Episode 18 - Wolves
Floor 39
October 14
Another pack of ten wolves were on the three of them. Every time Bladescape, Backbreaker, and Doombunny separated from the rest of the Wondercolts in the Labyrinth the rabid wolves came. They had no choice but to fight them each time. They knew the boss' secret, and they were being hunted for it.
The three of them were in a party alone because they were evaluating Doombunny and trying to prepare her, without her knowing it, for the upcoming boss raid. If the boss was really susceptible to poison, then Doombunny and Colorra would be a critical part of the team. If she could handle the stress. Which was another reason why the three of them were alone. It should show Doombunny that she could do it. A boss battle was no easy feat, but while Fluttershy often shined through Doombunny, when she was fighting there was no trace of a timid or meek personality.
Doombunny activated Swift Trick, leaping forward to slice through two wolves. On the dart back she sliced them again. She landed next to another. Swift Trick didn't have long of a delay. The advantage of the One Handed Dagger Skill was less of a delay after each sword skill. It had the second shortest delay time, the first being Thrown Weapon.
Next to the other wolf, Doombunny destroyed it with a six strike combo attack that was two slashes and four stabs. It was fast and relentless. Doombunny's skill Fighting Spirit made it more ruthless than normal. It was probably the primary reason she could be on the front lines still with a dagger. Colorra was the second reason she could be. The snake was fast and protective of her. It was easy to lose track of the long and dark viper in many of the shadowy spots of the boss labyrinth. And it knew how to use them to mask its approach.
They finished off the last of the wolves but heard more around another corner. They also heard the clash of combat. The three of them were Wondercolts, meaning they ran to back the unknown player up. It was what they did. The wolves had surrounded a group of 6; an Assault Team party.
Assault Team was another name for the Clearers who were on the front lines, beating the game. With the Wolves focused on the party, Bladescape and Backbreaker nodded to each other to attack and then looked at Doombunny to confirm. She was already charging ahead. By the time they got to the battle, Doombunny had slain three of the wolves.
"Boy are we glad to see you guys," their leader said. He was a bit scruffy and wore a red bandanna on his head. At his side was a Katana. All of the party was wearing at least some red to identify them as being in the same guild, along with a white four diamond square symbol. "Hey, you are that all girl clan, the blue and gold chicks. Uh, Wondercolts right?"
"Yep," Bladescape said with a nod as she crossed her arms.
"Say, why don't we hook up together for a bit and all grab dinner at a pub after. All of your guild."
"Including the two guys?" Backbreaker asked.
His reaction was priceless.
"Yeah, not subtle dude," Bladescape said with a chuckle. "And it's Fuurinkazan right? For your guild?"
"Yep! And I'm Klein," Klein said with a goofy look on his face and pointing to himself with his thumb. "The leader of this group of gentlemen."
“Bladescape. The leader of the Wondercolts."
"Man, we are happy you came along when you did,” Klein admitted. “We can't even get back to where we left off yesterday. These wolves are everywhere. They were not here the first few days, but now they are all through the labyrinth. Even the places we cleaned out."
"We missed clearing yesterday," Backbreaker said.
"Eh, it happens. But you guys are always out here, pounding away at the front lines."
"Same with you," Bladescape said. "I don't like being hit on, or my friends being hit on, but…" Bladescape pulled up her menu and extended a friend request to Klein. "Being friends with a strong guild like Fuurinkazan could be an advantage."
"Thanks," Klein said accepting the invitation.
Another pack of wolves came growling and snapping down the tunnel. They set their battle line to stretch across the tunnel so no wolves could get behind them or flank them.
The wolves stopped and formed their own line. They were foaming at the mouth, howling, and growling. They were being as intimidating as possible.
"Let's all move as one," Klein suggested.
On his count they advanced together. The wolves pulled back at the same pace.
"Well, I am out of ideas," Klein admitted as the battle stalled out immediately.
"Tanks advance with us flanking them," Bladescape said. "Standard formation."
They didn't get the chance to reorganize when two of them popped.
"Good girl Colorra," Doombunny said from behind them. She hadn't lined up with the others. She crouched down and the snake coiled up.
