//------------------------------// // Episode 90 - Mirror Mirror On The Wall // Story: EQG: Sword Art Online - Aincrad // by Mindrop //------------------------------// Floor 70 August 26 - Year 2 This was an atypical boss meeting. Raid Party Meetings had been relatively standardized by the 30th Floor, but they were still subject to various circumstances, and this one was on the extreme side. The boss, the Sister Witches, had been successfully scouted, but before they could launch the raid, Argo stopped everything because she discovered a quest with critical information. The raid had been held off for two days, waiting for her to finish it. At one point, she brought in the Wondercolts, twice she needed Kirito alone, and she even got a team from the KOB for the final flag mob. With the quest completed, they were meeting in the small house of a male NPC on the edge of the small village nearest Floor 70's labyrinth. The closest teleport plaza was an hour’s walk to a larger villager. Only the necessary guild leaders were inside, in addition to Argo and Kirito, because of the tight quarters. Everyone else was waiting outside of the house. The male NPC, some sort of psychic seer, began the meeting. "What awaits you is something foreign and with great anticipation they have been patiently waiting. It is not to be taken lightly. The Mirror of Knowledge can see the heart and show if you should or should not go to slay them. If you go when you should not, you shall surely die. If you heed the Mirror's advice, you all may yet live." "We already scouted the boss," Asuna stated. "Your party was too small," The NPC replied. It was an odd statement coming from the usually clueless NPCs. It was like he had outside knowledge he should not have. To top it off, it was a very direct statement. "What you faced knew you were not strong enough in numbers to defeat them, so they did not give more than what they needed. They are three sisters from a faraway land outside of Aincrad, who have come to block your way to the Seventy-First Floor. Witches the three of them be, powerful ones who can control the will and the mind. Ever must you be prescient of their spells." The shift in language style was another oddity that they took note of. It was like the coding was being screwed with, or more likely, it wasn't written right to start. Possibly, two separate people had written pieces of it and it had been rammed together without proper editing. For such a large game, there were bound to be a few bugs like this. Some instances had popped up, but always on one shot quests that didn't allow the errors to be studied. "Some of you will be able to go, others will be guaranteed to die. They can see your weaknesses and have defeated many foes before. They will use your collective weaknesses to create chaos and disorder to their advantage. The more you fight, the faster they will win. "Reflections in mirrors are often not as they are seen. They can be history, future, or an inner reflection. The mirror will judge if you should fight the Sister Witches." None of them moved for a solid minute. They were all unsure if they wanted to face the Mirror of Knowledge. They had done a lot of odd things on quests before, but a mirror judging them for a boss battle was one of the oddest. Kirito finally moved and strode over to the male NPC. The NPC pulled aside what had looked like a closed window curtain. Behind it was an oval mirror set in a gilded frame on the plain, mud wall. Kirito stared into the mirror. After a few moments the NPC spoke. "The mirror judges you key. You are safe to go." Bladescape stepped forward and walked to the Mirror. She looked into the reflection. It wasn't her in the mirror and it didn't show any of the room. It was just a reflectionless piece of glass. The surface shifted and Bladescape saw herself, from a third person point of view. She was ponied up, floating in the sky, but that was all she saw. It was an odd thing to see and it didn't give her any information. “The mirror judges your heart and sees you can win," The NPC said. "You are safe to go." Asuna stepped up next. Bladescape watched her stare at the mirror for a while. "The warrior you see is forever inside you," The man said. "It is safe for you to go." "Safe?" Asuna protested. "Only safe? What happened to winning or key?" "You could beat the boss. But it will be a very difficult task for you to accomplish." Asuna was obviously falling prey to some jealousy. "What makes it more difficult for me than for her?" "The mirror speaks and I interpret," The NPC said with a shrug. "I do not know why." Asuna groaned as the NPC became the usual stone wall to talk to. They only had so many programmed conversations and only so many triggers to start on any scripted topic. Commander Heathcliff stepped up to the mirror next. He stood there for a while, patiently waiting. As the minutes passed, his expression didn't change, neither did his emotion, as the Mirror took its time judging him. "The mirror is conflicted. It is confused by you. But it is certain that if you go, you will die." Heathcliff nodded silently and let the next, Klein, go. Klein was approved and so was Yamata. The others were not cleared to join the battle. Heathcliff took charge after the leaders were done being tested. "I believe the best thing to do is to heed the Mirror's warning. I won't go to this battle. We will let the mirror judge the others, and from those players, we will form our raiding party." "Then let's get the others in to be judged," Asuna said, taking over. They organized them into a loose line, starting at the door. The guild leaders not cleared left the room for the other guild heads to watch and make their choices. Heathcliff was the only exception. He stayed to help organize everything. No one was going to try and remove him either. The Knights of the Bloodoath soldiers were first in. They were being let inside in groups of three. Every KOB member of them was denied except for Godfree. “Should I get Team C?” Godfree asked Commander Heathcliff. “No,” Heathcliff said with a slow shake of his head. “Unless we do not get enough to fill the raid party, Team C will stay in the reserves.” “Then, send me those approved so I can get us partially organized,” Godfree said with a bow. “We will,” Asuna replied. Of all the members of the Divine Dragon Alliance, only two others were cleared: Schmitt, a lancer, and Shivata, a shield user. Fuurinkazan only had Dynamm approved, outside of Klein. Backbreak, Joltron, and Diemond came in, signaling that the Wondercolts were the next guild. Backbreaker strode up to the Mirror of Knowledge. She never had time to look at it before the NPC spoke. “Aincrad’s Guardian, known as the Iron Bulwark, must go.” Backbreaker shrugged, unsure why the judgement had been so swift. Heathcliff beckoned for her to join them. She did, but he didn’t speak, instead he focused on the others. Joltron stood in front of the mirror. The NPC spoke, “You wear the colors of victory, but they will not protect you. You will surely die if you go.” Joltron looked at Bladescape with a shrug and headed towards the door while Diemond stepped up to the Mirror. “Your beauty would be a great loss to Aincrad, but the Mirror says you need to go.” “Well,” Diemond said, blushing a tad. “Thank you for noticing. I have never had a mirror tell me I was beautiful before. And I have had far too many conversations with mirrors.” Diemond exited, letting Thunderborne, Astro, and Kiefer in. Thunderborne cockily strode up to the mirror. “Your arrogance could get you killed. Your skill is great, but you must be careful not to lose the truth that you can die. You are judged as necessary to defeating the witches.” Astro high fived Thunderborne as they switched out. “Your colors will not save you. If you go, you will surely die.” “Awe,” Thunderborne protested. “You don’t need me,” Astro told Thunderborne. “Just keep your head about you and don’t risk it, like the Mirror said. Be safe.” Kiefer received his judgement. It was the same as Astro’s and Joltron. They left and Knightstar, Lessa, and Lobelia entered. Lessa and Lobelia were also told the same thing, the right colors but they would die. Knightstar’s scry was different. “Your mind says you are the same, but your heart is not. You are still key to defeating the witches. You will be safe.” Knightstart looked at Bladescape and the other leaders. Bladescape silently shrugged. None of the others had any words to speak either. It was no help for Knightstar, who hadn’t been to a boss fight outside Floor 3 and Floor 66. AFCK, Doombunny, and Agil came in next. “Do I have to?” Doombunny asked. “Yes!” AFCK exclaimed, bouncing up onto one leg. “A new look would be good for you.” Bladescape’s palm loudly slapped into her forehead. Everyone in the room turned to look at her. She let out a sigh and explained the situation to AFCK. “AFCK, that isn’t what is going on. The Mirror of Knowledge is telling us who is safe and who will die if they go to the boss battle. We are weeding out those who will die so we don’t include them.” “Wait? What boss?” “Floor Seventy’s Sister Witches,” Backbreaker said, trying to stay calm. “We didn’t beat them already? I thought we had.” “We scouted, but we never actually went to fight them yet,” Asuna said, daring to join the explanation. “But,” AFCK stuttered. “I’m confused.” “Please tell me she isn’t approved,” Klein said out loud. "I know how good she is, but please, no." Agil had gone in front of the mirror and was approved to join the battle. He turned his focus to helping Doombunny. “It’s not scary,” He said as he gently guided her by the shoulders. Colorra didn’t bother him as he guided her master. She sat on her wide shoulder boards without moving. Doombunny let him move her in front of the mirror, but then she shut her eyes instead of looking at it. She kept them closed as tightly as possible for a while before she peeked with a single eye. “Oh,” She said meekly to the mirror. Her other eye opened. “Oh.” She said again, finally focusing on the mirror without any fear. “Okay. Well sure. I did. I guess so. Okay.” Doombunny turned and started walking to the door. The NPC never said a word. “What is happening,” Asuna asked, putting up her hand to stop Doombunny approaching the door. “You didn’t get an answer.” “Oh, what do you mean?” Doombunny asked. She was acting very much like her kind, usual, Fluttershy self. “The NPC never said if you were safe to go or not,” Asuna pressed. “Oh, well the Mirror of Knowledge told me to go. It said I had to. And other personal things.” “You heard the Mirror?” Kirito asked. He was not the only one suspicious. “Oh,” Doombunny quietly exclaimed. “You didn’t?” “No,” Bladescape said, holding back from what she really wanted to say and keeping her tone neutral. She still had to worry about AFCK. “I guess I heard it either because of my Listen Skill, or Reveal Skill. Do any of you have either of those skills?” None of them did. “Sir?" Asuna said, directing it to the NPC. “What did the Mirror tell Doombunny, our friend here?” “The Mirror spoke to her, not me,” he replied in the typical, NPC clueless state. “It didn’t need me to translate.” “I trust her,” Heathcliff stated. “If the Mirror told you to go, then join Godfree outside. If it told you that you would die, I advise you to not try and risk it.” “I have fought three Floor Bosses,” Doombunny declared confidently. “I was never supposed to fight any Floor Bosses once this game became a prison. I hated fighting Serigatal The Wolf Master. I vowed to never go back to a Boss Fight. Then Colorra roped me into the Necromancer fight, and as horrible as that was, it was a good thing I was there for my friends. I also couldn’t back out of the Floor Sixty-Five boss fight. "I never want to be in another boss raid again. I hate them and my fear is deep. I keep being told it is my last time. Now the mirror told me if I didn’t go, the raid party would be slaughtered. And then it reminded me about a few fights I have been in which were worse than those boss fights. I handled them, I can handle this.” Doombunny turned, annoyed she had to explain herself and admit her fear, and started to walk to the door. AFCK distracted everyone from Doombunny. She had slid up to the mirror and was beside it, holding a cupcake in front of it. “Come on, I know you want it,” She said to the mirror. “It doesn’t want your cupcake.” the NPC said. “Look into the mirror.” “Its loss,” AFCK said with a shrug before ramming the entire thing in her mouth. She stood in front of the mirror with a grin as she chewed. “The Mirror of Knowledge is angry at you,” the NPC immediately stated. “It doesn’t like bribes. This is a serious matter.” “Bribe?” AFCK asked with a mouthful of cupcake. “I wasn’t trying to bribe it. I was trying to share a cupcake with it. Everyone loves cupcakes!” Bladescape groaned loudly. She was desperately hoping AFCK was not approved, but she already knew the answer. AFCK was the last of the Seven of the real-world Wondercolts, and the others had been approved. “The Mirror is still mad, but says you are too critical to deny you from going.” “Go where?” AFCK asked. “Cause I have a meeting with Papa Rock at Ten-pm to battle the Konpeito Hoard. I finally found the Chinsuko Shield to go with my Momiji Manju armor and Pocky sword. My licorous sword was broken by the evil White Chocolate Witch. THE GEODES MUST BE PROTECTED!” No one had any idea how to respond to that. AFCK had drifted into her own sugary thoughts. She was drooling from her open mouth from whatever fantasy she was in. “PINKIE!” Bladescape snapped. “WHAT!” AFCK said, jumping back in shock. “Focus!” “On what? We only need to be worried about who the mirror approves and who it doesn’t so we can finally defeat them, for the second time, and move onto Floor Seventy-One. What are you worried about?” “OUT!” Bladescape snapped, pointing to the door. Doombunny came to the rescue as she grabbed AFCK by the ear, dragging her out. “I swear, she is like this I.R.L.,” Bladescape growled. “She is,” Backbreaker assured them. “She will be fine. She handles battle fine. You have all fought alongside her multiple times, and she has never been a problem. You saw her skill against the Necromancer.” “I caught her sleeping against the GeoCrawler Field Boss!” Asuna exclaimed. “What if she doesn’t focus this time?” “We were playing a lullaby!” Bladescape and Backbreaker shot back in unison. “Let’s focus on the rest of them,” Kirito said, stopping the argument. They continued with the scrying. Things quickly became routine as the NPC said the Mirror either judged them as “surely to die,” or “safe.” There was no deviation from those judgements. All of them noticed a critical pattern. Almost all of the normal fighters were denied, leaving the less experienced ones approved. A lot of the players who tried to join as single or doubles, since their guild didn’t do boss raids, were also approved. It was also sobering to see those who weren't there. Only a few days prior, the Divine Dragon Alliance had led a crusade to wipe out Laughing Coffin for good. Laughing Coffin had killed too many players and the decision had been made to finally take them out. It didn’t end well. Eleven of the crusaders died, and Twenty-one of Laughing Coffin were killed. Only a few were captured alive. The Wondercolts were not invited by the Divine Dragon Alliance. The rift over Doombunny was too great for them to be trusted. As annoying as their distrust was, Bladescape was happy they were not involved. Even the best reports she had heard were bad. Bladescape knew all eleven crusaders who died, some better than others, but none she considered friends. Comrades in arms, players she enjoyed fighting beside, but none were friends. Backbreaker and Astro were closer to a few of them though, and their friend lists were shorter since the raid. All eleven of their names were added to the shrine in reverence of their sacrifice and friendship to Wondercolts. As the last player was judged by the mirror, they had to figure out a new strategy. "Who will lead the raid?" Bladescape immediately asked. "Commander, you are always at the head of the attack." Heathcliff's lips parsed into a slim smile. "I think you should lead it." "ME‽" Bladescape exclaimed. "HER‽" Asuna exclaimed as well. “Why not?” Heathcliff asked. “Bladescape Kaisho is a very experienced member of the Assault Team, and she is also a good strategist. She led the Wondercolts to victory on Floor Sixty-Five and proved that her title is well earned. We have seen her skills multiple times in the Boss Raids and in other ways, like raising up the second strongest guild in the game. The Mirror also said 'win' for her. Finally, because of the mirror's judgement, the Wondercolts are the only guild that will be fielding a full party in this raid. She is the perfect choice.” “And the Mirror said critical, alluded to the right colors to win, and other positive words about the Wondercolts,” Klein added. “Okay,” Bladescape nodded, steeling herself. “I will take command of the Raid Party.” “You'll do fine,” Backbreaker said, encouraging her. “More than fine. Your friends'll be beside you too.” “All two of us too,” Klein added with his goofy grin. Bladescape enthusiastically drove her fist into her palm. Even with the leather gloves, it had a satisfactory clap. “Then let’s organize my army. It should be the same strategy.” “I don’t see a reason to change it,” Asuna admitted. Outside, Godfree was shooing off the last of the unapproved players. Some of them wanted to hang around to travel back with friends who were approved, but they didn’t need to be right there. They went to the center of the small village to wait there. “How many, Godfree?” Bladescape asked. “I was put in charge of the raid party.” Godfree looked at Heathcliff instinctively. “I was not chosen by the Mirror of Knowledge,” Heathcliff admitted. “It said you would die?” a player Bladescape recognized, but didn’t know the name of, asked. Heathcliff nodded. “I know of my reputation. But I would rather not risk going against the Mirror over something like pride. Beating these witches is what matters. Which is why we decided that Bladescape Kaisho will be your leader.” Godfree made his report to his leader. “Ignoring you guys, my tally is forty-two.” “Forty-nine total,” Bladescape said to herself. “Eight full parties of six, plus me leading.” “That is a heavy raid size,” Klein advised. “The scouts reported a very open and large chamber,” Bladescape said. “Asuna? Kirito? Thoughts?” “Well, we need a new plan that can work with the fractured numbers we have,” Kirito said. “We shouldn’t have any more problems than usual, but we don’t have the normal guild numbers to arrange things by their parties.” “That’s true,” Asuna nodded. Bladescape agreed. “Godfree, Kirito, Asuna, Yamata, Klein, Agil, Backbreaker, and Schmitt, with me for a minute. Commander Heathcliff, you are welcome as well.” Heathcliff's lips had a slight smile on them. “I trust you, but I am interested to see what your strategy is.” Separated from the others, Bladescape began to form her party leaders. “We had the strategy built for parties mostly from the same guild. The only full guild party is Backbreaker’s, with the Wondercolts. The scouting report did tell us that Sister Witches are highly mobile and strong, and with such an open chamber, I think that information is true. “Schmitt, I want you to lead our tanks. Yamata and Klein, we have a good number of shield users. They won’t be tanks, but we are going to need a stronger line to be able to help corral the witches. The Wondercolts will be one of the corral teams. If we can knock them out one by one, that would be best. “Agil and Godfree, we have a number of inexperienced raiders who need strong leadership. That will fall on your shoulders. I know you have the strength and wits to handle it. Kirito, Asuna, we have a number of raiders who have experience but do not carry shields. Your job will be to lead them. They will be the main damage dealers. “I foresee this happening in two stages with three actors. The main attack force traps a witch and then they pound them to pieces. Meanwhile, we have a blocker force that will keep the other two from hitting our main force. The final actor is the aggro team. Fast yet smooth, their job is to keep the pressure on the other two witches so that the blockers are not overwhelmed and the main attack force will be clear for their job. “Party letters are going to be given on job basis, not importance. The Wondercolts will be Party A, and the leaders of the attack force. With them will be Party B, the tanks led by Schmitt. Party C will be Yamata’s shield unit, and finally, Party D, Agil’s group, who I foresee being the attack party’s damage dealers. “Klein, I need you leading the Blockers. Party E is yours and all shields except for you. Godfree and Asuna will be under your command. Godfree, you have Party F, again shield based blockers, but my friend, with the shield users I am thinking of assigning to you, they will need enough of your attention that I don’t want to risk you having too much on your shoulders, leadership wise.” “You can count on me!” Godfree exclaimed with a thumbs up and wink. “I’ll keep them in shape and a cohesive unit.” Bladescape smiled at Godfree and gave him a nod before continuing. “Asuna, you are Klein's damage party, Party G. Work to get your units to switch in to relieve Klein’s shields, who should be taking the brunt of the attacks, and take the heat off them. I want the full force of your unit to hit. Godfree or Klein can cover you when your unit strikes. “Kirito, you are going to be the floating unit, Party H. You will have two shields, use them well, but stay mobile. I want you to be more maneuverable than the witches. “Any questions?” “Yeah,” Yamata said. “I have one. Bladescape Kaisho? Do you actually think you deserve that title?” It was a direct challenge of her authority. The DDA had a rivalry with the KOB to be the strongest guild. The KOB ignored it. Bladescape's rank was a direct threat to the DDA and their self-perceived strength. “It was bestowed upon me,” Bladescape said calmly, but firmly. “By who?” Yamata challenged. “Do I need to replace you?” Bladescape asked him, putting her authoritative voice to the test. “I’m just asking,” Yamata replied, trying to play innocent while still challenging her. Agil stepped in. “Are you serious? After their work on Floor Sixty-Five and your mistakes on Floor Sixty-Seven, you are lucky to be trusted to lead a party.” Yamata backed down, unable to counter such a strong argument. The real questions began to be asked as the party leaders got their roles down better. More questions came when they had all of their raiders separated into the parties. Outside of the Wondercolts and the DDA, no guild had more than two members approved, and with Schmitt leading Party B, everyone was partied up with at least four players they had never worked with before. Bladescape found that her title was being used, particularly by Klein, Kirito, and even Asuna, albeit a bit passive aggressively on her part. Backbreaker was not working with anyone outside of the Wondercolts, but she was working it in when she could. Intentional use of the title to ensure they had order had proven valuable. Bladescape was unsure how she felt about outsiders beginning to address her as Kaisho. However, it was an important part of their confidence in her as their raid leader.   Bladescape (SS): Lvl 97 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry - Greatsword - Rend  Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 87 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search - Martial Arts  Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 91 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics - Sprint - Rend  AFCK(PP): Lvl 85 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument - Rend  Diemond (R): Lvl 85 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry - Rend  Doombunny (FS): Lvl 92 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit –  Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing -  Sprint - Armor Pierce  Astro (PS): Lvl 87 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry - Search  Kiefer: Lvl 86 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts - Search - Armor Pierce - Sprint  Lessa: Lvl 84 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search - Acrobatics - Wood Carving  Joltron: Lvl 86 – 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 - Acrobatics  Knightstar (TS): Lvl 81 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce - Purchase Negotiation - Sale Negotiation