Episode 88 - We Are Wondercolts
Floor 65
July 17 - Year 2
Eighteen. That was the total number of days since the merger. Not even three full weeks. It was a short time compared to the months they had been in SAO. Somehow, it seemed both significantly longer than eighteen and also significantly shorter, like eight. But each day was charted well, distinct in her mind.
They merged on the 28th of June, they had the furniture designers on the 29th, Knightstar returned on the 30th, and their final day off had been the 1st of July. It took them until the 13th of July to train all of the members to the quotas. Over those days, the furniture came, and a team came to design the shrine on the 5th of July. They got the shrine on 11th of July. Bladescape also fought Elvarg, the Mother of all of Aincrad’s Dragons, on the 1st of July and they fought the field boss, Fafnir the Lindwurm, on the 12th.
Since they were several days ahead of their estimated time to reach the quotas, the council had decided to round off the raw leveling with strategic and squad maneuvers since they couldn’t do that in the bar brawls. The 14th of July had been a dungeon day, starting on Floor 51. The dungeon went faster and smoother than expected. They went into another one on the same floor since they had the time. The 15th, they hit the biggest dungeon on Floor 60. It took them all day, but they did well. They changed from BlueCon to YelCon party configurations several times to make sure they were learning to work in their various teams, and testing that they were organized well.
They were doing well as more than just units, but as a guild, and better than they all had expected. They would be rewarded for all that hard work soon, but they had decided on two more days on squad training, moving to the boss labyrinth on Floor 65. Then everyone would get a very well-earned day off.
Yesterday they had cleared a large part of the labyrinth, and today was only half over, but they found that all their hard work had paid off. Not only were they ahead of every other guild, first to their current floor of the labyrinth, they were now standing in front of the boss chamber. Bladescape had expected there to be at least one more labyrinth floor above them before the chamber.
Bladescape stopped staring at the door and turned around to face her guild. She had decided, as their Kaisho, to scout the boss. “New orders! YelCon Parties and the councilor to me! I have seen you all over the days, training, and I now think with this opportunity, that we should finish it by scouting the boss, but a decision this big should be made by more than just your Kaisho.
Bladescape looked at everyone, scanning the Wondercolts. She had no doubt her decision was the right one. It was the perfect thing to finish their training. It would boost their morale just by completing a successful scouting mission. But it wasn't an action without its own risks. Many of the looks shared between all of the members, new and old, were filled with concern or apprehension. Bladescape was pushing them, challenging them, further than they had been told they would ever need to go.
The council gathered around her in a conference. It wasn't ideal to discuss this so openly, in front of everyone. They kept their tones hushed, barely above a whisper.
"As I said, I want to scout the Boss." Bladescape said to start things off, "Just a probing attack to see how it reacts, learn some patterns, and then we all back out and go home before things get too heated. Anyone who does not want to, we let teleport straight to our Headquarters now if they want. But we can all do it. We've all trained hard these last two weeks."
"We need to," Kamishi agreed. "We can. It’s just a scouting mission. But, the probationary Wondercolts have not all signed up. We can’t push them out. Still, we can bring them firmly to us if we do this.”
Backbreaker silently nodded in agreement.
Lobelia voiced her opinion. "They have come a long way. I know they can. I agree, we need to. But we need to boost their morale first. They must believe in themselves and want it."
"That is obvious," Astro said. "But how?"
"Thunderborne's good at rousin' speeches," Backbreaker pointed out. "She did great with them at school. And she is only a junior officer in the organization."
"No," Bladescape said. "This needs to come from their Kaisho. They need to hear me. They trust me, but this will solidify that trust."
Bladescape stepped forward, separating herself from the Council. She didn't draw Harmonic Salvation. This needed a quieter approach. They were scared, and understandably so.
Bladescape gathered her voice. It had to be firm and unwavering, yet soft. It couldn't be harsh or push too much, but it needed a vigor that would hype them up. It couldn't be the epic "fight and die for honor" speeches that were so often proudly touted.
"Five weeks ago, you lost three members to a great misfortune," Bladescape said. Her voice grabbed them, almost like they had to listen close, except none of them had a problem hearing her, and she moved as she spoke so she could see them all. Standing still would not allow her to connect to them at a personal level. "It was no one's fault. That still weighs heavy on your hearts, and rightly so.
"Three weeks ago, you couldn't sustain yourselves as clearers. Yet, what did you do? You went from being Geigi Clan, a determined but tired front-line guild, to becoming Wondercolts. You went from the bottom of the clearers, to levels that are on the top of the curve for them. Why?"
Bladescape let that question linger for a moment. It gave them the opportunity to respond, but as expected, no one did. "I'll tell you why! It wasn't because of us. Yes, you chose to be Wondercolts, and we knew what to do to raise your levels rapidly, but for each and every one of you, you had to choose to do it! Supported by your friends, old and new, you did it. You raised your own levels through hard work, sweat, and yes, I saw some tears."
Bladescape knew she could grab them further and strengthened her voice.
"What you did over the past fifteen days would be considered impossible by most players! You pulled off your own miracle. And it was beautiful to watch and experience. I saw you. You are one of the greatest things to have happen in Aincrad's history!"
Bladescape softened up just a tad.
"I am your Kaisho. I lead you. But I would never lead you into anything I didn't have complete confidence in your abilities to face. I saw those abilities today, I saw them yesterday in this labyrinth, I saw them the days before as we cleared those three dungeons as a guild, I saw them all week while you were grinding for XP, and before that, as we fought together in the Floor Sixty-Two Boss Labyrinth, I saw it there too. When I say we can scout the Floor Boss behind these doors, I say it knowing I am not asking any of you to do something I would never do at your level.
"I look around, and I see the new, beautiful sets of armor Diemond made for you all. They reflect more than your armor class Skill. They are a reminder of what and who you were as members of Geigi Clan, but they are also a symbol of your rebirth as Wondercolts. They are the same design, yet each piece is unique in some small way, making it a bold statement about who you are.
"So, who are you?"
No one dared to answer. The longer the question lingered without a response, the more certain Bladescape was that she had failed. Kiefer finally strode forward confidently. His new hakama armor, yellow with strong blue cloth and accents, was shined up nicely and more appropriately complimented his katana than his old armor. He wasn't who she wanted, but she would take anyone who stepped forward.
"Kaisho, I know who I am," Kiefer strongly declared.
"And who are you?" Bladescape grandly asked.
"I am a warrior. I have fought hard for my levels. I have proven I can do that alone, and I have proven that I can work in the team. Just like my fellow guild mates have proven.
"I switched my armor from the scale set to the Hakama battle set of my own free will. I chose to because it better fits with who I am in the new Wondercolts. For hundreds of years, the Samurai of Japan protected their homes. They fought with honor and with great skill. Few, if any, armies could match them in battle.
"And this has nothing to do with being Japanese, or this being a Japanese game. I chose them because the samurai were artists. They mastered the art of combat, but also the serene arts of painting, poetry, and other things. Their name inspires awe and fear into the hearts of all of those who hear it because of what they were. Warriors of a caliber never seen anywhere else in the world, based on a code that told the world how seriously they took protecting their homes and the people under them.
"Here in Aincrad, I am a master of the sword of the same caliber that they were. Like them, I fight with the same spirit, with my honor based on the elements of a warrior! I fight with strength, honed by honesty. I fight with loyalty and bravery. I am beautiful in the art that is my fighting skill, yet I am generous with it, lending my sword to others when it is needed. I can because I balance everything with a healing kindness, which includes empathy to others, feeling what they feel which makes me fight stronger. My laughter brings hope to those who hear it. And it is all connected through a deep, binding magic which transcends any reality or dimension: Friendship.
"Friendship is manifested in each Skill, in each Sword Skill, in every statistic that I use in SAO to be the strong and honest, loyal and brave, beautiful and generous, treat others with kindness and heal what ails them with empathy and understanding, and through the laughter in my being spread hope."
Kiefer knew her story, and he had heard some of their adventures. But he had not been taught what the Elements of Harmony were. He certainly did not know the old Equestrian tales about the Pillars of Equestria. Yet he just stated eleven of them, switching out Sorcery for Empathy to round them out to twelve Elements.
"That, Kaisho," he firmly said, his voice echoing off the walls. "Is who I am! I am a samurai!"
Kiefer had raised their spirits some, but she needed more to truly rally everyone. Kiefer was their Lieutenant, the highest ranking Wondercolt not on the Council. It was expected of him to be all that he stated. She needed someone in the lower ranks, who looked and felt weak.
Eowyn finally stepped forward from the rear. Normally she was hesitant, needing a stronger partner beside her to draw out the warrior within her. Now, she was standing stronger than she ever had, as strong as her fear would let her.
Her voice didn't quiver as she made her declaration "Kaisho, I know who I am!"
"And who are you, Eowyn?" Baldescape asked.
"I am a warrior. I was a member of Giegi Clan, and I will always be a Geigi member in my heart. Still, I swore my oath to try being a Wondercolt. My history cannot be erased.
"I now declare my choice to forever be a Wondercolt. We have done so much over the past two weeks and I once again feel confident in who I am on the front lines because of our hard work and your role model.
"I wear armor that harkens to the legendary samurai. But I am not a samurai." Eowyn took a deep breath in. She pulled her axe out of her belt, turning to face her guildmates, and raised it above her head in a strong stance. "Kaisho. I am better than a samurai. I am a Wondercolt!" She let loose her own war cry at the declaration.
That was what they needed. The Wondercolts roared their own war cries and cheers. Bladescape was relieved to see it.
Eowyn wasn't done. "YelCon Squadrons! Let's scout this boss! Let's prove to all of Aincrad that us new Wondercolts deserve the blue and yellow we wear. That the symbol by our name is no fluke! That we are true Wondercolts as they have guided us into becoming!"
There was an enthusiasm to their hearts Bladescape had never seen. They organized themselves into their YelCon parties quickly. Bladescape turned to the door. She would keep an eye on things and get them to retreat before it got too dangerous. She was proud of them. She would figure out a way to reward them.
Set up in their YelCon squads, Bladescape drew Harmonic Salvation and pushed open the doors. It was another rectangular room, but this one was on the narrow side. Ke-Ni, the lancer squad led by Yorii and Kogitsune, deployed to the left. Astro took her team, Ha-Go, out to the right. That left Chi-Ha, Bladescape’s team, in the middle with Backbreaker as their center. The other squads – Ho-Ri led by Kamishi, Ka-Chi led by Chok, Na-To led by Rime, Che-He led by Vay, and To-Ku led by Shikiku and Aka – fell in behind them, giving them room to maneuver as the boss began to materialize.
Very little phased Bladescape at this point. She had seen and fought a giant walking tree, a giant armored centipede creature, a giant iron bull, a giant buddha statue wielding six weapons, a giant griffin, a giant boar wielding a giant axe, a giant iron and steel samurai statue, three giant minotaurs, and many other Floor Bosses, Field Bosses, and Flag Bosses. Giant was expected. It was the standard.
But she knew this giant centaur, despite his heavy armor. He had horns, which most centaurs didn’t have, and they were pointed up, nearly connecting before they flared back out. Under his helmet a white beard flowed. His red arms rippled with muscles underneath the steel plates protecting them. It was one of Equestria’s greatest threats; Lord Tirek.
“Fallen Centaur Paladin” came up above his head, along with four health bars. Despite the name, it was obviously an armored up Tirek. Bladescape knew Tirek could absorb magic, but she wasn’t sure if that could translate into SAO. He didn’t necessarily need it as he slapped an oversized kite shield onto his left arm and pulled an oversized spear off his back. He had at least two other weapons slung over his shoulders, which they would have to watch out for. With so many weapons, gaining the attack information was going to require time and precision. They probably wouldn’t get to the final one, but if they could at least identify the weapons, that should give them the edge. Weapon type told a lot about how it would be used by the boss.
“We need to know what his weapons are!” Astro yelled, having the same idea. “We can learn his early attack patterns and as long as we know the type of weapon, we can fall back. Thunderborne, get us that weapon info!”
“Got it!” Thunderborne yelled back. As the most agile of them all, it was up to her to figure out what the boss was carrying.
Astro led her team forward toward the centaur. He stabbed at them with his spear. Even with its size, it was lightning quick. Diemond got her shield in front of it, but the power in the thrust knocked her back where she rolled for a while before she stopped. Lobelia was right by her side with a health potion, and shield ready to block her. Pell was Astro’s second tank meaning they were still a strong fighting force.
The spear was slashed across the room, its length going from one wall to the other. Those without shields jumped back, the shield users were knocked off their feet, but the tanks held despite the power of the spear sliding across their shields.
Yori was the only one left standing on the left. Bladescape charged, solo, to give them a moment to get up. She had to distract the centaur before he stabbed the lancers, who were his closest target.
It worked and the spear swept towards Bladescape. She righted Harmonic Salvation in defense. It worked, but she was knocked back. She saw Thunderborne try to run a sneak attack, but she was seen and the shield batted her out of the way and into the wall. Diemond rushed to her defense.
Yori’s Lancers changed. They split his attention, and although most of them got knocked back, they landed the first strikes on the boss. It was a pitiful amount of HP removed. The armor was going to be a problem. It wasn’t just for looks.
Kamishi’s party switched in with Yori’s and they drove home a powerful attack. Astro got Chok and Vey’s teams to set up an attack with her.
It didn’t come as the boss reared up on his hind legs. He drove his front hooves down, rocking the ground and forcing everyone back. The players closest took an area effect blast attack, removing some HP.
The eight Wondercolt Squads got into a decent switch rotation. The bulk of the work was being done by Chi-Ha, Ha-Go, and Ke-Ni. They were their power squads for YelCon, while the others were designed to be good teams, but not in the hot fire like they were with the scouting mission. But they all were doing wonderfully.
Bladescape roared her own battle cry as she switched in, going past the spear. She slashed the chest and stabbed him with Harmonic Salvation. In response, she took a kick from the front leg. It knocked her back. Before she could react or be saved, the spear was rammed into her left shoulder. The wide spearhead severed her arm. It would regrow, in time or instantly with a health crystal.
Bladescape dropped Harmonic Salvation and grabbed the spear before it could be pulled away. She yelled as she tried to wrestle it from the giant centaur. He pulled it back sharply, almost stripping it from Bladescape’s grip and pulling her along. It failed as he was forced to deal with the lancer squad. He turned and kicked them with a powerful hind leg. It sent them flying across the room.
Bladescape took the opportunity to yank on the spear. It came free and she yelled in victory. She turned and threw it. It flew out of the boss chamber and skipped down the path before rolling and slammed into the wall where it shattered into polygons. It was a boss weapon and it couldn’t exist outside of the room, just like a boss couldn’t leave the room.
“Well done Wondercolts!” Bladescape yelled in praise. “He is without one of his weapons and we haven’t even knocked off his first HP bar yet!”
The Wondercolts cheered. In response to them, the centaur roared and reached over his shoulder. He drew a curved sword with a thick head, almost like an axe. The blade was immediately brought down on Backbreaker. She stood there, calmly taking it on her shield.
“That’s all this pony has?” Backbreaker laughed. “Weak! We faced worse with the other day’s dungeon’s bosses!”
That encouragement led to a ferocious assault from all eight teams. There were smiles all around as they assaulted the boss. Bladescape grinned. This boss was no match for them.
Knightstar appeared next to Bladescape with a healing crystal in hand. She healed Bladescape. “I’ve got great data so far,” Knightstar grinned. “Two of three weapons down, except Thunder can’t get up to see the third. The shield is our biggest issue. Not just for blocking, but he slaps and bashes with it.”
Bladescape looked at her regenerated hand. It didn’t feel right. It wasn’t quite there, at least in her head. It was a common issue that players had after losing a limb. The feeling would come back, it just needed some time. Until then, Harmonic Salvation was useless. She swiped up her menu and put Bajutsu on her back to give her arm a rest. The light sword only needed her right hand.
“Good job,” Bladescape grinned. “If that is all we need, then we need to break that shield.”
“Break?” Knightstar asked. “That isn’t an easy thing, if you even can. A shield isn’t a weapon. It’s wiser-”
“I know, but what is the harm in trying?” Bladescape asked, interrupting her friend. “I’ve been teaching the Outside System Skill, Arms Blast, to AFCK, Tariq, Joltron, Pell, Kate, Chok, Koroua, and Koco. They got good at it in the taverns. Let’s cut loose a bit and see if we can shatter that shield.”
“It will be a first,” Knightstar said with a definitive nod, signaling her approval.
Bladescape gathered the others with her, while Astro reorganized the rest of their forces into a flow that would give them the time to set up. Bladescape explained the plan while they topped off their HP.
“Sounds like fun,” Koco grinned. “I’m down. Where is the weak point?”
“The bottom tip,” Pell said. “It’s the most exposed, and all we need to do is break it off and the rest will shatter.”
“Let’s go have some fun!” AFKC declared with a laugh.
Bladescape set up their attack order. “SWITCH!” she bellowed as her team charged. Astro rammed her spear into the side of the boss for one last distraction. It swiped its sword at her, but Yori blocked it.
The strike put the shield out in front of the centaur, exactly where they needed it. Joltron was first, unleashing a Sword Skill on the shield. His axe hit with tremendous force, but then he skipped out of the way and into a defensive position. Pell was behind him, and his sword slashed the tip, leaving a red gash on the shield. He was, along with Joltron, one of the more agile tanks in the game, and took up a position on the opposite side as Joltron to provide a fluid defense for their assault. Kate came in with her hammer, smacking the same spot and dancing out of the way of the boss’s sword. Joltron deflected the follow-up slash into the ceiling where the stone exploded from the power in the swipe. It left the boss open for Tariq to strike with his axe. Koroura stepped out from behind the tank to strike with her two-handed axe. It was a powerful hack. Chok had a lot of strength being a tank, but his thin sword was a precision instrument, not a hacking weapon. He stabbed the shield right where the others had slashed or pounded it. Koco swung her two-handed sword with a lot of power, yet control. AFCK literally danced through the switch, doing a fancy twirl before landing a blow that was nowhere near dainty. Bladescape yelled as she switched in, the last attacker. She got two quick slashes in with Bajutsu, both precisely where the others had hit.
Other than a red mark, the shield still stood strong.
AFCK skipped back in, but this time her fist was glowing as she leapt at the shield yelling “ROCK CANDY SMASH!” The punch forced the shield down, where it rammed into the floor. AFCK slipped low, and chopped at the tip. Pinned between Geode Splitter and the floor, the Shield cracked and the tip broke off. A second later all of the shield floated through the rooms as polygons.
The Wondercolts cheered in victory while the centaur roared in anger. He threw his sword at AFCK, who calmly sidestepped the giant weapon
“Sheesh! Who stepped on his tail?” AFCK asked, clueless.
The centaur was barely down into his second health bar as he drew his last weapon, a very large two-handed sword. It was as ugly and unrefined as he was. Still, it was fast and the reach was almost as long as the spear. He could strike both walls with ease when standing in the center.
“We still haven’t flanked him!” Knightstar shouted.
“We don’t need to!” Astro shouted back. “This guy is easy! Without his shield, we can get at him from the forward positions and really whittle his HP down.”
The next round of attacks came as they laughed at the boss. Two of the three dungeon bosses the days before had been tougher, one having a hoard of minions and the other being a juggernaut of marble.
The giant sword proved to be a big problem, knocking them back and slamming the Wondercolts into the floor, but they pressed the attack, whittling the HP down.
Astro, Kamishi, and Lobelia slid up to Bladescape.
“This is going well,” Astro panted. “This is the perfect dungeon boss to finalize our unit training.”
“Agreed,” Kamishi said. “I was about to say the same thing. We can’t get any better of a boss to finish off an amazing two weeks of training. This unit training is going better than yesterday. They are a lot smoother today, like a real army.”
“Dare I say we are having fun?” Lobelia asked.
They all shared grins in agreement.
“Then let’s finish this piece of trash,” Bladescape declared.
They split to get back to leading their parties. It was a tough push, but going well. There were no overly concerning aspects about the boss. He swung his sword, the tanks blocked, and the others countered.
That all changed when they dropped him into the red of his final HP bar. The Fallen Centaur Paladin began to stomp around, forcing them all to back up. With a roar, he hilted his sword into the floor. The area where his horns almost touched began to glow red. The area exploded as a beam of energy shot out from the horns.
The beam scattered the Wondercolts as they avoided the hazard. It was swept back around the room haphazardly. Backbreaker became the target. She stood steady and put the Floating Bulwark in between her and the beam. The Iron Bulwark flew as the beam hit her shield. It was stronger than it looked.
“TAKE IT DOWN NOW!” Astro ordered. “Before it blasts us!”
Thunderborne launched up and slammed Quadruple Pain into the back of its head. It stopped the beam. She had to launch into a flip off it’s back to avoid retribution.
Yori’s lancer squad charged, ramming their spears into the side of the centaur. AFCK slid forward and swung Geode Splitter. The hack cut off the hoof she had been targeting. Astro led the rest of the spear users into putting their spears in with the lancers and they pushed the centaur into the wall, pinning it.
Bladescape swiped Bajutsu down as she ordered the all-out attack. She stood by with a smile as the boss burst into polygons. This had been too easy. Another dungeon boss was down, and the Wondercolts were officially trained.
Tomorrow they would get their well-earned break, as planned, but Bladescape would have to worry about the Assault Team and the Floor Boss. One of the teams hitting the Labyrinth were bound to find it in a day or two, and then they would organize a scouting party before hitting the boss. The Wondercolts had been off the front lines, training, and by now, everyone knew about the merger. Their absence was understandable and it wouldn’t be held against them for the boss raid. At the very least, many members would want the Iron Bulwark there.
Bladescape spun around as someone clapped. It was Godfree, and he was leading two parties of KOB soldiers.
"Well done!" Godfree exclaimed. "We caught the last 10 minutes of that fight. We thought you were just scouting it though, not a full on attack. We couldn't see the HP bar from outside the room."
Bladescape ‘s heart stopped as she remembered this wasn’t a dungeon like the days before. This was a floor boss. She, they, had forgotten since the boss was so easy, and the Wondercolts had just made a grave error, in at least game etiquette, as well as hearty risk. The last time a guild soloed a boss was Floor 25, when Kibaou led his guild to their destruction.
Bladescape (SS): Lvl 94 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword - Rend
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 84 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search - Martial Arts
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 85 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics - Sprint
AFCK(PP): Lvl 82 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument - Rend
Diemond (R): Lvl 82 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry - Rend
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 89 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing - Sprint
Astro (PS): Lvl 83 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry - Search
Kiefer: Lvl 83 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce - Sprint
Lessa: Lvl 81 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics - Wood Carving
Joltron: Lvl 83 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry - Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 79 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce - Purchase Negotiation
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Oops. They forgot things.
Why was tirek so weak, also how was tirek there?
Wow, even Tirek is in the game! Didn’t see that coming. I wonder if the average player would recognize him from the Tirek’s Revenge game series and think it is a special crossover?
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10626563
Was he really weak, or are the Wondercolts just that strong? Also, no idea how he got there. But he was. Call it coincidence, call it someone knowing that game, call it whatever, some things just don't need an explanation, like why he was a Floor Boss.
On my end, while looking for awesome boss ideas, I found this: The Essence of Evil. That is what sparked me to do a centaur, then I thought, Tirek, so why not?
thumbs.gfycat.com/BleakRespectfulFossa-size_restricted.gif
10626606
I still think he could be worse, an Hp drain would fit, maybe a durability drain.
10626621
Yes, he could have been worse. He would have been if he had kept his spear and shield. Also Blade lost her freaking arm and BB was tossed like a ragdoll in his last attack! If he was "worse" they never would have made the mistake of forgetting he was a floor boss. Sometimes you have the advantage, and they had an advantage and then they boosted that with the shield technique. I needed them to have to deal with the consequences of breaking game etiquette so a tougher fight would not have worked.
10626616
Hahaha. Awesome gif! Sums things up pretty well.
Tirek got wrecked ones again, this time without magical rainbow lasers.
I wonder if Heathcliff will try to lure some of the Wondercolts into KOB, after taking down a floor boss all on their own their rep will jump skywards.
I started re reading this story again and I still enjoy it
10626720
What about all the players who rely on the boss raids to keep themselves funding for being on the assault team? Will they like what the Wondercolts did?
10626722
Yay! Yeah, we have gone a long way since the start, over a year ago!
Looks like a successful scouting mission to me. Instead of just learning a few details, they learned every detail necessary to win. Actually winning was just an added bonus.
Think they can still sell the info?
10626786
No one would buy that info. The boss can't be fought again. It is gone, wiped from Aincrad's coding.
10626663
Screw the "consequences" of breaking game etiquette. This is a "death game". If it gets everyone a step closer to ending it, I would be okay with someone using hacks and aim bots. Screw anyone that complains that it wasn't done "properly".
10626797
Oh, I was being a bit of a joker there. But still, there isn't a more successful scouting mission than the one that eliminates the target with no losses.
10626802
Oh. lol. Well, I do have readers who don't know SAO, so I don't take chances. lol.
Ouch..... awkward. They were so into the moment that they forgot they were fighting a Floor Boss and were meant to scout, not fully engage and kill
10626833
And they got caught, by the KOB! lol. No playing it off as if a ghost killed it. If it had gone unnoticed, I bet most people would think Kirito did it solo. lol
10626850
Still...... is it a major fallout or something getting caught doing something inappropriate?
10626854
Good question! I doubt most players will like the fact that the loot and XP was lost, and not by their choice, taken from them.
10626862
Still..... the fact they got the Floor Boss meant the latest floor is cleared. Although it's also amusing they completely forgot they were meant to only scout due to being too involved in the heat of the moment. It's a private fitting end to their merger and training but they'll have to remember not to get too cocky in the future challenges as the next floor's challenges are different.
I wonder if this made up with missingbthe first Floor Boss fight
Usually things just go horribly wrong in boss fights, so this was a pleasant surprise.
10626921
It didn't start well. Blade lost an arm, and at the end they all almost got blown away with a powerful blast that tossed Backbreaker like a ragdoll and could have easily destroyed them. They stand as the Victor's, yes, but while I didn't detail the mundane fight, it wasn't like it was easy. They all got their limps, they all took hits, but they came out on top because (in my opinion but who am I, the writer?) of the Lancer Squad being on the flank. Armor, big target with plenty of reach, means Lancers are always a good pick. But you are right, nothing went too terribly wrong, ignoring the arm. Another good use of Bajutsu!
Eh, it was a "recon in force" is all. Not their fault this "boss" was just a heavy when they came with two Steiner scout lances.
Their plan was to scout, but it was easy so they killed it. No one died, from the sound of it only two might have even hit red, and I'm not sure if Blade or Diamond even got knocked that low.
Just explain that it was abnormally easy and that you were having fun! and didn't realize. It shouldn't hurt them too badly.
All in presantation.
1. invite the front line council to the castle for a meating and an AFCK feast(this is a most).
2. explain how the training went and that the dougen bosses felt so much harder and thats why they forgot they where fighting the floor boss, this can be helped by Godfree and his scuad explaining what they saw and how they cout the Wonderbolts whit "the hands in the cookie jar" and let every one have a lough.
3. as penalty for brecking etiqutte they are to sell any loot that isent a direckt upgrade or the LAB at a discount.
4. offer to train a few assult squads to thier lvl to even things out.
That should get most but not all to ease up on them.
Edit: removed sroup
10627020
Man, Godfree was KOB member until the end, it was Kuradeel who became the LC fanboy and killed Godfree.
10626756
If there're a players whose funding depends entirely on boss raids then they should reconsider their politics.
10626663
What about rematches
10627120
i.imgflip.com/w6x8g.jpg
My epick scroup
10627191
This is one of my all-time favorite memes! And That is a solid plan.
10626996
Most everyone got into the low orange and red at some point or another. BB definitely went red after that final hit. Blade was really low too after losing her arm. Showing it would have reduced the reader's view of their advantages.
But sunset and her group solod a boss battle with no teleporting out restriction
Was this the floor boss or dungeon boss? If it's a floor boss it's not their fault that it was easily killed. They might have even saved lives of other people for killing it first
Shouldn't a floor boss's name start with "The"? I was under the impression all the floor bosses were named as such.
10628435
I think Illfang the Kobold Lord (1), Asterius the Taurus King (2), Nerious the Evil Treant (3), Kagachi the Samurai Lord (10), Wahelela the Black Wolf, and Dorz'l the Chaos Drake (91), among others, would disagree with Floor Bosses starting with "The".
10628398
That was a dungeon boss. It meant nothing compared to the floor boss they just raided. And they may have saved lives, but what about the XP that raiders get? Or the col?
10628942
So then dungeon bosses still respawn right? They can just go again once it respawns
10629013
Yes. Dungeon Bosses respawn. Flag mobs may or may not, that depends on a variety of factors. Respawn rates are not standard and vary between dungeon and and respawning flag mobs. Field bosses, Mid Bosses, and Floor bosses do not. Mid bosses are "mini" bosses that guard different levels of the Boss Labyrinth for that floor. Since the boss labyrinth is always in a pillar, you are clearing and climbing the inside of the pillar and you usually end up fighting in the bottom part of the floor above before you get to the boss chamber, win, and climb out to the next floor. Finding out which pillar isn't easy.
Very few locations in Aincrad are ever fully cleared. They never respawn to their full strength when you first get to that floor or first clear that dungeon, but they almost always respawn outside of those specific field and floor bosses.
It's good to see that the guild merger is going off so well. They were able to improve each other to the point where they could take out a Floor Boss without using the elites of other guilds or Kirito. Although I have to wonder who got the LAB, if we base it off of the boss's load out it would either be: one of his weapons the spear, axe, or greatsword or either his armor or his shield. Seeing as that Sunset is the only known greatsword user it probably wouldn't be that. You seemed to put the most emphasis on the spear so if it's one of the weapons it probably be that, and the it would go to one of the Lancers.
On another note I haven't watched much of SAO, but I know Godfree is a cool dude so the fact that it will be him delivering information about what the Wondercolts did should help cushion the PR blow they're going to get.
10629210
I love Godfree! He is my favorite minor character. I wish I had been doing more with him earlier, but I developed that connection much later in the writing process and there was no way to put it in earlier. He was the one keeping the list for the sand crabs when they trained the kids.
10628942
oops, forget what I said earlier... ignore me!
And I get that Floor Bosses are a big deal, but the door was open and the KoB were just standing there watching. Even if they could not see the Boss's health bar they should have just jumped in. Ah well.
10629637
Stand there and gather data while a team scouts the boss? Joining in would have put too many players in the room to scout the boss. 8 full squads meant 48 players in the boss room already. The KOB was able to see the attack patterns. That was what mattered, not the health bar. A pattern of working together had been established since the early on, but definitely by Floor 30, about teams from different guilds all working together, rather than one guild going after the boss (which got a lot of players killed on the 25th floor). It is more than etiquette, but also practicality and about keeping people fresh for a the next fight and not wearing anyone down. Also, one guild typically can't field all the players needed for specific strategies. They may not have enough tanks, or lancers, or forwards, etc. So there was no reason to think the Wondercolts, out of any of the guilds, was doing anything but scout.
I wonder if Sunset will continue to practice with swords after the game is cleared. I'm also interested to see how they change after they leave the game
10629857
The last chapter will have them looking forward to the future.
10630422
oooh~
Kaisho."*
Can't believe I'm saying this, but for once, that sounds like a bad idea.
No turning back now.
https://m.Smart move!
AFCK*
They did it!
How is that bad, they should be proud of themselves?