//------------------------------// // Episode 33 - Flowers // Story: EQG: Sword Art Online - Aincrad // by Mindrop //------------------------------// Floor 47 – Front Line 58 March 30 Floor 47 – Front Line 58 – March 30 Floor 47, 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 22, it hadn't been that strange, but with the butterflies flittering right in front of her, her behavior was decidedly odd. "Fluttershy?" Bladescape asked. "Are you okay?" "Mhm. Why?" "Um, well, 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." "Well, 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 Laughing Coffin running around. 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. "Your run in with them was unexpected. I know that. But it still doesn't change anything. My friend came under direct attack. This death game has us all. Plenty have died because of that man's choice to turn this beautiful, amazing piece of engineering, creativity, and art into this. But he didn't directly attack any players. He told us to conquer and we could be free. All of us, without any catch. Without harming us in any way. I know the tally is over 3,000 players dead. "But Laughing Coffin is different. They broke that code we held so dear. They intentionally made this a real 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. "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." "My ears are always open if you need someone to talk to." The hug finished and they once again surveyed the area. "Do you know what we are looking for exactly?" Doombunny asked. "Sort of. I know they are in the north fields and golden in color. I only need their petals. And I know that they are outside any safe zones." "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. They departed north. It was an easy walk as they went through the fields. Out of Floria, the flowers were not kept by anyone and grew wildly. A larger variety were sewn between the various monsters that popped up. There were a lot of grabby vines, lapping tongues, and chomping teeth as they popped out of the ground. They didn’t stand a chance though. It was just a stroll on a beautiful day through the park, with the need for a blade only every so often. Soon enough they reached the area Bladescape had been told to look. The entire field was covered in Giganthum flowers. Hundreds, laid out in golden orbs on a field of dark green. Bladescape walked over to the first Golden flower. It looked like a water Lilly, but on dry ground. It had no stalk and only a few green leaves spread out under the petals, lying on the ground, fighting for sunlight with the other flowers. 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 passed out. 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 wheeze. "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 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. "Well, the Beast Tamer Charms, the ring, Mirror Familiar, Colorra can't be poisoned. She is marked in the system as being resistant to all drugs. 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 solo collect everything? You have been better with me as your partner." Bladescape sighed, letting all the breath out before taking a new one and explaining. "Yeah. But I was trying to avoid bringing anyone into it. It's for me, and it's not something Diemond can make for me, but not because of skill. I'm don't like that I have to have armor made for me that isn't from my friend. She worked so hard to get where she is, but she doesn't know enough about the more exotic materials to know how to combine them. The ones that only exist in Aincrad. The apprenticeship is great for her, but there are so many different types of materials that can be made into countless other items and equipment. She's out of her league as a first timer. I feel bad about all of this." Doombunny was sweet, but frank. "Well, Diemond doesn't see it that way, so neither should you. She cares more about our safety than who makes the equipment. She loves to do it, and will whenever possible. But she isn't dumb enough to risk our lives over her pride. "So 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, but then Doombunny had to fill a sack. And they needed 30 sacks. Doombunny had to go back to Bladescape to get more sacks and repeat the process multiple times before they finally filled 30. Most of the day had been spent on the flowers. It wouldn’t be a long walk back. They just needed the flax thread. Another easy task, but this one had more players using it with no known risks, outside of boredom. Bladescape messaged Ashley: Dagannoth hides acquired, Blue Stones picked, Giganthum Flower Petals captured. I just have the flax to get. Also, the flowers are extremely poisonous. A message came back a minute later. Wonderful. Although I just discovered a stronger threading I can make. But it would require you to go to Floor 42 and capture the silk of the Star Spiders. They inhabit the Castle of the Two Kings in the south east forest. The choice is yours, but the spider thread will be better. Bladescape sighed and turned to Doombunny. “Looks like we are detouring from flax thread to go for spider silk. Floor 42, in the Castle of the Two Kings.” “Okay,” Doombunny shrugged. The walk back was easy. Bladescape and Doombunny had been tracking a party of 6 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 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. They were not Laughing Coffin. Their gear was normal with no excess black. And their faces were visible. "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 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. Like a fly buzzing around your head. Still, players like Kirito had a lot of the stigma hanging around them. And Bladescape was well armed and ready for battle. She was probably putting off the wrong vibe. "What does this Floor have to offer someone like yourself?" "Flower petals," Bladescape shrugged. "For a project. They can be used to make a die for fabric." "Is that right?" He asked, surprised. "Easy to get?" "If you know what you are doing," Bladescape nodded. "But dangerous if you don't." "Not something easy to buy though?" 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 6 on 1. Just hand over your Col and the Flowers and that will cover the toll." "So it is going to play out like that," Bladescape said, letting her annoyance shine through. "Let me pass or you will regret it. "I bet it took you a while for you all to be green again, didn't it? Better green than dead. And if I hear about your guild roughing up other players, I will come back and haul you to jail myself." "He he," 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. Bladescape sighed, crossing her arms. "Do your worst. I'm ready." Bladescape didn't reach for her sword. She just stood there. A tense three seconds later the spear was thrust into her. The curved blade shined blue and ran her through. Bladescape didn't flinch. 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. Her attackers, who now had orange cursors, stepped back. Bladescape shrugged. They looked over her, 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. But what they could throw at her was still less than her Battle Regeneration skill auto regenerated during combat. Bladescape purposefully did a big yawn as they attacked her, even going as far as to cover her mouth and stretch. She still didn't reach for her weapon. "You know," Bladescape shrugged. "I still have some material to gather. This task was supposed to be easy. I guess I'll have to sidetrack from that for a bit." "What do you mean!" their leader demanded. "What do you mean by sidetrack!" "The Black Iron Palace has a prison for players like you. The Army runs it. I hear you get three meals a day, all the nap time you want, and you are protected from 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 took a good-sized hit from the cuts. Doombunny was far above their levels and her weapons were now 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. 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 ways from the small roll in the terrain. Bladescape turned and saw a party of 14 running at them. They were in a hurry, but it was only to get to them. It wasn't to fight. "What's going on?" the same guy who called out asked. "These players attacked us," Bladescape explained nonchalantly. "Just prepping them for transportation to prison." "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? Like a Wondercolt? That's their horse head symbol you wear on your armor." "Yeah," Bladescape nodded. "I am Bladescape. And that is Doombunny." "Hi," Doombunny nervously smiled and waved at them. "I didn't see her there," the first one said, a bit unnerved. "The snake," Bladescape shrugged. "Beast Tamers are legit." "Just the two of you?" he asked. "Getting materials," Bladescape said. "For a crafting project. But these guys thought they could take me. They didn't see her either. Once they chose to go orange, we put a stop to it so no one got hurt." "Need help?" He asked. "We're heading back to Floria too." Bladescape could see they were not in the same guild as the orange players. "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 prey on others." With backup, it was easy to move them. Doombunny used antiparalysis drafts to unlock them from that shackle. They could freely move them under guard. 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 they would kill them without hesitation. Back at the Town of Beginnings they marched them from the teleport plaza towards the palace. "I haven't been back in... ever," Bladescape said. "This place is a distant memory." "Yeah," the leader of the guild assisting them 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, 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." 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 who the chairs belonged to entered. The council member on the far left was one Bladescape recognized, Kaibou. Since Floor 25’s disaster, which he led, the rest of the Aincrad Liberation Squad had teamed up with MMO Today and became the Aincrad Liberation Force, informally known as the Army., "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. We are here to hear the case and sentence the players in question. Just to be safe. We keep a tight grip on who is here and why." "Understood and appreciated," Bladescape said with a short bow. She remembered to do that honor this time. "My name is Bladescape, the leader of the Wondercolts. With me is my guildmate Doombunny." With their introductions finished, she launched into the explanation of their run in with the accused; the HAM guild. The other guild leader explained what he saw and what happened. "I see," Thinker said. "Their orange cursors are undeniable. And your reputation as a clearing guild precedes you greatly. Especially your work ethic and reliability. 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. "Take them away!" Thinker declared. "I think it is clear to everyone here what you are trying to do. To both guilds, thank you for your assistance. I assure you, we will keep them locked up and make sure they live out the rest of their time here in safety and they will be well taken care of. We are here to protect the everyday citizen as well as all of the players. This service is free. I wish we didn't have to provide it, but we do. However, we will barter better beds and food for their equipment and gear. We need funding somehow, and they won't be needing any of it." "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. We are upgrading my armor. I have had too many distractions by people attacking me. Unfortunately, there was no way for me to safely take in the Laughing Coffin members who decided to jump me. I just had to calmly leave the scene. They were too dangerous to handle alone." "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." "I'm glad to report my safety," Bladescape replied. "I was already exhausted from hunting a high-level monster for their hide and then an angry boss for hunting them. I had no time or energy to play around. The only good thing was that they were not looking for me. Our meeting was a coincidence. Whatever they were doing, I disrupted it." They bid their final goodbyes and thanks and departed. The other guild departed as well. Bladescape checked in with Knightstar about their status. AFCK was not in the labyrinth today. She was going to whip up a meal to thank their compatriots. They were more than happy to accept a free meal in thanks for their assistance bringing in the orange players. Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry Knightstar (TS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 71 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 74 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics AFCK (PP): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument Diemond (R): Lvl 71 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry Doombunny (FS): Lvl 68 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal Astro (PS): Lvl 71 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry Kiefer: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts Lessa: Lvl 68 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search Joltron: Lvl 72 – 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 – Extended Weight Carry