EQG: Sword Art Online - Ruby Palace

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