EQG: Sword Art Online - Aincrad

by Mindrop


Episode 58 - Plaudit

Front Line - Floor 60
April 29 - Year 2

Bladescape entered Lisbeth's smithy. She was behind the counter, leaning her head onto a hand, the arm with its elbow propped on the surface. The counter was too low for her to be comfortable in that position. 

She was obviously bored as a customer tried out different axes. Her NPC shop assistant could handle the sale, but Lisbeth did like to interact with the customers. If she was bored and waiting like she was, that meant she was out of orders or things to do.

Bladescape confidently strode across the shop. Lisbeth looked at her, but didn't move.

"What?" Lisbeth groaned as Bladescape stopped at the counter.

"Can I speak to you, privately?" Bladescape asked.

Lisbeth groaned. "Am I going to like what you have to say?"

"I have no idea," Bladescape shrugged. "But I am not here to make an order."

Lisbeth let out a big sigh and stood up, stretching to offset the odd angle she had been in.

In the back, Bladescape glanced around, being a bit paranoid. She opened her menu and took out Bajutsu. Bladescape extended it to Lisbeth.

"Tell me what you see?"

Lisbeth opened the menu and looked at the information. "I don't see anything wrong? Or different? But I barely know this sword. Wait...what is this notation that says it is hardened?"

Bladescape drew Harmonic Salvation and held it out. Lisbeth clicked on it, confirming it was also hardened.

"Wait!' Lisbeth exclaimed, starting to panic. Bladescape hushed her to be quiet. Lisbeth composed herself and lowered her voice "100! That can't be right! Harmonic Salvation had 40 enhancement slots!"

Bladescape chuckled with a grin. "The quests I was rushing to do the other day, specifically the one on horseback, well Bajutsu did marvelously. I severed the Knight's head without using a sword skill. I received, as a reward for a quest, the strengthening of my swords. There are several judgements the, gift, used, but the quality of the blade is one of them.

"All attributes were raised, enhancement slots were added, and the blade became hardened. The hardening is something only able to be gained from that quest, and now it’s over. It guarantees that an enhancement will never fail on that weapon."

Lisbeth choked on her shock, putting her in a laughing fit over how ridiculous she sounded. "You mean. I could purposefully fail an enhancement, but it would still take."

"Yes," Bladescape nodded. "I wanted to let you know so that you were not too surprised when I dropped it off next. For either blade. Bajutsu isn’t going to be ignored by me.”

Lisbeth sat down, hard, onto her anvil and groaned. “You are going to make me enhance it all 100 times.”

Bladescape couldn’t help but laugh. It was true. And without a hardened blade, it was a very stressful thing for a smith to do. It could ruin a sword if it failed. The enhancements would be stress free, but the sheer quantity was a headache to think about.

"So," Lisbeth started. "So, then you plan to take Harmonic Salvation to the Ruby Palace?"

"I do," Bladescape nodded. "With the boost I got, and maxing the sword, I believe it will still be a top-notch sword worthy of making it to the end."

Lisbeth thought over it. "Yeah, it should be capable of that. I won't know until Floor 90 and what enhancements you chose, but Harmonic Salvation should still be a very good sword.

"But why bother with Bajutsu? Are there more quests with horses?"

"Maybe," Bladescape shrugged. "I am waiting on the next part to unlock. However, I plan to keep riding. I enjoy it. And the player who trained me hunts from horseback. There is other stuff to do with horses as well. Riding doesn't require a Skill. It's how I will relax in this death game. I know Bajutsu isn't the best sword you have made, but Lis, it is the best cavalry sword you have made. It was designed for horseback and it excels at it."

Lisbeth sighed, but smiled slightly at the acknowledgement anyway. They heard the door open, meaning either a customer had come in, or the one looking at axes had left. 

"I almost have what you need for Harmonic Salvation's next enhancement," Lisbeth said. "I don't have what I need for Bajutsu. Metal prices are spiking."

"That's okay," Bladescape shrugged. "I really need to catch up with the others so I can help progress the game today. My break is over, but I had to inform you of the change before I forgot."

Bladescape went back to the store. Lisbeth followed her. Another two customers had come in and the same guy was still agonizing over the axes. 

Bladescape rolled her eyes, unable to bare his stress. He was sweating and overthinking everything. She walked over to his side, but he didn't notice her. She slammed her palm onto the counter. It made him jump slightly and look at her.

"They are obviously close in stats," Bladescape said. "Just pick the one you want to be seen with. You are overthinking it and fretting over nothing."

"Th-thanks," he stuttered. 

Bladescape walked away. She turned around at the door and walked out backwards as she bid Lisbeth goodbye. Bladescape teleported to the closest Frontline town and headed out after her friends.

The biggest challenge of a new Floor wasn't the field bosses, or even the labyrinths. There were dungeons that needed conquering too, but the open area between the villages and dungeons were usually riddled with monsters. That was what most of the Clearers did; clean out the Floor, wiping the area clean of monsters and then eliminating the respawns until they were rare occurrences. If an area was left unattended, they would eventually pick back up again, but would normalize at a new, lower rate overall while leaving roadways mostly clear, making it easier for players following the front to come in after and still quest, farm materials, or grind for XP.

Bladescape knew where her friends were from the map on her menu, but until she caught up to them it meant solo fighting the field monsters. Floor 60 was grasslands. Where they were at, it was inhabited by aggressive moose who charged at everything that got to close. Their antlers were spiked and they did a lot of piercing damage on top of getting rammed. The antler spread was massive. Bladescape usually locked Harmonic Salvation with them until she could shove them out of the way and run the beast through, or cleave off their heads. 

It was tough, battle after battle, until she finally caught up with the others. They had been moving forward without her, as ordered. The tanks made fighting easier, drawing in the charge attacks so the others could flank and finish the creatures off.

"Glad to have you back, darling," Diemond said as she braced for a ramming attack. It was a solid defense. Diemond had progressed a lot. No one was as sure footed as Backbreaker, but Diemond was a force to be reckoned with. 

The moose popped, giving Diemond a break. Astro and Thunderborne had flanked it and made quick work of it. 

They had three parties going, centered around their Tanks for efficiency. Even without Knightstar, they knew how to be efficient. They had learned well from her. Backbreaker was with Doombunny and AFCK. Kiefer, Lessa, and Joltron were a team. Astro was heading up the other party with Thunderborne and Diemond. They were well balanced. Bladescape joined up with Astro, choosing to fight with Diemond for a change. 

They made it to the next village in the afternoon, giving them a much needed break. They were the first to arrive. It felt like an old west village, with a dirt road main street and an intersecting street, both lined with wooden businesses and houses one to three stories tall. 

After grabbing a late lunch, they began to go through the town, grabbing the quests they could. They had time and the advantage was theirs. They had a few quests available; one was a kill quest for the moose, another for gathering supplies from the nearby region, and the third was running off bandits from a farm so the farmers could go back home.

Backbreaker was too slow to make her an efficient gathering player, but her shield was perfect for the kill quest. However, Doombunny was best utilized on the supplies quest. Lessa and Doombunny were swapped for optimization and then the teams headed on their way. Lessa's shield would be an added bonus to the kill quest team.

Since they had the advantage of being the group of four, Bladescape, Astro, Thunderborne, and Diemond went after the farm. It wasn't easy running them all off. More came at them once they had cleaned out the farm, and then a third wave tried to drive them off. The last wave being led by a flag boss. 

He died easily as Astro ran him through with her spear and then forced him up against the barn, as high up as she could get him with her spear. He couldn't hit her with his sword because of Dragon Tail's length. Without his feet on the ground, he was defenseless as the spear's DOT ended his reign of terror. The poison on the tip played a strong roll too.

It was late when they finished the quest. They grabbed dinner and Bladescape began to prepare their new strategy. Kiefer, Joltron, and Doombunny joined them, ordering their own late dinner. The rest of the Wondercolts were not too far behind. 

After the last of them ordered food, Backbreaker asked the question. "Overnight trip, or are we going to crash here?"

"I say overnight," Astro said. "We have had enough rest. Let's at least pound the area around the town and clear it for the others. Meanwhile, I think we have a good jump on them, so let's milk it while we can."

"You didn't just come back from the kill quest," Lessa stated. She was obviously tired of the moose.

An NPC approached the table. She didn't have any food and wasn't one of the workers. She bowed, but was obviously trying to mask her concern. "You helped out the others in the village, can I ask you to help me?"

"What is it you need?" Bladescape asked. 

"There is a gang that has taken hold in the old mine to the north of here. My brother recklessly went off to join them, and he took with him our father's sword. I don't know if they have killed him, or actually allowed him to join. My father just wants the sword back, because it is a family heirloom. They had been arguing again. My mother and I want Thomas back too. Can you help us?"

"Yes. Bladescape said. "We will get your family's sword back and do our best to make sure your brother comes home."

"Thank you," she said, bowing again. She turned away quickly to try and mask her now wet cheeks.

"I haven't gotten my food yet," Backbreaker stated.

"Come after us," Astro said. "Eat, square anything away that you need to, and join us."

"Sounds like a fun party!" AFCK said.

They double checked equipment, potions, crystals, and their own minds, and then Bladescape led the two parties out. At this point, it wouldn't matter if they were in two or three parties, but she wasn't going to bother with reconfiguring them if she didn't have to.

Kiefer's party had run into the mine while on their gathering quest. They had avoided it and the gang. At the time it held no value. It made it very easy for them to get to it.

"Alright," Bladescape said to everyone after Doombunny gave them a clear map of the mining camp with Reveal. "It's late. We need to do this smart, so I'm giving Omega orders."

"Fast as possible and reduce our margin of error," Astro said with a nod. "This is a quest ripe for Omega. We need to watch for Thomas, especially if we want to try and turn his life around."

"I'll scout for him," Doombunny said. "But he has to be deeper in the mine from what I see here."

"I can use a paralyzing throwing pick as well," Bladescape added.

They set their entry points and the time before moving into position. Bladescape and AFCK were teamed up and in position quickly. Astro and Joltron were together with Doombunny officially on their insertion team. Diemond and Thunderborne were the other team. They had the camp pretty well surrounded since the mine was set into a ridge, blocking off one side from being flanked.

When her internal clock hit one minute before entry, Bladescape applied the poison to Harmonic Salvation. AFCK was humming "Friendship Through the Ages" while she applied the poison to Geode Splitter. 

The digital clock ticked one more minute forward and Bladescape silently rushed forward to her chosen target. AFCK fell behind immediately, obviously getting distracted by something. The stab was silent and clean, but Bladescape grabbed his mouth and covered it, holding on tight until the poison knocked his HP to zero. Diemond and Thunderborne were making noise, while Joltron and Astro seemed to have started late. 

Bladescape rushed to her next target and repeated the stab. AFCK was loud as she finally caught up, ending Bladescape's silent assault. 

These gang members were not like the ones on Floor 12. They were on Floor 60, the front line. The gang members were level 72. Even with poison, Bladescape had to deal multiple slashes, hacks, and stabs before they were dead. The same went for the other Wondercolts. 

They quickly became out flanked as their dispersed tactics failed to account for hidden members from the surrounding area. Doombunny's Reveal Skill wasn't close to being maxed yet. Bladescape was without a shield and forced to fight them solo. AFCK was somewhere. The others had managed to gather together.

That did provide an advantage for Bladescape. She had not used Greatsword yet. Her new Skill was still at 0000/1000. It wasn't that she wanted to keep it a secret from her friends, but she wasn't entirely sure what the skill was yet. Merlin had said she just needed to separate her hands.

With her hands split, she quickly found the trigger position for a cut. It was powerful, as it used leverage to control and deliver an unprecedented amount of damage compared to what her high level Two-handed Skill dealt. She could cut the gang members down in half the attacks. Bladescape also realized that with a simple adjustment of her hands, she could switch between Two-handed Sword' and 'Greatsword' Sword Skills. It was a very versatile advantage.

They finished the last of the reinforcements as their own reinforcements arrived. 

"Sorry it took so long, y'all," Backbreaker panted.

"Nonsense, darling," Diemond said, waving it off. "You arrived just in time. We need to go inside the mine. Now more than ever we need your shield."

"We should split our forces," Astro said. "The mine will be constrictive compared to the field. Plus, we need a rear vanguard. I doubt that was their last counter attack."

"I agree," Bladescape nodded. "Kiefer, Diemond, and Lessa will hold the entrance while we go in."

"Thank you for keeping me out of the icky mine," Diemond said. She yawned, a good reminder to them all how tired they were and needed to be careful.

The mine wound its way into the ground. It soon forced them to split up. Joltron, Astro, and AFCK took the right path, while Bladescape led Backbreaker, Thunderborne, and Doombunny down the left. 

The walls echoed with the faint sound of combat. Bladescape urged them forward a bit faster. The mine twisted a bit more and the sounds of combat became louder. Doombunny slipped ahead and scouted. 

She came back and reported. "The others are up on a large ledge. We are on the lower part of the cavern. They can't get down easily, but it doesn't matter with the number of gang members they have to clear. 

"For us, it is 20, including the boss. His name is Haskins the Miner. He doesn't actually have armor, just a pair of heavy overalls and a crossed pickaxe and sledgehammer tattoo on his left arm. He carries a pickaxe as his main weapon. He has 2 health bars. The rest of the gang are the same as all the others we have killed. 

"However, they have 3 NPCs with them, tied up. One is Thomas. They were putting them through initiation. We can save Thomas."

"Strategy?" Backbreaker asked Bladescape.

"You and Doom go for Haskins. Thunder and I will draw the aggro of the others. And hopefully Astro can finish up and then they jump down and join us soon."

Doombunny nodded in agreement. Backbreaker just shrugged and turned, gripping her hammer tight. 

With a roar that echoed off the unstable walls, Backbreaker charged. She rammed into a gang member, not slowing down as she trampled him to get to Haskins. Doombunny was gone and Bladescape applied new poison before charging into the cavern. 

"New plan for you dusters!" Haskins laughed. "Kill them and you are certainly one of us."

Gang members cut Thomas and the others free. They shoved pickaxes into their hand and they charged after Backbreaker. Doombunny hit Thomas with Shadowsong, paralyzing him. The other two she killed with Endbringer. Colorra was impossible to spot in the low light. The only way to tell where she had been was by the poison tags beside their red cursors.  

Bladescape was quickly surrounded and free to work with Greatsword. The sweeping movements of the early skills allowed her to quickly address multiple angles and attackers quickly and efficiently. She didn't focus on one specific target. That would make her vulnerable to the others while she concentrated on cutting an individual down. 

Backbreaker was blocking only when she had to, choosing to bash Haskins as fast as she could. Doombunny wasn't helping her. Thunderborne had gotten forced to a wall and surrounded. Doombunny had turned her attention to paralyzing and then poisoning the others, cutting down on the number of viable attackers while she worked to get to Thunderborne.

With less pressure, Bladescape quickly finished the 8 focused on her and turned to help Backbreaker. She watched as Backbreaker bashed Haskins and then he retaliated by bringing his pickaxe onto her head. She saw the axe piece her helmet. It shattered, destroyed for good, and Bladescape saw the pick strike Backbreaker's head. Her health dropped deep into the red.

Backbreaker roared in anger, whipping her glowing hammer up. The powerful blow forced Haskins to lose his grip on the axe. Backbreaker didn't give him the opportunity to grab it or get another weapon. She unleashed a fury of blows with her hammer, pulverizing him into polygons in a way that only a strength focused, hammer wielding player could.

Bladescape leapt at a gang member that had just recovered from the paralysis effect. He had little Health left, but she could not let him get near to the compromised Backbreaker. One or two good hits and Backbreaker would be dead.

Doombunny was charging with Shadowsong, trying to delay them in an effort to save Backbreaker. 

One did get to Backbreaker, from her blind side. The idiot NPC roared as it lifted its axe to attack. Backbreaker spun, swinging the Floating Bulwark. The giant shield cut through the gang member like a sword.

Bladescape let out a sigh of relief and drove Harmonic Salvation down into a paralyzed member, ending his existence. He was the last one, outside of Thomas. 

Doombunny was struggling to even lift the handle of the pickaxe Thomas had dropped. Bladescape stooped down to grab one of the fallen ones and was shocked at the weight. Even with her strength, she couldn't swing it with precision. The fact that Backbreaker was calmly standing with one in her head meant that Backbreaker had more strength than Bladescape could even mentally grasp. 

Backbreaker stepped over to Doombunny, taking the pickaxe she was trying to lift in one hand and flung it across the room with ease. Bladescape met them and used a red crystal on Backbreaker. 

Congratulations and fanfare began as Astro killed the last gang member. Bladescape pulled the pickaxe out of Backbreaker's skull. The removal tore a sizable chunk out of her restored health. The pickaxe was even heavier than the other ones and it slipped out of Bladescape's grasp, thudding onto the ground.

Backbreaker ignored her health and picked it up with ease.  As she did, one side of the pick broke, leaving Backbreaker with a new Warhammer. It was slim, but it had a blunt hammer on one side and a pointed pick on the other, just like most of the war hammers Backbreaker had used, including her current one, Guard Smasher.

"My prize," Backbreaker declared to them and Astro's team watching from up on the ledge. "Monotonous Duty. It has Guard Smasher outclassed with its base stats. It ain't as pretty, but it is better."

"We witnessed its power," Bladescape shrugged. "Besides, you are known for carrying the ugliest equipment with the best stats. What is that, more iron?"

"Looks like iron," Backbreaker replied, looking closer. "We'll see what Lisbeth can do to shine 'er up."

Bladescape bent down in front of Thomas, who was no longer paralyzed, but unmoving because Colorra was coiled up nicely on his back, guarding him 

"So, Thomas, did you learn your lesson?" Bladescape asked.

"Lesson?" Thomas stuttered. 

"Your sister sent us. Said you and your dad had a fight, you took the family sword here, and they want both back."

"My sister sent you?"

"We had helped others already, so she thought she could trust us. Your dad might still be angry... but family is family, and important. It is worth fighting for, not against. Conflict is natural, but stealing from family and running to join up with murderous thugs is not an approved method of conflict resolution. Now, what did you learn?"

Thomas sighed deeply, obviously feeling regret. "I'll head home and sort things out with my dad."

"You might want to bring the sword back. Where is it?"

"It's in a shed on the surface, with a bunch of other supplies."

"Let's go get it," Bladescape said, extending her hand to him. "And get you on your way home."

"Okay," Thomas said, taking her hand. Colorra got off him so they could pull him to his feet.

"Um, girls," Doombunny said. She held up a rock. "Do you see this?"

"I can see you and you are holding a rock," Bladescape said, putting her hands on her hips.

"It's a metal ore," Doombunny stated. "One not known before. At least not before this Floor."

Bladescape glanced around. Search gave her night vision, even in low light areas like the mine. There were rocks strewn about along the edges of the walls. Not many, but enough.

"This is an active mining location," Doombunny added. "First mapped by us. The value of this location and data is huge. There are several guilds that would drop some serious Col to not only get their hands on the raw ore we can gather, but a map to and of this location."

The Wondercolts usually traded or released for free Labyrinth map data and sold for low cost the maps and data for dungeons. They wanted to progress the game and not strain the costs the Clearers already had to put out for equipment and supplies. Location data for a mine was completely different. They would cash this in for its full value.

"Gather what we can," Bladescape ordered. "If we need to pull the guard team in we will. I doubt it though. Let's load up and get going."

"Blade," Doombunny said. "I'll cover the leak. I know exactly who you go to get the info out and start a bidding war on what we have."

"Let's load you up," Backbreaker said, tossing a large rock to Doombunny. 

Doombunny shreaked and barely sidestepped it. The rock thudded onto the ground.

"Right," Backbreaker chuckled. "Sorry Doom. I forget mah own strength in here too. I'll let you pick up what you can."

"Thank you," Doombunny said as she tried to pick up the stone. She did better with it than with the pickaxe. Once it was in her inventory, the system calculated it into the load bearing algorithm and it didn't burden her. Doombunny was their weakest member for raw strength. She had enough to unlock Extra Weight Carry, but otherwise her stats were speed and agility. She focused on the smaller stones that would be good for samples.

They quickly picked the place clean. Thomas followed them out. It was almost dawn when they hooked back up with the defense team. They had been aware that the battle was over, since they were from two different parties. 

"What happened to your helmet?" Diemond immediately asked Backbreaker.

"Yah did a good job, but it broke," Backbreaker said, holding up her new Warhammer. "But this beauty is worth getting stabbed through the head fer."

"We really need to do an intervention about your idea of beauty," Diemond fired back.

Doombunny distracted them. "I'll meet you at the Teleport Plaza."

Doombunny teleported out while the rest of the Wondercolts went to the supply room. Backbreaker broke the lock with her hammer and they raided the storage shed for everything valuable. Thomas took the sword and rushed off, back home.

They walked back, dealing with the moose whenever they had to. It was dawn when they arrived back in town. Doombunny was waiting for them by the teleport plaza. She nodded to them that the job was done and they headed into an NPC restaurant for breakfast. 

They were tired, but on a 36-12 rotation. They had done this plenty of times before. They would push into the afternoon and then call it quits. The fields still needed to be picked clean. Being as far ahead as they were, they decided to focus on just that. It was an important part of clearing a Floor.

Thomas' sister found them and thanked them. It officially ended the quest, which they had forgotten to turn in.

As they walked out into the early morning, they saw a group of tired, but friendly, faces. It was Fuurinkazan and they had not seen them.

Bladescape decided to play coy. She slowly clapped three times to get their attention and patronize them. "Took you guys long enough. Some men you are! The girls beat you to this place by 12 hours."

"What happened to Joltron and Kiefer?" Klein poked back. "Don't tell me you kicked them out for being guys. Or did you, doll face?"

It was a horrible push to get "doll face" inserted in the conversation. 

Klein's face froze as he realized what the rest of Fuurinkazan already had. They had forgotten about Knightstar's departure.

Bladescape played it off well. "We don't kick anyone out." She grinned wickedly. "We converted the two of them."

Joltron broke down laughing. He set off a chain reaction as all of the members from both clans laughed. 

"Did you girls just wake up?" Dale asked. 

"Nah," Astro shrugged. "We have a few more hours to go before we turn in. We cleaned out the four quests we could find, just turning in the last one a short while ago. Not sure if there are any others now that we have helped the village out a bit more."

"What's the plan?" Klein asked.

"All out of cupcakes," AFCK warned. "Our 36-12 trips are too hard to pack them on trips past 24 hours. Which is why they taste so good! They're always fresh!"

"We know where you live," Dynamm grinned. "And we are not afraid to track you down."

They all were tired and broke down laughing before better jokes could get exchanged.

"HEY! YOU! HELP!" They all turned to look at the male NPC running through the street to them in a panic. 

"What is up?" Bladescape asked.

"We...the…" he struggled to say as he was forced to try and get air into his virtual lungs. The game was annoyingly detailed at times. "The mine to the south, the active one, had a collapse. Can you help?"

"Yes," Bladescape nodded. She shifted focus to the others. "Thunder, Astro, Doom, and Lessa, we are going to trade you the excess items we picked up. Take the movement penalty, teleport to Mishe, drop it off, and come right back. Astro has team lead."

They quickly swapped the heavy ore, weapons, and other junk - like the moose heads - that they could. Parties were reorganized into two groups. The main reason was to assist in lightening their loads in any way possible and making it easier to move heavier objects. They could always store the rocks in their inventory to move them faster. Another part of it was with hope that they could get more of the ore from the rubble. On the strength scale, those four were the weakest Wondercolts.

Fuurinkazan also had the quest triggered and they rushed off after the NPC. The gossip from the other NPCs they passed in the town was full of concern over the collapse, and not about them being led into a trap.

The mine wasn't far. The collapse had happened further in. They couldn't see it from the mouth of the mine 

"If we go in, and it collapses more," Klein said, speaking what they were all thinking. "And too many of us don't have helmets. What happened to BB's helmet?"

Backbreaker was honest, but aloof about it. "Miner flag boss from the last quest we did drove his pickaxe into my head, shattering it."

"Wha-" Klein started. He smartly dropped it to focus on the real mattered.

"Screw it," Backbreaker exclaimed. "This cattle drive won't drive itself!" 

Backbreaker began to jog into the mine. Joltron passed Bladescape and Klein before either of them could react. 

"Oh what the heck," Klein shugged.

Bladescape sprinted into mine. "The girls are beating you to the punch!"

Klein growled as he scrambled after her. The rest of their guilds rushed into the mine. Backbreaker and Joltron were already moving rocks. 

"We have to be smart!" Bladescape exclaimed as she was passed a rock. She passed it to Klein and they got the chain going. "If it collapses on us-"

"I know!" Backbreaker growled. "This ain't my first time bailin' hay in a precarious barn. You got a better idea? We don't got Knightstar to run a calculation, and even if we did, we ain't got time for any of that."

Bladescape took a giant rock that was hard for her to move. She passed it to Klein and it slipped from his hands, crushing his toes. Klein swore as his HP lost a noticeable chip. 

"Not that strong there, are you, samurai man?" Bladescape joshed. 

"What does that make you then?" Klein asked as he sucked in air in a vain attempt at ending the pain. "Some sort of freak?"

"Nah. That's BB." Bladescape shrugged. "I guess we won't move that one."
 
They all stopped as the world around them shook. Rocks fell from the ceiling and they held their breath. After a minute of silence Backbreaker was again moving rocks.

"Almost there," Backbreaker grunted. "I can see a glow from a candle."

"We are right here," someone said from on the other side. "But it's not stable. It collapsed for a reason. I don't think you can get to us."

"Not gunna happen without more of a fight," Backbreaker grunted. 

Bladescape made a judgement call. "Harry, You have the strength. Diemond, you too. The rest of you, get out. We have enough room to move the stones around us without blocking the exit. Go! Before we all get trapped."

"But-"

"No butts, Dynamm," Bladescape interjected. "Go before you block our ability to sprint out of here! Get clear so we can get clear."

The others vacated with haste. Joltron tossed aside a small boulder and then Backbreaker pushed a rock through at the top, making a hole. 

"It's hot in here," Klein said, wiping sweat from his brow. "There is no airflow. How many do we have to get out?"

"There are ten of us," a voice on the other side said. 

"One at a time through the opening," Backbreaker ordered them. "Let's go! Time is not on our side."

The first trapped Miner, a young lad, came up to the hole. Backbreaker and Joltron grabbed him and practically yanked him through. Bladescape and Klein grabbed him from their arms and they got him moving out of the mine. The next one was also a young lad. After that they were family men who had wives and children waiting for them above. 

As they pulled the 7th one out, the walls shook at Bladescape ducked, covering her head from the pieces of rock falling on her. They waited patiently, seeing if they could push their luck. The 8th man fell as his slick arms slipped from their grasp. It was a nasty impact.

Harry One scooped him up and began to run him to the surface. 

"Kolens is injured," the NPC on the other side said. "We were focusing on getting the younger guys out."

"Pass him through," Backbreaker said. 

It was a battle. Kolens was dead weight. Dragging him out of the opening destabilized the barrier. It was the only thing holding the ceiling in place. Diemond took him and carried him out. 

Klein and Bladescape backed up a bit. They didn't need to be right there, in the way. The next one came out. He was an older man, but walking. He shuffled off to the surface under his own power. 

As the tenth and final man was trying to shimmy out, the wall gave way. Everything began to collapse again. Backbreaker's shield suddenly popped onto her arm and she threw it up to face the ceiling.

"Run! Backbreaker grunted. 

Joltron grabbed the NPC as things began to crumble. He yanked him into his back and started to sprint to the surface. Klein was right behind him.

Bladescape turned to run, but a chunk of the ceiling stopped that. 

"Go!" Backbreaker ordered her as the mine destabilized. They were in a death trap. 

Bladescape was shoved forward by Backbreaker. She started to fall but a firm hand caught the back of her cloak and kept her up. It shoved her forward again, on more solid feet. 

Bladescape glanced back and saw Backbreaker blocking them from falling rocks with her shield. The Iron Bulwark didn't bow to anything in Aincrad. Not to any monster, any boss, or even the rock itself. 

They got clear of the main collapse and they both sprinted to the surface, leaving the crumbling stone to fall where it wanted.

Bladescape made it clear and looked back. She realized that, in the sprint, she had left Backbreaker further behind than she had initially thought. Her heart stopped as she heard the mine continue to collapse and the ground shook. 

The other Wondercolts had made it out of the mine after their drop off and they all anxiously watched the mineshaft’s entrance. The seconds ticked by with no one coming out and the sounds from inside going from a rumble to an angry growl. 

Backbreaker finally emerged, coughing and covered in mud. The virtual dust had collided with her virtual sweat. Sometimes it was nice how the system did or didn't replicate the real world. This was not one of those times.

"Done," Backbreaker said, standing tall. It lasted only a moment as she began another coughing fit. They got her water and sat down among the mine equipment.

The NPCs began to cheer and the foreman walked over to them. Thanking each of them with a bow and with words. What he said was the typical NPC thanking scripts that most of the quests ended with. What mattered to Bladescape was that Backbreaker was safe. That they all were safe. 

"That was the dumbest quest I have ever done," Klein stated. "What was the point of that?"

Bladescape shrugged, letting out another sigh of relief. "I don't know. We have been doing odd things; mostly normal, easy, quests. This was...well I don't know what it was. But we made it out and that is what matters. Backbreaker has had one hell of a day."

"Did she say a pickaxe in her head?" Klein asked.

Bladescape chuckled. "Yeah. I pulled it out of her head. The boss was leading a gang that was in an old mine to the north. Smashed right through her helmet, destroyed it, and took out almost all of her HP. You have seen her aggressive defense. She was that, but on offense. We lived, saved the kid as an extra reward, and walked out alive."

"What was that you were shoveling off to the others?"

"Klein," Bladescape said, grinning at him. "We Wondercolts are a pretty open book as a guild, but we have our secrets. We always play the cards that help us all get free from here, but we have our holdouts in our hand that you can't see. That is how we stay on top."

"Fair enough," Klein conceded. "Now what?"

"Well, it's not even noon yet," Bladescape said, checking the time. "We had planned on taking it easy for the rest of the day by clearing the fields. We have been up for over 24 hours, no breaks. We have a few more hours in us, but then it is home to sleep before getting up and hitting the Floor again."

"You girls are insane," Klein said, shaking his head. 

"It keeps us on top," Bladescape shrugged.

"Yeah, but as much as I envy you for that, I don't. I only have so much energy. At some point, I have to worry about living and staying sane. What about you? You have a hobby yet?"

"Yeah," Bladescape chuckled. "I did a solo quest the other day that required me to be trained not just to ride on a horse, but fight on horseback. The quest was alright, but the horses, now that I enjoyed. Turns out, I have a lot of fun riding horses. And bonus, it doesn't require a Skill."

"I don't think I would do well on a horse," Klein replied. "I hear they are hard."

"I was doing the quest for a high profile player, and they paid for me to be taught by a player with both real life and Aincrad equestrian skills. I picked it up pretty quick."

Astro stepped over to Bladescape and Klein. "Now what, leaders?"

"I'm down for field clearing," Klein shrugged. "Looks like the quests are dry here, at the moment. Then again, we are not back in the town to see what is going on there."

"Let's regroup there to make sure," Bladescape suggested. "Then we can set up teams and systematically begin to sweep the area, eliminating every monster creature we can before the others arrive."

Klein agreed and they headed back to the town. 

"You guys got ahead of us all by quite a bit," Klein commented. "The DDA went east, the KOB north, and you took west. There wasn't much to the south since we started there, but only one village or town was to the west, and here we are. In the exact opposite of where the Labyrinth will be."

"Might be," Bladescape corrected him. "You know that it is never the same. The pillars hold the labyrinth, but where that pillar is doesn't equate to where the entrance to that Floor was. On 44, the points were right on top of each other. Instead, we rushed around, storming the entire Floor and then took another week finding it right back where we had started."

"Regardless, we have two or three field bosses to find and eliminate. And I don't sense they are out in this quadrant."

"So what brought you here?" Bladescape asked.

"Avoiding the DDA," Klein shrugged. "Another verbal argument. And the KOB was being snobbish and elitist."

"They can put out that air," Bladescape said. "And it can be annoying."

"Well, we can deal with them later," Klein said. "The town looks stable. I was almost expecting it to be on fire."

Bladescape snorted a chuckle. After the mine collapsing, that wasn't an unfounded belief. 

"Well, no smoke, no fire. Let's set up our parties and clear this place of the pests outside of town."

They set up some fun teams. Unlike their prior team up in the Catacombs, they were not looking at performance or anything in particular. It was mostly a pick your partner deal with no assignments. Astro, Dynamm, and Doombunny teamed up to speed kill. Backbreaker, Diemond, Joltron, and Harry One decided they wanted to "Tank out their frustrations" by joining up so they could all get their hits in. Thunder, Dale, and Lessa decided to join forces. Kiefer, Issin, and AFCK partied up and were gone before anyone could check in with them. 

"I guess that leaves you and me, doll face," Klein grinned.

Bladescape rolled her eyes. "Sure, but only if you ask nicely. And then play fair. I'm still-"

"I know," Klein said, cutting her off before the familiar words were spoken once more. "Still, it will be fun to fight, side by side, guild's leader and guild's leader, alone together for the day."

"At least for the next few hours," Bladescape replied. "I'm safe, but we are on low sleep. We will turn in early."

"Then we better hit the field," Klein said, giving her a wink with his goofy grin. 

Mob hunting with Klein was fun. The two of them were strong enough that they could play the defender if needed, but they rarely needed it. The better strategy was a proactive action, dodging and striking rather than an outright block. 

After a while, as they were hunting down the next respawn, Klein asked the question that had been growing on his mind. "Look, you don't have to tell me, but you are obviously above me. Just how far are you?"

Bladescape leaned lightly against Harmonic Salvation, feeling the tip sink into the grassland under her weight. "Well, I went into the 59 Floor Boss 1 XP away from Level 80."

Klein was shocked. "80! I- I- I’m not even at 70! That is insane!"

Bladescape sighed. She was tired as she looked at the virtual landscape around them. "I worked my butt off for it. I'm the highest Wondercolt. Most nights, I don't sleep. Or not that long. I can't even get a good night's sleep when I do. There are no dreams for me in here either. Not a single one since we started. I put my energy into fighting. The stronger I am, the better I can protect my friends, and the stronger we are as a whole. I have outpaced them by a good deal now, even though the Wondercolts are rarely absent."

"You guys are the hardest working guild I know," Klein stated. "Then again, I don't exactly know how the Knights of the Bloodoath function, but I doubt they push themselves as hard as you guys do. Why push yourselves so hard?"

"Honestly," Bladescape said before pausing. "Well, literally a lifetime ago, me and my friends were known for fixing things around school. Being the ones who stood up for what is right. We did some interesting stuff. 

"We never faltered at the start. We rushed headlong into working to clear the game. Not survive, but clear. Simply put, it is what we do. Astro, Kiefer, Lessa, and Joltron have been keeping up well, despite not knowing us I.R.L. They understand the ideology that is the Wondercolts."

"And Knightstar?" Klein asked.

"She burned out," Bladescape admitted. "After the argument, she got stuck in her head, overthinking. No, she was already overthinking everything and that was the problem. 

"And that is our Achilles Heel. We push ourselves hard, shoulder heavy burdens, and gladly. But, the stress is tremendous. We deal with our own struggles as best as we can, but we can't always see how our friends are handling it because of our stress. When Knightstar fell, she had no one to catch her. We are working on a plan to get her back. She shut herself off from us, and that is not a good thing. The plan is in motion and I trust Doom."

"I'll catch you," Klein said. "Seriously, if you fall, I'll be there to either catch you, or pick you up. You have more friends than just the other 10 Wondercolts. Don't forget that."

Bladescape couldn't get a reply as a heavy yawn took the moment away. "Thanks Klein. It is good to know that you are there. And Fuurinkazan too. The same goes to you. We will gladly back you guys up anytime. You are our friends. The stress on us all is tough. We may need you guys one day.”

"What does that tone mean?" Klein pressed.

"Well, Fuurinkazan is a small guild, and one that is on the Assault Team. We are not much bigger, and in the same place, Assault Team. Some days I wonder how much longer the smaller guilds can keep it up on the front lines. Clearing is one thing, but Assault Team? We have maybe 120, on a good day, at our Floor Boss raid meetings. And we send half of them into battle. Sure, we got better, casualties are infrequent and low, but a single boss, taking out 10, 15, or hell, 20. That would be a significant blow to our progress. It’s almost…"

Klein gave Bladescape a little time to think. "It’s almost what?"

Bladescape shrugged. "I'm a combat build. I love combat and riding horses. And half of what I do on horseback is chase down bandits and kill them from horseback. As much as I am a combat junkie, I am beginning to wonder about how long I can go. But you can't tell the others that. I'm barely keeping them together as it is. I don't need their foundation shaken any more than it already was with Knightstar. Leading the Wondercolts and having to stay on top is a lot of pressure. Backbreaker is great, I need her on our Council, but she is the cornerstone, not the flag bearer who is out front. Knightstar at least could give me stats and crunch numbers, but she still wasn’t out front with me. A good strategist and Lieutenant, but not a Captain. So it's basically on my shoulders. At least we all agree that we need to be on the front line, fighting for the freedom of those who can't fight for it themselves. That is keeping us focused."

"Your secret is safe with me," Klein said. "What about Kiefer? Or Astro? Isn't Astro your quest guru?"

"I've been looking at Astro as a replacement," Bladescape admitted. "Kiefer has potential, but that is where I would leave it. We want him to be trained to handle small teams, but he isn't ready for a guild leadership position. He is young, but learning. Thunderborne is another candidate, since she was captain of most of our school's sports teams and has the leadership experience. She'll never leave a friend hanging when things get serious, but the rest of the time she still tends to screw around a bit too much for me to know if I want to put that on her."

"It's driving me nuts," Klein said, switching gears. "What did you pick up as your next Skill? There are only so many combat related Skills." 

Bladescape snorted a laugh. "I let you know my Level. That is as much as you are getting out of me."

"Awe come on!" Klein protested. "It's going to take me ages to get 10 Skills. At least give me a taste of that power!"

Bladescape rolled her eyes. "Not even the others know my chosen Skills anymore. The only way I would reveal that list is if I got married in the game. And then only to my husband."

"Fine," Klein grumbled. His goofy grin turned mischievous. 

A moose respawned and they were immediately charging its location. Despite the conversation, they were as in sync with each other as they had been for a while. They communicated well, read each other’s nonverbal cues, and worked nearly flawlessly despite not always being side by side.

As the afternoon peaked, Bladescape organized their rendezvous. The tanks were in a jam outside another abandoned mine. They all met there, helping them clear all of the gang members out. 

"Thanks, y'all," Backbreaker said when they were done. "We had a lot of fun, bashed what we needed to, but we were not gettin' out of that fight quickly. Which was fine until now."

"No problem," Klein shrugged. "It was a fun way to end our day teamed up."

“Anytime, darlings,” Diemond said. “It is refreshing to be out with more than just Wondercolts.”

“We are heading into town, are you guys coming?” Bladescape asked. 

“Nah, we will stay out for a bit,” Klein replied.

The parties were all dissolved and the Wondercolts and Fuurinkazan said their farewells for the day. 

They were coming into the town from the east. Bladescape had not come in from that direction. It was the entrance that had the corral for the horses and the NPC ready to rent a steed. She usually didn’t pay it any heed, but her new hobby meant she gave it a glance.

Bladescape took a second look and stopped. The braying horse caught had her attention. It was a yellow horse, almost golden in color, with a white main. She had learned a lot from Boots over that single day, so she could tell it was a gelding, a castrated stallion.

The horse had a deep chest, solid shoulders, and its hindquarters showed how powerful it was. It was straight and true along its back with solid legs. The head was held up high with a good, strong arch in his neck. His ears were perky, paying attention to the world around him.

Bladescape walked closer and saw the white diemond on his forehead that slipped down his muzzle a little way, in between bright, interested eyes. There were white snip curls up from the nose as well.

He took immediate interest in Bladescape. She had a good sense about the horse. He reminded her of some of the guards in Celestia’s castle. Some were stallions that made their own way, but the good ones were like this horse, interested, without being pushy, and obviously able to stay calm in the face of chaos.

The corral was a standard NPC owned business. Bladescape entered the barn, the gelding had followed her until she got inside the barn. It popped its head through its stall door, the back being open to the corral, and he looked for her with snort.

Bladescape found the NPC out back, shoeing a horse. “Can I help you?” the NPC grunted as he put the last nail in place.

“The yellow horse, the one with his head out the door, is he for sale?”

The NPC wiped his forehead free of sweat and stepped over to see which horse she meant. “The palomino gelding?”

“Yep,” Bladescape nodded.

“Yeah, he is. But he isn’t an easy horse to ride.”

“Can I try in the corral?” Bladescape asked.

“Sure,” he shrugged, heading off to get a saddle.

Once saddled, he passed her the reins. The palomino gelding was almost 15 hands high, or just under 5 feet at the withers. Despite the height, Bladescape mounted him with ease. It didn’t take much to direct him. He understood what she wanted and soon they were at a strong trot and even a gallop in the corral.

Bladescape slowed him down and dismounted in front of the NPC. “How much?” She asked, not handing over the reins.

“I haven’t met a soul able to ride him, especially like you just did,” the NPC stated. “Still, the lowest I can go is 50,000 Col.”

“Deal,” Bladescape grinned. “I’ll take him.”

She exchanged the Col, also bought the basic saddle and reins, and then rode him through the stable to the others who were waiting to find out what was going on.

“Uh, what are you going to do with that?” Thunderborne bluntly asked.

“I have an idea,” Bladescape replied. “That player, Boots, she has a stable. I am sure I can pay her to care for him, in between me taking him out for a ride.”

“You can teleport with a horse?” Diemond asked, concerned for the horse.

“Yes,” Bladescape replied. “But the horse has to be steady, or they will freak out. I will meet you at home.”

Bladescape rode off, not waiting for a response. She got plenty of looks from the NPCs, but it wasn’t hard for her to get him onto the teleport plaza. He took the teleportation without a second thought, however, as soon as they were on Floor 12, he was ready to run. Bladescape had to hold him back to navigate them through the city.

The stable doors were open and a few horses were out in the corral. That meant Boots was nearby.

“Boots!” Bladescape called out.

“One moment,” Boots yelled back.

Bladescape decided to stay mounted for the time being. She wanted Boots to see her on the horse first.

Boots finally came out, wearing her armor. "I was just-" she looked over Bladescape and the horse. "I'm done riding for the day. If you wanted to go. Sorry."

Bladescape dismounted. "No, I am not here for riding. This is...I don't know who this is. But he is mine."

Boots accidentally let out a squeal of excitement. She obviously didn't like to squeal. She composed herself. "That is awesome. But, don't you live in the city? That is why-"

"I was hoping that you could help me with that," Bladescape said, interrupting her. "Paid of course."

Boots stammered unintelligible sounds for a second. "Yes!" She squeaked, excited. "And he will have plenty of good friends too! But how did you, why did you, I mean, yes, you have Col, but you still bought a horse. They are listed as one of the top 5 dumbest things to spend your money on."

"Riding is a great way for me to relax," Bladescape replied. "You heard me laugh and saw my joy. Every other skill is a combat skill. I am addicted to combat, but I promised, when I got my next skill, I would find a non combat skill. I tried, I ended up questing, met you, finished the quests, and went back to my normal life. I saw him on my way off the front lines today, and now I own a horse. Well, I sort of finished the quests. I am waiting for the next part to be unlocked. I may still need to ride for other parts. The point is, since you don't need a Skill to ride, I was able to fulfill the promise of a hobby or way to relax, and still add a combat skill."

"You will need a better saddle," Boots said. "Thankfully I know a guy. And you won't have to worry about the saddle fitting you. It's like armor. It just fits. A bit annoying, but nothing is perfect.”

Boots brought up the horse's information. "Now, you just need a name for him. He has none, and you get that right as his owner."

"I know it's my decision, but do you have any suggestions?"

"The first horse that comes to mind is the old racehorse, Plaudit. He was a purebred stallion that has the rare distinction of being an AQHA registered purebred and a PHBA horse because he was a true palomino. Although, palomino isn't a breed, but color, it still has a very difficult vetting process to get registered with them. Anyway, Plaudit won multiple races and then went on to sire several names as big as his. He was quite the race horse. Of course, that is by modern standards. If we were to take this to medieval standards, Plaudit would have been a courser, like this guy here. And a very good one.

"That is an interesting name," Bladescape said.

"Modern Horse names, particularly modern derby horses, have distinctive names for betting practices. But the word means-"

"It's an expression of praise or approval," Bladescape finished.

"Exactly," Boots beamed.

"I do agree that he fits the description," Bladescape said. "So why not?"

The name was entered and Plaudit was officially registered in the system. He was also registered as being owned by Bladescape with the caretaker being Boots. It allowed her to do everything needed to care for the horse that otherwise only the owner could do or would have to directly authorize, like shoeing. She could also ride him if he needed it. It also gave Bladescape access to the stable, but only his stall and gear, so she could go in and get him when needed.

"He teleported fine," Bladescape added. "He wanted to move as soon as he arrived, but he was fine otherwise."

"That is valuable," Boots replied. “I have a feeling you won’t stay on Floor 12.”

“I could use a horse to assist in gathering enhancement materials,” Bladescape shrugged. “Well, I would enjoy it, not need. I have Sprint, but it isn’t as fun as riding.” 

Boots chuckled. Bladescape bade her, and Plaudit, goodbye before she went back home. 

Inside their headquarters, in the waiting area, were three players she knew only by name, but had never met. Veros was the leader of the largest crafting guild. With him was Relos, a well known smith, and Pelloid, the finest metal expert in Aincrad. The others had kept them waiting for Bladescape.

“Forgive me,” Bladescape said as she sat down. “It’d been a long and complicated day. I had forgotten that we sent word out about our find.”

“So we have heard from your guildmates,” Veros said. “It is understandable. But we are not here for idle chatter.” He held up a small piece of rock, one they had gathered from the mine. “This is an interesting item. And it is most definitely new. Word is that you know where more is and that you are willing to sell that information.”

“We do and are,” Bladescape nodded. “We could only pick up the loose pieces. None of us are miners, and I know that there are other guilds than just you that are interested in this find.”

“And yet you didn’t go to your favorite info broker with this,” Veros pointed out.

“I wasn’t the one who sent word,” Bladescape replied, staying calm and composed. “I don’t want to rip you off. After all, this material will most likely prove vital for the Assault Team and other players. Still, I know your profit margin will easily exceed ten times what this sale will be at. I am not afraid to negotiate.”

Veros grinned knowingly as he sat there. “While I know your reputation as Wondercolts, I didn’t expect an easy negotiation.”

He pulled out a folded piece of paper from inside his shirt and passed it to her. Bladescape took it and read the offer. She held back any emotion. She had no real idea of what the information was actually worth. No one did. They were gambling with future predictions. Still, the offer on the paper wasn’t fooling around. Veros and his fellow guild leaders were not willing to risk losing the mining location and the future that it might hold.

“This is an interesting offer,” Bladescape said, trying to scope out their reaction. 

Veros was just smiling back at her. “It is what we could gather. And it is all cash. We have the Col to transfer to you right now.”

“I’m tired,” Bladescape admitted. 

“We had heard you were working overnight,” Pelliod said. “You put a lot of good effort into freeing us. So we put the best offer we can on that paper. You have better things to do than haggle over predictions.”

Bladescape let herself smile. “I do. And this offer is enough to settle the negotiations.”

Bladescaper pulled up her menu and prepared to copy data. She did a limited transfer, covering only the field map of Floor 60 and the mine’s map. The information came out as a scroll. She set it on the coffee table and slid it over to Veros. Veros opened his menu and put the Col onto the table. He picked up the data and read it before transferring into his map data that all the guild had access too. 

“I would recommend guards,” Bladescape said, leaving the Col on the table for the time being. “The moose are annoying, but deadly. We were clearing around the town for most of the day. And the gang that was inside it was no joke. I don't think the gang will respawn, but we can't guarantee that."

“We are prepared for front line mining,” Relos said. “It isn’t our first time. And we do have to mine in some areas that require guards as well. I look forward to getting my pickaxe into this ore.”

“I hope you have fun,” Bladescape said. “I couldn’t spend my time in here picking at rocks.”

“And I couldn’t spend my time in here swinging a sword at every Boss that comes my way,” Relos fired back. 

“We should let you get sleep,” Veros said, standing up. “Thank you for selling it to us.”

“And thank you,” Bladescape said, also standing. 

They all bowed to each other in parting. They let themselves out while Bladescape stood there, next to the table with the money on it. Once they were gone, Bladescape picked up the bag and inventoried all of it into the guild’s finances. They would make good use of the money from the sale. 

Bladescape wasn’t thinking about weapons upgrade or equipment. She was setting her sights higher. They had broken onto Floor 60, yet the Wondercolts’ HQ was on Floor 35. They were going to need a new place by Floor 70. A place that was closer to the front, even though they were in eyesight of the Teleport Plaza. They had an image to keep up, and staying on Floor 35 had lost its touch. The Knights of the Bloodoath were now on Floor 55, in Granzam. The Divine Dragon Alliance was on Floor 56. The Wondercolts were behind compared to them, despite their importance to the Assault Team, and it was beginning to show. The Wondercolts would figure out how to top their current headquarters when the time came. For now, they had just pocketed a lot of cash for it. 

Bladescape (SS): Lvl 80 – Two-Handed SwordSearchWeapon DefenseLeather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 73 – RapierSprintAcrobaticsArmor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 76 – Heavy ShieldOne-Handed War HammerExtended Weight CarryHeavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 73 – Two-Handed AxeParryCookingWeapon DefenseMartial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 73 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – TailoringLight Metal Armor ForgingHeavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 75 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – HideSearchListening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 73 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 70 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search
Lessa: Lvl 70 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics
Joltron: Lvl 73 – 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