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