Episode 53 - Necromancer Falling
Floor 59
April 24 – Year 2 - 5 P.M.
All current Wondercolts were at the meeting. Argo was insisting they all were there, although she didn't know about Knightstar. However, after working on the quest with them and receiving their markings, it made sense.
They were the first to arrive and they were looking spectacular in their uniformed equipment. Argo was in the darkest corner of the room, staying silent. Bladescape wasn't sure if she noticed the lack of Knightstar. The KOB arrived soon after, but Argo stayed in her corner. Bladescape nodded to acknowledge Second in Command Lightning Flash Asuna and Commander Heathcliff.
Bladescape smiled as Fuurinkazan came in, but it dropped as the DDA came in right behind them. Agil and other clans arrived. About 700 players were on the front line, but not many did the boss fights. There were always 20-30 players from non-boss guilds trying to get in the raid. Some came alone, others in pairs or small groups.
"Argo," Asuna said, getting things started. "You were vague in your guide. And you are here in person. The Wondercolts scouted the boss, but were driven back out immediately by three massive skeletons. The Knights of the Bloodoath made our own scouting attempt this morning and met the same fate. What else do you have for us."
Argo nodded as she walked out of the corner to the center of the room where everyone could see her. "There was some particular trouble on this Floor. I had help from the Wondercolts dealing with a difficult quest. After that, there was a particular... issue acquiring the rest of the data. We won't have that problem from here on out."
"What exactly happened?" Asuna asked. "We only heard that the Info Broker Iliad was blacklisted and taught a lesson after selling bad info."
"Second-in-command,” Bladescape said, stepping forward to the table. "May I say something?" Asuna nodded. “The quest we aided her on was directly related to the boss. At least, I don’t see any counter signals from Argo that we were wrong. So, if there was a problem with the other quests, then they had to be dealing with the boss. And if he got in between Argo and boss info, and well, honestly, us and boss info, well, screw him then.”
Asuna nodded, accepting it.
"I can't tell you much," Argo shrugged. "I dealt with Iliad for his crimes against us. Done and done... As to the boss, Bladescape is right, the Wondercolts know pretty much all I do, and they can add anything they have deduced. So, what I know is this. Those catacombs you guys have been raking through are key. The main info quests which were connected to the Floor were all about a Necromancer. I see a battle full of Skeletons, Shadows, Wraiths, all led by that Necromancer. That is who we have to deal with. I wasn't able to track, kill, or affirm his death. In the one quest with him I got to do, the Wondercolts and I did get to him, but he teleported out before we could kill him."
"So that's it?" Asuna huffed.
"That's it," Argo admitted. "Bladescape?"
Bladescape looked at Astro. Astro shrugged but approached the table. "First off, I was there for our scouting run. I really don’t believe those Skeletons are the boss. I believe it is the Necromancer and when we go in, that is the real fight."
Asuna nodded. "So go in heavy with tanks and lancers, force the giant skeletons back to get teams around to strike them from the back."
"No," Astro said, shocking them all. "I don't think we have to worry about them. The necromancer we faced was too smart. The big ones are a farce. We won't see them when a real team attacks. They are guards designed to keep scouting parties out. We had 9, how many did you bring in? 12?"
"12," Asuna nodded. "But, we have never seen anything like that before. I doubt it is a farce."
Astro shrugged. "At least let me tell you what we saw with the Necromancer and know. What we saw was him raising an army of normal skeletons. They were about the same level as the ones in the Catacombs, not the bigger mid-level bosses, the normal ones. The Necromancer is weak to poison and has a low HP bar, but that might have changed for the boss battle. He can open portals and move between points. He opened a portal and ordered a group of skeletons through them to our other party. He escaped through his own portal after we dropped his HP.
"I want this to be very clear. It wasn't an easy fight. However, we had an advantage or two we won't ever have in the boss room. And from the layout we saw, it will be the opposite. We had a height advantage to see him clearly, he will be elevated on that platform on the far side of the room. Along with our height advantage we had a range advantage via throwing picks. He was raising those skeletons in groups of 20. About one group every 4 seconds. We will have a huge fight on our hands as he keeps the waves coming.
"He won't have time to raise big skeletons. At least not regularly. We need to keep the pressure up. 5 skeletons a second is the rate we have to counter. I bet 30 seconds to raise a big one. if we even face one. Using my knowledge of similar quests from a variety of other games, he is going to be easy to kill, but getting to him will be the hard thing. I expect a long fight and believe we need to be ready to deal with a significant number of waves of enemies. We need to be focused on endurance, with a team specially designed to kill him."
"The Wondercolts need to all come," Argo added. "The quest we completed, the first of the four, the old man used some of his magic knowledge to give us an advantage boost against the Necromancer's forces."
"You got a stats boost from a quest?" Kirito asked from where he was in the crowd. He was weary of the information's truth.
"We did," Argo confirmed. "It made fighting the shadows specifically much easier. Way easier to see at the very least. See, track, and therefore kill. What took you guys days, we had in minutes."
"Fine," Asuna conceded. "Two squads for the Wondercolts. But their skills better be worth it. And you will need to fill that sixth slot with another player."
"Three slots," Bladescape said. "Doombunny did her part on Floor 39, taking down Serigatal The Wolf Master. She doesn't want in here, and I respect that. We will need three players. Unless Argo wants to join us."
Argo just quietly shook her head no. But her eyes were piercing as she tried to figure out what was happening inside the Wondercolts. Asuna and Kirito were trying to figure it out too. Bladescape saw Klein quietly counting the Wondercolts he could see from his angle in the room.
Bladescape felt her legs get squeezed and then that rope slide up her body. As she looked down she saw the ripple of color and then felt a lot of weight transfer to her shoulders. Colorra's head was floating in front of her. It nodded three times. Colorra was in, which meant Doombunny was in.
"I amend that," Bladescape said, stroking Colorras' oddly smooth head. "We have only two slots open. We have 10 available Wondercolts for this raid and we will gladly lead the fight and bring in two contingent Wondercolts."
Asuna nodded her head slowly, still not sure what was going on. "Then if we are facing waves of enemies, we need shield users and damage dealers," Asuna declared.
Asuna began to lay out the plan. They would not be able to slip through an army, so they would be putting up a big front. Kirito was put with Agil who was, as usual, running a non-guild squad. Besides those two, the rest used Shields. Fuurinkazan scored a slot and so did the DDA. As usual, the KOB had two Squads. Almost all KOB soldiers would be using shields.
Bladescape personally picked the two players she wanted for the Wondercolts. She needed two shields. Riklored was a lancer with a medium sized shield and short spear. Astro used a spear, but she wasn't a lancer since she lacked the shield. She used a two-handed long spear which was different from the one-handed spears lancers paired with their shields. Lancers usually played a key role against most bosses, but the reach of a two-handed spear was critical in many others.
The other chosen was a girl named Lobelia. She was a captivating, picturesque Japanese lady in her mid-20s. She wore her hair up and was famous for her white Tsunokakushi headpiece, a traditional bridal head covering in Japan. She was open about why she wore it. She was engaged, a week away from her wedding when she was caught in this game. But she wasn't giving up on being a bride. And she was famous for it and for leading a guild of clearers known as the Geigi Clan. They were another girl clan, but their numbers had added a few males. Lobelia was the only one of her guild who would go to Floor Boss meetings and try to score a slot.
When the meeting was over, the two of them went over to the Wondercolts. Lobelia bowed in the traditional form for greeting, which Sunset returned. As calm and peaceful as she looked as the bride-to-be she was, under it was a skilled warrior with her sword and shield. Her calm, skilled ability with a blade had always impressed Bladescape. She was also a player who would not hesitate to come to your rescue as she coldly destroyed the enemy without conscious.
"Thank you for having me," Lobelia said.
"Yeah," Riklored added with a nervous grin. "It has been a few Floors since I got in."
"I remember a skilled lancer," Bladescape said. "And a beautifully deadly warrior. That is why I picked you two. Not by how often I see you in the Boss Raids, but how well you performed in the ones I saw you in. I chose you because of what you could add to our squads."
"Thank you for the kind words," Lobelia said with a bow.
"It is an honor to have you," Bladescape added, matching the woman's bow again. "But let's not talk here. Our headquarters are more comfortable and I am sure AFCK can whip something up for dinner."
"Eh," AFCK shrugged. "I guess."
"Don't mind her," Backbreaker said. "She's distracted."
"I will need to tell my guild I will be joining you," Lobelia replied. "They are outside, waiting to hear if I was granted a spot."
Bladescape grinned. "I would say after you, but I know you would only wait for us to go. So, let us depart."
All of Geigi was outside waiting. They had over 40 members. They too, were in very traditional Japanese attire, but with a mix of Japanese Samurai feel that showed how powerful they each were under it. Their entire guild was about the "art of being a person", but with a deadly edge. It was based in the traditions of formal Geisha in Japan, and the rich history of their artisan lifestyle. Taikomochi was the male equivalent.
Lobelia bowed quickly and then addressed her guild. "I will not be home until later. I have been assigned to a squad with the Wondercolts and will be in tomorrow's boss battle by their side. We will be discussing our squad's strategy at their headquarters. I will keep you informed as soon as I know more."
They all bowed back to their leader and then she was ready to join them.
"I wish my guild cared more than just me sending them a quick message," Riklored said. "As formal as you all are, at least they do care."
"I am sorry that your friends do not support you in this endeavor," Lobelia replied. "While not all are suited for a Boss Raid, it is sad to hear that they do not give their support to you joining. At least, not to the level you wish."
"Are you guys always that uptight?" Riklored dared to asked. "And polite. Quiet. I mean-"
Lobelia giggled. "We can be quite the rowdy crowd. We have an image we have crafted and must display. But back home, we can be just as rowdy as you. We enjoy our time alone, relaxing."
"Image is important," Bladescape said. "We had to make sure we crafted ours right."
"We don't wear anything as regal and beautiful as you though," Diemond added. "It is just fascinating. Beautiful. Perfect each and every one of you."
"Thank you," Lobelia said. "But do not discount your own work. I know you made almost all of your gear. And several of our members bought some things at your sale. Your clothes are exquisite."
"They bought my clothes?" Diemond squeaked.
"Of course," Lobelia said with a pretty grin that was deceptively sly. "We do not always wear these garments. And without the makeup and clothes, no one recognizes us. Going unseen can have its benefits."
They teleported to Mishe. Inside their headquarters, AFCK and Joltron went to get dinner started while Kiefer and Lessa grabbed them all drinks and light snacks. The guests got a quick tour of their Headquarters and then settled down on the second floor where they had the furniture.
As Bladescape sat down, a notification for a visitor popped up. Bladescape went down to check on it. She found Argo sitting on the couch in the front visitor room. Argo's pulled back hood and blank face said enough. Bladescape sat down across from her.
"Knightstar?" Argo asked. "I noticed she wasn't with you, but then you said three before Colorra literally climbed onto your shoulders. Something is up, and it isn't a good up."
Bladescape sighed. "I trust you. We have a rapport. I need you to keep things quiet." Argo nodded in agreement and Bladescape continued. "There was an argument several days ago. I came in halfway through it. Doombunny broke a rule and the two of them got into it. I didn't handle it well, and Backbreaker didn't either. Knightstar has backed out and away from her friends. She is in a dangerous head space and has put up walls. And literal ones by starting her own bookstore that sells her guides. I had no idea how much she has written down and compiled."
"Where?" Argo innocently asked.
"Algade," Bladescape replied. "The Guiding Star: Game Guides and Level Counseling. But don't screw with her mind. She is still my friend. In real life, and in game. Even if she has forgotten that for a bit and removed herself from the guild."
"I promise," Argo said. "She is a Wondercolt. You are lacking without her. Not that you can't handle yourself."
"I get it," Bladescape said standing up. "But we are lacking without her."
"Wait," Argo said, still sitting there. "We see where Knightstar went when she cracked. Doom has Colorra, Diemond has her clothes, AFCK has baking, Thunder and Astro have soccer, Kiefer, Lessa, and Joltron are all crafters as well, and Backbreaker has, if I remember correctly, fishing. What of you?"
"I'm fine," Bladescape assured Argo.
"Bladescape, I am serious about this,” Argo pressed with a caring tone very unlike her. “More and more players are leaving the front lines because they are exhausted. They are used to living in here and have less to fight for. The Wondercolts have something to fight for. Something inside you. But you can crack. Your fight shows that. You said both you and Backbreaker failed to respond appropriately to Knightstar. I know it wasn't intentional. I assume Backbreaker left and you took the opposite stance as Knightstar."
"And then left," Bladescape added.
"How do you relax?" Argo pressed. "What is your escape from this reality? I have mine. And you?"
Bladescape looked Argo dead in the eyes. "My escape is knowing there is no escape until we beat this game. If I am not fighting, I am either sleeping or preparing to fight. If I am not clearing, I am training. That is my life and roll in here."
"Everyone snaps," Argo shot back, not breaking eye contact. "Make sure you have something to fall back on where your friends don't have to worry about you. Knightstar didn't, and that got her to leave and make a bookstore. Knowing a piece of what she had, I can only imagine how much material she had to immediately publish and sell. But that is beside the point. You need a safety net."
"She had way more than I realized," Bladescape admitted. "And that might have contributed to her break. She probably over stressed over it, breaking everything down to numbers and equations."
"You are avoiding the question," Argo pressed. "Just don't lose yourself trying to save yourself. It never ends well. Especially in the stakes we have going on. Know how to live in this world, so you can make it to the end. We are 18 months in, and not even through 60% of the game."
"I'll look into it," Bladescape said. She began to open the door to head upstairs but stopped and sighed. "In all honesty, I have no idea what that would be. It has eluded me. At times, I feel like a hand is pushing me forward and I have no option but to go with it, and make sure my friends don't get left behind."
"Do you really think you can be the strongest player?" Argo asked.
"Maybe," Bladescape stated with a sly grin. "Unfortunately, the balancing system of this game is very well done. The one who is the strongest one day, might not be the next. But I intend to be a top contender."
"And the top contenders are?" Argo asked, intrigued at the idea she was hearing.
"Heathcliff, Asuna, Kirito, and me. Klein and Agil can't be discounted. As good as Backbreaker is, she is too stagnant with her giant shield and she knows it. But she is exactly what we need in our raids, a cornerstone to build our attack off of. Doombunny is getting up there too though. But she isn't strong willed unless she gets backed into a deep corner. Her only edge is poison, which is a fair and legal skill. Yamato is a contender, but not a concerning one. Doombunny took him out of the race. Schmitt, too, is one to watch.
"But definitely, Kirito, Heathcliff, Asuna, and I are the top 4 players. No one else is at our level, mentally speaking. And mentality is the game. Thankfully the competition isn't between us, but against the system."
"You have given me some things to think on," Argo admitted. "But you also have some things to think on. Your pedestal is at the proper height, but all four of you are on flimsier pedestals than you realize."
Bladescape nodded and Argo stood up to leave. Bladescape entered the guild meeting hall and looked at the nearly empty table at the center. Only two of those chairs had occupants at the moment. She wasn't worried about politics within the guild, but Backbreaker had run out of steam and walked out. She too had left when things got hard, leaving it all to fall apart around Knightstar.
They needed their friend back. Operation Midnight Redemption would begin once they finished the Boss Battle. And then she would try and figure out what she would do for her next level. Bladescape was literally 1 XP from gaining Level 80. She was going to save it for the boss battle. Then she would figure out what to do for her skill. A fun skill. Whatever that meant.
Bladescape joined them back upstairs. AFCK was almost done cooking, but she was up there socializing while she waited for a few things to finish. Joltron was more than capable of taking care of it.
"Parties," Bladescape said, capitalizing on the momentary break in their attention as she arrived. "Backbreaker, Astro, AFCK, Doombunny, and Lobelia, with me. Kiefer will lead Thunderborne, Lessa, Joltron, Diemond, and Riklored. Sorry Astro and Thunder, I need Doom with me and I need Astro's spear."
"That leaves us a bit light on the shields," Astro pointed out before she took a sip of fruit infused water.
"We will have the far-right flank," Bladescape replied. "I put us there for a reason and that is why I need Doombunny. I want to have a team that can try and slide past the skeletons to get at the Necromancer himself. If we can get even a single one of my throwing picks to land, he will be severely damaged. The Hail Mary of the plan is Doombunny running it solo, capitalizing on her Hide Skill. But part of me believes that he will have a counter to that and know where she is."
"Oh dear," Doombunny sweetly replied. "I have had enough of boss raids. Colorra is going so I have to go. I am not Thunder or BB. It wouldn't take much for several skeletons to overtake me. Even with Fighting Spirit, I am good for support, not assault."
"That is why you are with me," Bladescape said. "I don't want to put you in a place that you don't want to go, but Colorra knows your fighting ability best. I seriously think you have this. I was speed hunting with you the other day. You are leagues better than you believe.
"Anyway, that is why we are going to be a shield low. I need you guys to hammer away at them, and press them as hard as possible, while we will play the flank and try and use the wall as protection as we cut our way to him. If we kill him, it shouldn't be hard to kill his hoard."
"And if the enemy comes out of walls like the shadows in the lower catacombs?" Kiefer asked.
"Then we will adjust," Bladescape said. "BB can work with two of us at once. And I have no doubt in Astro's ability to pair up well with anyone. Fallback plan is for Astro and Lobelia to team. AFCK and Doombunny will be a team. I need as much chaos as possible for this scalpel to be able to survive being blindsided.
"One last thing before dinner. If things change and we have to fall back, be ready to switch up parties. Lobelia and Riklored, you don't know us well, so we won't require you to jump around."
"I believe we can handle an adjustment as well as you can," Lobelia said. "I believe your plan is well laid out as well, and that we won't be forced to change. It is good to have a contingency plan though."
They moved everything to the dining room when Joltron notified them that Dinner was ready. Everything flowed smoothly. They were having fun. There was something lacking because Knightstar wasn't with them, but she wasn't the most talkative at these types of functions.
It was decided that Lobelia and Riklored would stay the night. Lobelia was given Room 12. Riklored took up residence in an extra bed on the fifth floor. At this point, despite being empty of everything but the basic furniture, they were not letting anyone take Room 2. They would hold out for Knightstar.
"May I ask a personal question?" Lobelia asked as Bladescape bid her goodnight and had begun to walk away.
"Yes," Bladescape said.
"You have a lot of beds on the 5th floor. Why?"
Bladescape sighed and let out a chuckle. "Long story short, to provide a place for friends to crash. But the idea of a guild expansion hasn't been ignored. We haven't talked about it seriously in a while. It would take the right player, or players, for us to extend an invitation."
"Understood," Lobelia said with a bow. "Thank you for the explanation."
The morning brought a big breakfast of a dozen different types of foods. AFCK and Joltron had gotten up a little early and gone overboard for their guests. The work was very well appreciated. Thunderborne and Astro were not even able to finish the leftovers after their second helping.
"I feel good," Riklored said. "I haven't felt this good about a Boss Battle in ever."
"That is the Wondercolt guarantee," Kiefer stated with a grin.
"It is unique and wonderful," Lobelia added.
Astro and Thunderborne played their teleport game to Bladescape's amusement. They hadn't for the past few days. It was good to see things returning to some sense of normal. As normal as this death game would allow.
They were not the first there. Agil walked over to them when he saw them arrive. He smiled at his friends "I never thought I would see the day when you all went into battle as a guild."
Thunderborne was blunt with her forwardness. "That would depend on which Wondercolts you are thinking of. Old or New. Knightstar is on break. We are short one."
"Wait," Agil said, counting. "What happened to her?"
"Guild argument," Bladescape said, trying to do damage control. "I have faith that our friend will be back once she gets the break she deserves."
"Oh man, that is unlike you guys," Agil said, very concerned. "I am sure you will work it out. If any guild will, it is the Wondercolts."
"Thanks," Bladescape said. "We think so too."
Diemond began to chastise Thunderborne but Backbreaker and Bladescape immediately put a stop to it. Things were tense enough as it was. They didn't need anyone picking at the others.
The rest of the raid party arrived and they moved out to the Labyrinth. The Catacombs seemed colder than they had before. Other than that, it was an uneventful trip to the Boss Chamber.
Groups A, B, C, and D prepared for their entry as the forward shields. The Wondercolts, Groups C and D, slowly entered the boss chamber, tanks and shields clearly in the lead as they fanned out to the right. The three skeletons were standing still at the far end of the room, in front of the vaulted platform. As soon as the last raider entered, the wall opened up with a portal and the Necromancer walked through onto the platform on the far side. Three health bars were above his head.
"Welcome!" He called out. "To my world!" He let out a long, maniacal laugh. It stopped suddenly. "You may think you have the advantage, but it is still my scale and you only have weapons of steel to grasp. I have magic! I can conjure the dead. You only killed one of my loyal apprentices, but there are still three."
"Told you," Thunderborne said, loud enough for all of the raiders to hear.
"Yes, you killed him." He said pointing at Thunderborne. "You are such a clever player. And you also kept me from getting to his body to resurrect him. But you won't get to me as easily as you did last time. I also see that you replaced two of your party members. A pity they couldn't be here to enjoy this. I wish I could change that."
For a moment, Bladescape was convinced he was going to summon them with his magic. Instead, the three giant skeletons shifted and transformed into human figures and all three were dressed in the same robes the other apprentice had been. Each of them had three health bars.
"Ah yes, meet my apprentices, formally of course. Plenty of you tried to get in the other day, but I was not ready for you. Now I am. And so are they."
Fuurinkazan charged out across the open space. They were followed by two other squads. The necromancer apprentices began to chant while the head necromancer laughed.
"Hold!" Bladescape ordered her parties. "This is too simple."
The charging groups hit something at the halfway mark and were shot back across the hall like they had been zapped by lighting. Klein was smoking a bit from the charred places on his armor.
The Necromancer stopped laughing and the chanting stopped. In between them a group of NPCs crawled out of the ground. They were all in different armor with different weapons and shields. Some looked like they were brand new to the game, others looked like hardened warriors with advanced gear. Red Icons popped up above them.
And that was when Bladescape saw it and her heart stopped beating. "Daivel" popped up above the character directly across from her. Blue colors, a basic short sword and small shield with a blue sword on it. Bladescape knew the name. Every Assault Team member knew his name and description. Daivel was the one who organized the first boss raid. And he was the only casualty.
Other names were popping up in her vision: Keita, Sachi, Tetsuoi, Sasamaru, Ducker, Yuna, Griselda, Kains, Kora, and Coper joined him. And those were just the immediate ones on their right flank. All across the room the Necromancer Apprentices were raising the dead. The dead players from this game.
The game had already stooped so low, so far against them, and now it had dug deep to shove the ones they watched die in their face and make them kill them over again. The necromancers had over 3000 players to raise.
"HEY!" Bladescape yelled out to the Necromancer so all could hear. "I see your trick. I also know you felt the sting of my bite when we last saw you. You remember who we are. You are smart, I'll give you that. We came, ready for waves of enemies. I admit, we didn't expect names and faces. But there is something you don't know about this game that we know. The dead are dead. It's not going to be easy to kill our friends, but we will. You can't stop us from reaching the Ruby Palace and beating this game. We will free ourselves, just like each player whose likeness you raised would want us to.
"It is not a weakness to mourn their passing. It is not a weakness to hesitate to lift our weapons against the image of the ones we fought beside. We are here before you because we know the truth of what happens when we die. And for that, you miscalculated our determination. Ranks of skeletons would have been a safer play."
His laughter was jolly as he reveled in her statement. It didn't matter what he thought. He was a program. What mattered was Bladescape had just helped the raiding party gird their loins for a mentally painful fight.
"I didn't miscalculate!" The Head Necromancers declared. "I improvised. After you almost killed me, I learned there was more outside what was my whole world, Floor 59 as you call it. I went and read your monument of life. I checked to see what was going on outside this Floor. I even visited that ruby palace and walked its empty halls. After all that research, I decided that the absolute best way for this fight to happen was to skip the skeletons and raise your friends instead!"
"WONDERCOLTS!" Bladescape yelled. "EXECUTE ORDER OMEGA!"
All of the Wondercolts pulled out the strongest poison they had and applied it to their weapons. Bladescape pulled two more out and held them out to Lobelia and Riklored. They were in their party, making them honorary Wondercolts, and it would be best if they had poison as well.
Bladescape made a quick explanation. "Doombunny is a poison master because her snake is venomous. These will last a good fifteen minutes on your blades. Any of the Wondercolts can give you more. Against live targets like this... well it's the best bet we have."
Lobelia took one with a strong nod of understanding. She quickly applied it. Riklored was a lot slower. The war cries of the dead players hastened his application.
"WONDERCOLTS!" Bladescape yelled again, but this time with Harmonic Salvation reaching towards the ceiling high above them. She slashed the blade down to point at the charging dead players. "TO VICTORY!"
"FOR FRIENDSHIP!" Doombunny screamed.
Bladescape was the first to charge out as all twelve of them yelled "For Friendship!"
Daivel was the one who had come up straight across from her. The Necromancer Apprentices were chanting as they worked to raise more dead players. The Assault Team’s initial plan was still the goal and so was Bladescape’s: use the wall to slide around and strike at the Necromancers.
Harmonic Salvation glowed dark red and Bladescape unleashed it on Daivel. He took each strike on his shield with ease, only losing a few bits of HP. He countered as Bladescape faltered from the realization that even this low-level player could resist her. This was going to be harder than just killing waves.
Daivel's sword glowed as he took advantage of her slight delay. It swung straight at her head, faster than she could predict. With a clang it was halted an inch from her forehead. Doombunny was in front of her, parrying dagger holding the blade at bay. Colorra was happily riding on Doombunny's shoulders.
Bladescape skipped back and out of the way so she could allow him to finish the cut. It put him in a slight delay and it left Doombunny's parrying dagger forward with his chest almost touching the blade, the exact setup she needed to drive home the parrying dagger. The system automatically triggered it, driving the dagger to the hilt with the simple weight transfer stab. His name and HP bar dropped a bit, but it got the addition of a lightning bolt. He was paralyzed. It was the exact reason why Doombunny kept it poisoned as such.
Colorra lunged at his exposed neck. For the most part, the snake was calm in battle. Biting to leave her poison and then darting away. Instead, it slid off of Doombunny's shoulders with its powerful muscles supporting itself as it wrapped about Daivel and began to choke and squeeze him to death like a classic constrictor before it swallowed its prey. It was terrifying to watch the snake, that they were all so comfortable living with, act like such an animal.
Bladescape was brought back to reality as the flash of a blade sliced through the air at her. She pulled Harmonic Salvation up in time to block, but it left her with no follow up. She let the dead player strike again. This time she pulled off a great counter with Weapon Defense and then followed up with a well timed stab. It went clean through his chest and his health bar lowered from green to yellow, then red, and then gone.
He burst into polygons. But he was replaced with more raised players by the Necromancer Apprentices. They had been prepared for waves after waves of enemies, but this battle was not simple enemies. These players were using complex Sword Skills. Exactly like they had when they fought and died. Their HP had been boosted as well. And with them wearing the same kinds of armor the live players in the Boss Raid were using, it was difficult to tell who was who. The only difference was the red cursor above the dead's heads versus their green ones. A very hard distinction in the sea of players that they were now in.
Bladescape linked back up with her party. She had been separated too far from them. With Backbreaker as their pillar of strength they maneuvered to the wall and pushed through the hoard. Astro and Lobelia were on point. Bladescape had the rear protecting them from getting around Backbreaker. AFCK was swinging away in the center while Doombunny was jumping in and out, dealing her paralyzer or poison damage. She was switching knives to best match what they needed as they moved forward.
It ended as a team of four lancers put themselves together along the wall, stopping them. Doombunny dashed around with her paralyzing knife. It gave them the chance to reorganize so that Backbreaker and Astro were at the front. Colorra slipping between their shields and legs to do her job.
Bladescape, AFCK, and Lobelia were slaughtering the paralyzed enemies around them. They couldn't waste that opportunity. A good lunge was all they needed from the swords. Especially with the poison added on top.
Bladescape froze as she was about to run a paralyzed target through. It was a young girl identified as "Yuuna." She wore a blue accented white cloak, backed by a royal blue dress under it. On her head had been a fancy hat that even had a plume. In her hand was a simple dagger, but she also had a Lute by her side. She looked like a medieval poet. A young medieval poet who had no business losing her childhood and naivety in this death game.
Bladescape steeled her heart. She had heard, earlier on, of a singer with a cult following in the game named Yuuna. Her disappearance was now evident. Bladescape put her to rest by plunging Harmonic Salvation through her heart while cursing Akihiko Kayaba for this torturous game.
From outside the paralyzed circle, a young woman charged. She wore blue armor backed with a lighter blue dress and knee length short skirt that had her legs exposed for a bit before her boots once again visually protected her. In her hands was a two-handed spear and she was charging with it. But there was a hesitation behind it, like she didn't want to fight. Her name read "Sachi" and with it came a guild tag: a blue background with a yellow crescent moon, and a black swirl like a cat sitting on the moon.
Bladescape stepped to the side and she used Weapon Defense to deflect the spear. With that move executed she stepped into the thrust and drove Harmonic Salvation straight through Dead Sachi's chest. Bladescape held her in tight as the system recognized the hit and drained her HP bar at the fastest rate possible. The poison icon just barely registered on her HP gauge before Bladescape was holding nothing but glittering air.
Bladescape heard a scream as she was charged by a guy in heavy armor backed by purple clothes. He was swinging a square mace that was glowing blue. His shield was small for a tank, but he was acting like one. Below his red icon was the name Tetsuo and it had the same guild tag.
Bladescape blocked the heavy mace. He popped without her retaliation and Bladescape was looking at a pretty, but deadly, Lobelia, who had slashed him through the back with her blade. She blocked another incoming enemy and Bladescape protected her back.
"How are you doing?" Bladescape asked Lobelia as she blocked a jab from a dead player named "Kains."
"This is darker than I have even dared to think it could go. But I am fine. Enough that is. We can handle it after we survive."
"Agreed," Bladescape said as she killed Kains. "This is easier than I first expected. Some are good, others not as much. I think it depends on how long they played and how well they fought."
"I concur," Lobelia replied, killing her target. "Even with boosted HP, it is easier than feared."
Cloaked in orange and wielding a curved blade, "Ducker," tried his luck against Bladescape. He too bore that moon clan's mark. It was a far reach for a character at his level against Bladescape at Level 79. He died without ceremony.
WHACK!
Bladescape's shoulder felt an impact as a staff landed on it. However, her dagannoth hide armor soaked up almost all the damage. On the other side of the staff was a red cursor, "Keita," from the same clan. The staff was a useless weapon and he had just proven why. Any decent armor stopped it. Bladescape swung, activating Avalanche and she brought the swing down with all she had. The staff was held up to stop it but Harmonic Salvation was better than such a pitiful weapon and the blade shattered it. The blade continued down, chunking its way through his shoulder into his chest.
As he took poison damage and his health bar slid down, Kirito slid up to them. His face was white and he stuttered as he watched Keita take the damage and then disappear in colorful polygons. He clutched his sword tighter in his shaking hands.
"How," He growled. "How?"
Kirito shivered from watching Keita pop. He turned to snap at her and almost raised his blade at her but Bladescape shot it down. She started with a soft slap across his pained face to help him focus. He was shocked and raised his blade again.
"FOOL!" Bladescape yelled. It was enough to cause him to pause his blade's rise. "I get it," Bladescape continued as she shifted and blocked Kirito from a spear being stabbed through him. "But they are not those players." She was softer as she continued. "Once you die you die. We all are seeing players we knew."
Kirito was not staring at her, but at the spearman who had almost run him through. Metal armor with shoulder pauldron backed by green. Under his green cap was brown, curly hair. He was identified as Sasamaru. He too had that same moon guild tag. He didn't last as Lobelia sliced his head off before Sasamaru could do anything else.
"GO!" Lobelia ordered Kirito. "A player like yourself knows how to keep it together. And he knows how to fight where he is assigned because the living need his presence to make sure they live."
Kirito's face was the very epitome of a perfect balance of pain and anger. His sword almost slipped from his fingers, but he rallied and gripped it tightly. He yelled in rage as he charged off to the other side of the room where he was supposed to be. He savagely cut down a dead player in his way, being back to his normal boss raiding self.
Lobelia and Bladescape nodded at each other in understanding. They knew they had just killed good friends of his. It was a tough reality, even knowing they were nothing more than coded monsters to look like their players they knew. They were nothing more than the skeletons they had expected, except they had faces and names.
They were further away from the others in Party C as the hoard continued its assault. They chose to fall back to group D. Two red cursored resurrected players stood in their way. A teenage male with starter gear named Coper, and a young woman, a straight standing strong swordswoman in green backed armor with a brown cloak around her shoulders. Her name was Griselda and she had a gold apple guild tag by her name.
Coper was matched with Lobelia as the four of them charged at each other. She killed him with ease. Bladescape was trying to match strengths against Griselda's sword. She was deceptively strong, especially for a one-handed longsword. Her brown haired head rolled as Lobelia cut it off when the dead player was distracted trying to match herself against Bladescape.
"You are a good partner," Bladescape said as they dashed to Group D.
Behind Group D's shields they were briefly safe. Both downed health potions in their momentary lull.
"I do my best," Lobelia replied, smiling from the thrill of combat. There was nothing like the rush of a boss battle, even as twisted as this one had become.
"Kiefer!" Bladescape called. "Rally your party and follow us to Group C."
"Right behind you," Kiefer replied as he blocked a sword and then slashed a resurrected player.
Lobelia and Bladescape charged off to get back with Squad C. They executed several well-timed switches to take down four enemies in a row and once again rejoined their squad mates. Their advance was being stopped by a solid line of tanks. Doombunny was panting heavily with closed eyes and wet cheeks as she had her back safely against Backbreakers. Colorra was rubbing her head against her cheek to comfort her.
Bladescape couldn't comfort her or praise her as they came under assault from the flank. It had only been AFCK on the side, protecting them despite her health being in the red. Now with Bladescape and Lobelia back, she rotated out and downed a health potion.
It wasn't long before Group D busted their way through to them. They formed up as a solid unit and pushed away from the wall a bit in retaliation. They couldn't just let the waves come at them, they had to push back against it.
"AFCK, DOOM, ASTRO, AND LOBELIA," Bladescape called. "With me! Let's break through!"
They stepped out from between their squad mates and hammered the dead players with a furious assault. It was what they needed to fall back to the wall and dash across the open territory towards the chanting Necromancer Apprentices. Astro and Lobelia were protecting their left flank from the dead and Doombunny had disappeared. Bladescape stopped and pulled out a throwing pick and let it go at the closest apprentice. It landed, transferring the paralyzer to him and halting his chanting. AFCK had continued ahead and she swung her axe, taking a huge chunk of XP from him off the single hit. It also added poison damage.
The middle apprentice yelled and Bladescape saw him fall to paralysis and poison. Doombunny appeared by her side a moment later and nodded. AFCK finished off the closest apprentice with another strike with Geode Splitter.
Bladescape turned her attention to the Head Necromancer. She pulled out a throwing pick and activated the skill. He was at the tip of her range. She let it loose. With a wave of his hand he opened a portal and stepped through it. The pick was wasted as it flew through the open air.
"Fall back!" Bladescape ordered. With two of the three apprentices down, the third would have trouble keeping up the waves of dead players.
They killed who they could as they fell back. Bladescape saw a raid group break through the enemy wave and they lost sight of the other apprentice. He wouldn't last long against them.
Without the constant pressure of new enemies, the sides folded around and encircled the remaining dead players that had been raised. It was a killing field as they were surrounded and rendered unable to maneuver. The shield users closed in, allowing the longer weapons like spears to thrust past or over them. Safety first, without any glory grabbing attempts. Those not directly involved downed health potions and prepared to jump in if necessary.
The maniacal laughter of the Head Necromancer rang out from the doorway to his Boss Chamber. He couldn't leave at this point, but everyone was on the other side from him. Bladescape got to the front as the raid party spread out, waiting for him to make the next move.
"Well done!" He exclaimed. "You beat our little trick. Killing them couldn't have been easy, but now they truly are dead. You made sure of that. However, I can't help but wonder, what can you do against yourselves? You murdered the dead; can you kill yourselves."
"What did you do!" Klein yelled. "Explain yourself."
"Oh, Mister Klein," He said wearing a sly grin. "Words cannot explain what I can do. Since I became aware I was in a game, as you call it, I learned to do so much more."
"You will see what the coding looks like soon enough," Lightning Flash Asuna said, raising her rapier and preparing to charge.
"Good luck," He said, waving his hand.
A flash snapped, blinding them all and Bladescape felt a tug on her body. It didn't actually pull her or move her, but it was a felt sensation. Whatever she was going to see as her vision came back, she knew it was bad.
Bladescape blinked one last time and everything came into focus. Raising the dead's image had been torture to fight and especially strike down. This would be brutal.
Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 74 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal -- Fencing
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Cooking – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry
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I think you mean "it would take"
I for whatever reason keep hearing lord ainz oul gown when I see any necromancer or skeleton
Oooo this is a lovely touch!! I love this
Amazing chapter! I hope sunset kills him
Disregarding how it is in-game, in reality I don't expect the staff to be useless. Certainly better than nothing, though there are lots of more generally more useful weapons.
And to be fair, proper plate armor will stop just about any blade. Blunt force is the way to go. Again, disregarding game mechanics.
Well I hope the programmer is glad. This just made him stoop to a whole new level
Man, the necromancer raising the dead players to fight for it is equally disgusting and horrifying.
That was bruuuuutal. Crazy, horrible, soul crushing cruel. And brilliant because no way I would have come up with that.
10300843
Thank you. I don't recall what made me step the game up from regular skeletons, to players, but it was really fun to drop their names and bring them into the tale, as brutal as that made it.
I got curious when I read about this character so I found her wiki info: https://swordartonline.fandom.com/wiki/Shigemura_Yuuna
I hope she returns soon enough, things aren't the same without her.
Same here.
That's a first, a raid boss who can actually speak!
https://m.Oh my god!
I had a feeling she'd show up.
The whole Boss bringing up dead players probably would’ve been a cool/interesting mechanic if this was just a regular game….but boy does it weigh so much heavier thanks to it being a death game