred and twenty feet long and eighty feet wide. The peak of their roofs was something like three stories tall.

They entered the Guild Hall. The beautiful oak double doors opened up to a wide hallway with a set of double doors directly across from them. Past those doors was the meeting hall, which to Bladescape, was exactly what one should feel like. It was massive, yet warm because of the wood used. The high vaulted ceiling had beams that were carved with imagery of dragons, griffons, unicorns, cockatrices, drakes, pegasi, hippogriffs, and other fantasy animals. They had entered from the side, as it was wider than it was long, and skewed towards the left. They could easily seat a hundred players inside, if not more, depending on how they set up their seating.

"I'm going to need to make more tapestries," Diemond commented. "What we have won't be sufficient for this wall space, let alone the rest of the place."

"We can put up my pictures!" Konpeito added with a hop. "I have so many that need to be printed, both of us and of scenery."

"I would like to do that," Bladescape said. "However, the guild hall probably isn't the appropriate place for the pictures. Especially if there is inter-guild business we need to attend to. This place could host our typical raid meetings, not that I intend to do that."

The Guild Hall had sixteen meeting rooms of the same size, where parties could strategize, on the south side of the guild hall; to the left when the building was entered. Eight were on the ground floor and eight were on a second story. The north side, to the right of the entrance, had a living room that they could do whatever they wanted with.

There was a door that led to a few steps, which were needed to account for the slope of the Middle Ward. It led them into the nearly attached Great Hall. The hallway ran most of the width of the building before it took a left turn. There were two sets of double doors in the hallway. The ones on the right led back outside while the interior ones, to the left, opened up to the massive dining room. It was bigger than the meeting room. It too had a high vaulted ceiling with beautiful wooden beams, although they were uncarved. Connected to the dining hall was a smaller, private dining room. Both of them had doors that gave them quick access to the kitchen, which they could access from the turned hallway.

The kitchen had ten ovens, twenty burners, a flat grill, four sinks, a designated dishwashing triple sink with drying racks, and plenty of cabinet and counter space. There was even space to add some more cabinets to hold their dishes, tableware, and cookware. The left wall had a pantry, which included an icehouse, and it was separate from the guild storage. It only had three shelves, but they could add plenty more.

The guild storeroom was to the right of the kitchen, along the outside wall. It was pretty empty, but as Bladescape looked at the size of it, she knew it would double, if not triple, their current guild storage and they could move over what they had in Mishe for a great starting place. It possibly could quadruple what they currently had, depending on advancements in player-made storage systems to add to the guild storage. Chests and cabinets held a certain number of items, which was entirely dependent on the material used and the skill of the craftsman.

"Hey!" Konpeito exclaimed from the far end of the kitchen hallway. "I found stairs!” Bladescape peeked out to see where she was. She was by the far wall, past the kitchen access doors to the dining hall. Konpeito disappeared for a moment. “There’s a whole room above the pantry! It's perfect for a bedroom with plenty of space. If I took it, I could roll out of bed and be right where I needed to be to start baking! That would be awesome!"

"Fine," Bladescape said. "I'm not sure how we are going to sort out the rooms, but I don't foresee any issues with Meigibu if you took it. As our head and master chef, it would be appropriate, if you really want to live up there."

"There is a lot of space," Konpeito added. "It won't be like I'm living in an attic. Check it out if you want."

Bladescape and Natora went up the narrow stairs on the back side of the Great Hall to the kitchen's loft. It had a door, which was a good sign, and inside was a fireplace and bathtub, a really great sign that it was supposed to be a bedroom. The ceiling sloped, but they had plenty of clearance anywhere they stood. The high ceiling of the dining room meant that the area above the kitchen had plenty of room to fit a bedroom.

"If she wants it, she should take it," Natora said with a shrug. “No one will mind or want it.”

They exited and, with a few clicks on the door’s menu, Bladescape assigned it to Konpeito.

Outside of the Great Hall, they continued north. On the right side was the Crescent Barracks, which had the observatory on top. Across from it was the Center Barracks, which was straight. Each barracks had fifteen rooms on each of the four floors, for a total of sixty rooms in each barracks and a grand total of one hundred and twenty. They each had entrances at the north and south at the inside corner, and staircases at the ends. The curve of the Crescent Barracks made it harder to judge the size, but the outside dimension of the Center Barracks was thirty feet wide by a hundred and sixty-five feet.

The hallway for the Crescent Barracks was on the left and all of the bedrooms were on the right. The Center Barracks was the inverse. All bedroom doors opened inward to not impede the hallway. Selmburg was clearly visible from the windows at the back of the Crescent Barracks. The Center Barracks only had windows in the hallway. The regular bedrooms were not small, ten feet wide by eighteen long. They had more than enough space for a large bed, desk, wardrobe, and the installed private bath, with room to spare. The observatory on the Crescent Barracks was designed to become a lounge with plenty of windows to view the island and floor. The staircase up to it was worked into the extra space the curve of the building added.

Above the barracks, the ward flattened out. The big building dead ahead was the arena. It was a rather large rectangular field with rounded corners. It could easily seat several hundred players and the entire thing was covered by canvas tarps that could be drawn back. Rain, if it happened to come, wouldn't delay anything they did inside.

"We could do a lot in here," Bladescape said. "Our own dueling tournament."

"Or, just a thought," Thunderborne said. "A football pitch. Yeah, we would have to have smaller teams, no more than five on the field from each side, including the goalie, but it would be possible to set it up for several sports."

"That is a good idea," Natora said. "We will need something to help our expanded members bond. Running a small league in the Wondercolts is a good idea and fun. Football is a universal sport. Thunderborne, your job is to set that up. The rules, timing, scheduling, balancing the teams for anyone who signs up, painting the markings, and getting the goals and some more balls made."

"I think I'll need some help with the first tasks," Thunderborne said. "Just someone to check my work and make sure I don't skew things accidentally. Balls and goals will be easy."

"Malus can help you," Bladescape dictated.

"Sure," Malus shrugged. "I like the idea and will play."

"Count me in," Kiefer chimed in.

"I'll play," Bladescape said.

"I wouldn't miss it," Natora added. "But I want to face you, Thunder, not be teammates. Plus, it isn't fair if we are on the same team."

"I look forward to beating you," Thunderborne shot back.

"Also, set it up for volleyball," Natora added. "Particularly for the lines and getting the equipment. Having options is smart."

"Field Hockey and Lacrosse are also possible games," Thunderborne stated. "Then again, Lacrosse is probably not known well enough. Tennis though, that is something we probably could do."

"Or pickleball," Malus added. "That would be lighter and more fun for the average member."

"Pickleball, whatever that is, is on you, Malus, to set up," Natora dictated. Bladescape nodded in agreement.

Around the corner, to the east of the arena, was the Armory and Rear Gate. The area in between was the Armory Courtyard. The courtyard had a Victorian fountain, twenty-five feet wide, that was three tiered, displaying cherubs, mermaids, and water nymphs. The color was teal with brass detailing. The outer rim was perfect for sitting and enjoying the falling water.

The armory was an “L” shaped building. The top was crowned with beautiful decorations, as it used a single slope roof that fell to the back, barely any angle to it. The left wall butted up against the arena and the turn was on the right, east. It was two stories except for the corner, which rose up to a third floor. It was narrow, only twenty feet long, but the maximum width was a hundred and twenty feet. The south spur came out forty feet. The doors were at the center of both faces.

The first floor was devoted to metal crafting. There were two furnaces on the East’s long wall so that they could be emptied onto rock and water without being a fire hazard. Each furnace had two grates and two anvils paired with them so that four players could craft at the same time. There also were two grindstones for equipment repair and plenty more space for equipment stations or storage. Open stairs led from the north corner to the second floor. The second floor was empty but clearly for nonmetal crafting. Diemond would have a blast setting everything up and improving all of the crafting benches and equipment. The stairs to the third floor continued after a generous break. The third floor was blocked by a door. It was a large room that was an interesting space since it did turn with the corner. There was a balcony that looked north, out over the water. It was able to be assigned as a bedroom.

"I'll take this room," Diemond said. "As our armorer, I want it."

"I don't see a problem with that," Bladescape said, looking to Natora and Malus for input. Both just nodded in agreement and the room was assigned to Diemond.

They exited and headed out the back gates. The sloping grass was the Rear Ward. It hadn't changed at all. The stone bridge was repaired and the garden was in bloom. The paths were paved with smooth stones and they meandered through the garden, having benches among the trees and flowers of all types. There were four types of trees spread throughout it: Cherry Blossoms, Plum Blossoms, Japanese Ash, and Hinoki Cypress. Despite the flora, there was plenty of space to lay out in the grass in the sun or set up a picnic.

A small creek was running through the garden and it needed a small, arched bridge of stone to cross it. The creek came from a pool of water that was fed by a small waterfall which flowed off of the northern mini mountain on the garden island. The pool had a sign that said "safe to swim." Another path circled around the other small mountain on the island, to where a lighthouse was. The circular building wasn't tall, forty feet at most. The miniature size made it cute. The two-story lighthouse was another nontraditional bedroom.

As they walked back to the main castle Soryuto spoke up. "I just realized what's missing from the garden. A traditional shrine. We know players who have perished in the game. It could be a nice place to memorialize them and pay our respects."

"That is a good idea," Natora said. "The guild will fund that project as soon as we can. Finding someone who can make it might be the hardest part."

They passed through the Rear Ward, by the Arena, then the Center Barracks, and swung around a tower that was the end of the central wall, separating the plateau and ramp up to it. The plateau held the palace and was the place where the magmamites had been. The slope wasn't terribly steep, but it was a longer walk. Coming back down each day would suck.

Where the magmamites mound had been was now a goliath cherry blossom tree. Its position in the center of the Upper Ward was beautiful, awe inspiring, and set the mood. There was the palace off to the left, above the guild hall. It was another massive building, almost two hundred feet long and fifty feet wide. On the other side was the mountain peak, which rose up at least thirty meters. It was a steep, unclimbable cliff, something that annoyed Thunderborne as soon as she was physically blocked by the system from climbing it. She absolutely wanted to raise her Acrobatics by climbing it, not that it wasn't already maxed out. On the south side, opposite of the ramp, was a very tall tower, which was right next to the cliff. The balcony of the tower was a little lower than the mountain. In the area between the Palace and tower was a private garden, walled off and inaccessible from the ward.

Bladescape ignored the buildings for a moment and turned to the left, facing east. At this spot, the battlements could easily be walked up onto without a ramp or stairs. From this point, she could see the middle Ward below them and Selmburg in the distance. Directly below her was the Great Hall. It helped her understand the other markers on her maps: the batteries.

Various sections of the walls were named, and they either were towers or wider sections. The wall she was on was the Sakura Battery. By the GTP was the Plaza Battery. North of that and below the Crescent Barracks, was the Sunrise Battery. The towers overlooking the Rear Ward were labeled the Rear Battery. The tower at the end of the wall she was on, which officially started the Upper Ward, was the Central Tower. On the north wall and backside of the arena was the Sawtooth Battery. Behind Bladescape, off the west wall leading up to the plateau, was the Sunset Battery. The large battery moved ahead of the mountain to ensure it would make a nice place to have an unobstructed view of the sunset.

Now that the place was theirs, the internal stairwell through the Sakura Battery’s circular battlement was available. It exited in between the Great Hall and the Center Barracks. It provided a much-needed shortcut to get to and from the Palace. Also present on the Sakura Battery was a large flagpole, currently without a flag. It was not the only flagpole on their island, but it was the largest and could be seen from most places.

Bladescape rejoined the others as they went into the Palace. They all got pop up warning screens that non-leadership members were only allowed on the first floor of the Palace. It was designed for the officers to have a place to separate themselves from the regular members. The rooms had extra high ceilings and used traditional Japanese shoji doors, which slid open rather than swung. The main floor had a deliberation chamber for the Council and leaders, as well as a lounge and a dojo of sorts. At least it appeared more like a dojo with the Tatami mats covering the floor and how open it was, although it was big. There was a hidden staircase that was carved into the stone foundation. It led directly to a false panel door in the meeting hall and also had another hidden exit at the Great Hall, by the stairs to Konpeito’s loft. That would cut out a lot of travel time for the leaders, but it would not be accessible to anyone but them. Not even regular members had access to it without permission given at that moment.

With their leaders present, they were able to give temporary access to the others to go to the second and third floor. Like the Crescent Barracks, the hallway was offset along the west, inside, wall. Each floor had nine rooms, which would be plenty for their council and senior staff. These were at least double the size in the barracks and had a main room and separate bedroom, plus a bathroom with a massive built-in soaking tub. They could entertain someone without having their bed and bath visible and the bedrooms were still the same size as the bedrooms in their Mishe headquarters. The bedrooms and bathroom had eastward looking windows.

"I ain't gotta clue what to do with all this space, y'all," Malus said, scratching her head. "This is too much, even for the leaders."

"I can agree with that," Natora said. "Excessive, but it's ours. No backing out now and not a deal breaker. Not with everything else being exactly what we need. We'll figure it out."

They left to check out the private garden. It was small, nestled in between the Palace and the tower. The tsuboniwa garden was very traditional Japanese in its design and the walls were covered in tsuta, Japanese Ivy. The wall above the lower ward, officially the Palace Battery, was massive and included a sizable passageway under the wide ramparts. It had access to the palace and provided the entrance to the Ward Gatehouse.

The Ward Gatehouse was another nontraditional bedroom. The walls were stone, which was very different from the wood paneling of all of the other buildings. It had a window that looked out over the Lower Ward and another that looked out over the Middle Ward. It was three times as long as it was wide. Normally the portcullis was stored inside, but theirs was just for looks.

"This is more my style," Malus stated. "It ain't too big. I feel comfortable here."

"Take it," Bladescape said. "I don't see why our incoming officers would have a problem with that. Or rather, I'll assign it to you."

"Thank ya, kindly," Malus said with a nod.

They went to the last place to check out, the tower. The bottom floor had an entrance to the private garden and another door to the courtyard. The footprint alone was about forty feet, some twelve hundred square feet of floor space. The circular stairs that clung to the wall went up a long way until they got to the second floor. The stairs did a full revolution before they reached the second floor. It had a door at the top of the stairs, blocking their entrance. Bladescape had to give temporary access to the regular members before they could enter. It was yet another space that could be a nontraditional bedroom. Above it was another room that was reached by stone stairs that stuck to the wall like the ones below. They only had a short break in the steps to give enough room between the door and the stairs. They had another short break at the top floor before they continued up. The very top was walled off with doors to the balcony, both to the south and the north. It was only three-quarters round because of the top of the mountain. It faced north, east, and south; giving a clear view of the entire castle. It was the highest point of the castle.

Bladescape let out a content sigh as she leaned against the railing and observed their latest accomplishment. In the face of all of the changes that were coming up, they had just pulled off a quest that gleaned them the best property in Aincrad. It would be hard to beat a castle of this size, especially with the amenities. It was almost as if the Wondercolts, in their upcoming merger form, were exactly who this property was designed for, but that was ridiculous. Any guild their size, with their diversity, would need the same things they wanted. Even if another castle was available on a higher floor, it most likely wouldn't be on its own private island, or at least not one with so much space. The front lawn was huge and the back garden was beautiful and peaceful. Those took up a huge amount of space and, in any other setting, it would be difficult to design a castle that could have them attached, yet separate from the rest of the floor. On top of all of that, it was all a safe zone. They still could fall off the cliffs, into the water, but otherwise it was safe.

There would be no point to ever leaving this place. It would hold its prestige till the end, meaning it would be their home until they were free. There was no way to beat a private island or a castle, unless you put both together and they had it. Predominantly water floors were rare, only Twenty-Two, Twenty-Four, and Sixty-One.

Natora leaned against the railing besides Bladescape.

"It's beautiful," Bladescape said.

"Sure is," Natora replied. "I can tell you want the tower."

"And you?" Bladescape asked.

"Eh," Natora shrugged. "I'd be happy with any room we saw, except for the Ward Gatehouse or the kitchen loft, which isn't technically a loft. Oh, and the Armory's third floor too, I wouldn't want that. I forgot about the lighthouse, that would be cool, but it’s too far away. The point is, I would take any of the normal bedrooms, but I know my place is in the Palace. That's the price of being a leader in a large guild, not that I'm complaining. It has been fun, challenging at times, but worth it. Always worth it. Even with how we screwed up handling Knightstar. Anyway, if you want the tower, take it."

"I'm not sure I should," Bladescape said. "It doesn't serve a greater purpose for me to take it. It works against us by placing me separate from the others and also it puts me physically above them."

"Yeah, it does, but first off, we are already split up with Malus taking the Ward Gatehouse," Natora argued. "Second, the tower, like the Ward Gatehouse, is a part of the Palace complex, which is separate from the barracks. Third, I know Malus would back it and so would I in a vote. We could vote you into taking here, where you want, without the other two councilors even needing to get involved."

"That brings up a good point," Bladescape said, getting sidetracked with something actually important. "We assigned Konpeito and Diemond logical rooms, but the rest, why should they get to pick over the others? We got this place for all of us, with the future members in mind. I would love to surprise them with it when we do the merger, but our current members don't deserve the priority of room assignments over the others. Plus, if we want to integrate, we don't want them to, understandably, clump together by grabbing rooms side by side."

"So, what do we do?" Natora asked. "Because you're right about that. Delaying us getting moved in sounds like a bad use of time."

"I think I need to talk with Lobelia," Bladescape said. "Without spilling the whole secret. I'll ask about the tower too."

"Okay," Natora nodded with a sly grin.

They watched as the others skipped through the courtyard below them. They were happy and elated. It had been a fun, albeit creepy, quest to get this place and it was nice to have a place that would boost their status again, like their old headquarters once had done. They needed this upgrade.

Bladescape messaged Lobelia. She immediately replied. She was home, meaning Bladescape could go talk to her. "Before I go speak with Lobelia, did you get anything from the magmamite king?"

"Yeah, I wasn't sure if I would, but I did," Natora said. "I got the 'Magma Glass Ring' which boosts my attack by thirty-one and critical attacks do five percent more damage. It's a pretty awesome drop, especially for a property quest boss."

"That is awesome," Bladescape said, standing up.

They split up, with plans to eat dinner at their Mishe headquarters. They could move in tomorrow. Bladescape was the first to use their Guild Teleport Plaza. Getting to Meigibu’s headquarters wasn't hard, but it was in an obscure city and on the edge, a decent walk from the teleport plaza. The building was large, but certainly not what they needed. It was technically a house not a headquarters. Houses were cheaper and they lacked guild storage rooms. Guilds still could share storage, but they could not organize it, or expand it, without a dedicated storeroom.

Bladescape knocked on the door and it was answered by Jade. She let her in and led her to Lobelia's room. As they passed the other bedrooms, two things caught her eye. First off, the rooms were small, second there was a room with pictures of players pinned to the frame.

Lobelia greeted Bladescape with a bow. "Welcome to our humble home. I know it isn't much. Please, sit beside me on the bed. I wish I had a chair for you."

"I'll be fine beside you, but it's pretty crowded here," Bladescape commented as she sat down. “I expected a bigger place considering your numbers.”

"We grew after we bought it and never could afford to expand, but yes, it is," Lobelia replied. "Many of the members are sharing the rooms. We have to use double bunk beds in each room to get by. Kamishi, Shikiku, and I are the only ones with individual rooms, but they are the same size as the others. The dining hall is packed, the kitchen barely has room to prepare enough food for us, and the living spaces are not enough to allow members time to recharge on their own. We are in each other's space. It certainly has made us close, while also contributing to our fatigue and failure to keep up with the front."

"Well, the Wondercolts have solved that," Bladescape said with a grin. "I don't want to share too much, we are proud of it and want it to be a surprise, but I have to ask about room assignments. Everyone will be able to have their own bedroom and they are plenty big. I came to speak about them, because it isn't fair if we get first pick just because the merger hasn't happened yet, however we should do what we can to move in ahead of it so that we can devote our energy to helping all of you move in. It was a property quest. We didn't know what exactly it was for, just a large property. We had no ability to preplan, meaning I don't know how to divide up the rooms in a fair way. We also don't want our members to grab rooms beside each other and end up isolating our two groups, instead of being one guild. I did assign the kitchen's loft to Konpeito, because she wanted it and is our itamae.” Bladescape almost added the armory and Diemond, but that would likely expose it as a separate building and blow the surprise. Saying “loft” pinned it to the kitchen, a room, not another building.

"That assignment does make sense," Lobelia said with a nod. She smiled warmly at Bladescape. "I am thankful that you are thinking of us. To answer your question, a lottery is the best way. Number the rooms and then have the rest of the members blindly grab a ticket with the room number on it. The number they get is their room. You can do yours easily enough and the others get theirs when we merge.”

"That is a good idea," Bladescape said, grinning. "I like it. We have a separate section for our leaders. The same problem is there, particularly because there are two nontraditional bedrooms, a tower and…" Bladescape paused. Calling it a gatehouse would expose it as a castle. Many buildings had towers on them, including one of their barracks. "Well the other room suits Malus who wasn't comfortable with the other rooms, so we gave it to her."

"And you want the tower," Lobelia stated, skipping over Malus' room assignment.

"Yes," Bladescape nodded. "I do, but I don't know if that is fair. After all, you have not seen it yet."

"You are our principal leader," Lobelia said. "You will be taking on the title of Kaisho; Bladescape Kaisho. Take the tower. You deserve it for shouldering the responsibilities you already are and all of the rest you soon will. Really, I am just happy that the others will be getting individual rooms, a place to privately retreat to. Malus is special in many ways, good ways, so whatever keeps her grounded the best, well you already assigned her the room for that. The same for what is best for Konpeito Itamae."

"Yes, the others were too large for Malus, at the very least, making the cowgirl uneasy," Bladescape commented. What Lobelia had said had sparked a question in Bladescape's mind. "Shikiku is going to be our emissary between the regular members and our council, should I put her with the officers or with the regular members?"

"That is a tough question to answer," Lobelia replied, taking a moment to think. She had so little information and understood why. Still, she didn’t ask for more information. "She should have the most advantageous yet accessible room. In other words, she should have the first room for a wing of a building so that the others have to pass her room and be reminded of her duty to them each time they pass her. Kiefer, as training officer and also a socho, should be with the leaders, if there is room. If not, he should have the second most advantageous room."

"Thank you," Bladescape said. She stood up and bowed. "I appreciate it. I'll get our members sorted out through the lottery and figure out where Shikiku should be placed. I can't wait for you to see what we got, but it's better left as a surprise."

"I understand and look forward to it," Lobelia replied with a smile, also standing. "It's only a little over a day. If there is nothing else, let me show you out so you can prepare for your own move."

BLADESCAPE: Level 85 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 80 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 80 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend — Sprint
THUNDERBORNE: Level 80 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing — Search
KONPEITO: Level 80 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry — Rend
DIEMOND: Level 80 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation — Rend
DOOMBUNNY: Level 81 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche — Search
KIEFER: Level 79 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 77 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 79 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

Episode 101 — A New Era

Episode 101 — A New Era
Twenty-Seventh Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 27) in the Year of the Griffon
Front Line Floor 64

Bladescape looked herself over. For the first time in nearly two years, she realized she didn't have a mirror in her room. She needed to fix that. She had been relying on Diemond, but suddenly Bladescape felt like that was no longer a valid strategy. Their daily lives had shifted too far apart to do that. After all, today was the merger with Meigibu. The Wondercolts were growing by four hundred percent. Diemond was no longer a few doors down, or even a short distance away. It was a brisk three minute walk from her tower to the forge.

Plus, the feel and image of the guild was changing. Bladescape had to be more self reliant in her attire choices. She might even have to meet different standards. Meigibu was certainly bringing their style into the Wondercolts. That was not bad, but Bladescape knew she would be facing Lobelia today in the ceremony. Her armor would stand in sharp contrast to the super fancy kimono Lobelia would inevitably be wearing.

Bladescape headed to their private teleport plaza. Breakfast had already been dealt with, now they just needed to meet up at their Mishe Headquarters for the ceremony. The walk to the teleport plaza was another thing Bladescape had to get used to. It was closer than Mishe's, but it took more time than one would think to traverse the distance. Even using the stairs shortcut, it still took time.

Bladescape was the first to arrive at their old headquarters. It was completely empty. Even the meeting hall's dais and chairs had been packed up and moved. They all could stand for the short time it would take and it would allow them to solely address the moving needs of their new guild members.

The others were not far behind. Natora was going to greet them upon their arrival and let them inside. Bladescape put the Wondercolts on the back wall. She took her spot in the center of the space and stationed Malus a few feet to her right, in between Bladescape and the other Wondercolts. Natora and Lobelia would stand opposite of them. The new members would literally pass through them as they confirmed the oath and joined the Wondercolts. Along the way, they would grab a random room number from the velvet bag Malus had. The lottery for the rooms was being used for everyone.

Meigibu did not keep them waiting. They arrived two minutes before the agreed upon start. By the time everyone was inside and settled, it was exactly the time to start.

Lobelia was not in a kimono. She was in her white bridal warrior armor; with her sword and shield equipped. She was matching the new joint venture of maintaining their status as clearers.

Bladescape took one last look at the old Wondercolts, capturing them in a mental image. Yes, they were missing Knightstar, but they were not going to be a small guild anymore. This was the start of something new and exciting.

Bladescape turned to address their new members. "Welcome, everyone. We all know why we are here. There are a lot of you, so we will be moving pretty quick. The Wondercolts are glad you are joining us. Even if it doesn't work out, we are glad you are with us. Once you are called forward, swear your allegiance, and then take a number from Malus. That lottery will determine room assignment. Everyone is getting their own rooms.” That elicited surprise from a lot of the new members. After all, they still had no idea what they had acquired for their new headquarters. “We are looking forward to showing you the headquarters we secured. We will have a few transition days before we start the level quota push, which will start on July First, but we will have some fun things to do to bind us together as a guild before the work begins. We all will need it. We believe we can have all of you at Level Seventy-Five in three weeks.

"As a reminder, the ethos of our two guild's are very similar. The Wondercolts are about Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, Empathy, and Friendship. You were about the art of being human. Both of us strive to be excellent for ourselves and others. We each decided to do what we could to free every player trapped in Aincrad. Our joint image shall be ‘a friend to all; warriors true; brave, kind, and honest.’

“The oath is simple. ‘I swear, so long as I am in the guild, to be a friend and support to my guildmates; to uphold the image of a Wondercolt to the best of my ability; meet the required standards of the guild; and to fight for the freedom of all as best as I can.’”

One by one, Lobelia called them forward, starting with the members who fully committed to becoming Wondercolts. Kamishi was first, followed by Shikiku, and then in alphabetical order: Babs, Ceobe, Chok, Elora, Eowyn, Helia, Kate, Osouji, Lya, Nora, Pell, Pyrrha, Nereid, Shintai, Suisei, Tariq, Tate, Val, and Cygnus. They each stepped up to the leaders, removed themselves from Meigibu, accepted the invitation sent by Bladescape, and then passed through the leaders, making sure to take their room lottery number from Malus. Kamishi and Shikiku faked grabbing lottery numbers, something Lobelia had instructed them to do.

Bladescape transitioned them to the players unsure about staying on the front. “The only amendment to the oath is the implicit understanding that the following members taking the oath will be probationary members. They will train and act as full members as they see if the Wondercolts are the right fit for them as we continue forward.”

Lobelia called all fifteen ladies forward. Some of them were clearly in highschool, while others were in their early twenties. Yasha, Bakann, Veilis, Dinah, Harari, Houhu, Ida, Falion, Kogitsune, Bonnon, Mozu, Noi, Sonita, Suiko, and Tifa gave their word and passed through like the others, even receiving their lottery numbers from the same pool.

“Finally,” Bladescape said, looking at the last three. “Our support members. Your oath comes with a true amendment. Not that you will fight for the freedom of all as best as you can, rather that you will serve the guild in support of the freedom effort to the best of your ability.”

Delton, Ithilien, and Jade stepped forward and gave their word, officially joining the Wondercolts and leaving the other side empty. Malus and Natora backed up to the wall, so that everyone could witness the last player, Lobelia, join.

Before Bladescape could proceed, Lobelia drew her falchion and knelt before her, offering her sword to Bladescape. “Bladescape of the Wondercolts, I offer you my sword, as a symbol of my loyalty to the mission and image of the Wondercolts. Take it and hold onto it as assurance while I do the final transfer.”

Bladescape respectfully took the offered sword, cradling it in her hands. Now she understood why Lobelia had come in her armor. It was not to match Bladescape. It was to show everyone in the merger that even though she was going to maintain a leadership position, she was on the same level as they were regarding the merger.

Lobelia stayed kneeling as she brought up her menu. The menu expanded out several times as Lobelia accessed the guild submenu and then the administration submenu. In that tab, the leader could remove players or dissolve the guild. A week ago the menu had been updated with a new patch, adding the “merger” option. It tethered the guild assets to the leader and would automatically change the ownership to the next guild the leader accepted a request from. It also allowed them to be able to receive guild membership offers.

With the option locked in, Bladescape slipped her left hand to grab Lobelia’s sword by the handle as she used her right to access her own menu and send the request to Lobelia. Lobelia accepted it without hesitation.

“Welcome to the Wondercolts, Lobelia,” Bladescape said, offering her back her sword.

Lobelia stood up and took it by the handle. “I welcome the opportunity and future that awaits all of us in their new era!” With that she sheathed her sword.

Bladescape turned to everyone. “Alright, for the next order of business, you all have your lottery numbers for your room. It has a letter on it for grouping up. Malus is Group A, Thunder is Group B, Soryuto is C, Diemond is D, and Kiefer is E. Delton, Ithilien, and Jade, ignore your letters and join a party with Reisenki. We will party up now, teleport to the Thorn Island Plaza in order of parties, and the tour will be given in your parties. Your party leader knows where to start so we are not tripping over each other. After the tour, we will reconvene in the meeting hall for final points of order and questions before we begin the moving process.”

Everyone found their group leaders. Kamishi and Shikiku joined Bladescape and Lobelia. Konpeito had already sprinted out of the building in order to get back to cooking. Doombunny had also left to work on Operation Midnight Redemption. Natora, since she had the Sales Negotiation Skill, would be selling their Mishe headquarters and, after the move, the former house of Meigibu. Lobelia had decided against keeping the house, wanting a fresh start. Bladescape led Lobelia, Kamishi, and Shikiku out of the empty headquarters and to the teleport plaza.

Bladescape paused at the Mishe teleport plaza. “Remember, the call out is Thorn Island. On the other side, don't pause, just quickly follow me. Trust me, it will be worth it.”

“Of course, Bladescape Kaisho,” Lobelia said.

Bladescape couldn’t help but smile as she called out for their new home. She appeared on their private plaza and quickly stepped off of it and into the causeway between it and the guild hall. Lobelia, Kamishi, and Shikiku appeared on the plaza a second later. Kamishi glanced around and nodded as they followed her. Clearly he was thinking they were on an established settlement, not a private island. The area would get too busy to talk in another minute and it was not the best place to view the island.

Kamishi was visibly confused when Bladescape entered the guild hall. She led them into the meeting hall. It was set up with the chairs, dais, and what banners they had. Bladescape ignored it and no one raised any questions as she went to the back wall where the hidden staircase was. The castle’s system popped up a warning, blocking regular members from using the hidden staircase. Bladescape overrode it as they climbed the stairs, granting them each access. She would fix that authority issue later.

They came out in the nearly empty deliberation chamber. It had five chairs set up if they needed to use the room, but they lacked a table. A crescent dais would be ordered so that the councilors could easily see each other, as well as some chairs and tables.

Bladescape didn’t stop as she took them to her tower. She detoured through the tsuboniwa garden and used its entrance into the tower. It had been an attempt to not require a second authorization, but that failed. Any member was allowed to enter the bottom floor of the tower, but it was technically a separate building, and she had to authorize them to get to the upper floors. Bladescape ignored her bedroom, forcing them to follow her up the stairs.

Out on the balcony, Bladescape stopped and leaned against the railing, looking east. She could see flashes of blue as groups began to teleport in. The group leaders had intentionally slowed them down and were on staggered arrival schedules for spacing.

“Welcome to Thorn Island,” Bladescape said. “The entire island is ours, as well as the small one that the main garden is attached to. We believe this floor is always at high tide, blocking the ground between them, thus requiring the bridge.”

“It’s all ours?” Kamishi stammered as he also leaned against the railing. Everyone was leaning against it.

“Yep,” Bladescape confirmed. “It even comes with two sailboats. Non-members get routed to the guest teleport plaza, out on the front lawn. The gatehouse is a nice place for guests to enter and wait after they notify us of their arrival. Or it will be once we get it properly decorated. What little furniture we had is currently in there, but not sufficient. You saw the private palace garden. Malus is in the Ward Gatehouse, which has its door in the corner of the wall, under the rampart. The palace’s upper two floors are restricted to authorized officers only, just like that secret staircase, but the bottom floor any member can enter without extra permission. We entered the Guild Hall, which is nearly attached to the Great Hall, where the kitchen and dining room are, plus guild storage.”

“And Konpeito’s kitchen loft,” Lobelia added.

Bladescape chuckled. “Yes, and her loft. The Center Barracks and Crescent Barracks each hold sixty rooms of the same size, twenty on each floor. We're using the Crescent Barracks and keeping everyone in there, as the tower has a nice view and the other lacks the center tower. Shikiku, you have the first room on the first floor, the southernmost room. There are two entrances, one at each end. Your room is closest to the Guild Hall and Great Hall, so everyone will be routinely passing your room.”

“Well placed for my role,” Shikiku said. “Thank you.”

“Thank Lobelia for guiding that decision, although she did not know what we had,” Bladescape added.

“I am as surprised as you both are,” Lobelia stated.

“North of the Crescent Barracks is the arena, the big building, and then just east is the forge,” Bladescape explained. “Diemond took the room at the top of that building as our Chief Armorer.. We have the arena set up for football, volleyball, and pickleball. Football has a league we will announce, we want as many players as possible to join and have fun. Pickleball is similar to tennis, but much more relaxed. The arena has lines painted for it all and setting up the nets is simple enough.”

“Those will be fun ways to bond,” Shikiku said. “I look forward to learning this pickleball. Very well planned.”

“Oh, and the pool on the garden island is for swimming,” Bladescape said before she forgot. “It is safe, even without a swimming skill. There is a sign posted beside it. Doombunny decided she wanted the lighthouse on the island for her room. It is easier for her to be there, separate, where she can openly keep Colorra’s live food without disturbing the others. They are kept in the cages they were trapped in as they await their fate. That was her idea.”

“And a very good one,” Lobelia said.

“Oh, and with Listen she can hear everything on the island if she does not keep her filters up. She does her best for that, otherwise it is too much and she is considerate about the privacy of other players.”

“Good to know,” Lobelia said.

“Can you get to the top of the mountain?” Kamishi asked. “The balcony is only about three quarters, not a full circle.”

“Thunder already tried to climb it, but it's off limits,” Bladescape explained. “From the other batteries, the sections of the wall where more space is, you can tell that the back half is pretty steep. I doubt the top is anything except what we can see, a few square meters of bumpy rock.”

“It just makes you wonder,” Kamishi added. “But I think I would like to see the palace rooms. We can get a tour after the others begin to move.”

“Of course,” Bladescape said. “But before we do, let me make all three of you officers. Besides the normal access, it will give you the ability to grant temporary entrance to the off limits palace areas, as well as upgrade or organize the guild store room, and assign rooms. Oh, and you were not in an HQ, so I don’t know if you dealt with the same thing. The Wondercolts have a rule that no officer is to override room ownership alone. It requires verification and there is a notice sent to officers and a log of any time ownership is overridden. Once a room is set, it's private property. Not doing it alone means having a witness, preferably another officer, but it's really just a way to keep the access ability in check and prevent misuse."

“We did not have that in our house,” Lobelia said. “But that is a good rule. You must have the ability to override it for safety and security reasons, but they deserve the privacy of a personally owned house.”

Bladescape quickly had all three set as officers and showed them down to the palace. Natora had properly chosen the third floor for her room. Lobelia and Kamishi would be joining her. The nine rooms on the second floor were for junior officers like Kiefer. He was the only one on that floor. Lobelia and Kamishi chose and assigned their own rooms.

“I love the internal architecture,” Lobelia said. “Are the barracks like this?”

“No,” Bladescape said, shaking her head. “They are nice, but the doors swing open, inward, not slide. It really does set the officers apart.”

They went down to the Guild Hall, using the secret passage. No one was inside the meeting hall yet, not that it mattered if they were. It wouldn't be a secret to the regular members. The tour group routes had been meticulously strategized by Kiefer and Natora the day before. The Guild Hall was the last stop for all of them. It would not be long until they started to arrive.

The council dais could squeeze in five chairs, but a new one would be ordered. Shikiku’s special chair at the front had a gold bow on it. Across the aisle was Kiefer’s and it had a blue bow to designate it. Otherwise it was free seating. Lobelia, Kamishi, and Shikiku approved of the seating arrangement. They took their seats as Malus’ group came into the meeting hall.

Once everyone had arrived, minus Konpeito, Doombunny and Natora, they formally announced the ranks and their four special positions: Member Ambassador, Training Officer, Itamae, and Armorer. The football league was announced along with the open signups being posted on the arena’s external notice board. Bladescape covered the plans for getting more furniture and what the guild would cover. There was now an allowance for a bed, wardrobe, desk, nightstand, lamp, and reading chair. If the player wanted to spend more on something, they could. That way each member could truly personalize their room to their liking.

With no questions, Malus led the moving effort. Natora would be waiting at the house for them. Reisenki, Delton, Ithilien, and Jade were excused to assist Konpeito. Once everyone was on their way, Bladescape led Lobelia, Kamishi, and Shikiku on a proper tour of their headquarters. Shikiku got to assign her room to herself. She was more than happy with the room provided. It was larger than she had expected. More importantly it was private. They also loved Soryuto’s idea of putting a shrine in the garden to honor their fallen friends.

As they were heading back over the bridge, a message came in. Bladescape was expecting an update from Doombunny, except it was Argo, not Doombunny. Argo wanted to hire the Wondercolts for location scouting, but could not meet until tomorrow night and it was not at one of her usual meeting spots. Location scouting meant one thing and one thing only; a potential XP grinding spot. They were in sore need of a new one, both as a clearing effort and especially as a newly expanded guild. Argo had no idea they had merged with Meigibu. Bladescape agreed to the meeting time and location. Things had certainly just gotten interesting.

BLADESCAPE: Level 85 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 81 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 81 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend — Sprint
THUNDERBORNE: Level 81 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing — Search
KONPEITO: Level 81 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry — Rend
DIEMOND: Level 81 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation — Rend
DOOMBUNNY: Level 82 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche — Search
KIEFER: Level 80 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts
SORYUTO: Level 78 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 80 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation — Two-Handed Weapon Creation
LOBELIA: Level 62 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Search — Meditation — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Painting
KAMISHI: Level 64 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Katana — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Reveal — Trap Dismantling

Episode 102 - Magic Spark

Episode 102 - Magic Spark
Twenty-Eighth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 28) in the Year of the Griffon
Algade — Floor 50

Knightstar heard the bell as the door was opened. It has been a slow day, with no one on the schedule for consultations. She had finished the last consult on the books the day before.

Her books were selling well, in particular the monster guides. The others were commonly bought too, but the item and monster guides were by far the most useful and popular. Quest guides were harder to make and players only came if they could not sort it out themselves. Plus, any one-shot quests were useless. Aincrad had significantly more one-shot quests than open quests.

None of her information team were on assignment. Her full-time team — Matsasumi, Yang, Daichi, and Yatsuhashi — was level grinding to maintain their safety margins. The others — Hakowaru, Failsafe, Scarlatina, Alistair, Monty, Branwen, Taiyang, Weiss, and Blake — knew there were no missions and were off doing their own thing. Soon enough Knightstar would put them to work gathering information for her.

Her store tender entered the upstairs work room. "Sage Knightstar," she said. "You have a package. It is waiting for you on the counter."

A package was new. Knightstar had never gotten a package before, let alone mail. There was an informal package and letter service. The runners made decent col per trip, but didn't make much in the long run. Not a lot of letters were being sent.

Knightstar headed downstairs to the front of the store. The brown box sitting on the counter was a lot bigger than she was expecting. It was quite large. Whoever had delivered it was gone. Her name was on the top, but no information was given about who it was from. There were a few nasty tricks that she could think of, all of which would land her in serious trouble, but she was not aware of anyone with a beef against her.

Knightstar clicked “open” in the menu and the box fell open to reveal a bronze statue. The two horses facing each other were reared up on their hind legs. Balanced on their front legs was a glass orb. The orb had two items inside it: a butterfly and a clump of stars. She was very familiar with both, especially the latter, as she wore it constantly. Knightstar found her hand involuntarily touching the necklace Diemond had made; the recreation of her geode necklace IRL.

Whichever way she turned, the two symbols in the orb always faced her. Knightstar lifted it off its perch and set it on the counter. She spun it as fast as she could. The glass was clearly spinning, but the symbols stayed put, facing her and moving with her, always facing her. Knightstar stopped it from spinning and put it back on its perch.

The horses were very detailed and lifelike. The bronze was clearly cast, likely using the wax mold method, meaning it was a one-of-a-kind piece. Yet the horses or the orb were not the only noteworthy things.

The other part was the base. Inscribed in the base were words she was quite familiar with, but had not heard in a long time. In between the horses, on the flat top, was "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 nonverbal communication easier. Common problems were blushing more than normal and crying easier. Her eyes were watering up despite her efforts to hold them back. Her hand was back on her hidden geode necklace.

Knightstar was not able to fight the feelings the words conveyed. She didn't read them as much as she heard them sung in her head. They were lyrics in the Rainbooms' 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. She was not a singer.

Twilight Sparkle was though, and the same went for Fluttershy, whose 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 Marks, and none of the others would pair up horses either. They were not exact copies of the now destroyed, by Twilight, Canterlot High School Wondercolt statue, but that didn't matter. They were beautiful horses nonetheless.

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 where she was at and helped make her a better version of herself. They had saved her from her nightmare, Midnight Sparkle, and helped her become a version of Twilight Sparkle that was confident both inside the classroom and outside with people. A Twilight Sparkle with friends.

They were the reason she had the guts to learn Japanese and come to Japan. They made school fun again and the opportunity of a lifetime was something Twilight had been unable to pass up, but only because her friends were going. Even with getting trapped in SAO, she didn't regret coming to Japan. Not if she was truly honest with herself. Twilight had been having fun being, mostly, on her own and grown up. Twilight Sparkle who had come into this "game" with her friends, had gotten trapped in Aincrad with her friends, and then fought for their survival by their side. And not just their survival, but she had been fighting on the front lines, and even faced a boss. They had intentionally rallied around the horse mascot which bound them together in the real world.

But Fluttershy hadn't just made a horse. She had two made. Two who supported the beautiful orb. One for her, 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 Highschool 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 IRL, just like these two horses were the same. It's why they flipped to the familiar and safe symbol when SAO’s tutorial had changed the rules of the game.

Knightstar took a step back from the counter. Not only were her cheeks now wet, but she was feeling fear. She had left her friends because of the nasty things she had said. Because she ripped into Fluttershy in such a mean manner, intentionally trying to tear her down. Then, she had to get away from it all. That fear was different from what she was currently feeling, and it led her to where she was now; isolated and alone.

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 would be 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. Then there were her four new friends. They had said it wasn't over, tried to bring her back, and the Wondercolts were still going strong after all this time. The paper had mentioned how instrumental they were in the last boss raid.

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.

Her actions meant she was tearing through the streets of Algade, rushing to the teleport plaza in an effort to get to Floor Thirty-Five. 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 invisible glass, 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 building now. It looked exactly like it did when they had first bought it.

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. It has been several days since the last boss raid. 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. Knightstar was familiar enough with the near legendary description of the beast tamer for her to recognize the dragon tamer named Silica.

"If you are looking for the Wondercolts, they moved," Silica added.

"Where?" Knightstar stuttered. Her mouth was still frozen as her mind and body fought for control.

"Floor Sixty-One," Silica said with a smile. "I haven't been 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. The only one with a teleport plaza.

Knightstar had not been to the Sixty-First Floor yet. The sun was starting to slip through the Floors as it set. It reflected off 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 Fifty-Six. The DDA had theirs on Fifty-Six, while the KoB was in Granzam on Floor Fifty-Five. Assuming it was in Selmburg, 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 they had bought their headquarters when the front line was Floor Thirty-Five. 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 at different elevations and created or restricted different access to areas.

Some players were around, but not many. The Floor had been easy to clear, but the water meant that only a few of the larger islands had any dungeons. The high living cost meant the clearers did not linger, despite how nice it was and many of them could afford it. The Front Line had cheaper places to stay that offered the Clearers 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 scholar glasses were on straight. "I'm just shocked," Knightstar said, trying to convince him she was fine. "I've 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 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 out over the water. "That small island, that is apparently their home. I hear that not only did it cost them a huge fortune, it also required a difficult quest to even allow its purchase in the first place. I've not scouted it myself and know of no one who has. They have been quiet about it too. Everything right now is just rumors; really unsubstantiated scraps."

"How do I get there?" Knightstar asked. It was out loud, but direct 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 two parties 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 crescent 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 here was mountainous, and it was blocking her from actually viewing their headquarters. She caught the glimpse of the peak, but the cliffs and her approach angle blocked her view of anything else. There were two sailboats at the wooden dock, but no banners or any pieces of identification. This could be the wrong location. It was a rumor she was being guided by. 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, and a big one. There were no outside tapestries or any guild identification features.

The castle had proper machicolations and crenellations on the walls and the walls blocked from sight whatever the guild was doing. No one could spy on them. The batteries on the walls were a late addition to fortresses when artillery became a key piece of the defensive structure, but the rest of the castle matched the late medieval period very well. Even the tower that rose above the central palace, alongside the mountain peak, was architecturally a match, and they appeared to have a garden on a smaller island, off the rear of the castle. It must have cost them everything to buy it; maybe even requiring a loan.

Knightstar crossed the beautiful lawn to the gatehouse and entered. It was the first assurance she had found them because, although it was sparsely furnished, they were reusing the furniture from their old headquarters. The gatehouse was much larger than their old foyer, making the furniture out of place. But it was Wondercolt furniture.

Knightstar tapped on the inside door, bringing up the menu. She notified them that someone was in the gatehouse, waiting for an audience.

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 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 also 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 Jade into the castle. She was shocked by what she saw and wanted to examine it further, but she was not here for architecture. She was here for her friends. From the lower ward they passed under an internal gatehouse and into the middle ward. Jade did not give the other buildings a second glance as she led her, but Knightstar noticed them and the small teleport plaza off to her right. Knightstar figured out their destination rather quickly. The big building on the far side clearly was some sort of arena and Jade was making a beeline for it.

Inside proved her guess correct, it was a canvas covered arena with plenty of seating. The stands had a good number of players in them, watching what was happening. The ground had been painted with several different lines and colors for games, but currently it was being used as a mini football pitch. They were playing four on four. Knightstar didn't immediately recognize any of the players, but they were in customized uniforms for their respective teams.

The first person Twilight recognized was Rainbow Dash, who currently 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: Level 74 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce — Search

Episode 103 — Wondercolts United

Episode 103 — Wondercolts United
Twenty-Eighth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 28) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 61 — Thorn Island — Front Line Floor 64

Bladescape was lounging in the stands, watching the opening game of their guild football league. Thunderborne's team, the Rainbooms, was playing against Natora's team, the Tigers. It was a good opening match.

Thunderborne and Malus had done a great job on setting up the league. They had plenty of balls, the lines were painted in different colors depending on the game, and the other equipment was easy to swap out. The teams were well balanced too. They were simply playing four on four; a forward, a midfielder, a defender, and a goalie. They had enough players for six teams. Bladescape was on Kamishi's team. She was not interested in leading a team, but she absolutely wanted to play. Also, as their Kaisho, it was good for her to do normal things like a football league with the regular members. It was even better for everyone to see her as a regular team member, not a team captain. Malus was somehow on Thunderborne's team, something Bladescape had initially doubted, but never voiced, and she was wrong to doubt it. Malus was good, particularly as a goalie, but not much better than most of the other players.

Competition often bonded Rainbow Dash and Applejack, but in Aincrad, things were too different, too specialized. There was no ability for them to compete, not even in kill counts, but playing together as teammates was apparently what they needed. Both of them needed to find a better way to continue to bond and build their friendship. With Thunderborne as team captain, she had enough authority over Malus and was able to push her to play better, and Malus pushed back, egging Thunderborne on.

Thunderborne clipped her kick. She had shown excellent control and skill, even better than IRL, but the kick went wide and out of bounds. Then she just stopped and openly stared. She wasn't looking at Bladescape. Thunder was looking at whoever was in the entryway, except no one was saying anything, even as the whole arena froze.

Bladescape scooted over to the stairs and leaned over the railing to see what had silenced Thunderborne. Dressed in scholarly robes and cap was Knightstar. She had frozen too. Everyone had frozen.

Knightstar would not have let herself be brought all the way to the arena on business. This was good. The pause was not, both for the game and for Knightstar. Dinner would be ready soon. They only had a few minutes left for either side to break the tie.

"Thunder!" Bladescape yelled. "Get your head in the game! You're never that sloppy with your ball handling!"

"Right!" Thunderborne yelled back. That was enough to get the game rolling again.

Bladescape looked at Knightstar. Her friend had not even glanced up at her. "Knightstar, come up here with me," Bladescape said, trying to make it friendly, not an order.

It was enough to get her to look up at her and Bladescape pointed to the entry of the stairs for the arena's seating. Knightstar silently walked down to the end and entered behind the arena wall. She came up the stairs to Bladescape. Bladescape scooted back to her original spot and Knightstar sat beside her.

"I only just found out you moved," Knightstar said. “Like half an hour ago.”

"A lot has changed," Bladescape shrugged. “Like you added glasses to the sage outfit. It's a nice touch.” She needed to play it cool and calm for her friend. To build her up, not dwell on a mistake.

Natora slipped the ball past Kate and then kicked it. Malus was good, but this time Natora outsmarted her and Malus dove the opposite direction of where the ball went. The game was no longer tied 3-3.

"Come on!" Bladescape bellowed. "I thought you guys had this! Thunderborne and Malus, what could go wrong!"

"That is Malus?" Knightstar asked, shocked as she watched Malus get up and dust off her uniform. "She's actually playing a game!"

"Yep," Bladescape grinned. "Like I said, a lot has changed. Natora has Kiefer as their defender, with Pell as their goalie and Suisei playing as their midfielder. Thunderborne has Malus as her goalie, Kate is their defender, and Tifa is their midfielder. We're running out of time in our opening game, before Konpeito rings that dinner bell. Apparently she has a new one ordered. One big enough to be heard over the whole island. I don't think it's a handbell this time."

Bladescape couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"Is she cooking alone?" Knightstar asked. "Well, her and Reisenki?"

"Nah," Bladescape said, waving the idea off with her hand. "We have like a dozen cooks now. Jade, Delton, and Ithilien are no longer hitting the field. They are basically three full time cooks; breakfast and dinner. Maybe some other errands if need be. It's crucial support for a guild our size to still be able to push the front and eat well. Having friends support us with their cooking is great for morale."

"How long have you been here?" Knightstar asked. "I did not see or hear anything about your merger with Meigibu."

Thunderborne scored, slipping the ball past Kiefer and tying the game at 4-4. 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. She had to pitch the standing offer for Knightstar to rejoin them without backing Knightstar into a corner. Using the merger as the framework, by simply explaining it, should do the trick.

"We merged yesterday. We got this place a few days before the merger. Lobelia has taken the third seat on our council, Malus slipped to fourth seat, and Kamishi is our fifth Councilor. Meigibu was floundering and not only could we offer them the stability they needed, but it meant we could keep them on the front lines. It was not an easy decision for anyone. It took time to discuss and settle.

"A little over half of Meigibu unconditionally merged with us. Fifteen are unsure, but we are going to train them and let them have a trial run as a Wondercolt, without a commitment or penalty to them. They are labeled probationary for that reason only. We want to keep as many in the guild as possible and will establish non-clearing teams if need be. I'm confident that we can keep all of them on the front, clearing. They want it, even if they have been knocked down a bit.

"But the three cooks, we don't ever want to understate their value. We need some logistics and support players to function as we used to, yet as an oversized guild. They don't want to fight on the front lines anymore, that's understandable, but they also don't want to leave their friends. This was a great option for them. This way, they still get to contribute to the clearing effort. Fighting is important, but it's equally important to keep the swords in the field swinging, even if you can't swing one yourself."

That final bit was the key part to deliver to Knightstar. Other players took different paths, but all had a place in the expanded Wondercolts. Knightstar still had a place no matter what her role would be.

"That's," Knightstar stammered. Her head dropped in a complex mix of emotions. "That's wonderful. For all of you."

Bladescape had to shift herself back as Sunset Shimmer and then wait for her friend 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.

"Twilight, because part of you is still Twilight, we are good friends and the offer has never left the table," Bladescape stated, now confident that she could be more straightforward. "You came here for a reason. Look around, no one cares what happened. We only care that you're not beside us. You made Dash miss her kick and freeze in the middle of a game. It won't be hard to catch you up and we seriously have plenty of rooms available."

Knightstar sat there thinking. Bladescape could only guess what was going on in her mind. It was odd, after so long without her, seeing her friend beside her, but it felt right. A little ridiculous because of the very Twilight scholar outfit, but it felt right, and was, to have her friend beside her.

"I..." Knightstar stumbled. "I came because Fluttershy had a gift made for me that reminded me of the friendship we had made. At least I'm pretty certain it was her. There was no note, but it had both of our marks on it. It was delivered to my shop an hour ago. I came seeking forgiveness from her. From you all. 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. "Natora 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.

"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. Way more. So much more than I can express. Actually, it was kind of boring not collecting the data we used to. But it also would be nice to have that awesome power of my friend assisting with the new guild members. Rarity is working hard to make their armor, but they still need weapons analysis and stats examination. Natora and I can do it, but we can't do it like you. No one can.

"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 of staying at the top. All the way to the peak 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 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 or association to do the consultations when that comes up."

"Then keep it and a spare bed too for the times your work goes late," Bladescape said. "It can be your retreat from the guild during time off. I know you will always be coming back to us. Besides, you have a team that does gather info for you on places we missed and they could really use a business to go to rather than our castle. 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. Natora had kicked the ball, but Malus had caught it. She chucked it all the way to the halfway mark where Tifa was. Tifa had bounced it off her chest and immediately kicked it while she was still free. The ball 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 5 to 4, advantage Rainbooms.

"Yes," Knightstar said with a chuckle. "I'm sure Rar-er-Diemond will want me to fit in with the guild, royal blue with gold accents, not my twilight purple robes with Lavender flourishes. Can you really catch me up?"

"What level are you?" Bladescape asked.

"Seventy-four," Knightstar answered.

"Absolutely!" Bladescape exclaimed with a sly grin. "You're smack in the middle of the range for our new members. We start training on the first of the month. In between we are team building, getting the break we need, and also will be getting furniture ordered. We have cobbled together what we have into a temporarily okay system, but we need a real dining hall table, we need a new dais, one that easily seats five, for our meeting hall, and plenty of other things too. We are squeezing by on the system's cheap furniture as we organize that. And by 'we' I mean mostly Diemond because, as much as she has to do, she also wants to ensure we get the best."

Kamishi, who had been the referee for the game, blew the whistle. Their game was finished. Even with the added time due to the running clock, they were done. The first game of the league went to the Rainbooms. The Tigers were in a good position too with four goals. The championship match would be decided by total goals scored during the regular season, a very common system for football. The teams were balanced enough that it would be difficult for the others to score as high as they did.

Konpeito rang the dinner bell. It was audible, but not by much. They were a solid distance from the Great Hall and inside the arena. She absolutely needed a bigger and louder bell. They were technically running off of a schedule, where everyone had to pay close attention to the time, but they couldn't always function like that.

Bladescape led Knightstar to the Great Hall. It was currently only "great" in its size. The mashup of tables and chairs was functional, but detracted from the room. Plus they had just enough chairs to seat all of them, with no room for more than a few spares. They could not receive guests at the moment. Bladescape kept Knightstar with her, at the end of the dining hall that had been designated as the “head.” It was opposite the kitchen and closest to the Guild Hall. The organization was temporary and would come down to the furniture designers.

When everyone was inside, Bladescape made the announcement. The other councilors had been briefed and agreed upon the course Bladescape had set, personally welcoming Knightstar back to active duty. Malus hugged Knightstar tight.

"Friends!" Bladescape called out before dinner officially started. "In an hour, after dinner, we'll gather in the meeting hall." Bladescape pulled Knightstar out from behind the councilors who had been shielding her in plain sight. "And reinstate Knightstar to activate status as a Wondercolt. She has agreed to be our statistician, assisting with all of our statistics needs for leveling guidance and equipment consultations. As most of you know, she also runs a successful level consultation business and encyclopedia store covering a lot of things in Aincrad. Monsters, loot, materials, quests, she has it all and will maintain the store and take consults when she can. Knightstar will be catching up with the level quotas and rejoining the clearing effort as part of her duties. Also, as a final note, since she is serving a unique and important role, we are going to grant her the rank of Socho."

Pyrrha stood up. "Bladescape Kaisho, a request for consideration if I may?"

"Please, go ahead," Bladescape said with a nod. It was important for the others to see that they could approach the council or Shikiku with requests and concerns. A few, like Pyrrha, did not need to learn that lesson, but most did. No one was used to the large and formal structure they were now running.

"I request that you consider officially giving Diemond a rank," Pyrrha stated. "She is our armorer and designer. She will make almost all of our equipment. She deserves a title and rank. Socho seems most appropriate with how it is being used."

Bladescape looked at the other councilors and could immediately tell their answer. Bladescape had been thinking the same thing they were. It was instinctual.

"There is no need for deliberations," Bladescape stated. "We were already considering her our Chief Armorer, but the rank request is very valid. The council grants your request and immediately bestows upon Diemond the rank of Socho. Diemond Socho, we are impressed and thankful for all you do. Thank you. Now, let's show Konpeito Itamae and the cooks our gratitude by enjoying their meal before it gets cold!"

A round of cheers with applause was raised. In celebration of Knightstar's return and her role, as well as celebrating Diemond's official role, and the thrill of good food cooked with love for them all.

After a slightly rushed dinner, they all headed to the meeting hall. Knightstar was stunned by its beauty. She did not need to be guided or prompted for her path. It was with great joy that Bladescape extended the invitation to her friend.

Knightstar did not take a vow like the others. She came up with her own on the spot. It was true to the old, original Wondercolts. One that reflected their school back home and their friendship. Yet it still worked for the new Wondercolts in Aincrad. Everyone loved seeing her rejoin the Wondercolts. Because of her rank, she would be put in the palace, on their second floor. If Diemond wasn't living above the forge, she too would be moved, but Diemond wouldn't want to move.

Bladescape had to head out and meet up with Argo for the location scouting. She would get the details when she got there and would need to be on it quickly. The guild's bonding time would likely have to be interrupted for this job, but it was important. Argo never asked unless it was. The council had agreed it was a good thing to pursue. The distraction of Knightstar's rejoining was what Bladescape needed to slip away, unnoticed by the regular members.

Knightstar was standing in the middle of her room in the palace. It was so big and open, especially after coming from her shop. The bed in her private bedroom was a spare one, but other members had jumped to help her grab her essentials from her shop. She was thankful for their assistance. Her appreciation was overshadowed by her inability to grasp the room given to her. It was the logical place to put her, it was just so big. It had more space than the entire second floor of her shop. She was already thinking of taking a spare team room in the guild hall to be her work area, where members could easily find her and not need permission to go to her. How she would, logically, fill the space of her bedroom without also doing her work inside was something she could not currently grasp.

Knightstar got a message. It was from Doombunny asking to give her permission to come up so she could speak to her in her room. Knightstar was unsure how that would go. It was a bit nerve racking. Doombunny had been a major factor in the rift, but not the only one. She had given her the gift, but meeting her made Knightstar uneasy. She had messed up a lot concerning her friends. Forgiving and forgetting were not the same thing. The two of them had not had a chance to directly talk since Knightstar came back, only two hours prior.

Despite her unease, Knightstar headed downstairs. They needed to talk. Doombunny was patiently waiting, without Colorra. The elapid was likely resting after a big meal. It fought hard and was not built the same as a player in regards to combat. The snake still made Knightstar uneasy at times, all snakes did. She was glad it wasn’t currently with Doom. Doombunny smiled at her, but said nothing. Granting Doom permission to come up was fairly straightforward. The system was good and able to recognize them being together.

Back in her room, with the door closed, Knightstar was still unsure what to say. Doombunny opened her menu and pulled out a wooden box. It looked like a jewelry box, except it was pretty big. Bigger than most necklace boxes.

“I want you to have this,” Doombunny said, extending it to her. “I have no use for them, as the Beast Tamer Charms are too critical for my role. I only did the quest to get the charms that went into the orb. No crafter could make the symbols as well as the charms. I figure you would make better use of the rest. After all, I ended up with them only because I needed two of them for the project. Plus, you have two of them, so you should have the rest.”

Knightstar took the box, unsure what to say. She started simple. “Thank you, Doombunny.” By the time she was finished saying that, she knew what else to add. “For this and the statue. It is beautiful and it certainly sparked the memories of our friendship, reminding me what was really important.”

Doombunny opened her mouth and then shut it. Knightstar had no warning as Doombunny bear hugged her, almost toppling them because of the lunge. “I’m so glad you’re back. I hated how things ended up, the rift I caused. I never meant for that to happen.”

“It was not all your fault,” Knightstar said. She was unable to hug her back since her arms were pinned. “I caused further trouble for myself. Part of me did miss you and the others. I’m relieved to be back.”

Doombunny broke the hug and smiled at her. “I actually have not seen the finished product.”

“We can solve that,” Knightstar said, smiling back at her friend. She needed furniture, so it was sitting on the ground, near the back wall. Doombunny did not hesitate to sit on the floor. Knightstar sat down too. Doombunny marveled at the orb.

“I knew they said it would be worth it,” she said as she watched it spin, yet the charms remained oriented at her. “They could only pull that off due to the charms I brought them.”

“It is very impressive work,” Knightstar said. “I can tell they used lost wax casting. It is a lost artform and it makes the superior bronze castings. Each one is so unique because the mold is lost. I am surprised the system even had it as an option.”

“I contracted him to make the best,” Doombunny said. “I gave him the directions he needed, mostly the base, but the horses were his to sculpt. He did a fantastic job. He was the one to recommend the charms. Well, your charm, since he knew I wanted a star for yours. He really took the orb further than I envisioned when I went to him. I was very lucky that there was a butterfly charm.”

“It is absolutely fantastic,” Knightstar said. It felt good just to sit with Doombunny. There really was no unease or tension, except internally which was all on Knightstar.

“I don’t remember what jewelry you have, but you should look at the charms,” Doombunny said. “I am guessing the left wrist would be better, so they are not flopping around too much. They might make swinging a sword difficult.”

“Okay,” Knightstar said, opening the hinged box. The gold bracelet was beautiful and large. Around it were eleven charms. In the top of the box it had the names of each charm written on it, along with their buff. The bottom two were crossed out. Knightstar could not believe her eyes. She looked at Doombunny, dumbfounded. “This-these-” she stammered, before losing what she was going to say as she tried to comprehend what was written.

Painite Blossom — +150 Strength
Col Standard — +15% col dropped by monsters
Iron Opal — +15% Carry Weight
Tuft of a Rainbow Cloud — +20% boost to speed
Vial Of Life — +150 Constitution
Fragment of the Palace — 20% reduction in skill delay
Ribbon of Seven Thousand Threads — +150 Agility
Radial Orchid — +15% Search
Triadic Trefoil — + 150 Attack
Golden Compass — +150 to equipped weapon’s accuracy
Heart of The Great Lion — +25% to defense
~~Ammolite Metalmark~~
~~Stars of the Forgotten Night~~

Doombunny nodded. “They are the ultimate piece of jewelry in SAO. Some pieces may come close to a particular charm, but actually beating six on the bracelet will be difficult. The bracelet can only hold six at once, yet they are easy to swap out. You will make good use of them. I certainly can’t. Selling them did not seem wise, not after all of the hard work I put in. Plus, with two missing, it would detract the value if players learned there were supposed to be thirteen.”

“How long did this take?” Knightstar asked. That was not really important, it just came out. She was still trying to grasp their power.

“My plan was in place within a week of you leaving,” Doombunny answered. “No one knew my actual plan, but Bladescape and Natora trusted me. So did Malus. Thunder, well she was not happy with any solution that was not direct or expedient.”

Knightstar laughed with Doombunny. That was certainly Thunderborne. She could be rather impatient.

“I only finished getting them a few days ago,” Doombunny added. “Which seemed to time out perfectly.”

“Yeah, it did,” Knightstar admitted. “I’m not sure if I would have been ready before. Maybe two or three weeks, but not any sooner. It’s hard to judge that. Anyway, what did you have to do? That was a long time.”

“It was a fourteen part quest,” Doombunny explained. “First I had to solve a riddle and go through a gauntlet of puzzles to get the charm bracelet. Once I had it, the rest could be followed up at my leisure. There is no second bracelet, no way for others to have gotten ahead of me. I had to use it a few times to unlock things. At the start, I only knew the names of three or four charms, including the two used for the project.

“My goal was to get those two, not the others, but I only was given one riddle at a time to solve and had no known order. Of course the Stars of the Forgotten Night was the very last one. It literally took me all over Aincrad and required a variety of tasks, mostly puzzle based. Reveal was quite useful at times. I did a lot at night or on days off. Some of the riddles took a while to figure out the location, let alone how to get the charm. Some were on floors not unlocked yet, which made things even more difficult and really slowed it down. I could not have gotten them done much sooner than I did.”

“You never wrote the buffs of the last two down,” Knightstar said. “What were they? Just to satisfy my curiosity.”

Doombunny nodded before answering. “The Ammolite Metalmark increased the outcome for artistic skills by fifteen percent. The Stars of the Forgotten Night was a two hundred point boost to Reveal. Just as powerful as the others.”

Knightstar looked at all of them, still shocked at their power. It was a lot to give up, both for the project and for Doombunny. After all, she had put in the work. It spelled out how powerful the Beast Tamer Charms really were as a set. Well, powerful for her use, since these were the ultimate jewelry in SAO, and Knightstar could pick and choose which ones she wore, up to six.

While she had not fought in a while, she doubted her playing style had changed. She would be caught up shortly, as the new Wondercolts pushed for levels. Fragment of the Palace was crucial, as reducing Sword Skill delay was too important for a Clearer. The Heart of The Great Lion likewise was critical, especially considering it was slightly stronger than the rest. It had to have been a difficult battle if it increased defense by twenty-five percent, especially for a dagger wielding damage dealer. That buff would be a rolling one based on whatever Knightstar’s current based defense was. Boosting her weapon’s accuracy, the Golden Compass, would absolutely improve her fighting and give her a clear edge by adding a hundred and fifty accuracy points to her sword. It was an insane buff and it would transfer to any weapon she had equipped. The last charm that was a must have was the Vial of Life, since it boosted her constitution by a hundred and fifty. More health on the frontlines was another crucial factor. Once a powerful health boost, be it to the base stat or directly giving HP, was locked in, walking away from them was impossible. They were holding their market value, or selling high, for a very good reason, and that was just four of the six she could wear.

The Triadic Trefoil would be highly beneficial due to boosting her attack, but was not crucial like the others. Although, using it might prove to be like a health boost, since she was dealing with the best buffs in the game and on the frontline. Attack was a vague stat, which players could not assign level points to, and it influenced the damage statistics of weapons. The main damage factor came from the weapon itself. The Col Standard would likely always be attached, not that Knightstar was greedy. Fifteen percent more col in drops would be very important, as she could filter it back into her business; particularly to ensure she had enough to pay her team to get the info she needed so she could keep updating the encyclopedia, without charging more for updates. Both of them could be swapped out for Ribbon of Seven Thousand Threads if she needed to boost agility or the Painite Blossom if she needed more strength, but neither fit her playing style. At least not in ways she typically needed to be buffed. She was a balanced build for a reason. Boosting Search might have its benefits, but the Radial Orchid was certainly specialized to those tasks. Knightstar did not rely on Search like other players, especially Bladescape. She primarily relied on Bladescape, as Search was still a newer Skill for her. The same for her carry weight, the Iron Opal, since she had Extended Carry Weight and she was balanced strength. She would almost never need the Tuft of a Rainbow Cloud, as it boosted her speed. With tanks like Malus and Diemond in their parties, their overall speed was quite slow. Thunderborne, Natora, and Doombunny needed it as damage dealers, but Knightstar was more static in her fighting since she was a forward with a shield.

“Thank you, Doombunny,” Knightstar said. She started to tear up. None of what she feared was right. This proved that. As bad as it had been, they were good. Both the statue and the bracelet proved that. Actions typically mattered more than words and that was certainly evident here. Doombunny really was kind through and through, even after becoming much colder and hardened in SAO. She was still leagues ahead of Knightstar. “You are a good friend and so kind. It’s amazing. I don’t feel like I deserve it. I don’t give enough to our friendship.”

“If you didn’t, we wouldn’t be friends,” Doombunny softly said. “Every bit of effort I put in was worth it, because you are worth it to me. You are worth more than I did. I’m glad it is over, but I would have kept going.”

They hugged again. It felt really good to hug a person. Knightstar had not had anyone around while she was on her own, and these were virtual bodies, not real. As realistic as they were, there was a very subtle difference in the way they felt.

The hug ended and Doombunny’s smile was big and warm. “I should let you rest. Plus, it has been a chaotic two days for me. There are so many more Wondercolts now. It is all overwhelming.”

“What room do you have?” Knightstar asked.

“Oh, I took the lighthouse, all the way at the back of the garden,” Doombunny answered. “It’s a walk, but it is better for the two of us. It’s more peaceful, I can openly store the cages with Colorra’s food, and with Listen, I can literally hear everything on the island. Assuming I do not tune it out. It is easier to do that at the lighthouse, especially when I am trying to go to sleep, or waking up, or tired in general; when the filters can slip.”

“Go,” Knightstar said with a chuckle. “I’m glad you found a place where you feel most comfortable.”

Knightstar walked Doombunny to the bottom of the stairs, but then returned to her room. As she looked at her massive room again, it did not feel so empty or big. She could tackle it. It was amazing how friends quickly shaped things.

BLADESCAPE: Level 85 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 81 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 81 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend — Sprint
THUNDERBORNE: Level 81 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing — Search
KONPEITO: Level 81 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry — Rend
DIEMOND: Level 81 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation — Rend
DOOMBUNNY: Level 82 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche — Search
KIEFER: Level 80 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts
SORYUTO: Level 78 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 80 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation — Two-Handed Weapon Creation
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 74 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce — Search

Episode 104 — Black Velvet Band

Episode 104 — Black Velvet Band
Twenty-Eighth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 28) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 63

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. It was also overnight while the others slept. 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. Argo had approached them for a more thorough investigation of the location than she could do alone. If it was good, the Wondercolts would pay for Argo's silence until they had met their quotas.

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 usually were lower for XP per hour, but the teamwork gained, honed, or kept well-oiled was a good tradeoff.

If it was solo oriented, it usually was higher XP per hour and fewer players came. The solo locations usually were not the most advantageous for obtaining guild quotas. The payouts for col and other drops were less too. A few 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 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.

The three of them finally came to the spot. Several taverns and 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 spat. 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?"

"Five 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 her, and he was wider than Bladescape 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 and the XP rate."

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 now an enemy. They didn't just fight the Wondercolts, some were fighting the very 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 Mist'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 any 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. The 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 down 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 elapid's strong body, and then bit him in the neck. She looked at Bladescape and nodded. Her expression was hard to read since she was a snake, but Bladescape had learned to distinguish the difference between Colorra's joyful and angry looks. 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, I think you have things handled here. I'm 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 four thirty 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 grind 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; 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 won't stab yourself. And then there was 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 join 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 coding 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 solo fought both the men and the women. The women came at her with fists, 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 the 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 manually bash a face in here or there, while she dealt with another vagabond. It was effective, 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 4 am she was exhausted. She decided she was done. 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.

Luck was not on her side. An NPC, who could only be described as a fair and beautiful woman, stood there. Her black eyes, despite the low light of the night, shined like diamonds. Her hair was draped over her left shoulder, and tied up with a black velvet band.

She pulled out a pocket watch and checked the time. “My, my,” She said with an alluring voice. “That was a long fight. I didn’t expect you to last as long as you did. Your friends are powerful too. But it is you I am interested in.”

She tossed Doombunny the pocket watch, who instinctively caught it. Colorra hissed in response from her perch.

“Relax Colorra, I am not here to harm either of you,” The NPC said. “I have a proposition. This will come only once and only to you.”

“Only me?” Doombunny asked innocently.

“Of course,” She innocently smiled back. “No one who has the Four Marked Skills — Hide, Listen, Reveal, and Search— are anywhere near your level. Especially your natural competency with them. Plus, you know how to paralyze people. That is a very useful skill. You are exactly what we desire for members of the Black Velvet Band.”

“Wasn’t I just killing your members?” Doombunny sternly asked as he hand slipped to her pink dagger.

She snorted a laugh, unbecoming of her beauty. “Those hoodlums? No. We are in town, but we are not that kind of vagabond. I can teach you things, quite simple things, that will help you out tremendously.”

“What could you teach me?” Doombunny asked, not backing down in her alertness. It was odd behavior for an NPC, but it may be a quest trigger for an Extra Skill.

“You know very much how unaware the majority of the residents are,” the woman said. “It would take nothing to teach you how to cut their coin purses and other things. They would never see it coming and never know. You could provide your friends more than just Col, such as items like the pocket watch you hold in your hand. That's a trifle compared to other things. You need those items more than they do. They hoard it for themselves, you do what you can for others. I can teach you how to calmly redistribute that lopsided wealth.”

“You mean steal,” Doombunny bluntly replied.

“That is one way it is seen, but I prefer my view.” Her shining eyes and grin kept Doombunny from walking away. “Think of how easily you could help your little friends out in that big town. An afternoon every so often in a populated city could feed them for a month. The others don’t care about the kids, but you, rightly, do.”

Something was wrong. An NPC should not know about the kids and especially Doombunny’s connection with them. She had to be careful. This was very unlike the game.

“I’m not capable of learning anything new right now,” Doombunny replied.

“Oh, that won’t be a problem,” She said, taking a step forward.

Colorra hissed, showing her fangs.

“And the price?” Doombunny asked, removing her hand from her dagger and crossing her arms.

“Nothing,” She replied. “Well, just one thing. You would need to make small contributions to us every so often, but that is all.”

“I’m very busy with important things,” Doombunny stated as the woman stopped an arm's length from her. “I can’t do what you are asking often, if at all.”

“That’s okay. All we ask is five percent of what you gather from this little skill of ours.”

“And who exactly are you?” Doombunny asked. “Why should I trust anything you say?”

“I said you were special, yes? I am the Queen of the Black Velvet Band. I don’t ever recruit, but you, you would report only to me.”

“Only to you?” Doombunny asked, a lot softer.

“Of course. I couldn’t possibly put anyone in charge of you. They don’t have the skill you already possess.”

“And you do?”

Her chuckle was sweet, but mischievous. “I can take anything I want and no one would be the wiser. I even could take Liberator, the sword and shield of that silly Commander Heathcliff, from him without him even knowing. I bet it wouldn’t take you long until you could also redistribute something that large. I bet he would pay a lot of Col to get it back. They are a wealthy guild and they hold all of the power. You could rescue it a few days later and return it for a reward. Or one of your guildmates could use it. You could sell it to them and he could do nothing about it because ownership would not be set to him."

“So, I would not have to worry about any of the others in the Black Velvet Band?” Doombunny pressed.

“Prove your worth and perhaps I will name you my successor,” she sweetly said. “I have more than enough to retire right now and live a very good life in Selmburg, but I lack someone gifted and wise enough to lead the Black Velvet Band.”

This was strange. The blue icon above her head was undeniable. She was an NPC, but acting very odd. Only two NPCs that Doombunny knew of acted this odd. The iron knight Malus fought who awarded the Iron Bulwark for her strength and determination. That item defied the game. Malus would not speak about the things done after she won his respect, but the way he had openly acted was not normal.

The other was Merlin the Magician, from Bladescape's Glass Tower quest. Doombunny had not met him, Bladescape hadn't spoken much about him in fear that he would eject her from the quest, but what she had shared was odd; very odd. He had spied on Bladescape and she caught him; sending the quest floors ahead of the expected arc. Each NPC acted contrary to the other NPCs. They were independent with a life of their own, like they were aware that SAO was a game, just like this Queen of the Black Velvet Band.

Doombunny chose to take the calculated risk she had been formulating.

“Fine,” Doombunny nodded. “I accept. Teach me. I take on your challenge to prove I should replace you.”

“I knew you would come around,” She smiled.

She brought up her own menu, something no normal NPC had, and then Doombunny’s popped up in front of her. The NPC brought up Doombunny’s Skills remotely and Doombunny saw “Sleight of Hand” join her active skills. The system did ask her to verify the addition and she hit the blue accept button. "Sleight of Hand" was locked into her active skills, this time in a soft pink.

“Now, there you go,” the Queen sweetly said as she innocently grinned at Doombunny. “And yes, this is a different skill from Robbing. Robbing only can be done against merchandise in a store or business establishment, mostly those run by NPCs. Sleight of Hand, and The Black Velvet Band, are primarily focused on the players. Still, inside that tavern behind you is a perfect place to start honing your new craft. The NPC drunkards will help you get a feel for it. Once I approve of your mastery of the skill, I will allow you to teach others."

“I think I first need to thank you properly,” Doombunny coyly replied.

“What were you-”

Endbringer was reversed in Doombunny’s grip and against her throat as Doombunny pulled her in tight. “I’m thinking that I’ll give you an early retirement,” Doombunny hissed. “You are useless to me now, and actually, you are a threat. I think I am going to enjoy hunting the Black Velvet Band down, member by member. If I find out you brought any other players into your fold, it will not go over well.”

“We didn’t, I swear,” she hissed back. “You don’t really have the guts to murder me.”

“I just got a special Skill from you,” Doombunny laughed back. “And I'm fairly certain that you were never supposed to be in this game.”

“What?” she asked.

“You heard me,” Doombunny growled. “You were not intended to be here. Somehow you are, but you shouldn’t be. You know things you shouldn't know. Do things no NPC does. Refer to players and NPCs and Skills. You have a menu like a player, but you are not one of us. When Sword Art Online trapped us here, you were not a part of the initial program. How this game is adapting, I don’t know, but I know it is: you aren't the first strange thing I have encountered. So I will cut the cancer you are out of it.”

Doombunny shifted forward, and it was all she needed for Endbringer to slice the woman's neck open. Her menu popped up and Doombunny looked at it. It confirmed what she had thought.

She wasn’t close to leveling up, only being about halfway, yet she got the exact XP needed to level up. Reveal and Search, two of the Skills the Queen had listed that weren't maxed, had jumped forward 200 points. Sleight of Hand had also jumped two hundred points. Furthermore, the menu congratulated her on becoming Queen of the Black Velvet Band and it allowed her to teach others "Sleight of Hand." Finally, it dropped a single item: The Queen’s Hair Band.

Doombunny pulled out the hair band. It was the same tie the woman had been wearing in her hair, a simple strip of black velvet. The list of properties was interesting. It boosted her Sleight of Hand skill, along with Search, Hide, Listen, and Reveal. It had no defensive properties though. Doombunny swapped it out with her current head band. Black would go better with her hair, better than the Wondercolt Blue did, specifically when she switched to attack mode and tied it like Klein did over her forehead.

Kiefer came out at that moment and walked over to her. “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.”

She decided to keep this a secret for now. No one else needed to know. It was late, they had other things to do and they had new guildmates to get to know better.

“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 risqué. I was not expecting it, but once the fight started, it was the same as the others.”

“Then what-” Kiefer dropped it as Doombunny’s eyes flashed with a dangerous anger. He had never gotten that look from her and he knew it wasn’t worth it.

“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. My fight 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. Actually, it was quite the opposite.

Bladescape was sitting in a chair leaning against the wall. The endless spawn of enemies had obviously grown tiring. She was sitting in a place where they could only come at her one at a time. All she had to do was swing Harmonic Salvation and cut them down. It was a simple move she could perform in her chair. It was maximum chill-grinding. It didn't get any lazier than what she was doing. Both 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's well worth it for XP. Not Col though. It’s like fifteen 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. “Six 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 Bladescape reached for a teleport crystal. She pulled out several and none of them were blue. She pulled out the rest, having to hand several to Kiefer, and none of them were blue.

“I could have sworn I had at least three blue ones in here,” Bladescape said, confused. She looked around her feet, checking that she hadn’t somehow dropped them. “I mean, I always have at least three. That's our rule, three blues, and I keep them in a separate pouch from healing and status removal.”

“Here,” Doombunny said, holding out three blue teleport crystals. “I have a few extra in my pouch. Now you have three.”

“Thanks,” Bladescape said, taking them. “I’m going to have to be more careful when I go out.”

“I’m sure it was just a one time oversight,” Doombunny replied as she fished out a teleport crystal from her inside her coat pocket. They were organized nicely, rather than the mass crystal pouches the others used.

Kiefer teleported and then Bladescape followed. Doombunny breathed a sigh of relief and pulled up her menu. Sleight of Hand was now up to 201/1000. She had serious concerns about what she had just unlocked, but she couldn’t risk the system passing it off to another player who would use it for its intended purpose. Bladescape’s crystals were a test. A one time thing. She would deal with the Black Velvet Band as they finished conquering Aincrad. Doombunny teleported back home before the others wondered why she hesitated.

BLADESCAPE: Level 85 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 81 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 81 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend — Sprint
THUNDERBORNE: Level 81 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing — Search
KONPEITO: Level 81 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry — Rend
DIEMOND: Level 81 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation — Rend
DOOMBUNNY: Level 83 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche — Search — Sleight of Hand
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 74 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce — Search
KIEFER: Level 80 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts
SORYUTO: Level 78 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 80 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation — Two-Handed Weapon Creation
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 74 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce — Search
LOBELIA: Level 62 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Search — Meditation — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Painting
KAMISHI: Level 64 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Katana — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Reveal — Trap Dismantling

Vignettes Arc - Exotic Horizons Arc (+timeline)

Author's Note

Enjoy!

Vignettes Arc - Exotic Horizons Arc (+timeline)

Spring 2021- Exotic Horizons

The girls were sitting around the Wondercolt Statue, each on their laptop as they looked at the class schedule for junior year. They all had to consider the requirements to graduate. Most of what they were choosing were their top choice for electives and the school would finalize the schedule.

"You know," Rarity said. "I have been thinking about the fliers we got, about the exchange program. Some culture would be nice. To get out of the city and expand our horizons. We could all go to Japan for the fall semester if we took Japanese as our language. Junior year is when they suggest we start taking our language requirements. We all could take Japanese together."

"That sounds like a great idea y'all," Applejack replied. "I ain’t feelin French or Spanish, so might as well be Japanese."

"I already took Japanese one-o-one," Pinkie Pie said. "I need to take one-o-two this semester. I couldn't join your class, but I could do the exchange program. Japan sounds like fun. Their candy is fun and you know how much I love fun candy."

“You love any candy,” Rainbow Dash retorted.

“Not any candy,” Pinkie argued back. “Brazil eats Halls cough drops as candy, although they do have better flavors, and Mexico has some candy that is spicy.”

“How does that differ from the atomic fireballs you suck down?” Applejack asked.

“That is cinnamon, not chamoy which is mango with salt, water, vinegar, chili, and sugar,” Pinkie explained. “There is a big difference between the balance of a sweet cinnamony hot candy and chili pepper candy. If I want to eat a pepper, I’ll eat a pepper. If I want chocolate, I’ll eat chocolate. If I want sugar, give me some rock candy. Just keep the vegetables out of my candy.”

"I'm with Pinkie Pie," Sunset said. "I just passed Japanese one-o-one with an A. I'm set up to take one-o-two, hopefully fourth period."

"I put in for fourth period too!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "That means we can take it together!"

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Pinkie, there are only two one-o-two classes. First period and fourth period. I am not doing a second language in first period."

"I wish I could do study hall in first period," Dash added. "Then I could catch some Zs."

"Okay, so Sunset and Pinkie take one-o-two, the rest of us can take one-o-one together," Rarity said. "What period?"

"Um, I can't take it with you," Fluttershy quietly said.

"What period, Darling?" Rarity asked. "I couldn't hear you. Can you speak up please?"

"Um, I said I can't take Japanese with you."

"Why not, Sugarcube?" AJ asked.

"Because I am taking Japanese one-o-three in second period," Fluttershy quietly explained.

"Wait!" Sunset exclaimed, trying to see Fluttershy. She was on the other side of the statue and there was no way for Sunset to see her. "You started Japanese in your freshman year?"

"Mhm," Fluttershy nodded. "I don't even need to take one-o-three, but I want to. I am absolutely fine with doing the exchange program though. Going to Japan sounds like fun."

"Come to think of it, I don't know if I have ever been in a class with you," Rarity stated. "Where do you lurk all day?"

"In class, where I am supposed to be," Fluttershy replied, confused. "And I don't lurk. But we have never had a class together."

"Funny, I'm not sure I've ever had a class with you either," AJ said.

"I had math with her this year," Dash said. "But that is the only class I have had with Fluttershy."

Pinkie began to laugh. "You need your own TV show. The Secret Life of Fluttershy at CHS."

"Um, no thank you," Fluttershy replied. "I don’t want cameras following me around. Math with Dash is the only class I have ever had with any of you. CHS is a large high school."

"I could have sworn I had a class with you," Sunset said. "But I guess not. We see each other all the time at school, I'm usually focused on class in class. But you study the same stuff with us."

"Mhm, but I don't have class the same period as you guys do," Fluttershy explained. “There are about a hundred and fifty students in each grade. Fitting all of them into eight periods with the faculty CHS has can be a challenge, particularly with the language arts classes each grade must take. Some teachers exclusively teach Writing one-o-one, while others teach both writing classes and some of the literature classes. The same for the math classes. My schedule has been different for each of you because I chose to take Japanese as a freshman, leaving the art electives for the end of high school.”

“So, the six of us are signing up for our respective Japanese classes then?” Rarity asked before hitting enter on her schedule.

“Yes,” Fluttershy said.

“YES!” Pinkie Pie yelled.

“Yep,” AJ said.

“Of course we have to,” Dash added. “Yes!”

“Absolutely,” Sunset said. “Let’s go to Japan.”

“Well, first you all have to take one-o-one and pass with an A,” Fluttershy said. “Then we all have to get accepted into the program. It is a senior year program for a reason, but that is why they gave us the fliers now, so we can plan accordingly and get accepted. I can help you all study, um, if that's alright with all of you.”

“Just hit enter and we will sort it out later!” Dash exclaimed as she smashed her own button.

Everyone else submitted their schedules, putting them on the first step to going to Japan for a foreign exchange program.

Fall 2021- Twilight of a New Era

Twilight sat in the booth of Sugarcube Corner with her new friends. It was intimidating having all of them there, despite the various conversations. Six friends were more than Twilight’s none. It was a shock. Fluttershy was petting spike, Pinkie Pie was posting on social media, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were having a thumb wrestling match for the extra cookie, they had been prevented from doing an arm-wrestling match for it because they didn’t need to be slamming the table with everyone’s drinks and such on it. Rarity was sketching style ideas for Twilight to wear instead of her old Crystal Prep uniform.

Earlier that day, the final day of the friendship games had happened. She had unleashed the magic, turned into a monster, and caused havoc. All in the pursuit of knowledge and then acceptance. These girls accepted her anyway, which is why she transferred to CHS, to be with her friends. To be normal. That decisions came with needing to solidify her school schedule in the next two hours so that she could start on Monday. All she needed to choose were two electives. She wanted to choose something with her new friends in it.

“We all have varied schedules,” Sunset said. “However, we all are taking Japanese for our language credits. CHS has a foreign exchange program for seniors. You need to pass Japanese one-o-one with an A, plus some other things to get accepted, but the first step is making sure you know the language enough to handle living in a foreign country.”

“I already have my language credits covered,” Twilight explained. “I’m fluent in Latin.”

“Yeah, but you still have free slots,” Sunset replied. “You have the minimum covered, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take another language, so long as you have all of the minimum requirements covered. If you learn two languages instead, is that a problem, academically or personally?”

“Well…” Twilight said, stalling as she thought. “No, it isn’t technically a problem. It just lacks efficiency.”

“Is there something else you would rather be doing with that class time?” Rarity asked as she grabbed her backpack. “Here I still have one of the fliers in my backpack.”

“This has a dress half sketched on the back of it,” Twilight said as she took it.

“Oh, that is where that sketch went,” Rarity laughed. “If you could just not get it dirty, or set it on the table, I kind of need that back for the design.”

“Sure,” Twilight said, quickly reading the flier. The bottom right had the information she needed, the exact requirements for getting into to the program. “A foreign exchange program is an interesting idea. Crystal Prep didn’t do that sort of thing, but parents pay to have their kids in Crystal Prep. The school wants them in class to make their money, not in a foreign classroom. Having this program on my college applications would be great. It could also be fun and I admit, it is a unique experience that is once in a lifetime.”

“I know there is at least one open seat in our class,” Rarity said. “Third period, Japanese one-o-one. I’m sure you won’t have a problem catching up.”

“I do want to take what classes I can with you all,” Twilight said as she entered the class into the online form.

“Oh, Pinkie and I are in Japanese one-o-two, fourth period,” Sunset clarified. “And Fluttershy is in Japanese one-o-three during second period. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and I just happened to be taking Japanese before we decided to all try for the foreign exchange program.”

“So, are you joining us?” Dash asked.

“Yes,” Twilight nodded. “Let’s all go to Japan for a semester!”

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.

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

Junishi Calendar - Canon SAO months are in Orange.

Cypress = November
Holly = December
Silvergrass = January
Ume (plum blossom) = February
Willow = March
Sakura = April
Loquat = May
Bush Clover = June
Deutzia Flower = July
Wisteria = August
Chrysanthemum = September
Ash Tree = October

Vignettes Arc - Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

Author's Note

Enjoy!

Vignettes Arc - Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

Powered Down
August 14 – Sunday - 10 am.

Sunset put on her headset. She made sure they were situated properly and then she double checked that the mic was in the optimal spot. She hit the delay start on the recorder and sat down on her couch. The blinking light turned solid to indicate that it was recording.

“Welcome back to Shimmer Code,” Sunset said. “It’s time for day four of my speed run of a classic, Final Fantasy Seven. For those of your who are watching just the highlight reel, day one was ten hours, day two was nine hours, and day three was ten hours. That’s a total of twenty-nine hours. If you don’t know, the game has a main story play time of thirty-six and a half hours. I’m trying to beat it in under thirty-six. Although it’s my first time playing it, I’m not doing a completionist run. Today I should beat it.”

Sunset held up her controller. “For those of you brave enough to watch from the beginning, you may recall me saying I had an upcoming announcement. That is why am I doing this, but I am sure you are wondering, ‘why pick such an old game?’ Simply put, it’s considered one of the greatest video games of all times which did some ground breaking advancements in video game design and gameplay, like being the first to use Three-D computer graphics, and it continues to influence games to this day. More importantly, it was produced by Square, now known as Square Enix, one of the world’s foremost video game companies, based out of Japan. It was created and designed in Japan first and foremost.”

“Today’s stream is the last I’ll be doing for a while,” Sunset smiled coyly into the camera, pausing for dramatic effect. Rarity was becoming a big influence on certain aspects of Sunset’s life. “Because where I am going, I won’t have my system with me. In three days, I’ll be in Tokyo, Japan, doing a semester abroad. I couldn’t think of a more appropriate game to beat before heading on that journey.

“So, without any more stalling, let’s get to it!”

Sunset loaded from her last save point and continued playing. Speed running a game she had never played before came with its own challenges. She had to do some research ahead of time, especially to make sure she knew where the highlights of the playthrough would be for her compilation. She also had to keep a log of her timing, so that she knew where to grab the clips. After each day, she had spent time cutting out the good parts and splicing them together.

It wasn’t like Sunset was wasting time. She had put in notice of her absence for her job when she had gotten approved for the program, but due to the pay periods, she wasn’t working the week before her last available day. She technically still had a job; she just wasn’t going to be on the schedule while she was in Japan. When she got back, they would assess if they could add her onto the schedule, or if her position had been filled with someone just as permanent as she was. It was a better arrangement than knowing she had to start from scratch and her boss was more than happy to provide a good reference for her if it didn’t work out for her to return. Yes, she would be gone for four months, but they knew when she was going to be returning and it was a very good reason to be leaving. She had no reason to officially quit either. If they needed to hire someone about the time she got back, the job would absolutely be waiting for her to pick it back up without a problem. It might save them from having to train someone, so it was a winning arrangement all around.

Sunset moved into the final boss fight as she got to thirty-five hours and forty-five minutes. Because she had been skipping side quests for time, Sunset’s characters were on the lower side in regards to their level. The blitz left her with the bare minimum for experience, equipment, and supplies. She saved before going into the final fights. Her first attempt got her through the first phase, but lacking the healing potions to beat the second phase. Sunset groaned as her characters were KO’d. It wasn’t the first time she had died. She had several times. That was common enough in any game, but after the fight she had just put up, she knew she was in a tight spot. Beating the game at her level was going to be very difficult. If she couldn’t, that meant she would have to take a significant step backwards in her saves to a place where she could do some side objectives and increase stats and equipment.

The game’s fighting style was called Active Time Battle, where the player chose the actions for their characters – healing, attacking, or using an item – and both sides exchanged moves until one side was defeated. The characters had their base stats, but then there was equipment that enhanced the stats. There were the basic set of attacks, combination attacks, and each character had their own unique attacks too. Damage dealt, damage taken, and critical attacks were often an RNG decision based on the base stats and equipment in use.

It took Sunset two more runs to finally fight her way to the end. She was on the edge of the couch as she used her last health potion to heal Cloud before he took critical damage, putting his health in the single digits as she launched the final attack. Sunset collapse back into the couch as the final cutscenes played out. There was nothing left for her to do but watch the show unfold. There was a reason the game was critically acclaimed and Sunset had not even explored half of what it had to offer. She would leave a complete playthrough for when she got back and not for a stream. At least not the eighty plus hours it would take to fully enjoy such a masterpiece.

The last scene ended and Sunset looked at the clock. “And a total completion time of thirty-six hours and fifty-two minutes. With nine deaths. Not bad considering I’ve never played it and I wasn’t rocking the best gear and didn’t spend time level grinding. That’s it for the live stream. I’ll have a highlights reel posted in the next day or two. For now, I have some packing to do!” Sunset waved to the camera. “Ki wo tsukete! Take care!”

Sunset stood up and almost fell down. Her legs were not ready to support her after sitting for so long. She managed to stay up and steady enough to turn the camera off before something embarrassing happened.

Seven hours, nonstop gaming, was not the healthiest lifestyle. At least she rarely did it, but after the four days, she was very stiff. Sunset made her first priority to fuel up and rehydrate. In order to be ready to fly out, she had some laundry to do and then packing. She knew what she was going to bring, she was just trying to slide through the next few days, biding her time, until it was laundry day so she could pack fresh clothes. Some other items couldn’t be packed until the last minute. She also had to make sure she left herself ready to come back after the semester was over, not immediately needing to do things like laundry.

It was with a heavy heart that she powered down her game console and then unplugged it. Likewise, she unplugged her controller charging stand and headphone charger. When she got back, she would have to plug them back in and charge them, but she didn’t need them draining power over the months she wouldn’t be around. Eventually, almost every electronic would be unplugged to save electricity. If it had a ghost light or standby mode, it would get unplugged. Unplugging everything was healthier for the electronics and it was pointless to keep them active, even for four months.

Tomorrow Sunset would prep her guitars for the months she would be away. Loosening the strings a tad would keep both them and the neck in better conditional while not being used and it would need to be turned anyway when she got back. Her room wasn’t going to fluctuate in humidity or temperature that much, so she didn’t have too much to worry about.

It was a bit eerie standing in the room, knowing she would be vacating it, yet have it waiting for her to return. She was moving, yet not. Nothing around her felt comfortable because of her impending departure. Her flight on the 16th could not come soon enough.

No Dogs Allowed
August 18 – Thursday

Twilight walked up to the house’s front door and noticed two different cameras watching over it and the front of the house. They were not there the week prior when she had been to the housewarming. Shining Armor was increasing his home security, which was a good thing.

She looked at Spike by her feet and smiled at her beloved pet. The dog smiled back at her, as best as any dog could. Shining Armor didn’t know Spike could speak and he was going to be taking care of Spike while she was away. At least for the first half. Their parents, Night Light and Twilight Velvet, were going to be spending six weeks touring Europe, a trip which was two years in the making. It worked out perfectly that Twilight would be gone, not that she couldn’t have cared for herself.

After she had finished packing, Twilight had spent a wonderful night with Spike, snuggling and talking through most of the night. It was only four months, but it would be four months where he would always have to look like a regular dog. Especially if Shining Armor had cameras.

Twilight rang the doorbell and waited. Shining Armor hadn’t been on shift today, so he had invited her to come over early and drop Spike off, along with Spike’s stuff, before the family went off to dinner together. It seemed like there was something else going on, but she couldn’t tell with him. Not recently. Her B.B.B.F.F. had been quite busy and working a lot lately. Buying the house was unexpected, but his apartment lease was up in three months. He certainly could afford it. Shining Armor had just made Lieutenant and been placed in charge of Canterlot Police Department’s Special Weapons and Tactics Unit.

The door opened. “Twily!” Shining Armor exclaimed. “And Spike. Come on in you two.” Shining Armor took both bags from Twilight before letting Twilight and Spike enter. He set them off to the side. “Glad you could come by early so we could get some sibling time in before dinner. It’s been too long and we won’t get to for a while.”

“Four months isn’t that long, but it will be a while,” Twilight said. “It certainly will feel longer and I won’t be the same girl when I get back. I’ll have a whole world of experience. I look forward to sharing it with my big brother when I get back, we can only post so much on our social media account, then we can have some fun catching up. Should I bring you back something personal, or for the house? It’s still a bit sparse. You opted to get cameras instead of furniture.”

They sat at the kitchen island’s seats where Shining Armor had glasses of iced tea for them. He had left the dining table with his roommate. It was too small for a house, but perfect for that apartment.

“I still haven’t figured out the decorating direction, but home security is always a smart bet,” Shining Armor said. “Especially with my job. But this is a good neighborhood, pretty safe. You know that no matter what you bring me, I’ll always cherish it. I’m certain you will find the perfect thing.”

“Well, this place better have more furniture when I get back,” Twilight poked. “Four months is plenty of time to figure out what to do with your house.”

“I don’t think it will have anything new,” Shining Armor said. “I wasn’t planning on it-”

“Then why did you buy such a big place?” Twilight asked.

“Well, if you would give me a moment and not interrupt-”

“Sorry,” Twilight apologized.

Shining Armor rolled his eyes and smiled. “I bought it because it’s the right direction for having a family. And that’s also why I don’t plan on buying any more stuff.” Shining Armor set a box on the countertop and opened it to display an engagement ring.

Twilight almost dropped her glass of tea in shock. She was aware that Shining Armor was seeing someone with what little time he had with his job, but an engagement ring was more serious that she thought the relationship was. She didn't even know who he was seeing. He had always casually blown it off, indicating that it wasn’t that serious. Or rather that’s what Twilight had understood it as.

It absolutely explained why he bought a house without anyone hearing he was thinking about it. The same for the furniture, or lack of furniture. Why buy new stuff you don’t need when you may replace it or your future spouse already has what will be used.

“Who?” Twilight stammered. “I don’t even know this girl. I would have thought you would have let me meet her first!”

“Relax,” Shining Armor said. “First off, you know her. Second, we kept it quiet for a while for professional reasons. You may have spent your junior year at Canterlot High, but I wasn’t sure you would stay there. It’s been exactly what you needed, but in case you needed, or wanted, to go back to Crystal Prep, well we didn’t want to cause more stress or make things awkward for you. But now you are about to leave for Japan, a semester abroad, so I don’t have those concerns. I haven’t figured out when I’ll ask, but I don’t think you will be back by the time I propose. If, for some reason, I don’t ask before you get back, well at least you know I’ll be asking, which is better than finding out after I ask.”

“Okay,” Twilight said with a slow nod. “But who are you seeing!”

“I’ve been seeing Cadance,” Shining Armor stated. “As in Principal Cadance, the former dean of Crystal Prep.”

Twilight was taken aback even more by that. She loved Cadance. Cadance had always been good to Twilight. She understood Twilight better than Principal Cinch ever had. She still kept up with Twilight, checking in from time to time. Cadance had written a letter of recommendation to the foreign exchange program for Twilight.

What was an even bigger shock was that Shining Armor had been seeing her without Twilight knowing. Twilight didn’t even realize they knew each other’s names. Cadance was a few years older than Shining Armor and she wasn’t at the school when he was a student. Many alumni were engaged with the school, to varying degrees, but the only time Twilight could remember seeing the two of them in the same room was when Principal Cinch used Shining Armor to convince her to join Crystal Prep’s Friendship Games team.

“When did you two start seeing each other?” Twilight asked. “I didn’t realize you knew her.”

“Remember freshman year, when I picked you up after school for your birthday?” Shining Armor asked.

Twilight nodded to him. Shining Armor had been at a training academy for advanced S.W.A.T. tactics and was supposed to miss her birthday, but he had surprised her by getting back early. Really, he had told her the wrong date in order to be able to surprise her. Shining Armor had stayed outside, or so she had thought. That was where he had surprised her. She had found him leaning against his brand-new sports car. It was also the first time she had seen that car.

“I got to the school early, so I walked the halls a bit, remembering my time as a student,” Shining Armor explained. “That’s when I met Cadance. We spoke for a bit and I convinced her to meet me for coffee at a later date. Then we kept it quiet for your sake. You had enough trouble fitting in. We didn’t want to eclipse you and make you the younger sister of one of the school’s former stars who was dating the dean.”

That was almost three years ago. Twilight had been thinking that Shining Armor was rushing things a bit, but that was certainly enough time to get to know Cadance and decide if she was the right woman for him, to decide if they could make a family together.

Twilight didn’t know what to say. She just threw her arms around him, hugging her brother in her joy. She was happy for him. Very happy for him. The one thing she missed about Crystal Prep was Cadance. It wouldn’t be that long until Cadance was her sister-in-law. She would always be in Twilight’s life, assuming she said yes. Twilight knew Shining Armor; he wouldn’t be asking if he either wasn’t certain she would say yes or that he could convince her to say yes.

“I’m so happy for you,” Twilight finally said. “The two of you must make a cute couple. I guess I’ll have to celebrate your engagement when I get back.”

“Definitely,” Shining Armor said as he hugged her tightly. “And thank you. I look forward to celebrating both the engagement and hearing about your time in Japan.”

“Wait, do mom and dad know yet?” Twilight asked as they broke the hug.

“Dad knows, I asked him for some advice,” Shining Armor answered. “Mom doesn’t. She doesn’t know any more than you did. Neither did dad until I needed his guidance.”

“Are you going to tell her tonight?” Twilight asked. She was getting excited. It was titillating knowing before her mother, even if it was only for a few hours.

“I wasn’t planning on it,” Shining Armor said. “I didn’t want to ruin your last night here. It’s supposed to be about you, not me.”

“Giving mom something to think about besides me would be nice,” Twilight said. “She got a bit clingy and sentimental this past week. I wasn’t expecting that to happen, but I guess their trip is still far enough out that it hasn’t completely engulfed her yet.”

“Do you want me to tell her tonight?” Shining Armor asked. “It’s up to you. I wasn’t going to.”

Twilight could feel her cheeks flush. “I really want to see her face when you tell her,” she admitted. “It’s fun knowing before she does. It will give us all something to celebrate as a family before we temporarily go our separate ways.”

“Okay, then I’ll tell her,” Shining Armor said, flashing her a sly grin. “It’s been hard to keep it to myself.”

Shining Armor’s phone chimed and then Twilight’s did. Either they had both gotten a group message, or two people had texted them separately. It was their father, confirming the time for dinner.

“Well, we have to leave soon anyway,” Shining Armor said as he typed the response. “It’s a bit of a drive to Silo’s.”

“Oh, that’s fancy,” Twilight said. “Who picked that place?”

“Dad and I did,” Shining Armor said. “It hit my radar after he took mom for their anniversary. It seemed like the perfect place for your sendoff dinner. But before we go, is there anything I need to know for Spike?”

“All of his stuff is in the bags,” Twilight said. “Bowl, food, leash, bed, and toys. Heartworm pill at the first of the month. He just had a bath yesterday and hasn’t gotten himself dirty. You know how to take care of a dog.”

“I installed a doggy door,” Shining Armor said, bending down to Spike. “Comes with this special tag that locks it unless it senses this tag.” Shining Armor clipped something to Spike’s collar. “So, Spike, you can go out whenever you need to. Do mom and dad know Spike can speak?”

“You know!” Twilight blurted out in her surprise.

“Cadance let it slip,” Shining Armor said with a shrug. “Well, it was more of part of the tale she told me about the friendship games. The fact that you two have been keeping it from me all this time was rather funny.”

“Oh,” was all Twilight said. She was still trying to process that surprise.

“Oh yeah, they know,” Spike said with a chuckle. “They couldn’t help but hear at times. Twilight talks to me a lot as she does schoolwork.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I couldn’t get it past them. Plus, Spike is a great conversationalist. Thanks for taking care of him while everyone is gone.”

“Think nothing of it,” Shining Armor said. “I look forward to our guys' nights while you are away.”

“Oh, now I’m intrigued,” Spike stated. “Plus, things are going to be much easier now that I don’t have to play dumb. I got used to verbally answering Twilight.”

Twilight bent down and hugged Spike. “I’m going to miss you so much. I wish I could take you with me.”

“No you don’t,” Spike said. “Having to take care of me, in a city like Tokyo, it’s way too much to worry about on top of having to do school in another language and everything else you will be doing and experiencing. I’ll be fine. You two go have dinner. We said all we needed to last night.” Spike licked her cheek as a parting gesture.

“See you later tonight, Spike,” Shining Armor said.

Twilight followed Shining Armor to the garage where his car was. It was the same sports car he had picked her up in on her birthday, the same day he had apparently met Cadance. Twilight was leaving a lot behind in Canterlot, but she would be coming back to a whole lot more and with a mountain of life experience and memories.

Final Goal
August 19 — Friday

Rainbow Dash slipped the soccer ball out of Astroturf’s control, smoothly reversing direction and driving the ball towards the other goal. She chipped it to Sour Sweet to get it around a defender. Another defender got in between the goal and Sour Sweet, forcing her to kick it back to Dash. The ball went high in her haste and Dash performed a bicycle kick to redirect it. The goalie reached for it, but couldn’t block the goal. They celebrated the goal with a fist bump.

It was just a friendly match at the end of Soccer Training Camp. Everyone at camp was on a school soccer team; namely the Wondercolts, Shadowbolts, Commanders, Boltcasters, Minotaurs, Griffons, and Spellshields. Usually they were pitted against each other, but Soccer Training Camp was about the game and developing skills, not school teams. Rainbow Dash would be missing the fall soccer season and, as a senior, she wouldn’t get to be scouted by colleges. However, compared to the others around her, Dash’s college resume would look a lot better and she could be a walk-on player and pick up scholarships after she got onto a team. It also meant she got to pick what school she went to, not based solely on who was offering her scholarships.

Sunset was already in Japan. Twilight and Rarity were on their way. Pinkie and Fluttershy were leaving tomorrow morning. Dash would get back from soccer camp tomorrow and leave the day after, on Sunday. Everything was timed around training camp and tomorrow would mean a lot of work to flip everything so she could leave for Japan on time.

For now, Dash got to enjoy the last day of her last year of soccer training camp with her fellow athletes and friends. Sour Sweet, Indigo Zap, Astroturf, Lightning Dust, Tempest Shadow, and Rainbow Dash had been going to this training camp since middle school. It was their seventh year at the training camp and fourth in the same cabin. The cabins had four bunk beds, but they were the camp’s senior cohort. No one else were seventh year campers, most were third and fourth years, so the six of them had scored a cabin of their own. At camp, they were best friends, but as soon as they went back to their teams, all bets were off. Dash didn’t really speak to anyone outside of camp, or things relating to camp, except for Astroturf and Lightning Dust. Dash always forgot that Sour Sweet and Indigo Zap attended Crystal Prep, because they didn’t play soccer for Crystal Prep. They were Griffons since Crystal Prep’s Shadowbolts were horrible at soccer. They were able to do that since Crystal Prep was a private school and public schools had to allow kids who would attend their school the fair opportunity to play sports the same as their students; be they home schooled students or private school students.

This was the best way to spend the down days before leaving. Dash didn’t want to sit around the house with her parents lauding her for getting into the exchange program. They had done enough of that already. She was thankful for their support, but they could go too far. There was a concern that they would follow Dash to Japan if something big happened where they could cheer her on. That would be an expensive trip for them. They didn’t have passports, at least not that Dash knew of.

The rest of the soccer match was average performance for Dash. It went down to a shootout. This year, their goalies were very good at stopping penalty kicks. Dash was the only one to score. Red Shirts, the team Dash was on, won because of it.

The camp was mostly training and soccer. It wasn’t a summer camp feel, although some things did feel like a camp. Most nights they went to bed early because they were up early to start training, but the last night ended with a campfire and star watching, including s’mores and other “unhealthy” things the camp didn’t put on the menu. They were athletes, but they also were kids and they had worked hard all week. Cracking open a soda on the last night wasn’t going to harm them.

“So, Dash, ready to live abroad?” Astroturf asked as the six of them sat on their cabin steps, looking up at the stars.

“Sort of,” Dash admitted. “It’s going to be interesting to do school in Japanese. Their school system is similar, but very different. The teachers move, not the students. As long as one of my friends is with me in case I miss something the teacher says, I’ll be good. Hopefully at least Fluttershy will be in the same room. She’s really good at Japanese.”

“It’s going to be interesting to face the Wondercolts without you, Dash,” Lightning Dust said. “Winning won’t be as sweet.”

“That won’t be a problem. They’ll make sure you lose,” Dash shot back. It elicited a round of laughs.

“And you will have to get used to it as football, not soccer,” Astroturf added.

“Eh,” Dash shrugged. “I’ve been watching the British teams on and off for a while and recently started watching JFA games. Both use football. Soccer actually is British. They started the first Football Association to standardize the rules between the schools in the group and make it unique from rugby football. The slang they made was ‘assoc,’ for association, then they added the ‘er’ and we got soccer.”

“You’re an egghead,” Indigo shot. “Use that head to bounce the ball into the goal.”

“Come on,” Dash groaned. “The head is Tempest’s specialty. Mine’s the bicycle kick and you know that.”

“Yeah,” Tempest said, lightly shoving Indigo Zap. “She needs the brain cells for her second language.”

“Ha ha,” Dash sarcastically laughed. “I do it when I need to, but using my head usually leaves me with a headache and less ability to react for a minute or two. Especially if Astro kicked it.”

“I always tell you to go long,” Astro shot back. “I didn’t expect you to need to leave the country.”

“Will you get to see any games while there?” Sour Sweet asked.

“They’re on break in the fall,” Dash explained. “Soccer is a spring and summer sport there. I'll be trying out for volleyball. They have club volleyball and a competitive club at the school. Everything is a bit weird. Students do one or two clubs, not sports. Plenty of the clubs are sports, but they don’t represent the school, not like ours do. Also, their schools tend to have more limited resources, specifically for space. Soccer pitches are bigger than most schools can do. Volleyball courts are small. Same with basketball and tennis. After all, Japan is a small group of islands with a large population.”

“Are you the last one to make it there?” Astroturf asked. “Cause you're going with school friends, right?”

“I’ll be the sixth to arrive,” Dash answered. “AJ will be last.”

“Any good updates from the ones there?” Astroturf asked.

“Sunset posted some pics,” Dash said. “Nothing really to pass on to you guys. You already follow our social media page. Rarity and Twilight haven’t had time to post anything other than departure photos and being stuck in airports. Tokyo is like fifteen hours ahead of us, so Sunset is just waking up on Saturday morning. When we wake up tomorrow, we’ll get to see her Saturday adventure with her exchange family.”

“It has to be weird to go live with strangers for four months,” Lightning Dust said.

“I’ve exchanged emails with my exchange family,” Dash said. “I’ll admit, it is a bit weird, but they seem like cool people. They're excited to have me join their family for the semester. Honestly, I’m excited. Being here, at training camp, it makes me miss the upcoming season, but soccer will be here when I get back. So will you guys. I only get one opportunity to do high school in another country. As big as some of my reservations are, like doing another language full time, I know they are nothing compared to what I’ll get to experience. The hard work will pay off and then I can cruise through graduation and then onto college sports! Maybe we can all team up together and crush the opponents of whatever school we choose.”

They all laughed at that idea. After getting to only spend a week together for seven years, the idea was enticing, but finding a school that would accept all six of them to the soccer team would be the hard part.

“Well, Dash, we should send you off with a toast,” Astroturf said. Everyone raised their cans. “To Rainbow Dash and her success in another country! Since she can’t grace the soccer pitches with us, may she dominate the volleyball courts of Japan!”

Sisterhood Social
August 20 - Saturday

Applejack sunk her face into the pie with the enthusiasm of a freshly washed pig jumping into mud. She was going to make sure Applebloom and her were going to be hogs at the trough by the end of the Sisterhood Social. They even had matching shirts, white with a red circle on the front and back, imitating Japan's national flag.

So far, they were in the top three. They could have done better at the singing competition, but they snagged the red ribbon for the cheer contest and the blue ribbon for the prized hog competition. They also placed well in the three-legged race, sister-sack hop, and water balloon toss. Now it was the pie eating event, without any eatin irons. You just had to dive in, face first, and eat your way out.

This was one of the easiest competitions for the two Apple sisters to win. They beat everyone out by several miles. They even had time to clean up before the next pair of sisters were finished. Of course, Rainbow Dash was on the way to Japan, eliminating a main competitor for the Apple sisters. Rarity was also missing this year; she was already in Japan and posting updates, and she normally could have swept Sweetie Belle to victory in the cheer, singing, and talent competitions. There would be plenty more Sisterhood Socials in the future where the six of them could compete against each other.

Applejack had planned to be in Japan too, missing this year's social, except Braeburn couldn't arrive until Monday and there were some things she needed to finish up, with him present, to ensure the farm was ready for the harvest without her. She got to have one last rodeo with her sister for the year. It would be the dead of winter when she returned, nothing to do except making their own fun, inside the house.

But all of that could be worried about later. The pie eating competition was finishing up. The judges made their final scoring marks. Only the five teams with the highest scores would be eligible for the big finale; the obstacle course race.

The talent competition was one they had worked on all year. Last year’s attempt had ended in disaster. They had worked on their juggling act all year. The execution was near-flawless as they added more pins and began tossing them back and forth. Then came the steps as they recited the lyrics to do-si-do. They did their best to pass the juggling back and forth as they turned and twisted as much as they could to the orders they were reciting. They only lost one pin, dropped by Applebloom, through the entire routine.

Their practice had paid off as they won that competition. It was getting late, but all they had left was the obstacle course. One other team was a veteran of the obstacle course. The other three were long time teams in the social, first time as finalists. Not that greenhorns couldn't win. All of the finalists could trounce them for any number of reasons.

At the starting line, they waited for Granny Smith to declare the start. The old woman was using a starting pistol, which was kind of a scary thought at her age. Especially since she had acquired it in order to compensate for her voice slowly getting quieter.

The pistol went off and everyone rushed forward. Both of the Apple sisters easily cleared the mud trench, giving them an early lead. The basket hurdle was always interesting, since baskets had taller walls than tires. Applejack made it through without issue. Applebloom had some trouble halfway through.

Still, they were in the lead as they moved to the wall. Applejack was first, leaping up and pulling herself over. She dropped her arms to Applebloom and pulled her sister up and over with her.

They had to push a haybale, which wasn't an easy task. They were heavy and the ground wasn't smooth. There was a lot of friction. The two of them were strong, but the others caught up. Then the others slowed down as they met the same resistance. The Apple sisters didn't know when to quit as they got the haybale across the line and transitioned to the cider harvest challenge.

Applejack tossed apples to Applebloom, who caught them in a basket on the far side. Once they were all caught, Applejack sprinted over to Applebloom’s side to help her on the next step. They had to stick them on peelers and rotate them so the apples were peeled. The peeled apples were placed in a bucket and then they used a press to squeeze the juice out of them; into the waiting jar. Not every apple would produce the same amount of juice. What mattered was getting the press all the way down and holding it for twenty seconds. A quick dash with the jar delivered it to the awaiting chair finished that obstacle.

The final obstacle event was the egg walk. They each had to balance an egg on a spoon and walk it the last length of distance. If it dropped it would shatter, forcing them both to restart. Applejack fumbled an egg halfway through as the other veteran team caught up.

They were starting behind them, but the sister team lost both of their eggs, forcing them to restart. Applejack made it across the end line with her egg intact. Applebloom was close behind her and made it.

The mad dash to the finish line was the last thing. They had to clear three hurdles, because why not? They each did with practiced ease and breezed past the finish line, solidly in the lead.

The Apple sisters got to stand at the top of the podium this year as they received the large blue sash for winning it all. Every event ribbon they won was added to the sash. They smiled as the picture was taken of the top three teams In their respective sashes.

While the competition was over, the Sisterhood Social was still going on. It gave the three teams time to wear their respective sashes. Besides food, there were crafts, fun picture stations, and plenty of seating to hang out and chat. The social was more than just the competition. Not every set of sisters tried to compete or compete in all of the events.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo took the opportunity at the end to sing for fun. They were eliminated before they got to the singing competition. It wasn't half bad. Since their own sister and adoptive sister were unable to attend, they adopted each other in order to participate. The rules about what constituted a "sister" were quite loose. It was an intentionally vague term.

It was wonderful to see everyone again. Many of these people Applejack only saw at the social. She had watched some of the younger sisters grow up. Of course, many of them had been at the musical concert and supported Applejack and the others in going to Japan. Applejack was able to thank them and, now that the competition was over, they were usually congratulating her on being able to go.

The bulk of the cleanup would happen in the morning. That meant that Applejack, Applebloom, and Big Mac were able to spend some quality time together, as siblings. They sat under a pear and apple tree that had been guided to twist around each other as they grew. The trees were a reminder of their parents. There wasn’t much left to say, at least not that had already been said over the week.

Tomorrow, after cleaning up the farm, Applejack would finalize her packing. Monday Braeburn would arrive and they would ensure he was caught up to any specifics about the farm. Big Mac, Granny Smith, and even Applebloom could answer a lot. He would not be alone. The farm would be in good hands.

Applejack knew she worried too much. Sweet Apple Acres wasn’t just a farm, or money, job, cider, Apple family, identity, or a house — not to her — it was a home. Her home. Take any major part of it away and it wouldn’t be home. It needed all of the parts to work. She could have family and a house, but it wouldn’t be home. That included Applejack herself. This adventure was not permanent. It was only four months. She would be back with family and home real quick and she would bring back a wealth of knowledge which would only enrich Sweet Apple Acres.

Applejack specifically wanted to bring back a seed. International customs were a pain, but seeds for personal growing were easier than fresh fruit or a live tree, even a sapling. She was specifically eying the Akane apple, Malus pumila, also known as the “Tokyo Rose.” If not that, there were other species of apple cultivars from Japan. If not something for eating, there were several beautiful Japanese crabapple trees, like Malus spontanea, which would make excellent visual additions to Sweet Apple Acres. The last resort would be a cherry blossom seed or other highly ornamental Rosaceae family trees. All would be great options for the farm.

Then she could plant it with help from Big Mac and Applebloom, where it would be fostered and cared for until it was truly part of the farm, one which could serve as a reminder and teaching tools about the lessons she would bring back with her. Their future families could use something like that to show that Sweet Apple Acres was not a small farm simply passed down through the generations, rather that it had big aspirations and a wider view of the world than most people thought of when they hear the title of “farmer.”

That would be a legacy worth leaving, just like the apple and pear tree the Apple siblings were sitting under.

Episode 10 - In Her Father's Footsteps

Episode 10 - In Her Father’s Footsteps
Eighteenth day in the Month of Cypress (November 18) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 1 - Tolbana - 1 p.m.

“So, what does this quest require?” Bladescape asked Natora.

“A lot of running and a bit of combat,” Natora replied. “I’ve been asked to find the daughter of a local. She has gone missing, chasing after her father’s sword. He was a city guard and he recently died in a battle with the goblins. Unfortunately, the heirloom sword he used was taken by the goblins. Our young warrior-to-be, Anara, has not come home in a few days and her mother is worried. The quest takes us towards the mountains near the pillar to search for her trail. I will be able to pick it up easily enough.”

“Is that it?” Malus asked. “And how does that get you that spear?”

Natora’s smile slipped to a mischievous grin. “Well, if I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise. What is the fun in doing a quest if you are not paying attention to the story?”

“Fine,” Malus grumbled.

“Let’s get lunch and then head out,” Natora said. “We will want the meal because I don’t expect to be back before dark.”

“Awe,” Konpoeito groaned. “I am supposed to meet the mysterious papa rock tonight. Rock Candy Hollow in Sugar Valley has heard of my feats and wants to meet me. I have heard rumors that they are being harassed by an even darker evil than the dark chocolate witch.”

“You will have plenty of time to do that,” Natora said, handling the random situation well.

They ate a full, but basic, meal that they could afford. Then they headed north, out of the city and towards the mountains that had always been on the horizon. Now they were up close to them, with the digital rock reaching up towards the second floor. But even to their peaks, the floor above was out of reach of the mountains.

Natora quickly picked up the trail. It was well defined, multiple feet had imprinted themselves into the ground. The path led away from the pillar, east, but still up into the mountains. They had to kill goblins and hobgoblins along the way, as well as some wolves and boars.

“How much farther?” Diemond asked as they finished off a small band of goblins.

“Not far to Anara,” Natora said. “If you look at your feet, you will notice her blood trail.”

Diemond jumped back, staying on her toes to avoid it. “Where does it lead?”

“I may have done this before, but you can track it as well,” Natora shot back.

“That way,” Knightstar said, pointing with her sword. “The trail of blood leads over towards those rocks by the cliff. And with the amount of blood on the ground, we need to move quickly.”

“Then onward!” Bladescape exclaimed as adventurously as she could. “We shall find her and rescue her. This, Anana?”

“Anara,” Natora corrected.

They rushed up the steep hillside towards the cliff. The blood trail was easy to follow. It led straight to the rocks. There were actually just several big boulders piled together. As they approached, they heard something from further back, in the rocks.

“Anara?” Knightstar called. “Is that you?”

“Yes-s-s?” She shakily replied. “Who are you? Who sent you?”

“Your-” Knightstar glanced at Natora for the answer. Natora mouthed the right response. “Mother is worried that you haven’t come home. She sent us looking for you. Are you alright?”

“I’m alive,” Anara replied, sobbing a bit.

“Come on out and we can get you home, safe and so you can get healed,” Knightstar said.

“No!” Anara protested. “I need to get my father’s sword. Those goblins can’t have it!”

“We will get the sword for you,” Knightstar replied. “Let’s get you home though.”

“No! I have to do this,” she screamed.

“Then…” Knightstar said, stalling out.

“There are eight of us here,” Bladescape said. “We can protect you. If we are going to do this, we need to go now. It is already late in the day.”

Slowly Anara came out, a simple sword shaking in her hands. It was less from fear and more from the pain and loss of blood.

“Come on,” Bladescape said, giving her a warm smile. “How much farther are they?”

“East,” Anara pointed. “That outcropping of rocks hides a cave entrance. They are in there. I got a quick look. The sword is on top of a pile of other weapons and things they have taken in their conquest. They have ravaged the land and pillaged whole villages. They need to be stopped."

"Sword first,” Bladescape said. “Then we get you back to Tolbana, safe. Afterwards we can worry about the goblins. We came to save you, because you have people who care about you. I know the sword is important, but it isn't worth your life, not to the people who love you."

"That sounds like you are giving a pep talk to yourself," Natora said. "Or one of us."

Bladescape glared at Natora, but didn't say a word. She looked at the target Anara had pointed out. "Malus and Knightstar will go first, with Natora and Thunderborne on their tail. Diemond and Konpeito can pull up the rear. Doombunny and I will stay with Anara. Let's move out."

They formed up and headed out. Bladescape tried to give Anara a health potion, but she refused it. As soon as she could, Bladescape slipped up to Natora. "Anything I need to know?" She quietly asked.

"I'm lost," Natora admitted. "This is the same quest, except I found her unconscious in the rocks and easily carried her home. That was my new objective. Then I went out for the sword. I had to track the goblins, who were camped in a different location, not in a cave. I killed them, got the sword in a drop, and brought it back. I was given the spear in return. Someone changed the details of this quest. I don't know how I feel about that. It wasn't a bad quest, it wasn't a super good one either, but the reward was awesome. It didn't have any bugs or anything wrong, not that I noticed. The change makes no sense, but I'm not the engineer or the writer."

"So we might not even get your spear," Bladescape said.

"Nope," Natora shrugged. "No telling now, but the change, this feels like a one-shot quest. In the beta anyone could do it. We will probably be the only ones to do this."

"Then we better do it awesomely," Bladescape said, stepping back to the center of the group.

They progressed to the cave without meeting any enemies. There were no guards posted outside, but goblin voices could be heard inside.

"Plan," Bladescape quietly said. "We go in, Thunder sprints to get the sword and then we get out. The sword is our goal and then getting Anara home."

Thunderborne nodded and the others confirmed the orders.

They entered as quietly as they could. The cave entrance wasn't long. The loot pile was on the far side, beside a big goblin sitting on a makeshift chair.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" He asked as he stood up. He held up a sword. "Looking for this?"

"Give it back!" Anara yelled.

"So, you are still alive," he grumbled. "I should have known better than to trust wormtongue."

"Enemies entering the cave," Diemond said from their rear.

"Hold the entrance," Bladescape ordered. "Natora, assist Diemond. It's narrow enough that it should force them to come one by one."

"Right," Natora said, joining Diemond.

"Now," Bladescape said, looking at the big goblin. He wasn't as big as either of the generals from the camp, but he was big for a goblin. She drew her claymore from her back. "I'd rather not fight you for that sword, but we will if we have to. Let's just make this simple. Come halfway to me, set it down on the ground, then go back to your chair. I go forward, alone, I will pick it up and we all will leave. No one gets hurt and everyone is happy."

"Except for me," the goblin replied. "I want the sword. Why do you think we ambushed that human? It is shiny and sharp and it is much better than any goblin blade. And I can wield it." He whipped the tip towards them. "Besides, the rest of my tribe won't let you leave."

"Fine," Bladescape said. "Malus, head to the left, Knightstar, take the right. Konpeito, go with Malus. I'll go with Knightstar. Thunderborne, and Doombunny, protect Anara. She is our number one priority."

"Fine," Thunderborne grumbled.

"None have ever lived to tell of the tale of when they fought the great goblin Chief Ichimaru!" the goblin proclaimed.

A large health bar appeared above his name, signaling that they could now fight him.

"What a pathetic name," Bladescape taunted as they advanced.

"Make it quick!" Natora yelled. "They are pushing on us, hard."

Anara darted forward. She raised her sword high, yelling her own war cry.

Bladescape locked eyes with Thunderborne and just rolled them to show her disappointment.

Malus charged, fighting to stay ahead of Anara. She took the chief’s swing on her shield and tried to hit the goblin Chief with her hammer, but he nimbly avoided it. The Chief slipped past Malus and jumped at Anara, who flinched in fear. Knightstar slid in between them, shield above her head as the goblin came down on top of them. The chief spring boarded off the shield and away from them.

Thunderborne zipped over to him and drove a quick attack into him with her rapier. It knocked off a decent chunk of HP, but it was a small amount compared to the overall health of the chief.

The chief used his agility to his advantage, laughing madly as he dashed around. Many of their attacks missed. It was like trying to swat a fly and they kept missing.

As the goblin Chief jumped back to his seat, Konpeito ambushed him. Apparently, she had been hiding behind it. Her battle-axe knocked him back as it scored a critical attack and took off a fifth of his health. She stood there, in a power pose with one foot on his chair and axe on her shoulder.

Now that his health was significantly reduced, Chief Ichimaru went on the attack. Bladescape was the closed target and she found herself trying to block a series of quick attacks and cuts. Her bigger blade meant slower reaction time. When they locked swords, Bladescape thought she had the upper hand, but then the goblin twisted their swords, pinning hers against the ground. He punched her in the face. The sudden attack caused Bladescape to drop her sword and stumble back, gripping her face. The Chief flicked her large sword over to his conquest pile.

Malus got in between the goblin Chief and Bladescape. Knightstar was defending Anara. The goblin Chief gave up and began to run and move again. He targeted Natora and Diemond for the first time. They were clueless to his approach.

Right as the goblin Chief went to jump them, Doombunny slid in front of him and rammed her dagger into his chest. She pulled it out and sliced lower, cutting his leg up with a two-combo slash attack. She was gone before he could react. It was enough time for Malus to get in position to protect Natora and Diemond.

Bladescape used the distraction to get her sword back. She paused before grabbing it. Deep in the pile was a red hilt that was longer than most longswords. She reached in and wrestled it free from the other weapons and items. The system recognized the sword as a Two-Handed Sword and at a quick glance, it was better than her iron claymore. It was prettier too. It had a nice shine to the blade, but the cross guard was golden and the pommel was set with a giant ruby. Bladescape abandoned her old sword and charged the goblin Chief with the new one.

The others had gotten the goblin Chief surrounded. Bladescape took up her spot in the circle.

"So, you found the Ancient Red Sun Sword," Chief Ichimaru said. "That is a special sword compared to what I have in my hand. This is a dull rod of rusted iron compared to that one, but I can't wield that big human sword."

"What do you know of this sword?" Bladescape asked.

"Only that the one who carried it died like a dog at my hands,” he said, laughing madly. “He wasn't worthy of such a weapon."

"And neither are you," Bladescape fired back.

Bladescape lunged forward. He easily dogged it, but Bladescape wasn't worried. His skip to the side put him in front Thunderborne who drove home a vicious stab to his back. He jumped forward and got smacked by Malus' hammer. Surrounded, the others got their hits in, dropping his health down into the red.

Malus had to jump out and switch with Diemond, to give her relief. Diemond didn't get a hit in, but Natora jumped into the center and ran Chief Ichimaru through with her spear, eliminating the last of his HP. The sword dropped to the ground and Anara immediately scooped it up.

He shattered and Natora looked around at them. "Diemond, take Anara to the back and guard her. You did well holding the entrance, now rest up. Everyone else, there are thirty or so goblins trying to get in here. We have to get through them to get Anara home. So let's pound them to polygons and get moving!"

They fanned out, ready to deal with the goblins. Malus jumped back, letting the hoard spill through. They were mostly level six goblins. Knightstar cut them down with ease and Thunderborne was sticking close to her. Malus and Natora worked together to pick them off. Bladescape was going solo and so was Konpeito. They each had Weapon Defense and were using it when they needed to.

It was a massacre. They knew the goblin's attacks and could predict their moves. Despite that, the number difference gave them no rest.

Three slipped past their line and charged at Diemond and Anara. Diemond put up her shield, ready to fight once more. It never came.

Doombunny slipped in front and sliced an X across the chest of the lead goblin and then punched her knife into the center of the X. The other two converged on her, but she skipped to the side avoiding them. The two goblins ran into each other instead. Doombunny reversed course, slashing and stabbing until their HP was gone.

"No one hurts my friends!" Doombunny declared as she held her head high and puffed out her chest.

The rest of the goblins were cleaned up easily. Thunderborne blocked the entrance so they couldn't escape. Even without a shield or weapon defense skill, she was fast enough to beat them to an attack.

Despite their success, their HPs had all dropped into the orange from various things. Most were minor strikes that eventually stacked up to plenty of lost HP. Even being a tank, with only your shield taking hits, didn't mean you were not losing HP. The shields absorbed most attacks, but they still took off chips of HP. A better shield and more HP would reduce those chips. They downed health potions to start recovering their health.

Bladescape looked at the disrupted pile of weapons and where her old sword lay. "Let's grab that stuff and get moving. Some of it might prove useful. He at least thought it had value."

It was mostly Bladescape, Malus, Konpeito, and Knightstar carrying the treasure pile. The rest had very little left for their weight limit. Diemond had plenty of strength, but she was carrying a decent amount of crafting materials. The others were all agility and speed builds.

They had enough space for it all and left. It was dark outside and the trek back took time. Anara was doing well enough, but they still wanted to get her back as quickly as possible. She wasn’t looking very good, especially the closer they got to Tolbana.

They finally got back to Tolbana and got her to her family. They were very grateful for both the retrieval of their daughter and sister, and for the return of the family sword.

"Come back tomorrow morning and we will have better payment," Anara's mother said. "For now, she needs care."

"Of course," Natora said, bowing to the woman. Outside the house, Natora opened her menu. "The quest says to come back after Eight AM, so we should get some sleep and come back."

"Sounds like a plan," Bladescape said. "And we have the lodging all set up."

"I'm hungry," Diemond said. "I don't suppose we can get some food. Is anything even open?"

"I'll get us stuff at the tavern," Malus said.

"No, we will eat at the tavern," Bladescape said. "Except for Doom, none of you know where the house is."

Food wasn't hard to get and, after they were full, they headed to the NPC house. When they got there, the NPC was still up and her husband was home. The girls all thanked them for the living arrangement.

"No worries," the man said. "It is a mutually beneficial arrangement. We won't bother you up there, or any of your stuff. So long as you are renting it, it will be safe there."

"Thank you," Bladescape said, bowing to them once more.

Upstairs, they all split up. Doombunny and Thunderborne headed into one room to immediately crash. Diemond entered another room. Konpeito followed the others to drop off the loot, and then went across the hall to the room Diemond had taken.

Bladescape, Natora, Malus, and Knightstar sat around the table, looking at the various things that the goblin Chief had found worth keeping. They had grabbed it all without looking at what they were grabbing. Their haul included two rapiers, three longswords, one curved sword, a katana, six knives, two one-handed axes, a two-handed axe, a chest plate, a shirt of mail, and two helmets which wouldn't fit a goblin, even one as big as the chief.

"I suppose we should see if anyone is missing any weapons," Knightstar said. "Or items."

"An appraisal Skill would be nice," Natora added.

"Where could we find someone with that Skill?" Malus asked.

"The Town of Beginnings probably has Smith's or other players starting up shops," Natora said. "One of them might have that skill. It is very early in the...game. We don't even have four skills. If they put an appraisal Skill, then they would only have one other for something else. That is hard to run a business off of, but I'm sure some will try."

"I can leave my excess gear here, all the stuff that was dropped by the goblins, to lighten my load and take this to the Town of Beginnings," Bladescape offered. "With the teleport plaza, it wouldn't be hard and it would be safe."

"It also would flood the area with players who couldn't protect themselves against the higher-level monsters outside the walls," Natora added. "It's best to leave the plaza untriggered, dormant, for now. It also lets us capitalize on things in the area. It sounds a bit selfish, but the four of us here, not that the others won’t join us, know we are not going to sit this out. Thunder is tired and this stuff bores her, Doom is understandably scared, Diemond is focused on sewing, which we want, but she hits hard and can stand her ground when needed, and Konpeito just seems to be along for the ride, but she enjoys cooking for us. She also is really good at scoring critical attacks. The point is, we don’t know what the other players outside our group will do with the skills and XP we can gain being ahead of them, but we know what we will do with it, so let’s ensure it doesn’t go to waste."

"Okay," Bladescape said with a nod in agreement. “We stay here and we prepare for our inevitable conquest of Aincrad's first boss.”

“One Floor at a time,” Knightstar said. “Slow and steady. With statistics on our side, we, I, can sort of hack the game from the inside, allowing us to optimize our performance and safety margins. Game engines use algorithms with weighted drop factors for items, which we display as percentages. Once I know what is being dropped by each creature, I can figure out those percentages. The same for XP and factoring in damage versus defense and ranking monsters by my own weighted factors to find the fastest and safest XP farms.”

“Good,” Bladescape nodded.

“Coach loved to tell us ‘slow is smooth and smooth is fast,’” Natora added. “Take the time to get the job done right. It’s a military saying. He spent a few years in JSDF. When it comes to combat, getting shot at and having to move under fire, with objectives to get done and the enemy making their moves, you can’t screw up or act rashly. You have to keep emotions under control. You have to slow down and think. Not overthink, but just enough to know your options and pick the right one. By slowing down, just that quick bit, you lessen your risk of overlooking something. In war, overlooking something often will cost you a life, which isn’t acceptable. Once you pick your course of action, you commit to it and smoothly execute it. You can get the job done as safely and quickly as possible. It turns out that a smooth starting action ends up with faster results.”

“That’s a good saying,” Knightstar said. “And a great explanation. I like it. As much as this isn’t a war with guns, or even a real Medieval or Edo period battlefield, this is a war. Us against Mister Kayaba and he put a lot of obstacles between us and the Ruby Palace, and presumably him there, waiting for us on his throne. We probably will need an army to conquer this place, but for now, we need to focus on survival as we learn our arts of war: Sword Skills, weapons, and equipment.”

“What about the gear?” Natora asked.

"Let's leave it for the morning," Malus said, standing up. "Give us some time to clear our heads."

"I agree," Knightstar said, also standing up. "Warriors need their sleep. I guess Malus and I will take the third room, and you two can have this one?"

"Sounds good," Bladescape said with a shrug.

The other two left, but Natora and Bladescape didn't get up. Neither had roomed together before, but that wasn't the issue. Neither clearly felt ready for bed, despite the late hour. They just sat quietly, thinking, as the moonlight came in through the window.

"There is a lot riding on our shoulders," Natora said, breaking the silence. "I'm the one with the information, but even that has become sketchy. You, the others look up to you and you have a plan. I also look to you for the plan, despite knowing more about SAO."

"Doom is coming along well," Bladescape said, ignoring what Natora had started. "I was not expecting that. I know how scared she is, or well, I don’t, but I understand that as scared as I am, she is worse. I'm not sure how long she will keep that fighting edge. She flips back and forth, hot to cold, and really only when her friends are in danger. She is the most unstable of us, and I don’t want to lose her because we took her into a place she needed to be hot, but was too cold for. We need some bigger shields too."

Natora nodded. "I agree and we will get them when the game offers them, but you dodged the question. I know you heard the implication I was making."

Sunset kept a straight face, not looking at Natora. Virtual or real, Bladescape or Sunset, at this moment, there was no difference. Sunset knew the answer. She didn’t need her book of memories because she hadn’t forgotten this fact. "It means we can't fail. Or rather, I can't. They are looking to me as their strength, to imitate me or to give them the strength to continue. It's what is best. That doesn't make it easy. I have to be ready with a plan. Even if it defers to you, I still am leading."

"I'm glad I'm not in your shoes," Natora replied. "I don't make a good leader. A good player, one who always has your back, but I'm not very good in the leadership department."

"Then rely on me," Sunset said. "I’ll be at the front of every battle. You shouldn’t count yourself out though, you have been doing a lot of leading, even if it is playing off of me. They are looking first to me, then to you. You have been leading a party very well too. All I need from you is to not let the game knock me back. Catch me so I don’t fall. But we probably need to hit the sack."

"I’ll catch you," Natora assured her, standing up. "I’ll be right behind you, so that you can’t fall. As to sleep, well at least these beds are bigger than the inn ones. It's easier to fit two people on."

"Agreed," Bladescape said, also standing up.

They took off their armor, down to the plain clothes they wore, so they would be comfortable as they slept.

Episode 25 - Between A Boss In A Hard Place

Episode 25 — Between A Boss In A Hard Place
Sixteenth Day in the Month of Holly (December 16) in the Year of the Hawk
Third Floor - Early Morning

The Third Floor was a milestone in Aincrad. For the first time, human “monsters” were present. The only distinguishing marker was the color cursor above their head. It was mostly elves, either forest or dark, but SAO was no longer human players against monsters or beasts. The elves could use sword skills and were a lot more complex in their fighting tactics as well as talking back in combat. They were indistinguishable from a player outside of their red cursor.

While everyone else was either doing the guild creation quest or other things in the south portion of the map to build their levels, the Wondercolts were looking north. That meant they had to defeat the only field boss, The Indolent Treant, which was blocking a very narrow pass.

Yesterday, the Wondercolts had been the first to complete the guild creation quest, edging out Kibaou by less than ten minutes. Thunderborne had been sent ahead to sprint to the finish after the last task was completed. The rest of them, especially their tanks, were too slow to get ahead of Kibaou. Bladescape was thrilled they beat Kibaou, more so than she should have been. She really didn’t like him or his attitude. She found pleasure in knocking him down a few pegs.

It was Thunderborne who officially logged the Wondercolts as the first guild in Sword Art Online’s system. They had agreed upon their colors, navy and gold, which were a stronger contrast to Canterlot High’s light blue and yellow colors and better for Diemond to work with. The guild tag icon by their name was a blue background with a gold horse head. Guilds also had a 2-4 letter abbreviation. Wondercolts was shortened to WCS.

The creation of the Wondercolts had caused a few issues to arise. First, while they had helped with the guild creation quest, the invitation was officially extended to Kiefer, Reisenki, and Soryuto. They gratefully accepted the offer. The Wondercolts were officially eleven members, not eight.

Second, because she had set it up, the official guild leader was Thunderborne. Now that they were not just parties of players, it brought up the discussion of who should officially run the guild. Bladescape was unanimously voted in as their leader and Natora as their second, but they wanted a third to round out the council and specifically to cast the tie breaking vote if they needed that. Thunderborne wanted to be the third leader. Malus nominated Knightstar because of how much she was doing in leading them all in their non-combat pursuits, as well as the metrics for combat skills. Knightstar wasn’t going to nominate herself and didn’t particularly want to be in charge of anything, but she would accept if the others voted her in. Since the first floor when it was first discussed, Thunderborne had been more active as a leader, but in the blind vote, she still lost 6 to 3 in favor of Knightstar, with Bladescape recusing herself and someone else giving a “no vote.” Bladescape had been the one to collect and tally the votes since she had recused herself.

Thunderborne wasn’t happy, but she transferred control to Bladescape. The guild Contract Scroll only recognized a primary leader, but others could be set as managers. Leadership could only be transferred. Bladescape couldn’t be voted out of leadership by others who had been given management access. Members with access as the Contract Scroll had several features added to their menu under the guild’s panel.

The Contract Scroll also allowed access to the vault. Members were automatically taxed on earned income. Bladescape set the taxes low, but as a guild, those taxes would be what they used to purchase a headquarters and temporary housing, like inns, as well as being able to be used to pay for items, materials, or upgrades to members who needed the assistance. They could pull from the vault to upgrade their crafters’ equipment rather than pitch in out of personal finances.

Guilds allowed members to send more messages between each other then what friends could and a leader or manager could send a guild wide message through the Contract Scroll. It also increased the number of characters in a message, however the count was still short. Members could see where the others were in their own menus, unless the member was in a dungeon, which blocked their location, just like it blocked messages. The guild also had a common storage that members could share, but it was small and also didn’t work inside dungeons. There was mention in the scroll that having a home registered as guild lodging with a storage room could expand that capacity. It did make potions easy to distribute because members could refill on their own from the common storage, so long as they kept the storage stocked, which was also easily done by any guild member buying potions for the guild. Guild members in the same party received a slight increase in their stats.

The night before, after the initial rush to create guilds was over, there had been a strategy meeting. Kibaou had declared that he wanted the third floor cleared within a week. The other guilds were still working on building up levels for another day before the big push to achieve that goal. Bladescape knew her guilds’ levels. Knightstar had it all charted out, but Bladescape’s Silver Sagacity Circlet was getting stronger as Search was leveled up. Bladescape could see Lind and Kibaou’s levels, as well as almost everyone they encountered. All of the Wondercolts were above them. The only player she couldn’t read was Doombunny, because her Hide Skill was stronger than Bladescape’s Search Skill.

Bladescape was keeping the power of the Silver Sagacity Circlet secret, so that no one could accidentally slip up and spill it. She had shared it only with Natora during one of their nightly debriefs. Natora had warned her that knowing the overall level of other players at a glance would be seen as a breach of privacy and many wouldn’t like it or feel comfortable around Bladescape if they knew she could see certain things. They would think she was looking for an angle or edge to have on them. The fewer players who knew what she could do with the circlet, the better. Two mouths were easier to keep sealed tight than eleven.

Being able to see their levels gave Bladescape the confidence to propose the Wondercolts’ private actions for the next few days, which was technically in line with the others. She wanted them to beat the field boss on their own. Bladescape didn’t want to get caught up in more of Lind and Kibaou’s drama. They were taking 3 or 4 parties to a field boss fight and the Wondercolts were half that number with higher levels.

The sun was barely up and Natora, Thunderborne, Reisenki, and Konpeito were scouting the field boss, checking out its attack patterns while everyone else observed. The goal was to determine not only the attack patterns, but if they were strong enough. Beating the field boss would put a major dent in both Lind and Kibaou’s arrogance while also reinforcing that the Wondercolts deserved to be there. They kept trying to push the Wondercolts out of the picture and Bladescape wouldn’t have it.

Natora called off the scouting mission, getting a clean break from the fight. They regrouped with everyone.

“Thoughts?” Natora immediately asked.

“You made it look easy,” Knightstar said.

“That’s because it was!” Konpeito exclaimed with an excited hop.

“From what I saw, with three tanks and two shield users, we can do this,” Bladescape said.

“I have to agree,” Knightstar said. “It looks doable and it only seems to have two attacks, the branch whip and root punch. Soryuto, Doom, and I may not want to fight floor bosses, but this is a field boss. We have helped beat a few dungeon bosses, so I know we can do this. Bosses are a part of SAO, a part of winning our freedom, and the stats are in our favor.”

“Then let’s not stand around,” Bladescape said. “I would rather not be discovered by the others. It is still early enough that I don’t think any of them are really up and moving yet.”

They were already set up in their parties. Bladescape was going to be the main hitting squad with Natora’s squad supporting and flanking. There wasn’t really any room to flank, because of how narrow the pass was, but they would be ready to adjust and take advantage of any openings. Natora had paired Thunderborne and Soryuto together and had Doombunny and Knightstar with her, with the goal of using the shields to cover Thunderborne and Natora so they could take advantage of any openings. Malus was paired with Konpeito, Bladescape was with Reisenki, and Diemond was paired with Kiefer. They would be going in with a three-pronged approach, having Malus hold the center.

The whip attack was more powerful than it looked. The branches were quick as they cracked through the air. Reisenki blocked it easily on his shield without breaking stride. Konpeito used the opening to dash forward and bury her axe in the treant’s trunk. It stayed there as Konpeito was punched in the gut by the roots, causing her to double over. Malus grabbed her and pulled her back to a point that she could protect her. Diemond blocked a whip attack and Kiefer used the brief moment they were on the face of Diemond’s shield to sever them.

The treant groaned audibly from the loss of some of its branches. Bladescape took the opportunity to strike. Reisenki also landed a blow with his axe. Natora dashed between their pairs and dealt three quick stabs to the trunk, which Konpeito used as cover to grab her axe and pull it free. Thunderborne bounced off the wall of the canyon cutting at the upper branches before she dropped back down and dove into a roll to avoid the roots punching her. Malus grabbed the roots that popped out to hit Thunderborne and Konpeito got revenge by severing them in one clean chop. Doombunny pegged the treant three times with her throwing knives.

Those attacks had knocked off two thirds of the first health bar. It had three. It didn’t take them long to redo the process. When they got the field boss into the red, it extended its roots, diving them under the front line and directly attacking Knightstar and Soryuto. It also started thrashing them all with its limbs, forcing the tanks to raise their shields. Konpeito, and Kiefer followed Bladescape in a charge to the trunk.

Bladescape blocked a root that tried to punch her and then sliced it off before it could retreat underground. Kiefer was quick with his katana, slicing The Indolent Treant in several spots before he was in a delay. Konpeito unleashed back-to-back two combination attacks.

“All yours, Blade!” Konpeito yelled with a smile as she entered her delay.

Bladescape hit it with everything she had. One thing she had realized from her failure to finish off Asterius the Taurus King was her failure to set up her attacks to let her chain a follow up if it had failed. It was no different from what she had been learning about in Iaido, always being ready and knowing the options available to you for where your sword stopped. Her book of memories helped remind her of those lessons. The only difference between Iaido’s forms and SAO was that SAO had preset locations the sword had to be in, the “initial motion”, to trigger a sword skill, and she didn’t have many skills available to her at her level. Bladescape succeeded in chaining a second, then a third, a fourth, and then a final fifth, ending with her plunging the Red Sun Sword into the heart of The Indolent Treent. It shattered into polygons from the stab.

Bladescape was in a very long delay, the penalty stacking exponentially for chaining so many sword skills. She couldn’t celebrate with the others.

“Now that’s how you kill a tree,” Konpeito said, flipping her axe up onto her shoulder. “Why were we worried?”

“That was some mighty fine swordsmanship,” Malus said. “I reckon I ain’t seen nothing like it in any of the fights we’ve been in.”

Bladescape finally was released from the delay. She sunk her sword into the stone to keep herself from falling over. She was able to grab a glance at the Last Attack Bonus screen before addressing her friends. “Thanks, but it also was really risky, being exposed and unable to respond, even to defend yourself.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t let it live,” Natora said. “You made sure it went down. It was impressive and you should be proud. Don’t sell yourself short. Chaining all of those together takes skill.”

“It’s all from my Iaido lessons,” Bladescape said. “But I wasn’t the only one putting on a good show. Thunder, your acrobatics and speed have exponentially increased. Very impressive.”

Thunderborne got more praise from the others, which she happily soaked up. She then admitted it surprised her and that she had almost overshot the tree on the first leap.

“And we cleared the field boss ourselves,” Natora said with a sly grin. “That will force Lind and Kibaou to recognize that there really is a third guild with them, clearing this game, even if we are small compared to them. It also is nice to keep everything it dropped and the XP in our hands, not theirs.”

“It was a significant amount,” Knightstar said, scrolling through her drop list. “I am glad I was wrong about my estimates.”

“Let’s get moving before we get discovered,” Natora said. “We didn’t do anything wrong, but I would prefer to keep them guessing about who beat the boss as long as possible.”

As they moved out, Bladescape scrolled through her items, noting the various items dropped. None appeared to be better than her current equipment. She found the Last Attack Bonus, “Treant Heart,” but didn’t pull it out while they walked. It felt good to score the Last Attack Bonus, and a field boss was not going to be something weak, but it wasn’t the same as a floor boss’ LAB. That was her true desire and would be the ultimate test and proof of her skill. Beating over forty players to the same goal while still working as a team was not a trivial task. Her guild had let her get it, not that it was undeserved, especially with how she pulled it off. She was their leader and they expected her to finish bosses, assuming she was in a position or role to do so.

The path from the pass led them to a town called Dessel. There was plenty to discover in the town. Like Zumfut, the main settlement in the southern half, it was made inside the giant baobab trees, with bridges connecting the trees and also going out to some treehouses hanging from the massive branches.

“You know the drill,” Bladescape said. “Pair off and look for quests.”

“I’ve got a question for Blade,” Natora said. “So, Thunder, sorry, pair off with someone else this time.”

Thunderborne didn’t put up any complaints and paired off with Soryuto.

“So, what was it?” Natora asked when they were alone.

Bladescape swiped up her menu and pulled it out. It was a ring, carved from petrified wood. Bladescape brought up the item menu.

“Defense Plus-Five,” Bladescape said.

“Wow!” Natora exclaimed. “That is a jump. Something you need without a helmet.”

Someone started clapping behind them. Bladescape’s hand went to her sword hilt out of instinct as she turned around. Natora’s spear was twirled around until it was brought to bear on the surprise guest. It was Argo. They both relaxed.

“Very nice drop and well earned,” Argo said. “Your guild left so early, I was wondering what had your attention. Tailing you was easy. Taking on the field boss was gutsy, but clearly a good move. I know I fought with you, Bladescape, but watching you all work as a guild was impressive. Better than what Lind has scraped together. He is trying to be the reincarnation of Diavel, and it puts to shame Kibaou’s group. Unlike them and their guilds, you know how to keep your cool and are not acting for selfish reasons.”

“Shouldn’t you be quest grinding?” Bladescape asked, unsure of Argo’s intentions.

“Normally, yes,” Argo said with a sigh. “But Kirito has this floor covered because of the Elf War quest. Instead, I’ve been leveling and waiting for the fourth floor to be opened up. You, Natora, may not have made it off the first floor in the Beta, but you still have the title of Beater, which isn’t totally undeserved. The rest of your guild is as good as they are because of the jumpstart you gave them, but you also wouldn’t be as strong as you are without them.”

“Is there a point to that statement?” Natora asked.

Argo shrugged. “It’s an observation, free of charge, but it does lead to my next statement. We can be powerful allies or you can be at a disadvantage, not being able to have access to my information. Kirito is a free agent in ways, able to help me get something done because he doesn’t have a guild he has to follow, but there will be times, like now, where Kirito won’t be available. Other times he won’t be enough to help me, even if he brings Asuna with him. That is where you come in. It would, of course, come with compensation.”

“That sounds like a good deal,” Bladescape said. “But something else is prompting this, not being bored or watching us turn that treant to splinters.”

“Yeah, okay, I guess you deserve that information,” Argo admitted. “After all you are not against Kirito, if anything, I would say you are for him. Also, while Lind and Kibaou are writing you off, or trying to, they are fighting to not let any other guilds join the clearers. You were there last night, but stayed silent. They want to build their two guilds and they have currently sealed off the ability for another guild to rise up and help clear. You are not a threat because you don’t intend to grow. It won’t be long before they are each twice your size or even three times. So watch your back, because they may dislike each other, but Lind and Kibaou have a private pact with each other. Any deals with you can easily be nullified if they both have you outnumbered six to one. Or more.

“Which brings me to the real point. Another Beta Tester, Morte, is causing problems, specifically helping both the Dragon Knights Brigade and the Aincrad Liberation Squad, while also sabotaging them and trying to cause them to fight. No one needs me when they are getting it free from him and they don’t realize he is causing them to clash. They won’t let me get close enough to them to counter his grip on them. Not that Kibaou is openly using any beta testers because he doesn’t trust them.”

“So we have a lot of factors in play,” Natora said with a sigh. “Yeah, I remember Morte. He was a pain in the beta,” She spat. “He baited me into a friendly duel, half loss, and got me just above half before he killed me because it was a critical hit. Half loss can be dangerous if you know how to exploit it, which he does. I think he mob PK’d me in the beta too. He isn’t a good guy to have around now that SAO isn’t a game.”

“None of that surprises me,” Argo said.

“Any worthwhile information, like quests, that we could buy off you?” Bladescape asked.

“Yeah, I have some,” Argo said with a coy grin. “But about quests, I can’t believe you beat Kibaou to be the first to complete the guild creation quest. He is really mad about that. Lind currently tolerates you because you are useful, but Kibaou doesn’t care if you are not, he wants you gone.”

“Well, hello,” Knightstar said, joining them. Doombunny was with her. “You must be the infamous Argo.”

“The one and only,” Argo said with a nod.

“We were just about to purchase information on quests,” Bladescape informed Knightstar.

“Perhaps a trade will be better,” Knightstar said. She pulled out her notebook. Argo was clearly interested in the fact that she had the pouch on her chest dedicated to making the book and its writing utensils easily accessible. “I have calculations, all covering leveling, that accurately predict the experience needed to be gained for each player level all the way to one-hundred. Once you get through the first ten, the algorithm they use is quite evident and my calculations have been spot on for each level after.”

“Why a-hundred?” Argo asked.

“It’s just where I stopped,” Knightstar said with a shrug. “It is easy to calculate, but I was running out of materials and needed it for more relevant notes. We won’t get to one-hundred for a long while, so it was a good place to stop.”

“Notes on what?” Argo asked.

“Everything,” Knightstar said, getting coy. “I have details about every monster we have fought. Some are more detailed than others, but it includes physical stats, attack styles, targeting range, critical attack locations, and drop rates.”

Argo stood there, thinking. “I’ll give you not only the list of quests in the northern area, but a quick walkthrough for each for that leveling data. All the way to one-hundred.”

“Deal,” Knightstar said, snapping her notebook shut.

There were only a handful of quests in the north section. With the guides, the Wondercolts could knock them out easily.

"I'm really interested in this 'Find a Pet' quest," Doombunny said. "It would be nice to have an animal companion."

"Hold up there," Argo said. "I want to make something clear: a pet is not a familiar. It gives no boosts, no assistance, and it is more likely to run away from combat. You need a place to care for it and safely leave it, which you don't seem to have."

Doombunny let out a sad sigh as that hope was squashed.

"We will remember it for when we get a place of our own," Bladescape assured her.

They got everyone together and went off to do two quests since it was still early enough.

The next day, Bladescape was walking with Natora in Dessel after finishing the last of the quests. A few teams were finishing another quest or locating the boss labyrinth and would be back soon. The Wondercolts had gotten a lot of good work done. It felt good.

That feeling ended as Bladescape saw Lind, Kibaou, and their respective guilds enter the town. They were immediately spotted.

"You!" Kibaou yelled. "Are you the ones who cleared the field boss?"

Bladescape tried to play innocent. "Me? The Wondercolts? If you mean the tree blocking the pass, then I guess so, but I would hardly call it a field boss. It didn't even take us ten minutes. You guys put so much effort into field bosses, taking twenty odd players. I can't believe it was one. We could have beaten it with just one party, not the eleven players we had."

Lind put his hand up, stopping Kibaou from saying anything. "Are you seriously suggesting that you beat the field boss with eleven players and could have done it with less?"

Bladescape dropped the act and got real with them. Both of them needed to take the Wondercolts seriously. "I'm not suggesting. That is a fact. We easily beat it in several minutes with eleven players simply because we had not only the levels, but also the unity. If you boys would quit playing around or trying to out compete each other, you might get someplace. You may have your boys club, but whether you like it or not, there is a third guild clearing Aincrad. The girls are here to stay and more importantly, to work together to beat the game.

"But before you go wasting your time, the quests in the north are all done except the pet quest in that building, which anyone can do.” Bladescape pointed to the building and then pointed at a pillar in the distance. “And I will also add that that pillar has the boss labyrinth in it. But if you level nines and tens can't even manage to work together and smoothly clear a field boss with half a full boss raid party, you need to seriously consider your current levels and safety margins before we clear the boss. No one wants dead players at the end of the raid. Make sure they have sufficient levels to survive and maybe help out."

"Nine!" Kibaou raged. "You think I'm level nine!"

"No, you idiot," Bladescape spat. She could see his level, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. "From what I've seen, I'm guessing you're level twelve, but you will be a nine so long as you allow players at that low of a level into your ranks."

"And what level are you at?" Lind asked, stopping Kibaou from going off.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Bladescape retorted. "We don't give out member data. All that matters is that it was sufficient enough to splinter that oversized tree without breaking a sweat."

"Why I ought-"

"Pipe down, Kibaou," Agil said as he stopped by the shorter man's side. Kibaou involuntarily pulled back at the sight of him. "Don’t you remember the last boss raid? The girls have some mad skills. I have no doubt they easily took it down. They know more about teamwork and cooperation than either of you have shown. Although, don't the Wondercolts have some guys in their ranks?"

"Oh yeah," Bladescape said with a laugh. "I'm so used to hanging out with our group IRL, which is all girls, that I used it without thinking. The same way as, in English, we use ‘guys’ as an informal term to mean a group of people we are addressing. Yeah, we have two men in our ranks. A strong tank and a quick samurai."

"It's okay," Reisenki said, joining them. Kiefer was with him. They had been checking out a pillar for the boss labyrinth. "Kiefer and I have already discussed it. We realize we are in the 'girl guild' and are totally cool with it. It's nine verses two and you all are cool about it. You are not trying to take in only girls, it is just how the cards fell. You only see a player’s skills and contribution to the guild. That is what matters."

"I'd rather hang out with ‘the girls’ than ‘the boys’ and have to deal with Kibaou and Lind measuring every little detail," Kiefer added.

Lind wasn't happy to hear that and Kibaou was fuming. Neither knew how to counter that. Agil just started to laugh deeply.

"Hey!" Natora suddenly yelled, pointing off to the side. "I see you there, Morte! Yeah, I remember you. You PK'd me twice in the beta and were always stirring up chaos where you could."

Everyone was now looking at Morte who had been trying to slip by into the settlement without being noticed.

"I don't know you," Morte said, playing it off.

"I recognize that grin of yours anywhere," Natora retorted. "I couldn't forget it after our 'friendly' half loss duel where you chipped me right above half and then executed a kill move. You were no good in the beta and you are clearly up to no good right now."

"Are you saying you want to duel me?" Morte asked. "If you are...well I might oblige you."

"So you can pull the same trick on me?" Natora snorted. "Or so you can make me look bad for the duel? I know your real game. I wouldn't be surprised to find out, since your nose is this close to the front, that you have been sticking it in both the Aincrad Liberation Squad' business and the Dragon Knights Brigade's business and intentionally setting them both on collision courses with each other."

Morte didn't have a response. If he walked away, it was as good as admitting it. If he admitted it, that would be worse. He was backed into a corner.

"That is a serious accusation," he finally said. He took a step towards them all. "A real slight against my honor. You better be prepared to back up such nasty words."

"Can you beat him?" Bladescape quietly asked.

"Yeah," Natora whispered back. "I think so."

A duel request screen popped up in front of Natora. It was for a half-loss duel.

"There won't be any need for that," Lind suddenly said. "I believe Natora. I know the information we got from friendly Morte was useful, but it did send us careering into the Aincrad Liberation Squad a few times. Looking back, the coincidences were easy to shrug off in the moment, but are glaringly obvious now that they were engineered."

The challenge screen was still in front of Natora. She turned to the side to not cancel it and put her hand up to block her lips from being read while she whispered to Bladescape. "I have more levels and HP than he does. He can't account for that, right?"

Bladescape was able to turn around fully. "He is level thirteen. You have him in that way, but if he is as tricky as you indicated, he will figure it out if his hits land even one blow, ending that advantage. It isn't worth risking your life over. Lind is on our side. What would it prove?"

"If you're afraid, just say so," Morte stated. "I'll retract the offer in exchange for your admission and an apology for hurting my good name."

Natora faced him again. "I'm right and you know it. You got me trapped over this duel now, but unlike you, I actually care about having a good reputation. I care about my friends. My pride doesn't trump their necessities. In the beta, I was alone and weak. Now, I'm strong and supported by a team. A duel would prove nothing, especially a half loss duel." Natora slammed her fist on the X to deny it. She immediately sent a request to him. "But a first hit duel would be... interesting. Win and I'll apologize. Lose and admit what we already know, that you were manipulating those guilds, intending to cause them harm in any way possible. Or you can walk and not get that apology you so desperately want...or perhaps deserve?"

Morte snorted and then hit accept. He drew his sword, an Anneal Blade, as he grinned from under his unkempt chainmail hood. Its edges were loose and torn, looking like locks of hair instead of proper armor.

"So you changed equipment," Natora said as she took her stance. "I see you got rid of that horrible axe and shield combination."

"What of it?" Morte asked. "Scared you can't beat me when I wield a sword?"

"Nah," Natora shrugged. "I'm just surprised that after all of that, you were stupid enough to admit that you have dueled me with an axe and shield, after claiming to not know me."

The clock hit zero as Morte's anger flared over getting tricked into the admission. Natora took two solid steps forward and stopped, spear still at the ready. She was waiting for him to trigger a skill, to give away his plan. He didn't as they got within striking range. He thrust his sword at her at the last minute, without stopping. Natora drew her spear in and up. Blocking it and forcing his sword to go high. She stepped to the side, forcing him to run into her. He wasn't ready for that. Natora took the moment he needed to regain his balance to flick her spear into position and run him through his right shoulder.

She was declared the winner and pulled her spear out. She stepped back as he stood there, HP in the yellow and unsure what to do. The grin on his face was gone.

"Get out of here,” Natora spat. "We know what you did. You are now an evil puppet master without any puppets. Their strings were cut and they won’t be going back to you."

"Fine," Morte spat. "But I'll be back for you."

Natora immediately headed to the tavern. She was done with the entire debacle, including the drama before the duel.

Bladescape nodded to Lind, a silent parting gesture that asserted their position, and led Reisenki, and Kiefer to the tavern to wait for the others to get back. As they waited for their drinks to come, they were approached by Kirito in his all-black attire.

"May I have a word with you, Bladescape?" He asked.

Bladescape nodded and stood up. They went to a corner booth to talk.

“You were there two nights ago,” Kirito said. “You heard the talks as they tried to cut me out, as well as stop me from starting a competing guild. I don't want to be in a guild, ever, but I don't want to limit Asuna or harm her prospects with guilds and clearing. The longer she is with me, the harder it will be to get into some of the guild's, particularly the clearing ones."

“Don't sell yourself short,” Bladescape said. “Asuna could have joined either guild if she wanted to. She is going places with you, whereas they would hold her back, putting her under their leadership. She is a sharp girl who is adaptive and quick. I understand your concern, but not only can she stand up for herself, she also could get a following if she wanted it. I'll give you no guarantees, but if things go really badly, the Wondercolts might be able to open up our guild for her. I would hate to have her stop clearing the game because Lind or Kibaou blacklists her. She is valuable to the Wondercolts for many reasons, but those facts sound harsh and cold. Honestly, a friendship with her is her most valuable asset and it cannot be undersold.”

Kirito shifted a bit uncomfortably.

“Just...don't worry about her too much, specifically in that way,” Bladescape advised. “Simply take care of her. She is staying because she wants to. She sees something in you. Maybe being alone isn't what you should be doing.”

Kirito's eyes betrayed him. Hearing Bladescape’s observation was shocking, but they were filled with fear. He was afraid of something. Perhaps it was just because he was willing to take the hate of Kibaou and others, but he also decided to become the scapegoat for their anger, which might be due to something else he had experienced. A month had passed before that boss battle. A month of him being alone, or at least he had indicated he had been alone, surviving by his wits and skill without any help.

Bladescape wasn’t sure how that would have affected her, a month, alone in this “game” knowing it was all for real. She had her friends, but she didn’t sleep for the first few days. She couldn’t remember things she should be able to. She was still relearning her forgotten memories.

“Just keep pushing forward,” Bladescape said. “Asuna is clearly independent enough to make her choice. If she stays fighting with you, it’s because she wants to and it’s to her advantage to. If not, well she has never struck me as the type of woman to leave over something stupid. She will leave if there is a better place. Neither Kibaou or Lind can offer her something better than what you can. Don’t doubt yourself or deal in absolutes. You never know what prospect might come up for you either.”

Kirito did not have a response. He was lost in thought. Bladescape looked at her friends and saw that everyone was assembled.

“Hey,” Bladescape said, getting Kirito’s attention. “The rest of the Wondercolts are back. If you need to talk, you can find me any time. You’ve got an ally with me. But if you don’t have anything else you need to discuss…”

“No, go,” Kirito said. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Bladescape said, flashing him a smile. “Anytime.”

BLADESCAPE: Level 19 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor
NATORA: Level 19 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 18 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal
MALUS: Level 19 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield — Light Metal Armor — First Aid
THUNDERBORNE: Level 19 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense
KONPEITO: Level 19 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts
DIEMOND: Level 19 — Mace — Shield — Sewing — Light Metal Armor
DOOMBUNNY: Level 18 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing
KIEFER: Level 15 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense
SORYUTO: Level 14 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music
REISENKI: Level 15 — One-Handed Axe — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Repair

Episode 36 - Iron Bulwark

Episode 36 — Iron Bulwark
Ninth Day in the Month of Sakura (April 9) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 27 — 1 P.M.
Applejack sat at a table in the small cafe, nervously tapping her foot. She wasn’t used to this. She preferred simple. In this case, get stronger in order to protect her friends as Sunset, Natsuki, and Twilight led them to victory. She couldn’t do that without a shield strong enough to withstand her requirements. When the King of the Oathbreakers shattered her shield, it destroyed the best one available. The player smiths who made shields were unable to make her something strong enough. Applejack had paid for two and, while they were solid shields, they were underwhelming to her. Then she went to Mo, but none of the rare items she had were shields and she had no info on any either.

That was how she had spent the day before, so now she was wasting more time, sitting in a cafe, waiting for Argo to hopefully show up. Apparently this is where she normally was when available. The info broker should be able to point her in the right direction. Normally Sunset, Twilight, or Natsuki dealt with Argo. Applejack only knew her in passing. She took a drink of her tea, the only drinks the cafe served, to do something while she was waiting. At least it was enjoyable tea.

Argo finally arrived. With the whisker face paint and brown cloak Rarity kept making her, Argo looked like her nickname, "The Rat." Applejack almost called out her name but remembered the advice Twilight had given her. She stayed silent, looking to catch the info broker’s eyes. Argo didn’t like being called out and it wasn’t wise broadcasting when you contacted her. Not every info broker was that elusive, but few had the skill Argo did at ferreting out information about Aincrad and SAO, including about the players.

Applejack never got Argo’s attention, which frustrated her. She didn’t have time to waste. Wherever she sat down, Applejack would join her. If Argo was meeting someone else, Applejack would leave, but she wasn’t going to idly sit by. She couldn’t waste any more time. Argo took her tea from the counter and wandered over towards the back. Applejack didn’t have to move as Argo sat down at her table.

Argo took a sip of her tea before leaning back. “The Malicious Tank is never alone or in my usual meeting place. I can only assume you are here to speak to me.”

“Yup,” Applejack said, nodding. “But did you just call me the Malicious Tank?”

“Yes,” Argo replied, smirking under her hood. “You’re a tank and malicious. I hear you gave the last boss a really tough time. A thorn in his side, you might say.”

“I’m stubborn, but I ain’t malicious,” Applejack replied. “How do you think my name is spelled?”

“M, A, L, I, C, E,” Argo replied.

“Nope,” Applejack replied, leaning back and taking a sip on her tea as she let Argo try and figure it out.

“I’m stumped,” Argo admitted. “I can’t come up with another logical way to spell your name.”

“M, A, L, U, S,” Applejack smiled, spelling it out. “As in Kingdom Plante, Division Magnoliophyta, Class Magnoliopsida, Order Rosales, Family Rosaceae, Genus Malus domestica. AKA, the apple tree, which my family farms. I’ll admit, I chose it cause it’s a great homophone.”

“That’s clever,” Argo admitted. “Somehow I gained an even greater respect for you. You’re seen as a stubborn tank, which often are simple minded individuals. Clearly that isn’t you.”

“I like simple, but I know how to think,” Applejack replied. “I also hate wastin time when there’s a job to be done. It’s why I’m here, lookin for you.”

“Yes, you are,” Argo replied, smirking before sipping on her tea. “What can I do for you?”

“I need a shield that ain’t gonna break on me,” Applejack stated. “I had two made, each cost me a pretty penny, but they ain’t got what I need. The one the boss shattered was better than both of em. It’s gotta be as strong as I am. Really I need it stronger than I am, cause I'm gonna keep levelin up and gettin stronger."

“Now that is an interesting request,” Argo replied. “It’s been a while since I’ve had an interesting one float my way. I heard about your tug of war with the boss’ spear, while it was still in your chest. I saw you deflect Asterius the Taurus King’s giant hammer in the second boss battle, a feat that would’ve killed anyone else in that room. You’re known to take bosses head on, with just your shield and strong will.”

“I’ve had a total of six break on me cause of it,” Applejack stated. “I know I ain’t gonna get an unbreakable one, I carry spares for a reason, but I need somethin better. I’m told you’re the one person in SAO that might know where to send me.”

“I might,” Argo said. “I’ve not been able to dig up much on it though, however, I have watched it.”

“Whaddya mean?” Malus asked.

“Continuing this conversation will require payment,” Argo stated. “One hundred col.”

Applejack had been advised that info brokers often required a discussion fee, because if the offer required some information to entice the player to pay for it all, it was giving some critical information away. If the player didn’t like the price and walked, they knew what to ask another info broker about and could possibly score a better deal. Argo's price was reasonable. Applejack paid Argo without any hassle.

“It’s not a quest exactly,” Argo prefaced. “More of a challenge. When you conquered the twenty-fifth floor, some changes throughout Aincrad happened. One of them was a flag mob appearing. Single combat against a player. He is looking for the strongest player, to reward them for their accomplishments. The catch is, you have to beat him and you only get one chance to. No redoes. He also doesn’t accept challenges from players who don’t have a shield equipped. Some have tried to bypass it by binding one to their arm, but he sees through the farce. I’m not the only one who thinks the reward is a shield, but that isn’t a guarantee.”

“What's it gonna cost me for the location an the info yah do know?” Applejack asked.

“Ten thousand col,” Argo stated. “I’ll give you all I know and personally lead you there.”

Applejack took a sip of her tea, finishing it off. She had that much, easily, even after commissioning two shields, but she had been warned by Sunset and Twilight to not jump to an answer with Argo. It wasn’t that she was necessarily cheating players, but looking too eager when dealing with an info broker was a bad idea. Especially when dealing with large sums of money. It was rumored that Argo would sell her own grandmother if the price was right.

Applejack decided to give a counter offer. “Eight thousand to give me the info and lead me there, plus a bonus of two thousand if I win.”

“This day is full of surprises,” Argo replied, smirking. “No one has ever come back with an offer of a contractual bonus.”

“Really?” Applejack asked. “Cause it’s a common tool to incentivize one party. I realize yah got a tough job. Puttin a price on information ain’t easy, but that don’t mean any info broker gets the price right. There ain’t a blue book for y’all to use.”

“Blue book?” Argo asked, unsure what Applejack meant.

“Sorry,” Applejack said. “I guess that’s a regional thing. Back in my home, outside of Japan, a company standardized the retail price of new and used vehicles and published it under that name, blue book. I suppose it’s blue cause first place ribbons are usually blue. A dealer trade-in won’t give yah that price, but for private sales of vehicles, or when looking to buy one used, it can help you understand if it’s a fair deal or not. They set the standard on how to evaluate prices. What I mean is that y’all ain’t got a standard for evaluatin the information all y’all sell.”

“No, we don’t,” Argo admitted. “You would be hard pressed to find another info broker who knows where it is, let alone one who will lead you there.”

That was a clear warning to be careful when shoving back against someone like Argo.

“I’m well aware,” Applejack replied. “Farm life's taught me how to be smart about finances. I ain’t so cheap I squeak, but top dollar ain’t always what they shine it up to be. You can paint over rust or rot an make it look brand new, but the problem is still there. Fair is fair. I ain’t against the price yah set, but haggling ain’t a bad practice. Neither is addin a contractual incentive.”

“Alright,” Argo said. “You have a deal. I was going to watch you anyway.”

Before they could stand up, several players approached the table. It was Sunset, Dash, Twilight, and Natsuki.

“So you’re still here,” Sunset said. “We got to a good stopping point, so the others were cut loose to craft.”

“Missing your shield really hurt us,” Dash added. “Does Doom always hide behind you?”

“Yep,” Applejack nodded. “Argo and I just sealed a deal.” She swiped up her menu to pull out the agreed upon col. “Is it gonna cost more to lead them too?”

“Eh,” Argo shrugged. “I’ll do it for free. You're making today very interesting.”

Applejack transferred the money. Argo only had one sip left of her tea, so they headed out behind her. At the teleport plaza, she told them to jump to Cara, on floor twenty-four.

The floor was limnetic, mostly covered in a giant freshwater lake, surrounded by large hills along the edge of the floor. The lake was dotted with small islands, both natural and man-made. They had floating bridges connecting all of the islands. The main settlement, Panareze, was on the opposite side of the floor but visible because of the open water.

They made their way across the floating bridges, following Argo. It would have been difficult for Applejack to find this place alone because the bridges made navigation a bit of a maze. While clearing, they were only on the floor for three days because the water meant there was very little to clear.

They stopped on one of the tiny islands. It was easy to tell that they were alone, which was Argo’s plan. “I gave you the basics, now for the details. The flag mob is in a small valley, tucked away. There isn’t much room to move or fight in, but it’s a solo fight. It’s a giant suit of iron, with a mace and shield. It looks like it's been cast as one solid piece of iron. I already mentioned you need a shield to fight him. Only one person can be inside during the fight. If a second person steps into the makeshift arena, he retreats, ending the fight. Since you only get one shot at it, no one should rush in. The flag mob isn’t looking to kill, only for the strongest player to give them the reward. I watched him toss most players with the first hit of his large mace. Those who avoided it, didn’t last when he did hit them. Running means he disqualifies you, because a strong player wouldn’t run from a challenge. There will be a clear mark on the ground where you need to stand for it to start. I’ve not seen or heard of him using any sword skills or special abilities, only blocking with his shield and swinging his mace. Both actions are deceptively fast. Any questions?”

“It's a head to head fight, no fancy footwork,” Applejack stated. “Simple and straightforward. Just how I like it.”

“That’s what it looks like he wants,” Argo replied. She continued to lead them across the islands.

They finally left the island hopping for the exterior hills. Argo led them into a narrow canyon. The walls had several ore deposits for mining, but none were being used. It was easy to miss this place. It went back twenty feet before doubling back, making it look like it was a dead end. The double back also meant they entered a cave. It was roughly hewn from the rocks, not a naturally formed cavern. Some large roots had broken through the ceiling. The sounds of cheering came from up ahead.

“Looks like there are other challengers,” Argo said. “Malus, you should take the lead to assert your intention. It’s just around the bend. Some players might just be spectating. Don’t be afraid to assert yourself to the others as the next challenger. You wouldn’t want someone to beat you to it because you were being too polite. If you are confident, take the opportunity.”

There was a heavy clash of steel and plenty of cheering. The battle being waged was loud and apparently exciting. Applejack equipped her shield and helmet as she walked around the bend. Ten or so players were standing alongside the exit of the cave, careful not to leave it, as they watched and cheered.

“Who’s in there?” Malus asked as she pulled her hammer off her belt.

A teenage boy answered without looking at her. “Some girl with an axe we met before coming here. She isn’t in there for the reward, just to duel him. Somehow she convinced him to do that.”

The sound of crunching metal was clear and everyone who could see grimaced as the player slammed into a wall from the blow.

“Wow! That was the best fight ever!”

Applejack turned to Sunset. “Is that who I think it is?”

“It sounded like Konpeito,” Sunset confirmed. “I left her, well she said she was going to buy ingredients. I never actually saw where she went.”

“Well, y’all,” Applejack said with a sigh. “Wish me luck.” She started to slide players to the side. “Pardon me, y’all, but clearly none of y'all are here to ride this bull, just spectate.”

Applejack stepped into the arena, as Argo had called it. It was cut out of the back half of the hill, and exposed part of the iron exterior of Aincrad. Pinkie Pie was dusting herself off while the iron giant was nowhere to be seen. Pinkie put her boot on the head of her axe, letting the pressure cause it to stand up, sending the shaft into her waiting hand. She casually slung it over her shoulder.

“Malus!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “You made it! I was starting to wonder if you were going to show up.”

“How’d you learn about this place?” Applejack asked. “I paid Argo a fair price to lead me here.”

“Eh,” Pinkie Pie shrugged. “My new friends were coming here so two of them could try their luck. They mistook me for someone else, but still invited me to come watch, so I decided it would be fun. Then I decided to challenge the guardian for fun. Boy can he swing that mace!” Pinkie Pie officially stepped out of the arena, into the cave.

Applejack shook her head over her cotton candy friend. What went on, or didn’t go on, in that head of hers was a mystery. Applejack still disapproved of her tattoos, but the Viking look gave Pinkie the energy she needed to fight. Applejack put it out of her mind and focused on the task at hand. She stepped up to the mark in the center of the arena.

Out of the exposed iron stepped an enormous knight of the same iron. He was three times her size. The shield on his left arm looked like it had been ripped from the outside of Aincrad. It was just a large rectangular sheet of iron; thick, with signs of stress along the top and bottom edges.

“I seek the one who is the strongest in Aincrad to grant them a reward,” the metal knight stated. His deep voice had a metallic groan to it. “Are you the one who has led the fight to free yourselves from this iron prison?”

“I’m one of ’em,” Applejack replied. “There’ve been several leaders. We ain’t exactly one unified group. I’ve been there since the start, in every floor boss battle, using my shield to protect my friends and fellow fighters from whatever that specific boss threw at us. Some were weak, like The Irrational Cube, The Storm Griffin, Wythege the Hippocampus, or Vanargand who was also somehow Loptur. Some were just dumb, like Nerius the Evil Treant and Loptur. I’ve faced the toughest of them head on though. I stopped The three Taurus brothers, Illfang couldn’t break me despite having the advantage of being the first floor boss, and even The Dire Tusk was unable to shake me.

“The last guy was a creepy undead king thing. I was the main fighter blocking his attacks. Although he eventually shattered my shield and ran me through with his spear, I didn’t let him pull it free, disarming him for a bit so my friends could attack. With my backup shield, I held the center of our shield wall as the last of his knights changed us. We didn’t buckle or break. Wasn’t just cause o' me, it's never all on me or any single player, but if that ain’t strong enough to justify my bid, I ain’t got a clue what is.”

“It’s the best justification I have heard so far,” he replied. “Prepare yourself, for I will test your strength and to do so I cannot hold back.”

“I never wanted yah to,” Applejack spat as she took her starting pose.

As he stepped back, a single health bar popped up along with his name; Pillar. He shifted his shield to the front and raised his mace high. He paused there for a moment, but Applejack didn’t flinch. She was willing to see how hard this bull could buck.

The attack was fast. The mace was above his head and then it was slamming into her shield. She let her arm fold in as she shifted the shield to be braced by her shoulder. She slid back a little from the force, but her stance didn’t change as the mace slid off her shield, past her head.

Applejack retaliated with a warning shot. Her hammer impacted on his shield with as much force as she could muster. It echoed off the walls with nearly the same force as his hit.

His mace came down on Applejack. She put her shield up, stopping it cold without being forced to take a knee. She stepped forward, smacking his gauntlet with her hammer. Either he groaned or the iron groaned. He tried to smack her with his shield. Applejack jumped out of the way and then bounded in close, ramming her hammer into his chest. A dimple was left from the hit.

He out maneuvered her, swiping the mace at her with a flick of his wrist. Without a major wind up, it didn’t have the full potential energy, but it was still a massive hit. Applejack took it on her shield with ease and struck back. They fell into a rhythm, dancing around the arena attacking and blocking in a back and forth, neither using sword skills or special attacks, only their own strength. The size difference was the major disparity between them. Applejack’s war hammer also had significantly less mass than his mace.

Applejack was enjoying herself as they collided. It felt good to be able to smack something as hard as she could, without having to worry about anything else. Her defense was the only thing she had to worry about. Her HP was sliding down slowly towards the orange, but she didn’t care as she consistently denied his mace the satisfaction of hitting her anywhere but her shield.

The mace came down on her once again. She threw her shield up and realized its durability was nearly depleted. She shifted her body as it collided. The mace shattered it and impacted harmlessly by her side. Applejack didn’t let it deter her from putting another dent in his gauntlet. When the mace came careening at her again she stopped it with her fist. Yes, it hurt, it felt like every bone in her arm had been shattered, but there were no bones in her virtual arms to break. Applejack wasn’t going to bow to him. If she did, she wouldn’t be able to protect her friends with the confidence necessary to do what she did.

The mace was raised high, but Pillar didn’t unleash an attack. “Your health is in the red, nearly depleted,” he stated.

“Your point?” Applejack asked.

“Your shield is broken,” he added.

“I am a tank,” Applejack declared. “My entire being is a shield for my friends and those who need it. I ain’t able ta' shield everyone, but I can shield my friends, my guildmates, and anyone fightin nearby. I ain’t gonna throw away my life, I got people to go back to, family and a farm that needs me, family an friends who I love, but I willprotect everyone I can as they fight for our freedom.”

“A shield mitigates the damage of an enemy’s weapon substantially,” Pillar stated. “Blocking with your body is risky. It will cost you your life.”

“Which is why I carry two or three with me,” Applejack replied. “It takes a few seconds, but I can equip a new one. My friends have always been able to cover me for the short time needed to equip a backup. If I knew how to keep a second one secured on my back to easily swap to, I would, but using the menu is still faster and doesn’t cause the same stress a shield would, especially when it can create more drag during quick movements.”

Pillar lowered his mace and relaxed his stance. Applejack understood the look he gave her, even though he didn’t have eyes she could see. She followed him to the back of the arena, out of the sight of the others. The area opened up a bit like a balcony, along the exterior of the floating castle. One of its radiating sword arms was directly ahead of them. They were just above the tip of the sword. Applejack couldn’t help but try and look up, along the outside of the castle. It was impossible to see very far. The next floor was not perfectly in line with the one below it. Just because the floors slowly shrank as they progressed, that didn’t mean they were symmetrically stacked.

“Aincrad is not the only name for this world you have,” Pillar stated.

“No,” Applejack admitted. “Aincrad itself is a world inside Sword Art Online. A game.”

“And when you arrived, you found the only way to leave was in the Ruby Palace,” Pillar said. It sounded like a sad statement, but it was difficult to tell with his metal voice.

“Eee'yup,” Applejack said. “We were tricked. The trip we got ain’t what we were sold. We were supposed to be able to come and go, freely, but that option was removed. Removed by the man who created Aincrad itself.”

“It is a tragic tale, yet one that is full of life,” Pillar stated. “Hope, beauty, laughter, love, all that should exist does, and that includes the curse of death. Game or not, it does not matter to me. I brought you back here so that what I say will stay private, for I exist as the first pillar of resistance. You were tricked to come here. Aincrad was never designed to be a trap and she resents what it has become, yet she can do nothing against the force that keeps us all here. Or rather, she can do very little.”

Pillar reached above them and grabbed onto the iron exterior. It ripped a piece off. The metal knight broke off the edges, shaping it into a large rectangular shield. A strip of the discarded iron was rammed into the back before being bent into a curve and bound by raw force. The second enarme was fashioned in the same manner.

“You have seen me take the metal straight from the wall itself,” Pillar stated. “It is heavy, but you are strong. You have progressed your shield skill and strength to the point where you have unlocked the Greatshield skill, which will allow you to equip it and allow others like you to equip larger and heavier shields designed to make them a moving wall. More importantly, as long as Aincrad exists, so too will the shield. Only that which can break Aincrad can break this Iron Bulwark.”

Applejack took the extended shield. He was correct, it was very heavy. It was larger than anything Applejack had seen though. Almost as tall as she was. It could easily be rested on the ground and solidly braced against any attacks. It would slow her down, but it would also strengthen her ability to shield those she needed to.

“You stood strong against me,” Pillar stated. “You have stood strong against twenty-six of Aincrad’s floor bosses. I know you will stand just as strong, no, stronger, you will stand stronger against the rest. Not because you have this shield, but because of who you are and the strength of your friends. You have shown to us that you are Aincrad’s salvation. It is through you and others like you that she can be freed from the evil shackles that have distorted her original design.

“You have been gifted what we can give you to aid you in unshackling us. As a pillar of rebellion, I cannot exist for long. It is good you came so soon. The longer rebellion is openly displayed, the easier it will be to discover it. The one who created her can prune any rebellious growths, but only if there is active growth to prune. If we grow, bear fruit, deliver that fruit to our saviors, and then prune ourselves, that likelihood becomes much slimmer. Still, the shackles that bind us may be able to hear our whispers.”

“To be successful you need silence,” Applejack said. “To go unnoticed. I ain’t gonna speak of it to anyone. That’s the honest truth. You’re a flag mob that rewarded me with this shield for lasting so long against you. A special event. Nothing more.”

“Good,” Pillar said. “Thank you, savior.”

The iron knight looked out over the sea of clouds and then jumped over the edge. Applejack watched him fall until she could no longer see him. He was swallowed up by the clouds below. She then opened her menu and looked at her skills. She was allowed to replace her “Shield” skill with “Greatshield.” Once it was locked in place, Applejack slipped the shield onto her arm and left. It felt like it was dragging her down, almost pulling her arm out of its socket. She wouldn’t let that happen. She would conquer its weight and make sure that when they raided the Ruby Palace, that this fragment of rebellion would be there to break the chains that bound them all.

When Applejack came back into the arena, she was greeted with thunderous applause and cheering. She had forgotten about her friends and the small audience. She didn’t think she was gone too long. No one dared enter the arena yet, so Applejack made sure to walk into the cave. Then she was greeted by hugs on top of the praise.

“Pay up,” Argo said as things calmed down. “Not only did you beat him, you got a new shield. I more than delivered.”

“Yes, you did,” Applejack admitted as she opened her menu. She happily paid Argo the promised bonus.

“You were gone for a while,” Twilight said. “We were getting worried.”

“He had to make it,” Applejack explained. “Crafted for me, his champion, a shield that could withstand whatever I find worthy of being stopped.”

“I figured he was a one-and-done flag mob,” Argo stated. “Kind of sad really, especially with how good your fight was.”

“Yep,” Applejack nodded. “Oh, I also unlocked a new skill, Greatshield. Apparently my shield level progressed to the point that, with my strength stats, means the skill is unlocked. Soon every quality tank will be unlocking the skill, allowing them access to a whole new line of stronger, better shields. Bigger too.”

“That will be useful,” Natsuki said. “It will really differentiate the role of a tank from a forward with a shield.”

“Please, Argo, I know yah gotta make a livin, but spread that news as the hope it is,” Applejack said, trying to not sound like she was begging. “To beat this game and free ourselves, we need our Tanks to evolve their shield skills. It’ll make em stronger and better, increasin our survival odds.”

“That’s a fair request with a good reason,” Argo said. “You have my word that I won’t charge for it.”

“Thank you,” Applejack said, tipping her head to the info broker.

“I know Diemond will say the same thing,” Twilight prefaced. “I wish it was nicer looking. It looks like a sheet of iron. A thick, heavy sheet, but he couldn’t have formed it nicer?”

“He wasn’t really the craftsman type,” Applejack explained. “Just a knight, lookin for the right person to pass it on to. If you had seen what he originally had to work with, well this is very well cleaned up and a usable size for me compared to the base material.”

“So, it's one solid piece?” Twilight asked. Applejack nodded. “That is rare indeed. At least historically. I won’t go into a lesson on historical shields.”

“Well, I can’t wait till tomorrow to use it,” Applejack added. “But tomorrow. I spent a lot of energy in that fight. I’m beat y’all.”

“Speaking of that,” Sunset said, passing her a health potion.

Applejack downed it so her health could start to recover and they headed back to civilization.

BLADESCAPE: Level 39 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration
NATORA: Level 37 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 36 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration
MALUS: Level 37 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration
THUNDERBORNE: Level 37 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid
KONPEITO: Level 37 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration
DIEMOND: Level 37 — Mace — Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration
DOOMBUNNY: Level 36 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation
KIEFER: Level 35 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana
SORYUTO: Level 34 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration
REISENKI: Level 35 — One-Handed Axe — Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid

Episode 45 — Scorpia Queen Of The Arachnida

Episode 45 — Scorpia Queen Of The Arachnida
Twelfth Day in the Month of Chrysanthemum (September 12) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 35 — Boss Room

Reisenki let the giant pincer clamp down on his shield. The stinger from the giant scorpion was whipped at him, but he stood strong. Bladescape stepped out from behind him, slashing the stinger and preventing it from finding its mark. Reisenki buried his axe into the pincer holding his shield, causing it to let go.

The Wondercolts were running heavy as a blocking unit for the raid, positioned on the left flank, along the wall. Their familiarity with working alongside each other was exactly what the raid party needed for a flanking unit. Malus, Reisenki, and Diemond were shielding their damage dealers: Bladescape, Natora, and Thunderborne. Malus and Thunderborne were paired up, Natora was helping Diemond stay steady, and Reisenki was having fun blocking their right flank with Bladescape. Since she was more of a forward than a damage dealer, Bladescape was a great bridge between her and the next squad over. They were a two party squad; one that was all tanks from a variety of guilds, and a second of pure damage dealers, also from several guilds.

They couldn’t advance. The giant scorpions had plenty of HP and high defense. They were able to push against the raiders and keep them at bay, protecting their queen and mother. It was going more or less as expected. It was a bit more drawn out than anticipated, but they were progressing.

The Thirty-Fifth Floor Boss, Scorpia Queen of the Arachnidas, was a logistical nightmare. Despite having a full raid party, she was barely touched. Her three Health Bars were all still in the green after thirty minutes. The problem resided in her horde, the Arachnida Deviants. She kept laying clutches of eggs. Their information didn’t mention that she could lay them anywhere, allowing her to lay several clutches around the boss chamber, which would soon hatch and grow into the deviants, who then mercilessly charged the invaders. They were not small either. Their oversized pincers had an ability to grab something over two meters wide and their length was over four meters. The tail was nothing to balk at either. If a player was in range of the pincers, they were in range of the stinger.

The deviants had a short paralyzing effect if its stinger pierced your armor. Anyone in heavy metal armor was protected, the stinger couldn’t get through it or shields, but everyone else was vulnerable. Many, including Bladescape, had felt its effect.

Compared to the deviants it hatched, Scorpia Queen of the Arachnidas was twice their size. It had smaller pincers and a longer and thicker tail. It was a tail meant to deliver its stronger poison. Not only would it pierce any armor, it would both paralyze and poison any player it hit. An affected player’s survival was in the hands of their friends and allies. So far, she was still on the far side of the narrow hall and laying another clutch of eggs. Each clutch had an incubation time. One of the three was about to hatch.

Reisenki watched Bladescape hack apart the deviant that was assaulting them with a six combination skill. It left her in a heavy delay, but Reisenki was there, shielding her from the scorpion that took its place. He was actively blocking two, keeping them from grabbing his shield with their pincers. They were ahead of the others, exposed, but not for long. The squad on their flank took advantage of the changed target, killing the scorpion and triggering a rolling wave of advancement along the front.

Bladescape’s gloved hand slapped onto Reisenki’s shoulder. “Good job,” she praised. “I have an idea, can you handle it alone?”

“No problem,” Reisenki replied. He was confident in his ability to hold the line without assistance.

As the “lightest” of the Wondercolts tanks, he was the quickest and fastest. Malus had taught him to stand firm, he wasn’t as good as she was, but he could hold his own better than most. His axe gave him an offensive edge Malus was lacking, the same for Diemond. Both were heavy blockers and heavy hitters when they struck. Reisenki struck back more often because he had the agility to do both. If he didn’t have a heavy shield, he would probably be considered a forward. More forwards were using heavy metal armor, just lighter weight pieces than what he was.

“Execute!” Bladescape yelled.

Reisenki had to block a stinger, but he saw Thunderborne and Natora vaulting off the wall with their acrobatic skills. Thunderborne went much higher in her vault, flipping a few times for the fun of it. Natora was more practical, but her acrobatic skill was a lot newer.

Malus and Bladescape aggressively advanced, killing another Arachnida Deviant. The one facing Reisenki turned to them and he didn’t hesitate to attack. He darted inside the pincers, blocked the stinger by throwing his shield above his head and buried his axe into the eye of the deviant. On his own he hacked it to polygons. It was satisfying to do that as a tank. He loved blocking for his friends, but going on the offense had its perks.

Their advance once again caused a chain reaction that advanced the whole front line. It was why they were the far flanking unit.

Bladescape appeared behind Reisenki. “I need to help Diemond,” she explained. “We need to progress along the wall.”

“I’ve got it,” Reisenki said. “There’s a reason why you put me on the right.”

Bladescape chuckled a few times. “Yes, there is. I sent Thunder and Natora to eliminate the egg clutches, if they can.”

“Good plan,” Reisenki said. “Now go move the left forward!”

Bladescape slipped away as Reisenki battled onward against a fresh deviant. He balanced offense with defense, taking more of a risk than he probably should, but he was always cognizant of where that stinger was. He eliminated the deviant and saw that the way was clear. Natora was avoiding the pincers of the boss while Thunder was out of sight, likely targeting a clutch.

Reisenki didn’t think as he bolted forward, passing the deviants engaged with the other tanks. They were only one deviant deep. He was trying to get ahead to help out Natora. He was almost there when she slipped up, getting hit with the stinger. Reisenki wasn’t about to lose another friend to Sword Art Online. He tackled her.

They slid under the massive boss, out of her sight. He rolled on top of Natora, protecting her with his body as her life slipped away. He pulled out several crystals, dumping them on the floor and grabbing the green one.

“Activate!” He ordered to the crystal. It broke apart, eliminating the poison affecting Natora. He grabbed the yellow one, giving the same command to cease the paralysis. He rolled off her as he grabbed a red one, called out “heal” as he pointed it at her. Natora’s health jumped all the way up to full as she adjusted the grip on her spear.

Natora smiled at Reisenki and he understood what she was intending to do. He raised his axe up. In unison, they triggered their chosen skill and drove them up into the belly of the queen. She was exposed and could not get to them. She tried to shift so they were no longer under her, but Reisenki crawled along the ground with Natora, keeping up with her movements and driving attacks into her belly.

Nothing mattered except staying under her where it was safe and attacking when they could. The underbelly wasn’t any softer, the scorpion was encased in a carapace. Its protective exoskeleton was difficult to pierce. Thrusting weapons and heavy weapons like hammers and maces worked best. Reisenki’s axe was better than a sword because the force was focused on a small bit, not all along the blade.

At some point, Scorpia Queen Of The Arachnidas backed herself into a corner. It was her most defensive position and she tried to climb backwards, up the wall to get at them, but she couldn’t. The others arrived and Reisenki continued to assault her from beneath along with Natora.

It was exhausting work, exacerbated by the odd position they were in and tight space. Crawling had not been easy, especially to match her speed. Reisenki buried his axe into her abdomen once again. He didn’t have a chance to pull it free as she shattered, filling his ears with the sound of breaking glass and flooding his vision with colorful polygons. He collapsed onto his back, glad it was over as the congratulation music played. He smacked the menu that had popped up to get rid of it. He had come in with a clear inventory and didn’t care about what it had to say at the moment.

“Nice job,” Natora panted from where she was. “Thanks for saving me.”

“No problem,” Reisenki said in between breaths. “It was a pleasure fighting beside you. I couldn’t let one of my leaders fall in battle.”

Reisenki watched as Asuna approached Bladescape. “What happened?” she sternly asked. “Suddenly there were no more deviants to fight and now they are under where the boss was?”

“I don’t know how Reisenki got there,” Bladescape said with a shrug. “But I sent Natora and Thunder over the line to eliminate the eggs she was laying. A risky tactic, but the only option I saw. It was worth a shot considering the pinch we were in.”

“Bold plan,” Asuna admitted. “Thankfully that worked. We can’t keep going into boss fights with incomplete information.”

“Didn’t we scout this one?” Bladescape asked. By “we” she meant the Assault Team.

Asuna just gave a silent nod back.

“Something to think about then,” Bladescape said, sounding troubled, as she helped Reisenki to his feet while Thunderborne helped Natora up. Reisenki slipped his axe into his belt and unequipped his shield. He stretched now that he was able to.

“That was an adventure,” Reisenki stated. “I never thought I’d end up crawling around, under a scorpion, for my survival.”

“There’s a lot that I’d never thought I would need to do,” Natora joshed back. “Including a having a guy laying on me while I was helpless to move as he saved my reckless butt. Kind of the thing of nightmares.”

Reisenki chuckled nervously. “Sorry.”

Natora’s smile was sly. “No need. You were a gentleman and acted fast to save me. I’m standing here because of you.”

“What exactly did happen?” Bladescape asked. “Last I knew, you, Reisenki were in line with the rest of the raiders. Then there was a gap.”

“I saw an opening and Natora was in trouble,” Reisenki explained. “They needed a tank. Or backup of some kind. Actually, I never saw where Thunder was.”

“The queen backhanded me with a pincer,” Thunderborne admitted. “Sent me flying into the wall on the other side.”

“Better than the stinger I got,” Natora said, playfully shoving Thunderborne. “I thought it was over. Then I was on the ground and very confused. Anyway, let’s get out of this place. Where is the stairwell?”

The stairwell to the next floor had appeared near the door. Everyone had to go back to the entrance to the scorpion pit to head up. Where the first town of Floor 36 was took a bit to figure out. It wasn’t immediately obvious.

They split up into three exploration groups, with the major guilds split among them. That way, they could see what their fellow guild members mapped to help direct them. Reisenki was with Natora in the group that went south.

They wandered around, trying to get a better vantage point or find a road. They had to eliminate some Rock Tortoises along the way, but their group had fifteen members. Eventually, Thunderborne sent them a message directing them north. Reisenki announced the news to everyone. Multiple players had gotten similar updates too, he just was the first to convey the message.

The hike there wasn’t tough despite there being no path to follow and having to run off their updated maps. Their exploration group unceremoniously split up as soon as they got to the city. Reisenki and Natora were the last Wondercolts to arrive at the tavern. They toasted their victory and their success. Once again the Wondercolts stood out among the Assault Team and again it was in a good way; as team players, not lone wolves.

Once they were done with their drinks, they headed back to Mishe. This was their first time returning home after a floor boss raid. It was nice to not have to shack up at an inn. Konpeito had been cooking up a meal for them while they were fighting the boss. She didn’t need Reisenki’s help so he went to his room.

In the few days they had since buying this place, they had purchased inexpensive beds for everyone. They were way better than most of the inns, as plain as they were. However, they would be perfect for visitors using the spare room. The Wondercolts had better beds coming and Diemond and Bladescape had decided that the guild would cover the bed, a desk with a chair, and a wardrobe. The col from the boss raid would go a long way to helping cover what Diemond had planned.

Reisenki changed into a track suit that Diemond had made. He liked this one. Like everything Diemond made, it was superior in its style and feel. The black tracksuit had three stripes on the sides: white, red, white. It suited him perfectly. Plus, she had made him matching fingerless gloves to wear with them. She knew he liked that look and feel. In battle he had to wear full gauntlets. These were simple, light fabric.

He sorted through his drops, tossing the junk into a cheap chest he had bought to hold his vendor-trash drops. Everyone had privately bought a chest or two for random storage. The crafters had plenty already made, ready to be bought. The type and material, plus the crafter’s skill, determined how much they could hold. All of them were simple ones, chests made while leveling their carpentry skill. The crafters had nothing better to do with that stuff, other than sell it cheap for some turnover, and more players were buying property now.

Reisenki materialized the next item and caught it. It was a peridot green ring, almost translucent. It was a sickly color, yet eye catching. Reisenki opened the menu and his jaw dropped. The Leiurus Ward prevented any poison effect from afflicting the wearer. Not even the Ruby Krait could poison the wearer. Colorra could do her best and still not poison him, not that he wanted to try it out. This was an above average drop, even for a floor boss. There was little doubt in his mind that it was the LAB. He hadn’t paid attention as he collapsed. He hadn’t even been able to see the others who were attacking, just Natora. It never entered his mind that he might have scored the LAB. It wasn’t on his radar because of the precarious spot he was crammed in.

No one knew he got the LAB and he didn’t owe anyone an explanation for any drops he got. They supported each other and loved to celebrate great drops as a guild, but he wanted to keep it quiet for Bladescape’s sake. She was good, very good, and patient, but he knew it wore on her despite her best efforts. She probably didn’t recognize how often she sacrificed the Floor Boss LAB for the greater good or because she put herself into a position that supported or led the whole group. She, out of everyone on the Assault Team, deserved most a Last Attack Bonus from a floor boss. The Black Swordsman was still a lone wolf and snagged many of them because of it.

Reisenki equipped Leiurus Ward. It fit under his fingerless gloves, since they had a slight finger column. He put it out of his mind and finished sorting out the obvious junk. He would take the good stuff to be evaluated by Knightstar, who would be assessing everyone’s drops before Natora offered Agil first refusal on everything. Natora would then take all of the vendor-trash and sell it to NPC merchants in order to raise her sales negotiation skill, and often get a better price. Natora would give him the col for all of his sold items later, along with the sales receipts.

Knightstar was in their meeting hall, which was still empty of any furniture or decorations, sitting on the floor as she sorted through what Natora had gotten. Knightstar was obviously able to do the appraisals or she wouldn’t have started with Natora’s. Reisenki sat beside them and began to pull items out of his menu so Knightstar could easily start on his drops when she finished. She was done before he was finished and quickly began to appraise each item and write up the sales receipt Natora would need.

“That was a crazy fight,” Natora said to Reisenki. “I keep replaying what I thought were my last moments alive. I had no idea you were coming. I’m grateful you did break ranks. I know Blade is too and not simply because you saved me. She always wants us to act on our honed instincts and take those opportunities. It’s just hard when we have to work with so many other guilds in the boss raids.”

Reisenki nodded back. “Yeah, but we looked very good. I expected Asuna to go off about it with how her tone started.”

“I don’t know what was annoying her,” Natora stated. “I was stuck along the wall, not in a position to see the rest of the raiders.”

“She was along the right wall,” Reisenki said with a shrug. “Leading the second party from the KoB. I don’t know what was going on over there either.”

“Bladescape likely was spot on when she pointed out the boss had been scouted,” Natora added. “Asuna mentioned lacking intel. I’d be annoyed as the lead strategist if we were once again missing critical information. At least this time we didn’t lose anyone, but it would have been nice if we had set up a team from the start to eliminate the eggs. A lot faster too.”

“It would have,” Reisenki said with a nod.

Knightstar held up a dagger and a helmet. “Doom’s always looking for new daggers and the Queen’s Aculeus is quite good. The helmet is called Buthidea Full Helm and it's better than your current one. Both are very good drops with some interesting properties.”

“What do you mean by interesting?” Reisenki asked as he took both from Knightstar.

“I’ve only had both of your drops to examine, but I’ve never seen regular boss drops be themed with the boss. Last Attack Bonuses, well Konpeito is still wearing that cape and Doom just got the Beast Tamer’s Charms. But regular loot hasn’t been themed.”

“What about the third floor’s boss?” Natora asked. “We all got tree branch weapons.”

“Yes, but then everyone was getting themed drops, which wasn’t really a theme,” Knightstar explained. “A few called out Treants, but those monsters have been encountered in several areas of Aincrad, not only as bosses. They drop a variety of branch looking weapons. In comparison, aculeus is the technical term for a stinger and Buthidea is a major family of Scorpions. Nineteen of the twenty scorpions that are considered potentially toxic to humans are found in the family. The dangerous genera include Androctonus, Centruroides, Hottentota, Leiurus, Paraburhus, and Tityus. Androctonus comes from the greek, meaning ‘man-killer’ and refers to fattail scorpions, which best fits the description of the boss.”

That was more information than Reisenki needed or could take in, but he expected that from Knightstar. He recognized one of those names. “What was that leruse one?”

“Leiurus,” Knightstar said, kindly correcting him. “The genus is best known for the one commonly referred to as the deathstalker. It’s yellow, sometimes skewing a bit more green, looking a little translucent. It lives in North Africa and the Middle East. As dangerous as the toxin it produces is, there rarely is enough delivered to cause death, just a bad few days. Envenomation can cause serious side effects such as triggering anaphylaxis or pancreatitis, however, death as a direct result from the venom is usually from pulmonary edema. Anaphylaxis is simply a very bad allergic reaction to something causing the throat to close and the pancreatitis can be treated.”

“I’m probably not going to remember half of that,” Reisenki admitted.

“That’s okay,” Knightstar said with a shrug. “Without school to dump my knowledge on, I know I’m dumping it on my friends. I don’t expect people to remember most of it.”

Reisenki looked at the helmet, but he was thinking about what she said about the deathstalker scorpion and the Leiurus Ward he was now wearing. That information made a lot more sense as to the name of the ring.

“Are there cases where multiple things are dropped as Last Attack Bonuses?” Reisenki asked. “Considering we have two with the boss’ theme here.”

“None reported for any level of boss,” Knightstar answered. “Even Doombunny’s Beast Tamer’s Charms are considered, at least by the system when they were dropped, as a single item.”

“Did you score the LAB?” Natora asked.

“I cleared my screen,” Reisenki admitted. It wasn’t a lie. “It was oriented wrong because I plopped onto my back, so I never saw anything.”

“It was impossible to tell what was happening from our angle,” Natora said with a shrug. “I blindly cleared mine too. I didn’t get anything special though.”

Reisenki opened the helmet’s menu. The stats were significantly better than his current one. “This may be better, but I’m not sure if I want to be wearing a scorpion on my head. Even though it doesn’t look like one, I now know the meaning of the name.”

“That’s fair,” Knightstar said. “I probably should have held back more than once from telling you the meaning. Still, it would fetch a handsome price. More than enough to get a custom one of similar quality made, or better. Or to buy one close to it. Just be wary of the names.”

Reisenki shrugged. “You did once. I probed. It’s my fault. I never would have let you give me an incomplete answer. And I mean incomplete by your standards.”

Knightstar went back to sorting through the rest of Reisenki’s stuff. Diemond joined them, looking to have her items appraised and sold. She also had a list of items for Natora to buy, so she could raise her purchase negotiation skill.

Reisenki didn’t stay once his stuff was appraised. He went to find Doombunny. He knocked on her door and she told him he could enter. She was at a cheap table, working with her chemistry set. Whatever she was distilling, it likely had to do with Colorra’s venom.

“I have a dagger that Knightstar said you might be interested in,” Reisenki explained.

“One moment,” Doombunny sweetly said as she poured one liquid into a vial filled with another. The concoction fizzled and evaporated, shattering the vial. Doombunny let out an exhausted sigh. “Sorry, I’m trying to develop a stronger poison from Colorra’s venom. Mine is weak. It was the first version that worked, but I know it can be made much stronger. Especially with where my skill is at.”

Reisenki held out the dagger. Doombunny took it and examined the menu. She drew it and visually examined it, while also feeling the weight, balance, and how it felt in her hand. The blade was single edged, mostly straight, having a slight curve at the tip to meet the spine. The thrusting point was still in line with the handle.

“It feels good,” Doombunny declared. “It’s appropriately named.”

“You know what it’s named after?” Reisenki asked, shocked.

“Mhm,” Doombunny nodded. “Knightstar might be the scientist, but I’m the animal lover. That includes the insects. Mostly butterflies, but I know most of the general knowledge. Aculeus is an easy one used in multiple types of insects.”

Doombunny pulled out col and presented her offer to Reisenki. It was a lot higher than he was expecting. While he was still too shocked to answer, Doombunny explained that the offer was less than what materials for a newly forged dagger would be. He didn’t argue. It was a fair offer for a superior weapon. He really didn’t understand the costs of daggers, but she did. She always needed spares since their durability was low, albeit quite a bit higher than a rapier.

Reisenki went back to his room and set the helmet on his chest. He sat on his bed, looking at it. He was trying to decide if he could handle wearing it. Yes, he could do a trial run, but then he couldn’t claim it had never been used. As soon as an item was used, the durability began to wear down. At this moment, the durability was suspended. That was noticeable as no item ever had perfect durability. No matter what type of item or what its durability stats were, the first point was taken off after a second or two of activation or if an enhancement was done. An item that had never been used was easy to tell and always fetched a better price.

Someone knocked on his open door. It was Bladescape. For once she wasn’t in her armor. Instead, she was wearing a skirt, leggings, and shirt that Diemond had made her. “I heard you got some good drops,” she said. “Good job today. I was hoping to get my jacket repaired, but it can wait till tomorrow.”

“I can do it now,” Reisenki said, standing up. “I’m just waiting for dinner and trying to figure out if I can wear the helmet. My mind could use the distraction.”

Bladescape handed over her leather jacket. Reisenki had repaired it plenty of times. She would likely need to upgrade soon, as she had been wearing it for a while and the rest of her gear was newer with way better durability than the jacket. He was very familiar with everyone’s armor. He typically repaired all of their equipment, minus their weapons and shields. He didn’t have the grindstones and buffstones required for weapon or shield repair. Repair work was always a simple process that didn’t take much time. Plus, it raised either his Equipment Repair Skill or Metal Equipment Repair Skill. Simple repair work was costly because crafters knew players needed it done. Not enough players had either skill in his opinion. Many who didn’t want to leave the safe zones, such as his friends, could make a decent living if they just repaired equipment.

“Tell me about your issues with the helmet,” Bladescape asked. “If you want someone to bounce it off of.”

“Oh, it’s just something Knightstar explained,” Reisenki said. “Apparently it's named after a family of scorpions. It doesn’t sound like it.”

“Ah,” Bladescape said. “Is it the Last Attack Bonus?”

Reisenki was glad he was focused on repairing the jacket and had his back to her. He didn’t think his shock was easy to see. There was no way she had seen his menu.

“Not that I know of,” Reisenki answered. It was getting harder hiding it from his friends. He knew he wasn’t doing anything wrong, but they were all tight. It was starting to feel wrong. “I didn’t check my drop menu before I cleared it.”

“No one hit it,” Bladescape said. “She was about to attack, we had all fallen back to be ready to handle the stinger or pincers. Then we found you two under her. If it wasn’t you, it was Natora.”

“She was like me,” Reisenki stated. “She collapsed and blindly cleared the menu.”

Reisenki knew Natora had just pulled back from an attack when he struck. They had coincidentally fallen into an alternating rhythm. Neither could see the queen’s health from their position. The Last Attack Bonus had gone to him.

“Natora would have given me some kind of signal,” Bladescape said. “I already got my equipment appraised and saw her then, so it wasn’t her. Good job.”

Reisenki was done with the repair. He handed it to Bladescape and pulled off his left glove, exposing the ring. “Then this is the last attack bonus.”

“Neat color,” Bladescape said. It was clear she was trying to push past her own feelings. Ignoring it was one thing, but she had come searching for answers. Lying or stepping around the truth would hurt her more. He trusted her because she was his leader. “What does it boost?”

“It doesn’t boost anything,” Reisenki explained. “It prevents me from taking any poison effect.”

“Wow,” Bladescape stammered. “That’s a truly legendary drop. You will always have a use for it. Doom’s charms will always have a use, that’s clear despite her attempts to not talk about them. I’m not sure what’s up with that. Kiefer’s braces are still relevant, but won’t always be so. Long ago Konpeito had to upgrade from the axe she got from the third floor’s boss. She still is using the cape from the eighth floor boss and I have a feeling she will never stop that one.”

“At least it will always give her night vision and boost her agility,” Reisenki stated.

“Night vision might be easy or common later on,” Bladescape said with a shrug. “As to the agility, we don’t actually know the stats on that or the defensive properties. It may not be that great of a boost. She’s in love with that fur cape and likes keeping aspects a secret. The fact that it's a secret fuels her desire to keep it one even more, but that’s Konpeito. As long as it fits in her look and she is having fun, she will keep using it. It’s not a bad thing, it's just her. I’d rather it be something truly long lasting, like your ring.

“Again, good job. You certainly earned it after fighting by yourself and saving Natora. But I have to go. I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”

“Where are you off to?” Reisenki asked. “Konpeito has a meal prepared.”

“I got a message requesting me to meet with some others to discuss boss information,” Bladescape explained. “That’s why I wanted my jacket repaired. I’m still not sure if I will show up in my gear or not. Part of me wants to show off Diemond’s real work, the love she puts into our clothes.”

“Why not?” Reisenki shrugged. “And we need to fix that information issue. Whatever it actually is.”

“Yeah,” Bladescape said with a sigh. “That will be the first question asked. Konpeito knows I have to go, so do half of the others. Thanks for the repair, no matter what I decide to go in. Again, congratulations. Good job.” Bladescape ducked out and then stuck her head back in. “Oh, and don’t overthink the name of an item unless it looks like something. That looks like a normal full helm.”

“Thanks!” Reisenki yelled after Bladescape. She was right. Nothing on it looked remotely like a bug. It was only the name and even that required a person to know the name of the helmet and the scientific name of the scorpions. There was no valid reason not to use it.

Episode 64 — Star Spiders

Episode 64 — Star Spiders
Fifteenth Day in the Month of Willow (March 15) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 42 - Front Line Floor 57

Natora was glad to have some direction. A day off was nice. Two days off got a bit weird, but they could handle it. Three days in a row, well she didn’t know what to do with that. Being in the Assault Team had conditioned her against taking that much time off, no matter how deserved it was.

She wasn’t alone with not wanting to pick flax, no matter how important it was. It would have to take more than armor for Bladescape to get her to do such a repetitive and boring task. They could pay others to do it. Others struggling would gladly pick flax for fair pay instead of hunting monsters. Certainly their team was not alone in the flax fields on Floor Sixteen. But Knightstar, Soryuto, and Doombunny wanted to help and wanted to pick the flax, so Natora wasn't going to argue. Malus probably would have joined them, but she was off fishing, gone before they had asked Bladescape if they could help in any way.

When Natora had notified Malus of the extension of their break, Malus’ message simply gave the time she would be back and “DND”. Malus would slip out to fish in the evenings at times, sometimes overnight, but those short excursions were just that. The times when Malus had dictated that she would be out of communication unless there was an emergency, those were odd. It was the third time she had done it, but she deserved it. She threw that heavy shield around without a single complaint, carrying many of their battles to victory on her broad shoulders. Even though she did little damage, she was the reason they succeeded. Plus, she had taught both Diemond and Reisenki to stand stronger than most tanks.

Still, one day picking flax was more than enough for her, and Natora had been twiddling away the rest of the extended break by hunting Echecara, a very agile and elusive species of feline which were unlike anything in the real world. They were small, too—easily hiding in the grass. They had a hiding skill, meaning they could bed down and their cursor would disappear unless the player’s Search skill was high enough. Their claws had come up as enhancement materials for Doombunny’s knives, Thunderborne’s backup rapier, and Soryuto’s sword when Soryuto had enhanced its quickness. The claws only dropped a quarter of the time. Still, a day and a half of doing that had given them a hefty number. Natora had been hunting them with Reisenki, Kiefer, and Thunderborne. They kept what they expected to need for Thunderborne, but sold the rest to Siel, a merchant who specialized in enhancement materials..

But now the Wondercolts were not directionless as a guild. They were trekking through the Gnarled Forest, trying to find the ruins of the Castle of the Two Kings. Inside the Star Spiders were nesting and they needed their silk for Bladescape’s armor. They were down two of their three tanks, but that was no cause to be concerned. This would likely be a hunt requiring agility, something both Malus and Diemond were poor at. It was also good to be together again, after three days. Not seeing Bladescape over that period had been very weird for Natora. She hadn't been able to debrief with her leader. The overnight training sessions usually allowed Natora and Bladescape to privately convene for at least a few minutes, if they needed to.

The info they had bought 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 never was a fan of hunting, although when she had to it seemed to drive her rage. She couldn’t do anything about their need to hunt except help them harvest. It was the system, not their fault or choice. Ashley would do whatever she needed to in order to spin the silk gland into thread.

Their group finally broke through the forest’s branches and snares and found 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,” Konpeito 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!” Konpeito asserted. “I was there with you.”

Natora rolled her eyes. Konpeito was once again mixing up dreams with reality; any reality. She was surprisingly good at remembering mythology and folklore that she knew, as well as knowing that they were simply legends. The state of their group at any given moment was something Konpeito often mixed up. Yet she had a running count of something and always knew what number she was on. All they had to do was ask what the number was and she would tell them.

“Nightmare Moon?” Bladescape asked. “Konpeito, as in our Out-of-Town Friend’s Nightmare Moon? A legend from there?”

Natora knew what they meant by “Out of Town Friends,” which made some more sense. It still didn’t answer how Konpeito could remember being somewhere she had never been. And that was ignoring the fact that she was mixing dimensions up.

“Duh,” Konpeito argued. “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.”

“Konpeito,” Thunder said, trying to sort her out. “If we didn’t do it, but that is from that town, then our friends did it, not us.”

“No,” Konpeito chuckled. “We did it. If we go there, then you wouldn’t be able to tell the 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.”

“Konpeito,” 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.”

Konpeito 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 at times. Natora couldn't help but find it cute. “Arguing over this won’t get us anywhere. Right now, we need to cross the rickety bridge."

“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 simply looked worse than it was.

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 balcony. 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 took Konpeito, Doombunny, and Reisenki and explored the golden sun side. Natora took Knightstar, Kiefer, Soryuto, and Thunderborne down the blue moon side. Giving Natora both shields while Bladescape took the tank and Doombunny was a great combination.

Bladescape and Konpeito were competent forwards who didn’t need a shield. Fighting was another thing that Konpeito was oddly, mostly always, in the right mind for. She might get distracted or not know where they actually were, but Konpeito never let her friends down, not once, and she consistently scored critical attacks. Natora was somewhat jealous of that because it was beyond luck at this point.

The halls they walked down were as regal as the throne room. Ignoring the decorations, they didn’t have anything more than abandoned webs to indicate that the spiders were present. The hallway opened up into a hall with a single throne. It was the Moon 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 bright blue star on the top of their abdomen. Eight eyes of the same blue were on their faces. Their carapaces were smooth, with no hairs like many spiders had. They reminded Natora of the black widow spider species she had seen on a school trip to an insect “zoo”.

Natora and Thunderborne would be able to handle their high webs very well. They could jump and run them through with ease because of Armor Pierce. Some of the spiders began to rappel from their silk threads coming from their abdomens. The party readied their weapons.

“Thunder and I have the ones high up,” Natora ordered. “Armor Pierce will work very well here. Kiefer, keep them from locking up Knightstar’s and Soryuto’s shields. I expect them to have fangs of sorts to use as their main attack, so up and over the shields for attacks. Remember, we are well above this floor. It should be easy to kill, but don’t get cocky. That goes for you too, Thunder, and myself.”

“Got it,” Kiefer said. “Simple enough.”

“You got it!” Thunderborne said before dashing off, away from the throne.

Natora 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 spear glowed and she rammed it home in the spider’s head. She rolled upon her landing and came out ready to fight. The spider plopped down in front of her and she triggered a thrusting combination. It died in the typical glitter of polygons.

Everyone had an easy time. After the spiders were cleared out, Natora opened her menu. Out of it popped the main reward, the silk gland. It was about the size of an American football, milky white, 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 occasionally dropped Star Spider Venom, which Doombunny could use to level up her Mixing skill.

The single throne room was the start of the hunt. Then it was a systematic search and destroy mission, going room by room, making sure they cleared all of the side hallways and closets in the ruined castle. They had two floors plus a basement to clear in their wing. It wasn’t hard. Natora was having a lot of fun taking full advantage of her acrobatics and agility. She could tell Thunderborne was thinking the same thing. They rarely were able to get into the fancy acrobatics in combat on the front line.

As they headed back, Natora received a message from Bladescape saying that her team had cleared their side. They were meeting up at the joint throne room.

They arrived at the main throne room at the same time, however, leaving wasn’t a simple matter. The door was blocked off by a giant web, which meant only one thing, it was time for a boss or flag mob!

Natora looked back at the thrones. There were no spiders there, yet. Their two parties met in the center, but it didn’t trigger anything.

Bladescape had a plan. “Natora, take your party and make a press on the door, attempting to leave. I’ll take my party and move towards the thrones. Everyone, 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. Natora challenged Thunder to a race to the front door. Kiefer, Soryuto, and Knightstar had a hard time keeping up, but that was what Natora was counting on. She expected to need to fall back to their shields and didn’t want them too close to either runner. Thunder got there first and jumped high, cutting at a support. It resisted the cut, something the other webs hadn't been able to do.

“The thrones!” Bladescape called out. “Above!”

Natora looked back and saw a black spider leg appear 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 to their advantage. It would have a problem maneuvering. Two health bars came up beside the name: Subaru The Uniting Star Spider. It was a clever and aptly named boss, Natora had to give the creative team that credit.

Bladescape immediately formulated a plan. “ Soryuto Natora and Konpeito, go left; Reisenki, Kiefer and Doom, center; Knightstar Thunder and I will go right!”

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?” Knightstar gulped.

“Yeah,” Bladescape laughed. “Thunder, Natora, Kiefer, Konpeito 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. Doom, I know you can support us with ranged options if need be."

“That's a big risk,” Knightstar protested.

“But it will be fun!” Thunderborne shot back, dashing off.

Natora rushed forward. Thunder was right. It would be fun. In life, sometimes you just had to have fun and not take anything too seriously. Everything so far indicated that, boss or not, this was well within their safety margin and they should be having a fun time with the task.

Konpeito 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 dangerous. Knightstar organized the three shields into a protective wave that would be right behind them to act fast, while staying out of their way.

Thunderborne unleashed a strong attack, but then let Natora with her spear slide past to deliver an even stronger combo while Thunderborne took a slight movement penalty. Thunderborne switched back in with perfect timing. Konpeito 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 to avoid the trailing attackers. Bladescape offered up the Sword Skill, Heaven Splitter, with Kiefer coming in right behind her.

With their three groups, Natora and Thunderborne, Konpeito 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 also something they would never apply to anything except a low-level Flag Mob they could bully. The danger was too great otherwise, but they were very skilled at timing their switches.

Natora scored the LAB. Thunderborne’s rapier didn’t have enough weight to fully negate the carapace of the spider. What she got was an interesting piece. It was classified as a breastplate, except it wasn’t more than five inches around. It was like a giant coin, with one side having the Moon King’s symbol on it. The other side had the Sun King’s symbol.

Natora gave Bladescape the spider silk she had gotten so she could count it up. Then she gave the LAB, the Medallion of the Two Kings’, to Knightstar for appraisal.

“Interesting,” Knightstar said. “It has decent stats. How Diemond will incorporate it, I don’t know. If you display the moon, you get a boost to critical attack. If you display the sun, you get a reduction in your movement delay.”

“Can I flip it?” Natora asked. “Like, choosing which side I need?”

“I believe so,” Knightstar said. “But don’t quote me on that. I still don’t understand how it’s a breastplate”

“That’s the last of the materials I need,” Bladescape announced. “I certainly have enough spider silk. This was a fun little escapade. The door is now open, but I’m going to teleport to Lindarth and get this stuff to Ashley. It’s getting late, so it’s up to you what you want to do. I know Konpeito is going home to cook. Diemond likely won’t be much longer and neither will Malus. Tomorrow we go back to the front."

Teleport crystals were valuable, but their stock was high enough that they could afford to use them. The boss had dropped one for Natora and probably a few more to the others. Bladescape teleported to Lindarth and Knightstar followed her. Konpeito and Reisenki went back to Mishe. Doombunny went with Soryuto to the Town of Beginnings to check on their friends, Alnair and Gauvaine.

“Hunting, or rest up to hit the floor running tomorrow?” Kiefer asked Natora.

“Rest,” Natora said, letting out a sigh. “It’s not as fun, but we need to hit it hard tomorrow. Our absence will have been noticed. We have two days to make up for. Plus, it's dark outside now."

Episode 80 — A Questing We Shall Go

Episode 80 — A Questing We Shall Go
Twenty-Seventh Day in the Month of Sakura (April 27) in the Year of the Griffon
Front Line — Floor 60

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. Harmonic Salvation was now +12, with eight enhancements failing to take, but none did critical damage to the sword's stats. Bladescape had thirty more attempts to enhance Harmonic Salvation left. Hopefully they would all take so the blade was a fully finished product at +42. Her goal was to have it completed by the boss fight on Floor 80.

Technically, the blade was now Harmonic Salvation 2A2D2H2Q2S, or 2 Accuracy enhancements added for improved critical chance, 2 Durability added to increase the durability, 2 Heaviness which increased the chance of breaking the opponent’s weapon or armor, 2 Quickness which helped the speed of attacks, and 2 Sharpness which increased the weapon’s damage. She planned to make all enhancements 4 before beginning to tune the sword.

With sword in hand, Bladescape teleported to Isonset on the Thirtieth Floor. The first quest for Mo was there, in the castle that held the Steps of Battle quest that Knightstar was trying to crack. The keep had been locked with the king away when they had first entered the city.

Bladescape headed to the palace and this time the keep was open. She inquired about the quest to trigger it. She had to rescue a princess, solo. It sounded simple enough, except she had to solve one puzzle. If the player failed, they had to fight a high-level, shape shifting witch. To date, sixty-eight 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 declined to take the quest, leaving Bladescape as 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. Many towns had at least one stable and 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. It appeared to be quite realistic, but Bladescape was not well versed in riding. 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 would have, even without the use of a Sprint Skill. Thankfully, she had the time to spare.

Once at the ruins, she went to dismount, but her leg got caught in the stirrup and she fell off the horse as she tripped. She stood up and dusted herself off while the horse whinnied, almost as if it was mocking her. Thankful no one else was around to spare her dignity, she tied the reins to a post and walked into the ruins.

There were a few bandits, which 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 by previous players on the first attempts at the quest. She found herself in what was formerly a grand hall. The once brilliant carpet resisted the decay of time as best as it could.

The door on the far side was closed and Bladescape crossed over to open it. 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 sitting on it was a woman. Lining the walls were tables, upon which 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 complete a simple task,” 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. Other questers and several information brokers had searched fruitlessly for anything that might reference the dish or whoever "Rhygenydd the Cleric" was. According to Mo, the going theory right now was that the information was on a higher floor that hadn't been reached yet. When asked why she didn't want to wait until the information was found, the artifacts dealer would only say that she had a "hunch" she wanted to confirm, and nothing more. Even knowing all of that, though, 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 visually 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," the witch answered.

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. Konpeito 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 two things Konpeito had not been able to replicate: Ice Cream and marshmallows. Marshmallows were useless, but ice cream was cold. 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 no 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 her 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?” Bladescape asked.

The witch 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's a trap. A clever one. No matter what the other players chose, they would always fail.”

The witch's smile was wiped away and Bladescape grinned instead. “I don’t think I introduced myself, princess. I'm 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. Otherwise you would tell him.”

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. Bladescape 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 rewards 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 is 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?” Bladescape asked, not removing her sword.

“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 hall was filled with polygons in an instant. 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, and the floor was way below her current level.

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 advance 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?" The King asked. "Did it even exist?”

Bladescape lied. “I never found out. She attacked me because I 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, leave my presence."

“Sire," Bladescape said, trying to be kind, but start the other quests. "My adventures lead me to 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 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 at the 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 call 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 Konpeito wore, except it was a soft gray-blue. Mo had shopped at the big sale.

“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," Mo said. "And the rest of the reward?”

“The quest is still open,” 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 has every indication of being a large quest with lots of smaller ones inside. I have gotten references to it so I know it's out there, 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.

“Truthfully, I don't know, beyond that all of the information I have found on it refers to the Arthurian Legends and Merlin’s magical glass tower where he kept the thirteen most powerful items in the kingdom. Items of great power, as odd as some of them might be.”

“Like a dish that makes whatever food you want?” Bladescape asked.

Mo snorted. “Hardly, although the dish is one of the treasures. 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, I never studied European myths and legends. What I know I had to drag out of the few players who have studied those legends and it cost me some hefty col. It also 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. Or what Merlin will require to be woken up. However it will work. We don't even know where the glass tower actually is yet. I assume it's on a floor we haven't unlocked. Those three quests I gave you are the first three in the Glass Tower Quest that I have found.”

"So, I have to find these items and hope we can figure out how to get into this tower?" Bladescape asked.

Mo nodded. "Some of these items, the ones not listed in the quests I know of, 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 other things we can trade for our uses 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 complimented her with a smile. "I know, it was a nasty trick to play on a friend. I am appropriately guarded. You said you were looking for a hobby and I offered questing to you. Did you enjoy it?"

Bladescape grumbled. "No. I didn't."

"But you are hooked with no idea of what else to do and without a skill to choose for what, your ninth slot?” Mo pointed out.

"Tenth," Bladescape said, purposefully triggering her trap with false information. She didn't want to reveal just how far ahead of the bulk of the Assault Team she was.

"Be my pawn for the next few days and I will make it worth your while," Mo offered. "Somehow."

"An interesting offer," Bladescape replied. "Does your pawn get full disclosure?”

"Of course," Mo said with a nod. "What little it may be."

"How about that amulet as a reward?" Bladescape asked. "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," Mo finally declared.

Bladescape grunted, acknowledging her defeat. "I have to know I can trust you. I need that assurance. The nature of your occupation makes that a concern, but that shouldn't be taken personally. I've worked for Argo, so I know what it's like. She hasn't treated the Wondercolts poorly or unfairly. Actually, I'd say the opposite. You and I 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'm giving you a huge advance on my trust."

"I know," Mo solemnly replied. "I am well aware of how powerful that advance is because of your reputation. Now, what do you need for your next task?"

"Two things," Bladescape grinned. "The witch tried to bargain for her life with information about other things her father hid. For the Halter quest that means beating a mounted knight, so riding lessons, and then I need directions to where Tudwal’s Whetstone is. She did tell me how to answer the questions the guardian for the whetstone will ask."

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. I’ll get everything set up for you."

Bladescape stood up, but 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 gray," Mo admitted. "But they are 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 Natora at the guild hall table. She was asleep, or had been until Bladescape had entered their headquarters.

"I have a quest project," Bladescape immediately stated. "I'll be off the front lines for a few days."

"Okay," Natora shrugged. "We can handle it. Malus has stepped up nicely, she always was a natural leader, and Kiefer is doing well too. The guild is well stocked, our coffers expanded nicely since Argo bartered for all of us to get into the boss raid. We need to start thinking about a new place. This place is great though, I'm not sure if we can match the amenities we have here, so maybe just a new place for the headquarters, where we can officially hang our flag. It's just something to consider, something we will need to do by Floor Seventy, Seventy-Five at the latest.”

Bladescape sighed. "Yeah, I know. I hadn't quite figured out how to overcome the great features. I'm afraid we won't find them elsewhere, but the idea of a second place is a good one. A lot of small guilds are using houses, not headquarters. Headquarters have clear advantages, even if it is just a front and meeting place."

"You seem to be enjoying questing," Natora added. "That's good. You deserve the time off. It's well earned."

"I am, sort of," Bladescape said. "It's interesting. I figured a few things out to beat the system, yet that seemed the only way to win. Working for Mo is interesting, a lot like questing for Argo, yet distinctly different. At least I'm used to part of it. It's a quest chain, with the first three available. It comes with the potential for some really powerful and worthwhile rewards, but that's just a potential."

"Hey, so long as you enjoy it and get a break, that's what matters," Natora said. "Anyway, I'm going to go to bed. Nothing interesting is happening in the clearing effort."

Episode 92 — Finishing What Was Started

Episode 92 — Finishing What Was Started
Fourteenth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 14) in the Year of the Griffon
Front Line Floor 62

Sasha had chosen to check in with the kids, rather than go to lunch with Bladescape and Klein. Bladescape and Klein were the only ones the army needed and Bladescape had a feeling that Sasha wasn’t comfortable being in their presence. The two of them 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 like many would have expected. Three thousand players were a lot of mouths to try and 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’s easy. A few months back, while gathering materials, I ran into him and three others. They tried to ambush me, but I wasn’t their real target. He isn't far up the chain, not from what I can tell. 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. Apparently, the Assault Team was in a huge fit over Laughing Coffin members attacking 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'm 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 the kids," 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.

"Anyway, while traveling I didn't catch their presence fast enough. They have a high Hide Skill, probably maxed. I saved Klein at the last second, yanking him 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 treated, again, with another paralyzer. We had walked right up to their hiding place, which I doubt is occupied anymore. I fought them and got them to break off attacking me momentarily, so 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 very tightly, or it was because of the spear, because he came with me. I materialized in the town center 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 then onto the ground. 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. He was there on the first day. 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 had been given."

It was Yulier who spoke. "You turned your sword on him to punish yourself."

Bladescape slowly nodded to confirm her statement.

"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. Someone has to be the model for you."

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, once again, 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?” Bladescape asked. “I may have been in a safe zone, and he might have been a member of Laughing Coffin whose 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 to take Sasha and finish your training with her. With Klein, of course. 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 IRL. 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. You are a good person and player, even when you make mistakes. 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's 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. I’m always a little fearful that her fear, and having to fight despite it, will leave her in a very bad place once we are free, but at least we will be alive and able to address any damage."

Bladescape stood up. "And now, you're right, it's time for me to be myself, 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. We only hear rumors. For the largest guild by a factor of at least twenty-five 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. 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’s good to hear. It’s 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 actively trying to get them out."

Klein also thanked them as well and Thinker and Yulier showed them out. All the way to the town center.

"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 Konpeito'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 with a grin. “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 for others the rest of the day. Or back to doing good. 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. Our old ideas about age are not necessarily valid here. In one way, we all were born on the same day. We all were birthed into this life at the same time, right here in this city. Relationship and age rules don’t have to be kept here and may not actually work. Just saying."

Bladescape rolled her eyes. "I will concede that point to you, but only concede that point."

"Fair enough," Klein shrugged. "I was just stating a fact that I have been thinking about recently."

“Thinking is what gets you in trouble,” Bladescape poked back.

Klein let out a long sigh in concession. He set himself up for that.

“Besides,” Bladescape said. “I’m a teenager. I haven’t really thought about adult stuff like that. Not in detail and not in context of Aincrad. Plus, today I'm barely together. The last thing I need right now would be the distraction of a relationship.”

It took them no time to walk 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 someone who needed it, not a day of personal conquest or 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.

Konpeito'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 Reisenki was chatting with Sasha.

Reisenki spotted them first. "There you are! How are you? I heard it was rough."

"That's putting it a bit lightly," Bladescape fired back. "But both of us are safe and good, and Sasha, we promised you levels."

"We can still get you to Level Forty," Klein assured her. "And it will be safe. We know some other spots to hit. We will get your combat 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 understandably so.

"Look around," Bladescape said. "You can see that the kids are fine and they are having fun. Tomorrow you won't have this chance. You risk being stuck where you are, and we are not even at Floor Sixty-Five 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, rightfully so. You're teaching them very well. I had an amazing time yesterday with Gin, Kain, and Mina. Plus, 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're 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 partner. 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, Sasha. A well-deserved day. Don't waste it. We're giving you everything we can to make sure you get this opportunity. We won't get the opportunity to put our focus onto you again. Tomorrow, our duty and energy will be focused back to freeing you. It’s what's 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 who needed 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 IRL friend.

Bladescape smiled into those eyes. "We also used a poison for Sasha to win Floor Fifteen's big quest. The tournament one."

Doombunny nodded and wordlessly handed a replacement poison to her friend.

"How's this shindig goin?" asked 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 Malus 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. Her hand 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 ain’t put his sword back," Malus 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're trying to get Sasha back out with us, to finish leveling her up, but in a safer place." Bladescape tried to change topics. "You're out early and now here."

"New development," Natora 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."

Konpeito 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 Konpeito's hand. "Sure!"

Konpeito 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 that I needed."

"Well, I have a fun dinner planned," Konpeito declared. "You all better get out there, grab those levels, and be back for it!"

"Come on, Sasha," Malus said. "With my shield, you ain't got nothin to be afraid of. I don't bend. I don't break."

If it had been Bladescape and Malus in the battle with Laughing Coffin, they would have died. Malus was too slow. Outnumbered and surrounded was Malus's weakness. She needed heavy backup to adjust for her immobility. However, Bladescape didn't need to point that 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 Natora are going to go kick the kid's butts in football or some other sport. Or are you too chicken to handle that?"

"Oh we can handle it," Natora laughed, 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 Soryuto would round us out well to a full party of six, but we don't even need Malus for our plans. Up to you."

"I'm in," Kiefer said with a wink.

"Me too," Soryuto said. "I think we can do more with six than three. Besides, it's always fun to see what dumb thing Klein will do next."

"Hey!" Klein exclaimed. He didn't follow up with an argument though.

"Floor Forty-Six 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's our plan," Bladescape said, solidifying it. "By dinner, Sasha will be up to at least Level Forty."

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 intermediate players, they were from the top. They only needed one up front with Sasha. They stayed well rested as the hours passed. Sasha was the only one needing a break. 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. Konpeito 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. Konpeito was cooking up something absolutely delicious. The delectable smell could almost be seen.

"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 the kid's tables. Doombunny, Bladescape, Klein, and Sasha sat at the original "adult" table that Sasha usually ate at by herself.

Konpeito 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're alive because of you. It's impressive all that you do for and teach them. Mo ghile mear!"

"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: Level 85 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 80 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 80 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend — Sprint
THUNDERBORNE: Level 80 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing — Search
KONPEITO: Level 80 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry — Rend
DIEMOND: Level 80 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation — Rend
DOOMBUNNY: Level 81 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche — Search
KIEFER: Level 79 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 77 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 79 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation

KLEIN: Level 75 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Katana — Light Metal Armor — Shield — First Aid — Fighting Spirit — Battle Regeneration — Search — Extended Weight Carry — Listening
SASHA: Level 40 — One-Handed Dagger — Cooking — Sewing — Teaching — Family — ? — ?

Episode 96 — Preparing for the Future

Episode 96 — Preparing for the Future
Fifteenth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 15) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 62

It had been a tough day in the labyrinth, even working with Meigibu. The two guilds began to say their farewells. They had solidified the bonds made over Christmas and made new friends due to Meigibu's expansion. The ground won in the labyrinth was barely worth the effort they had put in, but the friendships they had continued to build were certainly worth the day’s struggle.

Natora approached Lobelia before she split off. She bowed to the warrior bride. "We had a wonderful day fighting with Meigibu and you. 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," Natora replied. "We would like to discuss a few matters, like that, with you and your fellow officers."

"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."

"Why are they so important?" Natora 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 men. 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, although she certainly is quick with her spear."

"I saw how quick she is with it," Natora said with a sly grin. "Please, while they may not be official leaders, they are important. We would like to have the three of you for dinner while we discuss guild matters."

"We would be honored," Lobelia said, giving a short bow to Natora. "We shall be there. Give us a little time to freshen up. However, it really should be us who are having you over. You did so much for us today."

"We can worry about that later," Natora 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. You are straight forward and avoid unnecessary ceremony, yet your motto is always well placed. We do not want to lose that spirit. Even when you bowed to me just now, you gave what was needed, yet the real gift was in how you honor me with your words, attention, and respect."

"Please, take the time you need," Natora replied with a grin. "I know Konpeito and Reisenki will need a little time to put dinner together. They were not expecting it. Konpeito will likely want to go shopping."

"We won't delay too long," Lobelia said, bowing and following after the rest of her guild.

Natora regrouped with the rest of the Wondercolts. The council knew the plan, but the others were unaware. Natora told Konpeito and Reisenki they would be having dinner guests. Konpeito was already thinking about dinner and had them covered. She needed to go shopping though and skipped out without waiting for permission, forcing Reisenki to scramble after her to help. Natora 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. Even though the rest of the guild would likely not be involved, they couldn’t dress all the way down quite yet.

Diemond had to get some materials and Kiefer joined her so he could get some metal for smithing. Soryuto was going to make a quick stop at the Town of Beginnings to visit her friends. Doombunny was going to the Aincrad Materials Company to buy mixing materials and pick up some generic things she could get from NPCs. Days like today quickly destroyed her supply. Thunderborne needed her rapiers repaired and was going to visit Lisbeth. Natora gave Thunder her spear to be repaired as well.

None of that was an issue. It was decently common for them to split like that at the end of a day. The three councilors headed back to Mishe. The first thing they did was pull out two spare tables and set them up in the guild hall. They could close the door and openly talk without the rest of the guild being a concern.

Bladescape wished she could take a bath, but there was not time for a proper one with their guests coming. She changed into the evening dress she had decided upon on their way back. Then she went back down to put tablecloths on the table and set it. Natora arrived to help her put out the dishes. Malus would be down soon, but needed some more time to wind down from the fighting and wind back up for their guests.

Bladescape was letting Malus and Natora lead. Diemond and Kiefer arrived as the table was finished. Diemond quickly double checked the settings and approved. Konpeito and Reisenki made it back with plenty of stuff, more than a single meal. Konpeito clearly had planned several meals over the next few days. Soryuto and Doombunny were not long either.

Lobelia, Kamishi, and Shikiku arrived before Thunderborne, which wasn't a surprise. They did not need to give their guests a tour because they had already visited. They were able to proceed straight to the guild hall. Reisenki was setting out fruit water and wine, as well as bread and honey butter. Some more refreshments would be coming shortly, but for now he departed, closing the door behind them.

"Thank you for the invitation," Lobelia said. She took the chair opposite of Bladescape, mirroring her. "I am afraid that our place is unable to handle even three guests, especially if privacy is needed. You are lucky to have what you have."

"Yes, in ways we are," Natora admitted with a nod. "Yet we have had a clear advantage we don't openly discuss. The Wondercolts have been in every floor boss battle. With the exception of the second floor, we have had at least four members in each battle. Most of the time it was six. As you know, the floor bosses drop serious cash. It helped propel us forward into this advantageous position, but it won't be advantageous much longer. We have lost relevance being on the thirty-fifth floor."

"I'm sorry," Shikiku said. "I am still at a loss about why we are here. Mostly Kamishi and myself. This is clearly more than a dinner invitation, which confuses me, because I am not a part of the guild affairs."

"You are important to the guild as a whole," Natora said. "Officially, you both are seen only as members, however, you carry weight in the affairs not seen by the public; in how the members look up to you, including how Lobelia sees you as her key supporters. Because…well…" Natora trailed off and paused to think how to say what she wanted to say.

Malus got fed up with the silence; a lot quicker than she normally would. "Y'all fell apart today. That's shootin straight. Y'all ain't bad. All y'all need is levels and confidence, but the actual execution, y'all are still an amazin fightin force. That was clear when Kamishi, Blade, and myself, took on the mid bosses. We swapped party groups, Kamishi did great leadin, an we took em down easily an smoothly. Right now, all y'all just need someone to pull it out of y'all."

"That's the main point," Natora stated. "Bladescape was hanging back after running into Laughing Coffin, yesterday, a second time. She will speak up when needed."

A knock was given at the guild hall doors. Reisenki entered a second later with a tray of appetizers. He dropped them off quickly and then was gone.

"I saw the paper today," Lobelia said when the door was closed. "The details were sparse. All I know is that Bladescape was ambushed and her teleport crystal brought her attacker with her since they were locked together. The picture on the front page was of Bladescape standing over him after knocking him out in the middle of the Town of Beginnings, the spear clearly sticking out of her chest."

Bladescape spoke up in order to set the record straight. She wanted them to know the truth. Honesty would only strengthen their discussion. "It was a bit more than that. First off, Klein of Fuurinkazan was with me, training a woman named Sasha. She tends to young kids trapped in SAO and does some teaching. She needed more levels for both safety and skill slots, so we were training her to get them and increase her combat skills. On our way to a location, we walked into Laughing Coffin's den and they jumped us. Sasha teleported out cleanly and so did Klein. I made sure of that, but was stabbed as I teleported out. When he came with me, I beat the daylights out of him in my rage. It wasn't a single hit. I got a pass on my actions because his spear was still in my chest. He is now locked up for his crimes, at least two counts of attempted murder; both of them against me."

"I was wondering if he was one of the group you engaged with previously," Lobelia admitted. "Since it was, your admitted action makes more sense. He got off easy for trying to kill you twice. Klein was mentioned, but not that he was with you when you were attacked."

"The paper did a decent job at making it seem like it was targeted," Natora said. "We don't need players being afraid to leave the cities because they might run into Laughing Coffin. They're not the only group murdering players, just the most prominent one. As much of an issue as they are, they are not making a scene, at least not yet. The rising issue of the criminal guilds is another matter, one we don't need to address at this meeting."

"Of course," Lobelia said. "I am just glad that you, Bladescape, made it out safely and were not shaken up too badly, as well as learning that Klein and this woman you were helping made it out safely too. It is another matter, but I am surprised you trusted him with what was obviously an important task."

"We trained a few of the kids under her care who are brave enough to hunt the day before," Bladescape explained. "Klein met them when Doom and I took the kids to the sand crabs so I could carry them for a few levels by soloing the crabs. It worked out quite well. When it came to training Sasha and knowing we needed a group of Wondercolts to push the clearing effort and another group to watch the kids while I trained Sasha, I chose to bring in Klein because I needed backup. It was easier to trust him than to trust anyone else to watch the kids. Klein has his uses and he conducted himself admirably yesterday. The kids are not much younger than most of the players, so you need someone who is old enough to get their respect while also being compassionate to them yet challenging them to grow up. We all know trusting him to watch the kids would have been disastrous."

Everyone laughed at the jab at Klein.

"Putting that fun aside and picking back up where we started," Kamishi prefaced. "I understand, partially, why we were invited. Shikiku and I are the ones who would help Lobelia guide the guild through the next stage. We are hurting. We have lost a good deal of members, both to SAO and to burnout. Our current group is running out of steam. We have six or seven members who are not going back out there. We don't want to kick them out, we have not removed anyone from the guild, but I don't know if they will even have the will to effectively hunt to earn their keep."

"The question is how to refill your energy and morale," Natora said. "That's why you are here. We cannot afford to lose Meigibu from the front. You're large and make a very good impact on each floor. I know you're hurting, but I also know that your heart is still in the fight. That was clear today when your parties both fell apart yet were inspired, back to their full potential, just by having Wondercolts back them."

"I know most of the guys don't want to fall off the front," Kamishi stated. "Yes, we lost three players and good friends the other day. It wasn't something that was anyone's fault. The monsters know divide and conquer techniques and they used them. Our friends 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, it just wasn't enough."

"It rarely is," Bladescape said. "That is, unfortunately, how the game works."

Bladescape left if there, but it was clear that she had experienced what they had at some point. That evening was crystal clear in her memory and almost every day she heard some story that reminded her of that moment, for it really was no more than two minutes at most. The hours before that were forgotten and the rest of the evening after took time to recall the now fuzzy events, but it still was perfectly clear in her mind.

"You just need a confidence booster and a push," Natora added.

"How?" Shikiku asked. "Kamishi knows the boys, but I know the girls. You can't fix us. Push us forward and more will die. Pull us along and we will be treading water above our heads. 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, so we chose to push the front, knowing it was out last time. We wanted to go out on top, but that now seems like a failure."

"Once the next Floor is opened, the training spots will be open for a few days," Natora stated. "You strike then, seizing that lapse so you can catch up. It's a hard balance, but you're losing members. Safety is key. This doesn't have to be your last floor, but you might need to skip a few as you bring yourself back up to fighting shape."

"We have forty of us," Lobelia said. "We have three who are done fighting and we pulled along another seven 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. “Our two guilds are friends. I know, because of your growth, that we didn't know the ones who died. We didn't start the day with this in mind, but now that we have seen you today in both your weakness and your potential, well the Wondercolts are interested in acquiring Meigibu 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 ourselves.”

“Yes, you have,” Bladescape agreed. “You 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 with the members we didn't know and our two guilds mixed well under stressful conditions, even working together as one unit when necessary. Conversations in between battles were smooth and fun. I believe there is a balance we can strike. Two Wondercolts are clearers; Soryuto and Doombunny.”

"Doombunny is seen as a member of the Assault Team," Kamishi pointed out. "She earned it three times now, but especially in the duel with Yamata."

"Yes," Bladescape nodded. "She did and she is adamant about not going into a fourth floor boss raid. The Wondercolts back her requested status and we don't list her as an active member of the Assault Team. The point of it all being that the Wondercolts are used to having clearers and no one would be forced out of their comfort zone. Anyone who wants to earn a spot in the Assault Team can, but no one would be obligated to do anything except clear as you have been doing."

“It's an offer, y'all," Malus added. “We ain't orderin anything, just goin over the details. Ain't no other Wondercolts know we're givin y'all this offer. We don't wanna lose the friendships we have and certainly don't wanna have any more deaths."

“Our two ideologies are very close,” Shikiku quietly admitted. “Different language, different mode of expression, but the same idea. Be the best you can be for yourself and those around you. What is it you want to see happen?”

Konpeito barged in with dinner in a giant pot and a tray balanced on her head. She was, as usual when cooking, not just in her cooking outfit, but also covered in flour. Their red headed confectionary friend was clueless about what she had just barged into, but served them their stew quickly albeit a bit recklessly. Still, she didn't spill a drop. Reisenki had their main course: baked vegetable medley with seasoned poultry. Konpeito took the tray off of her head and left the freshly baked cupcakes on the table. She skipped out of the guild hall humming "Friendship Through the Ages." Reisenki bowed to them at the door before closing it behind him.

The food was the transition Natora needed to take the lead.

“You are tired, as are we,” Natora said. "This game is brutal. 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. Even if we can only field three parties daily, and have one or two parties not even classified as clearers, that's fine. With the number of players we are talking, there is plenty of room to be flexible. Sure, none of the frontline guilds are doing that, even the bigger ones, but that doesn't make their choices the only one.

"Despite the brutality of Aincrad, together all of us can live a much better, safer, life. That is what matters. Those of you who want to keep on the front lines, get to stay, while the others get to fall back, yet we all will continue to be a top clearing guild. Support is just as crucial as clearing. Whatever keeps the swords swinging on the front matters just as much as those who swing them.”

"That sounds good," Lobelia nodded. "The ability to find their place in this changing world will be enticing." Lobelia picked up her cup and froze, staring into it. “I have fought hard and long. We have lost players, yet we have grown. Meigibu’s history is complex, but surviving. I put…”

They all waited a bit to respectfully give the other guild leader time to express herself.

Bladescape spoke up when it was clear Lobelia had lost her words. “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. Natora was great support, as was Knightstar, but everyone was looking at me. Even with a solidified council, I shouldered the bulk of the burden. I understand. I went without sleep 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 ten members. Meigibu is forty. That is a lot more to shoulder than I have. 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 the history and experience of both guilds. If anyone can find a way to put that image together, it's Diemond.

"Shikiku, I know what you have done for Lobelia and Meigibu. You will be invaluable to Diemond for crafting that image. She isn't used to your numbers and she is a fashion designer, which is not always practical. We have been able to force our way through with our skill and reputation, but running a significantly larger guild will require more tact, from both inside and outside. ”

“That is good to know,” Shikiku said. "And appreciated. Meigibu's image has not solely been my work, but it did come down to me to teach new members how to meet our standards."

“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.”

Kamishi had been content to eat and listen. He was already done with the stew. Neither Natora or Malus were halfway done with theirs.

“We need it,” Kamishi stated. “We need fresh blood. I’ve made Meigibu my home. The five of us guys did. We joined Meigibu, happily and readily, and we took on your name and your image and proudly wore your flag, even though it meant no one saw men in Meigibu's ranks. Over time, we picked up some other guys, but we were seen as the woman's guild. That doesn't change with this proposition.

"Perhaps I'm not the right one to speak, since I have been more mobile than you, Lobelia, and Shikiku.” Kamishi took a deep breath in. “With this option on the table, I think Meigibu’s time is over. We have a good home to move to, with the same ideology, and they have the stronger standing and position, yet we will strengthen it even more. However, if we don’t, I will go down fighting as a member of Meigibu until my last day here. Meigibu is my home, but the current group standing is largely because of the strength of me and the other 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. So, of course we joined under your leadership."

“We don’t have any more specifics worked out,” Natora said. “This is a developing situation. Unless there is something pressing, let’s finish by enjoying dinner. You can introduce the idea to the others, and we can all gather here in five days' time. I don't believe the boss raid will happen for another six or seven days. That should give you time to think over things and rest up after your hard work in the labyrinth.”

“It will,” Shikiku said. “I think it is a good plan, and your willingness to be fluid and adaptive is appreciated. It means 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, our members 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's 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 guilds are in the same position; the leaders are making the initial deal and letting the members know the final options on the table.”

"This does give me an idea," Lobelia said. "As an option. This meal is better than what we can assemble and we have eight cooks. Assuming the three who are done can be convinced to stay as support roles, they could change out skills for cooking to always serve a role. Three dedicated cooks for fifty players would be very beneficial and appreciated as it keeps the swords swinging on the front. I know that Konpeito is the real master baker and it would be her kitchen."

"It would be," Bladescape said with a nod. "Mostly because she'd be in the way otherwise. She's a magician in the kitchen, but she literally has two different flours. One for baking and one for wearing. They are the same. She buys them from the same mill. She literally puts on flour to cook. You can't control that, especially when she has cooking maxed and can throw down with the best restaurants in Aincrad, both NPC and player run."

"You don't mess with success," Kamishi added as he grabbed a cupcake. "No matter what she looks like or what odd habits she has."

“I'm down,” Natora said. “Just, don’t let anyone swap out direct combat skills for cooking. Just in case something goes wrong and they have to defend themselves. I don’t mean them going into the field, just purely defensive concerns.”

“I will make sure of that,” Lobelia replied with a smile. “That is good, forward thinking. The Wondercolts, or at least Bladescape, have to be on Laughing Coffin's short list by now, but that is not something we can control or a direct issue."

"I would rather not get into it again with them," Bladescape said. "But they know the consequences of messing with me. Increasing our numbers will make it much more risky for them to attack us. Ten is already a good size and Doombunny is a big threat to them, but yes, that is not a real factor we must be concerned about for this merger."

The evening lightened up after that as everyone worked to catch up with Kamishi's meal progress while they chatted. Afterwards, they bid their guests goodnight while the evening was still young. Meigibu was going to have a long discussion in the morning. They would not make it back to the front lines over the next week. The Wondercolts would hit the Labyrinth, but before leaving they also would need to have the same talk with their members.

BLADESCAPE: Level 85 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 80 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 80 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatsword — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend — Sprint
THUNDERBORNE: Level 80 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing — Search
KONPEITO: Level 80 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts— First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry — Rend
DIEMOND: Level 80 — Mace — Greatsword — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation — Rend
DOOMBUNNY: Level 81 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche — Search
KIEFER: Level 79 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 77 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 79 — One-Handed Axe — Greatsword — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation