Episode 16 - First Boss Meeting
Third Day in the Month of Holly (December 3) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 1 - Boss Labyrinth - 2 p.m.
Everyone was together as they worked to map the 20th floor of the labyrinth. It was significantly bigger than the previous floors. They were currently without enemies because someone was slightly ahead of them. There was no time for them to respawn.
Their enhanced weapons had proven to be more than a little bump up in performance. Eight enhancements seemed small, but even with three or four done, their weapons were clearly outperforming what they had been capable of just two days prior. Doombunny's slashing tanto could carve up a trooper so fast she didn't need someone to block for her. She couldn't keep it up long, it was mentally and physically taxing, but when she unleashed it, it was devastating.
The hallway made a turn, but Bladescape was alerted through Search that a group of players were stopped ahead. Her circlet had proven itself to her over the morning. It had definitely been worth the cost. She had decided she would keep with the style for her headgear.
They rounded the bend and saw the players. It was the bronze and blue player, Diavel, and the same party he was leading the other day. They were standing in front of massive iron doors.
Diavel turned around to see who had arrived. "Well, if it isn't Bladescape and her friends. Although it looks like there have been a few additions since we last met, and some new equipment."
"Nope," Bladescape said. "Same us. You simply spoke with one party. You actually passed the others right after we parted ways. Is that the boss room?"
"Yep," Diavel said, nodding. "It is. We were just discussing how best to rally everyone. We had a preliminary meeting yesterday. You were not around, but it wasn't anything outside what we covered when we first met in these halls. We were thinking Five Thirty would be enough time to gather those who want to band together and get this done. The stone amphitheater in Tolbana is the location."
"Five Thirty," Bladescape nodded. "Sounds good."
"I can't wait to see you all there. Eleven strong players working together like you have will make a very good force."
"Not all of us will be there," Kiefer said. "A few of us are recent additions and not fully affiliated with them. We also are a bit low in levels for a run at the boss."
"I can fight, but not a floor boss," Doombunny added.
"It will be six," Bladescape said. "A full party."
"Six?" Malus asked. "Besides Doom, who won't go?"
"Me," Knightstar said. "I'm with Doom. Clearing is one thing. Floor boss is another."
"Like I said," Bladescape said, looking at Diavel. "Six. A full party. I think you can understand."
"I do," Diavel nodded. "It's not a problem. If SAO is like any other RPG, a boss fight like this, it will be a different fight than clearing a dungeon. We can tackle it and win as a team, but not everyone is suited for it. There is no shame in that. You are not cowering in fear, but you know your limitations. That is good. We don't want any deaths. When we see who does show, we might need to reorganize your party a bit, to suit the strategy."
"Understood," Bladescape nodded. "We will be there at Five Thirty."
Diavel took a few steps closer. "You, have I seen you before?" He was pointing at Natora. "You seem familiar."
"We passed in the hall two days ago," Natora said. "I've never been formally introduced to you."
"Your eyes remind me of someone," Diavel said, thinking. "I must be thinking of someone else. Anyway, we look forward to seeing you at Five Thirty. We were just figuring out how we would canvas the labyrinth on our way out so that we got in touch with everyone."
They began to head out. "Oh," Diavel said. "I love the headpiece, Bladescape. It looks good on you."
Bladescape watched him go, without replying. She was wary of him. He was a dangerous enemy to have, mostly because a lot of players would follow him, and being on his bad side would be the equivalent of being the unpopular kid in school. Unlike high school, which a lot of the players were in, Aincrad was significantly deadlier.
“Let’s go,” Natora said. “We can fight our way out. I’d rather wait, than be late.”
“Yeah,” Bladescape agreed.
“Are we missing something?” Malus asked.
“No,” Bladescape said. “Just a private conversation Natora and I had. If you needed to know, you would know.”
They made it back with relative ease. Doombunny and Knightstar were not going to be a part of the raid party, so they wouldn’t go to the raid meeting. It would look bad if they backed out. They went out hunting goblins with Kiefer, Soryuto, and Reisenki. The five of them would be perfectly safe hunting outside of Tolbana.
More and more players gathered around the central square and fountain. Conversations were starting between players as they waited. Malus and Konpeito soon struck up conversations with others. Diemond was sitting down, doing some sewing while she waited. Bladescape stayed off to the side, watching the others. Gauging them. Natora was observing as well. Thunderborne, who had decided to stay with the two of them, had no idea what they were doing. She was doing a good job playing it cool like she did know.
It wasn’t about the gear a player wore, or the weapon they chose, it was how they stood, walked, and talked that mattered to Bladescape. That revealed a lot more than the limited equipment and combat skills the players had available would ever give them. Bladescape had seen plenty of them while clearing and mapping the first floor’s labyrinth. Others she had seen around town, at night, and in the mornings as they went about whatever business was on their agenda for the day.
They were not the only ones watching. A young, black haired boy was standing in the shadow of a building. Bladescape had seen him several times and always alone. His brown leather equipment meant that he was not using an armor Skill, and he had an Anneal blade on his back. He seemed to like the idea of going with the plain and dull look.
The time finally came and everyone shifted into the stone semicircular amphitheater. It was a bit run down, with chipped, cracked, and broken stones, but it would serve their purpose well. The stage had a stone building face as the backdrop. The girls sat together on the left side, halfway down. Bladescape and Natora had led them there, so they could see how the others sat in relation to each other and examine the group dynamics. There was no denying their group because of their matching capes. Bladescape sat on the outside, below Natora, and they had the others on the seats to their left. Part of Bladescape felt like she needed to shield them from Diavel and his potential power, but they had done it so that Natora and Bladescape had an unobstructed view of the others, not to be their shield.
Diavel stepped into the center. He wasn’t on the stage, but the larger, open area in front of it. He clapped a few times to get everyone’s attention and start the meeting.
“Okay, people, now that everyone’s here, let’s get this meeting started.” Diavel shifted his demeanor. “So anyway, I want to thank everyone for coming. Good to see you. My name is Diavel, and in this game, the job I rolled is knight.”
Players laughed. Some heckled him about the lack of a class system in SAO. He did look like a knight, and Bladescape was certain he felt like one, regardless of it not being an official class. Mentality was a powerful tool.
He let them heckle him for a bit and then ended it. “You guys want to hear this or not?” It got everyone to shut up. His demeanor changed again, to a lot more serious nature. “Right. Here’s the deal. Our party found the boss room at the top of the tower today.”
Way too many players found that shocking, like it couldn’t be done. Natora glanced at Bladescape and they both clearly understood each other. It was one thing to find beating the game impossible, it was another thing to think it was nearly impossible, it was yet another thing to think that they could not beat the first floor boss, but it was another thing entirely to not believe the lair could be found. These players were supposed to be at the top. What were they made of if they couldn't believe that the boss chamber could be found?
Diavel stayed on point. “First, we need to defeat the boss and make it to Floor Two. The next step is we have to tell everyone waiting in the Town of Beginnings that it is possible to beat this game. The fact is, it’s our duty as the most capable players here. Do you agree or not?”
It was a good question that needed to be asked. Diavel was on point. That was good. The others needed someone to get them a unified direction and purpose. As together as the girls were, even with their new friends, they were not capable of taking the boss on alone. Organizing the others under their banner, without a formal guild structure, would not be easy and could end badly. But Diavel didn’t ask them to join under him; he asked them to come alongside him. A few people like Diavel and Bladescape, coaxing the other groups along and to team up when needed, could certainly work to get everyone through this game.
Chatter began to pop up as players asked the ones beside them follow up questions. Some players began to clap, agreeing with Diavel, and one or two even whistled in approval.
“Okay, glad you’re all with me on this. Now, let’s figure out how we’re gonna beat the boss. First off, we’ll team up into parties of six. A typical party doesn’t stand a chance against a Floor Boss. We need a raid group, made up of multiple parties.”
Everyone started partying up. The Wondercolts already were set up in their party. Bladescape watched some players move to join others and get into parties of six. With two tanks, the Wondercolts were a solid party for any role. What did catch Bladescape’s eye was the kid in the plain leather clothes. He was alone, but he wasn’t the only one. So was the cloaked “Red Riding Hood” player they had seen the other day. The boy did the smart thing and slid over to Red Riding Hood to form a party of at least two players.
“Alight!” Diavel said, bringing their focus back to him. “Looks like everyone’s teamed up. Now then-”
“HOLD UP A SEC!” Someone yelled, interrupting him.
Bladescape looked up, to see a spiked hair guy with a goatee and in scale armor. He was trying to be dramatic, but it was juvenile. His age appeared to be out of high school. He dramatically took several long leaps down the seats through the center of everyone to get to the bottom.
He pointed at himself. “My name’s Kibaou. Got that?” It was aggressive and rough like he had a permanent chip on his shoulder. “Before we take on the boss, I want to get something off my chest. We all know about the two-thousand people who’ve died so far, yeah? Well some of you need to apologize to ‘em right now!” He pointed at everyone to make his point. It was causing a stir.
Diavel spoke up, and Bladescape was happy he was trying to keep in control of the meeting. What they didn’t need was a guy like Kibaou running the show. “Kibaou, I think I know who you’re referring to. You mean the ones who are ex-beta testers, right?”
“Course I mean them!” Kibaou shot back. “The day this stupid game started the beta guys just up and vanished, right? They ditched all us beginners! They snagged all the good hunting spots, and they grabbed all the easy quests too. They were the only ones getting stronger in here.”
Bladescape risked a glance up at Natora. She was stiff. He had hit a nerve, but Bladescape wasn’t sure which one he had triggered. She was doing a good job at not responding to his accusations.
Kibaou became high and mighty as he continued, mocking the beta testers in his anger. “This whole time, they’ve ignored us like we were nothing.” He growled, switching demeanors back to an even more aggressive anger. “Hell, I bet there’s some of them here. Come on out, Beta Testers!” He pointed to the crowd, trying to gain their support. “We should make them apologize to us, and we should make them all give up their money and the items they got.” He crossed his arms, looking like he was some righteous prophet speaking the truth and everyone should follow him. “They can’t expect the party to trust them when they don’t trust us. Why should we?!”
It was a tense atmosphere. Bladescape was unsure how the crowd was falling. It could easily flip on the beta testers and that would be bad. Her hand subtly touched the back of Natora’s calf for support. She couldn’t be seen openly supporting her, or else it would tip someone off to her status. Bladescape didn’t believe Natora owed anyone anything, or that any of the other beta testers did. Natora let out her breath slowly, controlling herself.
“Can I say something?” a man kindly asked.
He stood up. Bladescape had noticed him earlier, mostly because he didn’t fit in. He was clearly not of full Japanese descent with his dark skin. Plus, with everyone put into replicas of their bodies, there was no way he was anything except that large and muscular in real life. Going sleeveless with his body was a wise choice. He stepped down from his seat and into the center with Diavel and Kibaou. Kibaou visibly took a step back and shook as he realized the size difference. Kibaou was at least a foot shorter than the man. He was intimidated by him and the guy was not acting mean or hostile.
“Hey,” he kindly said. “My name’s Agil. Kibaou, right? I want to make sure I’m on the same page. You say the ex-beta testers should be blamed for the rookie’s deaths because they didn’t help them and you want them to apologize and give up their winnings.” He was a bit firmer in his question. “I leave anything out?”
“No. You didn’t.” Kibaou snidely replied.
Agil reached behind him and pulled out the guide book. “The item store hands these out for free. It’s a guide book. You got one, didn’t you?”
“Sure, I got one. So, what about it?”
“You know who put this together and was handing these out? The ex-beta testers.”
That turned the crowd less hostile. Most of them hadn’t realized the book’s origins. Bladescape wasn’t sure how Natora knew, but she did mention it. Natora relaxed a bit. It was enough for Bladescape to remove her hand before anyone saw and pegged her as a beta tester.
Kibaou growled, still angry but unable to come back with a logical argument. Agil turned around to the crowd, holding the guide book up. “Listen up,” he said in an even, but controlled tone. “Everyone had equal access to information. Even so, lots of players still died. Now, I didn’t come here to point fingers at anyone. I’m here cause I want to learn from those player’s deaths. I’m here because I want to find out how we’re gonna beat the boss.”
Agil turned back to Kibaou who growled again and walked over a seat and took his place, still angry as he crossed his arms defiantly. Agil calmly sat down, letting Diavel take charge again.
“Okay,” Diavel said, reaching for something and pulling out the guide book. “Can we get back to the meeting now? For info on the boss, it’s all in here, the latest issue of the guide book you just heard about.”
That surprised a lot of players. In their shock, Natora took the chance to glance at Bladescape. She mouthed, “did none of them read it?” Bladescape shrugged in reply. Bladescape hadn’t read the guidebook. Most of her reading had been her memories. She wasn’t even a tenth of the way done, but she had been picking out the parts she needed. She had been relying on Natora and Knightstar for that stuff like they were relying on her to lead. It hadn’t steered them wrong.
Diavel opened the book and read from it. “According to the book, the boss’ name is Illfang the Kobold Lord. Also, he’ll be surrounded by his minions, the Ruin Kobold Sentinels. Illfang carries an axe and a buckler. He has four health bars and when the last one turns red, he switches to a curved sword-type called a talwar. He can change his patterns of attack too.”
More players murmured to themselves and their neighbors about those details. The bulk of them were clearly noobs who had no idea what they were doing. Even taking the experience from her gaming-stream into account, she had learned more about SAO from personal experience than what Natora had ever been able to provide them.
Diavel closed the book. “That’s it for the briefing. As for the distribution of loot, money will be divided equally among everyone. The party that defeats the boss gets the XP, and whoever gets an item gets to keep it. Any objections?”
Natora leaned over to Bladecape and whispered her question. “Uh, he just said exactly what the system does. Auto split on the col and items at random. Am I getting the wrong read on him?”
“I think he is just trying to quell any anger Kibaou stirred up,” Bladescape replied quietly. “It is the smartest move. I’m not sure how many of them have been working in official parties, but I bet it is pretty low. The XP might be bonus XP.”
No one had any objections. “Good!” Diavel declared. “We leave tomorrow at Ten in the morning. If I could see the party leaders to discuss final points of strategy, that would be great. Otherwise, meeting adjourned, people!”
Bladescape looked at Natora. “Me or you?”
“You. I don’t want to get close to Kibaou. I'll run him through if I do."
Bladescape nodded and headed down to the others. Agil, Kibaou, a guy with an iron heater shield and a hammer, and a spear user were with Diavel. The boy with the Anneal Blade made his slow way down as well.
“Ah,” Diavel said with a charming smile. “Here she is, the beautiful Bladescape. You and your friends look ready to go. Like march right out of here and take him on right now, ready to go. I look forward to seeing how all that practice working together from the start affects the raid.”
“We are ready,” Bladescape replied. “You will get our best. Although we certainly could use a good night's sleep before the raid. We knew we didn’t stand a chance alone. We were trying to figure out how to go about organizing a larger raid group like this, but we hadn’t settled on how and we decided to work on finding the boss chamber while we sorted that out. We are glad someone did, so thank you. We are ready to play our part in this raid.”
“You seem awfully knowledgeable,” Kibaou stated, scrutinizing her.
“It’s been almost a month,” Bladescape shrugged. “I learned a lot in that time on my own. Or did you learn nothing? With my friends, we could pool our info and lessons learned. Plus, we had the guidebook. A few of our group have read it cover to cover, at least once, if not twice. Maybe three times for one.”
“So that is how you know what the boss is like?” Kibaou asked, still insinuating her status as a beta tester.
“Actually, I haven’t read it,” Bladescape admitted. “What Diavel read, that was my first time learning it. My friend, my second, has read it though. Between her and the others, they keep me informed on anything I need to know for leading us as a group.” Bladescape took an aggressive step forward into Kibaou’s personal space. She had some height on him and he flinched back. He wasn’t as tough as he tried to project. She was stern. “But I’m not here to discuss that and how we survived. I’m here to actually do something with that survival. Something good that is worth the pain and misery we went through, as well as for the ones I couldn’t save.”
Bladescape looked at Diavel. He nodded and continued with the meeting. “We don’t need to argue. We need to plan. Taking on this boss will require our teams to be in sync. It will be up to the party leaders to keep them together and direct them. That is why they don’t need to be here. It will get too confusing for them. They just need to follow your orders.
“Running a multi-party raid is just like a regular party. Tanks, Forwards, and Damage Dealers. Each group has a focus and a role. Think of it like your own parties. For us leading, we control one player in a party of six. There is one difference, because we will need some support parties to keep the minions off the main attacking force. That won’t be easy and it is crucial. The main force can’t get hung up fighting them, while the boss is going after us. That will get us killed fast. The guide also stated that he spawns more at specific points in the battle.
“Party designation is by role, not importance. We will use English letters to keep it simple and organized. Oden and his group all have shields, they will be designated Group A and be a tank unit. We need another tank unit though, with strong shields and health.”
“I’ll cover that,” Agil said. “My party has four solid shields and a spear user. We can be the second tank party.”
“Then you will be Group B,” Diavel dictated. “I’ll be leading Group C. We will focus on dealing damage to the boss. We need to be highly mobile, and fluid when it comes to switching with the tanks. Bladescape, can your party function in that manner?”
“Yes,” Bladescape nodded. “We have two tanks, but they can move quick and strike strong. I’m sure we will need those shields to cover us at some point in the switch.”
“Then you are Group D,” Diavel said. “With that settled, we need a group for the sentinels. I don’t think I can stress enough the critical nature of the role. Kibaou, your party looked like it would be able to cover that well. You will be Group E. You will be supported by Group F and Group G. Group F, you, I don’t know your name, but you have 6 members, right?”
“Yes,” he said. “And the name is Elberon.”
“It’s good to meet you, Elberon. And you, you, looked like it was just you and the girl in red. What is your name?”
“Kirito,” the kid with the Anneal Blade said.
“Alright, Kirito, glad to meet you and have you on board. You will be Group G. To recap, so that we are all on the same page, our tanks are Groups A and B, led by Oden and Agil respectively. The damage dealers will be Groups C and D, led by Diavel and Bladescape, and the support groups are Groups E, F, and G. That is right about equal for roles. Twelve tanks, twelve damage, and fourteen support. For the first boss raid, I feel really good about this.”
They fine tuned some of the other points. How to work on group switching was important. The support groups would not always be dealing with the sentinels, so they could join and relieve other groups at times. They had to ensure they rotated properly in order to keep their health up. Potions were not an immediate healing solution.
“I wish we had one more support party,” Diavel stated. “But this plan will work. If we are able to get another party, great, but if not, this is a really good raid group. We can do this. I have faith in each and every one of you, as well as those in your parties. Since the sun is almost gone and the plan set, if there are no further questions or objections, I say we celebrate our coming together like this and toast to the battle tomorrow.”
Everyone was in agreement with that. They left the amphitheater, but most everyone was waiting outside for any additional news. The festivities began immediately.
Bladescape knew morale and high spirits were important. She also knew most of the festivities and laughter were masks. Most players were drinking and socializing, trying to forget the fear that the morning would bring.
Bladescape approached the guy named Agil with two mugs of ale. She extended one to him and officially introduced herself.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Agil said, taking the drink. "Did I hear Diavel right at the start of the strategy talks? You and your five friends have been together from the start?"
"We all go to the same school," Bladescape explained. "Well, sort of. Only Natora, our spear user, is a full student. The rest of us are exchange students at her school for the semester. There are actually seven of us who come from the same school with the exchange program. Since we were already in the program and doing well in the classes, we decided why not have fun, experience something completely new? Japan has the hottest, cutting-edge tech. SAO is something we wouldn’t have access to, or the NerveGear, when we go home, so we wanted to experience it in the short time we had, as well as bring it home to hopefully use. It was everything we expected and more, but at the same time not."
"There are eight of you?" Agil asked, surprised.
"Yep," Bladescape nodded. "We got lucky to get the copies we did. Or unlucky. Not all of us are gamers. I don't think two of our friends have ever played a game; computer or console. Diemond doesn't have time with all her fashion design work. She is the one who made our matching capes. Only six of us are cut out for a boss fight. Clearing is one thing, but a boss fight..."
"I understand that," Agil said. "The important thing is clearing the game. And that crafting skill will come in handy. I might have to ask her to make me some stuff when she levels up some more."
"That would make her day," Bladescape chuckled. "She is getting scary good with her mace too. If you will permit me a question?"
"Shoot," Agil nodded.
"Big, dark skin, bald, you don't fit the typical Japanese look at all. You know we're exchange students, but what about you?"
Agil chuckled lightly. "Your Japanese is good. I noticed most of your group stands out just like I do. As for me, I was born in Japan, in Tokyo. The short version is that my parents found Japan to be a place they loved and permanently moved here. I was born soon after. I’m one hundred percent Japanese, at least by nationality. But yes, I do stand out quite a bit and I do stun quite a few people with how fluent I am with the language, and having no accent, but I grew up primarily speaking Japanese."
"That is an interesting story," Bladescape replied with a smile. "I can understand their choice. Japan has been an amazing experience.
"I do want to say something to you," Bladescape said, switching topics. He nodded, unsure where she was going. "Thanks for calming Kibaou down. He almost had them at the point where they would lynch the next person they suspected to be an ex-beta tester. We need to be coming together to form a collective fighting chance, not fighting each other, physically or even yelling."
"You seem like you could do a good job at leading that collective," Agil stated. "And it wasn't fair of him. Not even they were ready for what we all got thrown into. I don't know what I would have done if I was a beta tester and facing the choice they had.
"Speaking of that, I think it is my turn to ask a question. I only just made it here the other day. What about your group?"
"First ones here," Bladescape admitted. "We got here three weeks ago. We had the guidebook for some help, but we haven't seen most of the floor. Once we got here, we had things to do. Once we learned the labyrinth was nearby, leaving where we would need to be for the boss was a bad call. So, we let the others have the rest of the Floor and focused our efforts here. We ended up completing most of the quests in town by the time the others began to arrive.
"We got lucky in a few ways. As soon as we logged on, we jumped the gun, getting a level before the evening tutorial. Four on a boar, intentionally level grinding and farming col for future crafting, the creatures didn't stand a chance and we stayed safe. When that tutorial ended, we rushed back out, intent on getting what we needed to collectively survive. As soon as the others began to push out, and the hunting moved to waiting, we had the collective strength to follow the road that led to Horunka. They needed the levels and safety of the area right outside the town, while we could risk moving on. Shortly after that, we jumped north to Medai. We did some stuff there for a few days, but then bush-whacked north to Tolbana. We stumbled on a bit more than we bargained for here. A party of eight, with solid stats, plus keeping level heads, that is what consistently saved us these past four weeks."
"Yeah, I am sure it did. I wish more players had come together, friends or not, and actually worked together in parties, not groups. Less would probably have died."
"Maybe, maybe not," Bladescape sighed. "The other day we added three others to our group, at least short term. They are good kids, a few years younger than us. They had started as five, but with no hunting spots and unable to gain levels, they tried to make it from Medai to Tolbana, expecting less resistance than they met. Two didn't make it. The three that did were because I was enjoying the evening scenery after a hard day in the boss labyrinth. I didn't think they were in trouble because I didn't expect them to be here at their lower levels. The leveling potential in most places is limited, and it has pushed a lot of players outside their safety margins. I wish I could have done more."
"But you saved three," Agil pointed out.
"That's what everyone says, and I agree, but I still watched two die. I don't know how to handle it yet. I just know...it's not something I want to experience again. So a group lynching someone was going to be very, very bad. I will do anything in my power, anything, to stop someone from dying. The three of them have a good temperament for our group. They want to get better and push on despite the deaths of their friends. Our collective strength has made it possible for them to be with us in the boss labyrinth and reap the higher XP. They are not strong enough for a boss fight though.
"Another question, if I may, which is personal but not so personal."
"Go for it," Agil said.
"What weapon do you use?" Bladescape asked. "I see it's an axe"
"It's the common Two-handed Iron Axe," Agil replied. "You have conspicuously kept your weapon off you. All of you did. What about you?"
"Two-Handed Sword," Bladescape nodded. "It's a piece we picked up in a quest. An iron axe from the store, well one of our members, Konpeito, is a Two-Handed Axe user. She will be in the raid, just look for the head of massive red curls. Anyway, we know what she had available for her and we also have a statistician in our group. No offense, but that axe is a bit low for this boss raid."
"I've been trying to level up, but save, because I'm trying to set up a shop," Agil explained. "Trading is something I think is a good way for me to make a living, while also helping clear bosses. I am kind of concerned about it though. I am going to poke my head into the shops in a little while to see what would be better."
Bladescape felt the familiar feeling of someone in need of help that she felt back home. "Remember how I said we got more than we bargained for?" Agil nodded. "Well that guidebook was missing info they added to Tolbana after the beta. A few extra quests, or changes to quests, and some more we had to figure out. The point is, while getting one of the more difficult quests cleared, we ended up with some extra equipment."
Bladescape swiped up her menu. After a few clicks, out came the Ancient Soldier Great Axe. She caught it in one hand up by the double head.
"How does this compare?" Bladescape asked.
Agil only had one free hand, so he clicked on it to bring up the menu as Bladescape held it for his examination. "It's much better than mine, but you know that. Are you offering to sell me it?"
"Nope," Bladescape said, shaking her head. "I am saying it is yours. You will need it tomorrow and we have our gear covered for the best this floor has to offer."
"You don't want anything for it?" Agil asked, surprised. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Nothing," Bladescape stated. "Not a piece of col or even a favor. Like I said, we acquired a few extra items like this. We furnished the three I saved but still have some left over. You are going into the boss battle and need the best weapon available. Eight or even eleven, we couldn't do it on our own. Your choice to join us all tomorrow is all the payments me and my friends need."
"Wow," Agil said. "I really can't believe it. Everyone is out for themselves. Your kindness and generosity is weird, but it shouldn't be with the situation we are in. We really should be working together. Some people obviously won't make that easy. Kibaou will be one of them, and others will hoard and hide to give themselves a leg up, rather than pass on something. And if they sell it, they will want to get the best deal. Which I understand. You can’t give away everything for free."
"It is what me and my friends do," Bladescape said. "We will be a good counterbalance to those players. Our organizational structure will help be a counterbalance as well. Not that we are looking to expand. Keeping up on eleven is not easy. Balancing combat and earning col, against a few Crafters, who at the same time need all of the col they can to get more material and level up, so we have to make sure we grind away and get as much as we can to keep them moving up, while also giving them the time to craft...yeah it is tiring. Our statistician is helping them take the best route with the available information, but it still is tough."
"I bet it is tough," Agil replied. "And you just gave me the axe when you need the col."
Bladescape shrugged. "We covered what we needed to, but for the rest, we didn't sell because we love being generous and kind. If we can’t afford to give something away, we will sell it as low as possible directly to a player in need. Selling to a merchant is a different thing entirely, because all sides are trying to come out with making the most col. Sure, we probably could have gotten five figures for this axe and the same for the other weapons, but not everything, even with our crafter’s needs, is about money. Money is a means to an end, but it makes for a poor life goal. We have been sitting on them for two weeks at least, but we were looking for the right people. The three I saved, right people. You, Agil, right person. Maybe a few others here will be right and deserving as well.
"Aincrad needs more empathy as we all struggle to handle this change. We need to be loyal to each other, and for those of us pushing against the bosses, loyal to that cause. Honesty will go a long way, because it helps build trust and it reduces hoarding or hiding good grinding spots. We need to find our laughter, true laughter, again. This world needs all of that. Those things, along with friendship make a magic that can weather even the toughest storms. Aincrad really needs that magic to be brought to it. So we saved the extra items to help those who needed a leg up. We need merchants like you too, so you need that col."
"I look forward to meeting all of your friends," Agil said. "I want to thank them all personally. Let's get through the boss fight first though."
"Deal," Bladescape said. "Want to become friends?"
"Definitely," Agil said, swiping his menu up and sending her the request.
Kirito walked past them, mad about something. It seemed unrelated to the boss raid. He was followed by another, hiding under a tan cloak.
"Twenty-five Thousand col," the woman under the cloak said. "That is what my client is willing to pay for your sword."
"No," he said. "I don't know why your client is so persistent, but I'm not selling my sword, no matter what price he can offer."
Kirito stormed off and the woman went the other way.
"Twenty-five Thousand col," Agil said, shocked at hearing that much. "That's a lot of money. I don't know what I would do in his situation. It's a good weapon he has, but is it really worth keeping for that price? For the record, I won't sell this axe."
"It’s probably the best option for him," Bladescape said. "Especially on the eve of the first boss raid. I wouldn't sell. And if you were the type of guy who would sell a gift like that, even if he was a bit strapped for cash, then I wouldn't have given it to you. We know you will make good use of it."
They chatted about different things before they split up. Agil explained his path with two other players. They had taken the eastern route after Medai to a town that was near the border, before coming north to Tolbana.
Bladescape rejoined the others, who had gathered around Natora. Malus had food for them all, and everyone had drinks.
Natora immediately spoke up. "Just so you are aware, the rest of us caught two others up, weapon wise. A one-handed axe user and a sword user."
"And I gave Agil the spare great axe," Bladescape added. "He was very grateful. I'm glad we found a few who needed the upgrades before we hit the boss. The last thing we need is someone going on the raid with subpar weapons, like the bind Agil was in, which makes them more of a liability with the lack of training we collectively have. The defensive equipment is all over the place, but then again, so is ours. The only other one who looks like they have armor well covered is Diavel. The rest look like they are barely out of starter gear."
"Yeah," Natora sighed. "I wish I had an armor skill. But! I have the best equipment I can and I need agility and speed over raw defense. I keep thinking about leather equipment over light metal, but I do keep going back to light metal as my future choice for a variety of reasons."
"You will be more stationary than Thunder," Bladescape said. "Tomorrow will help you decide what you think is best."
They were approached by Lind. He was in Diavel’s party and wanted to meet the others. He was a kind enough guy, but he seemed to have a hidden motive outside of making friends.
The Wondercolts were not the first to leave. That made Bladescape feel good as they soon went back to their accommodations. The others were back and had gotten dinner already. It was decided that they would wait for news tomorrow and not go hunting. They wanted to be fresh for Floor 2 and ready to act as soon as the boss was beaten.
"Are you certain you will be fine?" Knightstar asked. "I don't mean to shake your confidence."
"You have a copy of the guidebook?" Bladescape asked.
"Yes," Knightstar said with a nod. "It's been invaluable for filling in the gaps."
"Then you have the information about the boss in it. We are as ready as we can be. Our levels are good and for the first time, we players have a collective direction and decent strategy. I don't think we will have a problem, not as Wondercolts and not as a raiding party."
"Player deaths?" Knightstar asked.
"I can't gauge that," Bladescape said. "Even you know that is an unfair question because I lack the knowledge about them."
Diemond saved Bladescape. "We were able to upgrade some deserving raiders. They will go in with better weapons tomorrow because of us."
Bladescape and Natora immediately bid the others goodnight before anyone else went to bed.
Inside the room, the discussion was started by Bladescape. "How are you doing? I wasn't sure what nerve Kibaou hit. He fired off a lot of shots quickly."
"He hit a few," Natora growled. "Thanks for the subtle support. We couldn't let them know I was a beta tester. Blaming me...I did the best I could. I know that. I regret nothing. I do wish there was more that I could have done, but Agil was right. They had access to good info. It isn't our fault if they over extended their abilities or failed for any other reason. I am sure a lot of those deaths were beta testers. I would bet that half of the beta testers are dead, because they pushed their limit, thinking they could get away with it and they paid the price for that arrogance.”
"I thanked Agil for it, but I didn't tell him or hint that we had help from you. I chalked it up to group numbers."
"Because it was," Natora stated. "It was due to our numbers. It saved us more times that I am afraid to think about. More players needed to be working in parties, not in groups. There were far too many who didn't understand how that worked."
"Definitely," Bladescape replied. "Way too many were shocked. I probably need to read the guide."
"Definitely the boss info, which is short and can wait till morning, but the rest, focus on your memories. We need you back to full mental power. There are a few who want power and we need to be a reasonable representation of civility and something that players can model. That is a lot of pressure, I know."
"It's okay," Bladescape sighed. "I want it. Part of it. I don't mind the sacrifice. I feel like I am not doing enough."
"You are leading us really well. You don't need to be in direct control of everything to be a good leader. Inspiration is a powerful force. You need those under you to be able to make their own decisions at times and they not only need to be equipped to handle it, but given the freedom to do it and not be overburdened by their leader. You have struck a good balance between grinding for col and crafting. That is all you and the same for enhancements. We have them because of you.
“Honestly, I think Doom is getting where she is and Diemond is learning to stand her ground because you are a firm, unyielding force before us. You give them the strength to try and be more. To not succumb to fear or fatigue, but to press on. Not just them, but everyone. I will admit that you have made it possible for me to continue."
Natora crossed her arms and let out a bit of a hiss. "The nerve that he really hit was this idea that we didn't deserve what we worked for. We couldn't help our leg up. I wish other beta testers had done more, but giving up our stuff, that was too far. We are not some communist country that takes most of your stuff. This is a competitive field. They need to learn that. And so long as the beta testers put forth an effort to clear the game or progress it, we need that. They can't push them out from helping either. I am concerned that will happen if Kibaou gets his way."
"That is a real concern," Bladescape said. “We need to get to bed, but I need to make a confession to you, so that you know where I am. You are putting a lot of faith in me. Normally, I would say it is well founded, but my foundation is cracked. I read memories and some I remember, others I am already forgetting. I can go back and reread them, but I can’t recall them.”
“You are under a lot of stress still,” Natora said. “It’s okay. Thanks for letting me know though. I am here to support you. Your memory will hopefully get better, but if it doesn’t, you will have my, our, support. It won’t matter to the others. You have already proven that you can lead us and should lead us. Give yourself a little grace and remember that we are a month into this new life with a lot of uncertainty. It will take time for things to settle.”
"I think what is best for my mind is sleep. Since we don’t need to be gathered until ten, I'm going to set my alarm for an hour later than normal."
"Bold move," Natora laughed. "I'll do the same. I'm not sure if it will work because of our own internal clocks and habits. Either that or the others might barge in and wake us up early, or rather, on time because they are not in on our plan."
They went to bed. Bladescape found sleep rather quickly.
BLADESCAPE: Level 13 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor
NATORA: Level 13 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 13 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal
MALUS: Level 13 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield — Light Metal Armor — First Aid
THUNDERBORNE: Level 13 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense
KONPEITO: Level 13 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor
DIEMOND: Level 13 — Mace — Shield — Sewing — Light Metal Armor
DOOMBUNNY: Level 13 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing
KIEFER: Level 8 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor
SORYUTO: Level 8 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor
REISENKI: Level 8 — One-Handed Axe — Shield — Light Metal Armor