Floor - 52 - Front Line Floor 62
June 12 - Year 2
Bladescape and Doombunny were sitting in a charred tree on Floor 52. They were relaxing and enjoying some yellow frosted cupcakes with pink butterfly sprinkles after training Doombunny's Fencer Skill for several hours. It was a well deserved rest. As they relaxed a pack of the black wolves had found them and was snapping and snarling, waiting for them to come down. Colorra was coiled around a branch, ready to drop and destroy them, but for now, it didn't matter.
Bladescape's Search Skill notified her something had broken the passive field she had set up while they took their break. She looked in the direction of the breech. It took a moment for her eyes to catch the single player, dressed all in black and well disguised in the ash landscape. She was behind in registering everything as he closed the distance with a speed that would make Thunderborne nervous. Kirito ran a wolf through and then easily killed each of them as they turned to tear their new target apart. It was a ferocious speed she had seen multiple times when Kirito was defending other players in a boss fight. There was no mercy because they were shown none by this "game."
He looked up at them. "Are you guys alright? Why are you in a tree? Why didn't you tele-" Kirito finally recognized them and their armor, and he wasn't happy. "Wait! What are you doing up there‽ There’s no way you guys were in trouble."
Bladescape dropped out of the tree, leaving Doombunny sitting in it, kicking her dangling legs a bit for fun. Her sweet, soft side was being portrayed, outside the bandanna tied around her forehead which made her look fierce. Bladescape held up the picnic basket to Kirito.
"Cupcake?" She offered. "AFCK baked them fresh this morning. I've seen your face after trying one. You liked it."
Kirito casually reached in and pulled one out. He took a bite and shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a guy. A growing boy needs his food. And her cupcakes are divine. But, that still doesn't answer the question of why you were up in that tree with the wolves trying to tear your legs off."
"I'm with Doombunny, helping her train. She speed kills the wolves, leveling up really fast. She did it solo for a bit, but it is better when I am with her. It's the best way to work on her Fencer skill-"
"Right," Kirito interrupted. "The double daggers she had in the nightmare of a boss fight against the Necromancer."
"Yes," Bladescape nodded. "It’s her first defensive skill. Anyway, we take breaks in the trees, and if a group is below us, Colorra drops out of the tree and destroys them. She is a tree snake after all.
"However, that doesn't explain you. The assistance was appreciated, especially your reaction to make sure we were safe, without knowing who we were. But you are a solo player, and the ashen wastes of Floor 52 is one the most dangerous places to be alone. Doombunny at least had Colorra for backup when she did this alone. But you don't have any form of backup."
Kirito sheathed his black sword on his back. His words were somber and once again had a frosty edge to them. "Why I am here doesn't matter. Just as long as you are safe. That is all that matters."
"Yeah, well, it doesn't make any sense," Bladescape prodded. "This place has no substantial grinding spots, unless you are like Doombunny, but otherwise, it's ash and black dragons." As soon as Bladescape said it, she knew why he was there. "So why are you after black dragons. And alone."
Kirito sighed. "I need a new coat. Ashley is making me one of black dragonhide."
Bladescape's smile was more of a smirk. "Oh, changing up your look are we?"
"No," Kirito flatly replied. "Same look. Same jacket, just a different material to make it better and stronger for the next set of Floors."
"Not a bad choice," Bladescape admitted. "And your all black look has grown on me. But those dragons are no joke. They often are not alone. You need backup. Get Klein and Fuurinkazan out with you at least. I'm sure they would be glad to help. Or wait a few days and I can have a party of Wondercolts to join your side. Don't be stupid about this. I would know. I almost died trying to get the materials for my armor. It's not worth it."
"That was Laughing Coffin. It's a big difference between them and a few dragons."
"Wrong!" Bladescape snipped. She had been ready for him to make that mistake. "I almost died fighting the Dagannoths. They were my real problem, and my prideful mistake. Especially when their flag boss showed up. I should have had at least Astro with me. The swamp didn't allow for a full party, but we can put together a full party to back you up. So let's do that."
"I'm not you," Kirito replied. It was a cold stab. "I can handle it."
"Like hell you can!" Bladescape argued back. "I've seen you fight. Yeah, you are good, but there are things a solo player can't do. Or shouldn't. Black dragons are one of them. Soloing a dungeon is different than soloing a single, overpowered creature. You can take the materials you need if we get them. I don't care. We need you alive, because whether others like it or not, you are a great swordsman who we need in order to make it out of this hell. You are a staple on the front lines and losing you will hurt our momentum, and our morale."
Bladescape crossed her arms, getting really serious. "And if you disappeared while trying to get the black dragon hides, I would blame myself."
Kirito stared Bladescape down. Bladescape felt like he was trying to pierce her soul with his eyes. He was out of words, so he tried to break her down in a clash of wills.
"Incoming!" Doombunny exclaimed, jumping down out of the tree. She pointed into the sky. "We have been spotted by a dragon. Three is a crowd which is why no one else comes with us. Even if Bladescape does not have the Hide Skill, we go unnoticed. Mostly because we stay south. But that one has a longer targeting range!"
The contest of wills was over. There was a good chance Doombunny would have to run, but Bladescape had no intention of leaving Kirito exposed. She would show him why he should use a party for this task.
Bladescape drew Harmonic Salvation and set the blade towards the incoming dragon. Kirito also drew his black blade. Doombunny wasn't being left out of it, not yet. She had her parrying dagger out and drew Endbringer, her poisoned blade.
"Run!" Kirito ordered them. "Run or teleport out. I have it. I came prepared. You are not."
"We are too!" Bladescape shot back before she mentally took a tally of their healing supplies. They would be enough to handle a single black dragon.
Bladescape checked with Doombunny. Colorra was on her shoulders, ready for battle. Doombunny gave a slow, sure nod, indicating that she was in and ready to fight. Daggers and poison were not a good combination for a black dragon, but Bladescape had faith in her friend. She had shown a lot of growth and skill over the past month. Doombunny could figure out how to best attack the large, powerful, fire breathing beast.
They watched the large dragon cruise towards them at a good speed. The claws, teeth, and spines were a white ivory that contrasted well with the black color. As it came in closer, Bladescape realized something was wrong, and so did Kirito beside her. It had been a lot further away than they thought. The name popped up, and it wasn't something generic. "King Black Dragon" showed up and so did five health bars.
They didn't have time to react as it belted fire from where it was in the sky. Bladescape stepped forward, spinning Harmonic Salvation. It was a simple, but effective, Weapon Defense Skill that helped deflect things coming at her. Kirito was using something similar against the washing flames.
It worked, partially. Bladescape seized up as the flames rolled around and burned her. She felt them crawling and chewing at her body. It would have been third degree burns in real life, if not something that killed her. Still, her health only dropped just into the red.
It was enough health to allow Bladescape to retaliate. She finished the defensive skill with the tip of her blade almost in the ash and then she swiped it up, leaping as high as she could. The blade glowed orange as she performed a leaping slice. The blade slashed the underbelly of the dragon. It wasn't a heavy hit, but it was enough to make it roar in pain and drop to the ground to protect its softer underbelly.
Bladescape immediately used a red crystal to heal herself. Her health leaped to full, but the choice to heal herself meant she was distracted, just for a second. The King Black Dragon whipped his tail around. It slammed into Bladescape's chest, forcing the air, and motivation, out of her as she went sailing and her health dropped back in the red. She hit the ground and bounced. After the third roll she lost her hold on Harmonic Salvation.
Doombunny hadn't run. She had avoided the flames, which meant it was time for her to switch in. With a roar she brought the dragon's attention back to her as she charged him. He roared and snapped at her, intending to bite her head off. Doombunny slipped low, enough that she could raise the parrying dagger. The outside guard slid along the dragon's jaw, protecting her hand like a shield would have, and then the tip dug in between the scales as the dragon's forward movement pinched the blade into its neck. While that did a minute amount of damage, Doombunny was more focused on her real attack. Endbringer glowed black as she ran a series of close slashes along the underside of the extended and exposed neck. Each time she hit ten the skill ended, but she strung them along two more times. A dangerous tactic being so close to the dragon. But it knocked off a noticeable chip of HP and the Poison Symbol popped up above the health bars.
Kirito came in, driving "Rage Spike" to the chin of the dragon, snapping its head up. His delay was negligible because it was a low-level strike. It let him jump forward, past Doombunny and unleash "Deadly Sins" at the lower chest of the dragon, an exposed, sensitive area.
Bladescape wasn't out of the fight as she got up and ran to Harmonic Salvation. She grabbed the blade without breaking stride and chugged a health potion. Her Battle Regeneration Skill helped get up her health back into the Yellow. The dragon was distracted with Doombunny and Kirito. It took a few steps back from being struck in the chest by Kirito, something it didn't like.
They were able to fall back as Bladescape ran up to the dragon from behind. She charged right up its flank and then flipped her sword around, driving the blade into its back. She held on as the dragon thrashed under the pain. As it stopped and pulled its head around, Bladescape pulled the blade out and unleashed "Stumbling Spark." It was a 6 hit combination attack from her new skill, Greatsword. It sliced down at an angle which would be, for a human, a strike low at the legs. But on the dragon's back there were no stones to clip and make sparks, the blade just dug six slices through its flesh.
The dragon leaped in pain, causing him to throw Bladescape. She landed, hard, in the ash. The ash had the odd ability to move when you didn't need it to, and not move when you did. Bladescape couldn't move from the fall. She had come in, shoulder first, and was out of breath, laying on her chest. She lost the ability to recover or even breath as the King Blade Dragon put his front foot on her and went to bite her head off.
It roared in pain, stepped back, off of Bladescape, as Kirito drove an attack home on the other side. Bladescape had only a little HP left, but she felt a surge in her body, despite the lack of air in her lungs. She pushed up and grabbed Harmonic Salvation. The attack was savage, targeting the leg that had been holding her down. It left a long red gash on the foreleg that would make the dragon think twice. But it left her shoulder in extreme pain from the fall and then swinging the heavy blade.
The fire was swept from Kirito to Bladescape. She had no chance to get any form of defense up. With no breath in her lungs, pain over all her body, she stood there, leaning against Harmonic Salvation to stay up. Her heart stopped as Bladescape knew this was the end. She had felt the flames a few minutes before, she knew they would make her see "Game Over."
Sunset Shimmer had no regrets. She was only concerned that her friends would soon see the same screen without her.
The flames licked at her body and washed around her armor. As good as it was, the armor couldn't stop the damage from the fire breath. The HP bar slid down with tremendous speed as the last of her HP was sucked away. Bladescape closed her eyes as the HP gauge turned fully grey, but nothing happened. She opened her eyes and saw the gauge was just above yellow.
A scream of terror and pain pieced the ashen wasteland. Bladescape snapped her head to the left and saw Doombunny backpedaling with a horrible scream as she also took the fire. She had used a red crystal to heal Bladescape an instant before she lost her last bit of health. But she was being burned for it. The dragon had seen her. Bladescape saw her HP drop. It wasn't Bladescape's time to see "Game Over," it was Doombunny's. She was too far away for Bladescape to do anything. Doombunny had seized up from the fire's grip. As Bladescape saw Doombunny's HP gauge in the party's status potion of her vision go fully grey, it leaped back up to green and then slid down as the fire breath attack finished. Doombunny had activated a health crystal on herself, just in time.
Kirito unleashed a series of attacks that drew the full attention of the dragon. Its head snapped over to him, forgetting the two of them. For being a powerful dragon, and flag mob, it was easy to draw the aggro.
Doombunny roared and began to glow. Colorra came out of the ash and wrapped herself around Doombunny's torso, not mounting her shoulders. Doombunny leap forward, low, and dagger glowing yellow. She slid under the belly, in the little space available, and unleashed a Beast Tamer Sword Skill, Sidewinder. It was a set of stabs with several slashes like a snake bobbing around to make multiple strikes. She dashed out on the other side to where Kirito had been.
Bladescape charged forward after her, yelling her own roar and then unleashing a long slash on the shoulder of the dragon. She twisted so the followup slash struck across the foreleg she had already injured. The red slashes crossed as the dragon roared into the air.
Bladescape bolted as soon as the short delay was over. She dashed to a safe area and slid, kicking up ash as she stopped by Kirito's and Doombunny's sides. They were some distance from the King Black Dragon. It would give them the moment to plan.
"Run!" Kirito ordered them. "I can handle him."
"Are you kidding! Bladescape exclaimed. "We just did all that to run? It's down a third on the first HP Bar. I don't think so! You and I have fought side by side in every boss battle from the second floor on! You fought my clone! You and I finished the Floor 50 boss side by side! You know what I can do. What we can do together. We are not leaving you."
Kirito's brow furrowed a bit and he set his jaw. His question was calm, but firm. "Then, if you are going to stay, I have a favor to ask. You are a reputable guild and reputable players. I've never heard a bad thing about any of your members. I never even believed the rumors about Doombunny."
"Ask and it is yours," Bladescape said. "As long as we can take this boss down."
"You can't tell anyone, not even your closest guild members," Kirito added as he watched the dragon begin to stomp towards them.
"We are Wondercolts," Doombunny declared. "We will keep your secret."
The dragon was stomping closer to them, fixated on the three of them. Kirito's menu popped up and he made a few clicks. Suddenly another sword appeared on his back, crossed so it was over his left shoulder. He reached up and drew it. It was an unadorned steel blade. There didn't appear to be anything special about it. By its looks, it probably was a random drop of decent quality.
"Kirito," Bladescape stammered as she saw him holding a blade in each hand like it was natural. "Is that a Unique Skill?"
"Yeah," Kirito nodded.
The King Black Dragon roared and pulled his head back to unleash more flames.
Bladescape went left, sword already glowing. "I want a brief explanation after we kill this dragon!"
"You got it!" Kirito yelled back as he charged.
Unique Skill or not, they were three against perhaps the most feared Flab Mob. Level 80 or not, the normal black dragons were rumored to be in the 160's. Twice was Bladescape had. And that was just the normal black dragons.
The King Black Dragon's information and stats was unknown, and Bladescape couldn't see that information, even with her search skill being maxed. A player could kill another with a thrust of a sword in the right spot, even if that player was the same level as them. The fire the dragon was breathing probably meant it was at least three times the level Bladescape was. The jaws would be instant death. The claws would shred even her armor. There was no margin for error. And yet, Bladescape had no doubt they would beat it. The game had already given them its worst.
Bladescape had no idea where Doombunny had gone, but she had been on the other side of Kirito as they moved out. She pulled Harmonic Salvation above her head as it began glowing dark green. She let the skill go, slashing at the left shoulder. The King Black Dragon snaked its neck to bite her. Bladescape triggered the next Sword Skill, swinging the sword up and into the jaw of the dragon, rocking its head off to the side like a ball hit off a bat. From the far side Bladescape heard Kirito yell, unleashing his own combination into its side as he took advantage of the opening.
Doombunny slipped up from where she was crouched down. She went out, quietly, staying low with her parrying dagger out and ready to deflect anything, not that it would be able to do much if the dragon swung its tail at her. Colorra was useless in a fight against a dragon. The scales were too thick, even at the underbelly, but she led Doombunny into the weakest point she could find: the back heel and rear haunch of the dragon's back right leg. Doombunny let loose Viper on the crook between the leg and the haunch, where the thick hide transitioned to the underbelly. It was a critical hit which jumped the dragon forward in shock.
He turned on Doombunny, but he never got the chance as Bladescape unleashed Crescent Moon, a Greatsword skill that swept in a heavy slash from low to high. It cut through the dragon's hide and left Harmonic Salvation positioned above Bladescape's head. It was exactly where she needed it and Bladescape triggered Avalanche.
Before the King Black Dragon could focus on his new target, Bladescape, Kirito hit him with a Dual Blade Sword Skill that spun him around, trailing his swords in a wide circular arc to hit the dragon twice. They kept it up, each hammering the dragon from three different angles, splitting his attention. It was dangerous, but they had no choice but to push the offensive or suffer an attack they probably wouldn't survive. Without seeing each other, they switched in, using the dragon and the battle cries of each other to gauge when they needed to attack.
It didn't mean they were free from injury. They took their beatings, but the split attention saved them. They had found a sort of exploit, because no one in their right mind would attack the King Black Dragon, or any black dragon, without a few tanks and damage dealers. His algorithms were not designed to handle being split among three flanking opponents that never stopped the assault, that never stopped moving and dancing around.
Doombunny got kicked while attacking the back of a rear foot. She didn't get hit with any claws, which saved her. Kirito's Crossed Swords Skill blocked a swipe from the claws, but one hooked around to hit his shoulder. Only Bladescape's attack on the other side saved him from a follow up strike and his own death. Bladescape received a tail whip to her back in retaliation.
As its HP was chipped off over the forty-five minutes they fought, Doombunny had tried to paralyze the dragon, but it failed. Bladescape was too focused to apply more poison to Harmonic Salvation. Still, the poison Doombunny kept stabbing him with did its job. It was slow and steady, acting as a fourth, ghost warrior. It did more damage than they could easily track.
Doombunny scored another critical attack as she slid through the ash under his tail and slashed at his soft rear. She was switching sides as she had done several times. Bladescape saw the dragon stumble and jumped in. She was targeting its front right leg, which she had been working on throughout the battle. It finally was severed.
The dragon opened his wings and raised off his front legs to balance and compensate for the missing limb. The flapping wings were not an attack, but they put a lot of force on Bladescape. The last health bar was in the red. Kirito shifted to the front and unleashed his Duel Blades with a loud yell, "STARBURST STREAM."
His stamina was impressive. Single sword slashes, uppercuts, spins, horizontal slashes with both swords, and X crossing cuts. The Sword Skill was designed to be a finisher.
Bladescape had lost count but he was over a dozen hits into the combo. Kirito performed an uppercut slash with the left sword, dragging a long red line across the King Black Dragon's chest. He had him where he wanted him. The dragon was finished.
The slash never fished as Kirito's regular blade snapped halfway through the uppercut. Bladescape couldn't actually hear the crystal crack as she saw it break and then shatter into polygons, but her mind added it over the angry roar of the dragon. Bladescape had never had a sword break on her. From Kirito's facial expression, neither had he. The broken sword shattered in his hand, leaving it empty and canceling the skill.
The dragon lunged to bite him in half and Bladescape charged forward. She wouldn't make it in time, she knew that. The dragon roared in pain and snapped its neck as it thrashed. It dropped to the ground to try and regain its balance, but it didn't. Bladescape kept moving forward as she raised Harmonic Salvation to take advantage of the moment. As Bladescape triggered Star Rift, a Greatsword Skill similar to Avalanche but with a lot more force to the blade as it came down, she saw Colorra drop from the head of the King Black Dragon. She glanced over to where the snake had come from and saw the red mark on the eye of the dragon where the cobra had sunk its fangs into it. The one place Colorra could actually pierce him. Bladescape couldn't stop the attack, so she roared and gave it her all as she brought Harmonic Salvation down on the neck of the dragon. The blade sliced through the virtual flesh, decapitating the dragon's head, ending the battle, and stopping its tail whip at the stunned Kirito.
The entire dragon exploded in a shower of fragmented polygons that didn't sound like a normal death of a creature. It was deeper and more of a blast. But it didn't matter because it was over. A bit over an hour later, it was over.
Bladescape saw her menu pop open with the drop list on top of it was the Last Attack Bonus for killing the Flag Mob Boss. The King Black Dragon was no joke. Bladescape moved past it to glance through the drop list. It was an interesting drop list, but it did include a ton of Col and XP. Dragon Treasure was one way to describe the amount of Col she got.
Doombunny appeared by Bladescape's side. "Let's get in a tree and take a break," she panted. She turned to Kirito with a smile. "Come on Kirito, let's eat and get a break. We have plenty of food, water freshened with fruit, and more cupcakes."
Kirito was somber, still trying to feel the shattered sword with his left hand as he sheathed his black sword. He finally turned to them, flashing a smile to mask his pain. "Alright. That sounds like a good idea." Kirito sat down on the ash.
"Nope!" Bladescape said. "The wolves are still here." She offered him her hand. "There is a reason why you found us in a tree."
Bladescape helped Kirito up and they shuffled off a bit further south where they found a dead tree that would hold them all and give them a way to relax without worrying about falling out. Kirito was exhausted, rightly so, but he still made getting in the tree look like child's play. His agility was amazing. They all settled down into comfortable spots on the branches where they could relax after the fight.
Bladescape pulled out another picnic basket with food and water. She grabbed a sandwich and water and passed it to Kirito. He grabbed some and Colorra took the basket from him to bring it to a very tired Doombunny.
"There is a reason I don't do boss fights," Doombunny groaned. "I don't know how I didn't die. I had to be in the single digits when I healed myself as I got burned."
"I can't believe you survived that," Bladescape said with a nervous chuckle. "I saw you go down. All the way in that fully grey bar and then you leaped back to life."
That was all that was said. They ate in peace for a bit.
"I guess fair is fair," Kirito suddenly said. "Not too long ago, while looking for a new skill to select, I saw one I had never seen before, Dual Blades. There were no prerequisites from what I can tell. I keep an eye out, but no one is talking about a skill for dual wielding. Fencer was recently popped around a bit, but quickly denied as a true dual wielding skill."
"Wow," Bladescape said. "That is really cool. And it saved our butts out there. I see why you were so confident. But you almost died, a few times. It's a good thing we were there too. And if that sword had broken on you solo, it would have been a big problem."
"It would have," Kirito admitted with a wry smile. He flipped the tables immediately. "I heard about Doombunny's Fencing skill. I didn't see it, but I heard Commander Heathcliff even ask her directly about it. Especially about her duel wielding blades. I'm certain he doesn't believe her understanding of the skill, just like I do."
"What do you mean?" Doombunny groaned from where she was cradled in between a split branch.
"I'm fairly certain that your Fencing Skill is a unique skill," Kirito said. "After watching you today, it's not because you maxed your dagger. How long has it been maxed?"
"Umm," Doombunny thought. A few weeks before I hit level 70. I wasn't looking at my skills quite then. Not until right before I hit 70. I was looking for a defensive skill since I still didn't have one. I don't even have an armor skill. I just thought it had to be that, because of the parrying dagger. That was the first thing we found for my skill."
Kirito sighed, shaking his head a bit. "I can't believe you fight with a dagger on the front lines, and you made it to level 70? But that isn't the point. Heathcliff's skill is for the strongest player. Your friend Backbreaker is probably physically stronger, but her description would be unmovable. Dual Blades is given to the player with the fastest reaction time. Fencer, while probably designed to be used with a rapier, feels more like a skill for the most fearless player. You went 70 levels without a defensive skill, on the front lines, and on top of that, you don't even have an armor skill. You're pretty brave for that. And with that Skill, you are even more brave, almost rash, taking advantage of quick, very specific openings."
"But," Doombunny stammered, edging herself up slightly to get a better look at where Kirito was lounging. "But I was terrified the whole time. I hate fighting. I hate killing. I know it's a game, but I love animals. All animals. Even the weird ones we have to fight. And I have to kill them to get stronger so I can get home to my other animals and take care of Angle Bunny and the others. Sure the dragon wasn't as cute as Pina, but I would so love to sit and chat with that dragon and learn everything about them! Instead, I had to kill it."
"Angle Bunny?" Kirito asked. "Is that the name of your pet rabbit, I.R.L.?"
"Mhm," Doombunny nodded, sounding exactly like Fluttershy and not a player who just helped carve up a Flag Mob Dragon. "Well, his name is just Angle, but I often add the bunny on there. I know he is confused and scared without me. But he is the one who convinced me to name my character Doombunny."
Kirito nodded his head in understanding. "Well, Doombunny, I didn't see an animal lover out there, but I did see a brave player who took advantage of critical moments with an impressive speed that is probably second only to Lightning Flash Asuna. Asuna is brave too, but she can fight too defensively. You only ever do offense. You have no choice but to charge in, afraid or not, and cut your opponent down. It's a courageous attitude and you have it."
"But I'm afraid of almost everything in here," Doombunny retorted.
"It's not the emotion, but the action," Kirito said. "But, until someone else maxes the dagger skill, we won't know if it is connected to it or not. And that won't happen anytime soon. None of the front-line players will even bother. If they started, they might try. By now though, fighting skeletons, obgoblins, lizardmen, and dragons with a dagger is usually stupid. And it already takes real guts to fight with one. Very few players want to be that up and close for fighting in a death game. The more important point is that your skill brings in special equipment. That is pretty strong evidence that you are dealing with something unique. However, what is the most important thing is that you finally have some form of defensive skill."
Kirito looked at Bladescape. They had a much better view of each other than he had of Doombunny. "And you, you are not off the hook yet either."
"Me!" Bladescape exclaimed, confused.
"Yeah," Kirito said with a nod. "I admit, I don't know all the Sword Skills for each weapon. But you were not using Sword Skills from the Two-Handed Sword list. Some of those were ones I had never seen before. And they were a lot more powerful too. They helped save our butts just like my Dual Wielding. Avalanche can't sever a dragon's neck like that. Especially with the amount of HP he did have left. It’s too basic."
"Uh, well," Bladescape stuttered. "I leveled to 80 after the Floor 59 boss. I was supposed to be looking for a blow off, relax skill. I found nothing I wanted to do as a Skill. I'm addicted to combat, a bit too much. I needed to find my balance point. I did, in horse riding, which I needed for a set of quests I did the other day. That isn't a Skill, though, and I found a new one I hadn't seen on my list or heard of before, Greatsword. It's not on any info brokers lists, but I know it's for a two-handed sword. It upgrades it, like taking a curved blade and then unlocking Katana."
"You may be the first to max Two-Handed Sword," Kirito admitted. "But either way, for both of you, at the very least, they are Extra Skills with difficult prerequisites to obtain. Since I got Duel Wielding, I have been wondering and waiting for the next Unique Skill to be found. Which I think are you two.
"But going public with a Unique Skill isn't wise. Players will get jealous. Things can get nasty. Mistrust can be built too. They will wonder why they can't have it. Why did it have to go to you? What makes you special? What makes them unworthy of that Skill? And it is a lot more pain than I want to deal with, or would recommend, unless you are in a position like Commander Heathcliff. The guy is practically cut off, so who cares if he has a Unique Skill. Especially when it is exclusively being applied to furthering the game. We are members of the assault team, front line players, and the others work just as hard as we do, or almost, so they will hate that we got something that they can never achieve. A Last Attack Bonus item is very different from a Unique Skill."
"What is the point of Unique Skills?" Doombunny asked, annoyed at their existence. "I understand the hidden Skills we know as Extra Skills. But those all have things that any player can achieve. Any player can train a curved sword and unlock Katana. Any player can beat a quest to gain Martial Arts or Meditation. But a Unique Skill, for one person. That is mean."
"That's the very point," Bladescape explained. "Unique Skills are designed to balance out this death game side and keep it going. It makes players want them, drives them forward, so that this death game gets beaten. I don't know why, but their ability to spur on jealousy is exactly what this game needs. They build heroes or villains. They take the best, and make sure that by Floor 100, they are the best in that Skill. They will be at the head of the line of players, ready to storm the Ruby Palace. Because in that palace, nothing will be the equal. The odds will be so far against us, we will need every Unique Skill possible, and every player who is willing to be unique without a Skill label to hold above their head."
"You make a fair point," Kirito added. "But as much as it can help me at times, Duel Wielding isn't something I want to tout around. It's a different mindset when it comes to fighting. I'll master it. Not because it's a Skill to master, but because I want to be the best. I want to be the strongest player in Aincrad. I want to lead the charge into the Ruby Palace."
"We will keep all of this under wraps," Bladescape assured him. "I'll watch when I use Greatsword, and train it when others are not around to question things. I think Doombunny is safe. A lot of players already fear her because of Colorra."
"I agree," Kirito nodded. "That and Commander Heathcliff's response after the battle didn't blow it out of proportion. He kept it calm and relaxed. He was interested in it though. And for a moment there, I thought he was going to go off about her using two blades. A girl dual wielding daggers would be a very interesting thing. Not that the Sword Skills would allow it. It's for longswords only."
"Girl?" Bladescape poked.
"What‽" Kirito exclaimed as he realized what he had said. "No! I didn't mean girl as in girl. I mean, I did, I just meant..." He stalled out, trying to explain what he meant.
Bladescape lost it and broke down laughing. "I know what you meant. I know you didn't mean a girl couldn't do it. I just had to poke at it for a laugh."
Kirito grumbled under his breath as his red face went back to its normal color.
"Kirito?" Doombunny said. "I know you want to be the best and strongest player. I get that. I want it for myself, so I can go home to my animal friends. I know they miss me. But I could not do this without my friends. When the time comes, don't push them away. I'm sure your reputation as a Beater got you hurt a lot by the other players. But Klein, he likes you. He is a good friend of ours. I'm not saying you should join a guild, only that friends can make you stronger. They can help pick you up and exalt you higher. That's the only reason I am on the front lines with a dagger. Sometimes, that is what you need. Just, keep that in mind." Doombunny was so sweet and innocent as she finished. "Please?"
Kirito sat there, thinking for a little bit. "I will Doombunny. I don't know what it is about you, but you have a calming effect. I watched you tear up the King Black Dragon, and here you are, calming me. It was awesome to fight with you, both of you. I'll keep my mind more open about friends, about people who can be trusted. And you are right, I got burned badly on day one. Another Beta Tester had the same idea I had, and after working a short while together, he brought a large group of monsters on us, intent on executing a Mob PK and get what he needed from my dead body. He miscalculated and they killed him. Still, I think of Coper with mixed emotions."
Bladescape chocked on the water she was drinking as she heard the name. " Coper? As in a boy about 14, brown hair, average height. Light leather armor and a small shield with his starter sword? Cause I found and easily killed him in the Necromancer Boss Battle."
"So he did come back," Kirito said to himself. He turned to happier things. "Doombunny, do you know Silica?"
"Yep!" Doombunny smiled. "We met a while ago. She is lower than us, so she really can't safely join the Wondercolts on the front line, but the two of us are friends. And Pina and Colorra happily greet each other too.
“I know about your adventure together and I'm glad Pina is still with us. Like I said, our familiars are friends and we are friends. She is a wonderful player, even though she isn't on the front lines. I wish we could go on an adventure together, but I haven't had the free time. This takes up more time than I care for. If I'm not grinding away at the Floor, I'm usually grinding XP somewhere. I’m getting almost as bad as Blade is."
"I know," Kirito sighed. "As important as it is, it gets tiring."
Kirito fell silent, plagued by the thoughts in his mind. They continued to lounge and recover in the tree. Just because the cupcakes were gone didn't mean they had to split up. A group of wolves soon found them. Bladescape pulled out a few throwing picks and lazily put one into each wolf. The poison killed them with ease.
"Oh," Bladescape said, bringing up her menu. They needed to switch topics from death and pain. "Before I forget, these are the dragon hides that dropped. It was only six. He also dropped a ton of low-level equipment. It was certainly like he dropped his hoard into my inventory."
"That is the feeling I got," Kirito said as the transfer window popped up in front of him. "A lot of Col, gems, and cheap equipment. Only a little might be useful."
Kirito accepted the hides Bladescape got. He had only gotten three and so had Doombunny. It gave him the twelve hides he needed. His gear was light, and required less hides than the plates Ashley had made Bladescape. They lounged for a bit more, enjoying the well earned rest and flavored water.
"Well, I have to go," Kirito finally said. "It was a good fight. The cupcakes and food were appreciated too, but I have to go. I need a new sword now. I probably should have it made. I don't think I'm going to find another blade that good in a drop. Even then, it was way under-powered compared to Elucidator. It broke because it didn't have the stats I need for such a powerful skill. I have a recommendation for a good swordsmith. And now I certainly have enough Col for their very best."
"I'm done hunting," Doombunny said, dropping out of the tree first. "I got more XP than we had gauged possible against the wolves, and my skill shot up a good deal. I don't want to push it more today. I'm tired."
Bladescape joined them on the ground. "We will join you. Walking to town that is. Just the three of us who ran into each other on the ashen wastes. That's all. Unless you want it to be as friends?"
"I...uh..." Kirito sputtered out and his cheeks glowed red. "I uh, think I need more time." He finally said. "But walking together to the nearest teleport plaza is the wisest course of action. So let's get going."
Bladescape (SS): Lvl 82 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 75 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 78 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 75 – 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 78 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 75 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 73 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search
Lessa: Lvl 72 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 75 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry