//------------------------------//
// Episode 38 — Trolls 
// Story: EQG: Sword Art Online - Ruby Palace 
// by Mindrop 
//------------------------------//

Episode 38 — Trolls
Nineteenth Day in the Month of Bush Clover (June 19) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 30

Kiefer stood behind Bladescape with the other Wondercolts. Asuna, Second-in-Command of the Knights of the Bloodoath was once again leading the raid meeting. She was good at strategy, along with being a beautiful and fierce fighter. Kiefer had no romantic interest in her, but facts were facts. More importantly, Asuna had earned his respect long before she joined the KoB. 

As usual, Bladescape was voicing her opinions and ideas, helping balance the meeting. Kirito, who had not been around for a while, would add in his word every so often — to Asuna's annoyance — and other guild leaders like Lind gave their own. It was a team effort, but Asuna was driving the meeting. Since the KoB had taken charge of their "liberation effort," the raid meetings were always beyond someone needing to direct them. Asuna was in charge for a reason and everyone knew it. Commander Heathcliff was content letting Asuna lead the raid meetings. He was always a fierce fighter in the raids, their champion, but he seemed content with focusing on leading his guild and keeping the KoB in the lead as the strongest guild. 

None of that really mattered to Kiefer. It mattered because he needed to understand the abilities of the assault team and any potential issues he might encounter, but he really just relied on Bladescape to give him direction. She could play politician, he would just be the Wondercolts' samurai; the noble warrior who wielded a katana for the good of all. Diemond had made him a more classic Japanese style of armor in their colors, navy blue accented with gold. 

They didn't officially organize the raids by guilds, not anymore. Each party had a job and the members fit that job, however, some guilds were able to craft a party to fit any role. If the guild could field a party on their own, it was better because they knew how to work with each other and were comfortable doing so. The KoB always had at least one party in the fight, led by Commander Heathcliff, but everyone wanted him and his shield unit at the front, right in the thick of whatever they were fighting. The Wondercolts were pretty diverse when it came to raids, but they couldn't field six tanks or even six shields. They often were in support roles, finding that middle ground. They had earned their spot in the boss raids as a guild and still had yet to disappoint in any raid. They had earned their spot as the top supporters and were the most fluid unit in any raid, doing whatever was required of them.

For this upcoming raid against a family of trolls, the Wondercolts were not all in one party. Bladescape was directing Element Two, which was made up of Groups C and D. C was a tank unit and D was all damage dealers. All four elements were teams of two parties, with a party of shields or tanks and another party of damage dealers. Malus and Reisenki were in Group C as Tanks, and Malus technically was party leader. Bladescape was leading Natora, Thunderborne, and Kiefer. The rest of their party was filled out with Kirito and Lobelia, the leader of the Meigibu guild. They really needed two shields, but Kirito was able to block and defend as if he had one, including blocking for others; despite never showing any sign that his one handed sword was ever paired with a shield. The Black Swordsman could be perplexing at times, but he always brought the best he had to the fights and he was one of the best in the assault team. He would easily beat Kiefer in a duel.

They got six Wondercolts into the raid. That was fair, especially with their track record and the politics surrounding boss raids. The raids were important to guilds and players because of the col and items bosses dropped. The Wondercolts' members were extremely valuable to the Assault Team and always sought after. Sometimes they got all eight but occasionally it was as low as four. It did depend on the guilds who were at the meeting and the boss they were facing. Thunder and Natora often were useless if the boss was too well armored. Bladescape leading Element Two was also very positive, but she had also not missed a floor boss raid to date. Elements One and Two were going to be in the heavier engagements during the raid. 

This time, the next floor was protected by three generations of mountain trolls. It was a unique idea which made the pain, fear, and tears of the boss raids more tolerable, at least to Kiefer. The family of trolls needed to be engaged at the same time and kept separate. That would take coordination among element leaders. Element One was going after The Troll Family Daddy; Element Two would take on The Troll Family Momma; Element Three was assigned to The Troll Family Baby; and Element Four was given the task of eliminating The Troll Family Grandpa. Daddy and Momma would be tough fights, but Baby and Grandpa were respectable mid-bosses in their own right. 

The meeting ended as the element leaders repeated the plans to double check that they were all on the same page. Kiefer was glad it was over. Since he was assigned to the raid party, he was going to go with Bladescape and Natora to get weapon enhancements. Those who were not in the raid could go the next day, while they executed the raid. The raid members had enough requests for the smiths that they didn't need to overwhelm them, or rather, overwhelm them even more than they would. Kiefer had the materials for three enhancements. 

Kamikaze was a good katana, but it was only a few days old. He hadn't performed any enhancements on it yet. They had done a dungeon run and Kiefer had scored the last attack bonus on the dungeon boss. The sword was his special reward. Almost every Wondercolt had scored a last attack bonus of some kind. Soryuto and Doombunny had not gotten any, but they didn't care and, along with Knightstar, only fought dungeon bosses. Konpeito was the only Wondercolt to score a floor boss LAB and twice at that, with Bladescape, Knightstar, Natora, and Thunderborne, getting field boss LABs. They all loved getting LABs, but Bladescape was confusing. She absolutely worked to get them when it was within her grasp, but she was specifically focused on a floor boss LAB. She didn't care about the dungeon bosses or even the field bosses. She appeared to prefer it if another Wondercolt scored the LAB of dungeon bosses.

Kiefer would call her focus "obsession," except as much as it was, it wasn't. She had gotten close or been robbed of a floor boss LAB several times. It drove her to train harder than anyone else in the guild, it drove her in each floor boss fight, it was her ultimate goal, it even was how she judged herself compared to others like Kirito who was very good at scoring the last attack bonuses, yet it didn't dictate her daily policy and the "obsession" didn't dictate her life or have her constantly discussing it. Her focus was where it should be and wider, on the guild and the assault team and clearing effort as a whole, not on obtaining a Last Attack Bonus from a floor boss. So, as much as it was an obsession, it clearly wasn't an obsession because a true obsession couldn't be dismissed like she was able to dismiss it. At least in appearance.

The six of them teleported to Irona from their location. The air was filled with the pounding of metal on metal as smiths forged weapons, shields, and armor. Floor fifteen had become the current capital of the crafters. It had several profitable mining locations, as well as public metalworks for the refining of ore. Inn rooms in Irona were reasonably priced and there was a wide variety of food available. More importantly, the city was laid out in a way that easily allowed the smiths to spread out vendor carpets and do business without crowding each other.

Malus and Reisenki split off from the others. Malus needed to have her breastplate enhanced, while Reisenki needed his shield enhanced. The crafters who focused on armors and shields set up in a different part of the city compared to the weapon smiths. Diemond wasn't far enough along in her crafting ability to make heavy metal armor, meaning she couldn't enhance it. About half of her light metal armor attempts were up to par for the necessities of the Assault Team. It had taken her three tries to make an acceptable set for Kiefer. At least she was able to upgrade it. It didn't require a new skill for her to do enhancements. Kiefer was thankful for her hard work and attention to detail. She didn't only work hard, she also made stellar designs with a keen eye for detail while also helping shape the image the wearer wanted to project. Even if it took a few times to achieve the quality, she did it without hesitation or complaint.

They made it to where all of the weapon smiths were set up. About half were focused on selling the weapons they had forged. They had an overabundance on their carpets and likely more in their inventories. The smiths the Wondercolts faithfully used were always set up in the same place. Koricata, Nataszo, Nemus, and Lisbeth were known as Konelina Foundry. They even had a sign made for their group which they displayed off a tripod on one of their vendor carpets to advertise their services. 

"I don't see them," Bladescape said. "Their usual spot is empty. Two days ago they said they would be available. They knew we were coming to get work done after the boss raid meeting."

"Eh, I'm sure they are just getting some materials," Natora said with a shrug. "It's still early and they work late."

"Yeah," Bladescape said with a yawn. "It was a late night last night. I don't have much more gas in my tank. I need sleep and soon to be ready for the boss tomorrow. I got that next level though, so it was worth the lack of sleep."

"You weren't alone, right?" Natora asked. Bladescape had a habit of going out training alone. She thought she was keeping it secret from everyone, but he had noticed.

"Reisenki and Konpeito were with me," Bladescape clarified. "It was a good night for us all."

Bladescape sat down at the smiths' usual spot. She had looked good during the meeting, but now she looked exhausted. The meeting was where she needed to focus her effort and present well.

A young man Kiefer wasn't familiar with walked up to them. By his leather and canvas outfit, he was clearly a smith, although how he worked with the mop of hair he had on his head, Kiefer had no idea. "You four aren’t looking for Konelina Foundry, are you?" 

"We are," Natora said. "Did they move locations?"

He took in a sharp breath. "You haven't heard then," he said.

"Heard what?" Thunderborne asked. 

"Yesterday, Koricata, Nataszo, and Nemus went into the field with three others to gather rare materials," he explained. "None of them made it back. The dungeon they were mining in is hazardous, but they were a good team. It wasn't their first time in it. I'm not sure what happened, no one is, but their names are struck out in the Black Iron Palace. The Monument of Life inside has the day and month, time of day, and cause of death under each of their names. All of them received fatal blunt force damage."