Doombunny was there, and then not. The two of them reappeared in a different spot, having slipped between their line. Two more wolves were gone. She did the same thing and they watched as she took the wolves out in pairs, just Colorra and her.
"Hey, you are that snake chick I've heard about," Klein said after the wolves were dead. "I didn't see you there when the others came up. Are you with them?"
It was a dumb question because Doombunny was wearing the same blue and gold light leather armor of the other Wondercolts.
"Mhm," Doombunny nodded in her usual soft voice. "I’m Doombunny and this is Colorra. I am a Wondercolt, from the very start of this game. I'm just really good at hiding."
"Let me guess," Backbreaker chuckled. "You just combined Hide with your attack and that is how you disappeared."
"I disappeared?" Doombunny asked, shocked. "Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I just went into attack mode. I hate killing them, but the wolves are rabid and they have to be put out of their misery."
"Animal lover I.R.L.," Bladescape explained. "Big time."
"Huh," was all Klein said.
They heard footsteps pounding away behind them and saw the rest of the Wondercolt running up.
"There you are," Thunderborne said. "We lost you guys for a while there."
"Sorry," Bladescape said. "More wolves."
"Figures," Diemond panted. "That's all that seems to be here. Pitiful XP and Col."
"Here," Klein said. "This is our map. I think it's more complete than yours. We owe you for the first assist."
Bladescape added the maps together. They had only mapped half of what Fuurinkazan had mapped.
"Yeah, thanks. We were way behind you. For now, since we are together, let's advance as one. Maybe you can earn that dinner between guilds. But not as a date."
"Yeah, yeah," Klein groaned. "I get it. But sticking together is the wisest option. We have no idea where the wolves are coming from and it's always packs of ten."
"Well," Knightstar began before hesitating. "We got a tip from a random NPC yesterday that indicated that the boss might keep and train wolves."
"You mean the boss is letting them loose!" Klein exclaimed. "Dang. That complicates things. Badly."
"The more we fight them, the more sure I am that the information is good," Knightstar said. "I will definitely be talking with Argo when we get back, but I can't contact her right now. So we should definitely stick together. I hope you guys have some anti poison remedies or crystals handy."
"A few," Klein replied. "Is their bite toxic?"
"They don't foam at the mouth for fun," Backbreaker said. "Lessa got bit yesterday. It was slow, but it was a DOT effect."
"I got bit again in our last battle with them," Lessa said, holding up her arm. It was reactionary. She was healed and didn’t need bandages. Her arm didn’t even show any damage to her arm or armor. "It's definitely slow but strong Damage Over Time. And it hurts."
"This game is getting insane," Klein mumbled. "And it already was insane."
They began to move out as one loose unit. Insane or not, they had no choice but to go forward. Back into battle, back into risking their lives, back into facing fear. If they didn't they couldn't regain all that had been ripped away from them I.R.L.. And yet, for the girls, they were Wondercolts. They had been in some tight spots I.R.L., but risking their life was something they hadn't actually faced. They had magic. They each knew that they had a duty to the players, just like they had a duty to CHS and their classmates. That meant being on the front lines no matter what because most of the players trapped were not capable of fighting for their lives in a death game. Fuurinkazan seemed to understand the risk of their lives was worth the reward of freeing everyone too.
Bladescape slipped slightly back to talk with Knightstar. "Doom is nailing it and her Hide ability made us lose track of her, even when we were watching her."
"Interesting," Knightstar said.
Bladescape slipped back up front, next to Klein as the two of them led the way for the two guilds. They rotated their fighters so that they were always as fresh as possible whenever they ran into a pack of wolves.
In a safe zone, they all took a well earned break and sat down for lunch. Each member of Fuurinkazan guild was salivating at the food AFCK had packed. It was leagues better than what they had brought, but then again, they didn't have an expert cook in their ranks.
"Don't worry," AFCK said with every ounce of her usual pep. "I brought you guys some."
"You brought extra!" Klein said starting to crawl over to them in anticipation of the tasty treats.
"No silly," AFCK laughed. "I didn't bring extras. That would be a waste. I brought you guys food."
"Wait, but we hadn't even officially met until today. We didn't know we would meet up with you today, or that we would team up."
"You didn't?" AFCK asked, confused.
"You did!” Klein exclaimed.
"Well duh, why else would I have packed this picnic basket for you six?"
Klein caught the basket of good smelling food and treats. Fuurinkazan forgot about everything else. All of the boys took a long sniff of the tantalizing food before they opened it and distributed it. They were like wild animals as they scarfed it down, except they were cleaner and relatively tidy.
Klein, their leader, was a curved sword wielding, self proclaimed, samurai. Dale was their pudgy member who fought with a two-handed great sword. Dynamm and Harry One were their Tanks, although Dynamm used a small shield. Issin and Kunimittz were the last two members, both wielding various two handed spears. They were a well rounded guild.
Bladescape chuckled as they laid down, enjoying the satisfaction in their bellies. Virtual bellies, but still satisfying. The Wondercolt were not as ravenous as the others, but they still ate quickly. They all were hungry after dealing with the wolves all morning long.
As Bladescape drank water and rested against the wall, she looked over her friends. Like Fuurinkazan across from them, they were a guild of good friends that had each others back. Like family. Unlike them, though, some of her friends had magic. She, Sunset, had magic and she had worn her necklace as she started this journey. That fact didn’t seem to mean much when you looked at how similar the two guilds were.
The other girls may not have realized it, but AFCK knowing Fuurinkazan was going to be there was not normal. It wasn’t normal in real life, where they just accepted it, and it was especially not normal for a game with strict parameters that were coded into how they could interact with the world. AFCK had used Pinkie Sense several times over the 11 months they had been trapped in here.
Then there was the matter of her Martial Arts Skill, which Pinkie Sense had driven them too. The skill was still stuck in there, an extra skill for her level. Like First Aid, it was there or not there, with no ability for her to actually max it out. She routinely used it to her own enjoyment in battle. There were some really devastating combination attacks she could do with her big axe and the martial arts skill.
Pinkie Pie’s cooking was maxed now as well. It had been easy for her to churn out XP on her own. Knightstar had been a big help for sure, but she still had churned it out faster than expected. Yes, she was obsessed with it, even during combat, but she had blasted that skill to max before she maxed any of her combat skills. They were well behind her cooking, but outside combat, all she did was bake and cook. The kitchen was her happiest place in the whole virtual world.
Then there was Doombunny, for whom the virtual butterflies and birds went out of the way to play with her whenever they were not in a dungeon. A player with a pet or familiar was called a Beast Tamer. They were rare but around. Most notably was Silica with her pet baby blue dragon, Pina. Bladescape had spied on her one evening to check them out after Colorra joined them. It seemed to be a very similar pairing with how each treated their creature and how the pet responded to them. Both of them rode on their master’s shoulder or torso. But Silica was naive and several years younger than Fluttershy. Fluttershy had faced multiple things in life Silica couldn’t even begin to imagine. Still, there was one thing that separated Doombunny and Silica. Doombunny had the Familiar Communication Skill locked in place and as an extra skill, where Silica had to choose it as a skill and have it take up a skill slot.
On top of that was Fluttershy’s ability to just hide. She had to be scared a lot of the time. It showed if you knew her, but only during their down times. In the field she was fine, but now she was disappearing before their eyes, and not just the Wondercolts’ eyes. If her Hide skill wasn’t maxed, it would soon be.
Rainbow Dash had maxed her Sprint and Agility skills quickly, but she still went out “training.” None of her combat skills were maxed yet though. She hadn’t gotten to be as good in combat as Lightning Flash, but she was faster than 90% of the front line players. Dash herself was agile and fast, and it was second nature to her, but Bladescape really wondered how much of that was adaptability, and how much was outside influence. If she wasn't fighting, she was doing Parkour or playing soccer with Poly Stitch. Rainbow Dash either was in denial, or had no understanding, of what being stuck in this game would do to her body. The latter was her guess and concern, because it meant a rude awakening.
Applejack was similar to the others. Except her's was the shield. Sunset was pretty sure that shield was just for her. More than what AJ understood. It was nearly indestructible and actually hadn’t required any maintenance. AJ wouldn’t let it be painted either, keeping it the same ugly iron color of the outside of Aincrad. She was becoming known as the Iron Bulwark for a reason. The only question with the shield was if AJ herself could hold up against the strike or not. Her Heavy Shield skill was already maxed. AJ was strong in real life, knew how to be strong in her mind, but was she really that overwhelmingly strong in the game just because of that? Sunset Shimmer had her doubts. Applejack would never admit it, citing her friends as her strength, but a good deal had to come from knowing that the Sweet Apple Acres had to go to on without her and that a day in here was a day she wasn't on the farm.
Rarity had mastered tailoring, light metal armor forging, and was well on her way to maxing out heavy metal armor forging. She was now doing it all with a speed that nearly rivaled her I.R.L.. Knightstar had calculated XP gained for crafting many items, but she was maxing at a rate few had been able to maintain, and a rate no front line should be able to keep up with. The player Ashley had beaten her to maxing Tailoring, but Ashley was only focusing on crafting and selling those wares. Sunset secretly thought her crafting levels had been rising on their own, trying to catch up to her real abilities. That could only be explained by Equestrian Magic seeping into the game through to them. However, whenever she wasn't fighting, she had her "idea dress" on and was crafting something. Rarity could, thankfully, pick up fashion I.R.L with relative ease.
Twilight Sparkle hadn’t show any abnormal game mechanics, but she would probably keep them secret if she did. She also understood the dangers of having abnormal skills or an unfair advantage in a death game. All she showed was her normal self, who could do complex calculations and algebra in her head, and that was a business that was doing well for her; making and selling guides, as well as personal consultations. Those were the best she could get to school, and missing school had to be mentally straining for her.
If Sunset thought about herself she was unsure. It was often difficult to see yourself properly. Her search skill had been maxed pretty quickly, which is why Fluttershy’s disappearance was odd. If both skills were maxed, they should cancel each other out.
There were two things Sunset always wondered about, but didn’t have the guts to ask anyone. The first was how far Search could go and how much could it actually do. She saw everything. She could see at night, in the dark, track players, and it wasn’t hard for her to detect monsters well outside her visual range. She could tell if a player was using hide, with the exception for Fluttershy.
The second question was how much Battle Regeneration’s max rate was. She never dipped into the red anymore during normal combat. The boss battles were different, but already she was getting more than enough points regenerated during normal combat.
Small magic boosts or not, this was a game of death. None of these things stopped them from dying. They were just as vulnerable as every other player, and if she died, no one was protecting her friends. If one of her friends died, that was it. There would be no way to wake up from this nightmare, ever. And Sunset Shimmer wasn’t going to let that happen.
Bladescape (SS): Lvl 55 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 49 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 50 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 53 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search
AFCK (PP): Lvl 49 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor
Diemond (R): Lvl 50 – Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 50 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing
Astro (PS): Lvl 50 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense
Kiefer: Lvl 46 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging
Lessa: Lvl 46 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing
Joltron: Lvl 47 – One handed Axe – Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging
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Having the Wondercolts team-up with Klein and his guild is awesome! It is a bit scary to think that the boss knows others know about its weakness and is sending wave after wave of enemies to kill them, but I wouldn’t put it past that to happen in SAO.
9983009
I know. The boss can't leave the chamber, but who is to say that he can't influence what is outside? Especially for a keeper of wolves. Hehehe.
How many chapters long will this story be?
9983016
I'm at 53 right now, with at least 5 more planned. So... 60? There is a group of 11 chapters I will release one a day for 11 days. but you guys will have plenty of time to enjoy this saga.
Well, of course, they turned down any of Klein's attempts at flirting but that's to be expected. That's got me thinking though, will interactions with Kirito be kept to a bare minimum in order to avoid any of the girls getting entangled in his ever-expanding harem? I'm half-joking but it's amazing how every arc seems to add a new girl for him to unintentionally charm.
I feel like it will either be AJ to next get a magic skill, or to throw Sunset for a loop, one of the not original Wondercolts, since they spend so much time around them.
9983117
Klein is a fun character. I think that at some point, I am going to need to run Kirito and the girls. Somehow. But its not planned right now. Although, I have one idea.
9983161
AJ has the shield, and many readers consider that a replacement for a "magic skill." As to the non-magic Wondercolts, only time will tell.
9983180
Alright. I was just thinking that AJ would get something to work with the shield, like a unique skill that made her unmovable while it's active. That way she wouldn't be pushed back while blocking.
Say, Will they witness Kirito's Dual Wielding? If yes then perhaps they saw it at the Fuel with Heathcliff.
When I think of AJ and her shield, I can't help but to think of an old joke from the original WoW Classic days before the first expansion released.
A player once opened a GM ticket to ask: "What happens when The Unstoppable Force hits The Immovable Object?":
The GM's reply?
"Chuck Norris Dies"
9983381
We know that the only ones present were Fuurinkazan, the army squad, and Asuna as Kirito unleashed them. But I was planning on them watching the duel. Otherwise, can you think of a logical way for them to find out before Floor 74? Lis is the only one I know who knew beforehand, cause he commissioned a sword from her.
9983462
That is pretty awesome. I wish there was a way for me to add that in. Lol
9983216
Ah. I see what you meant.
9983670
Yeah, and it's still a long way there.
Sorry Klein, but Sunset has too much class to date or allow any if her friends to date anyone named "BallsDeep69".
9984541
I had way to much fun introducing Klein. I have a lot of fun every time Klein is involved in the story.
9983670
So the ending will be the same? Why not change it around? Personally I find it hard to believe the Wondercolts with their magic fully integrated in the game would still be lesser enough for in the end nothing to change.
Not to mention it feels empty in a story. But then again maybe not, we're still in episode 18 of 60ish after all
9984684
You are not the first one to ask that. Yes, this tail is a journey story. It's about the Wondercolts of SAO. There is a lot of fun, drama, and adventure to be had in 2 years of Aincrad. And most of it is unwritten or skipped over in the original cannon. I get to fell in the gaps with the Wondercolts and that is a better tale that if I eliminated the other main players and tried to take them all the way to Floor 100 on some other path. Who would get Duel Blades? None of the Wondercolts I have written would,and I wrote them how I saw them taking up weapons, not because they could not have "duel blades" as a unique skill.
Like you said, you guys just got episode 18 of about 60. This is going to be a fun saga. I can't wait for you guys to get to episode 23! Or 19! Or 28, 36, 49, 51, or 52! Those are just some of my favorite ones I want you guys to read. They just are not ready yet. I'm still editing the later chapters.
And an important question that still isn't answered: how much magic do the really have? Any? Some oddities, but those could be bugs in the system. Most of the Main 7 haven't shown any magic. And even if they have it, none of it is direct, "blast them with rainbow lasers" magic. Does it really effect what they do in game? Or change how they play? Can it actually save them?
No amount of Equestrian Magic can save them.
9984844
Of course they do. You're not a shitty enough writer to hang all those guns you bought from Chekhov all over the place and then not do anything with them.
9984849
Thank you for the compliment. But the question still stands. You guys are only on Episode 18. I forget where some info is dropped at times. But still, how much magic do they have? And how? And why? As is why is it able to get in or be in or however it works.
The reason why I love SAO is that is makes sense. So many Anime shows are just a bunch of power ups and extremely overused Deus Ex Machina to keep the main character able to overcome the next odd that is somehow, once again, stronger than he is.
SAO is built off the Cardinal System. A game engine. It's all code. Every Skill, every stay, it all follows the game code. Magic isn't a part of SAO from the start, so the code would not recognize it. So? How would it even work?
this series is awesome I love SAO and MLP: EG
9984991
Glad you like it!
Ok, I kind of thought this earlier when I was reading this, but now I'm fairly certain it's going to happen. Sunset's gonna be killed... and simultaneously unlock some kind of "Phoenix" skill that lets her revive herself from death. Maybe even a skill that lets her prevent other players from dying as well with the healing factor from phoenix tears that could also be applied as well.
9985723
Interesting idea. You will have to wait and see.
9985723
That is a really good idea. I'm surprised I didn't figure that out myself
9984879
The magic is sentient, and is trying to follow them. Duh
10083454
I read this in Pinkie Pie's voice because of your avatar. lol.
On point, it can follow them to the hospital, but then they are just laying there. Now what?
Glad to see they've made friends with Klein's guild!
Who's Ashley?
hadn't shown*
Let's hope so.