Episode 37 — The Steps Of Battle
Sixteenth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 16) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 30 — 2 p.m.
The Wondercolts were the first to make it to Isonset, the easternmost city on the Thirtieth Floor. Floor Thirty was late-medieval European themed, with the cities made of Tudor buildings and narrow cobbled streets surrounded by tall stone walls. One of the nearby pillars would have the boss labyrinth in it. The clearers had started in the south and cleared the north and west sections. All of the towers in those areas were void of the labyrinth. The east quadrant was blocked by a swift flowing river and a troll guardian, restricting travel across the only bridge. As exciting as it was to be the first one in the last major town on the floor, half of them were in a sour mood.
The Wondercolts, all eleven of them, had been assigned the job of scouting the field boss before the strike team would go in for the efficient kill. They had engaged it and drawn it out in front of the narrow bridge where they had more room to maneuver. They were just beginning to judge its abilities and its stats when Thunderborne and Natora had a "miscommunication" and ran into each other. Both had been sprinting. The troll targeted the easy prey and Malus charged it, her heavy tower shield forward. She plowed into it and kept going until they were well clear of the others. When she stopped, the troll took a few steps to find its footing, except there was none. It fell backwards into the river where it shattered. Thunderborne and Natora were in a sour mood because of their collision, while Malus was in a sour mood because she believed a boss shouldn't be that much of a pushover, literally.
Nothing Malus did counted as an attack, so the Last Attack Bonus went to the player who had landed the last strike on the boss. Thunderborne and Natora had baited it off the bridge, each dealing one minor hit to entice it to chase them. Knightstar gave the troll a good slash to take the pressure off of them and then blocked a retaliatory strike on her shield. That had been the last attack on the boss. Knightstar was in a sour mood because if she was going to get an LAB, she wanted to earn it. She didn't believe that qualified as anything but a technicality with "earning" the bonus. She hadn't shared what it was, which indicated that it was probably useful for her, furthering her sour mood.
Bladescape was in a sour mood because now she had to explain how they accidentally beat the field boss by themselves while they were supposed to only be scouting it. It wasn't going to look good, however, Heathcliff had fully taken charge since his success against The King of the Oathbreakers. Or rather, the KoB was now at the head of their effort. Hopefully Asuna could be reasoned with, as Heathcliff was leaving most of the strategy to her, while he championed the Assault Team. All Bladescape had sent in the message to Asuna was, “Field boss died in an accident. The way is clear.” The curt reply back didn’t give Bladescape any indication of what they were thinking.
Bladescape sent everyone off in pairs to explore the town and snag inn rooms. She triggered the teleport plaza and went back to the city gate to wait for the other clearers to arrive. They had no teleport plaza where they had staged the strategy meeting at.
She let her mind wander over the past two months as she waited. Since Heathcliff had become their champion, he had brought order and fairness to the strategy of clearing floors. Everyone knew he had a bias towards his own guild, but he did a very good job at not letting it run the organization of their "liberation effort", as he called it. He had recruited only the best to be knights, but he was not going to use it to control players and guilds. The Knights of the Bloodoath would succeed at being the strongest guild by merit, fighting on a level field alongside everyone else. So far, they were doing a better job of it than anyone else with the possible exception of the Wondercolts. It was difficult to judge them side by side since his guild was now twice their size.
To compete, Lind had to motivate his entire guild to aggressively level grind because they were so much weaker than the Wondercolts and Knights of the Bloodoath. The other guilds had to grind hard too. Oddly, Kirito had largely disappeared from the front lines over the past several weeks. Bladescape had seen him once or twice while grinding late at night, but he was always further away and engaged in combat. The glances she had gotten of the Black Swordsman were brief, but she could swear he had a guild tag above his HP bar, except that would mean they were not a clearing guild, which didn't make sense. He always was an enigma shrouded in a black cloak of mystery.
Bladescape was working with Knightstar and Natora on how to ensure they stayed at the top as a guild. The two of them now knew about her extra training time, but just them for the moment. The others were aware that they were working on a leveling plan, but outside the three leaders, the others didn't appear to have the same understanding of what it would require for them to stay competitive in this new era of Aincrad. At least under Heathcliff’s leadership they would have the time to train, or could make the time.
A part of that strategy had been a resolution to dungeon dive more. As a result, they had conquered more dungeon bosses as a guild. Because of that, Doombunny had actually been quite willing to join the field boss scouting mission. No doubt the less high-stakes battles had helped her dagger wielding friend be more comfortable with such actions. The same with Knightstar and Soryuto. Everyone was more comfortable working together against lower tiered bosses because of it.
Bladescape was certain that the real change for Doombunny over the past few weeks had been driven by Colorra. Doombunny finally had a familiar, albeit a very venomous snake, but it had certainly brought her comfort having an animal friend. She had been happier on a daily basis.
Bladescape still felt that something else was brewing, but she didn't have proof. Doombunny had already proved to be crafty at times, like going with blade throwing early on, but Colorra was also crafty. The elapid had to be crafty to fight alongside them.
It didn't take the rest of the clearers long to arrive, with Heathcliff leading the procession. Bladescape bowed in greeting to him. She was hoping proper manners would help ease things over.
It was Asuna who asked the question. "What happened? You said an accident killed the boss?"
"That's correct," Bladescape said. "As discussed, Natora and Thunderborne used their agility to entice it to leave the bridge. Knightstar gave it a cut to distract it so they could cleanly disengage. Then Thunder and Natora ran into each other while lining up for the first real attack. It charged them before they could get up. Malus charged it, shield first, shoving it clear so they could get up, but that also meant that it had to regain its footing, except it couldn't as it fell into the river. It drowned, or something." Bladescape shrugged. "Either way we got the drop menus for its death. Entirely anticlimactic and an accident. None of us even considered pushing it into the water. We were concerned about falling in ourselves."
"So, did you actually strike it?" Asuna asked.
"Three hits, all very light ones," Bladescape clarified. "We didn't even shave a tenth of the first health bar off."
Heathcliff finally spoke up, "So aside from some bruised egos, no one got hurt and the boss was defeated, clearing the way?" His question was mostly rhetorical, framing the situation before he continued. "Accidents happen. You did your job scouting it and found a critical weakness none of us foresaw, leading to an unexpected end. There is nothing else that needs to be said."
"Thank you, Commander," Bladescape said, bowing again. "The Wondercolts appreciate your understanding."
Bladescape got a few bad glances from people she didn’t really have a high opinion of, but no one was going to say anything when Heathcliff had already passed his judgment. Bladescape was glad it was him leading, not Lind and certainly not Kibaou. It might be a little while before they were sent to scout a field boss again, but that was understandable and okay with Bladescape. She wasn't a big fan of scouting. It was necessary and she was willing to do their part, but it was boring knowing you were not fully committing yourself. It had been the first field boss the eleven of them had taken on since they soloed the one on the third floor. Back then it was to prove a point, today she had just been happy they all agreed that they could handle it, but now, even with the Commander's glass half full attitude, it was a stained moment.
With Heathcliff's judgment passed, Bladescape turned to check on her friends as they explored the new city. Isonset had plenty of vendors, inns, and restaurants. Cities like this, stocked full of NPCs, would also have plenty of quests and be sources of information. It was all packed pretty tightly in several walled off districts. Finding where her guildmates were would not be easy without search allowing her to track them, but using it would not allow Bladescape to explore the city and also zapped the fun out of doing so.
Bladescape found Konpeito sampling a local NPC vendor’s street cart. Reisenki was enjoying something as well. Konpeito had gotten sidetracked by food and Reisenki’s latest skill was cooking, so he was often with Konpeito trying to learn the non-formulaic recipes from her. Leveling cooking using Knightstar’s guidance was different from actually cooking what you wanted. Reisenki was able to let Bladescape know that Malus and Kiefer had been the first to break off in order to get them rooms. Also, that Knightstar and Soryuto had wanted to check out the citadel and were together. Bladescape set a meeting location and time before continuing on.
Bladescape found Natora and Diemond nearby in a shop. There wasn’t anything impressive and Natora was still in a sour mood. They were cataloging everything available, their stats, and the prices for Knightstar’s calculations. They were almost done with the shop. Natora was relieved to hear that the incident was accepted as an accident. Bladescape passed on the meeting information to them and went back to exploring.
It wasn't until much later, when she ended up in the lower citadel, that she found any other Wondercolts. A bunch of NPC soldiers were training weapons. They had seen plenty of guards and soldiers, but never them training before. This was a logical place where extra skills or skill evolution could be found. They just needed to speak to all of the NPCs, which would not be easy, especially if they had a very specific trigger that had to be spoken.
Bladescape spotted Knightstar and Soryuto. Knightstar was about to spar with an NPC. He was old; a battle hardened veteran who was without armor and using a sword and shield. Bladescape walked over to watch as Knightstar attacked. He was quick, blocking and striking her. She got her shield up and countered, but so did he as he skipped to the side. Knightstar didn’t last as he flowed around her, smacking her with the flat of his blade on the back.
Bladescape clapped in praise. “Not bad Knightstar. What are you up to?”
Knightstar rolled her eyes at Bladescape, a very odd response. Soryuto shook her head at Bladescape. Knightstar called for the duel to happen again. The NPC obliged. Knightstar started with a different attack, but it ended the same way. Knightstar started again.
Bladescape walked over to where Soryuto was watching from. “What is going on?”
“It’s a quest,” Soryuto said. “The NPC, Don Bane, is an expert swordsman. He claims he can teach anyone the steps of battle, how to really use a sword and shield. First they must best him in a simple sparring match. I’ve tried it three times. She has tried it twelve.” Knightstar lost and called for it to start again. “Thirteen now.”
“Well I’ll go next, help break her from the rut she is in,” Bladescape said.
“He won’t be interested,” Soryuto warned.
Knightstar lost and Bladescape stepped over the low rope into the ring. “Don Bane, I would like to learn these steps of battle.”
“I’m sorry,” Don Bane stated. “I do not teach fools.”
“What?” Bladescape asked, shocked at him calling her a fool. She had no idea how she was the fool to him. He didn’t even know her. Plus, he was an NPC.
“You carry only a large sword and forgo a shield,” Don Bane explained. “Only a fool would do such a thing. There are two handed weapons that are not foolish, like a poleaxe or halberd, but they are weapons that excel in other ways and compensate for the lack of protection. To use a sword without a shield is foolish. You cannot use my knowledge and neither are you worthy of it.”
“Well, okay then,” Bladescape replied, unsure what else to say. “Knightstar, let’s go.”
“No,” Knightstar said. “I want to go again.”
“Persistent,” Don Bane said to her, a coy smile on his lips. “Persistence is good.”
“At times, yes,” Bladescape said. “Right now, Knightstar, you should take a break.”
“No,” Knightstar stated. “Please exit so we can go again.”
Bladescape stepped close to Knightstar. “What is going on? I’ve not seen you get stuck on anything in this game. Level up your swordsmanship some more and come back later to beat him.”
“I can do this,” Knightstar replied. “I know I can.”
“Normally Thunder and Malus are the stubborn ones,” Bladescape pressed. “Or Diemond or me, but not you. Why does this matter? And don’t tell me it doesn’t. It clearly does.”
Knightstar set her jaw as she stared back at Bladescape. “Because today, after giving the boss a quick cut, I was awarded the Last Attack Bonus. If I can earn one, technicality or not, I can beat him.”
“Okay,” Bladescape said. “Persistence can be appropriate, at times. For now, it is. Don’t get yourself stuck in quicksand. The more you struggle, the faster it consumes you.”
“I won’t,” Knightstar growled.
Bladescape exited the ring, back to Soryuto. “I don’t know if she can do it,” Bladescape quietly said.
“She can’t,” Soryuto replied. “You haven’t dueled him, I have. He is too quick and too skilled. He is hard when he needs to be, like a block or strike, but otherwise flows as smooth as water. He would beat any Wondercolt. The worst part is, he isn’t trying that hard. We haven’t even begun to test his level of skill. Knightstar likely knows that. Either way, she will build a guide and eventually beat it.”
Knightstar had been selling raw data to Argo for a while. It was turning a decent profit, but Bladescape knew Knightstar really wanted to produce and sell her own guides. Quest walkthroughs would be a hot seller, especially if the quest was difficult and worth the reward. If it was an extra skill, which is what it sounded like, it would be worth a lot. Bladescape let it go, for now, telling Soryuto their meeting time and place. Bladescape went back to exploring.
Bladescape tried to see the King, but he was oddly not available. She was stonewalled by the NPCs and couldn't get any information out of them. She couldn't tell if he was off on a visit somewhere, or busy with some task, or occupied some other way. Every attempt to start a quest was unsuccessful. Something odd was going on, but it seemed like Aincrad wasn't ready for it to happen. At least not yet, likely at a later time.
Bladescape gave up and headed to their designated meeting place early. The tavern wasn't too crowded. She grabbed the large table in the back and ordered a drink. She spent her time scrolling through the drops she had gotten from the field boss. There was a decent ring in the drops, which would be useful. A player could wear two rings, one on each hand. Jewelry was still limited, at least pieces that boosted stats or abilities, and even minor boosters were hot sellers. There were plenty of fashion pieces readily available and they too fetched a pretty price. Jewelers were already crafting items from both precious metals and precious stones, the latter which were found randomly while mining.
Thunderborne and Doombunny were the first to join Bladescape. Kiefer had passed the word along when they ran into each other. The two of them were hard to miss with Konpeito stuffing her face at every food cart or roadside vendor. Thunderborne and Doombunny had spent their time doing an errand quest, ferrying messages throughout the city. They had seen most of it during their time carrying out the tasks. They were not quite done yet, but they needed the dinner break.
BLADESCAPE: Level 55 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing
NATORA: Level 52 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 50 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 53 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search
THUNDERBORNE: Level 52 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce
KONPEITO: Level 52 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing
DIEMOND: Level 51 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging
DOOMBUNNY: Level 50 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Sprint — Search
KIEFER: Level 50 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging
SORYUTO: Level 49 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit
REISENKI: Level 51 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking