Front Line - Floor 62
June 13 - Year 2
Bladescape and Doombunny got back to the headquarters before the others were back from the Labyrinth. Joltron, Diemond, and AFCK were lounging around in the guild hall, waiting for the meeting to start. Bladescape took her seat and leaned back, pushing the chair onto only the back two legs. She put her feet up on the table. She wasn't going to get more serious in her posture unless they forced her to. It was good to finally be back and she was very confident in her plan. She opened her menu and began to search for what she was looking for.
Thunderborne, Astro, Backbreaker, Kiefer, and Lessa burst through the door a few minutes later. They were huffing and puffing, gasping for air after their sprint. They had gotten the message as soon as they had exited the Labyrinth and sprinted from there to the Teleport Plaza.
"How is the Labyrinth going?" Bladescape immediately asked. The question was targeted at Backbreaker.
"Fine," Backbreaker shrugged as she walked to her seat, still breathing a bit heavy. "Slow because so many parties are tryin' to level grind. But better safe than sorry. The rumors say we have even less info to go on for the boss than usual, which will mean we need a full scouting party to get a physical lead on the Boss and their skills and attacks. But what is this about an ASAP meeting?"
"Plans for tomorrow," Bladescape said as she selected what she had been looking for in her menu. "But first. Thunder, catch!" Bladescape tossed a thin, black rapier over to Thunderborne without any ceremony. Thunderborne easily caught it with one hand. "It's better than Azure Aculeus."
Thunderborne drew the sword. It was an ivory white blade, the exact opposite to the black grip, guard, pommel, and sheath. It looked like it would be better suited for Kirito, until the white blade was drawn.
"What is this?" Thunderborne asked. "I mean, I know it is a rapier and I know it says Dragon Tooth, but where did you get this?"
"Complicated story kept short, yesterday Doom and I got interrupted early in our training. Kirito ran into us. And then before we could split, the King Black Dragon attacked. It was a battle the King didn't survive. That was the LAB. It may not be your colors, but it is exponentially better than your maxed rapier."
"This is the LAB from the King Black Dragon‽" Thunderborne exclaimed. A part of that exclamation was filled with healthy jealousy over missing such a battle.
"Wield it well," Bladescape said. It was more of an order than she meant it to be.
"You finally got your bigshot LAB," Backbreaker said with a grin. "Good for you. Sad it wasn't helpful."
"I've been after a Floor Boss LAB," Bladescape clarified. "This was a fluke. A survival fluke. We had to win and I just happened to score the final blow in that desperation. Doombunny scored major critical attacks all throughout the battle. Colorra directly, clearly, saved us at one point too. But it was not fun, not even after. Still, it had its benefits. The Col and XP was massive and more XP than we could have gotten from two days hunting. But we each almost died a few times.
"Anyway, we have more important things to discuss."
"What was Kirito doing there of all places?" Thunderborne pressed.
Doombunny was firm and strong in her response. "We swore ourselves to secrecy over his task. It was why we couldn't teleport out. He couldn't, so we stayed. And Blade is right. I scored a good 15% total damage on the great Field Boss. I scored very critical points against the dragon. Which for a Snake Charmer with a one handed dagger, that is quite a feat. I am proud of it."
"We couldn't have done it without her," Bladescape dryly stated. "But not the point. Tomorrow's assignments. Doom and my side project isn't over. We are making one more training run, this time it's to help the kid's caretaker and teacher, Miss Sasha. She is beloved by the kids, and without her, they would be lost and dead.
"Since I am leading her on a specialized training run, the kids need a caretaker. Doom, who the kids know as Bunny because Doom upsets some of them, will be leading Diemond, Joltron, and AFCK in covering for Sasha. There are a lot of kids. Gin, Kain, and Mina, who we were training all day, they will assist you. They do not know Miss Sasha is going to be out training with Klein and I." Bladescape held up her hand from her laid back position, still not sitting up straight, and it held off several questions. "Backbreaker, Astro, Kiefer, Lessa, and Thunderborne, you are to hit the Labyrinth to do what you can. I know it is slow. Play it safe and teleport out before you get backed into a corner."
"Got it," Backbreaker nodded.
"I'll keep us to that," Kiefer added. "We won't overstretch ourselves."
"I'll always be calculating our safety margin," Astro assured Bladescape. "As soon as we get into dark orange, we will Teleport. Dark orange at the latest."
"Good," Bladescape said. "I would rather you come back earlier and have a break than push it. AFCK, cold breakfast. I expect you will be making a lot tomorrow morning. It's about two dozen kids."
Those who didn't know the situation at the church were shocked at the number of kids in Sasha's care. Doombunny gave them the cliff notes of the situation.
"This is a whole guild operation, y'all," Backbreaker stated, actually speaking in an authoritative role in a full guild meeting. "We all have our roles to play. Even if that means hittin' the Labyrinth, well we have to keep hammering away at her. Y'all with me are ensurin' that the others can take care of the kids. And ensure their safety. And the safety and survival of younguns is top priority. I don't know if we will get this opportunity to help them again. It's certainly turned into a much bigger operation than originally planned. But honestly, it is a good one. A Wondercolt type operation which we are known for! And with all the level grindin' that everyone is doin', this is the perfect spot for us to be able to both push the front line and tackle this side objective. Y'all with me?"
They all gave verbal confirmation that they understood the plan and that they backed the little detour they were taking.
"Then bed!" Bladescape said. "Unless you absolutely have to do something for tomorrow's prep. The kids won't be easy to handle. I have seen them devour food and how Miss Sasha does it, I don't know. The rest of you, it's another front line grind, so be ready, but stay safe and get the rest you need."
Bladescape stayed, still lounging back, as everyone but Backbreaker went upstairs to bed.
"Let's give them a moment and then meet in your room in private," Backbreaker whispered to Bladescape. Bladescape nodded in reply.
After several minutes of silence, Bladescape stood up and put her chair in order. Backbreaker did the same. Neither touched the box. Instead, they headed to Bladescape's room. Inside her room, Bladescape let out a sigh of relief and comfort at the security she felt.
"Sorry it's been so odd the past few days," Bladescape said. "A lot has been riding on you and your shoulders. And you have a big day tomorrow. I hope being short one again won’t be a problem. If you need the sixth, we can shift Joltron to you."
"We can handle it," Backbreaker assured her. "We took it slow and got a good break in while at a safe zone. We didn't get far but we got progress. What you are doin' is more important. When I heard about it, all I could think about was what if my little sister, Apple Bloom, and her friends, Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell, were trapped in here? What would be best for them? And the answer is what we are doing as a guild.
"As to the weight on my shoulders, I have broad shoulders and an unbreakable back from years of work on the farm. I won't snap like Twilight. That was a tough lesson we all learned. But I am sure she will be back. On a side note, I do need a fishin' day soon."
"You will get one," Bladescape said, putting her arm on Backbreaker's shoulder for support. "You deserve it."
Bladescape stepped back and pulled Bajutsu out of her inventory. She hung it up as she gathered the mental fortitude to continue with the discussion. Backbreaker was doing the same.
"I don't want Knightstar on the Council," Bladescape said, voicing the opinion she had been playing with in her mind for a solid week, at the least. "I think both jobs were too much on her shoulders. We can't afford that. Twilight is our friend. We made a mistake."
"We can't afford to lose you either," Backbreaker retorted. "Is horse ridin' goin' to be enough?"
"I love combat," Bladescape admitted. "But the horse riding, it will be enough. I know where I can go to have fun with the girl who taught me to ride, Boots. We can have fun riding together. I will be good."
Backbreaker knew about Greatsword, but Bladescape didn't mention Kirito's opinions for fear it would accidentally reveal his.
"I think Astro is our better choice," Backbreaker stated as they got back to the intended topic.
"She was my only choice," Bladescape said. "Maybe we need to build a designation system to give members key roles. We have Guild Leader, Main Tank, and we had a Statistician. But we should probably give out squad and guild roles."
"Like what exactly?" Backbreaker asked. "Let's not try and harvest a crop before it even sprouts."
"We know our guild," Bladescape said with a grin. "Officials titles: I am Leader, you are Second in Command. Astro is our Strategist. There is a key difference between strategy and stats."
"Of course," Backbreaker agreed.
"AFCK is our Cook, Diemond is our Armorer, and Kiefer is our Party C Officer. If he is with one of us, most likely he is under our command. But I like the idea of having a Party Leader who isn't on the Council. If we get tied up, he can still operate the Parties. Unlike the KOB or DDA, we don't need level guides who can make sure the lower level players can rank up and keep watch over leveling quotas. But today was a perfect example. We had three parties. We could use a few more designated guild positions. We are just large enough to justify it."
This time, Backbreaker put her hand on Bladescape's shoulder. "And when Twilight remembers who she is and who we really are, and when she comes back, she will be our Statistician, but not a guild council member so she isn't so stressed out. I can't believe I didn't see the signs."
"We have avoided this topic on purpose," Bladescape said. "But we all feel the same way. Yet we need to remember to give ourselves grace, because we too are stressing out over things and have our own thoughts and fears we are battling. We are here for each other but that does not mean we can always pick up on the others having a hard time, or just how hard of a time they are having.
"We need to continue this talk, but with Astro, in private. She has seen a lot of guilds. She hasn't played a death game, but she has seen plenty of guilds in a variety of games."
"One last thing," Backbreaker said, right before she opened the door. "The rapier wasn't all you got. You got something else."
Bladescape wordlessly nodded. Backbreaker didn't leave so Bladescape gave a vague answer. "I have to figure out what it is. I don't think it can be used. It's not a weapon or piece of equipment."
Backbreaker shrugged, not knowing what else to do. She flashed a warm smile and bid her goodnight. They would make official promotions in a day or two.
Bladescape didn't respond. She waited for the door to close and then stripped down as far as the moral code would allow. She hung up her armor for the few hours she would get, and then put most of the excess junk she had gotten from the King Black Dragon and hunting into her sorting bin. She would go through it later. The few pieces she already had sorted she put away properly. The rest she wanted to keep in her inventory so she could easily find and access it. She had no idea what equipment Sasha had, so she had several sets of equipment for her. The dragon's drop list was massive and lousy with a lot of low level equipment. Which happened to be exactly what she needed.
Bladescape slid her menu up so she could put on her sleepwear, but then she stopped. She looked over her body, moving and shifting so she could see as much as she could. She pulled the clothes out and tossed them onto the bed. She exited her menu.
Bladescape began to explore how her body felt in her hands. She knew that she was feeling a virtual replica of her real body with virtual hands. It felt real, but it wasn't quite her. There just wasn't the same feeling as she squeezed and rubbed herself, testing the capabilities of the game against her own memories. Knowing something like the back of your hand was a common saying, and it felt like one of those statements. But, did she "know the back of her hand?"
For over a year and a half, she had never actually tried to feel her virtual body. But now, hearing about the moral code switch, she felt compelled to see if it would even matter to her. As far as she could feel, it wouldn't. There was a difference between what she felt and what her mind remembered was her real flesh and blood. However, it would be nice to not be in the same white, basic undergarments. Diemond would have a blast making lingerie, but that wasn't a good enough reason to find that option and switch it off. It was a superficial, vain reason and thinking it mattered wasn't even worth her time.
Bladescape broke the spell on her mind by grabbing her shirt and tossing it over her head. She was still distracted by the feeling of virtual clothes on her virtual body. She needed more to break the spell so she could go to bed and get some sleep.
Bladescape knew what she needed. She pulled up her menu and found the special item. The Last Attack Bonus for the King Black Dragon had two items on the list. The Rapier she gave Thunderborne, and something called the "Black Draconic Visage."
Bladescape made sure she was by the desk so it would catch the item as it popped out. It was a smart move as the King Black Dragon's head popped out and landed on the desktop. It was not scaled. She had severed it at the neck, but this appeared to be an automatic drop for the kill. This was certainly enough evidence to prove that the King Black Dragon was dead for good. He would not be respawning without his head.
Upon checking into its info more, the information listed it as an S Class material. S Class was the highest and rarest grade material in SAO. It was not food though. The head was a raw crafting material. Bladescape wasn't sure what could be done with it, but she couldn’t worry about it as late as it was. It had broken the spell like she needed it to. Bladescape fell face first onto her bed and rolled so she wrapped herself in her top sheet. She was somewhat conscious that this wasn't exactly like how falling asleep in the real world felt as she drifted to sleep.
Bladescape (SS): Lvl 83 – 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 - Armor Pierce
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