//------------------------------//
// Episode 73 - Headquarters Upgrade 
// Story: EQG: Sword Art Online - Aincrad 
// by Mindrop 
//------------------------------//

Floor 61 - Front Line Floor 63
June 23 - Year 2

Bladescape sat down in the sketchy cafe in Algade. It was the same one she had met Argo in several times now. The owner was still lazy, and the cleanliness of the glasses was thankfully only a mental problem since germs didn't exist in SAO.

"So, what do you want?" Argo asked as she ate something that was supposed to be traditional ramen. It might taste like it, but it didn't look like it.

"I am looking for info on new headquarters. Astro and I dragged through all of what is readily available, but they were all lackluster. The KOB is now in Granzam, and they have a big one. The DDA is in Pani and again, it is big because they are massive. We need a place worthy of having our banners flying off it. We are one of the top guilds, and we want our place to reflect that. It did, back when the front line was 36, but now it’s 63. We need something grander."

"I absolutely agree," Argo asked with a concerning smile. "You have a reputation and image to protect, despite your size compared to them. The only real question is, are you willing to work for it?"

"What are you thinking?" Bladescape asked, trying to contain her excitement. Whenever Argo had that sparkle in her eye, it usually meant it was worth it in the end. Still, she played coy. "I know that smile, and it usually doesn't end well for us."

"Yeah, but this time, it would be completely for you, not working for me."

"Alright," Bladescape shrugged. "Hit me with it."

"Floor 61 is all water. Outside of Selmburg and a few smaller islands."

"Right," Bladescape said with a nod. "Selmburg had some nice places, but nothing grand enough. It is mostly centered on player houses."

"But there are other places," Argo snickered. "Go to the Selmburg docks. Ask to be taken to White Thorn Island. It is one of the handful of mini islands on the Floor. Just remember what clearing Floor 61 was like. You will see the same thing."

"Right," Bladescape said, rolling her eyes. "But why the island. How will that help?"

"Remember the old man's house, from the Necromancer Quest?"

"Yes," Bladescape replied. "It is still in our possession. Inside the white circle, it is a safe zone. But it is not in an advantageous location unless you want to get away from everyone and everything. Getting food isn’t easy from there either."

"Which players do want," Argo added. "But I mean that the only way to unlock some houses or player owned property is to do a quest. Only then can you purchase it."

"So what will we find on the island?" Bladescape asked.

"No idea,” Astro shrugged. “Don't care either. But if you want something worthy of the Wondercolts, a private island might fit that description. That is all I know; it’s a private island."

Bladescape hadn't thought about owning a private island. It was always one of those things you wanted in real life, but the reality was very few islands existed that you could own. And they were all very expensive. That dream could become a reality in SAO. They had time to do a quest.

"Thanks," Bladescape said standing up.

Argo's grin was sly. "If it works out, I want a full, five course Wondercolts meal for payment."

"Of course," Bladescape agreed.

Bladescape got back to Mishe and the others. They were waiting for her in the Guild Hall, bored.

"Well?" Astro immediately asked.

Bladescape stayed by the doors as she crossed her arms and grinned. "Gear up. We have a lead. There is a quest that rumor says will unlock the ability for us to buy a property. Floor 61. I'm not sure how big the property will end up being, but it should come with our own private island."

"You had me at private island," Thunderborne declared as she skipped out of her chair to get geared up.

Backbreaker and Astro were the only other ones who were in their combat gear. The others didn't take more than five minutes to get ready. AFCK had already packed food.

They teleported to Selmburg and went to the docks. They chartered a large sailboat that could take all 10 of them. On the boat ride, they organized themselves. Astro took Kiefer, Joltron, Lessa, and AFCK. Bladescape had Thunderborne, Doombunny, Diemond, and Backbreaker. Bladescape wanted Thunder and Astro split for this task. They would need their speed and agility, but it was best split up.

There wasn't much to see. The island, like all of the ones on the Floor, was mountainous. This one was less so, but it did rise up The bulk of the rock was the cliff that separated it from the sea. The only place to land was a small, sandy beach with a wooden dock and a path of stone stares going up the cliff .

They jumped out of the boat. A screen popped up, blocking their entrance. It was a quest acceptance screen. "Home Defense" was the quest name. With the double checked approval of the others, Bladescape hit accept, starting the quest.

They organized themselves into their two parties and then Bladescape led them forward and up. She was forced to stop at the top step. Everything was tall brush. It felt like she had been shrunk and was in the front lawn of CHS. It should not have surprised her, but it did. Astro and Backbreaker came up beside her.

"61 was bugs," Astro reminded them. "We never had to bushwhack, but I think that is what we need to do."

"What do you mean?" Bladescape asked.

"I mean it's time to play gardener," Astro chuckled. She spoke to the three of them. "Kiefer, Blade, Lessa, Thunder, and AFCK need to begin to use their swords and axes to cut this down. Meanwhile, the rest of us spread out and prepare to block or attack the insects that come after us."

"That works for me," Bladescape said with a nod.

"Let's do it," Backbreaker agreed.

Bladescape reached up and drew Harmonic Salvation. "Better give me some room to clear a good foothold for us."

The others backed down the stairs. Bladescape made two wide cuts, as low as she could into the grass. It gave them the room to be able to spread out. They never got the chance to as Bladescape's Search Skill set off an avalanche of alarms from all around them.

Bladescape didn't have time to block as something big leaped out of the grass and rammed its head into her chest. She was forced down the stairs into the arms of her friends. It was a bowling ball effect as they fell like pins. It hopped to the top of the stairs. "Giant Weta" popped up above its head. It was a massive grasshopper cricket bug. It jumped at them before they could get up. It stopped suddenly, right at Bladescape's chest. Its insectoid head rotated and the antenna twitched in Bladescape's face. Bladescape screamed in terror and tried to back away, but she was stuck against her friends.

"STOP SCREAMING!" Astro grunted from inside the pile. "It's stuck on my spear. Barely. You are safe. Who is free? Is anyone not in this pile?"

"I'm on the pile," AFCK asked. "Does that count as in?"

"GET OFF!" Doombunny yelled, pushing at AFCK. "You tackled me because I wasn't trapped!"

"Cause piles are fun!" AFCK protested.

AFCK got up with another shove from a crushed Doombunny. She fished through a pouch and pulled out one of her clam-shaped throwing blades. It glowed as she triggered the skill and blasted the insect to polygons. The hunk of steel bounded off the rocks and steps a few times and returned to AFCK's outstretched hand. She dramatically blew on it like it was a smoking gun.

They finally got themselves sorted out and back on their feet. Backbreaker asked the question most of the others were thinking. "Is it worth it up there?"

"I couldn't see exactly what is there," Bladescape replied. "I know I just was screaming my head off, but we are Wondercolts. Are we going to back down from clearing a small island full of bugs? Once we clear it, it could be ours. I still think it will be worth it."

"Probably," Astro sighed. "But it is not going to be fun. I hated this Floor and was so happy we barely had any land to clear or time spent fighting for it. It was an easy clear until the labyrinth. How much HP did it knock off you?"

"It was a lot more fear than damage," Bladescape admitted. "My Battle Regen Skill just topped me off with ease."

"We are going to have to clear away the grass," Kiefer reminded them. "But we can do this. I'm not about to let some bugs stop me from a private island."

They reset, matching a shield to a player. AFCK and Bladescape were going to float, without a shield buddy. Backbreaker had Doombunny. Kiefer was naturally paired with Lessa, but she was looking braver about the bugs than he was. Thunderborne stepped over to Diemond, claiming her. Joltron and Astro paired up like they preferred. That gave them 4 shield teams and two floaters.

"Watch the edge, y’all," Backbreaker advised them. "If they knock us off the cliff into the water, it’s over."

"Cut our way in and then slowly work to push them off the ledge," Bladescape said, setting the strategy.

"Joltron and I will go left," Astro said. "We will clear along the cliff that way."

"I better take the right," Backbreaker sighed. "They won't push me off. Ready Doom?"

"Mhm," Doombunny nodded. "Colorra is going to stalk them on her own. This grass gives her the advantage."

"I'm glad the snake is here," Bladescape said. "We need another stalker. Now, let’s be Wondercolts, and conquer this island with as little screaming as possible."

"I think that is let's be adults," Diemond fired back. "I don't know if Wondercolts can handle these icky things without screaming."

“Adults scream over bugs,” Joltron said, rolling his eyes. “They always seemed to make it into the house when my dad wasn’t home, so I had to kill them for my mom and sisters.”

"At least they shatter," Thunderborne added. "I won't have to try and scrape them off my shoe. Or sword. No ugly mess that way."

Backbreaker growled and began to march forward. "Let's go before we lose our nerve."

Bladescape walked forward and then began to cut a path in line with the dock and stairs. The rest began to make their moves. She focused on the task of cutting. With each sweep of the blade she pulled Harmonic Salvation into a defensive position. Then she lowered it and swung low, chopping away at the grass. It shattered into the polygons they were made of. Bladescape quickly realized that no matter what height she cut them at, they shattered to a well manicured height. There was a home somewhere in this grass.

Bladescape cut the grass and moved to a defensive position. Her Search perimeters were tightened up to drown out the background insects father away. The grass in front of her rustled and Bladescape shuffled back. Out of it came a huge bug with a shell that looked like it was a thorn. "Thorn Bug" popped up and Harmonic Salvation cut it in half with ease. As big as they were, and as disconcerting as it was to feel tiny, the insects seemed to be easy to kill. At least they were easy for the Wondercolts because of their level.

Bladescape continued to cut forward. The stalks shattered and she found herself looking at a cleared path, perpendicular to hers. She was confused until she heard a snorted giggle from further down the other path. AFCK was just winding around wherever her mind took her.

Someone had to be an anchor to that madness, so Bladescape continued to cut in the same, forward direction. Every so often a Giant Weta or Thorn Bug came out of the grass. Sometimes they circled around her first, other times they came at her from straight ahead. She dealt with them one by one. It was a good thing she had tightened up her Search pattern, or else she would end up in a panic from the sheer number of the insects there seemed to be. A large number was no problem if they all stayed as easy to kill as they had been.

"WEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" AFCK happily squealed. "I FOUND A WALL! IT IS WHITE! WHAT DO I WIN?"

Bladescape couldn't help but laugh. It was good to have Pinkie Pie slipping through at a time when most of them were on edge against a common fear.

"FOLLOW THE WALL!" Astro yelled from wherever she was in the grass. She wasn’t close by. "CLEAR A PATH IN FRONT OF IT FOR US TO FIND!"

"OKAY!" AFCK giggled back.

Bladescape made another sweep of her sword. She had lost count of how many it had been. The polygons floated away, revealing a cave filled with the Thorn Bugs and several Giant Wetas. Bladescape switched to Greatsword and Harmonic Salvation glowed red, launching Bladescape into action. She danced between them, leaving a trail of exploding polygons. They were no match for her new skill.

Bladescape realized she wasn't in a cave. She was staring at heavy wooden doors. And behind her was another set of doors, but opened inward. She was in a gatehouse, like in a castle.

AFCK jumped into the gatehouse. "FOUND YOU!" She yelled with a laugh as she pointed her out. "You lose! You are going to have to find a better hiding spot next time Bladescape."

"Stay right there," Bladescape ordered AFCK as she met her in front of the gatehouse. Bladescape widened her Search skill. She used the wall as reference to deduce where enemies on the outside of the wall with them were at. There were five more. Backbreaker and Doombunny were about to deal with one, Astro and Joltron another, Kiefer and Lessa a third, and Diemond and Thunderborne were alone, about to hit the wall on the other side of where AFCK did.

"Stay here and guard this spot," Bladescape ordered AFCK.

AFCK nodded and Bladescape went after the two free enemies. She didn't bother to cut the grass. She just needed to clean house so they could freely rally. Both enemies were Thorn Bugs, and both were easily dealt with.

The others had organized their own rally at the gatehouse while Bladescape finished the last one. Backbreaker and Doombunny were the last to arrive, having the most distance to travel.

"A Castle would be nice," Backbreaker said when she saw the wall and gatehouse for the first time.

"The wall runs to the cliff," Astro added. "We couldn't see much from our angle, but you are not getting past it. It buffers right along the top."

"Same on our side," Thunderborne said. "We are blocked by the walls. And, of course, those doors."

Bladescape switched to Bajutsu. The shorter blade was better for fighting in a building. "Time to see what is behind them," Bladescape declared as she pushed them open.

It was a blank room. A wide rectangle with another set of double doors directly across from them. It would make the perfect seating area for guests when they arrived. They moved in, across to the next set of doors and pushed them open. They were in a wide hallway.

They shuffled in a bit and stopped, listening.

Klick klack, klick klack.

"What is that?" Diemond squeaked. "I know it is a bug. Please tell me it isn't a cockroach."

Bladescape pulled out a throwing pick as she advanced forward a bit more. She caught sight of it as it slithered out of a doorway further ahead. It darted across the room and then scaled the wall, circling up to the ceiling as it charged them on its many legs. "Silverfish" popped up as it got in Bladescape's range. The pick flew true and it penetrated the armor of the insect. It continued coming, snaking along the ceiling and then popped as the poison from the pick did its job.

Bladescape walked forward and retrieved the pick. "I bet that they are all that are in this building. Spread out, and let's clear this place as fast as possible."

With the hallway only giving them three options, they were limited in how their teams moved out. Bladescape was with Thunderborne and Diemond, and Astro and Joltron. They found a set of stairs and took them up to the second floor.

Several silverfish were in the hallway. They were easy pickings. The hallway was along the back of the building. Astro tried the closest closed door. It was locked tight. The windows lining the outside wall were cloudy and dirty, obscuring the view but letting enough light in to see by.

Joltron and Astro stayed on the floor, to personally check all of the doors. Bladescape, Thunderborne, and Diemond went up to the third floor. The hallway was on the front side of the building this time. Bladescape exited the stairs with a throwing pick ready and a second in her other hand. Two silverfish were in the hallway, one in either direction. She chose the first one and launched the pick. Bladescape spun, slipped the second pick to her other hand and launched it. That pick was laced with a paralyzing agent and it stopped the silverfish without killing it. Thunderborne leaped forward and thrust her rapier into it, ending its struggle.

"We will check these doors," Thunderborne said as she walked to the nearest door, which was closed. It was also locked.

Bladescape began to go up again. The distance between floors was higher this time as the stairwell shifted out to be wider than it was before. When Bladescape finally got to a landing, she peered out of the cloudy window to see the front area they had come in at. She could easily see where they had cut the grass down.

The next landing was definitely a marker for a floor, but it was locked behind a door. Bladescape went back down. The third floor was clear, with no sign of Astro or Joltron. The second floor was empty as well. Bladescape went back down to the first floor and began to search for the others. She ran into Backbreaker and Doombunny.

"There were a lot of these things in these here rooms," Backbreaker said. "They were no problem, but it took us time."

"Hey," Thunderborne said as they rounded a corner with Astro. "There you guys are. We got separated. We all took the stairs at the ends of the hallway down, so the others should be in that direction."

Bladescape shrugged and walked down the hallway Thunderborne pointed at. It got them back to the main hallway.

"Over here!" Kiefer called. "We cleared this side and found something you need to see."

They all regrouped in a large room. It was a rectangle, heading away from the main double doors.

"This looks like a guild hall to me," Kiefer said. "Also, AFCK cleared a massive kitchen and a huge dining room. Like, 100 players big."

"And the kitchen is amazing," AFCK added, drooling. "I could make so many cupcakes."

"Where to next?" Backbreaker asked.

"Follow me," Kiefer said. "When we peaked out of the back through one of the cloudy windows, well, it’s going to be a fight. Like the real fight.”

They formed up on the extra wide doorway. Doombunny grabbed the handle and looked back at Backbreaker. She got a reassuring nod and Doombunny pushed the door open, leaping through. Backbreaker was right behind her, immediately throwing up her shield in defense. The rest of their shields rushed out, blocking their partners.

The  castle's bailey was massive and completely lined with stones. Off to the right was a long, three story building that appeared to be right up against the wall. To the back left was a small wooded garden. The back right corner, far away, had a square tower, with two layers of windows above the door.

None of that mattered because the courtyard was filled with multiple enemies. "Killer Asp," and "Devil Flower'' were the primary enemies, along with some flying "Scorpion Fly"s in the mix. The Killer Asps were brown, hairy caterpillars that were as tall as they were. No doubt, they were toxic to the touch. The Devil Flowers were giant praying mantis, and unlike the other mantis type creatures seen in the game, these were near perfect copies of their spiked raptorial forelegs and chomping mandibles. They looked beautiful as they stood there, waiting for them to come close enough and snatch. They certainly looked like the flowers they were supposed to be mimicking. The Scorpion Flies had a barbed tail just like a scorpion, but that was all that appeared to be a threat.

"Plan?" Backbreaker asked. "It is ten on like, 30?"

"About," Bladescape agreed, trying to think ahead.

That was as far as they got before the scorpion flies dove on them. As scary as a barb-tailed fly diving on them was, they stood their ground and cut them down. One landed a barb on Diemond, but her armor stopped it. She squashed it with her mace with a fury rarely seen by her. Rarity and insects were never a good mix. It was amazing how well she was standing strong against them. For now anyway.

"I count an even 12 mantises," Astro said. "And 16 asps. The asps are slow. If we are not careful, we will walk into the target zone of a mantis as we try and target the asps. We will need distance and armor against them. BB, Blade, Doombunny, AFCK, and Joltron, with me. Kiefer, take charge of the others and stay by the door. If you can kill an asp that wanders over to you, kill it. But we need to play this slow and careful. Then we can tackle each mantis one by one."

"I hate asps," Backbreaker griped. "Back on the farm, they were a pest. Usually only a few would come around, but one year they were everywhere. We could hardly do any work because they were spawnin' like crazy. Sure, they rarely hurt the trees, but before they turn into them hairy moths, their flannel fuzz is an irritant to the skin. It gets all in there, between the flakes, and yah can't get it out. Not an actual sting or venom, but they hurt like one. I'd rather get stung by ah hornet, better make that two hornets, than touch an asp."

"Understood," Bladescape said. "Let's hope they don't have a similar effect. But we have to find out somehow."

They all formed up as ordered. Astro issued her orders. "BB, I know your distaste for the asps, but you have the best protect out of all of us. I need you to go in at that one first. Swing your hammer, show us how much fluff we are dealing with, and if they will be passive or active attackers. Doom, it is your job to counteract any poison or effects. Blade, stay with BB and Doom, and be ready to deal damage with Harmonic Salvation. That reach will be key. AFCK, you are with Joltron and I. Once we know how much fur is on it, we can gauge the distance needed to kill them."

"Fine," Backbreaker grumbled. "I'll do it. I'd rather deal with roaches than asps!"

"Wow, she really hates those cuddly caterpillars," AFCK commented. 

Backbreaker groaned, but let the comment go. The bugs were a bigger concern, unless AFCK decided to try and hug one. She would be watching her.

They agreed and set up their initial entrance vector. Backbreaker moved ahead of them. She let her hammer glow and took a swing. It swiped through the fluff of the asp and quickly connected with the solid body. The asp let out of a weird shrilling cry. It reared up and tried to body slam Backbreaker. Backbreaker just raised her shield and let it pound away. Before the others could move in, it crawled completely on top of the shield, like a pedestal.

Backbreaker yelled a battle cry and began to run. She kept the shield up high as she charged back to the main building. At the last moment she pulled her shield down, putting her shoulder and all her weight into ramming the asp into the wall. The asp shrieked as it was squished and flattened a bit. Before it could spring out, it shattered into polygons. Backbreaker forgot about the physical distance that was in between her shield and the wall when it popped. Without that resistance, all her energy kept her moving forward. Her head collided with the wall before she could adjust. She crumpled in a daze.

Doombunny dashed over to Backbreaker, while the rest of them held their ground like the seasoned veterans they were. "She is fine," Doombunny declared a moment later. "Just a little dazed and embarrassed."

"Not a bad technique," Astro admitted as Backbreaker stood back up. "But next time, hold it up and let us get at its exposed belly."

"Right," Backbreaker said, flashing a thumbs up before rejoining them.

They executed the same tactic again, without trying to squash the asp this time. Bladescape was all that was needed to shatter it. Joltron couldn't hold one above his head, but he could get it to try and smash him. It was a delicate dance as they killed three more, while avoiding the mantises, until they couldn't.

"We have to kill this one," Bladescape yelled to Astro who was on the other side of a motionless mantis. It was beautiful to look at, but it was also lulling her into a feeling of apathy that would kill her when it decided to move. She couldn't let her guard down.

"I agree," Astro replied. "It is imposing though. It's at least three times our height."

"Crush or pierce?" Bladescape asked.

"Pierce," Astro decided. "Except I want you and AFCK to slip behind and go for the legs. Sever them and it will give us the advantage."

Backbreaker and Joltron shuffled towards the front of the mantis. Astro was with them, and so was Doombunny. It was smart. It let them come in close and then it chose the weakest one. It struck over the tanks, right for Doombunny. Doombunny, had her parrying dagger out, but she dropped it as the mantis grabbed that arm. Astro's spear missed as it quickly pulled back. Bladescape and AFCK had already committed themselves to the plan, slashing at the legs.

Doombunny screamed as she was hoisted into the air. That initial fear was twisted around to fight over flight. She kicked it in the face as it tried to crush her with its mandibles. Doombunny lunged in, as much as she could suspended by the arm, and stabbed its left eye. It let her go as it reared back from the strike. Astro caught Doombunny before she hit the ground.

Bladescape finally cut the hardy leg of the empusidae. It staggered back and lost even more ground as AFCK also got a leg hacked off. It topped and they all dove on it. It shattered quickly.

"Not the best, but we survived," Backbreaker said, panting a bit.

"Speak for yourself," Doombunny spat as she held her arm in tight. Tears of pain were obviously filling her eyes.

There were no bones to break in SAO. The most typical response was for the limb to be severed. It would regrow with adequate time. A health potion would speed that up or a healing crystal would instantly regenerate it. But some feelings were difficult to describe other than a shattering of the limb. It took time to get over the mental feeling of a severed or damaged limb.

Bladescape was quickly by her side. Doombunny hesitated, but then let go of her arm. It was red where the raptoral part had grabbed and pinned it against itself. They had Doombunny down a health potion and sent her back to the others. They didn't need her in direct combat.

The others had killed an asp of their own, and were preparing for two more slowly making their way at them. They welcomed Doombunny into their fold. They had two shields, and between Thunderborne and Kiefer, neither shield user would be burdened for long.

The others only got to kill one more asp before dealing with another mantis. The mantises were strategically spread out, making it very difficult to maneuver despite the size of the courtyard. They applied a new strategy. Backbreaker and Joltron were pulled in tight, Astro barely sticking out behind their shields, spear ready. It was a horrible angle to try and protect her from as it loomed over them. AFCK and Bladescape targeted the same rear leg rather than split their efforts like before.

It struck, its forward limbs catching on Joltron's shield. It started to lift him up. Astro jumped, spring-boarding off Backbreaker. She drove her spear straight through its head, landed in a roll that took her under its thorax and unleashed multiple stabs at its underside. Backbreaker was holding onto Joltron's feet, keeping him anchored as AFCK and Bladescape toppled a back leg. Once the rear leg was severed, it let go of Joltron, who slammed into Backbreaker, tangling them up. They never got a chance to land any blows since the other three made up for their absence.

"We need a new plan," Astro groaned.

An asp was slowly bearing down on them, but they ignored it for the moment.

"How aggressive are the mantis bugs?" Bladescape asked.

"All we know is that they are patient, but fast," Astro shrugged.

Bladescape's hand slipped to her picks. "Get ready," she warned them. First, she threw a poisoned one at the asp. She ignored the effects while she closed on the still mantis. Bladescape made sure Harmonic Salvation was ready in her left hand before she threw the pick. It impacted, punching cleanly through the outer shell. It stayed still as the poison began to whittle away at its HP.

"Why did we not try this earlier?" Joltron asked.

"I forget about it," Bladescape admitted. "It’s usually a backup tactic. Or a toss away to deal with the trash like the silverfish in the building."

"We need to fix that," Astro said. "Those are the key to this courtyard. And it probably is key in a lot more places."

Bladescape had enough picks to finish the mantises, but was only able to recover 3 of them. While she did that, the others targeted the asps. It was a simple clean up after the mantises were gone.

Bladescape prepared their next move as the last of the asps were killed. She sent Kiefer's team to breach the second building. They couldn't even get in. The doors were sealed. That made their life easier. Astro and Thunderborne were dispatched to the square tower, but it too was locked.

"Down to just the tree garden," Astro said as they jogged back to the others. "But that seems too simple."

"Too simple," Bladescape agreed. "How do we deal with it?" I don't want to go inside. I like our advantage in the open."

"It’s just some trees," Kiefer said. "Right?"

"Yeah, but what bugs do you think are in there?" Bladescape asked. "Considering the size of what was in the courtyard... I'm not liking the odds."

"And what does your max Search tell you?" Kiefer poked.

Bladescape widened the zone. She saw a lot of red flags pop up in the trees. But there was something else that flashed across it, like a ghost. Almost as if they were being stalked. She widened Search to cover the island, but saw nothing. She let it go completely, and still saw nothing. But that didn't mean something wasn't there. Her intuition from the months in game could be more accurate than the Skill. Doombunny hid from her all the time, usually by accident, and Bladescape was learning to infer where she was.

"A lot of mobs in the woods," Bladescape reported. "I don't trust that we are alone though."

"It wouldn't be a quest without a boss," Astro shrugged in agreement. "But first, forest."

"Right," Bladescape groaned. "It's a lot of little things in there. And that is what concerns me. I think it will be like swatting flies."

"Flies versus castles," Kiefer said. "What is more important. I choose castle. Cause this place looks awesome."

Bladescape focused on the garden's entrance path. It had plenty of trees that quickly obscured their vision and created a nice, cool garden that would be enjoyable, once cleared.

She began to move forward. She stopped as a softball sized blue ball with wings poked around a tree. It floated out a ways. None of the Wondercolts were sure about what to do. It looked absolutely docile. It came out a bit more and the identification tag brought up its name, "Parasprite."

Bladescape raised Harmonic Salvation. The name was familiar, but she could not recall where she knew it from. That was the most concerning thing. More of them popped out of the woods.

"What is the hold up?" Astro asked, tensing more as the Bladescape froze.

"I know the name but I don't know why. I don't trust it. As cute as it may look."

"Nothing cute should be trusted in here," Astro fired back. "Nothing should be trusted period. Especially when it has a red cursor above it!"

More began to slip out and the Wondercolts fanned out, trying to become a wall to contain them. The lack of orders was causing confusion. A pink parasprite floated over towards Thunderborne. She took the initiative and struck. It nimbly dodged out of the way of each attack. Despite the aid of the system, Thunderborne didn't hit it once. She stood there, shocked.

"Ah-ha!" Bladescape exclaimed. "Yes, they are a creature from Equestria! Not another game or our world."

"So how do we kill it?" Thunderborne asked, thrusting again at the pink one. It failed.

"It was an infestation report, from a long time ago," Bladescape said. "I don't recall how, only what the destruction was; they ate everything edible. So... step one is keep it away from AFCK, who has our food."

"Okay," AFCK shrugged, lowering Geode Splitter and stepped back to the main building. She pulled out her fife and began playing around with it instead.

"Is it just me, or are they bouncing with the beat of her song?" Backbreaker asked.

More continued their exodus of the garden, swaying and bouncing to the tune. Even when she was off or hit a shrill note, they were still held captive by the music.

"Plan," Astro said. "Backup and let's draw them all out. AFCK, keep it up. As soon as we can, we surround them, and then slice them up, one at a time, slow and steady. We don't want to break their concentration on the music. We risk that enough every time she hits a wrong note."

Bladescape slipped around to the edge of the forest. She had widened search and was waiting for the last of them to exit. The numbers were about 40. When it did, Bladescape closed off the circle and nodded to Astro and Backbreaker. Backbreaker and Diemond had moved to positions to better block AFCK if needed. Their heavy and slow blunt weapons would not be effective against the light and agile parasprites.

Thunderborne struck first, once again targeting the same pink one that had caused her so much frustration. With it distracted, Dragon's Tooth sliced it open with ease. Kiefer struck next with a simple slash. Astro tried her spear. She impaled one and then it carried through to a second one she had not seen. One by one they began to slice or pierce them, slowly and methodically to not break the circle. It took them a solid five minutes to cut each one up and tighten up the circle.

Kiefer killed the last one. The others relaxed, but Bladescape didn't. She felt it. It was all around them, like it came from the island itself.

"There is still something," Bladescape reminded them. "But I don't see it yet."

"I do," Lessa said, gulping. She pointed up into the sky.

A giant yellow bee was descending. Unlike a normal bee, it was yellow and a bright blue. The stinger was a black lightning bolt.

"I know that one!" Bladescape exclaimed. "Flash bee! And a big one."

"Flash bee?" Diemond asked.

"It can shoot lightning out of its stinger!" Bladescape explained. "We got this! But we need to spread out. And take every opportunity to strike. But watch it!"

"Flash Bee Queen" popped up along with two Health Bars.

"Got any more picks?" Astro asked.

"Four," Bladescape said. "But AFCK also has Blade Throwing. And she has more. No poison, but they pack a punch."

AFCK grabbed one of her "blades." She threw the hunk of steel up at the descending bee. It hit with a resounding smack. It knocked a noticeable amount of HP off its first HP bar.

It dove on AFCK in retaliation. The stinger met the iron of Backbreaker's shield. It flew back before Backbreaker could strike. The abdomen retracted back and then contracted forward. Lightning shot from the stinger. Backbreaker took it on her shield like a champ. She staggered back and collapsed. It was a clear warning on how well the rest of them would take a jolt from the bee.

Thunderborne helped Backbreaker up while the rest tried to spread themselves out among the large courtyard. Diemond was the first to score a hit on the bee. It backed into her and she smacked it on the stinger. The stinger was flipped around and thrust at her. She got her shield up in time. It never had a chance to shoot lightning as Astro rammed her spear into the abdomen, right above the stinger.

It set the precedent for how to take on the Flash Bee Queen. Their four shields attracted the stinger and before it could light them up, they hit it from another angle. At least one angle. The Flash Bee Queen was ping ponged around the courtyard as they kept a moving pattern to avoid any chance of getting her to charge up a lightning attack.

Bladescape got her turn again. She leapt high, letting Greatsword go. The blow was at the wing and it severed one off. The bee was grounded. Backbreaker immediately took her revenge on the downed queen from the zap she got earlier. The heavy blow lifted the giant bee off the ground before it thudded back down.

They unmercifully assaulted the downed bee, tearing it's HP away in huge chunks. However, it wasn't out of tricks as they brought it into the red. It got onto its legs and then charged its stinger. The Flash Bee Queen rammed her stinger into the ground. Lightning bolts snaked along the ground trapping almost everyone with a paralysis effect as they got zapped.

Lessa had been furthest away and saw the attack coming. She jumped up, over the crawling sparks in a well timed leap. She charged, unleashing her highest combo skill on the Flash Bee Queen, Nova Ascension. All ten strikes were delivered with time honed skill, beyond the system assist's skill. Lessa's blade finished the Flash Bee Queen in a glorious explosion of colorful shards.

Bladescape groaned from where she was on the ground, still stunned from the zap. Two screens popped up. The first was the quest log. The quest was finished. The second was the drop list. Bladescape ignored the list and sprawled out on the ground. She still tingled.

"BB," Bladescape groaned. "How did you take a full strike? That hit shaved off a straight quarter of my HP."

"Well," Backbreaker chuckled. "It was easy. I seized up tighter than a hog I tied up with my own lasso. Hurt like the dickens though. But...uh...how much HP did you lose?"

"About a quarter," Bladescape said. "Why?"

Backbreaker snorted a laugh. "I think you have more HP than me."

"I do?" Bladescape asked. "I have um...crap! I can't think straight. But we finished the quest."

"So what does that mean?" Astro asked. "About this place."

"I have no idea," Bladescape sighed from her place, sprawled out on the ground. "I'm certain there is some set of instructions for that. Anyone able to get up and see anything?"

"Nope!" Kiefer groaned. "I can't. Neither can Le...wait! Lessa, are you standing?" Kiefer sat up when she didn't respond. "Hey! You there? What's up."

Lessa glanced over at him and then back to the sheathed sword in her hands.

"Is that the LAB?" Joltron asked.

Lessa just nodded.

"Okay," Bladescape groaned. "I'm getting up."

Bladescape was shaky on her feet. She could barely feel her legs, and the rest of her body, as she walked over to Lessa. Lessa was holding a one-handed longsword in her hands. It was a beautiful, ornate sword. The sheath was ivory, with a rich blue handle and gilded crossguard and pommel. The crossguard was set with three sapphires and the etching in the gold was exquisite.

"What's its name?" Bladescape asked.

"Rakurai," Lessa said, not taking her eyes off the blade. "It means lightning strike."

"Draw it," Kiefer said, joining them. The others were at least sitting up.

Lessa grasped the hilt firmly. She took a step back and drew it with purpose. The silver blade had a blue shine to it. Lessa did a few test swings. The blade glowed blue and Lessa's eyes went wide in terror. The Sword Skill triggered and executed itself. It was a stab that ripped the air apart with a strike that mimicked thunder.

"Aptly named sword," Bladescape grinned. "And well earned. You survived the last attack and saved us."

"Castle?" Astro asked from the ground. "Well earned, but castle."

Bladescape pulled up her menu and navigated it to the quests screen. The quest only came up as finished. There was nothing in it about the castle. Bladescape shrugged. Astro rolled her eyes and stood up. She started walking toward the main building. She grabbed at the door and flung it open. She was not expecting it to open. She banged her fist into the wall in frustration.

A screen popped up in front of her. After a minute, all that Astro said was, "crap." She looked back at Bladescape, who knew to join her. Backbreak linked up with them too.

"Oh boy," Bladescape said when she saw the listed price.

"Whew dogie," Backbreaker said. "That is a mighty fine piece of change. Is it worth it?"

"Look around," Astro snorted. "And look at the info. That building has 90 bedrooms in it. Plus there are the ones in the main building here. We have more than enough rooms to cover the merger and we could even expand from there. That tower in the back is all for crafting, including 6 forges and 12 anvils. The kitchen is, at minimum, 4 times what we currently have. I know AFCK was already physically drooling over it. We have more than enough administrative space too. All those smaller rooms on the first floor are just for that. Plus, look around. We have a giant yard and a garden! All self contained and safe. We can do whatever we want! It’s our castle and island."

"And a long journey back to the nearest teleport plaza," Backbreaker huffed.

Astro rolled her eyes and pointed to an item on the list. Bladescape looked closer at it. "Teleport Plaza on Front Lawn."

"Where?" Backbreaker asked. "I didn't see no teleport plaza."

"All I saw was grass," Bladescape shrugged. "And there is still a ton of it out front. It could easily be hiding in there. That front lawn is massive and will look good once we get it trimmed."

"Okay," Backbreaker conceded. "Do we have the money?"

"Oh yeah," Astro chuckled. "Just a little more free play with our cash than when we bought our current HQ."

"We already have furnishings," Bladescape pointed out. "Besides, we don't have much of an option. In four days we are merging with Geigi Clan. We need a lot more room."

"And their guild funds will be coming over too," Astro added. "They will sell their place, join us, we sell ours, and we all move in here. The two sales will bring in money. We will be stretched, and they don't have anywhere near what we have, but they will be able to cover a lot of the cash of personalizing and outfitting our new Headquarters. Plus they have their own stuff to bring over for their private rooms. For a bit we will be tight, but fine."

"Just hit it," Backbreaker groaned, turning around. "I stay out of the finances for a reason."

Astro grinned and enthusiastically slammed her hand on the button, buying the whole island. An explosion of light blinded them. When they could see again, things had changed. The buildings were all cleaned with stones perfectly set, no cracks or chips. They were shining white. Every window was clean and perfect, glass reflecting the sunlight. The trees and garden had been trimmed and shaped up as well.

Bladescape looked around and then threw open the, now closed, door. She tore down the hallways of the main building. The others ran after her. Bladescape ran out the front and into the well trimmed lawn. It was beautiful. And their private teleport plaza was simple, but beautiful as well. She had never heard of anyone having a private teleport plaza.

Bladescape looked at her friends and guildmates, who had rushed after her, with a big grin on her face. "Look at it!" she declared. "It's our own castle on our own private island with our own teleport plaza! We hold something that no other guild has. And we are about to become more than any of the other guilds are with this merger."

They all cheered in victory. It certainly was a castle of sorts. It had walls, ramparts, and a gatehouse. The buildings were square and had shingled roofs, and reminded her of some of the larger nobles' estates in Canterlot. The Keep rose high above the walls and the Donjon rose even higher. The great tower was crowned with a row of crenelations but lacked a sloped roof.

"Klein is going to flip out," Astro snickered. "I can't wait to show this place off to Fuurinkazan and Agil."

They all laughed, envisioning Klein whining.

"What is our code?" Bladescape asked Astro. "For our Teleport Plaza?"

"Uh," Astro said, pulling the info up in her menu. "Thorn Island. Simple, but that means we get to name our Castle."

"Good," Bladescape grinned.

"I guess we will have to sort out our rooms," Joltron stated. "How are we going to move in here, while giving them a fair chance."

"I'll contact Lobelia," Bladescape said, pulling up her menu. "But I have a few ideas. I won't ruin the surprise of our new Headquarters. Still, let's take a proper tour of this place. Together."

Immediately inside past the guest chamber was a cross intersection. To the right took them to dining rooms, plural, and the kitchen. Straight ahead, down the middle hallway, it ended in another T. If you turned left, you entered the Guild Hall. If you turned right, you cut over to the kitchen and dining half of the main building. That also got them the way out to the bailey.

The kitchen had 24 ovens, 36 burners of varying sizes, 5 sinks, 3 center islands, plenty of cabinets, and ample counter space. The south wall was entirely counter-top, without cabinets over it. It was paired with a walk-in pantry that was almost the size of the kitchen in their Mishe HQ.

They took the swinging door exit. It split immediately and they headed right. It opened into the grand dining hall. The ceiling vaulted high above them and the hall could easily host a hundred players if the tables were placed right. Taking the left split brought them to a much smaller, private dining hall. The smaller dining hall was more easily accessible from the main hallway.

The guild hall took up a good chunk of the left side of the building. There were several larger rooms, perfect for lounging around with friends. The key feature was the small rooms. Each one would be a perfect rally point for a squad before they headed out for that day's job. They also discovered that the guild hall had a secret back door.

The building had three sets of stairs; One in each back corner, and one in the center of the building. The one in the center was conveniently located by the rear entry to the guild hall.

The second and third floors of the building now had open rooms, waiting to be assigned. The second floor had 12 rooms, plus a lounge for its residents. Each personal room was large, and it had a main room that also was separated to include a doorless bedroom and bathing facilities. They were like a one-bedroom apartment. The third floor had 5 rooms, each twice the size of the second floor’s rooms. Likewise, it had a private lounge room, but it also had a more formal sitting room for conducting guild business in a more private setting.

"This is perfect," Astro said with a content sigh. "This castle was designed with the large guilds in mind. One room for each of the councilors on the private third floor, and the second floor is obviously designed for the lower officers."

"Not bad," Backbreaker agreed. "Although, I probably shouldn't be surprised. This was designed to be a guild headquarters and to be lived in."

Bladescape giggled. "It's nice to see it though. And comforting. But...I want to see the tower."

Bladescape enthusiastically sprinted to the stairs and bounded up them, letting the others fight to catch up. At the top of the stairs the door was open. She darted through and slid to a stop.

Each wall had a window set in the center. Along the west and north walls was a staircase that wrapped up to a floor above. The square room was large, but it was cozy. Bladescape looked out one window, and then the next. This floor gave her a great view of the island. She ran up the stairs, ignoring the others as they entered. The top floor's windows were high enough to see everything on the island. The second floor was also a nice place for a bed and private quarters, and it included a tub and sink. Bladescape wasn't concerned with that fact. She scaled the ladder and popped the hatch to stand on the top of the tower.

"Wow!" Astro exclaimed as she flipped up onto the top with Bladescape. "This is amazing. It is a beautiful view of our island, and the whole Floor. I didn't expect this. We have had some beautiful sights in the game." Astro leaned against the ramparts, looking out over the courtyard, and constantly sighed.

"What do you see?" Bladescape asked. "I know you are scheming. You were for every other HQ we were looking at. And you had the same look in your eye as you read everything for here."

"We have a whole yard!" Astro exclaimed, jumping up. "With a large garden! We are about to pack this place with a bunch of new friends. Guildmates who can expand our horizons." Astro nudged Bladescape with her elbow. "And guildmates we can play with."

Bladescape grinned and rolled her eyes. The rest of the guild had joined them on the roof. "Look Astro, Thunderborne, I think something fun that can bond us as a guild is a wise idea. So you two are the task force for that. Actually, BB, you too."

"BB!" Thunderborne exclaimed. "But she doesn't do anything fun anymore!"

"I do lots of fun things," Backbreaker shot back. "Fishin' is a blast. Even in this game." Backbreaker let out a troubled sigh. "Look, I am sorry I have a huge burden to bear. And I am sorry that I don't feel like riding windmills. Or doing your weird so-called trainin' regiments for agility. But I have an enormous burden. I am the cornerstone of the Assault Team. And almost immediately you got so fast and agile, and I became so strong, that I couldn't see a way for us to compete on even ground."

"I guess I can understand that," Thunderborne admitted. "I certainly couldn't lug a shield even a quarter of the size you do around. I'm a speed fighter. And your shield is one of the most important things the Assault Team has at its disposal. I probably should've voiced my thanks earlier. Annnnnd I should've stopped poking at you to ride the windmills."

"You all head back and prepare to pack," Bladescape said. "I am going to meet Lobelia and cover some details. Kiefer, you are in charge of the guild's general goods, Diemond and AFCK will help. Although I think they will be mostly be busy with the crafting section and the kitchen."

"We still haven't checked out the other buildings," Diemond pointed out. "I, for one, want to see the crafting tower."

"Right," Bladescape nodded. "Check out the rest of the castle. Lobelia is waiting for me. I will meet you back at the Floor 35 HQ."

"I forgot. What is our teleport plaza name?" Backbreaker asked. They all stopped, needing the answer.

"Thorn Island," Astro reminded them all.

"That is a fun one," Bladescape grinned. "We will need to decide on a name for this Castle."

"CANTERLOT!" Thunderborne exclaimed.

"No," Bladescape said, immediately shutting that down. "We might be Wondercolts, and our new friends might be joining us as Wondercolts, but we need to find a neutral name. A fun, but neutral name. Our new friends will be able to shed some light on a better name than the 10 of us can. But that starts with me talking with Lobelia so we can move in here and sell the old HQ."

Bladescape slid down the ladder and made her way back to the bottom floor. She had never been to Geigi Clan’s headquarters. She knew the rough location on Floor 27, in Ronbaru. Bladescape was certain she could find it.




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