//------------------------------//
// Episode 33 - Rescue Operation 
// Story: EQG: Sword Art Online - Ruby Palace 
// by Mindrop 
//------------------------------//

Episode 33 — Rescue Operation
Thirty-First Day in the Month of Willow (March 22) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 25 — Early Evening 

Back in town their first priority was to head to the herbalist’s shop to complete the quest. He was at the center of town, next to the teleport plaza. It would be a good place to stock up on potions and crystals, if he had any.

They were about to enter the shop when Bladescape heard her name called. It was a familiar voice, albeit an unexpected one. Bladescape turned to see Lind with what looked like most of the Dragon Knights Brigade. He had never spoken to her outside of raids and strategy meetings.

“Hello, Lind,” Bladescape replied. “Did you need something?”

“Not really,” Lind said with a shrug. “We haven’t seen you in a few days, so I’m glad to see you all alive and well. Too many players have disappeared. Whole parties have vanished."

“I know,” Bladescape said, unable to avoid a sigh. “I witnessed it myself, yesterday, in the Labyrinth.”

“So you have been in there,” Lind replied. 

“We took a break from it today,” Bladescape admitted. “We did a quest today instead, but we have been in the Labyrinth. The faster we get off this floor, the better.”

“The snake poison one from the herbalist you were about to enter?” Lind asked. 

“Yep,” Bladescape nodded. 

“Some of us tried it a few days ago, but never saw any snakes,” Lind admitted. “Congratulations. It’s the highest col reward for a quest by a wide margin. I have no doubt it was well earned.” 

“It was an interesting experience,” Bladescape replied, intentionally being vague. She wasn't going to give away more than necessary. “Thank you. Are you coming or going to the Labyrinth?” 

“Just reorganizing,” Lind explained. “I was in the labyrinth with about half of us. Others were leveling or doing some other things. We are all tired and stressed from the unusual factors of this floor. We will get a fresh start in the morning.” 

“That’s basically our plan,” Bladescape admitted with a reassuring nod. “I fully understand.”

Bladescape and Lind both saw it happen in their peripheral vision. A flash of blue as a player teleported into the city, immediately falling to ground. That indicated that it was a very hasty emergency teleport. They rushed over to help him. He was in Aincrad Liberation Squad colors. Bladescape had seen him with Kibaou over the last several floors, including a boss fight or two. He was an experienced enough player.

Before they could help him up he lunged upward, latching onto their chests. The terror in his eyes was evident. “They're all going to be slaughtered!” he screamed. 

Bladescape grabbed his shoulder so that he didn’t drag her down. “What do you mean?”

“We had intel about the boss,” he explained. “Kibaou paid good money for it. It’s no good. We found it and rushed the boss. Kibaou thought we could take him on ourselves. That giant is tearing them apart!”

Bladescape’s heart stopped. There were about forty players in the ALS. It was a little light for a boss raid, numbers wise, but it shouldn’t be tearing them apart. Not enough where someone was claiming they were all going to die. Then again, everything on Floor Twenty-Five was significantly harder.

“Why don’t they teleport out?” Lind asked, trying to help keep the desperate man from keeling over and pulling them down with him.

“I was the only one in my squad who had one left,” he stated. “We’ve used our limited number up trying to clear the labyrinth. Fleeing the boss fight means Kibaou’s going to kick me out, but I value my life more.”

He was still clutching desperately to them and was basically dead weight as Bladescape and Lind tried to hold him up. Bladescape yanked him face to face with her. “You have the map data to get there?”

“Yes,” he nodded. 

“Give me it,” Bladescape growled. Bladescape glanced back at Natora. “Natora, raid the herbalist’s shop for potions and crystals!”

Lind sent one of his own to also help buy out the stock. The commotion had attracted a large crowd. Lind and Bladescape eased the man down so that he was sitting on the ground and he finally let go of them. His hand was shaking terribly as he tried to open his menu. He finally swiped it open and, after several failed attempts, shared the map data with them.   

“Are you really going to save them?” He asked, clearly not having any hope about it. 

“We don’t let players die,” Bladescape replied. She knew her tone was sharp and hoped he could tell it wasn’t directed at him. “Even if we have our differences, well that's not a reason to abandon them because we all fight for the same goal. I’ll knock Kibaou around with my fists for it when we get him back to the safety of a city.”

“We’ll make him accountable for his rash actions,” Lind added. “But he has to be alive to do that.”

“Now hold on, just one moment y’all,” Malus said. “Are y’all seriously sayin that we’re gonna go chargin in after Kibaou, after he charged in and is eating crows for it?”

Bladescape locked eyes with Lind. He was clearly tired, but his tired eyes had the same fire in them as she had in her heart. He wasn’t wavering either. 

“Yes,” Bladescape stated. She knew she wasn’t just answering Malus, but addressing the entire crowd which had gathered. Even with their backs to the crowd because of the man, her command of the situation had to be clear. “We’re going to rescue the Aincrad Liberation Squad! Either we all make it out or we kill the boss, but the goal is to give them the aid they need to get out! This is a rescue operation, plain and simple, and to successfully rescue them, we are going to need every player available to join us. Those who can’t handle entering the boss chamber can still support the operation by clearing the way for the rescue team, allowing us to keep our HP’s up for the rescue operation inside the boss chamber. We’ll organize the strategy on the way.”

Bladescape turned around to face Malus. The crowd was a lot bigger than she had realized. Players were checking their equipment and stocks before committing to the rescue raid. 

“We’ve got to move!” Bladescape said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “But we’re not going to be stupid. I’m sick of this floor, I know the rest of you are too. If you don’t think you can handle it, no one will blame you. If you are willing to go into the boss room, please make your way to the front of the herbalist’s shop. Those who are going to clear the way for us, assemble in front of the inn. Everyone else, please disperse or watch from the blacksmith shop so we can swiftly organize. I’ll say it again, if you don’t feel comfortable going for any reason, don’t come. There is no shame in that. We don’t need liabilities as we mount this rescue mission. We have to act quickly though. 

“Thunderborne, please organize the clearers. They can set up parties on the way, just get them in parties and set up a rotation. Two parties at a time.” 

“You got it!” Thunderborne yelled back before rushing off to the inn.

Natora came out of the herbalist shop with her arms overflowing with potions and crystals. The DKB member was following behind her, catching the ones that slipped out of her grasp. 

“Sorting out a fair way to split the cost was taking too long so I just bought it all for everyone!” Natora declared.

“We have clearers and assault team groups,” Bladescape explained. 

Natora asked Knightstar to give her a quick estimation on the players and how to distribute the supplies. Knightstar had an answer for her almost instantaneously and then Natora sent Knightstar and the DKB member with a stock to ensure the clearers were supplied. The rest of the assault team quickly got what they needed distributed. Every pouch that could be stuffed with crystals and potions was. When they entered the labyrinth, guild storage would not be accessible. They needed it with them and if it was on them, it would be easier to toss to a player for aid. Other players couldn’t access personal storage, but pouches could be accessed. Opening your menu in battle was also a very difficult task and left you exposed.

Thunderborne reported in. They had six teams, thirty-six players, willing to be clearers. The rescue teams had five from the Dragon Knights Brigade, one from the Wondercolts, and three others made up of solo players and other guilds who couldn’t field a full party. Kirito was among them, but Agil wasn’t. Asuna had been suspiciously absent the past few boss raids, but their communication methods were already bad and it was made worse by Kibaou’s only interest in pushing forward with brute tactics, leaving no time for better organization and coordination between guilds. 

“Thunder!” Bladescape called. “Lead the clearers with Knightstar. Keep their morale up, but push them. We can’t waste time. You don’t engage in combat unless you have to. We primarily need your energy for inside the boss room.”

Bladescape looked back at the teleport plaza. Since the man had fallen out of it, no one else had come through it. Other ALS members might have called out other cities, but it was doubtful that every single one would do so. It had only taken four minutes to organize everyone.

“Kibaou is too stubborn to back out,” Lind said to her. “You know that.”

“Yeah,” Bladescape replied, steeling herself for the upcoming push. “Let’s go!”

“RESCUE MISSION AWAY!” Konpeito bellowed. “MO GHILE MEAR!”

They rushed out of the town towards the labyrinth. It wasn’t far and they set a sustainable pace. Thunderborne had the clearing teams using aggressive tactics, pushing monsters with the shields and backing them against walls and objects so they could easily be finished off. Physical contact with the monsters had its own set of risks, but they endured and Thunderborne was right there to finish one off when a problem arose. It helped that Knightstar and Soryuto, two Wondercolts, were fully engaged in the shield tactics without questioning the strategy.

Bladescape and Lind planned the strategy on the way. They came up with three scenarios. The first was the ALS members were not there. In that case, they would fall back, abandoning the rescue mission. The second was the presence of ALS members who needed to be physically carried out. Bladescape would lead three parties to distract and deal with the boss, while Lind would lead the others to rescue the members and drag them out of the boss chamber. Bladescape would retreat, with the assistance of Lind if need be, and they would all head back to the city to deal with the boss at a later date. The third was to fully engage the boss. They didn’t know what they were fully getting into, making it a risky option. If the ALS force was refusing to leave and at a sufficient strength, they all would fight the boss battle until they won. 

It was clear to Bladescape that Lind didn’t want to engage the boss today, which was Bladescape’s stance too. A rescue mission to drag them out was very different from executing a nearly blind raid. Lind had already fought hard in the labyrinth today and it was getting late. No player, in any guild or solo, was currently fresh. They were better off fighting the boss tomorrow or the day after, when they had gotten rest and could go at it with a clear strategy. They were too focused on saving lives from imminent danger without sacrificing their own.

They heard the screams of agony and orders from a good distance away. They were approaching the chamber from along the wall, so they couldn’t see inside. A crop of monsters stood between them and the view. 

“CLEARING SQUADS!” Knightstar yelled, raising her sword up high. “FOLLOW ME AND ENGAGE THE MONSTERS. RESCUE SQUADS, IGNORE OUR FIGHTS!” She swiped her sword down and they all charged as one. 

Bladescape sprinted through the disorganized melee of players against the armored anthropomorphic goats called “longneck gladiators.” She was the first one through the melee and rushed to get the first look at the rescue scenario. A longneck spawned in front of the door and raised its sword to attack her, but it stopped as a throwing knife buried itself in its chest. Another one quickly joined it. Then a flash of red zipped past and Bladescape saw the ruby krait, called Colorra, skillfully slither up its body, binding its arms in place before sinking its fangs into the neck of the monster. It shattered a moment later and the snake calmly dropped into a neat coil. Bladescape kept going, never needing to slow her stride, sliding past the threshold of the open boss room door. 

The room was fairly large with a tall ceiling. The boss was a two-headed giant. Its knees were almost at Bladescape’s shoulder height. It had a maul in its right hand and a nearly straight barbarian scimitar in its left, with a skirt of leather and bronze greaves protecting its lower body. A leather strap ran over its chest to its belt where the sword’s scabbard was. One head had a skullcap helmet, the other was a mullet of ragged hair. Worst of all, it wasn’t the kind of fat, slow giant. It was a ripped, fit beast that was quick on its feet as it threw the maul around and slashed at others in between the maul attacks. The ALS members managed to get clear of the maul, but their health was low. Kibaou was still mounting an offense against it, or trying to.  

“I count maybe twenty-five,” Lind said. “They went in with forty.”

“Nineteen,” Bladescape said. They both watch as the giant suddenly pivoted, catching an ALS member off guard and slashing him with the sword. “Eighteen,” Bladescape stated as the polygons briefly occupied the area before disappearing. 

“We are not getting that fool out,” Lind stated, trying not to panic. 

“Probably not,” Bladescape growled. “We know he won’t listen to me. We’ll operate by scenario two first and hope that he listens to you. Physically drag him out if you have to.” 

Bladescape’s three squads were close to the front. They followed her into the room, yelling their own war cry to draw the attention of the boss as they charged forward. They split into the preplanned three prong strategy. Natora had two lancers with three other shields. They used their weapon’s superior range to quickly engage the boss and firmly get his attention. The three squads were an irritating nuisance to the boss as they forced him to focus on them. Quick cuts and jabs from the damage dealers while consistently presenting a circle of shields. Their entire goal was to keep him occupied, not deal damage, so the others could be evacuated.  

The minutes dragged on. Bladescape did her best to direct and warn her squads of incoming attacks. Lind was in a shouting match with Kibaou. Several ALS members joined Bladescape’s ranks, throwing off their plan. That moment of distraction was all the boss needed to bring the maul down on one of the argumentative ALS members and slash one of Natora’s shield users. Natora broke rank and charged, thrusting her spear into the belly of the boss in retaliation for their deaths. She was knocked back as it backhanded her with its left hand. She narrowly avoided the scimitar’s edge as she entered an uncontrolled fall. 

With her line broken, Bladescape was about to issue orders to back up, but Lind came charging through the opening at the head of his party. They unleashed what they could on the boss and the rescue effort devolved into a brawl. Almost two of the boss’s HP bars were gone when they committed to fighting the battle.

Kibaou wasn’t going to be left out, even after being decimated. Lind and Bladescape kept their plan in place, drawing out the battle with the boss using three encircling teams which would rotate for safety. Somehow the ALS members were still listening to Kibaou and they joined the fight. They caused confusion between party members and they lost several more to the boss who was lightning quick when it came to acting on an opening in their defenses. Diemond was the first casualty of the distraction. She was stabbed by the scimitar when her focus slipped and she dropped her shield enough for the giant to run her shoulder through. Diamond was covered by Malus as Konpeito dragged her off the front line. Bladescape heard Konpeito use a healing crystal on her while Bladescape launched a counter attack to make sure the two headed giant paid for the act. 

The health bars were deceptively large. It might have only shown four, but it was akin to fighting a boss with six, maybe seven. The physical defense statistics for the giant were also deceptively high, for a generally unarmored body. Even from their best damage dealers, they were only able to chip away at the HP. 

Two heads were supposedly better than one and in this case they were. Two heads on one body made it very observant and quick to react. The giant’s second head caught Bladescape watching one of the squads under her command narrowly avoid the maul. Her brief moment of relief was ended by the searing hot jab of pain as she was impaled by the scimitar through the chest. 

Bladescape looked at the oversized sword in her chest. It took up nearly a third of her chest. Along with the shocking pain of the stab, she felt her anger explode from deep within. She was sick of the floor; sick of Kibaou; sick of so many people getting hurt; sick of too many dying; sick of being helpless to prevent their deaths. 

As the sword was pulled from her chest, Bladescape lunged forward with her left hand. She snagged a finger, getting a solid grip on it. With a war cry, summoning all of her anger and rage, she triggered a sword skill and her two-handed broadsword lopped the boss’ left hand off at the wrist. 

Bladescape’s balance had relied on the tension of the link between her and the giant. She slipped backwards as its hand shattered into polygons. She hit the ground hard, unable to catch herself. She laid there, listening to the echoes of warriors crying out as they attacked the boss with a new fury, presumably preventing it from bringing its maul down on her to finish the job. The sounds of combat were dulled and muted, sounding like they were a long way off, not nearly on top of her.

Bladescape’s health was in the red and draining quickly because of the sword in her chest. If she was going to die, it was going to be while on her feet, fighting, not laying down, letting her life slip away. The sword had gone in further from her lunge, but at least she had taken the boss’s hand as repayment. She rolled fully onto her side and was able to grab the handle. She tried to pull it out. It slid out a fair bit, but then she found it too long for her arms to be able to exert the proper leverage. She let go, grabbing the spine of the sword closer to her body and yanked it free. It hurt, but her chest felt like it could suddenly take in air once again. 

A health potion smacked into the floor, inches from her face. It shattered from the impact into harmless polygons, but they blocked her vision, blinding her with their dazzling sparkles for a moment. It hadn’t come from any of her pouches, which meant someone was trying to heal her. That made sense, but she was not the most clear headed. 

Bladescape dully heard Thunderborne yell “HEAL!” before her HP shot all the way up. That was the miracle of healing crystals over potions, however, they only fixed HP, not the feeling of getting stabbed, let alone nearly skewered in half. As bad as she felt, Bladescape rolled over on her hands and knees. She had to get up and away from the boss, or the healing crystal might as well be wasted. A pair of hands grabbed her and helped her stand. Bladescape tried to stumble off to the side, but was prevented from doing so. 

“Relax,” Thunderborne said. “It's over. You’re safe.”

The lighting changed as the room brightened. Bladescape’s hearing was still dulled from the overload of sensory information her brain had been shocked with from being stabbed. Still, she dully heard the familiar congratulations music and some cheers, mostly from outside the boss room. They were getting louder, indicating the clearing teams were rushing the room in celebration. 

Bladescape looked over her shoulder at Thunderborne. She smiled at her athletic friend. Everything was muted from the lingering pain, even her ability to speak. 

“I would have healed you faster, except I forgot which pouch held the crystals and kept finding potions,” Thunderborne explained. “I dropped, like, six vials in my haste . I’ll bug Diemond about making us new pouches specifically for crystals. Something on the top so that I can easily feel that it’s the crystal pouch. That way I’m not reliant on sight. Besides, if it's mounted further back, I can’t usually see it anyway.”

Bladescape couldn’t respond as she was crammed into Thunderborne by two people hugging them. One was definitely Doombunny because of the sleeves. The other was likely Knightstar. 

“That looked really bad,” Knightstar said. “We were so afraid when we saw you fall. We thought it was over. Especially as Thunder kept dropping stuff.”

“Hey! I was doing my best!,” Thunderborne protested. “You try going from stabbing the boss to prevent another stabbing, then jumping over to heal the stabbed person. It's not easy on the blood flow.”

“Alright,” Bladescape said tiredly, shaking her head to finish clearing it. “Hug’s over. For now. I’m safe and need to deal with some things.”

They broke it off and Bladescape sheathed her sword. Or tried to. It jammed in the sheath. She had never had a problem with it jamming. SAO made it so over the shoulder draws worked; the same with storing large axes and spears on a players back. In that regard, the logic of the real world was bent in Aincrad to make it work.

“Uh, Blade, that’s not your sword,” Thunderborne said, pointing to where Bladescape’s sword was laying. 

Bladescape looked at the sword in her hand. It was the same one the giant had stabbed her with. A few others, like Diemond, had been run through with it as well. The barbarian scimitar was mostly straight, really only curving at the tip, but not enough to prevent the straight thrust, like many scimitars did. It left much to be desired in a crossguard, really only being a bit of flared steel, part of the blade, not a constructed guard added with the handle. The wooden handle had a bronze cap at the crossguard, depicting a face on each side. Each side was different and probably a depiction of the giant. The pommel was also bronze; a flanged circle with a flower bud on the base of the pommel. 

It was still in her hand, despite the boss being dead. Bladescape tapped it and a menu popped up. It was called a “Valerian Shashka.” It was classified as a two-handed sword and, despite the single cutting edge, it was something she could wield. The base stats were better than what she had been using, but it had twelve enhancement slots, not fourteen. Bladescape had failed four of six enhancements with her current broadsword. She had no attachment to it. Bladescape swiped up her menu and equipped the Valerian Shashka. She shrugged to her friends and turned her attention to finding Lind.

She quickly spotted him. He was with Natora, Malus, and a few others. Kibaou was sitting at their feet and had clearly not done so voluntarily. He was fuming, arms crossed in defiance as two other members of the Dragon Knights Brigade stayed right behind him, to keep him in his place.

“I was afraid we lost you,” Lind said to her as she joined them. “When I saw you take that hit, I thought it was over. But you somehow managed to not only survive, but sever his hand. Then I thought you were for sure gone, but I was on the other side and had to press our advantage.”

“You followed the plan and did what was right,” Bladescape stated. “Thank you for pressing the advantage like you needed to. Thunderborne was there to heal me. I still don’t feel good, but I can finish what we started.”

“I’m glad-” Lind stopped and looked at her curiously. “That’s not the same sword you started with.”

Bladescape reached up and drew the blade from its sheath. There was no point in hiding it from Lind. “I don't know how, maybe because it was securely thrust through my chest, but the boss’ sword stayed. The system recognizes it as a two-handed sword called the Valerian Shashka. Its stats are pretty decent and I had already failed four enhancements on the other one, so why not?”

“That makes no sense,” Lind stated. "But I can’t argue with the fact that it's here and I honestly don’t care. I just want to get off this floor and get some rest.”

“I really hate to ask this, but how many did we lose?” Bladescape asked as she sheathed the sword. “And I mean from our rescue group.”

“Not a single clearer died,” Lind said. “I was afraid we would lose one or two by putting so much on their shoulders in our rush to get here. I lost seven Dragon Knights and we lost six others from various groups. No Wondercolts fell, but half of you took some major hits.”

Bladescape refrained from mentioning the level gap between the Wondercolts and most everyone else. Without that gap, their bad hits would have been fatal. Instead, she crunched the rough numbers in her head. “Okay, that’s thirteen. Not a good number and I hate that I am happy with it.”

“I feel the same way,” Lind admitted.

“I think,” Bladescape said as she ran a calculation in her head. “Just by going off what I have heard, not actual stats somewhere, that we've lost about a third of the force clearing this floor.”

Bladescape’s statement hung in the air for what felt like an eternity. If she was right, even in the ballpark, their losses in the boss fight were trivial compared to the blow their clearing effort had taken. 

Natora spoke up. “We need to get off this floor. Every minute we waste, players might be dying as they try to clear a floor we no longer need to be on. It was only a small number of us in town to mount the rescue. I’m going to take the clearing squads and trigger the gate. I’ll send them to every teleport plaza to spread the good news. We’ll contact everyone we can too.”

“What good news is that exactly?” Lind asked. 

“That we have cleared a quarter of the game,” Natora replied. “I know, standing here it feels trivial. No, it is trivial to us, but then there's the rest of Aincrad; some eight thousand players who need to know we have reached this point. They need that morale boost. They need to not risk themselves on this floor anymore.”

“Go,” Bladescape said. “Get it done.”

They watched as Natora rallied the clearers and got them excited to spread the news. Or at least fake excitement. Then they were off, rushing up the stairs to be the first players free of the evil that was the twenty-fifth floor. They also got to be the first on the twenty-sixth, which many of them would never get to experience because they didn't do boss raids. It was well earned. The rescue squads would have taken more losses without them. The ALS may not have survived if they didn't have the clearing squads. 

Physically beating Kibaou up was not going to solve Bladescape’s complicated feelings. It might get out some rage, but it would be disastrous for morale and pointless now that they were at this juncture. They needed justice. Unfortunately, there was no court system in Aincrad. The game had an anti-criminal code which prevented certain actions and set penalties if you harmed another player. Your cursor turned orange for a certain number of days, depending on the crime, and the player was unable to enter cities and towns until it turned green again. Any court they could assemble would just end up being mob rule with the charges and evidence they could actually level at Kibaou. They’d call for his head, which wouldn’t solve anything. Lind seemed to be thinking the same thing. 

Kibaou had enough of the silence. “Well if you two are just going to silently stand there!” His attempt to get up was immediately thwarted and he was forced back down.

“WE CAME TO RESCUE YOU!” Bladescape screamed as she lost control. “When we learned you rushed the boss and it was going poorly, we could have let you fall to your fate! Instead we risked our lives to save anyone we could. Your stubborn head wouldn’t retreat when given the support. We lost thirteen because of your intervention into our rescue operation. We didn’t come here to fight the boss. We didn’t come to take anything from you. We didn’t even have fun doing this. We came because we all know what happens if we let a player’s HP hit zero and we can’t just sit by and let it happen. Maybe you can, but I can’t. I won’t! Lind couldn't either. You still lost several more members once we arrived because of your arrogance!”

“You think you could do better?” Kibaou spat. “You lead a guild of eleven!”

Bladescape almost kicked him in the face for his arrogance. She opted for screaming at him. “I DID DO BETTER! In four minutes, I had a force of over sixty players mobilized for the rescue effort. We had a plan! Three plans! We knew how to get to you quickly and safely, and shocker, we did! So yes, I may lead a guild of eleven, but that doesn’t diminish my ability to lead in the slightest. You have no idea what I’ve been through to even make it here! To even get stuck in this game. If you had accomplished even half of what I have had to during my high school career, you would understand leadership a lot better than your current juvenile IDIOCY!” 

“I don’t see what your sight seeing trip has anything to do with leadership,” he retorted. “So you paid money to come to Japan for a semester in college. Big deal.”

Bladescape broke down laughing. “You pathetic fool! I haven’t graduated high school yet! I had to compete for one of a handful of openings in the foreign exchange program. I had to fundraise the cost of the program. I don’t have parents who just paid to send me! I had to earn it. I had to inspire others to believe in me and my friends and what lessons we could learn while in Japan. Lessons beyond the academics that we couldn’t learn back home. I’m here because of my own accomplishments and the generosity of so many friends and strangers. That’s just the past year. There was more that I have done to lead with the student body that I won’t get into. And all of that has resulted in me now being stuck in SAO because we wanted to play a game unique to Japan; to take an opportunity unique to our time in the exchange program. We wouldn't get the NerveGear back home for a long while, if it will still even be available after this. It’s certainly become a twisted experience unlike anything we could imagine. 

“So while everyone here is concerned about getting home and wants to, I literally don’t know what will happen when we clear this game! I’ve got no savings, no home, no family or friends I know will be there for me. My friends' families will have their hands full with their recoveries. I have to rely on what I am hoping will be a generous government or charity organization. My exchange parents who I was staying with might be able to help, but I can’t even be sure of that! I’m sure they are worried, but as kind and generous as they are, I’m not their daughter. It was a four month commitment on their part. I don’t believe they will have just abandoned me, but I don’t even know what they are capable of. 

“Despite all of those factors I can’t control, I’m still trying to get out of here as quickly and safely as possible. You clearly only care about one of those things. That's the big difference between us. I understand, because I’ve fought those battles, that there is never an end that justifies the means. There is never an excuse, especially when you are leading others, because leading comes with monumental responsibility. As much as this is a war, we’re not soldiers. Soldiers have an understanding that while they serve, they will act under orders. There is more than just their own lives at stake. I’m not so arrogant as to ask others to lay down their life in exchange for others getting free. I don’t have the right to pick and choose whose life is more important or who deserves to get free compared to another person. They are all equal. We are all in this together and that is how we should be acting. 

"When we mounted our rescue operation, it was all voluntary. We understood that we were taking on a big personal risk, but we all believed that together we could reduce that risk and make it out together, with your lives too. None of us were sacrificing ourselves for a greater good or an ideology, other than believing that if we have the power to stop lives from being taken, that we should prevent that from happening. Preventing them and requiring a sacrifice are two different things entirely.” 

“What's your point!” Kibaou snipped.

“My point is that yelling at you is far better than handing you over to the mob!” Bladescape growled. “If we did that, you would be killed. They would tie you up and drag you into a dungeon to die. Or throw you off the outside of Aincrad. Even though I may not currently feel like it is, I know that your life is still worth something so I won’t let that happen. No matter how many mistakes someone has made, redemption is possible. If you take their life in compensation, then you have taken it all and gained nothing. The price of a life is worthless because it is so immeasurable; it can’t be valued by any standards, not even when bartered with another one, because each is unique and sacred in their own right."

Bladescape's breath was heaving from her tirade. She wanted to kick something badly, but there was nothing to kick in this game, outside of Kibaou. The floor was smooth, free of rocks, and she wasn’t going to go through the hassle of dragging something out of her inventory just so she could punt it. That would defeat the purpose of the outburst.

“You won’t have to worry about it,” Kibaou spat. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lind growled. He was taking it as a threat. 

“It’s obvious to everyone what you think of me, my guild, and the members in it,” Kibaou stated, somehow still arrogant. “We aren’t welcome anymore on your front. You’ve formed an alliance against us. You’ll be sorry when we’re gone. You’ll see just how much we did to progress this game and gain our freedom. Don’t come crying to me when you can’t get anything done. You can beg, but I won’t be coming back to save either of your sorry backsides.”

Bladescape was very close to planting her boot in his face. 

Lind had a smarter, more reasonable response than Bladescape could gather. A kinder voice too. “If that’s what you want, Kibaou, we’ll escort you safely to the closest town on the next floor. You can then take your leave. Your personal attitude, philosophy, and actions are the ones we are judging, not your members. That’s called responsible leadership. You’re responsible for how those you lead act and the choices you make for them while they are following your command.”

It was an effort to undermine Kibaou’s attempt to make Bladescape’s rant applicable to all of his members. Lind was smartly trying to separate them and hopefully keep some useful players on the front after their substantial losses. 

“Get him up,” Lind ordered. “We are moving out. The news should have been spread to every city and info broker by now.”

Lind let the others lead the way, watching over the sluggish progression of players as they headed to the narrow stairs. Soon it was just him and Bladescape in the boss chamber.

“I’m sorry,” Bladescape apologized. “I went too far in my rant. He used it against me and we might have lost others, not just him, from the front.”

“He did attempt to use it against you,” Lind said with a nod. “But you were right in what you said. It was pointed. There was a clear difference between you and him. Between arrogance and anger. Between experience and cluelessness. I believe the ones who might have left him didn’t leave this room or teleported out before our arrival. Those left are likely the fools blind to anything but the trail he blazes.” They started to walk to the stairs. “You have a lot more experience than I could have guessed. I also thought you were in university, but a few years younger doesn’t change the lessons and wisdom you have gained.”

Bladescape let out a laugh. “I do have a lot. I wasn’t trying to brag. I learned far too many the hard way.”

“He literally asked you,” Lind retorted with a laugh of his own. “On another note, I have a question I've been itching to ask, but I've not had time to and have been trying to not blurt out.”

“Ask away,” Bladescape replied. 

“Did your friend tame a snake?” Lind asked.

“Yes,” Bladescape nodded. “She did.”

“Is that the same-”

Bladescape knew what the follow up question was. “The ruby krait? The most venomous snake in Aincrad? Yep! The snake’s name is Colorra. Apparently.” 

“That explains how you completed the quest,” Lind replied, shaking his head in disbelief. 

Bladescape groaned. “We never actually finished it. I still have to go back to do that. I don’t want to go back to floor twenty-five ever again.” The last bit was a clear whine, but Lind didn’t comment on it. 

“I had no idea you could tame them,” Lind stated. “The quest made it seem like they bite before you could even ask.”

“According to Doombunny, Colorra says it is quite the opposite,” Bladescape stated. “Yes, the quest does say that, but they also claim it's a water snake. They are actually arboreal, living in the trees, which is why you can’t find them. The give birth in pits near the water and their early months are spent in the back waters, where the larger fish species can't eat them. I watched them descend the trees, concerned Colorra was going to be harmed by me.”

Lind laughed. “Well then, we were really looking in the wrong place. That makes me feel a little bit better about our failure.”

“I don’t know how she did it,” Bladescape added. “I was examining another area, along the water, looking for them, but that is her IRL. Volunteers at an animal shelter, owns a pet bunny rabbit, and just gets along with animals and birds wherever she is. Apparently in games too. Of course, this is the most realistic game out there. SAO almost isn’t a game.”

“Interesting,” Lind replied. “I wish it wasn’t tied into our deaths so I could actually enjoy it. Isn’t your friend’s name bunny something?”

“Doombunny,” Bladescape said. “Yes, named for her rabbit. I mean, named because she has a bunny, except his name is Angel, but Angel doesn’t make a good avatar name for a game like SAO.  Now she is fighting as fiercely as she can muster to get free so she can be reunited with him and her other animal pals. Of course, he didn’t come to Japan with her, so she will have to get home first.”

“There are a lot worse player names out there,” Lind stated. “I’ve seen them. I’m sure you have too. Things people thought would be cool, but just ended up dumb, especially how SAO evolved. I think you guys come from a place that approaches names differently.”

“We do,” Bladescape replied. “We use numbers more, but can’t in SAO. Japanese players like to make names that sound like names, usually with a meaning or by morphing two words into one. We like doing things more...abstract. I’m named for the landscape a hamon paints on a katana’s blade. I was a member of the Iaido club the school had.”

“That makes sense,” Lind replied. “I never thought of that line like that. I don’t really have a reason for my name. I’ve used this name online for years.”

They reached the surface. It was over. The twenty-fifth floor was officially behind them. Nothing immediately stood out. It was nighttime, the stars were “out,” and the closest city was easy to spot because of its lights.

“I don’t mean this to be rude,” Bladescape prefaced as they followed the path to the city. “But I hope that after today, with Kibaou now off the front, that our two guilds can have an amicable relationship.”

“I followed your lead because you had the plan I wanted, but was too tired to devise,” Lind replied. “Kibaou…I should have stopped him earlier. You helped Kirito get the Flag of Valor because Kibaou was actively working to deceive me and get it for himself, by rushing ahead. You have been steady and solid, he never was. I let him too easily pin Natora as a Beater and accepted it as a valid reason to keep you on the outside as best as we could. I’m sure we will have our differences in how we believe we should proceed, but I won’t dismiss you like I did early on…and then foolishly continued to double down on. I took for granted your guild’s loyalty to the cause and generosity with your efforts. I’m sorry about that.”

“You are forgiven,” Bladescape stated. “I hate that it came to such drastic measures for us to break that wall. I know you didn’t erect it yourself. Kibaou had his hands on much of that project. I’m not just placing blame on him because he is a convenient scapegoat, but he was very effective at keeping the emergency going and keeping everyone’s focus there, which required cut and dry responses with some pretty harsh lines to draw, but those harsh lines feel softer compared to the emergency. I'm glad there is a door there now. I feel we can finally communicate.” It was easy to see the town’s center from where they were. It was a straight walk through a major street. “Can we come to one agreement before we get to the village?”

“Ask away and we will find out,” Lind said, trying to be optimistic. He wasn’t sure where she was going with it. 

“Let’s make a pact that our two guilds won’t start on this floor until the day after tomorrow. Say six in the morning at the earliest?”

“You mean a day off?” Lind asked as they entered the town.

“Exactly,” Bladescape said, flashing him a smile in the lamp light. “I know you are tired. You’ve said it a few times. I’m tired too. The Wondercolts have crafters who haven’t been able to do anything recently because of the breakneck speed we were careening at. The competition does help keep us sharp, but it can’t always just be that. We all need the break.”

“Are quests on other floors fair game?” Lind asked. 

“Nothing on floor twenty-six, but everything else is fair game,” Bladescape stated. “I’m thinking of sleeping in. Actually resting for the day. I’m sure some others will get antsy, so really just anything to not advance the game for one day. One single day is all I’m asking for after four months of racing ahead of ourselves.”

“Yeah, we need it,” Lind said. He let out a tired sigh. “You have a deal. The Dragon Knights Brigade will take the day off tomorrow. Six a.m. the morning after it all starts back up. None of us are good for clearing the game if we don’t get the rest we need. Those players who can’t clear, they rely on us and expect us to be rested and capable of acting responsibly for them. They have no right to complain if they're not out here with us and, if they do, I’ll point them your way.”

“Deal!” Bladescape exclaimed as they began to laugh. 

Before they could split to find their respective guilds, the entire central square froze and then began to cheer and clap for the two leaders of the clearing guilds. Most of them were the regular players in clothes, not armor, simply here to check out the newly unlocked city. The veterans stood out clearly in their armor and stoic expressions while they politely clapped. They understood the cost of what it meant to be standing here. They might not have a reason to celebrate, but at least they were not going to kill the mood for the rest of the players. 

Bladescape met up with her guild outside of a bustling pub. There wasn’t any room for them. Thunderborne had checked all of the others too, but they were all full.

“We can celebrate tomorrow,” Bladescape said. “Lind and I came to an arrangement. Seeing as how we are the two top clearing guilds, we will be taking tomorrow off for a much needed break. At least from clearing. You are free to craft. We could do a quest or something, just nothing on the twenty-sixth floor.”

“Did you propose it or did he?” Natora asked. 

“I did,” Bladescape replied. “I’m sleeping in tomorrow.”

“Lucky you,” Diemond said. “I know you’ve earned it, darling, but because of Thunder’s incompetence, I now have to update our pouch system.”

“Hey!” Thunderborne protested. “It’s clearly a valid issue I discovered.”

“You can be both incompetent and correct,” Diemond batted back.  

“I was kind of hoping we could do our usual toast,” Malus said. “I like that tradition and as sad as it is, we have a lot to celebrate.”

“I have one option,” Bladescape said, wincing at the thought of her own idea. “We never turned in the quest we started this morning. We could turn it in and I'm certain the taverns there will have space.”

“We have another night of paid rooms there too,” Natora said. “Wow, I can’t believe I just advocated for going back. Okay, just for tonight, then I’m never setting foot on the twenty-fifth floor ever again!”

Everyone laughed as they headed off to the teleport plaza to execute their modified tradition. Modified or not, with the quest turned in, filling their guild coffers to the point they were overflowing, their toast felt just as rewarding as ever, even with thirteen mugs in the center of their table.




BLADESCAPE: Level 37 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration 
NATORA: Level 35 —  Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 35 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration 
MALUS: Level 35 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration 
THUNDERBORNE: Level 35 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid 
KONPEITO: Level 35 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense —  Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration 
DIEMOND: Level 35 — Mace — Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor  — First Aid — Battle Regeneration 
DOOMBUNNY: Level 35 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation 
KIEFER: Level 32 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor  — Weapon Defense — First Aid  — Katana  
SORYUTO: Level 32 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration 
REISENKI: Level 32 — One-Handed Axe — Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid