EQG: Sword Art Online - Ruby Palace

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