Floor 46
December 24 – Year 2
Bladescape stood up. The front line was Floor 49, but she was on Floor 46 at the Ant Hill, barely into December the 24th, alone, grinding XP. The rest of the guild was sleeping, or should be, but soon, they would be doing various things, preparing for the festivities. Most were helping AFCK bake, Diemond decorate, or staying out of their erratic and eccentric ways.
They finally had their headquarters furnished. It had cost them a lot, but they paid for a designer that met Diemond’s standards. Now, the rest of the guild was preparing it for the Christmas Party tomorrow afternoon that would debut it. All of Fuurinkazan had already accepted the invitation. Agil was also going to be stopping in as well. Argo was a maybe, which was no surprise.
Bladescape wasn’t there right now for a reason though. Floor 25 was logistically harder than the previous floors. Floor 50 was going to be even worse. Bladescape was going to be the highest level, fastest fighter, strongest player she could be for the nightmare that was to come. The rest of the Wondercolts had been working hard and gaining levels at an astounding rate, thanks to Knightstar. They were all among the top players in the Assault Team.
That wasn’t enough for Bladescape. They had been trapped in here for over a year. In that year, they hadn’t even gotten to Floor 50, halfway to the goal. In that year, over 2000 players had died; too many by suicide and way too many because they went past their safety margin.
Floor 46 had the hottest grinding spot. A part of the map had caves and canyons, where ants filed out of several ant hills. They gave good XP, had low defense and hit points, but they did have a strong attack. You had to stay alert, especially when training in the middle of the night for hours. Because it was so popular, they had a rule limiting them to an hour per party before they had to go back to the end of the line.
Bladescape switched out with the Black Swordsman, Kirito, and entered the canyon. Only a few players were doing this solo, even at night. It wasn’t hard to do solo. At least not for Bladescape and the few other players like Kirito. The canyons prevented the ants from flanking the players too much.
The next ant came dutifully along and Bladescape unleashed a powerful single hit sword skill, Rapture. The strike had a low delay with high reward. It only made sense as she moved into the higher levels to provide almost a Sword Skill reset. Low cost skills with high power to offset the big difference in stats from the start.
The hour flew by and she switched out. A yawning party of six was next in line. Bladescape ate a cupcake AFCK had made and drank some water before setting an alarm for 90 minutes. It would give her some rest before she was up again.
Bladescape kept it up until mid morning on the 25th. Every few hours she was back in, grinding away and not backing down. The closer to the 25th it got, the less players there were. Bladescape got two solid hours in for her last go because no one was there to switch out. All of the missed sleep proved to be a worthy exchange as she hit level 68. A nice Christmas gift to herself.
Mishe was decorated nicely for the holidays. The NPCs did almost all the work. However, the festivities on the outside of their guild headquarters had been done by the Wondercolts. Diemond had done wonderful work on the decorations.
Bladescape opened the doors and sighed contently as she felt the warmth. Both the warmth of the air and the room. Mishe was cold to put them in the spirit. Again, Diemond had decorated the inside nicely. Much of the usual blue and gold had been switched out for red, green, and gold.
Bladescape stepped into the decorated guild hall and stopped. The temporary holiday set up had meant moving furniture from upstairs to the guild hall to make a nice lounge area for the time not around the dinner table. It was more accessible for food, drink, and a larger social set up. Diemond had even gotten a hold of a fir tree and decorated it, including boxes with presents. Their guests had also already arrived. Fuurinkazan was spread out among the chairs and Agil was also present. Bladescape glanced at her clock and saw she was the one who was late.
“Oops,” Bladescape said, unsure what else to do. Her sword was still visible on her back. Everything she was wearing was battle gear.
“Darling,” Diemond said from where she sat. “In front of your room is a little gift from me." Diemond waved her on gingerly with her fingertips. "Go up and change.”
“Right,” Bladescape chuckled. “I’ll be right back.”
The package outside her door was wrapped nicely in Sunset Shimmer's red and orange, and it had a bow that was the obvious work of Rarity. Bladescape opened the door and stepped inside, tossing the box onto the desk in front of her window. As soon as the door was closed she manipulated her menu and stripped her clothes off. She was just in her basic undergarments the game gave her to keep her modesty. She couldn’t take those off, but it was still exposing. However, Bladescape enjoyed the feeling of virtual near nakedness after the long hours wearing the same battle gear. Especially after sleeping in it.
Bladescape put the armor onto her armor stand to air it out. It didn’t need it, but she enjoyed doing it. It made her feel at ease. The same with hanging up her sword on the wall. She was safe, home, and she didn’t have to leap up and go anywhere. These were the moments she needed in between the long hours slaving away in the field. They always had a dangerous risk, even to the relatively safe leveling she had been doing against the ants.
Bladescape opened the package and found a dress. A dress that was Rarity’s take on her. In a few clicks it was on her body and she took a spin in front of her mirror. It was definitely her. It was a teal dress similar to the one she wore at the crystal ball at the end of Camp Everfree. It was less of a ball gown like that one and was styled more like a relaxed cocktail dress. It was a beautiful dress appropriate for this holiday occasion.
It took nothing for her to do her hair up and pin it with the fancy pin Rarity had provided. The package also had a set of earrings and necklace. They all were her sun symbol, the same one she always wore in real life. The symbol she was aching to wear again, but had set aside for the betterment of the guild. Her friends needed unity; they needed the Wondercolt horse head. They didn't need her sun symbol, but part of her needed the foundation and strength the horse symbol that her friends also wore gave her.
And yet, the jewelry felt extraordinarily good to wear. It felt right. She felt like her, and right now, that was okay. It was Christmas!
Bladescape did another turn in front of the mirror and determined that she was ready. Getting fancy in Sword Art Online was very easy. It was nice, but it did take away some of the charm, and it was a little anticlimactic. Clicking was rather boring.
Downstairs, she was immediately greeted by Klein. “Wow, you look smokin, Babe.” He was holding a mostly drained wine glass in his right hand as he sat, slouched in a chair.
Bladescape rolled her eyes and sat down with the others. Which was the seat over from Klein. Diemond gave her a glass of wine. Alcohol in Sword Art Online was for flavor and atmosphere. There was no way to get drunk. Still, the Wondercolts tended to avoid drinking it outside of special occasions. Boss battle victories were special enough, and Christmas certainly was.
“Where you back at the ant hill?” Klein asked.
“Yeah,” Bladescape sighed. “It was worth it though.”
“Dang. You and Kirito.”
“He left last night, before the evening got too late. I was shocked by that.”
“He went after Nicholas the Renegade, the Flag Mob. He got him too, solo. I’m surprised you girls didn’t. And guys.”
“We get it,” Kiefer shrugged. Rarity had made him a stunning suit that was festive and dashing. Joltron’s was just as dashing and unique as Kiefer’s. “Joltron and I are getting used to answering the general call. It is as it is. Joltron, Lessa, and I are the newcomers. Which is probably outdated because its been a year since Blade saved the three of us.
“Anyway, the seven of them are such good friends in real life, they just call the group girls so they don’t have to say every name. It's so ingrained into habit for them, we got swept up into the whole thing.”
Joltron chuckled. “We got used to being the girl guild. Chick guild, not cool. Girl guild, that’s fine. Its nine girls, two guys, that heavily tips us into the girl guild territory. And there are perks.” Joltron halted Klein. “Not those perks. Perks like these suits. I will never get a suit this nice in the real world.”
“Oh I can redo that I.R.L. easily,” Diemond interjected. “And I gladly will.”
“Perfect point right there,” Joltron grinned. “Amazing food by an expert baker and cook. And a whole lot more. These girls are amazing players and people. So I do not mind being in the girl guild.”
The conversation turned lighter after that. The talk about the game fizzled out pretty quick though. Life was more than just the year in here. Stories of the craziest things they had ever done began flowing. Not all of them had good stories.
“Craziest thing I have ever done was trying to take over my school,” Bladescape said. “We will leave it there. But that is how I became friends with the others. Well, not Knightstar, she joined us later.”
Knightstar immediately followed up. “I tried to take over their school too, during a ‘friendly’ inter-school competition. That’s when I ended up switching schools, because they were amazing girls who helped me recover from my mistakes.”
“Saved a movie,” Thunderborne said before they got sidetracked into the stories about them saving CHS. “Like, saved a big time movie production from going under because of a jealous niece who sabotaged it. And then I got to make my own cameo appearances in it!”
“That was all of us,” Bladescape chuckled. “We all did that.”
Thunderborne huffed, annoyed she didn’t get to reap all of the focus for the movie story.
“Well,” Diemond said. “You have seen some of my work, but outside here I am even better. And the craziest thing I have ever done was that I was the lead designer for a parade. A parade that was way behind schedule for its costumes and! The overseer who hired me kidnapped my friends and I had to save them, and still make sure the parade went off perfectly.”
“We do a lot of weird things,” Backbreaker explained. “We saved a summer camp from a money hungry hound who wanted to turn it from a summer camp into spa resort. It got even more interesting, quick. But that also makes it mighty difficult to explain.”
“We won a battle of the bands,” Doombunny added. “And against a really evil band of girls who just wanted everyone to be angry and unkind. They were real meanies.”
“It was a weird year,” Bladescape chuckled. “A really weird year for a group of high schoolers. We haven’t had time to do anything as crazy or stupid as you guys have pitched.”
“DINNER TIME!!!” AFCK screamed excitedly as she bounded into the room. She was covered in flour.
“Wow,” Agil said. “I have never gotten that dirty cooking in here before. I don’t even know if I have gotten that dirty cooking in the real world. And I own a cafe!”
“Dirty?” AFCK asked, looking at herself. “If you mean the flour, I didn’t get dirty from cooking, this is how I always cook. Flour isn’t optional attire, silly!”
“And that is why you don’t ask AFCK the same question,” Thunderborne poked. “But let’s eat!”
“YAY!” AFCK bounced. “Also, Argo just arrived.”
AFCK ripped opened the guild hall doors that connected to the greeting chamber. Other players could enter the greeting chamber, but they had to be let in further by a guild member. Argo’s hand was up since she was just about to knock when the doors were thrown open.
“Did you all know I was here, or was it just her?” Argo asked, referencing AFCK.
“Just her,” Diemond chuckled. “You will get used it.”
“I hope not to,” Argo stated as she stepped inside. “But nice set up here. You guys bought prime real estate.”
“We moved the furniture from the second floor to here for the party,” Diemond explained. “We never would have found the decorator without your help. She was divine.”
“I’m glad she held up to your standards,” Argo winked.
“Diemond,” Bladescape said standing up. “Why don't you show our guests to the dining room. We will go help AFCK bring everything over."
AFCK had outdone herself. Besides several types of meats and poultry, none of which existed in real life, she had fish, a vegetable stew, a few pasta dishes, multiple sides, and the pies were cooling off. AFCK had somehow mastered keeping food warm longer than it was supposed to keep.
The wine and ale stock was steadily going down as they neared the end of the feast. They had cleaned the table off well, ensuring there would be no left overs to eat later. The guys in Fuurinkazan could really put it away. They could go toe to toe with Astro, Thunderborne, and Backbreaker. Agil was also a strong competitor for that.
“I have never had such good food in the game before,” Klein praised. The rest of Fuurinkazan mirrored his statement.
“Man, that was way better than last Christmas,” Agil added. “I really must give compliments to the chef.”
“Awwwww,” AFCK sighed both thankfully and sadly. “But thanking the chef usually means goodbyes.”
“I do need to go,” Argo said, standing up. “My life doesn’t stop. Many of the players are still active today.”
“Wait,” Diemond said, jumping up happily. “I wanted to give our guests something.” Diemond opened her window and a set of small boxes popped into her arms. “I just started a new skill, jewelry making. Don’t feel bad, I have a lot of extra ones laying around right now. But these were the best. We can’t possibly use them all, so I wanted to share the love.
“I don’t know what you already have, so if you can’t use it, sell it. I won’t be hurt. I just enjoy giving my heart and being generous to all who can use it!”
“Wow,” Agil said holding up a ring. “This enchantment is quit good for a new skill. I typically don’t wear any jewelry, opting to sell the pieces instead. I run a business after all. But this, I will keep this for personal use. Thanks Diemond.”
“Dang,” was all Argo said, picking up her necklace. It was a swirl of gold and silver holding a blue gem in the center. “This is really good. Especially for a new skill.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Klein stammered. “Absolutely unbelievable. This upgrades one of my rings by a good amount. I didn’t even know you could make enhancing jewelry. This game really does have an unlimited set of skills.”
“Several players are near, if not maxed, in the skill,” Argo dryly stated. “It has been a year already.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Bladescape said, standing up.
Argo had been ready for a while. She still didn’t like crowds, despite having dealt with half the guilds and major players at some point. She was no stranger to Agil or Klein. She was a well known hermit of sorts.
“Thanks for coming,” Bladescape said as she showed her out.
“Thanks for having me. This was a lot better than last year. I was eating half stale bread in the field as I worked to figure something out on Floor 4.”
After showing Argo out, Bladescape discovered the party had shifted back to the guild hall. It was nice having guests over, and it was a holiday. They all had earned a break. The morning would bring the death game back into focus.
Eventually, Diemond showed Agil out, who was the last guest to leave. It had gotten late. He was definitely missing his wife this Christmas. Despite the shop and all he had to do, he delayed leaving and heading back to an empty home, and the memories of a wife and another missed Christmas.
“Don’t go anywhere,” Diemond told the Wondercolts. “You didn’t think I would just give you those outfits, do you? The presents under the trees are not just for decoration. Although, I admit, many of the box sizes will be deceiving. I chose the sizes for the atmosphere.”
Joltron, Kiefer, Lessa, and Astro all got necklaces with finely etched gemstones that had their own symbols, just like the Wondercolts. The Wondercolts also got their own, but they were nearly exact copies of the geodes they had back in the real world. Each necklace boosted their personal stats, as close to how they were in the real world. The girls were given: Strength for Backbreaker, Speed for Thunderborne, Skill Delay reduction for Bladescape, Defense for Doombunny, Critical Attack for Diemond, Health for Knightstar, and Agility for AFCK. Their non magical friends got: Defense for Kiefer with a katana on his, Critical Attack for Astro with a soccer ball on hers, Strength for Joltron with a shield on his, and Attack for Lessa with crossed swords on hers.
A round of cheers went up and Backbreaker picked up her almost empty wine glass. “A toast to such an amazing and generous friend. One who keeps us alive and gives us her all!”
The toast was the last one of the night. It had gotten really late. It was going to be a 9am start for them. A bit late, but a good start time.
Bladescape (SS): Lvl 68 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 60 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 63 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 65 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts
AFCK (PP): Lvl 63 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon
Diemond (R): Lvl 62 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 60 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 63 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry
Kiefer: Lvl 60 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 60 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 60 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation