Episode 108 — Shattered Hope
Episode 108 — Shattered Hope
First Day in the Month of Deutzia Flower (July 1) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 64 — July 1
Bladescape’s assault team, Doombunny, Reisenki, Diemond, Konpeito, and Natora, were ready to hit Elvarg, the Mother of Aincrad’s Dragons. After an interesting morning and happenings in the dungeon, they were finally ready to strike.
Bladescape drew Harmonic Salvation and the others readied their weapons. “Reisenki, then Diamond,” Bladescape ordered. “We know she has already launched fire at us and can hit the entrance. Let’s be smart and advanced behind shields until I give the order for us to split. We can do this though.”
“Of course we can,” Diemond said casually. “We are the Wondercolts, darling. This will be nothing.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Diemond,” Doombunny warned. “I fought the King Black Dragon. I'm confident we can do this, because we are prepared and back then we were not, but it will require a lot of energy and focus.”
Diemond just nodded and took up her position right behind Reisenki. Natora was third, and then Konpeito, followed by Bladescape, with Doombunny taking up the rear. Doombunny would disappear as soon as she could.
They proceeded into the cavern. The passage was really just a thick doorway. Off to their sides were a lot of stalagmites and stalactites. The cavern was lousy with them, particularly around the outside, with the odd column scattered about the cavern. Old dragon eggshells were also scattered about, and the remains of an ancient nest or two were evident as well. The main cavern was wide open.
Elvarg was only a little bigger than the Black Dragons were supposed to be, which meant she was only two thirds the size of the King Black Dragon. She was a sickly, ugly dark green, not what Bladescape had expected. With her stuck in the cavern, she couldn’t fly. They had kept the King Black Dragon on the ground by striking the soft underbelly enough that he didn’t want to expose it more by taking off. They wouldn’t get to do that this time.
It was going to be a tight fight. The Tanks split under Bladescape’s direction. She stayed behind Reisenki with Natora. Doombunny was still behind Konpeito and Diemond.
The first bolt of fire was launched at Reisenki. He had just enough warning to plant his shield on the ground and brace it. Natora kept him steady but Bladescape was tipped back as they rocked from the hit. She rolled off her back and up onto her feet, sword at the ready. She didn’t have to give any orders as Diemond took the chance to charge. Konpeito was surprisingly focused on the charge, no hopping or skipping. Doombunny was out of sight, making her move. Reisenki and Natora also made a loud charge, trying to split the attention of the dragon and make it falter in its decision. Bladescape had told them to be aggressive. Bladescape swung left, wider than they did so she could hit from the side.
Diemond slid to a stop, perfectly setting her stance as claws lashed against her shield. Elvarg tried to chomp down on Diemond. Instead, Konpeito’s axe slammed into its jaw, ending that attack and landing the first blow on the Mother of all Aincrad’s Dragons.
She suddenly yelled in pain, painting the roof with a wash of flames, an indication to them all that Doombunny was not only in position, but had hit a critical point. At that moment, with her head raised high, it was easy to see the dinner plate sized, multi-colored gemstone in the middle of her neck.
They didn’t stop to stare though. Natora rammed Dragon Tail into the beast’s right shoulder and Bladescape covered her with a switch from the other side. It was a simple Greatsword Sword Skill, but it was powerful, leaving a long red gash in Elvarg’s side. All of the Greatsword Sword Skills were exponentially stronger than Two-Handed Sword combinations.
Konpeito went for Elvarg’s left foreleg. Reisenki took the opportunity to jump in with his axe. Elvarg lashed back with her claws, which Reisenki easily deflected. Reisenki got his shield up, above his head before her jaws came down on him. The shield got lodged, width wise, in between her teeth. Elvarg pulled up, lifting Reisenki off the ground, trying to figure out how to get rid of him and free her mouth.
Bladescape let out her greatest war cry possible, jumping in front of Elvarg and swinging Harmonic Salvation over her head and triggered Star Rift, the same skill she had used to sever the King Black Dragon’s head. Harmonic Salvation bit into the virtual dragon hide, and it cut more as Bladescape fought the resistance to finish the cut. Finally the long blade was free and it slammed into the ground, splitting a rift in the stone and getting lodged into the cavern floor in the process.
Diemond got in front of Bladescape as Elvarg tried to slash her last attacker with her right claws. Her claws caught on the top lip of the shield and dragged Diemond down. Konpeito let loose a powerful combination attack targeted at the left leg, so that Elvarge didn’t use it. Coupled with several strikes from Doombunny, Elvarg chose to raise her head high with Reisenki still dangling from it.
“FIRE!” Reisenki yelled as he saw the glow come from inside Elvarg’s throat. He dropped his axe and pulled himself up, behind his shield and bundled up as much as possible behind it. He was hanging on by his left arm’s anchor for the shield. It required a lot of physical strength and mental fortitude to pull it off. Thankfully his shield was a large tower shield.
The flames exploded around the stuck shield. Reisenki cried out in pain as the heat burned him, but he stayed behind his shield and suffered minimal HP loss. Minimal for a dragon's fire breath.
Diemond stood up, covering Bladescape who was still trying to dislodge Harmonic Salvation. Konpeito went flying as Elvarg hit her with her tail. She didn’t stop until the Stalagmites in the back caught her.
Elvarg made a swipe with her now free left claws. They knocked Diemond into Bladescape and they both fell to the ground, tumbling a good way from the power in the hit.
Bladescape picked herself up immediately. Diemond was also getting to her feet. Bladescape almost charged back to get Harmonic Salvation, but Elvarg moved forward with a strong step, slamming her right leg down on the stuck blade. Everyone heard the crystal crack of polygons breaking and saw some floating out from under the dragon.
Bladescape froze, not believing her ears or eyes. Surely they were deceiving her. But how could she deny it? Bladescape didn’t register Elvarg targeting her with a claw attack as she grappled with the shock.
Diemond rammed into Bladescape and grabbed her friend making sure she got to safety instead of just staring at the last resting place of Harmonic Salvation. She could see they were losing her. She pushed Bladescape up against the leeward side of a column. It wasn’t much protection, but it was some.
“Stay here,” Diemond told Bladescape. “I have to go rescue Konpeito.”
Bladescape blankly nodded back. Diemond rushed off and Bladescape began to squeeze her hands, wishing one more time to feel her special sword in them. It was more than just the perfect sword, a system masterpiece. She had just started to get the sword into its stride with the enhancements. It had just been hardened. It wasn’t going to ever fail any of the seventy-five enhancements left.
It had been her hope at getting out of here alive. The blade that was forged for her by Lisbeth out of a rare metal alloy and named something she could recognize in both worlds as being a powerful protective magic. It was a bit of tangible Equestrian Magic. She had believed their magic had gotten a little bit of itself to her to use in saving her friends.
Harmonic Salvation, the blade of the Elements of Harmony that were her friends: honestly, loyalty, kindness, generosity, laughter, and magic. They were the elements that had saved her from her inner demon. And along with that, Harmonic Salvation had been the sword that Bladescape learned she could surpass the power she had once held in her hands or hooves. A good power, full of hope and light.
But the hope that was Harmonic Salvation was now shattered. She had nothing. There was no anchor. Even when she snapped against Kurayaro, it was Harmonic Salvation in her hands.
Bladescape touched the geode necklace. It didn’t do anything for her. It was a powerful symbol, and it had helped the light shine into her, but it wasn’t hope. It was support, a reminder, but not hope.
Without Harmonic Salvation, could she maintain the same level of commitment to the Wondercolts, to their liberty, and to the players she supported and fought for? Could she stand before the next boss confidently and win without that hope? Could she even be Bladescape without Harmonic Salvation in her hands?
Reisenki slammed into the narrow column beside his Kaisho, breathing heavily. There wasn’t really any protection for him.
“INCOMING FIRE, REISENKI!” Natora yelled.
Reisenki looked at Bladescape who was still trying to grip her old blade. He was not protected where he was at and he still didn’t have his shield. He rolled so that he had Bladescape sandwiched in between him and the column. The fireball exploded, leaving flames to lick around the narrow column. His HP dropped a bit and so did Bladescape’s. Hers slipped into the red. Her armor and Battle Regeneration Skill wasn’t going to save her, not when she was barely lucid. He grabbed a health potion and downed it while he slammed a red crystal into Bladescape’s chest.
“Heal!” Reisenki ordered the crystal and Bladescape’s HP leaped back to full.
Reisenki patted Bladescape on the cheek. He had to be gentle with his heavy armored gloves. It took a bit but she snapped back to reality.
“Why are you inches from me?” Bladescape asked. “And pinning me to the wall?”
“You were taking up the only safe spot when the fireball came," Reisenki explained. "So I stacked on you. I don’t have my shield or my axe. I haven’t been able to snatch my axe for a good twenty minutes, at least. It's right by her claws and I'm not agile enough. Ironic, I know. I don’t have a backup, but you do. Use Bajutsu and beat that dragon. Show Aincrad that you are better-”
“Am I?” Bladescape asked, as a tear slipped from her eye.
Reisenki grabbed her face, carefully, in his armed gloves. “Yes,” He said, forcing her to look at him. “I don’t follow Harmonic Salvation, or any weapon, into battle. I follow you. The skill is there, inside of you, and the blade is just an outlet for that skill. Now pick up your cavalry sword and let’s kill that dragon. You cut its head off as planned.”
Bladescape took a deep breath in and tried to hold back the tears. She lost a few as she battled for control with a few sniffs. She finally made a declaration. “We are going to institute a new policy. All Wondercolts must have a backup weapon of sufficient strength and durability, and they must maintain it the same as their primary weapon. Harmonic Salvation is the second sword that has been shattered in battle against the Five Great Dragons of Aincrad. You should have a second axe that you can use. And a second shield.”
“I very much agree,” Reisenki said, peeking out around the pillar. “My shield is still lodged in between two top canines. She got it unstuck from the others, which is half good half bad. I can almost get my shield back, which means two tanks for us again, but she will be able to freely and fully breathe fire. What I just healed you from was half deflected because of the shield.”
“INCOMING!” Natora yelled.
Reisenki and Bladescape braced for the explosions and heat. Bladescape had been holding her breath in expectation and she let it out with a growl. “I’m done. I wasted too much time behind this pillar, failing at my duty.”
Reisenki stepped back and Bladescape swiped up her menu. She put Bajutsu onto her back, where Harmonic Salvation had rested, and drew her other trusty blade. It had never been put on her back, always her hip or saddle. The draw was very different from what Harmonic Salvation felt like. It showed her their size discrepancy. She would have to keep that fact in mind as she proceeded.
“Get your axe,” Bladescape ordered Reisenki. “Whatever you do, get your axe. I will make her pay for what she did to my sword!”
Reisenki smiled at her. “That’s the woman I will follow, in any reality or dimension, to the fiery gates of hell! Wherever they may be!”
Bladescape stepped out from behind the column. "It's time for you to meet Bajutsu!" Bladescape declared to the dragon.
Elvarg roared a challenge back. Bladescape surged forward. Yes, she had to worry about a big difference in size between the blades, but she also knew Bajutsu. She had used him plenty, on horseback and also for a good while against the vagabonds while they scouted that location; the same spot their new guildmates were currently grinding. She had beaten the mounted knight for the halter with Bajutsu. He would drink heartily of the blood of Elvarg and she would feel his sting a hundred times, and then a hundred more if that was what it took.
It was easy to predict the swipe of Elvarg’s claws and slide by it. Bladescape lashed back, striking the inner forearm in retaliation for the swipe. She continued forward, only needing three steps to drive Bajutsu to the hilt in Elvarg's chest, and she did it without a Sword Skill. Bladescape set her foot against the dragon’s chest and yanked the blade free.
Natora yelled, jumping up and driving her spear into her upper neck. Konpeito leaped up behind her, without her axe out, as she went up high. She grabbed onto Reisenki’s shield.
Bladescape made a distracting cut at Elvarg's right leg. It gave Natora the time needed to use Agility and vault off Elvarg to get up to snag Konpeito. With Natora's weight added, the shield broke free. It took one of the dragon’s teeth with it. Diemond and Reisenki came in to snag them before they hit the hard stone floor. Konpeito also caught the tooth and stashed it in her hunting pouch among the vials of poison.
Bladescape executed a four combo hit, Infinity, and then drove Bajutsu to the hilt. She yanked it free, jumping back, and released Avalanche against Elvarg’s neck. The tip caught the neck, taking a decent sized chunk from her HP.
Elvarg raised her right leg to strike, but she roared in pain. Doombunny had found a very important nerve. Elvarg began to whip her tail all around. In an effort to get rid of Doombunny behind her. She kicked with her back legs to rid herself of the painful hornet behind her.
Doombunny avoided them and then jumped up onto the base of the tail. She sprinted along the ridged spine. Elvarg turned to look at her, unsure what to do with an enemy on its back. Doombunny didn't hesitate as she leaped off its shoulder. Mourning Protector flashed silver as she held it up, over her head. Steadied it with her left hand, which also had the parrying dagger in it. Side by side, she rammed them into the skull of the dragon.
With a roar Elvarg shook her head to get rid of Doombunny. She dropped off, expertly rolling on contact to mitigate damage taken. Colorra was immediately by her master's side and she slithered up her body to sit on Doombunny’s shoulders.
“Good to see you again,” Doombunny said to Bladescape.
“She will pay,” Bladescape spat.
“I’ve got her poisoned up as best as possible,” Doombunny added.
“Fall back!” Bladescape ordered. “Outside to regroup.”
They all retreated.
“What was that for?” Natora immediately asked. “We should be-”
“Top off health,” Bladescape ordered over Natora. “Then we go back in and hit hard. Same plan, but we can’t let her focus on Doombunny. Also, this time, let’s watch the shield edges for the claws and jaws. This will be our only reset. Got it?”
Everyone confirmed and then Diemond led the charge back into the chamber. Elvarg’s health hadn’t gone back up in the short time since they had exited.
Diemond fortified herself as the fire attack came. Bladescape, Natora, and Konpeito split around her and struck with a synchronized set of high level combination attacks. Reisenki stayed back, banging his axe on his shield and shouting. Any distraction was a distraction. It was enough that it covered Bladescape’s, Natora’s, and Konpeito’s delays and then their retreat.
Konpeito slid to a stop and threw a circular shuriken with all her might. It struck Elvarg in the eye, who responded with a blast of fire. Diemond was too far away to protect Konpeito. Konpeito swung her axe. The fire was cleaved in two and exploded on either side of her, doing splash damage but nowhere near the full amount if she had been struck by it..
“H-how did you know you could cut the fire?” Diemond stammered.
“YAHHH!” Reisenki yelled as he charged Elvarg before Diemond and Konpeito were attacked in their distracted state.
“I didn’t,” Konpeito replied with a shrug. “But I didn’t have another option, so I decided to cut it. I mean, if it hits as hard as it has been against the shields, it has to be solid-ish.”
Konpeito went flying as she once again got hit with Elvarg’s tail. Bladescape rolled her eyes. She had a hazy memory of Konpeito getting tossed the same way right before Harmonic Salvation was smashed. Diemond rushed after Konpeito, again.
Elvarg roared in pain and then Natora pierced her right shoulder with her spear. Reisenki was there to block her from the claws. Bladescape cut an angle across the cavern and took over Konpeito’s job of targeting Elvarg’s left foreleg. She let out a set of savage cuts starting low and working their way, back and forth, up the leg.
Elvarg went for Bladescape with her jaws, but the attack was halted as Doombunny once again struck a much needed blow. The dragon’s head was still low, so Konpeito leapt up, driving her axe into the side of it.
Bladescape slipped behind the leg and rammed Bajutsu up, into the crook of the armpit. She wanted to leave it longer and drive it up further, but she wasn’t going to risk having the blade get stuck and once again being without a sword. She needed something to get revenge with when she cut off Elvarg's head.
Bladescape fell back to a safer position with the others where Natora and Reisenki were setting up for another attack. It gave Bladescape the moment to actually look at Elvarg’s health. She was down two of her four health bars. They were doing well for the time they had been fighting. An aggressive offense was what they needed.
Their hesitation further back triggered Elvarg to choose to attack with a fireball. She chose Diemond. As soon as it began to leave her mouth, Reisenki and Natora made their move. Diemond stepped into the fireball as she shouldered her shield and braced it along her body. It was deflected by the shield shifting to the side from the hit, rather than outright stopping it.
Diemond charged. She hadn’t landed a blow yet and Radiant Beauty wasn’t going to be denied Elvarg’s blood. She smartly threw the crushing blow onto Elvarg’s left claws. In the real world, even against a real dragon, the weight and power of the mace would have shattered the bones in the claw, but SAO wasn’t the real world.
Elvarg tried to bite Diemond’s head off. This time, she avoided using her shield in defense and timed her step so that she also swung her mace upward. It crashed into Elvarg’s jaw, sending the head snapping to the side from the blow. Diemond was obviously grinning under her full helm as she put her mace up on her shoulder like Thunderborne would do with her rapier when she was being cocky.
That was just the first round of the next twelve as they took Elvarg’s health down hit by hit. Doombunny was thrown at one point by the tail, but she was up and going before any distraction or assistance could be mounted. Konpeito was a magnet for Elvarg’s tail. Natora switched sides to work with Diemond and to protect Konpeito from the tail attack, but she still took every swing the tail made at her. Konpeito cut three more fireballs in half, but she never saw the tail coming.
Bladescape kept cutting at Elvarg’s left leg. They had done significant damage to it, leaving much of it red. It also stopped her from attacking with it. Every time she tried to use it, Bladescape got up close and personal, cutting into the exposed belly or ramming her blade into the armpit.
As soon as Elvarg’s last health bar slipped into the red, The others began to deflect or block attacks, rather than make aggressive strikes against her HP. Bladescape was left to hack the rest down on her own.
Harmonic Salvation had been a powerful blade, but so was Bajutsu in his own right. She had weight on her side, but he loved to score critical hits, and he was light and accurate enough that he dealt most of his damage without needing a Sword Skill to guide it. It was a very odd trait to have.
Bladescape ducked out of the way of Elvarg’s claws and set the final attack. She chained Volcanic Eruption into High Infinity and then again into Volcanic Eruption. She froze from the compounded delay as she watched Elvarg’s final HP bar turn grey.
Elvarg roared. Her HP was in the single digits. Below the enraged dragon was a frozen Bladescape. Elvarg swiped with her claws. Bladescape braced herself, but she wasn’t ready for the hit.
She was punched in the back, pushing her forward into Elvarg’s chest and then she fell, uncontrolled, onto her back. Bladescape’s HP dropped down to 87 from the blow. Konpeito took the claws instead and was thrown far across the room. Bladescape saw Konpeito’s mini HP bar in her view drop to gray.
Bladescape unfroze and rolled up onto her feet. They didn’t stay on the ground as she leaped with a more ferocious roar than the dragon had ever issued. Bajutsu was brought over her head into a slice of its own free will. The sword cut straight through Elvarg’s neck. Bladescape landed and rolled, turning around in time to see the body explode into polygons and then the neck slam into the ground where it followed suit. Bladescape immediately used a healing crystal on herself.
The system began the congratulatory fanfair, but that didn’t matter. Bladescape glanced at her menu to see that she had gotten Kukulkan, the five colored gemstone. Beneath it was also the Green Draconic Visage. Bladescape ignored the rest as she ran all the way across the room to where Konpeito was. The others had already gotten there. Her HP was full from a crystal, but it was still a tough hit she had taken.
“Konpeito,” Bladescape panted. “You should have killed Elvarg. That was the agreement.”
“My idea was better,” Konpeito shrugged from where she was splayed out on the stalagmites.
“Did you hit me with Rock Candy Smash?” Bladescape asked.
“You didn’t hear me yell it?” Konpeito asked.
“I had a roaring dragon in front of me,” Bladescape replied as she sighed from exhaustion.
She looked at Bajutsu which was in her right hand. It was so light and short, only needing one hand to hold it. At the relaxed angle she was holding it at, it didn’t even touch the ground. She raised it and easily slid it into her sheath with a heavy sigh. The difference was clear, but now Bajutsu was her primary blade. At least for a short time.
“Bladescape?” Doombunny asked.
“I got what I needed,” Bladescape said, trying to stay strong. “The gem and the head. That is what matters.”
“It was a good drop list for me,” Reisenki said. “XP and Col are nice too.”
“Aincrad’s Five Great Dragons don’t disappoint,” Bladescape replied.
Bladescape was yanked off her feet. Doombunny helped steady her as she stumbled around, shocked at the unexpected pull.
“What was that for?” Bladescape asked with an unintended sharpness to her tongue.
“You couldn’t hear me,” Doombunny shrugged. “I said your name three times, but you were too distracted.”
Bladescape sighed. “Sorry, Doom. I’m… not feeling well. What is it?”
Doombunny pointed back to the center of the cavern. Right underneath where Elvarg had been was something laying there. Bladescape’s heart stopped as she bolted to the center of the room.
She slid to a stop. A gunmetal blue, oversized blade with a royal blue leather handle and yellow gemstone in the center of the crossguard was laying on the ground. Bladescape slowly bent down, not trusting her eyes. She gingerly touched the sword, checking if it was real. It was real.
Bladescape firmly grabbed the hilt and stood up with a new fire in her. Harmonic Salvation was alive. Barely. She checked its stats and the durability was decimated. She needed to get it to a smith within thirty minutes, at most. A single point of durability fell off as she looked at the menu.
“Is that...?” Diemond asked as she stopped next to Bladescape.
“Look,” Natoras said from a bit further away.
Bladescape looked at Natora. She was kneeling next to a giant hole in the floor. It looked like someone had taken a pickaxe and busted out a huge chunk in a single hit.
Natora grinned. “When she stepped on Harmonic Salvation, it wasn’t the sword we heard break, it was the floor. I saw that the sword was lodged in it from the powerful strike. The weight must have broken this missing chunk out and sent the sword further under her where we couldn’t see it. Because of her advance, we assume it was the sword that broke, not the floor. Who would ever expect the floor to shatter?”
“She is almost broken,” Bladescape said. “I need to get her to Lisbeth ASAP.”
“Go,” Natora said standing up. “The five of us can clear this dungeon. I doubt anyone passed us by without trying to join or at least checking that we were safe. Teleport to Lindarth, get it cared for. After, finish your quest.”
Bladescape nodded. “Thanks guys. Thank you for all the help. Against the dragon and the support over my lost sword. Oh, Natora, Reisenki and I agreed, every Wondercolt will start carrying a secondary weapon and, if applicable, a spare shield. We will never find ourselves without a weapon or shield like Reisenki, or myself. My spare was a fluke.”
“After this battle, I agree,” Natora nodded. “And with the finances of this haul, we can each get those spares. The guild got a nice Col boost from this dragon.”
“I’m not on the council,” Reisenki said before he hesitated. “Well, I propose we take the excess Col we don't spend on our secondary equipment, and put it to getting the others kitted out with secondaries.”
“I agree,” Diemond said.
“Sure,” Konpeito shrugged. “I’m cool with that.”
“I should get a spare for my normal blade,” Doombunny said. “But the rest is the guild’s.”
“That just leaves us,” Natora said to Bladescape.
Bladescape pulled up her menu. She withdrew the Col she had gotten in the drop. It came out in a big sack. It was too heavy to toss to Natora so she let it drop onto the ground.
“Take my drop,” Bladescape said. “I don’t need it cause I have Bajutsu.”
“Teleport,” Natora said with a smile and nod. “And the same for me. It goes to the others.”
Bladescape pulled out a blue crystal. She disbanded their party. “Are you guys really going to raid the rest of the dungeon?”
“Of course,” Natora grinned. “We have weapons to buy for the guild! We need it. They're certainly not earning the col from their level grinding. Plus, we still have a dungeon boss and that will give us a great boost to that Col reserve.”
Bladescape chuckled. “I’ll warn Lis.”
Bladescape cradled the fragile blade in her arms and teleported out. Natora picked up the bag of Col. She took a mental note of the amount for bookkeeping and then set up their five player party.
“Oh!” Konpeito exclaimed. “Reisenki, I have something for you. Diemond, I know you made him that awesome geode necklace, but I think you can not only make a better enhancement, but I think this is more appropriate!"
Konpeito fished through her hunting pouch and then pulled out the dragon tooth that she had caught when they got the shield free.
“Konpeito, how did you save that?” Diemond asked.
“Duh,” Konpeito said, rolling her eyes. “I caught it when we popped Reisenki’s shield free and put it in my hunting pouch.”
“I am afraid that if I touch it, it will break,” Diemond admitted.
“I’ll try,” Reisenki said. He was still careful as he picked it up with two fingers. “It has the right weight for a tooth as big as it is,” Reisenki said. “It isn’t going to shatter. Somehow.”
“Maybe it is connected to the head?” Natora added. “The head was dropped, so maybe the tooth is missing from it.”
“If it is, we will put it back,” Reisenki shrugged. “If not, Diemond can make me a… well something decorative. This is too big to wear around my neck.”
“Okay,” Konpeito shrugged. “Whatever floats your ice cream soda float boat!"
Natora smiled to herself as she set up their party. Then she led them out to finish the dungeon. Doombunny didn’t see any signs indicating another group had gone through yet. Monsters around the corner confirmed it, and they charged forward into battle.
BLADESCAPE: Level 85 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword
NATORA: Level 81 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 81 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend — Sprint
THUNDERBORNE: Level 81 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing — Search
KONPEITO: Level 81 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry — Rend
DIEMOND: Level 81 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation — Rend
DOOMBUNNY: Level 82 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche — Search — Sleight of Hand
KIEFER: Level 80 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts
SORYUTO: Level 78 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 80 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation — Two-Handed Weapon Creation
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 74 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce — Search
LOBELIA: Level 62 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Search — Meditation — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Painting
KAMISHI: Level 64 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Katana — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Reveal — Trap Dismantling
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Well, I nearly had a heart attack reading this chapter. You had me for awhile.
12130413
Things can't always go right. Some suspense is needed. lol.
Well damn, that shook her up fiercely
12130479
Yes, it was not a good fight. lol.
Right.
t least they have some advantage again.
Nice one!
"FIRE!"*
Well, guess this is the chapter we'd expect to see that happen...
Kinda convenient she sees HS as her anchor, which surprises me seeing my favorite rock band has a song called Anchor. Which I had to say to get off my chest...
Reisenki explained. "So*
You always have Sunset.
And all along, HS was never destroyed.
Apparently in SAO it's possible.
Ok?
Honestly, it feels kind of cheap for Harmonic Salvation to be fine. When you make a big deal about something being lost and it's fixed/recovered/saved with no effort on the part of our heroes, it feels like a manipulation. It trains us to expect all tragedies as temporary, removing the weight behind peoples sacrifices. What next, will Colora sacrifice herself to save Doombunny only to be perfectly fine afterwards? Will Natora be assassinated by laughing coffin, sparking a guild war, only to find that Natora survived and went into hiding? I love what you'vedone so far, but I hope this doesn't become a trend.
A very nice chapter! And I KNEW you wouldnt just up and KO Blades sword lol I had an interesting thought pop to mind. What if Blade loved her blade so much she unconsisuly began to fuel magic into it. Now at first and until much later on this doesnt appear to do anything nor is she even aware of it. Then one day while heading back to her boarding family from her Physical Theropy she stops into a conviance store, only to spot two thugs holding the place up with bats. Now something inside of her speaks telling her to call upon it, and not really thinking about it, pulls on that power and summons HER sword" :)
Man that was a close one. I can understand Bladescape going into a Heroic BSoD over Harmonic Salvation seemingly being destroyed, since it is such an iconic and beloved weapon for her. It's almost like Link seeing the Master Sword get destroyed. Though thankfully that wasn't the case, meaning they still have a powerful weapon and Bladescape can get her head in the game.
I remember reading this chapter it the original and screaming a big "NOOOOOOO!" and panic thinking "It's ok it just snaped in two and needs to be refoged a-la Anduril, yea that fits, that fits. hehe" that it was the floor that broke was kinda funy as the floors is usualy unbreakable in most games.
oh well, next up giving Lizbeth a near heart attack.
12130600
Dang, two errant, okay missing, punctuation marks. Thanks! I always love reading your comments!
12130878
thanks, that means a lot.
12130614
I under the sentiment. This is primarily an adventure tale. It gives an insight into Sunset's mentality a year and a half in, as she is Bladescape. While it was off camera, I did not spare Yuna. While it is rated T, the drama tag was appropriately placed. I don't like stories that run deus ex machina at every turn. There are times to apply it, but I want a logic that can be followed by the reader, not always resorting to "magical fixes." They application must be limited and only when necessary. I do believe you will continue to enjoy the story.
12130638
You always have interesting ideas. I'm not sure if the magic could pull that off, but it would be awesome. The big question is how much is their magic active in SAO? Or, since they are in a computer game, are they blocked from it, the system being the system?
12130721
Wouldn't she be more of a crimson or amber BSoD? lol. Keeping her head in the game, whatever that exactly means, is important. Even if that means getting a replacement.
12130737
Yes, often the floors do break. Even so, it was still a dragon stomping on it. I haven't seen a mechanism where both the static environment and the equipment can get destroyed. It usually is one or the other. That was both the awesome and annoying thing about Fallout New Vegas, equipment degraded. I wasn't ready for that mechanism when I first played. lol.
We do have some new chapters come up between the reworked ones. I'll keep y'all on your toes.
12130885
Normally I would say it 1000% would not be possible. But in Sunset's mind HER sword is one of Harmony, and her devotion to her friends, her familly and protectiong others might be just enough to overcome the system and flood it (the sword) with magic to pull it out and into the real world somehow. After all she would not be the first one to defeat the system, Kirito and Asuna both pulled that off too cannonicly in the fight with Heathcliff/Kayaba and they were not even magical beings. Of course if Sunset DID pull her blade out off SAO via magic, I am almost sure she would be quite careful how many people she told about it.
12131002
Ah, but am I running the exact same system as canon SAO? Technically, I can say no. I have advanced it further, certainly in some areas. The books do not going to many of the back end details. I talk about changes/updates/patches that happen which were observed.
If she did, she would certainly be careful who she told. lol. That also is assuming it disappears, not staying in her hand after where she would need to hide it.
12131118
in my head i see her being able to summon and de-summon it at will. And if she were to summon it in Equestria (and i say this as a half joke) I see it being equal to the Elements of Harmony if not more powerful.
12131167
That is a picture I want to see drawn! Unicorn Sunset using her magic to wield Harmonic Salvation. Regardless of how powerful it actually is, no enemy of Equestria would be safe. Unicorn Sunset is best Unicorn. I stand by it!
12131192
That is an EPIC mental image and I agree with you 100%
12131274
I can't afford to go too long to wrap the story up, I could literally add a whole 20+ chapter epilogue arc of Sunset going back to Equestria after. I don't have time for that.
I loved this chapter even in the original and the battle scenes keep getting better every time! Harmonic Salvation kinda became a new limb for Bladescape with how much she’s using it that it doesn’t surprise me she’s so shocked when she thinks it broke. I forgot how long this arc is, and I’m excited to see Lisbeth working her magic on the Sword.
12131550
It is a long, but fun, arc. There will be some new arcs that are also long. Fun arcs. This is a fun fight, but there are much better battle scenes coming!