Episode 63 — Flowers
Episode 63 — Flowers
Fifteenth Day in the Month of Willow (March 15) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 47 - Front Line Floor 57
Floor Forty-Seven, Floria, was a beautiful landscape of vibrant colors, flowers, and flowering monsters. NPCs tended all of the beautiful gardens in the city. The main city was filled with couples enjoying the semi romantic feel of the Floor's safe zone. At least, it only felt a little romantic to Bladescape. She was focused on clearing the game and didn't have time to spend on that sort of thing. It left her with a twinge of jealousy, because she couldn't enjoy the beauty of the floor the same way they were.
Doombunny didn't seem all that interested in the scenery; not even the butterflies. She had been keeping close to Bladescape and had been very protective of her. On Floor Twenty-Two, it hadn't been that strange, but with the butterflies fluttering right in front of her, her behavior was decidedly odd.
"Fluttershy?" Bladescape asked, intentionally usually her real name to drive home the point. "Are you okay?"
"Mhm," she nodded. "Why?"
"You have butterflies right in front of you and you aren't trying to play with them or entice them to land on your finger. It's like they aren't there."
Doombunny shrugged. "I know they are there, but their virtual existence isn't something I need to protect."
Bladescape sighed, frustrated. "Look, Fluttershy, I-"
"I know what you're trying to do," Doombunny interrupted. Her soft voice had a cold edge that was assertive and firm. "I'm Doombunny in here. Fluttershy is sleeping in the real world. And now, getting home, it just got a whole lot tougher with LC running around. I can't wait to hear your account, when you tell the whole guild, so I can better prepare. I've been stocking up, working to make as many countermeasures as possible. Stronger, better ones than I gave you guys. We are going to need them. I have a really bad feeling about it all.” She was slowly shaking her head, annoyed that she had to divert so much effort and energy to them.
"Your run in with them was unexpected. I know that. But it still doesn't change anything. My friend came under direct attack.” A sharp edge glinted across her eyes. “This death game has us all out of harmony. Plenty of people have died because of that man's choice to turn this beautiful, amazing piece of engineering, creativity, and art into this death game. As much as I hate him for it, as much anger and rage I carry, he didn't directly attack any players like LC is.” Doom relaxed a bit as she crossed her arms. Colorra was very alert, watching the other players. “He told us to conquer Aincrad and we could be free. All of us, without any catch, and without harming us or hampering us in any way.” There was compassion in her tone and her eyes. “I know the tally is over three thousand players dead; a third of us. He shares a good amount of the responsibility for their shed blood and needs to be held accountable.”
Doombunny had no idea how much she had just oscolated back and forth, often from extremes. Extremes never seen in Fluttershy, but, as she pointed out, she was not Fluttershy. She was different. She likely did not see how much she had changed. It would all be the same to her. Her kind heart could not handle the stress of SAO.
"But LC is different.” The cold fire was back in her eyes as they sharpened back up. “They broke the unspoken code we hold so dear. They intentionally made this a true death game. They are a different evil than we have ever faced. I know you survived, I know you can handle yourself, but it was too close of a call for me to not break protocol and join your side as you continue to gather what you need."
Bladescape embraced Doombunny. Colorra joined in, wrapping her head around Bladescape’s neck from Doom’s shoulders. "Thanks Doom. You're an absolutely amazing friend to have. Both on and off the battlefield. In the real world and the virtual world. You've helped me stay grounded in here. I wish we didn't have those protection orders in place, but I don't have a better solution. We don't want to lose you."
"My ears are always open if you need someone to talk to," Doombunny added.
The hug finished and they once again surveyed the area.
"Do you know what we are looking for exactly?" Doombunny asked.
"Sort of," Bladescape said. "I know they are in the north fields outside the city and safe zone, and that their big petals are golden in color. I only need their petals."
"Well then, we should get going," Doombunny said. "I doubt we need to worry about any of the monsters here. Not at our levels. But we shouldn't drop our guard."
"Never drop your guard," Bladescape affirmed. “I relearned that lesson in the bog two days ago. I’m not even talking about LC. Solid ground was hard to find and out of the water these giant otter dog things would leap to make you their lunch if you got too close to their hiding spot.”
They departed north. It was an easy walk as they went through the fields. Outside of Floria, the flowers were not kept by anyone and grew wildly. A larger variety was sewn between the various monsters that popped up. There were a lot of grabbing vines, lapping tongues, and chomping teeth as they popped out of the ground. It was a very strange mix to add to the floral monsters. They didn’t stand a chance though. It was barely more than a stroll on a beautiful day, with the need for a blade only every so often.
Soon enough they reached the area Bladescape had been told to look. It was off the beaten path, in a world of its own. The entire field was covered in Giganthum flowers. Hundreds, laid out as golden orbs on a field of dark green. They reminded Bladescape of tobacco plants, where the top part was the golden flower and the bottom half were regular, green leaves. Bladescape walked over to the first Golden flower.
Bladescape bent down to pick the flower. As she grabbed it, a puff of golden gas sparkled out. Bladescape choked on it and reeled back, waving her hand in front of her face to clear the air of its pungent smell. The smell wasn't the only thing she had to worry about as she dropped right where she was and found her vision darkening.
Bladescape woke up with Doombunny cradling her head. Her health bar was down into the yellow. Her head was foggy as she tried to wake up.
“Doombunny?” Bladescape groggily asked.
"Oh good!" Doombunny exclaimed, pulling Bladescape's head into her chest, hugging her tight.
"I can't breathe," Bladescape wheezed.
"Oh!" Doombunny exclaimed, letting her go. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. You tried to pick the flower and then you fainted. You were poisoned by it. I had to use a crystal on you, my potions didn't work."
"Thanks," Bladescape groaned. "But how will we get the flower now? None of my information has anything about the flowers being poisonous."
Bladescape stayed with her head in Doombunny’s lap and pulled up her menu. She sent a pointed message to Argo. One came right back stating she had not heard anything about poison in the flowers.
"How are we going to get them now?" Bladescape asked Doombunny. "I probably should message Ashley."
"Um, well, I have an idea," Doombunny said.
"Yeah?" Bladescape asked, looking up at Doombunny.
"Colorra can't be poisoned," Doombunny explained. "She is marked in the system as being resistant to all drugs. With my Beast Tamer Charms, I get a lot of her statuses applied to me. We tested it the other day with Knightstar. Tested me that is. Have a crystal ready, but I should be able to retrieve the flower petals, without getting hurt."
Bladescape smiled at Doombunny. "Alright. Go for it. I guess I shouldn't have tried to do this alone."
"I don't get what the big deal is," Doombunny said. "I know Diemond can't make you what you want, but why does that mean you have to collect everything alone? You have been better with me as your partner."
Doombunny was right. There was no reason why they couldn't do more.
"Honestly, I started alone and everyone was doing their own stuff," Bladescape said. "We took the day off and then it got extended. I didn't think to ask. It was a simple list. When pushed, I sent everyone else the request for flax simply because I didn't want to do it and knew it would take time. A lot of time. I didn't anticipate the dagannoths taking as long as they did and, when I realized I could really use one other for support, I was already locked in a dungeon, unable to get backup. It was too long of a trek just to find them. Anyway, I expected all of this to be done yesterday. Plus, there is a certain amount of pride about getting the special stuff for my armor by myself. It's that simple, but I guess it was naive of me to think that."
Doombunny was sweet as her inner Fluttershy showed more than it usually did. "I guess that makes sense. Picking the flax was monotonous and boring. It was a lot. I'm not sure if the others finished yesterday."
"What did the others end up doing?" Bladescape asked.
"Malus went fishing," Doombunny explained. "I don’t know where she went, but usually Malus fishes on Floor 22. We didn’t see her though.”
“When she fishes to unwind, she gets quiet,” Bladescape said. “I’m not surprised. She wouldn’t have approached us if she saw us. It’s her break. I wouldn’t have acknowledged her presence either.”
Doombunny nodded, accepting the reality. “Well everyone else was helping with the flax at first, but Thunder sent me a message yesterday saying Natora was going to lead her, Reisenki, and Kiefer into a dungeon and hunting, but I'm not sure where. Anyway, I am going to go pick those flowers so we can be done with this."
Bladescape pulled out a green crystal and watched. The flowers puffed their toxic pollen, but Doombunny wasn’t affected by anything more than the smell. It was not a fun smell. They were playing it safe. Doombunny cleared a wide path so that if something went wrong, Bladescape could get to her without being poisoned. Other than that, picking them was easy.
It took longer than expected. By the time they had enough the afternoon was growing late, but it wouldn’t be a long walk back. They just needed the flax which the others should have by now. Then they could bring it all to Ashley and let her get to work on Bladescape's armor.
Bladescape messaged Ashley: "I've got the hides, Blue Stones, and Giganthum Flower Petals. TBD on the flax. Also, the flowers are extremely poisonous.”
A message came back a minute later. "Great! I just found a better thread. Floor 42, the silk of the Star Spiders. Castle of the Two Kings, SE. The choice is yours, but the spider thread will be better."
Bladescape sighed and turned to Doombunny. “Looks like we are dropping the flax to go for spider silk. Floor 42, in the Castle of the Two Kings.”
“Okay,” Doombunny shrugged.
Bladescape messaged Knightstar with the update and invited everyone to join her. Knightstar wasn’t bothered by switching threads. Apparently bundles of flax sold for a good price, so their time was not poorly spent.
The walk back was easy. Bladescape and Doombunny had been tracking a party of six coming along the path. The area was pretty flat with a slight roll to it. They were on the top of one of those rolls, giving them a great view of the area. Every so often a monster popped up and the party they were watching fought it. Everything looked normal. It wasn't the first hunting party they had run into. But they kept their vigil anyway.
As they approached each other on the clear path the party fanned out instead of shifting to either side of the path to courteously pass. They were all green cursors and no one else was in the direct area. It was an aggressive posture.
"Well," a male, the obvious party leader, said. "Didn't expect to meet you here. It's tough to be a solo player at this level."
Doombunny was right next to Bladescape. She could see her, but apparently the others couldn't. Bladescape was not going to reveal her existence.
"What is a solo player doing out here?" He asked.
"Hunting basic materials," Bladescape said back, as kindly as possible.
Something was up, but they could just be spooked about meeting a solo player on this path. The stigma about solo playing and being a Beta Tester had mostly gone away, reduced to a nuisance, and centered on players like Kirito. The Black Swordsman still had a chunk of that stigma hanging around him. Bladescape, being well armed and ready for battle, was probably putting off the wrong vibe.
"What does this Floor have to offer someone like yourself?" he asked.
"Flower petals," Bladescape shrugged. "For a project. They can be used to make a dye for fabric."
"Is that right?" He asked, surprised. "Easy to get?"
"If you know what you are doing," Bladescape nodded.
"Not something easy to buy though?" He pressed, signaling that something was definitely off.
Bladescape was done talking. "What is the point of this? I have things to do."
"Okay, you can go," He shrugged. "But!" Bladescape froze in mid step. "But it's six on one. Just hand over your Col and the special flowers and that will cover the toll."
Only criminal players exacted "tolls" from others. They were not Laughing Coffin, but they were still criminals. They used intimidation and force to make the target believe they would die if they didn't hand over what was requested. Many would go as far as actually striking players to one hit away from death. At this point, a group like this wasn't doing this for the first time. They were well versed in the tactic.
