Episode 30 — Path To Purpose
Twenty-Second Day in the Month of Silvergrass (January 22) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 9 — Late Afternoon
The Ninth Floor's first settlement was a village, Firket, which was encircled by a wooden palisade and had almost 50 buildings inside its perfectly circular walls. There were exits at the cardinal directions. The very center was the teleport plaza. Before Konpeito triggered the teleport plaza, she said their motto, one last lament, naming Wynants and Bachus. Then she triggered it and walked away to the nearest pub, a long building of wood made with a steep roof.
Bladescape had gotten a hold of Natora over a direct message. The others were done with their dungeon raid and immediately teleported from their town to Firket. They were the first players to arrive who were not from the boss raid party. They all headed to the pub and entered it. Konpeito was sitting at a long table with thirteen mugs of ale, one in front of her, ten at the other seats, and two in the center of the table. She was just staring into her mug.
"Sugar, are you alright?" Malus asked as they all took their seats.
"Eh," Konpeito shrugged. "I felt helpless this time. They didn't listen and because of it, two are dead. I realize that it isn't my fault and that even if they had listened and approached with a better strategy, they still might have died, but that doesn't make me feel any better."
"Well, we can at least raise our glass to them," Natora said as she lifted hers up. "Mo ghile mear."
Everyone raised their glasses and chimed in, except Konpeito. She raised her mug but stayed silent.
"You and Malus saved me," Bladescape said. "Thanks for that."
"How do you do it?" Konpeito asked.
"What do you mean?" Bladescape asked. "What exactly do you mean by 'it'."
"I mean lead us and deal with Kibaou and Lind,” Konpeito clarified. “On top of that, I know you want the Last Attack Bonus very, very badly, but you keep missing it by a slim margin. You only encouraged me in the room."
"I do it because I care," Bladescape explained. "And I use my Iaido lessons which came with leadership and life advice to help me lead everyone and focus us where we need to. Yes, it hurts that I didn't get it. The boss used player sword skills to actively block my attacks, like our weapon defense skill. That was unexpected and something we've never seen from a boss. I'm glad that a Wondercolt got the LAB. I'm glad you saved me. I'll earn it soon enough and when I do, it will be well-earned.
“Right now, I'm also dealing with Kibaou and Lind by showing everyone how we do it. I’m setting the supreme example and working to make it the bar that everyone judges a guild's success off of. If I let my frustration out in front of everyone, that would look bad. I’d look too much like Kibaou. I don't blame you, yet I do. I can't help the emotion even though I know the logic of the situation."
"Thanks, Blade," Konpeito said. "I understand the emotions versus logic battle. You’re doing an amazing job leading us. I wish I had something like that."
"How about your cooking?" Bladescape asked. "You want to and have been cooking for us, your friends. You've given us a unique gift and bring us joy because of your skill and the dedication you've put into it." The others echoed their support. "That's what matters and it makes for an admirable goal."
"It does make you smile," Konpeito said. "And my cooking has gotten a lot better. I'm now able to make a wide variety of things and I'm not limited to the constraints of leveling. I still need to so I can make better quality treats, but I don't need to grind as hard as I was. Now I can experiment and find out what is best for making distinct flavors and learn to pair the various foreign ingredients into something amazing."
"Smiles are good," Diemond said. "They often convey hope and your food brings us hope."
"Then I'll focus on the food, better than I was before, for you all," Konpeito said, still sad. "But for tonight, I don't want to cook. I already ordered for us. This is a Viking style longhouse inside a Viking trelleborg, or ring fortress. We just came from the British Isles architecture, now we get to see the home of the British Isles' historical raiders. Although they raided a lot more places than just Britain and much of it was inland, out of the reach of their longboats. They raided most of Europe, down into the Mediterranean, even reaching west Asia in the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. Ingvar the Far-Traveled even led an expedition to Iran."
"You know a lot about them," Knightstar said. "I'm surprised we are just finding out now. You're not the best at keeping secrets."
"Eh," Konpeito shrugged. "We had too many baddies to fight. I either learned from listening to Maud or from reading her books. It wasn't something I was necessarily into learning, but I was interested in what she was learning. Maud was specifically studying the Viking stone of Ingvar the Far-Traveled over the summer. Learning about the Vikings had everything to do with bonding between sisters, but now I'm stuck here, so I'll make use of what I know."
"Is that why you chose an axe?" Natora asked.
"Nah," Konpeito said, waiving off the idea. "I chose it cause I thought it'd be the most fun to use, when this was still a game to play. If I wanted to really copy the Vikings, I would have gone with either a one-handed axe and shield, or spear and shield. Probably the spear and shield. Until we get free, I'm stuck here while my sisters grow up and my real body lies in a hospital bed. I miss them. I don't want to miss out on Maud getting her PhD. I promised to be there at the ceremony. Maud promised to be home for the holidays and greet me when I got back from Japan so she could stay up all night with me, drinking hot chocolate and listening to my adventures in Japan. For the first time, I feel disconnected from them."
"Then you have your reason to fight," Doombunny said. "Just like mine is to get back to Angel Bunny, yours is to get back to your sisters. Do whatever you need to do to make you the best you can be to get us free."
"So why the change now?" Bladescape asked. "We had plenty of time to come up with a design for our armor and it was openly discussed, but you said nothing."
Konpeito was a little more bubbly, but her mourning was still evident. "Because it wasn't until I had the new armor and my Vegvisir was re-finished that I realized how off course I was. I found the missing piece to the map to be my heritage, except the Celtic lineage didn't inspire me, the Norse bloodline did. I know it's a very slim bloodline at this point, but it is there and they are some of the most legendary warriors with amazing symbols, so I chose them over the Celts. Don’t discount the amazing iconography of the Celts though."
"Well, I was already thinking through some ideas for your shirts," Diemond said. "We could do an over-shirt, to cover the chainmail, and I was thinking of having the horse head symbol on the chest."
"That's a really good idea," Konpeito encouraged, finally flashing a smile.
Their food came, ending their conversation. Konpeito ordered another round of drinks for everyone, including the two in the center of the table for the fallen raiders. Conversations with new subjects began to start between various Wondercolts as they ate.
As they finished eating, Knightstar suddenly stood up and slammed her hands onto the table. She learned forward towards Konpeito. "It's driving me insane! I have tried to put it out of my mind, but it won't leave. What did you mean yesterday, and today, when you said you had them touch up one of your tattoos?"
"You mean my Vegvisir?" Konpeito asked.
"Yes," Knightstar nodded. "I'm not familiar with their names. I know the general history and culture of the Norse, but you clearly know more than I do."
Konpeito shrugged before explaining it. "The Vegvisir is known as the pathfinder tattoo and it’s a good luck charm to ensure you always know where to go. Technically it's later Icelandic, but they all are direct descendants of the Vikings because of the natural constraints the ocean puts on the small island. They've carried on much of the earlier iconography to the modern era. My Vegvisir didn't come with my body to SAO, so I had to find someone to fix that and I did.”
"You're a minor," Knightstar stated. "How did you get a tattoo in the real world!"
"Oh, that's what you mean," Konpeito said, rolling her eyes. "Why didn't you say so, silly? It was a present from Maud. She convinced my parents to allow me to get it before I headed to Japan, since I would be on foreign rock, she wanted me to always know the way to go. So they approved and allowed me to get it. All of the Pie sisters have them now, to keep us connected. Wasn't that sweet of Maud?"
"No!" Diemond exclaimed. "While the sentiment is sweet, tattoos are ugly!"
"But have you seen it on Pinkie?" Konpeito asked
"What?" Diemond asked.
"Exactly!" Konpeito exclaimed. "Up until yesterday, you didn't even have a hint that I had it. If you know what you're doing, you can easily conceal a tattoo, even one as large as a Vegvisir. Not all of them have to be blatantly displayed. You can be a complete lady wearing the latest fashion and still have a tattoo if you plan right. That was a stipulation my parents had and Maud didn't want the tattoos to ruin any of the Pie Sisters in the wedding dress."
Diemond didn't have a response back to that.
"Wait," Thunderborne said. "Maud is getting married? To who?"
"Not yet, silly," Konpeito laughed. "For the future. It’s a family wedding dress, worn by generations of Pie women. Well, actually, the Pie side is from my father. My mother was a MacDougall. It’s her side of the family’s wedding dress. She was the only daughter to her mother, a Fitzgerald, was an only daughter to her mother, an O'Neill, who was also an only daughter, a Murphy, so it's been passed on down the line to us Pie girls. That's also where the Danish Viking blood comes from, but that isn't a topic openly talked about. The point is, that's where my Viking blood came from, as well as the wedding dress."
"If you're staying with the style, you need to consider braiding your hair," Knightstar added.
"I hadn't thought about that," Konpeito admitted. "But you're right and I like the idea. I know several of their braided hairstyles. Some like look good, but its a question of taming my curls. Any other suggestions?"
"Well...I hesitate to suggest it," Knightstar said before pausing. She glanced at Malus and then Bladescape. "Well, along with the braids, blonde hair would be more genetically accurate to the Vikings."
"Yes and no," Konpeito replied. "While the stereotype is blond, they did have red hair, particularly in the area around Denmark and western range of the Norse. It's the northern range, mostly in Sweden, where they were predominantly blond. I'm not sure why the stereotype is that only redheads come from the six Celtic regions: Brittany, Cornwall, Ireland, Isle of Man, Scotland, and Wales. I'll stick with the red hair."
"I gladly stand corrected and a bit relieved," Knightstar said. "I wasn't sure if you would look good as a blonde."
"I'm too Celtic to be blonde," Konpeito laughed.
"I hope this isn't a bad question to ask," Diemond prefaced. "What cape are you now wearing? If you're willing to share that is."
"Huh? Oh! Right," Konpeito exclaimed. "It's the Mantle of Hati. I'm not sure how Hati is a relevant boss drop, but Hati is the wolf that chases the moon in the Norse mythology and is the child of Fenrir, which was another name for the boss' first name before it transformed." Konpeito shrugged. "Eh, I shouldn't think too hard about it considering how they clearly twisted the myths. The cape's got great defensive stats, gives me night vision, buffs my agility, and looks awesome."
"That's a sweet drop," Natora said.
"I'm glad you got it over certain others," Bladescape added.
"Your time will come, Bladescape, when it is right," Konpeito said. "When it does, I know the system is fated to give you something amazing that fits you. It'll probably be the most awesomest boss drop anyone will ever get."
Bladescape stood up. "As much as I have enjoyed this, I'm going to go back to our rented room in Tolbana. I need to grab some things. I'll see everyone in the morning, bright and early."
They all bid her farewell and Bladescape exited the pub. The city was abuzz with activity as players who were not on the front visited the newly opened floor. Most wouldn't leave the safety of the safe zone, but they could have fun exploring the new city.
Bladescape teleported to Tolbana and got to the house. They had continued to rent it because of the low cost and it served mostly as a place to store extra stuff. As she entered, she found the two NPCs packing.
"What's going on?" Bladescape asked.
"We're glad you stopped by," the husband said. "We were going to have to send a runner to look for you. My business is doing well and, with your steady rent, the two of us have decided to move homes. We want a better place to raise our future kids."
"Yes, I'm pregnant," the wife said.
"That is great news," Bladescape said, grinning. "Both of them."
"Before we put it on the market, we wanted to offer you the chance to buy it," the husband said. "At a slightly lower price since you are part of the reason why we have this opportunity."
A screen popped up, offering for Bladescape to buy the house. It gave her the option to either buy it as her own, private property, or for the guild. It wasn't much of a home, but it was a good price and it had a kitchen, plus some decent rooms. Tolbana was far away from the front, the travel time quickly stacked up and they didn’t always have teleport plazas to jump to and from cities, but it was someplace to fall back to. Bladescape was the only one who typically went back, but Konpeito would use the kitchen at times. It was wiser to buy the house for the guild, then they all would have permission to enter and Bladescape wouldn't have to be present to let the others in. Bladescape purchased it for the guild, officially buying them their first property. It would not make a good headquarters and it wasn't impressive property, but it was something at least. They probably wouldn’t make the purchase known publicly, but Lind and Kibaou certainly didn’t own property, nor did their guilds. It was another first for the Wondercolts over the others. That had its own merit and strength.
Bladescape grabbed a few items and prepared to head to the sixth floor. As the leader and face of the Wondercolts, she needed to continue to train, even at the expense of sleep. If she wanted a last attack bonus, she needed to strengthen her game. She needed to be faster, smarter, and more accurate. The only way to beat Kirito's drive would be to match it by mirroring him and training alone. With their fast pushes through each floor, the only time to train was at night when the others were asleep. Bladescape could put a few hours in and still get enough sleep before they hit the ninth floor. Even if she was tired, her levels were well within the safety margin and during the day she was with a team who would be supporting her. She wasn't alone like Kirito was. None of the others knew what she was doing because they would protest. Natora might, but some wouldn’t understand. When she went back to the house in Tolbana to train, it was always under the guise of doing something with storage.
As Bladescape exited the Wondercolts "new" home, she was surprised to see Kirito outside. He was clearly waiting for her.
"Today's battle was another impressive show," Kirito stated. "The Wondercolts are unique and you have a clear edge on the ALS and DKB. They don't have the levels or skills you all have. You're on a different plane when it comes to SAO than they are. A higher one. Can we talk inside, in private?"
"Sure," Bladescape said. She opened the door and let Kirito inside. "I just bought this place tonight. The NPCs renting it to us apparently decided to move and offered the sale to us, before it hit the general market. It's not that great, but it's something. If you could keep that quiet, that would be appreciated."
"Something is better than nothing," Kirito said as he pulled up his menu and materialized an item. It was an iron grey flag with a red castle on it, mounted on a long pole. He offered it to Bladescape. "I’ll keep this place a secret, but I'm here to give you the Flag of Valor. Take it and keep the edge you have. You deserve it and will make good use of it. The Bro Squad isn't a guild and they don't plan to be one. The flag is useless to them."
"Wait," Bladescape said, not taking it. "The Flag of Valor was supposed to stay out of everyone's hands so that no one gained an unfair advantage over the others."
"Kibaou and Lind would not only use it for the boost to their stats, which would help them level up, but they also would use it to recruit,” Kirito explained. "Even if it wasn't useful for new members because of the limited range, it'd make a good recruitment tool to sway others to join their guild over the other. New players coming to the front would want the minor boost the flag might give them.
"Besides, the two of them have an unfair advantage. They may be competing against each other and at odds with each other most of the time, but they also are competing against you. They say the enemy of your enemy is your friend and they are unifying against you. They don't like the Wondercolts having a say in the boss fights. They certainly don't like me being in the fight and, because Asuna is now associated with me, they hate her. She clearly can't join either guild now. Agil and the Bro Squad are not liked either because they helped me get the flag. If they shove you out, like I just overheard them discussing over dinner while I openly ate a few tables away, then they'll be able to shut the rest of us out. None of us are going to leave quietly if they do, so it's best if we don’t let them get to a place to do that.
"Together they outnumber you almost six to one. Not everyone is capable of fighting bosses yet, they have newer members who still need to level up before they are ready to face floor bosses, but it won't be long before they are caught up and can make their planned move against us all. Konpeito scoring the LAB concerned them and impressed Lind. Kibaou hates all Wondercolts because of Natora, but Lind fears your skill and seeing it play out again in your favor is making him second guess their choice to shut you out. He's afraid that, unless the Wondercolts are there, they can't win the battles without taking big losses."
"We need him to believe that," Bladescape said, taking the flag. "It doesn't matter if it's true or not, he needs to believe it is."
Kirito gave a slow nod. "I think that would be the result if we didn’t have you with us. You helped get the flag. You truly deserve it, both now and back then. There have been several times where the balance has been kept by no one having it. Because of the time that has passed and your superior skills and levels, they should not suspect it's in your possession. Unless you spill that secret, you won't come under fire for having it."
"I'll keep it between just me and our two other leaders, Natora and Knightstar," Bladescape assured Kirito.
"Equip it to one of your shortcut menu slots," Kirito advised. "It just needs to be in your inventory to aid you, but that way, if you mass dump junk items, you won't accidentally dump it."
"Thanks for the tip," Bladescape said as she did as he suggested. They had three shortcut menu slots, but Bladescape was not using any yet. Pouches were typically faster for anything she might need in a fight.
"You have a diversified leadership model,” Kirito stated. “Both the ALS and the DKB are single leader models, despite their larger size. You are smart, they are vain."
"Thank you, Black Swordsman," Bladescape said.
"Black Swordsman?" Kirito warily asked.
"It's better than Beater," Bladescape said. "Plus, you're always dressed in black and carry a one-handed longsword, no shield. I guess it would work if you used a two-handed longsword too or a katana, and really most historical swordsmen used shields of some kind, but the one-handed longsword without the shield is an interesting statement to make in Aincrad. Ignoring the fencers who need speed and agility with their rapiers. Kibaou does it simply to look cool, but he's an idiot. You have the skill to back your choice up."
Kirito just gave her a nod back.
"I'm heading out to grind for some XP," Bladescape said. "If I'm to get any sleep, I need to get going."
"I wish they would slow the pace down a bit more," Kirito said with a sigh. "But I have to go do the same thing in order to stay at the top. I'm not going to lose to them."
"Good luck, Black Swordsman," Bladescape said.
Kirito nodded back and they left the house to head their separate ways.
BLADESCAPE: Level 26 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid
NATORA: Level 25 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 25 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid
MALUS: Level 25 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry
THUNDERBORNE: Level 25 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor
KONPEITO: Level 25 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid
DIEMOND: Level 25 — Mace — Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid
DOOMBUNNY: Level 25 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid
KIEFER: Level 22 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid
SORYUTO: Level 22 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid
REISENKI: Level 22 — One-Handed Axe — Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair