//------------------------------// // Episode 42 - A Day in the Life of Astro // Story: EQG: Sword Art Online - Aincrad // by Mindrop //------------------------------// Floor 59 April 14 – Year 2 Astro did a kip-up to exit her bed. She stretched out and got herself loose for the day. That included a decent set of bodyweight workouts to get her virtual blood pumping and sharpen her mind. Astro headed down to the second floor and saw Thunderborne bouncing the soccer ball. She slid up, waiting for her to get bored of juggling it. Thunderborne finally kicked it and Astro jumped in. It bounced off her head and into the ceiling. As it dropped down, Astro kicked it as hard as she could. It zipped across the room at a high speed and banged into the wall, inside the painted red “goal.” Astro pumped her fist in victory. She began to do her victory dance. It was over quickly so she could be ready for Thunderborne’s follow-up. But there was none. Astro sighed as the fun was taken away. Diemond was yelling at Thunderborne as she walked away and then slid down the banister. Astro had no idea what had happened. Either way, breakfast was just about ready, so she followed after the angry Diemond. Like Thunderborne, she also took the banister down. It was always the most fun way down the stairs. Thunderborne’s plate had food piled up on it and she was already packing it away. Astro grabbed more than her fair share too. She was going to need it when they hit the Labyrinth. The two of them were on tight leashes after eating too much in their first servings, meaning AFCK had to make more food and worse, they were delayed going into the field. They also were under a short leash for throwing bread at each other. It was only once and it was just a small piece of a loaf. Nothing major, but it was a buzzkill. “Yes, Thunder, you can stop pouting and grab seconds,” Bladescape said. “You too Astro.” As she was getting seconds, Thunderborne spoke up. “Astro, the windmills here are bigger than they are on the first floor. A lot bigger because they are made of stone. Want to ride them later?” “Sure!” Astro shot back before stuffing half a scone into her mouth. “I probably won’t make it, but I am down to try.” “I know who won’t make it,” Thunder chuckled. “BB. Join us, BB!” Astro swallowed the half chewed scone. “Yeah! But she probably will fail. We should go to the first floor. Right?” “Well BB won’t even try to ride the windmills on the first floor!” Thunderborne declared. “She's too afraid to even try and beat me and my ability. I’m not talking speed, I’m talking agility. She obviously has no chance in a foot race.” Backbreaker’s reply didn’t shock Astro. “Thunder, I just don’t care. I’ve told you a hundred times. I don’t care about ridin' windmills. I don’t even get why you would. You won’t goad me into that.” “You just aren't agile enough to do it,” Thunderborne quipped. Astro could tell it was bothering Thunderborne. She knew Backbreaker and Thunderborne had been highly competitive I.R.L. and at the start of the game. She didn’t know why it had stopped. But she would do what she could to help her friend. She too needed competition to keep going in this infernal nightmare. They all rushed off to grab their gear at Bladescape’s orders. She was also not allowed to run, the same as Thunderborne. It had proved to be too disruptive when the speed hogs unleashed themselves in the small headquarters. When the announcement that they were paired up was made, Astro slapped a high five with Thunderborne. It would mean a kill count contest. The rest Astro missed as they were led out to go to Floor 59. That required them to teleport. Astro missed the first wave and Thunderborne got a head start. She leaped up onto the platform. She kept her voice low to not be heard. “Teleport Karluin!” Astro popped out of the Teleport Plaza in Danac where the rest where. She had gotten 4 teleports in before she made the jump to Danac. Thunderborne was out right behind her. Neither of them were missed because of how long it took for them all to teleport to Danac. Thunderborne leaned over to her as they gathered with the others. “Five.” “Dang it!” Astro spat. She couldn’t compete if she wasn’t teleporting at the same time as Thunderborne was. “I got four. Karluin, Urbus, Tolbana, and Taft.” “Urbus, Karluin, Coral, Panareze, and then Granzam.” “Nice,” Astro said. She put her hand low and Thunderborne slapped it. Then she went high and Thunderborne slapped it harder. She tried to set up the fake out, but Thunderborne was too quick and got a solid slap on her hand. They had no game developed for the time it took them to walk out to the Labyrinth. And they had to stay in a group. It took time for some of the others to walk, particularly the Tanks, which only made sense. It was better that they were in a unit, not soloing this nasty game. It was just so boring. Normally, you didn't live 24/7 with your guildmates so there was more chatter about life, but this was their life. Once inside the Labyrinth, it was a boring walk through the catacombs while they got back to where they had left off. But it was essential. Astro knew how essential it was and how hard it was to get to a lot of places in MMORPGs. She would keep her character in an area for a few weeks to not waste the hours it took to get to that part of the map. This was nothing compared to those times. But she also was sitting on a chair at a computer, not in a full dive where her body was being moved by her. Things got exciting when they were being baited in by a shadow. It was a long path to the fight, but it came. The hallway opened up into a nice room lined with pillars, full of shadows and skeletons. The base enemies in any RPG. Bladescape was out first with Backbreaker struggling to keep up. Astro and Thunderborne both knew Backbreaker preferred working with Astro because of her spear’s reach. Thunderborne sprinted off on her own and Astro ran after Backbreaker. On the way, Astro got a leaping double slash on a passing shadow. A spear's slash was typically weak, but the shadows were even weaker. Backbreaker destroyed the first skeleton and Astro was set up behind her. Backbreaker blocked another skeleton and Astro stood up, activating Starfire Protrusion. Her yari, Dragon Tail, slammed into the skeleton, it’s straight crossguard caught the ribs, ramming it back. The jumonji yari design was not a trident. The side bars were straight just like a sword’s crossguard and they were not sharp. Adding to that the long blade of the yari, Astro could keep her feet planted and strike from a distance. Which worked great for going over any Tank. Or beside a Tank if you couldn't go over. Backbreaker got the short end of the deal when it came to the fights. She just got to block and Astro drove the attacks home. Astro and Bladescape. Astro needed to find a way to thank her. But she always forgot after the battles. Thunderborne usually had them doing something. That and Backbreaker was getting quieter and more reserved. Astro thrust her yari as hard as she could, activating Starfire Protrusion. She loved the feeling of standing up and driving an attack home with such power and accuracy. She could only do that with a strong Tank defending her, and Astro’s favorite tank was Backbreaker. However, she worked incredibly well with Joltron, to the point where they were more fluid because Joltron could move more easily than Backbreaker. Diemond was strong, but she wasn't of the same mentality as the other two. The battle was hot and fast. The fluidity of their switching maximized their effectiveness. Even for those like Thunderborne and Bladescape who played it looser with the party’s cohesiveness. The break for lunch was welcomed by Astro. She had actually worked up a bit of a sweat. A good fight always brought on an empty stomach, and AFCK always knew how to solve that problem. Astro chugged the last of the water in the glass bottle. It was time for their vicious game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Astro was down 40 wins. They were about to hit 4000 games. That did concern Astro, but she had been concerned at 500, 1000, 2000, and 3000. Astro threw a Rock and won. She threw a Paper and lost. Back and forth over 42 games. She won a grand total of 18. But a winning streak was right around the corner for her. She just knew it. After they got back to mapping, they had multiple other battles that ended with them running into Fuurinkazan. It was always good to meet up with them. And they were going to map more of the Labyrinth for them the next day. As much as Astro loved working with Backbreaker, she was really wanting to try working with Harry One, their main tank. They were paired up when they did the big clothes sale for Diemond. He was an interesting guy and a good player. Astro wanted to get to know him more. Back home, Astro was left alone as Thunderborne went to her room. She was probably beautifying her toes. Astro had been there when Thunderborne picked the colors. She had her own, but she was still riled up from the fight. It had ended too early. In a normal game, Astro would have a crafting skill or two going, but fighting for her life changed that. It took Astro a while to find the soccer ball. Someone had stashed it under a couch. The trick failed because she had learned to look under the furniture and in the bathrooms. It was a fair trick that Thunderborne and her had earned. Astro took the soccer ball out to the front, exiting the headquarters. She began to juggle it in the main courtyard. It drew a lot of attention as other players marveled at her skill with a soccer ball. It felt good to be ogled by the guys and cheered on by the gentlemen and ladies. After a while she called it quits. She bowed. “Thank you! I enjoyed performing for you. It was fun. But I have to go to bed. It is another early morning for me. Back to the front lines.” She got another round of cheers and Astro knew she was blushing. She bowed in all four directions once more and then went back inside. All that was on her mind was the fight coming in the morning. And Harry One. 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 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – 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 69 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search Joltron: Lvl 73 – 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