//------------------------------//
// Episode 41 — Power Squad 
// Story: EQG: Sword Art Online - Ruby Palace 
// by Mindrop 
//------------------------------//

Episode 41 — Power Squad
Thirtieth Day in the Month of Wisteria (August 30) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 34

Kirito's sword slashed the wolf and then Bladescape brought hers down on it, eliminating the last of its HP. They watched as Konpeito cleaved the last one into polygons, with her typical critical attack. It was good to be working with Kirito again. He was a natural at fighting. His swordsmanship was certainly fine-tuned to Aincrad's system, not a traditional fighting method. His reaction speed was amazing. It was like he could read the incoming attack before it happened. Just enough foresight to give him the edge in fighting and he put it to good use. 

Kirito now understood what he had dragged Bladescape into. He had thought she was saving him, but Klein's cheesy remarks were relentless. Klein and Kirito had exchanged words over it early on. Bladescape was happier knowing where it was left. Klein was having fun intentionally being cheesy. As long as Bladescape understood that, she was fine with it. He didn't mean anything by it, at least not now, he was just trying to be funny. It wasn't working very well, but he had his moments. Most were when he didn't intend them to be moments. 

Klein had cleared up what his history with Kirito was. Kirito didn't want to think about it, but it wasn't bad. Klein had noticed Kirito running when the game launched, guessing he had been a beta tester because of how he was acting, and asked for some tips. Kirito had kindly shown Klein the ropes. They had split up after the opening ceremony, speaking in a safe location, away from the main plaza. Klein went to find his friends — which explained the when and how of him running into Bladescape, knocking her down — and Kirito ended up ahead of the Wondercolts. Not too far ahead by the sound of it, though.

Klein blew the two of them splitting up off, but something seemed to have happened, at least in Kirito's mind. Bladescape wasn't going to pry. Kirito was hard enough to tie down. She was worried sometimes that he would lose his way because he had no anchor, nothing keeping him sane and nothing to come back to. He was reckless yet possessed the skill to survive the blatantly reckless behavior. 

Currently, with eighteen of them in a squad, Kirito was being a good team player and not being reckless. Bladescape was happy with that. She wanted the day to teach him that he had friends and allies in Aincrad, people who cared about him. The best way would be to show him, not to tell him. She would be a friend and support him how she could. Just by having his back over the next two days and appreciating his presence would go a long way. 

"Well that pack was annoying," Klein said as he sheathed his katana. He was basically slapping it into the sheath, but there was a proper way to return a Japanese single edged sword to its sheath. He likely didn't know it, but Bladescape did. "What was that, nineteen wolves?"

"Twenty-two!" Konpeito exclaimed with a bounce as she twirled her axe.

"Konpeito," Bladescape kindly said, trying to avert a disaster. "What did we tell you earlier?"

"Huh?" Konpeito asked. 

Bladescape resisted openly sighing. She had to be patient with her bouncing friend, especially when they were partied up with others. "With this many players close together, please don't twirl your axe."

"Oops!" She exclaimed, slapping it onto her back, where the game somehow recognized it as being sheathed. "Sorry, everyone. I'll make it up to you all!"

Bladescape nodded to her with a reassuring smile. 

Natora spoke up as she examined her map. "We haven't had a safety zone recently. I'm expecting one soon and probably the last one before the boss chamber. Just judging it off the characteristics of this labyrinth. Then again, they were likely designed with the old monsters in mind, not the ash wolves."

"Okay," Bladescape said. "We find that, then we will have earned a break. It's a little past noon, so we need to find a place we can safely stop and eat. Also to rest up. Let's move out."

A squad of eighteen players, three guild parties plus Kirito, sounded like a lot and normally it was. The wolves were not hard to beat, they simply possessed the ability to overwhelm a party. Even two parties could be overwhelmed in an instant. They were currently only clashing for a minute, maybe two, but it was a hot and fast minute of chaos as the tanks tried to block so the others could eliminate the wolves. The forwards would try to move to the flanks to keep the wolves from getting directly behind a player. It was working, mostly, and Bladescape was glad they had the numbers they did. 

Doombunny was doing well. She had a renewed confidence this morning. Or maybe it was a new attitude. Either way, having to keep a skill secret from her friends was no longer weighing on her. No one pressed her on hiding it, most had basically forgotten it, but Knightstar was trying to figure out how to learn the skill so they could make the poison the boss feared. So far, with what Doombunny could give her, she hadn't made any progress. Knightstar was confident in distilling it into an extract, the chemistry set Doom had was clearly set up for such a task, but that was all Knightstar knew. She didn't know what to add to make it usable, especially as a weapon poison. The wrong thickening agent would ruin the extract and they didn't have many flowers to experiment with.

They had to fight two more battles before they saw the markers along the wall which signaled a safe zone. Before they could get there, they had a pack spawn directly on top of them and another pack came at them from behind. They were outnumbered three to two and everyone wanted a break. Their tanks were split up because of the wolves spawning among them. They had no way to mount a unified effort and it ended up being a brutal melee of single combat. 

Bladescape hacked and cut what she could, not letting herself get locked into attacking one wolf. It was better to leave them with severely reduced HP. Kirito seemed to have the same idea, from the glimpses Bladescape got. As she danced and weaved her way through the wolves, she also picked up that Thunderborne was basically following her and eliminating the wolves left in her wake.

Thunderborne's lightning quick attacks were on point and powerful. She could be as boastful as Dash, but she rarely did it during combat. The fighting was serious work and she often had to work hard to pull off what she did. Most days she was left exhausted. She still competed for kills against Natora when she could, or whoever would join them. Bladescape would join the competition when Thunderborne was in her party. The Wondercolts were getting more and more formalized in their roles and it eliminated a lot of opportunities for fair competition. Thunder was playing nice, so Bladescape rewarded her when she could. The times she got to shine, it was always stunning to see her blade flash and dance. It was only surpassed by her agility in combat. Not just linear movement, but aerial movements. Flipping, handsprings, vaulting with both flips and keeping her feet oriented towards the ground, even using the walls of the labyrinth to quickly change direction and flank enemies. 

"Sixteen," Thunder panted when they were done. "Sixteen kills. Can anyone beat that?"

"Six!" Konpeito said. "All critical attacks."

"Four," Natora said. 

"Zero," Bladescape added. “How else did Thunder rack up sixteen?”

"Kirito and I killed three," Klein reported. 

"Eight," Doombunny factually stated with a shrug. 

A handful of others picked up single kills. 

With the wolves defeated they entered the safe zone and could relax. 

"I promised to pay you all back!" Konpeito happily exclaimed. She pulled a picnic basket out of her inventory. "Cupcakes!" Konpeito excitedly exclaimed. "Baked fresh this morning!" The sugary goodness wafted over them all. 

The food that Kirito and Fuurinkazan brought was inexpensive and durable, able to last all day. Most of the Assault Team had packed similar lunches, optimized for durability. Konpeito had not gotten too crazy for the Wondercolts, but they had nicer lunches with almost the same durability. Konpeito rarely baked them sweets for lunch. The cupcakes were highly appreciated by everyone and they felt well deserved after their tough morning.

Lunch was eaten in relative silence. Everyone was tired and hungry. They just wanted to enjoy the break. Natora finished first and began playing with her map. 

When Bladescape finished, she stood up and looked at Klein who was sitting across the safe zone, back against the wall and eyes closed. He wasn't taking a nap, despite what it looked like. He just wanted it to look like he was. 

"Klein!" Bladescape called. There was something other than his constant cheesy one liners that had been bothering her all morning, and she finally had the opportunity to bring it up.

"Yeah?" Klein asked, eyes still closed. "What's up, Doll Face?"

"Do you know how to treat your katana?" Bladescape asked. 

"Huh?" Klein asked, sitting up. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I've watched you ramming your sword into the sheath," Bladescape explained. "Without any regard for it. There is a reverence to the katana that the user must have. It isn't just a costume you put on, rather it is a performance of the role and duty."

"I know what the samurai were and how they thought," Klein stated. "I know their code of honor."

"Then how do you sheath a Katana?" Bladescape pressed. 

Klein didn't answer. He clearly didn't have one. 

Bladescape swiped up her menu and pulled out the ancient mountain sword. It felt good to hold it. She slipped it into her belt, situating it properly in position at her waist. It had been almost a year since she had done this, but her hands remembered what to do. With a small step forward, she did the quickdraw, pulling the katana out while simultaneously pulling the sheath backwards to facilitate the draw. The draw was lacking, at least to Bladescape, but everyone else appeared to be enthralled. Bladescape brought her feet back together as she adjusted her grip on the sheath, creating the channel with her hand before guiding the blade back into the sheath. She made sure to run her hand over the handle to ensure it was in good order after being used. Being in SAO, it was always going to be in good order, but that was not a sufficient reason to forego the ritual. Losing form in Aincrad would mean poor form in the real world. 

"To wield a katana requires a respect for the sword," Bladescape stated. "No practitioner of the Japanese art of the sword would fail to guide his honorable blade back into its keeping."

"Where'd you learn that?" Klein asked, standing up. 

"Iaido," Bladescape answered. "I am a practitioner of the art of the sword. Specifically, Iaido is the art of the quick draw, typically from a seated position, and entering brief combat."

"That was amazing," Klein added. 

"Actually, it was sloppy and slow," Bladescape stated. "The use of a leather belt instead of an obi is problematic too, but really I'm out of practice."

"How long have you practiced?" Klein asked. 

Bladescape shrugged, "Just a few months."

"That's it?" Klein asked. "You must be a natural."

Bladescape rolled her eyes. "I had good teachers. I'm not ready to display the only form I was taught. Like I said, I’m out of practice."

"Where were you learning at?" Klein pressed. "Once we get out of here, I might check them out and take some lessons."

It was an innocent question, but the answer would reveal a lot about her and likely her friends. Bladescape glanced over to her friends. Natora, Malus, and Diemond gave her a nod. None of the others gave any indication that she shouldn't answer. 

Klein might be a dufus, but opening up a bit could form a good bond between their guilds. The Wondercolts could use stronger ties with other guilds. They were really only on friendly terms with the Knights of the Bloodoath and just through Asuna. Although, Bladescape was getting to know Godfree, commander of their vanguard element and the guy in charge of the KoB’s training, pretty well since they crossed paths often in the grinding locations. 

"I was being taught at my school," Bladescape answered. "The club's advisor is very well skilled and the club's president is going to be teaching Iaido. He is the highest ranking youth practitioner." Bladescape remembered the day's date. "No, he would have graduated by now and be an adult. He definitely has his own school somewhere in Tokyo. That was waiting for him when he graduated primary education."

Kirito perked up at hearing the city name, but didn't say anything or react in any other way. 

"Wait, you're still in high school?" Klein asked. 

Bladescape couldn't read the tone in his voice. It sounded both like trepidation and excitement. 

"Yes," Bladescape nodded. "I'm a high school foreign exchange student."

Kirito's alertness level was raised again. Klein was stroking his scruffy chin as he thought. 

"I figured you were from out of the country," Klein stated. "Your accent told me that."

"That's it?" Diemond asked. She sounded shocked. 

"What do you mean?" Klein asked.

"Well her olive complexion isn't exactly native to Japan," Diemond stated. 

"Have you seen the merchant Agil?" Klein asked. "The dude was born in Japan and has always lived in Tokyo. I learned that lesson the hard way when he almost wrung my neck. The only difference between them is that he has a Tokyo accent and Blade's has a hint of English to it. Except for Reisenki, Kiefer, and Soryuto, all of the Wondercolts have an accent that indicates that you come from English speaking countries."

"Hey!" Natora protested. "I resent that. Actually, wait, does anyone disagree with Klein?"

"You clearly are from Tokyo," Kirito said, surprisingly speaking up. It might have been to compete with Klein. "Your language use is informal and natural, while the others are more formal and stiff, like they had been taught it as a second language. Klein should have caught that distinction."

"Hey!" Klein exclaimed. It was his time to protest, except he came up empty for a remark and ended up shrugging his shoulders in defeat. "Okay, maybe I should have. Anyway, I didn't know high schools had foreign exchange programs. I thought that was a college thing."

"They're not easy to get into," Bladescape stated. "Academically or personally. The whole approval process is very difficult."

"Only the best get picked," Natora added. 

"Anyway," Bladescape said. "Kayaba kind of screwed up the end of the exchange semester."

"Just to be clear," Klein prefaced. "You, Malus, Knightstar, Doombunny, Konpeito, Diemond, and Thunderborne are all exchange students?"

Diemond answered for them. "Darling, we're not only exchange students, we're from the same school, both in Japan and back home. Canterlot High School's team name is the Wondercolts. All students, regardless of their status with sports, are Wondercolts. Kindness, generosity, honesty, loyalty, laughter, friendship, and magic is what Wondercolts are and what we are as a guild."

"It's our ethos," Knightstar added. "It works in both settings equally well."

"Are you sure?" Klein asked. "I don't know what your sports teams are like, but as a guild, you are all top notch. Top three, easily. Almost as good looking as the Knights of the Bloodoath, except you have better style than they do."

"Sadly, I must admit you're right," Diemond said with a sigh. "They have the bolder colors. As for our uniformity, there is only so much I can do to fix that. I still can't craft half of what we need me to in order for me to fully pull our look off, specifically the heavy metal armor, and we will likely always have different looking shields. I'll make it work."

"Speaking of shields," Thunderborne said. "Did you get your two from Agil? Cause we sold him ones that looked exactly like what Harry and Dynamm are using two weeks ago."

"That swindler!" Klein exclaimed. "He said they hadn't been used!"

Bladescape was able to prevent herself from laughing, but Malus, Knightstar, Natora, Thunderborne, and Kiefer were unable to keep some from slipping out.

"They weren't," Bladescape stated. "Neither were the helmets, chainmail, boots, spears, war hammer, axe, or swords we sold him. We don't sell Agil used equipment without letting him know it's used and how many enhancements have been attempted. We got them in drops from a dungeon boss."

"Oh," Klein said as he nervously scratched the back of his neck. "What floor did you get those on?"

Bladescape had to think for a moment. "Thirty-three. We found and cleared it the day after we unlocked that floor. First ones through it. I got your katana as the last attack bonus from the dungeon boss, but Kiefer's current katana was still better."

"I got Hoshinoha the week before from a dungeon boss," Kiefer added. "It's the prettier of the two and the dark blue sheath matches our guild's colors better."

"I like this mountain green," Klein stated. "But back to the swords, can you please teach me to draw it like you did?"

"Yes," Bladescape said with a smile. "Since you said 'please', I will. There are no quickdraw skills from Iaido in the sword skills list for the katana, but knowing how to properly draw your blade is the first step to knowing how to respectfully sheath it."

Everyone watched as Bladescape taught Klein the steps to draw the katana. She had to adjust his sword hand's grip and how he clunkily was grabbing the sheath. Learning to flick the blade out wasn't too hard. Teaching him to put it back proved to be the tougher lesson. Klein struggled with letting the spine of the katana slide along the groove his hand made. He was quite clear about his feelings. He felt like he was going to slice open his hand, even though he knew it was the spine of the sword. Bladescape had to assure him that was natural and that it would soon pass.

They didn't have a lot of time to practice before they had to get back to work. Bladescape was confident that he would learn it well enough. He certainly had shifted his mentality about the sword. 

His mentality about Bladescape had shifted as well. Bladescape would even dare to say he respected her after the lesson. Teaching someone a skill you were passionate about and something they wanted to learn was a good way to gain respect and build a bond. Whether that respect would last or not would be seen, but there was no profit in worrying about the future that you couldn't control. Ultimately, it was her own selfishness that won, because he would no longer unceremoniously slap the katana into its sheath. She could put up with him much better without that distraction chipping away at her resolve.

The stairs to the twentieth level were right around the corner. They were on the final floor of the labyrinth. Somewhere on it was the boss chamber. Their squad was immediately forced into a battle. The rabid ash wolves spawned at faster rates than any other enemy, so they might not be the first, but it did appear that they were.

The battle was over quickly. No one had gotten injured. Klein properly sheathed his katana at the end of the battle. 

They pressed on, fighting their way through pack after pack. Everyone had moments where they shined brighter than the others. Natora felt confident in their direction whenever they had to choose between splits. Their goal was the boss room, not fully mapping the labyrinth. 

It was slow work. They had to face a lot of packs. The lunch break was retrospectively appreciated even more.  

It was almost eight at night when they found the boss chamber. They couldn't get close due to four packs being in between them and the chamber. Bladescape quickly ordered the strategy. They held their ground, quickly organizing as the wolves charged them. They got their center two tanks set, with tanks on their wide flanks. Both flanking tanks were supported by a shield user and spear user. The other spear users were with the center tanks. The forwards filled in between the tanks. Doombunny posted up with Malus in the center. Natora was on the left flank with Harry One. Bladescape, along with Klein and Kirito we're holding the middle ground between Malus and Reisenki. Kiefer, Dynamm, Konpeito, and Dale were the left intermediary team. 

The wolves clashed with the organized squad. They broke upon the tanks like waves dashing themselves on the rocks. Each pack was another wave smashing into them and they never had time to fully eliminate the previous waves, causing a huge backup of enemies. They were stretched across the wide corridor, preventing the beasts from flanking them. 

They didn't fold. Everyone shined brightly in the battle. The intermediary teams had to be smart about the sword skills they selected. They couldn't afford a heavy delay. Kirito was playing cleanup for Bladescape and Klein, finishing the wolves for them. 

When it was finally over, they heard clapping from their rear. It was a professional clap, but encouraging nonetheless. Bladescape turned around to find a squad of three parties. It consisted entirely of the KoB. Commander Heathcliff was at their head, flanked by Asuna and her party. Godfree led the third party.

"Well done," Asuna said. The commander likely wasn't going to speak. "That was very efficient despite the massive numbers you were facing. None got through your line."

"Thank you," Bladescape said, bowing to show respect. It was a formal gesture used to gain points ahead of her upcoming statement. "You and I never had time to talk after our squad was formed. We wanted to put forward our best selves and come together as a unit, one that could be relied upon in the upcoming battle to either protect Doombunny or be the ones to deliver the poisoned attacks. We figured, we should take the opportunity to form the tactics and working relationship necessary for that role."

"I figured as much," Asuna admitted. "I'm impressed. That is why I paid close attention to Doombunny. I must admit, she is a remarkable frontline fighter. She was aggressive but wise in her application of her dagger. She knows when to retreat and when to attack. Everyone did wonderful, but she was the superstar. I hesitate to officially give an answer, we still have another day, but I will state that, since I have seen you in action, I am inclined to grant your request."

Bladescape bowed again. "We appreciate your inclination. We should check out the boss chamber before more respawns happen."

"Lead on," Asuna said. 

They all headed down the corridor until they reached the double doors. Carved into the massive stone doors were over twenty wolves in a variety of poses. It even depicted a full moon with a wolf howling at it. 

Bladescape opened up the doors. Inside was a bunch of cages. They lined the walls and were filled with snarling and foaming rabid ash wolves. Across from the entrance was the boss, a humanoid giant who was sitting up on something. 

Bladescape almost took a step in but paused as Asuna’s hand gently stopped her. 

"I'm concerned about the cages," Asuna stated. "If we enter, the boss may trigger their release. We likely won't make it to the boss to see what his skills are. These wolves look bigger and more powerful than the others. Even a full raid party will find itself fighting a horde nearly twice its size. We have more than sufficient numbers for a scouting expedition, but may run into more trouble than it's worth." 

"That's a good read on the situation," Bladescape admitted. "Hopefully Argo will drag up new intel."

"We can use tomorrow to rest up," Asuna added. "Most squads will likely have left the labyrinth by now. We can catch up with the leaders, share the map, and update them on the day off."

"Good idea," Bladescape said with a nod. "I'm not sure the last time I had a free day. It's been long enough that the Wondercolts deserve it. Everyone deserves it."

Asuna just nodded back as she pulled up her menu. They traded map data to ensure they had the most complete map. There was plenty unexplored, but it was likely not worthwhile to explore it. Not with the changes. They divided the contact list up to speed the spread of information.

While that was going on, Konpeito was sharing cookies she had baked the night before and brought. It was in celebration of finding the boss room and she had enough for everyone, including the KoB members. It was almost as if she knew they would run into them and find the boss room. They all took one, even Commander Heathcliff, and enjoyed the momentary break for a player made sweet.

Asuna pulled out an oversized teleport crystal. It had an ornate base and some colorful spheres inside it. There was only one thing it could be, the incredibly rare corridor crystal. Asuna went back to a sufficient distance for them all to assemble and set it. 

"Have a good day, Wondercolts, Kirito, and the men in red who I don't know yet," Asuna said. In a flash of blue, she teleported out of the labyrinth. She was followed by the other members of her guild.

Their squad did the same. Kirito went to a different city than everyone else. Fuurinkazan headed to a city on floor thirty. The Wondercolts went back to the city closest to the labyrinth.

Bladescape and Natora split up their contact list and went off to notify the other squads of their success. Everyone was easy to find and happy to have the break, at least from grinding away at the labyrinth. 

Next, Bladescape went to Tolbana and the house there. She was alone, which was her goal. She changed out of her armor and pulled out the ancient mountain sword. She had kept it out of a sentimental reason. It reminded her of Mister Shinmi's katana. She hadn't done anything with it except keep it in her inventory. 

Showing Klein today sparked something inside her. She wanted to do more. She didn't need a katana skill to practice Iaido. She did need an obi and could really use the proper uniform. She would have to read through her book of memories to remember the full form, but she could practice the draws with what she had.  

Bladescape stayed standing as she relaxed and worked through the draws. The cut was not forced. The sword had to flow out of the sheath. Bladescape had to slow herself down and focus on her form. With proper form, speed would come. 

When Bladescape finished, an hour had passed. She hadn’t noticed the time fly by. It felt good, very good, to focus on Iaido. Most of her guildmates had hobbies outside of combat. Konpeito had her cooking and music; Knightstar had her stats; Doombunny had Colorra and Mixing; Soryuto had her music; Kiefer was working on making katanas; Reisenki was also cooking; Thunderborne was doing parkour in different cities; Malus was fishing in her free time; and Diemond had her sewing and armor crafting. Bladescape and Natora didn’t have official hobbies. Iaido should be a way Bladescape could relax and wind down. Something not having to do with combat.




BLADESCAPE: Level 59 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint —  Blade Throwing 
NATORA: Level 55 —  Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 53 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry 
MALUS: Level 56 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search 
THUNDERBORNE: Level 55 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce 
KONPEITO: Level 55 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense —  Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing 
DIEMOND: Level 54 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor  — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging
DOOMBUNNY: Level 53 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search 
KIEFER: Level 53 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor  — Weapon Defense — First Aid  — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Search
SORYUTO: Level 52 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce
REISENKI: Level 54 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid —  Battle Regeneration — Cooking 



Kirito: Level 58 — One-Handed Sword — Martial Arts — Sprint — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Search — Extended Weight Carry 
Klein: Level 47 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Katana — Light Metal Armor — Shield — First Aid — Search — Sewing  
Dale: Level 46 — Two-Handed Sword — Heavy Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Cooking — Sprint — Search 
Dynamm: Level 47 —  One-Handed Curved Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Sprint — First Aid — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiations 
Harry One: Level 46 — Greatshield — One-Handed Hammer — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Search — Battle Regeneration 
Issin: Level 45 — Two-Handed Spear — Leather Armor — Weapon Defense — Acrobatics — Sprint — Cooking — Armor Pierce 
Kunimittz: Level 46 — Two-Handed Spear — Light Metal Armor — Shield — First Aid — Search — Reveal — Trap Dismantling