No one knew what to say. They were shocked, to say the least. Kiefer liked them, so he felt bad by his immediate reaction. His instinct was to ask who else they could trust for enhancement, but he kept his mouth shut. They had built a rapport with the four of them and as sad as it was, they needed their weapons upgraded or tomorrow the four of them might also have their names struck out on the wall, yet that seemed like it was a trivial thing to consider after hearing the horrible news. Kiefer certainly knew what it really meant to have a name struck through on the wall. He had watched his own friends perish in the field. He was only here because of Bladescape. The same for Soryuto and Reisenki. Despite that, he just wanted to know who he could trust to upgrade his katana. 

"Thank you," Bladescape finally said. "That is tragic news, but we are thankful that you informed us of it. We won't have to waste our time waiting for…." she just trailed off instead of saying what they all now knew.

"I'm sorry it isn't better news," he said. "I know they had a loyal following. They were good players and well respected in the crafting community, despite their opposition to a single unified crafting guild. They set a standard for decorum and model for crafting that many of us can't meet, at least not yet. We will all miss them."

"What about Lisbeth?" Natora asked. "You didn't say her name."

"She's alive, but didn't come today, understandably," he explained. "She is pretty torn up over it. She was the one to raise the alarm when they were four hours overdue. She was among those of us who went to the wall to search for their names."

"Not to be disrespectful," Thunderborne said, pausing. She clearly was thinking what Kiefer was. At least he wasn't the only one. "But we still need weapon enhancements before tomorrow's raid. I trust Lisbeth, she's worked on my rapier before, but if she isn't here, well we still have to get ready for the floor boss raid."

Bladescape let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I know. That fact isn't lost on me. I just…" Bladescape trailed off again. Either it was from lack of sleep or she was losing her nerve. Maybe it was a mix of both. 

"We need to get you to bed," Natora said. "Tonight we'll do this the hard way." She looked at the young man who had been kind enough to tell them. "We have a two-handed sword, a two-handed spear, a rapier, and a katana that need upgrading. What can you do?"

"I know it's not optimal," he said. "But you're right. I didn't know you were on the assault team. Thanks for doing what I can't. I can do the rapier, but I'll need my partner to do the two-handed sword. Figus can do your spear and Veratus will treat the Katana right. I'll take you to them."

Thunderborne helped Bladescape up and they followed him. Kiefer was shown to Veratus. Veratus had no issue with doing the enhancements Kiefer wanted. Kiefer commissioned Quickness, Accuracy, and Durability. The Katana took all three enhancements, not failing any of them. At least that was a small light of hope in the darkness of the day.

Kiefer was done last, which wasn't a problem. They headed back to their rented inn to sleep and where everyone was waiting for them. Bladescape crashed right away, without saying anything to anyone about what had happened. Natora had to update everyone. They all were devastated at the news and they wanted to support Lisbeth, but no one was friends with her. Bladescape, Natora, and Knightstar had been friends only with Koricata. They didn't need to befriend the others. If the three of them weren't careful, their friend list would grow too long to be functional as their leaders. 

Kiefer stayed up a little later, enjoying a nice ale with a creamy dessert alongside Soryuto. There wasn't much to say, especially after the news, but it was good to sit by her side, enjoying her company along with the sweet food. Really more of her company than the food. 

They each had separate inn rooms. They had been using the same ones the past three nights. The room was standard size with a regular bed, but tonight it felt a lot bigger and emptier. As Kiefer drifted off to sleep, he couldn't help but dream of his friends he lost, plus the others too afraid to leave. They still hadn't been able to gather the courage to leave the Town of Beginnings, even to go to other safe cities. He messaged them every so often, so he knew they were alright, but he felt like they too had been lost because of the separation that now divided them. He was facing the game, they were hiding from it. He couldn't seem to connect with them anymore. 

Sleep dulled some of the emotions he had the night before. When he rolled out of bed, Kiefer was ready to fight. He was determined to do what it took to end this as soon as they could. Not for his friends, not for himself, but so that the divide he felt would be mended. That divide had to be fixed and the only way to do that was to push onward and upward to the Ruby Palace, until SAO was in the past, not their current reality. Freed from Sword Art Online, back in the real world, they could come together and mourn the losses that had happened and the trauma they endured. That should bring them together once again, as sad of a reason as that was.

At breakfast, Knightstar, Doombunny, Diemond, and Soryuto declared that they had decided to track down Lisbeth to visit her. They had no intention of abandoning her. She needed their support. Also, she still was a member of the foundry and did good work, so they would continue to use her when they could. Bladescape and Natora were in support of that plan, but focused on the upcoming raid. Konpeito was going to join the four of them in tracking Lisbeth down.

Waiting for the raid party to assemble was always annoying to Kiefer. They were usually timed for mid-morning, to give everyone time to do enhancements and final preparations, but the Wondercolts had a routine. They were always up and going early and typically wrapping up their work on the early side, depending on what they were actually doing, to facilitate secondary skills, except many days that had an early start also had a late end. Compared to the working days where they were busy and often felt rushed, raid days were a boring drag and then it was a giant sprint to kill the boss before anyone died, before slowly stumbling out of it until it was time for bed. 

After clearing thirty boss labyrinths, this one was no more unique or special than any of the ones before. Clearing the path to the chamber was the standard rotation, with the Element leaders splitting and pairing up their two parties so they had both shields and damage dealers while on rotation. Kiefer was able to fight alongside Reisenki, which always brought him joy. The two of them carved through any resistance. Reisenki was quick and light for a tank, the "lightest" tank the Wondercolts had, but he had learned well from Malus how to properly plant his feet and hold his ground. Reisenki was lighter than most tanks, yet one of the steadiest.

They reached the boss chamber and final preparations were made as Element Four topped off their HP and everyone refilled pouches with potions and crystals. Kiefer was thankful for teleport crystals. They saved a lot of lives, but they were apparently not a guarantee. Stories floated between players and in the paper about traps on the recently unlocked floors now being an anti-crystal zone or other design elements on a map which blocked the crystals from working. Kiefer had never seen it, but plenty of games had areas where teleporting or fast-travel wasn't allowed. The only problem was that SAO was no longer a game. 

Commander Heathcliff faced everyone, doing a final visual inspection before he opened the boss chamber doors. He was at the head of Element One, once again leading the raiders into the boss chamber. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that they would come out victorious. Nothing appeared to shake him. 

At least Heathcliff wasn't the boss room, because the four trolls shook the ground. They were not a family like Kiefer had expected. Clearly no one had expected this development. They had ample information about the troll family, including details on abilities, weapons, and stats for Daddy and Momma, so the assault team had decided to skip doing a scouting mission. Plus, a scouting mission against two mid-bosses in a floor boss fight would have been difficult to gather relevant information from and too dangerous. The other two trolls, Baby and Grandpa, were supposed to be similar and they were also stated to be the easier ones to fight. But none of them were the same. They didn’t look remotely like they could be family, let alone like trolls. 

The Troll Family Daddy was more stone than flesh. The thick hide appeared to be made of rocks and it slowed down the movements of the troll. Its every movement was halted and jagged, like it was functioning off a large, rusted ratchet gear, barely able to get to the next groove. The maul slung over its shoulder was almost hilariously oversized, especially with its inability to smoothly walk. 

The Troll Family Momma was a tall and blubberous being. The fat in its belly, arms, neck, legs, and face jiggled as it moved. It was soft skinned and had a long, crude lance made of solid metal. The rusted metal clearly weighed a lot by the way it moved its weapon.
 
The Troll Family Baby was yet another variation of “troll.” It was springy and bouncy, barely three meters tall. It looked like a mossy shrub. Despite that look, it clearly had a hoard of knives stuck in its arms; likely ones that could be pulled out and thrown, just factoring in the sheer number of them it carried.

The Troll Family Grandpa was also entirely different from the others. The thing looked like a glacier. Its ice-like skin was smooth and white with a blue undertone to it. It had a long, unkempt, beard of icicles, bushy eyebrows that looked like patches of snow on a branch, and it carried an iron pick with a long bar of iron as a “shield.”

Momma had more health than Daddy, but Daddy had higher defense. Elements One and Two were well balanced for their fights. The ice troll known as “Grandpa” was clearly faster than his stats indicated, and, knowing who was in Element Four, it was going to give them trouble. The bouncing monstrosity labeled “Baby” was not going to let Element Three control its movements. Element Three was thankfully mostly Forwards with shields, with only two dedicated tanks and two dedicated damage dealers. Once Elements Three and Four finished their fights, they would be supporting the primary elements.

Bladescape was leading their element forward, with the damage dealers out in front as they all gained speed in their charge across the room. They started to outpace the tanks, which was fine. They all slid to a stop thirty feet from Momma who pulled her lance back with a screech as it targeted them. Before it could strike, the tanks slipped past them, drawing its focus. Momma flipped its grip and hammered it down on Malus. The Iron Bulwark raised her massive shield and stopped it cold. 

Kiefer followed Bladescape’s orders and rushed past the tanks. He unleashed a two combination attack, an upward diagonal slash that cut back along the same path. The delay following the combo was not long and he was able to retreat to the safety of the tank line as Momma jumped backwards, her blubber jiggling.

She thrust the lance forward. Reisenki took it squarely on his shield. It slid him back, but he stayed upright. Kiefer acted on instinct, lunging past his friend far enough to slash its wrist with his Katana. It didn’t do much damage, but it felt good, especially as the troll screeched in pain. 

That began the ebb and flow of battle, switching in and out with their tanks covering their damage dealers. Momma was slower at attacking. If a tank took too much damage, they could slip back and rest up, while still having five others to cover their damage dealers. If a damage dealer took that spear head on, it would be disastrous for most of them. Kirito probably could deflect it, Bladescape had a good chance too, and Lobelia would survive so long as it hit her shield, but the rest of them needed the tanks for cover. That was fine considering that the tanks were too slow to effectively deal damage in a fight like this one. 

Kiefer often had Reisenki covering him. That was how the battle flowed. The non-Wondercolts tanks could only hold steady half the time they blocked. Their shield and armor protected them from taking lethal damage, but they were often knocked off their feet because of the weight in the “spear”. They were lucky Momma only used single strikes with slow follow-ups. It also meant that the damage dealers had to stay far enough away that they could avoid becoming tangled up in the fall with the tank who was the target of the lance.

Malus was able to draw half of the attacks to her shield. When Element Two had depleted half of the health of Momma, she hadn’t even put Malus into the orange. Not even once. The tank was barely in the yellow, with her battle healing skill regenerating HP at a fast enough pace to replace the damage of one out of every three hits. Somehow she managed to block and pull off hitting back a decent number of times. The other tanks couldn’t say the same, not even Reisenki. 

Kiefer focused on the quick strikes he could do. They could only fully commit when Bladescape gave the order. She needed four of her tanks in a forward enough position to allow them all the freedom to unleash more powerful sword skills with longer delays. Bladescape played it conservative, but made up for it by the damage they dealt when they were given the order. It also helped that they didn’t have any close calls during those times. Sometimes being a little slower to stay steady was the significantly better option. Especially since Element four would soon be backing them up.

Kiefer jumped back after being freed from his delay. He was the second to land a strike and fifth to retreat, leaving Bladescape behind for a whole second before her delay was up. That full attack by Element Two’s damage dealers had put Momma into her last health bar. 

Safe behind Malus and Reisenki, Kiefer risked a quick look to see how the others were faring. Daddy was in a similar position, almost into his final health bar. Element One’s health bars were more diverse in their colors than Two’s were. Element Three had pinned Baby to a wall, but were getting hammered hard. They were struggling to keep their health up as the troll targeted players further back with its throwing knives. Element Four was also struggling more than they should be. The icy troll was very good at blocking their attacks with its improvised shield. Both of them should have been done with their initial fights by now. Element Three was supposed to back up Element One when they were done, and Four was supposed to back up Two when they were done, but they were faring worse than the primary battle elements. 

Bladescape barked new orders. She split her tanks, having two join Malus and two join Reisenki. The two with Reisenki used crystals to instantly replenish their diminished health. Bladescape gave them the order they all were waiting for. The tanks would work in tandem to cover the damage dealer as they sprinted from sets of attacks, running back to back blitzes against Momma to overwhelm the last of her HP. Bladescape healed Malus for good measure and told them to execute the plan. 

Malus charged forward and drew the attack, stopping the lance dead on her shield. She even took a step as she blocked, forcing it to give way to her strength. Kiefer rushed past and unleashed a four hit combo. He broke free of his delay, dashing back as Momma targeted him. A tank threw themselves in front of Kiefer, taking the blow and being knocked out of the fight as they rolled out of the area. Kiefer reversed course, dashing back in to whip out the same combination attack. They did it again, this time the other tanks switching in as the damage dealers did their job. They effectively blocked the boss’ hastily chosen attacks and Kiefer jumped past them, going back in a third time. As he jumped back, another tank took a hard blow, putting them deep in the red, but it allowed Kiefer to go in for a fourth attack. He gave it the same combination attack. Before he could be released from the delay, Momma shattered and the polygons glittered for a few seconds before disappearing. 

Bladescape called out her orders, fragmenting her element to back the others up. Kiefer, Reisenki, and Thunderborne were ordered to go attack Grandpa. They sprinted off to where that battle was happening. Kiefer saw that Malus had already abandoned the fight against Momma to help against Baby, likely being given those orders when the split tanks rotated. The Iron Bulwark was relentless against the boss as she worked to rally Element Three. Natora, Kirito, Lobelia, and two other tanks were on their way there too. Bladescape and the other tank turned their attention to Daddy, while their two injured tanks were ordered to heal and proceed to Daddy as soon as they could. 

Kiefer, Reisenki, and Thunderborne had the longest distance to traverse. Thunderborne left them in the dust as she rushed to help turn the tide for Element Four. Kiefer looked at Reisenki who nodded to him, telling him to go. 

Kiefer sprinted ahead of his friend, abandoning him for the time being. Thunderborne was running circles around Grandpa, cutting and poking in a constant harassment of the troll without the use of Sword Skills. That had it in a tizzy, giving Element Four a much needed break. She couldn't keep it up forever and Kiefer charged in with a vengeance. The first slash was good, but the second was blocked on the bar of steel it was using as its shield. The Troll quickly stepped around a delayed Kiefer to escape Thunderborne’s harassment. Kiefer was released in time to trigger a weapon defense skill, deflecting the pick before it hit him. He followed up with a simple, but powerful, thrust to its gut. The troll tried to counter but then roared into the ceiling as it seized up. Reisenki had to have buried his axe in its back. 

That was all Thunderborne needed to unleash her own assault. It was a flash of blue and gold as she became a bladed whirlwind. Kiefer wasn't going to let the fencer outdo him. She had speed, but he had cutting power. The slashes he delivered in rapid succession carved off Grandpa's health, getting them into the final health bar. Thunderborne had broken off by chaining a leaping sword skill so that she was pulled out of the danger zone. Kiefer was stuck in his delay as Grandpa targeted him. The pick was swung to kill him, but Reisenki slipped in between it and Kiefer, calmly blocking it with his shield as he also stepped forward and hacked at the troll's arm. 

Kiefer jumped free, yelling "clear!" Reisenki's delay was brief and he too backed up. Thunderborne slid up beside them, nodding to each of them before they faced down Grandpa. Element Four had rallied and charged in. They were not going to be outdone by three of the boss raid members their element was supposed to be backing up. Just by their presence they had already been outdone, but that didn't matter. Winning this fight was the only thing that mattered.

It did explain a lot as they watched half of Element Four fail. Grandpa was a very proficient shield user. It didn't matter how the troll looked, only how quickly it could flow. It was almost as if his ice arm was adjustable; freezing solid when he needed to block, but flowing like a river when he needed to rapidly move it. 

The three of them had been ordered to Grandpa for a reason and they didn't hesitate to jump back into the fight. They needed to finish this battle. To do so would require them to work together. It was a good thing that Reisenki was their tank. He was quick enough to block as Kiefer and Thunderborne rapidly hopped in and out, switching at a ridiculously quick pace that few could match. They had fought side by side enough times by now that it was natural, not forced. Reisenki got in a hit or two when one of their attacks was blocked on the “shield” and the timing allowed him to claim the hit. 

With the two of them rotating at their own pace, Grandpa's remaining HP melted away. Thunderborne unleashed Quadruple Pain, took the brief delay, and jumped clear as Kiefer surged forward. He saw the HP bar and knew what to do. There were three combinations for Katana that paired well for chaining together from a neutral start like Kiefer had. He flipped his sword into position and unleashed the first. It left his sword where he needed it to be in order to trigger the second combination. The third one was just begging to be triggered and unleashed. He obliged, ending the troll with a thrust to Grandpa's heart. Or where the heart would be for a human. 

Kiefer heard the final war cry of another group as his delay ended and then the shattering of glass. The lighting in the room shifted as the congratulatory music played. Two screens popped up in front of him. Kiefer hadn't been close to scoring the last attack of the boss fight, unless they were each treated separately. He hadn't been close to finishing Momma, but he had clearly been the only one striking Grandpa when the last of the troll's HP was eliminated. Kiefer made a quick note of the drop and quickly cleared the screen. He didn't want anyone else to see it. He had done the right thing, he wasn't ashamed, but it was embarrassing for Element Four. Despite their failures, they fought the long battle against him, yet none of their members scored the last attack bonus for Grandpa. One of the three players to come from the element that Four was supposed to assist had scored it. 

Kiefer looked around at the other two groups, but couldn't tell who had been the last to fall. Both the raiders attacking Daddy and Baby had not attempted to shift priorities. Neither likely had the time to. Reisenki and Thunderborne joined Kiefer and they bumped fists in celebration. Reisenki had already removed his helmet so he could see better.

"Who was defeated last?" Kiefer asked. 

"They killed Daddy as Thunder started her last attack," Reisenki explained. "Baby was last. Good job, both of you, for handling Grandpa. I could barely keep up."

"But you did!" Thunderborne exclaimed. "Seriously impressive. You saved me a few times against Grandpa. That says nothing about your awesomeness against Momma."

"I'm not the same caliber of tank as Malus," Reisenki stated, shaking his head. "Not yet at least."

"Yeah, but that's cause she's Malus," Thunderborne stated, rolling her eyes. "You'll never beat her. She’s now called the Iron Bulwark for a reason. Yeah, that nickname is cause it’s her shield's name, but she’s also that stubborn and unmovable IRL. You shouldn't compare yourself with her, especially considering that out of the tanks in our group, all of who were solid, only you and Malus didn't get knocked off their feet. That speaks for itself and so does your speed. You're a lot faster than she is. We seriously couldn't have done what we did if Malus had been with us. That's why Blade sent you with us. You're one awesome tank that few can match." 

"You're a fusion between a shield user like Heathcliff and a Tank like Malus," Kiefer added. "It's impressive and a key role few can fill. Especially to keep up with players like Thunder, Asuna, Kirito, Natora, Bladescape, and Konpeito. You can throw down when the time is right, standing on your own. It's awesome!" 

"Thanks," Reisenki said, blushing a bit. "Nice job finishing Grandpa. That was three skills chained together. A pretty epic finish."

"Totally," Thunderborne stated. "Like, I didn't pay close enough attention to where it was, not until I jumped back and was frozen. I never had time to assist. Seriously impressive.”

Kiefer appreciated the words they spoke. He knew they were true. The hype from boss fights either brought out the best or worst in a raider. The three of them had displayed their best and it was important that they build each other up.

“Thunder, you kept it distracted, solo, for a good while," Kiefer praised. "I don't know if it made you dizzy, but it looked like it would with how fast you were. You stopped it from focusing on Element Four until we could get to you. The boss was more fluid than I expected. Pretty epic moves all around by you today."

"Thanks," Thunderborne said as they did another round of fist bumps. "I guess this is the moment where we are supposed to shout 'mo ghile mear.' So, who will?"

"I think Kiefer should," Reisenki said.

"Why not all three of us, together?" Kiefer asked. He didn’t want to be the only one, knowing he had gotten a special drop. 

No one protested and on three, they yelled "MO GHILE MEAR!" as loud as they could. It was a great way to finish the battle. They bumped first for a third time in celebration. They had caused other raiders to give them jealous looks for their enthusiasm, but the three of them had earned that enthusiasm. 

"Nice job," Bladescape said, joining them. "I didn't see your battle, I was helping take down Daddy, but I can tell you had fun."

"We rocked it," Thunderborne stated, trying to be smooth about it. 

"We really did," Kiefer said with a nod. "But only because of your supreme leadership. We rocked as hard as we did because you put us together. You also paced us well for dealing with Momma. Any faster and we likely would have pulled ourselves apart. Very well done."

"Thank you," Bladescape said with a nod. "It was an experience. I was thinking we were too slow until you said that. I also was regretting sending just three to help, but I can see you three were all that was needed. I don't know exactly how Natora and Malus fared, they appeared to have the harder battle to win. Still, no one died. That makes five boss battles in a row with no losses. Some close calls, but no deaths and no emergency teleports. It's a growing record." 

"That's good," Kiefer said. "We should check on Malus and Natora." They started heading over to where Malus had collapsed. She was sitting up, which was progress, but she was clearly exhausted and Natora didn't look much better. "Blade, before we get sidetracked, how did the fight against Daddy go?"

"Pretty much how Momma went," Bladescape answered. "I fell in under Asuna. The Tanks joined Heathcliff’s command. It was slow, he could soak up a lot of damage with his defensive stats, but we were able to apply steady pressure, just in time to not require assistance. They were able to execute the original plan, they just expected Element Three to back them up, not one damage dealer and one tank from Element Two. The other two tanks were not far behind us. I'm glad I had them join us, we needed their shields. I wish we didn't, but we didn't do anything wrong or make any errors. Their shields meant that two shield users could switch to damage dealing roles and that is what mattered for taking down Daddy."

Malus gave them a look that warned them not to ask. Natora's glance at them also conveyed the same warning. Bladescape offered her hand to Malus and helped her to her feet. 

"Mo ghile mear!" Malus growled in celebration as she stood face to face with Bladescape, keeping their hands clasped together. It was low to not be overheard.

"Mo ghile mear!" Bladescape declared back before smiling at Malus. Malus did smile back, briefly. 

The KoB was ready to roll and so was all of Element Two. The others fell in line with them as they left the chamber and made their way up to the thirty-first floor. The rolling hills of grassland showed signs of life; mid level monsters that might be decent hunting. Maybe not for XP, at least not the XP rates the assault team needed, but likely for col and items.

Asuna was the one to trigger the teleport plaza. The KoB was gone almost immediately. Kiefer waited with the other Wondercolts as Bladescape got the others. Natora and Thunderborne went to get them a table at a tavern, but everyone else waited the two minutes for Bladescape to fetch everyone. 

The battle had hardly been the toughest one they had faced. It also wasn't even in the top five for length. Still, Kiefer's heart was pounding from it. He hadn't noticed until it slowed down upon seeing Soryuto materialize on the teleport plaza with the others. There were nine amazing young women in the Wondercolts. Each was unique and special in their own way. 

But the only one that caught Kiefer's eye was Soryuto. She had come a long way since those early days. When Bladescape had saved them, she had been a trembling wreck. Now she stood strong; a proud member of a key guild clearing the game. She no longer needed a hero like she did back then. She had the confidence and experience to know that she could handle herself in the field, working to contribute to her freedom. In some ways, Soryuto was a different woman from the girl he knew IRL. She was a part of her and she was becoming the epitome of what a woman was in Kiefer's eyes. 

The game complicated things. If this was real life, he would absolutely pursue her before someone else came along and stole the chance. But this wasn't. She wouldn't be the woman she was without this death game and that was also why he never said anything. They were trapped here and committed to fighting beside each other in the same, small guild. They needed to be able to work as close to flawlessly together as possible. If a relationship didn't work out, they would be stuck together with the same responsibilities to fulfill.

Plus, by being trapped here, he didn't feel like she had the same agency as she would IRL. Some part of her was trapped, involuntarily committed to the prison that was Sword Art Online. Could she really say 'yes' or 'no' with confidence that SAO was not exerting a coercive force upon her? Kiefer didn't think so and he didn't want to coerce her into anything, on purpose or on accident. 

As they sat around the table, mug raised as they repeated their guild motto, Soryuto was by his side. That felt good and he would settle for that quiet comfort. 

"So, Kiefer, what did I miss out on?" Thunderborne asked. 

Kiefer had no idea what she meant. He had been lost in his thoughts about Soryuto and their guild ritual, but that was done now. He didn't have a clue what she meant and he couldn't come up with any moment where Thunderborne would have missed something he saw. 

"The last attack bonus you got," Thunderborne pressed. “I saw the screen. You cleared it quickly, but I saw it."

"Oh, that," Kiefer said with a chuckle. "I was trying to figure out what you meant." Kiefer swiped up her menu and found the drop. Onto the table materialized the Bracers of Arivan. Everyone got to see them for the first time, together, although they were not that special looking. They did have a two-toned woven metal look to them, silver surrounded by a band of black steel. "I didn't expect it, but I guess they each gave a drop."

"Most bosses have been single entities or with clear minions," Knightstar said. "So both possibilities make sense. They did appear to be framed as one boss, albeit a family."

Kiefer read off the basic info on the Bracers. They were a lot better than what Diemond could produce. Plus they had a weapon accuracy bonus, something that only came from boss drops.

"That's going to be interesting to work into your look," Diemond said. "I can't match a boss drop, especially the most recently defeated floor boss."

"We'll figure it out," Kiefer said. "I just did what was necessary. No one else was in a position to finish it."

"Good job," Bladescape said. It was clear that she was forcing the words out, but they all knew her. Just because she forced herself to say it didn’t nullify the fact that she truly meant it and was happy for him. "They are well earned."

"I didn't see who got the last hit on Momma," Kiefer said. "I was in my delay and I lacked a good angle to see it."

"Well, if they each dropped one, then Kirito snagged it," Bladescape said. "He beat me, not by much, but fair and square. Godfree clearly scored the last attack against Daddy with that axe of his. Godfree's was well earned too. What about Baby's LAB?" The question was clearly directed at Natora and Malus.

"Natora beat me to it," Malus stated. "I wasn't lookin for it, but I was wantin to end that disaster of a fight. They were barely together, didn't rally, and all-in-all, they were about as useful as a trapdoor in a canoe."

"It was pathetic," Natora added. "I just needed to end it for their sake. They were not happy with their own performance. Baby had some unique challenges, but they should have done better." Natora pulled out her LAB. It was a new spear. The shaft was wrapped in tan leather and then bound with crossing brown leather cording for a better grip. The counterbalance was a teardrop, made of the same blueish-green metal that the head was made of. The spearhead itself was shaped like a lilac leaf, with the bottom half having a serrated edge. "Behold the Leaf Bladed Spear! My deadly new upgrade. This thing puts to shame my other one and it's not that old. The durability stat alone is incredible. Compared to most spears, it is indestructible. I won't have to touch durability with enhancements and I have twenty slots to play with." 

"Also well earned," Bladescape said. She clearly didn't want anyone to say anything before she did. "Congratulations, both of you. You absolutely earned them." 

"Too bad it's not about truly earning them," Natora said. "You worked harder than anyone else in that battle, except for Malus, and had command responsibilities unique to this boss fight. We were the only element to finish our task alone. I don't blame Element One, they performed exactly as expected, but the others were supposed to back both of us up. You had enough situational awareness that you were able to immediately issue new orders to us. Detailed enough that we could save the day on all three fronts and apparently snag two of the four LABs."

"Yeah, well that is the system," Bladescape said with a shrug. "It's impartial. Both of you truly earned a Last Attack Bonus in that boss raid. But the game is the game and we have to learn to control those chaotic elements in order to get them. I'm proud of our performance as a whole. For a small guild, we have a very big impact on the clearing effort. That is something I'm very happy about. We are out performing guilds two and three times our size.”




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