"So, it is going to play out like that," Bladescape said, letting her annoyance shine through. She dropped her filters and confirmed their levels were all well under hers, thanks to her Silver Sagacity Circlet, and thus not a real threat even together. "I bet it took a while for you all to be green again, didn't it? Better green than dead. Let me pass or you will regret it, and if I hear about your guild roughing up other players, I will come back and haul you to jail myself."
"Hehe," he chuckled deeply. "You won't have any proof. And you don't know who we are."
Bladescape grinned slyly. "Your guild symbol is a green H on a pinkish purple background. Your Guild tag is HAM. I can hunt you down anytime I want."
The two HAM members on the flanks drew their weapons and advanced. One carried a spear while the other used a curved sword and small shield. Their approach was cautious, intentionally putting pressure on her to make her submit before things got nasty. If they didn't attack her, they would still have green cursors, which would benefit them.
Bladescape sighed, crossing her arms. "Do your worst. I'm ready."
Bladescape didn't reach for her sword. She just stood there. Three tense seconds later the spear was thrust into her. The curved blade shined blue and ran her through. Bladescape didn't flinch. It hurt, but she had been hurt way worse by bosses and other monsters. They were not killers. At least not real killers. Two more charged in and the four of them began to hack away at her HP. Bladescape let it go down, counting the seconds. As soon as ten seconds hit her HP gauge shot back up to full. Battle Regeneration was doing its thing, keeping her health up, and it was trained by taking damage.
Her attackers, who now had orange cursors, stepped back. Bladescape shrugged. They looked her over, trying to figure out what to do. They jumped in again, the fifth member joining them. Their leader was the only one not attacking and, because of it, he still had a green cursor. Once again they chipped away at her HP, this time for longer. What they could throw at her was still less than her Battle Regeneration skill auto restored during combat and their weapons were not strong enough to beat her armor, protecting her limbs from being hacked off. Bladescape purposefully did a big yawn as they attacked her, even going as far as to cover her mouth and stretch. Still, she didn't reach for her weapon.
"You know," Bladescape shrugged. "I still have some material to gather. This task was supposed to be the easy one. I guess I'll have to sidetrack from that for a bit."
"What do you mean!" their leader demanded. He was frustrated at their lack of progress. "What do you mean by sidetrack!"
"The Black Iron Palace has a prison for players like you," Bladescape stated. "The Army runs it and now that they do, orange players who are bound and escorted to it can enter cities so they can be brought there. I hear you get three meals a day, all the nap time you want, and you are protected from all of the scary monsters."
He took a few steps back and then turned to bolt to the nearest safe zone. He tripped and fell flat on his face, unable to catch himself.
"Good girl, Colorra," Doombunny said. She had moved out of the way and was just standing there in the open, playing with a knife in her left hand. The snake kept a tight squeeze on the leader's legs and pulled itself upright, hissing a warning and baring its fangs.
Doombunny was lightning fast. She was faster than Bladescape remembered, and a lot faster than the HAM members could handle. They toppled as the paralyzer took effect. All of their HP's had taken a good-sized hit from the cuts. Doombunny was far above their levels and her weapons were top notch.
"Now what?" Doombunny asked Bladescape.
Bladescape let out a chuckle. "There is the temptation to let them stay here and leave them to any potential monsters. But...well...since I promised them safety in the prison, I guess we will have to hogtie them and then rope them together into a chain gang and get them there ourselves."
Doombunny nodded and Bladescape opened her menu. She always carried several coils of rope as an essential item. This was never its intended purpose. First tied was the leader, since he was not paralyzed, just bound up by Colorra. It was easy; just a click or two and they were bound up. Colorra kept watch over the leader as they trussed up the others and dragged them side by side.
"Hey!" a call came out from behind them. It was just beyond her passive search ring and they could see a good way, even with the small roll in the terrain. Bladescape turned and saw a party of fourteen running at them. They were in a hurry, but their weapons weren’t drawn. It wasn't to fight.
"What's going on?" the same guy who called out asked. He appeared to be their leader.
"These players attacked us," Bladescape explained nonchalantly. "Just prepping them for transportation to prison on the first floor, in the Black Iron Palace. The army maintains it."
"Well, their cursors are orange," he stated. He pointed at the one Colorra was watching. "Is that the leader?"
"At least for this party of six," Bladescape said. "That is why he is still green. He never tried to cut me down."
"Hey! Aren't you a clearer?" another member asked. "Like a Wondercolt? That's their horse head symbol you wear on your cape."
"Yeah," Bladescape nodded. "I am Bladescape, leader of the Wondercolts. And that is Doombunny."
"Hi," Doombunny said, as she nervously smiled and waved at them.
"I didn't see her there," the first one said, a bit unnerved.
"Beast Tamers do their thing," Bladescape shrugged. “It’s always interesting having one in the guild.”
"It’s just the two of you?" he asked.
"Yes. We’re just getting some basic materials," Bladescape explained, nodding. "For a crafting project. No need for anyone else. We were on our way back to Floria, then these guys thought they could extort me. They didn't see Doombunny either. Once they chose to go orange, we put a stop to it so no one got seriously hurt."
"Want help?" He asked. "We're heading back to Floria too."
Their guild tags were different. They might be compatriot guilds, but if they were, then Bladescape and Doombunny were already in serious trouble. They were not displaying any concerning body language. Most likely they were more concerned about having criminals near their hunting grounds. That was a big risk to their daily safety.
"Yeah, we could use it," Bladescape said. "I don't want to leave them out here for the monsters to find while the paralysis wears off. Or worse, for them to further prey on others."
"Yeah, that would be bad." The leader of the party said, cringing before holding out his hand. "I’m Rook, of Chess Players United."
"Thank you for your assistance," Bladescape said, taking the offered hand.
With backup, it was easy to move them. Doombunny used anti-paralysis drafts to unlock them from that shackle. They could freely move them under guard; they didn't need a chain gang. They did keep their hands bound behind their backs with plenty of rope to hold onto and at least two players holding onto the ropes, in case one tried to sprint away.
It caused quite a disturbance as they entered Floria. Several players in their group teleported to the Town of Beginnings, including Doombunny. Then one by one, the HAM members teleported to the Town of Beginnings. If they called out another town the guy on the platform could jump there and catch up without a problem. A bound orange player trying to run through any city would be extremely noticeable. Plus, NPC guards would attack them if they were present and unattended. They had a variety of methods to deal with criminal players.
In the Town of Beginnings they marched them from the teleport plaza north, towards the palace.
"I haven't been back in...well I think the last time was when we bought our headquarters," Bladescape said. "This place is a distant memory."
"Yeah," Rook said. "I haven't been back either. But we didn't do what you guys did. You know, taking things head on. We are lazily trying to catch up. We are raising our levels, but we don't really know if we want to fight on the front lines. It's hard enough surviving like we do."
"That is understandable," Bladescape said with a kind smile. "It isn't easy and it isn't for everyone. We have plenty of trouble at times, even in our full parties. Just stay safe so that you can get out of here. We don't need more players dying on us as we work to free you."
"You have my promise that we will survive," he said.
They were halted by several Army guards as they got to Black Iron Palace. After the situation was explained they were escorted further in. They entered a large room with a table at its head and five chairs. The accused were separated and under guard by Army soldiers. Soon enough the five members whom the chairs belonged to entered.
"I am Thinker," the one in the middle said. "I am the leader of the Aincrad Liberation Force. My second in command, on my right, is Yulier. Along with our other three senior officers, we are the judges of this case and will sentence any players found guilty. Not everyone is interned in our prison for a variety of reasons, but they will get fair punishment. We keep a tight grip on who is here and why."
"Understood and appreciated," Bladescape said with a short bow. "My name is Bladescape, the leader of the Wondercolts. With me is my guildmate Doombunny."
Following that, Rook introduced himself and his guildmates. With their introductions finished, Bladescape launched into the explanation of their run in with the accused; the HAM guild, with Rook explaining what he saw and what happened from their perspective.
"I see," Thinker said. "Their orange cursors are undeniable. WCS, your reputation as a clearing guild precedes you greatly. Especially your work ethic and reliability. Your name too, is familiar, not just your guild's. CPU, you are not known to us, but your story corroborates that of The Wondercolts. Accused, do you have anything to say that will counteract their testimony? Anything credible?"
Their leader, still with a green cursor, went off about it not being a fair trial. When that failed, he flipped on his guild and tried to pin it on them. It was all pathetic.
"I think it is clear to everyone here what you were trying to do," Thinker stated. "Since it is your first time in front of us, all six of the accused shall be locked away for two weeks. That will be enough time for your cursors to turn green, but I warn you, if you end up in front of us, and are found guilty a second time for attacking players, you will be interned for the duration of Sword Art Online, for your safety and the safety of other players.”
That was a fair sentence and as close to real life sentencing strategies as possible. Japan’s judicial system didn’t use a “jury of peers." Panel judges were the decision makers and the Aincrad Liberation Force was a neutral party capable of fairly judging the case.
The guilty players were hauled out of the room under a variety of protest methods. The guards were not overly rough, but they were having none of their funny business.
“To both guilds, thank you for your assistance,” Thinker said. “The Aincrad Liberation Force is here to protect the everyday citizens, as well as all of the other players. I wish we didn't have to provide it, but we do. I only hope the mercy they just received will set them straight in the future. This service is free, however, we will barter better beds and food for their equipment and gear. We need funding somehow, but won’t leave them in poor shape when they leave. That will only encourage more criminal activities."
"Thank you," Bladescape said with a deep bow. "Them paying for their cells sounds like a fine idea. However, I do not wish to be rude, but I have several things I still need to acquire for a project.. I’ve had too many distractions between this incident and Laughing Coffin attacking me."
"Understandable," Thinker said. "I was glad to hear you survived it. From what I understand, a party was formed from multiple guilds to try and bring them in, but Laughing Coffin had been long gone by the time they got to the scene. Your safety is the important part."
They bid their final goodbyes and departed. The Wondercolts wouldn’t be Wondercolts if they didn’t properly thank the other guild. Bladescape had messaged Knightstar about what confections Konpeito had handy. Konpeito was at the Town of Beginning’s teleport plaza with a basket full of cookies and honey sweet buns. They were not expecting anything, but happily received the wonderful smelling sweets before they parted ways.
BLADESCAPE: Level 78 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 74 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 70 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce — Search
MALUS: Level 73 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 73 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 73 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 74 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 70 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search — Listen — Reveal
KIEFER: Level 71 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 70 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 71 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation
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Who is that banner at the end symbolizing?
Sorry you haven't been having such a good week, but thanks for uploading this.
11905091
That would be Colorra 's banner. Doom wouldn't have the poison resistance without her.
11905216
No problem!
I happen to know two people who'll be visiting that floor in the coming future.
I hope neither of them experienced what silica went through when she first came in contact with one...
Welp, this has gotten harder...
Does this 'ham' mean something, or is it supposed to be a named after the real thing?
This, 'battle regeneration' thing still questions me from time to time.
I thought so.
United."*
assistance." Bladescape said, taking the offered hand.*
And we know what'll happen at some point in the future once sao is cleared...
11911579
But their levels were so far above that it was easy to deal with anything. Silica was pushing her safety margins and only could because of Kirito.
Actually, they had their adventure together about February 25th, about two and a half weeks prior.
HAM does have specific reference.
Battle Regeneration will be much more crucial later on, particularly in floor boss fights.