Episode 57 — Qalphite Queen
Eighth Day in the Month of Willow (March 8) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 56 — Boss Chamber
A Qalphite Soldier clamped its pincers on Malus’ shield, putting it right where Malus needed it. She smiled as she triggered a skill. Her war hammer glowed red and came down on its head with a satisfying crack. Malus heard the others getting their hits in, but she couldn’t see them due to the size of the bug. Diemond was blocking them from an incoming bug and Malus made sure they could address it by landing the final blow on its noggin.
The Fifty-Sixth Floor Boss was another bug boss with its own army. They looked like tan-green beetles with a powerful pincer. The Qalphite Queen wasn’t as bad as Scorpia Queen of the Arthropods. This queen bug didn’t lay eggs, birthing new enemies, or poison the raiders, but her soldiers and guardians were numerous and very large, with shells that were difficult to crack. The only way to the queen was to cut a path the old fashioned way, with grit and steel.
The large circular cavern quickly forced the raiding party apart into their own individual squads. They were holding their own, but it was a nasty fight. A squad could surround a Qalphite Soldier or a Qalphite Guardian, but you had to do it quickly and kill it before the pincers of one or two of its friends came to the rescue. That was tricky to do because of their natural resistance to most damage types.
The guardians and soldiers were mixed together. They were not using the same fighting algorithms or the same level. The guardians were several levels higher than the soldiers and liked to break apart a group surrounding them by opening their elytra, the covers for their wings, and bashing the players. The game designers were at least nice enough to make them look different. The soldiers were a bit smaller, faster, and skewed towards tan in color while the guardians were a green-tan with light tan legs.
Thunderborne and Natora were doing a good job. They could poke holes in them decently fast but the overall raid wasn't going well. The two of them couldn't land critical strikes, even with Armor Pierce, and the damage they did do was heavily negated by the bug's high resistance. They mostly corralled the creatures, poking and prodding them to the squad for elimination. Malus and Diemond were the heavy hitters. Bladescape and Kiefer were drawing the aggro and keeping the attention of the insects while Diemond and Malus proved they actually knew how to strike with their respective weapons. Crushing their carapace was the only way to deal critical damage and even that was difficult to get, even with good hits.
The boss battles were getting longer and longer. They were already at 45 minutes and only halfway through the blocking insects. Once they got past them, Malus didn't reckon the Qalphite Queen would have much extra to give them that the soldiers and guardians didn’t already show.
The Iron Bulwark had proven in the fiftieth floor boss fight that she could be an aggressive attacker, but the raiders still saw her in a defensive frame. Malus was causing a scene as she showed the Assault Team she was just as strong fighting with her hammer as she was unyielding with her shield. Malus was barely even using her shield. It was partially in her way because it was so big. It was still too valuable in the fight to unequip it, mostly because she could bait the bugs into biting it, which put them exactly where she needed them to squish them.
It was slow work but they steadily ground on. Malus was their big damage dealer. She was unyielding and unrelenting, leading Squad B forward. All she had been able to do the past five floor bosses was hold her shield and block. She did what she needed to do for the good of the raiders, but Malus hated not getting a few good blows in. Now she had the opportunity to make up for it and she was making very good use of it.
The next soldier fell and they were through the enemy’s line. They were not the first through. Squad C, all DDA members, were harassing the Qalphite Queen. She was slow moving and exposed, but her soldiers were coming to her aid, splitting her assaulters.
Malus charged forward, going for the queen, as Bladescape issued orders. Bladescape and Thunderborne focused on the Queen with Malus, while Natora led Diemond and Kiefer in protecting their backs from the guardians coming to save the queen. Split up, it was a lot harder to squash any of the bugs, but the Wondercolts didn't back down from either fight. Squad H — led by Agil, who had Kirito, Lobelia, Kamishi, and two others from smaller guilds — joined in the fight against the queen, putting their weight into the assault. Thunderborne was ordered to shift and assist Natora since they had more than enough players on the boss.
Malus was watching the Queen’s HP gauge. Bladescape was, once again, in the perfect position to take the LAB. Bladescape's biggest issue was that she often didn’t pay enough attention to time it right. She was a team player who fought for the good of everyone. It was up to Malus, for this battle, to ensure that Bladescape timed things correctly. They would not be caught slacking or trying to snipe the LAB, but Malus could strategically choose when they switched in, as well as what attacks she used, and time the delays. Bladescape paid attention to Malus' chosen skill and knew the delay she would be in. This time, the boss’ health was steadily and predictably being removed. Malus wasn’t Knightstar, but she wasn’t dumb either. She could pick out patterns in the world around her and take advantage of them. Plus, she knew how the others attacked and acted. She had to in order to block for them.
Malus lightly punched Bladescape on the arm to signal their moment to switch in. Bladescape followed after her. They were not the only ones moving on the boss. Malus’ four combo attack didn’t look impressive, but she knew the real power behind it and so did Bladescape. Bladescape went in with the best she had, Double Infinity, a nine attack combo that traced two infinity symbols on the target in slashes and then a full stab into the center. At least two other attacks landed after Bladescape’s, but the Queen didn’t go down.
Malus didn’t hesitate, the boss was still alive, barely, and Bladescape was in her delay. Malus came in, roaring her own war cry. Her hammer slammed into the Queen, followed by a hook that smashed her glowing shield into the queen. The third attack was a powerful, fully body cross with her armored fist, using her Martial Art Skill. The Qalphite Queen burst into polygons, causing two other players to go through the dazzling display of colors instead of landing their hits to claim the kill.
There were still several soldiers and guardians left alive. They went into a rage without their queen leading them, but they lost most of their attack abilities and were finished off quickly. As soon as the last was squashed, the fanfare popped up and they all saw their personal drop lists. The LAB bonus screen was on top of Malus’ screen. Minions didn't matter for the LAB.
Malus ignored it for now and addressed everyone. “That was a mighty good fight, y’all! We did it! Fifty-Six Floors conquered and not a player lost in the last six raids!”
Cheers went up and Malus quickly looked at her rewards. She then looked back at her friends. They were already walking over to her.
“Let’s go trigger that gate,” Malus said. “This place ain’t got a good feel to it, even with the bugs gone.”
When they got to the stairs, Bladescape spoke up. “Good job Malus. I’m happy you got it instead of the others. I was close, but what matters is that the boss is beaten.”
“You ain't mad, or jealous?” Malus asked. She knew Bladescape well enough to know something had to be bugging her.
“A little,” Bladescape shrugged. “But I got my fair chance. I didn’t have it in me to snag it. You did exactly what you needed to do. Thanks for not hesitating. And that combo looked good. Your Martial Arts Skill has come along nicely, specifically in your ability to trigger shield attacks.”
“Thank you, kindly,” Malus nodded. “It certainly has. Have you thought about doing the quest? I made easier work of it than Konpeito did. You’d have no issue.”
They chuckled, remembering Konpeito’s antics. While Malus did the quest when she had increased her strength to the point that she should have been able to do it with her fists, she had gone the smarter route. There was a trick to completing the quest significantly easier than the traditional way. Trembling Oxes spawned close enough to the rock that they could be baited in and tricked into running right into the rock, causing it to split in two from the force of the impact. Malus just let an ox do the work and didn’t have the whiskers on her face very long.
They got up to the Fifty-Seventh Floor, being the first to look at it. They made quick work of the distance to the nearest town and triggered the gate. A few minutes later the rest of the Wondercolts came through. True to their tradition, they toasted in a local pub. This time, their motto was directed at Malus.
Back in Mishe, Malus immediately retired to her room. Not that she did much outside of it. The headquarters was nice, but she didn’t find most of it attractive for her own use. Others would sit in the common areas and read, chat, or play games. She’d rather kick back in her room and relax, alone without any prying eyes, and read one of the available fiction books. She spent most of the day with people. What little time she had left she wanted to herself and if she couldn’t be fishing, her room was the next best place to do that.
Malus had personalized her room as best as she could. She was probably the only Wondercolt not to get help from Diemond. Diemond’s image for the guild was amazing, but it clashed with Malus’ personal style. Malus's room was where Applejack could come free. Diemond's touch would only remind Malus that she was in Aincrad and not Applejack. It was this room that helped her addled brain reorient itself after the fight with the Fiftieth Floor Boss.
When she woke up from that crash, her whole body had hurt, badly, but her head felt like it was split in two, ready to let one language go. She had to decide which one to dump. If she walked away from Japanese, she couldn't function in the game, at least not as easily. Plus it would be rude to only speak another language. Of course, she couldn't ditch English because that is what she would use back home with her folks. Despite the headache, Malus figured out how to keep both. She had a notebook for jotting stuff down to help Knightstar and it was mostly unused. She had started to journal, really just writing anything and everything, in English. She picked Japanese over English, while still capturing the English language and bottling it up for safekeeping. How she would unbottle it when they got free, well she would cross that bridge when she got to it. It solved her headache and made life easier. That was all thanks to her room and how it helped her center herself.
Malus had gotten a quilt, not a bedspread, for her bed and she used orange sheets with red pillowcases. Finding someone to make a quilt had not been easy, but Argo was good at that stuff. Malus also commissioned a few pieces of art, all paintings of farms or orchards, with the exception of the one above her headboard. That painting was of a bowl piled high with several bright, juicy apples. Malus also had a few horseshoes on her wall, each with a hook on it, where she could hang things, like her bath towel or her cowgirl hat; a hat that Diemond hated and didn’t want to be associated with the Wondercolt image, despite it being a clear signature associated with horses.
Inside her room, Malus could wear the hat without guilt. She could also wear more comfortable clothes; jeans, a flannel shirt, and a pair of cowboy boots. What Diemond made for her was great, Malus loved and valued each piece, like the rarity they were, and she wore them outside of her room, but they were not Applejack's idea of "comfortable clothing." She could put on the clothes and hat that made her feel comfortable and relax; surrounded by images of things she liked. She didn’t have to perform for anyone; be it what she wore or how she fought. Her life in Aincrad was always a performance of some kind, except for when she was in her room. The others rarely came looking for her, they were too busy with their personal interest, which suited Malus just fine.
Malus had not been sitting down in her rocking chair long when a knock came at her door.
“Malus, it’s Knightstar and Bladescape,” Knightstar said. “Can we come in and chat for a minute?”
Malus stood up, using the menu to quickly change into a robe that was safe to be seen in. It also stored her personal items out of sight. No, Knightstar and Bladescape likely wouldn't care or even notice, but Malus liked to keep some things private. The guild was tight enough that they shared almost everything with each other, which wasn't bad, it was necessary for their survival, but it was nice to have some secrets. At least for Malus.
Malus opened the door and let them. "What's up, y'all."
"Well," Knightstar said, stalling out as she got nervous. She even tried to fix her glasses, but like so much in Malus' life, Twilight's glasses were not needed by Knightstar. Years' old habits died hard.
"Last Attack Bonus?" Malus asked.
"Yes," Bladescape said, rolling her eyes at Knightstar's sputtering nonsense. "And you came up here rather quickly, no time for an appraisal of the other stuff."
Malus shrugged. She had intentionally done that, but she wasn't going to blame them. They were close as friends and a guild. Konpeito was blatant yet clueless about showing off her three Floor Boss LABs. Only two were still used by her sugar coated friend. Doombunny had been quieter and so had Reisenki, but everyone had learned of their jewelry drops. Kiefer used the bracers as long as he could, but then had to retire them. At least for his use. He pawned them through Agil.
"I ain't actually looked at it yet," Malus said, opening her menu. "But I know what it is."
She found it easily enough and materialized the last Attack Bonus: Plate of Veracity. It was an elegant heavy metal armor torso piece: specifically a breastplate, backplate, tassets, and pauldrons. The steel was beautifully etched. The center of the breastplate was a tree, one Malus knew very well. It was a recreation of the NIST Gaithersburg tree, an immediate descendant of the apple tree from Issac Newton's home. It wasn't a particularly pretty apple tree, but it was old and easily recognizable because of its shape. The pauldrons, tassets, and backplate were decorated with apple leaves and blossoms. Most people would see a tree, leaves, and flowers, which were still beautiful. Only an apple farmer would be able to pick out the specific type of leaves and flowers.
"Wow," Knightstar stammered. "That is a gorgeous etching."
Knightstar checked the stats while Malus held it. Bladescape was specifically studying the etching.
Knightstar finished her analysis quickly. "Its stats are amazing. The armor is well above your current chest piece. The tree is a bit odd, I would have predicted a more stylized and uniform tree, yet the overall beauty is startling and consistent with late medieval etching techniques applied to armor. It will be an interesting contrast between the rawness of your shield to the elegance of the body armor. You're lucky it came with the tassets and pauldrons because they beautifully match. The armor has no buffs, but its defense is incredibly high. High enough to pad almost any strike except the most severe, like those from a boss. Even then most boss hits will be heavily reduced. The durability is substantial too. You may not need another breastplate before we conquer Aincrad. It has a total of sixty enhancement slots."
"That's great, but also a shame," Malus said. "Diemond's been lookin forward to makin us matchin sets. She’s aggressively levelin that skill for a reason. She's close too."
"Yes, but you are different from both her and Reisenki," Bladescape said. "And she knows that. You will always stand out and not only because of your shield. I think she is settling on the idea of only tying in the tanks to our theme, instead of making them match. Especially if pieces like this are obtained. If only it wasn't floral, but a horse instead. That would be epic."
Malus almost explained it, but decided to keep it a secret. At least for now. It would be a private boost to her confidence and she was concerned that it becoming public knowledge would lessen that confidence boost. The real power was in its ability to buff her mindset by encasing her in her roots, in her comfort and love. Or the idea of what apple trees meant to Applejack. Ultimately the trees meant very little, but they sparked a greater idea of family, friends, and the feeling of accomplishment over completing a job that was difficult, such as an apple harvest. Right now she could taste their fresh apple cider. She could smell the freshly baked apple pies she grew up with. She would savor those sensational memories and use them to fuel her future battles.
"Yeah, a horse would've been cool," Malus said with a casual shrug. "I'm happy to have it. It means somethin to me. I'm the element of honesty. It's a plate of honesty. That's cool, at least to me. Others ain't gonna see the meanin I do. I just wish you, Blade, could've gotten the LAB. You deserve one more than anyone. I tried to time it for you."
"Well, first off, you deserve it more than me," Bladescape replied. "You do more for the raids than anyone else and have since the beginning. Only for one raid we didn’t need you and your tenacity, stubbornness, and selflessness. I know the last several were tough on you because of your role, but you didn't complain; not even once.
“Second, I failed. My Majestic Lorium Claymore is not good enough, despite all of the enhancements I have on it. I failed myself. Tomorrow I'm going to speak to Lisbeth about getting a sword made. It's time that I move to player made weapons. I got that sword in the fiftieth floor boss battle, meaning there are no better drops out there. Although I’ve had great luck with dropped weapons, player-made are much better despite the expense. As hard of a lesson it was to learn, I learned it. I needed to learn it. Sometimes that means the hard way. You all have player-made weapons. My stubbornness got in the way.
“Are you going to go fishing?” Bladescape asked, changing the subject.
“Nah,” Malus shrugged. “I’m too tired. I ain’t used to long, offensive only battles. I ain’t you, Natora, or Thunder. I’m also weighed down by armor.”
“Konpeito says dinner is almost ready,” Knightstar added. “Fifteen minutes. We will see you then.”
“Sounds good, y'all,” Malus said. “I’m starvin. After, we can go through my drops. Then I’ll have nothin pressin and truly retire for the night. Maybe a hot bath first, it’s been a while.”
Bladescape congratulated her again as they left and Malus sat down, picking up her book and getting back to reading. She would definitely take a hot bath after dinner.
BLADESCAPE: Level 77 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 74 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 69 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce
MALUS: Level 73 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 73 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 73 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 73 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Crafting
DOOMBUNNY: Level 70 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search — Listen — Reveal
KIEFER: Level 71 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 69 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics
REISENKI: Level 71 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation