Last extra one for a while. Time to Battle - Aincrad Excerpt! · 11:26pm Jan 28th, 2021
Excerpt From Episode 91 - Coming Tuesday!
Bladescape Kaisho. The name still felt weird when players outside their guild addressed her as such, but after being first to the rally point, first to organize the parties while their group assembled, and then at the head of their march to the Boss' Lair, the role was starting to feel normal. All through the morning it had been Bladescape Kaisho, and even several times just Kaisho. She was their leader and deserved the name for that alone.
The doors to the chamber were closed. That was expected. It was normal. But since Floor 25, the one to open the doors had always been Commander Heathcliff. Usually the KOB was at the head, but at times, like Floor 39, other parties were assigned to move forward before the Commander.
They were waiting on Bladescape. She turned around and looked at the loosely organized players placed under her command. It felt like a moment that needed a short, but rousing, speech.
"All of you are experienced players. All of you have been in a Floor Boss Battle before. For some of you, it has been a few floors. I will admit, I have my concerns about the fact that we are a raid group mostly made up with no more than two from a guild. The Mirror of Knowledge is not normal, but I trust it."
Bladescape took a deep breath in, mentally resetting herself. "My concern has not lost the battle with logic. I believe that we will succeed because you are a fine fighting force! We don't need guilds to be dominating each boss battle, we need good, solid players. And we have a team of solid players who I trust my life with. We won't fail because we all got here through hard work, sweat, and certainly some tears.
"I believe that not a player will fall today. It may be, will be, a tough fight, but we have done it before and we are going to do it again! Let us show all of Aincrad that no matter what guild you come from, or how many guildmates are beside you, that we can stand shoulder to shoulder with anyone, and win. That all of us players, together, are more powerful than any single guild can be, and even Aincrad itself!"
Cheers went up as Bladescape turned around to face the door once more. Her right hand moved up over her shoulder and grabbed Harmonic Salvation. The draw was slow and deliberate and she prepared herself not for what was behind the doors, but for what was expected of her behind them.
Bladescape pushed on the doors, opening them inward, and advanced through them while the rest of the Wondercolts made sure they were pushed all the way out. She strode forward into the large chamber. It was bigger than what Bladescape had been led to believe, and it was the largest they had even been in by a significant amount. An enormous space for three witches to use was not a good sign.
The Attack Force, Groups A, B, C, and D formed up directly behind her. The Blocking Force, Groups E, F, and G filed out to her right. Group H, Kirito's party, was moving off to her left, straight for the wall so they couldn't be flanked.
Before, bosses had either materialized once they all had entered, been active when they entered, and sometimes required them to move quite a ways in before their reveal was triggered. This time, the Sister Witches didn't show until they all had entered. Instead of them materializing, they descended out of the ceiling, fully formed, to the opposite side of the raid party.
They gave themselves plenty of room to maneuver, but they were not the only ones already maneuvering. Group H was sliding along the wall at a good speed. The Attack Force had spread out, but had not broken their stride. The Blockers were hanging back a bit to set themselves up for a counter attack.
