EQG: Sword Art Online - Aincrad

by Mindrop


Episode 14 - Home

Floor 36
August 29

Astro and Knightstar were still trying to determine housing or guild headquarters. Astro was only there for her skill of Purchase Negotiation. This was their second day in the Town of Beginnings while Knightstar sorted our all of the options.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Wondercolts had dropped to the 36th Floor to hunt. Yesterday had been spent relaxing, expecting Knightstar to make a faster choice than she did. Now they were going to farm Col. Some monsters were better to hunt for Col than others. It was relaxed compared to the Labyrinths and pushing the front lines forward. But they deserved the break.

They also deserved a place to call their own in this hellish nightmare of a ‘game.’

The open fields in the south of the Floor was populated by Hill Giants. Not only did they drop a good amount of Col, they also had a good drop rate for the mid to high class weapons. They were a pain to hunt because they were level 42. It required a strong team to knock their HP down and good Tanks to block their wooden clubs. Lessa and Joltron’s shields were smaller than Diemond’s and definitely smaller than Backbreaker’s, but they would be sufficient to take a blow from the giant’s crude clubs.

Bladescape separated into a party with AFCK, Backbreaker, Kiefer, and Doombunny. The Hill Giant's targeting range was low, being dumb creatures. The parties spread out on the edge of the zone so the giant wasn’t even concerned about being cornered.

Bladescape lunged in with High Infinity, a four part combo in the shape of a wide infinity symbol attack. Before the giant could focus on the delayed Bladescape, Backbreaker’s hammer struck, drawing his aggro.

The giant howled and stumbled back, meaning Kiefer’s strike missed. AFCK wasn’t ready for him to stumble her way and jumped back before he could do anything to her. But he just dropped to his knees, howling in pain.

His HP was dropping rapidly and a symbol was above it. A green skull. The mark of poison. None of them had any poison skills.

Bladescape panicked, looking around for other players. Her search skill was high, but Doombunny could hide from her. Poison never spelled anything positive.

“Good girl Colorra,” Doombunny said.

Bladescape looked over at Doombunny. The snake was still on her shoulders and hanging on her torso. She was scratching her head. All of that was normal.

“My turn,” Doombunny said, grinning at Colorra.

Doombunny’s speed was instantaneous as her knife glowed a deep blue. It was a two combo strike Doombunny had unlocked. A dart forward that cut enemies and then a dart back to the starting point as another cut was made. It worked great for a distance jump or taking on multiple enemies. It was known as Swift Trick for a reason.

Her blade bit deep into the giant and then cut back across him as she came back. He popped into a million polygons and Doombunny went back to petting Colorra like normal. The snake had stayed on her shoulders without a problem.

“Doom, is there something we should know?” Bladescape asked.

“Huh? Oh. Colorra just decided to join in the fun.”

Bladescape breathed a sigh of relief. The poison came from the snake. It was a very good thing they hadn’t gotten bitten by one of them. The Hill Giants didn’t have a lot of HP compared to them at their level, but it still would have carved out a huge amount before anti-poison methods could have been applied.

“Doom,” Bladescape said. “Colorra just hit that giant with a nasty poison bite.”

“Oh. I guess that makes sense. She is a poison snake after all.”

Doombunny went back to focusing on her pet while they hiked over to the next Hill Giant. Bladescape had thought Doombunny was fierce. But he snake was worse. Together they could take out of a giant on their own. AFCK separated with Doombunny to hunt giants on their own. It slowed down their party a bit, but it was worth it as they increased their Col farming productivity almost twofold.

Bladescape got a message from Knightstar when it was almost dinner time.

I have the keys. I made the best decision I could. It was more Col than planned. We can talk specifics in Mishe, Floor 35.

“Come on,” Bladescape called as she messaged the other party. “Knightstar bought a place!”

They all got together before they headed back. It was safest and safety was key. As they were hiking back to the city they ran into a Hill Giant.

“Colorra and I have this,” Doombunny declared. Her determination was admirable, but her soft voice killed a lot of the power behind it.

The snake dropped off her shoulders and Doombunny pulled her knife out. Doombunny swaggered out to face the giant. The snake was slithering in between her stride. It was clearly protecting her at the same time as it hunted the giant.

Doombunny leaped in with a Swift Trick. The giant howled at the strike. Bladescape missed Colorra dart in. It struck once at the Giant’s left leg and slithered around for another quick strike. Doombunny wasn’t out of the fight. She was back in as the giant was distracted. She unleashed a sickening 8 part combo with lightning speed that would be hard to match with any longer weapon. At the same time, the snake struck several more times. The giant never got the chance to retaliate as it popped out of existence.

AFCK was immediately cheering and clapping.

“Way to go Doombunny!” Thunderborne praised. “That was awesome!”

“Sugarcube,” Backbreaker said leaning on her shield. “That’s the Doombunny I knew you had in you.”

“Darling, that was amazing,” Diemond added.

“Nice job,” Bladescape grinned. “That was amazing. That is the Doombunny that is a survivalist. That is the Doombunny that will conquer this game for the animals.”

“Thanks, girls. But I can already tell I will miss Colorra when we get free.”

“We need to upgrade your knife,” Bladescape added. “We will see what Agil has.”

“Remind me to never piss off Fluttershy,” Thunderborne whispered to Bladescape as they continued back.

Mishe, Floor 35’s main town, came glowed into their vision as they teleported to it. It was only two levels below the front lines, so it was still hopping with activity. It looked like a standard medieval town: Cobblestone roads, timber framed buildings, and such. None of the houses were above 5 stories.

Knightstar was with Astro waiting in the square. Astro was bored out of her mind. That was no surprise after Knightstar weighed every option. Knightstar grinned at her fellow Wondercolts and held up a key.

“We will need to work hard to gather more Col,” Knightstar prefaced things. “But I think the extra cost will be well worth it.”

“I know you made the best choice available,” Bladescape grinned. “I sent you because I trusted you for a reason.”

“I went over budget,” Knightstar nervously squeaked.

“And not a little bit,” Astro shot. “All afternoon was her pacing back and forth, questioning if she could do it. And waiting for you to fill our guild coffers a bit more.”

Bladescape felt her eyes widen. “You spent it all!”

Knightstar held a finger up to argue her points and then hung her head. “I did.”

Bladescape wanted to go off on her friend, but she couldn’t. The rest of the guild really didn’t pay attention to what they had. They were focused on their skills and what they personally had. A lot of their upgrades were personal funds, but the guild purchased about half of their weapons. The guild automatically got a cut from what each member made in drops as an automatic “tax.”

“What did you buy us,” Bladescape asked as nicely as she could do. “It’s done, and I trust you. I know you didn’t buy us some expensive junk.”

Knightstar handed Bladescape the key. “It’s bare, but the main gist is a 12 bedroom, 5 story guild headquarters. It comes with plumbing and basic features. It has a large storage room for equipment, a crafting area, kitchen, dining room, and a guild meeting hall.”

“Sounds like it is worth it,” Bladescape calmly said. “Lets go check out our new home. Where is it?”

“Its right there,” Knightstar said, pointing to a 5 story brick building right off the square.

Accessibility to the teleport gate was very important and Knightstar had nailed that. They could easily go home and get up to teleport to wherever the front line was. Bladescape lost all of her doubt about the purchase as she walked up to the double doors. On either side were small, slit windows to provide some light and atmosphere. The key disappeared as Bladescape pressed it against the door.

The first thing they saw was a small room. It was all mid toned wood on the inside, ignoring the stone front wall. The whole building was wood interior except for the stone walls that made up the exterior frame.

Adding some furniture in the front room would make it the perfect place for greeting guests. The only set of doors out was a pair of double doors that brought them into the guild meeting haul. It already had three seats behind a crappy table. The rest of the room was for either standing or creating rows of chairs to sit before the guild’s council.

There were doors off to either side of the wall, close to the front of the room. The dooron the right took them into a small hallway. Straight ahead was the guild storage room It was bigger than Bladescape expected. She thought they would get a boom closest. This was easily 10 times bigger and did come with a few wooden shelves.

If you turned right, you entered the large kitchen. It was designed for large projects, featuring five ovens and three stoves. It had plenty of counter space, cabinets, and two sinks. It also had a large window facing the street. AFCK was already squealing and hopping around.

The other side of the hallway had a room designed for tailoring and crafting. There were three basic wardrobes already against the main wall and several shelves for materials were already mounted on the wall. It had a door that opened to the back. Outside was a small furnace, two anvils, and several basic tables to keep supplies on. It was a small, cramped space under the roof and smashed in between the other buildings, but it worked.

They went back inside and crossed the guild hall to the other door. Everyone was following Bladescape and Knightstar on the tour.The other door opened to a short hallway like on the other side. Straight in front was a shared sink flanked by 2 bathrooms.

The front was a dining hall with another large window that faced the square. The whole guild could easily fit in the dinning hall. There was no more need for crowding around a table or two. At least whenever they could eat in here.

The other side was a spacious room centered around a circular staircase that led to the second floor. The area was definitely designed for relaxing, but like the bulk of the building, it held no furniture. There were three large windows that looked out over the beautiful square. Several windows dotted the rest of the building, but their view was almost immediately the other building across the cramped alleys. The far side of the room held the staircase to the next floor. Under it was three more bathrooms.

On the third floor was the first of the bedrooms. Three bedrooms were towards the front of the building They all had the large forward windows and the front stone of the exterior wall. There was a bathroom in each, the most important feature being a wooden tub for bathing. There rest was unfurnished, not even having curtains. The city had plenty of lights at night. They would need curtains to block the street lamps.

The other half was three bedrooms as well. They were the same except they didn’t have the luxury of nice windows. Theirs were small square ones, unlike the grand front windows. The back windows did have a slightly better view than the second floor ones, since they were up on the third floor. But it was very limited. The buildings behind their headquarters were only two stories.

They climbed the stairs to the fourth floor and found the other set of bedrooms. It mirrored the floor below: Six bedrooms, three facing the front with windows, three to the back with limited vision for their small windows. Each one had a private bathroom and a tub for bathing.

The fifth floor was a fake floor. It was open, but the roof sloped down to the back. It would make using the back half difficult to impossible. But it was open for whatever they needed it for. The front windows were small, but it still was the stone exterior.

All of them were at the top with Bladescape and Knightstar.

“There is one catch,” Knightstar said. “The bedrooms can have 2 players assigned to them, but that is the catch. The rooms will have to be assigned ownership. Obviously we won’t need to double up, but we still have to assign rooms.”

“Right,” Bladescape sighed, picking up on what Knightstar was meaning.

Obviously, some rooms were more desirable than others, specifically the three at the front of the building on the third floor. They had windows that looked out onto the square, while the other windows were small and crappy. At least they all had windows.

“We should draw lots,” Bladescape said. “That way, everyone has a fair chance to get whatever room they want.”

“I don’t mind what room I get,” Doombunny stated.

“Well,” Kiefer hesitated. “I know you guys think of us as a full part of your guild, and we absolutely appreciate it, but we can take the back rooms too. Just being in such a guild, making friends with you all, is enough for us. We get our own rooms. Without you, we would not be clearers, without you, we would be dead. Or, at least we would not be halfway as far as we are.”

“I think our leader should get her pick first,” Thunderborne said. “I may be captain of every sports team at CHS, but Bladescape is our undisputed leader here. And not just because the guild is registered under her. She has kept us together through some seriously tough times.”

“I agree,” Diemond said. “When it comes to working for the guild, its been Bladescape and Knightstar all the way. They deserve their pick first. This is not a time to be timid about it either. Besides,” Diemond squeaked. “I get to design all of your rooms and make the cloth furnishings!”

Bladescape didn’t know what to say. She scratched her head for a moment. “Alright,” Bladescape shrugged. “But that doesn’t diminish the value of any of you. We all are Wondercolts. I guess...I will take the first front room on the Third Floor.”

Everyone looked at Twilight.

“I’ll work best with more natural light,” Twilight said, trying to play with her nonexistent glasses. “I’ll take the middle bedroom at the front of the third floor.”

Astro spoke up. “When it comes to the guild, I think that before we draw lots, our third council member should be chosen. I know, we are not the size of the Knights of the Blood Oath or the Divine Dragon Alliance, but when it comes to dealing with other guilds, it might come in handy.”

“And who should that be?” Backbreaker asked.

“Umm, duh,” Thunderborne chuckled. “You, BB. You and Blade are the most well known players from the Wondercolts. And Knightstar is in solid third for being well known. Her level guides are selling like crazy.”

“You three would make excellent representatives for us,” Diemond added. “Which means you, BB, should get your pick of your room. Then I can start planning on how to decorate it!”

“Aw shucks, y’all,” Backbreaker said, blushing. “Thank you for your confidence in me. I’ll represent us to the best of my ability.”

“So what room will you take?” Diemond asked.

“I guess I should take the third front room on the third floor, shouldn’t I?”

The rooms were set with their ownership. Now the only players who could freely enter them were the owners. Even their guildmates needed permission. Except for the three registered guild leaders. They had override power. Still, Bladescape could leave personal stuff she had in her inventory in her room, without the threat of it being lost or taken. She trusted her guildmates, but it was calming to know it was her own personal space.

They decided to number the rooms by logical desirability. Rooms 1, 2, and 3, were the forward rooms on the third floor, with 1 being closest to the stairs. 4, 5, and 6 were the ones on the back wall. Likewise, 4 was the closest to the stairs. The fourth floor’s 7-12 rooms mirrored the third floor’s system.

Kiefer, Lessa, and Joltron wanted to be together. They were their own little group in the guild, just like how Bladescape and Backbreaker were always together so they could keep their Boss Battle skills sharp. Astro and Thunderborne were hardly ever separate from each other too. It was guildmates being normal people.

Diemond ended up in Room 4. Astro was in Room 5. Thunderborne was beside Astro in Room 6. Doombunny ended up in Room 7. Room 8 was occupied by AFCK. Room 9 was Kiefer. Room 10 was Lessa. And Room 11 went to Joltron. Room 12 was unoccupied since the didn’t have a 12th member.

For now, they were sleeping on their bedrolls. They had no other options, but Bladescape felt the safest she had ever felt since this nightmare started. This was almost perfect. The closest to perfect they could get in here.

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 54– Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 48 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 48 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 51 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search
AFCK (PP): Lvl 48 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor
Diemond (R): Lvl 48 – Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 48 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra)
Astro (PS): Lvl 48 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration
Kiefer: Lvl 45 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging
Lessa: Lvl 45 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing
Joltron: Lvl 45 – One handed Axe – Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging