Floor 2
December 12
They had just gotten back to the village after the long hike back from the AFCK distraction. It was late. The others met them outside of the savanna town, at the edge of the safe zone. They were walking back into the town proper, with AFCK hopping along with them as usual, when she changed direction.
“FACE PAINT!” AFCK yelled.
Bladescape looked over at where AFCK was going. A girl about their age with a cloak over her head was leaning against a wall. Visible in the shadows of the cloak was the same face paint AFCK had briefly worn. The girl wasn’t enthusiastic about being seen.
Bladescape bolted after AFCK before she did anything stupid.
“HEY! YOU! YOU GOT THE FACE PAINT TOO! YOU TRIED Mmm mhmms mumms-”
Bladescape had AFCK’s head in a tight lock and her hand covering her mouth. AFCK continued to talk despite it.
“AFCK, quiet,” Bladescape growled.
The girl was glaring at the two of them.
“Buy you a drink?” Bladescape grinned nervously.
The girl thought it over for a second and then nodded.
Bladescape released AFCK, who kept talking. “Then I said no! But the raccoon ignored my warnings and washed the cotton candy anyway.”
Bladescape pointed at Knightstar to join them and began to drag AFCK with her, who just kept talking.
“His look was hilarious when it disappeared. He was so sad and confused, but it was so funny. So I gave him a cupcake. That didn’t melt when he washed it. Then I didn’t feel bad and started eating my own cupcake. Then a piece of taffy floated by and I realized the water was actually cola so I laid down and was drinking it alongside the raccoon. But if the water was actually cola, then that meant the raccoon was also edible-”
“Shut up!” Bladescape ordered AFCK with a growl.
“What?” AFCK whined, confused.
They sat down at a the darkest table away from the others in the pub. Bladescape ordered a round of drinks and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Forgive my friend. She is excitable. I’m Bladescape, she is AFCK, and this is Knightstar.”
“A pleasure,” Knightstar immediately said.
“Argo,” The girl said with a dip of her head. “I suppose you want to know how I got these whiskers.”
“Duh, we already know,” AFCK said, rolling her eyes.
“Pinkie,” Bladescape hissed. She turned to Argo. “We already went there and we saw the quest. And AFCK finished it.”
“That’s valuable information,” Argo replied. “But at least one other beat you too it.”
“We are not concerned with being the first,” Bladescape said. “But, the look you shot her outside was a warning look. I assume you don’t want it public knowledge?”
“Of course not. If it is public knowledge, then you can’t sell it. It’s a very difficult quest, with special parameters. The NPC that hints at it is on Floor 7. The fact that you found it says a lot.”
“You were a beta tester,” Knightstar quietly said.
Argo ignored the comment.
“None of us were,” Bladescape said, eliciting a confused look from Argo’s eyes. “We stumbled on it. Bubbly AFCK there is just that…lucky. In a lot of ways.”
“Look,” Argo said leaning in closer. They were interrupted as the NPC brought them their drinks. Argo took a drink before continuing. “Look. I sell information. I have field guides for sale. If you don’t want to buy, then I am gone.”
“How much?” Knightstar asked. “We still have some questions. We don’t exactly understand some aspects of the quest and it’s reward. As to the guides, I am interested in this. I am calculating all of our stats, growth, XP quantities, drop rates, etc., but we should be able to benefit from these guides.”
Argo’s eyes narrowed at Knightstar. She took another drink and then leaned in closely. “What do you mean calculate?”
Knightstar opened her menu and after a few clicks a scroll popped onto the table. Knightstar smirked as she slid it over to Argo to read. Argo glanced through it and set it down.
“Consider it a gift,” Knightstar said as Argo began to slide it back to her.
“This is valuable information,” Argo stated, popping it into her menu. “Stats and XP calculations of this quality…well you could make a lot of cash doing this. From selling general guides to personal consultations. This is high grade stuff. My focus is on quest guides, monster and boss data, available supplies, special resources available, and other such things.”
“Then maybe we can be mutually beneficial to each other,” Knightstar replied calmly.
“I like how you think,” Argo smirked. “Alright. You have my attention for the moment for questions. You have, after all, discovered that secret. I put this on shortly after this game released. A signature of sorts. Your assertion was correct, except I could not complete it and was stuck with this look. I got used to them. But that is a secret. I am sure you have heard how dangerous it is currently for anyone before to be known.”
“I gathered that,” Bladescape nodded. “Fundamental to our little gang is friendship. We won’t speak of it. Even loudmouth there. AFCK, show her your menu.”
AFCK pulled up her stats menu, rotated it and pushed it over to Argo to read. Argo just raised an eyebrow at the maneuverability of the window. She was cautious, but the menu even let her pull it in a bit closer for her to see.
“Why is it Pink?” Bladescape asked. “We can’t change it as a skill, and we are short one. She is Level 11.”
“No idea,” Argo replied intrigued. “I have never seen anything like that. It's like it got jammed in there. Squeezed into the system somehow. I am guessing that it is that color because of her hair, but extra skills like this one still requires an open skill slot.”
“It’s active,” Bladescape confirmed. “But if you are at a loss, so are we.”
“Wait! Is this her cooking level?”
Knightstar chuckled. “Yeah, its been a tough haul, but every second that isn’t spent in the field, she has been cooking.”
“That’s impressive,” Argo said shaking her head. “That is higher than I thought it could be for this little time. If your calculations are this good, then we can have a very good relationship.”
Argo pulled up a window and then Knightstar got a friend request. A window then popped up in front of Bladescape. She accepted it as well.
Argo downed the rest of the ale in her cup and stood up. “Stay in touch.”
The others came in after they saw Argo leave. They all crowded around the small table.
“Pinkie,” Knightstar said, leaning forward to see her friend and using her real name to get and keep her attention. “Keep this secret.”
Knightstar turned to address all of them. “I think I understand how powerful information is. It's beyond just money. We need keep our secrets close or we will lose our edge. To conquer Aincrad, we need to focus our efforts to building ourselves to be the best. Aggressive assertiveness on our part, and making sure that the information stays with the right players.”
Diemond went to make an interjection. Knightstar didn’t let her.
“Hold up, Diemond. Not all players are good at heart. Some want to clear this game for the right reasons, others just want power. There are systems in place to protect players from harassment and such, but outside these walls, a lot can go down. Some will undoubtedly find ways to force their will on others.”
Bladescape could already think of a way to rob others. All it took was a group of players to catch someone unaware and to jump them. Get them close to death so that they would give up everything they owned, or whatever you wanted, instead of receiving the final blow. It was an unspoken rule that you didn’t let another players HP hit 0, but how long would that last? Sure, their cursors would turn orange for a bit if you attacked another player or crossed the harassment codes, but if you wanted something badly enough, it was worth the risk and worth not being able to enter town until your cursor slowly turned back to green.
Bladescape would be redoubling her watch, no matter if they were in a safe zone or not. An active watch was the best way to stop anything from happening, or at least give them the edge so they were not ambushed. Bladescape wasn’t going to let that happen to her friends.
Knightstar and Bladescape stayed up talking later than they should have. Knightstar was geeking out over stats. She was looking more into what she could sell. She was already doing the work. Flipping it to sell wouldn’t be hard. Bladescape was using the moment to gain the edge for pulling XP with her Two-Handed Sword skill. That and Weapon Defense.
Bladescape only got two hours of sleep in the end, but it was worth it.
After fighting in the dusty Labyrinth, she spent several hours alone grinding XP from the closest farming location. It was crowded, even at night. There was a line in the canyon. They were switching out in hour time blocks. When it was her time, she switched out with the Beater in black.
The bull charged and Bladescape spun her sword so she blocked it with Weapon Defense. Two-Handed Sword wasn’t the only skill she needed to grind. As she separated from the bull she swung hard, landing a critical blow and destroying the ox.
The starting Sword Skills for Two-Handed Sword were the exact same as the one handed ones. Horizontal, Vertical, Slant, Uppercut. But some new ones like Cascade and Cyclone were unlocked as well.
Alone, Bladescape gained the full amount of XP. It was quicker for leveling, but she couldn’t keep it up long. Kills typically could happen in a group faster, making it more efficient for grinding XP Plus you had someone at your back. But the margin of safety was balanced on her side. She knew the attack patterns by heart and she knew where to strike for maximum damage.
She was rewarded with Level 12. Bladescape wanted to focus on the attack. Still, armor was a good idea. If you stuck with light leather armor, it could cover speed minded players, but with her two-handed sword, she needed an upgrade. Leather Armor skill unlocked heavier leather equipment with light metal reinforcements.
Bladescape turned in for a little rest. The boss chamber had been found earlier in the day. In the morning, they were meeting in a pub to finalize the boss raid plan and then execute the raid.
Bladescape (SS): Lvl 12– Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 11 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 11 – Rapier – Sprint – Agility
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 11 – Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry
AFCK (PP): Lvl 11 – One-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts
Diemond (R): Lvl 11 – Shield – Mace – Tailoring
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 11 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide
Astro (PS): Lvl 11 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce
Kiefer: Lvl 9 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – One-Handed Weapon Creation
Lessa: Lvl 9 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor
Joltron: Lvl 9 – One handed Axe – Shield – Light Metal Armor