Episode 112 — Quotas
Episode 112 — Quotas
Tenth Day in the Month of Deutzia Flower (July 10) in the Year of the Griffon
Floor 63 — Front Line 65
Malus looked at the report from Knightstar. Malus had just come out of her own rotation to find the report waiting for her. Knightstar was on sleep rotation, but whether she was asleep or just resting at mid morning was unknown and she was not going to risk waking any of their sleepers up by checking.
It was day ten in the field. So far, things were looking good. The goal was Level 75. The girls in Meigibu had starting levels between 58 and 62. The guys in Meigibu had been between 63 and 64. At this point, everyone was above Level 70, but they still had multiple members who needed to hit the quotas.
The Original Wondercolts had been leveling up as well. Konpeito had gone from 81 to 84. She had been out of the field cooking too often to get higher. The same thing had happened to Diemond; she had gotten herself from 81 to 84, and stopped there to finish making the rest of the Wondercolts armor. Although, both of them were getting overall level experience from their respective tasks.
Thunderborne had gone from 81 to 86. Doombunny had stayed in rotation as much as possible to train her Main-gauche skill, since it was her only defensive skill. It had not only paid off, with the skill being raised a good deal, but she had gone from Level 82 to Level 90. Natora had been off the first few days to deal with the furniture being delivered, but she had made up for it in the following days as the new Wondercolts were taking more of a break; soaring it from 80 to 86.
Kiefer had pushed hard to make a good impression as their training Lieutenant, making the leap from 80 to 85. Soryuto had been working hard as well, pulling herself up to 83 from level 78. Reisenki had hacked his way from 80 to 86. Knightstar hadn’t moved from Level 74 when she left the Wondercolts, but had gotten herself up to 81. She had the advantage of having experienced their tough pushes before. Kamishi was now up to 82, Lobelia had gotten herself to 81, and Shikiku was on track to hit level 80 by the end of the day.
Malus had been getting into the rotations as often as possible, usually overnight. Most of her fighting was with Martial Arts, since her shield and war hammer were maxed. She had sweated her way from 80 to 87. It wasn’t as many levels as she wanted, 90 had been her goal, but she had done a good job considering she was leading the training exercise. She still had time to squeeze out another level, maybe two.
Bladescape was the only one not recorded. She had been at least level 85 when they had merged. She had skirted around giving out her level details and she still was off the record. However, she was certainly above all of them by a good deal. Malus had a feeling that she had pushed herself over Level 90, probably closer to 93.
A commotion outside turned Malus’s attention to their camp’s perimeter. They had guards set up since it was not a safezone, and the entire area was roped off as well, allowing for only one way in and out. Something was happening by the “gate” along the main path to the pubs.
Malus didn’t equip her shield, but her hammer was on her waist. As she got to the location of the noise, it was clear what was going on. A small party of six were trying to enter, but they were being blocked by Babs and Falion who were doing their job guarding the entrance.
“What’s goin’ on here?” Malus asked.
The party was furious and the leader yelled back, “What right do you have to stop us!”
“This here is a Wondercolts operation,” Malus stated. “We’ll clear out of the area in a few days.”
“Are you hoarding a spawn point?” he accused.
“No,” Malus replied. “We ain’t hordin no spot. We’re here for a few days an gonna move on after that. Y'all can come back then. For now, we’re runnin an op that needs our full presence.”
“This isn’t very friendly or helpful of you!” he accused. "Aren't you supposed to be the kind and helpful girl guild?
“Go lodge a complaint with someone who cares,” Malus fired back.
There was no one in Aincrad to hear that complaint.
“And if we push through?” he challenged, moving his hand to his sword.
“We will force you out,” Malus stated. “Do y’all really think y’all can take just me on an not get your hides tanned?”
He stared her down and then adjusted his grip on his sword, but he didn’t draw it. After a long staring match, Malus moved her hand to her hammer, going as far as to unhook it from her belt. She didn’t have the ability for a quick draw like he did. She kept it loose, by her side, but down. Nothing more provocative than that.
Malus tried to break the stalemate. “I can afford a few days of orange to send y’all packin’ if I need to.”
He snarled in response, trying to decide how far he could push her and if it would work. Malus looked around his head. A new person was coming down the road. This one she didn’t mind seeing. It was Kirito.
Kirito walked right up to them, only giving the intruding group a brief glance. He nodded to Malus. “Is Bladescape here?”
“No,” Malus replied. “Back at the HQ dealing with a drop off of somethin’ special. I’m in command of the area right now. Natora is here, and the others will be here, soon as they can.”
Kirito nodded. “Can I come in to wait?”
“Sure,” Malus said with a nod. “The command tent is in the center.”
“You’re letting him in!” the player yelled.
“He’s a friend,” Malus replied. “And lookin for our leader. Now go before this gets ugly.”
“You're really willing to push it that far,” he replied. “An illustrious Wondercolt going orange?”
“Not the first time one of us ended up orange,” Malus snorted. Thunderborne had once tackled Natora in a surprise game in their Mishe headquarters so hard she spent a few days orange for breaking the harassment code. Anything Malus did now would likely be over by the time they were done in the field. “Like I said, go lodge a complaint with someone who cares.”
He drew his sword.
“Fine,” Malus spat. “Beat me in a duel, I’ll let y'all in. Fail and ya beat it!”
Malus sent the duel request. It was a half loss duel, not a first hit duel. He would have trouble carving off her massive health to make it to half.
“So, you think a duel makes this okay,” he challenged.
“Better than me bashing your face in and gettin an orange cursor,” Malus retorted. “Like I said, we are doin a full guild operation. It don't concern none of y'all. Your choice. Walk or I lick ya real good."
“Fine,” he growled, hitting accept.
Babs and Falion took a step back. So did the others. Malus held her spot in the center of the gate. It forced him to take a step back to get out of her striking radius to gain the distance he wanted. Malus didn’t equip her shield. She would beat him without the Iron Bulwark on her arm. In a one on one duel, she needed to be more mobile than it would allow.
The clock counted down and buzzed. He leaped forward, Vorpal Strike keyed up. It was a high level Sword Skill. It was really good against monsters, but it was very predictable against another player. Malus was very familiar with the strike.
As predictable as it was, Malus didn’t move. She stood still, hammer at her side, as he ran her through the chest. He was shocked as she didn’t even flinch. He was even more shocked when it barely dented her HP.
Malus Threw a left hook, socking him in the face with her Martial Arts Skill. He lost his grip on his sword and stumbled back. Malus pulled the sword out of her chest and tossed it at his feet.
This time she raised her hammer as he looked at her. He was scared. Her punch did significantly more damage to him than being skewered by his sword. He was right to be afraid, but Malus didn’t advance. She just kept her hammer up and ready.
He bent down slowly and grabbed his sword and stood up.
“Next strike'll really hurt,” Malus warned. “Are ya' sure you want to face me?”
“Yes,” He spat. “I won’t let you be a bully.”
“Fine,” Malus shrugged. “You were warned.”
He never saw the strike coming as Malus closed the distance with a speed and agility she couldn’t perform with her shield. It was a two combo strike. The first one landed square on his head, the second had Malus spin around and then the hammer was pounded into his chest. He was tossed back, hard. The duel canceled as his HP dropped down into the orange. Malus was declared the winner. Malus adjusted the grip on her hammer as she looked at his friends. She was ready for them to do something stupid.
They were ready too, but then they backed down and grabbed their friend. They pulled him to his feet and began to quickly leave the area. They didn’t want to stick around any longer.
Since it had been a duel, Battle Regeneration did not trigger. Malus popped a health potion to fix that. She walked back to the command tent. Kirito was snacking on a cupcake while he was waiting.
“What brings you here, partner?” Malus asked him.
“Well, I needed the next training location,” Kirito explained. “Argo wouldn’t sell me the next one, not yet, but she would sell where you were. I figured, since I heard that you had new members join, a lot of new members, you would need to train them to your standards. So I just followed you here.”
“Well, that was smart,” Malus admitted. “Argo agreed to hold this place for fourteen days for us, so we could catch them up. Ten days in, an we are almost done with the quotas. They have pushed hard, in rotation most of the day, goin overnight, an been greatly rewarded for it.”
“Impressive,” Kirito said with a nod. “You merged with Meigibu. What level do they need to get to?”
“Everyone will be over level seventy,” Malus said, holding out on some information. “Back up into the top curve for the Clearers. We ain't addin in any new boss raiders, Lobelia and Kamishi never stopped tryin, but we’ll be better at clearin. And we got a few support members too, who didn’t want to continue to fight, but they’re makin it possible for us to do what we gotta.”
“They were giving you some trouble,” Kirito commented, not actually asking the question.
“We don’t hoard an we don’t hide,” Malus asserted. “For once, just once, we need a place to hit and train our members up to the first official quotas we've ever needed.”
“I get it,” Kirito said. “The DDA has done worse. The KoB certainly has their secrets. Every single top guild has their go to spots they keep quiet, except you. We can always find you rather easily. I think you are entitled to this spot for a few days.”
“That was our opinion,” Malus replied.
“So, just you right now?” Kirito asked.
“Natora is sleepin,” Malus replied.
Thundering hoofsteps paused the conversation. A moment later they heard Bladescape calming Plaudit down. She entered the command tent shortly after.
“Hey,” Bladescape greeted them. “Any reason why I got a nasty look from six players as I rode in here?”
“Just a bit of trouble,” Malus replied. “I took care of it.”
Bladescape skipped past the response and looked at the Black Swordsman. “Kirito, what has you here?”
“Following you, to find the next best training ground,” Kirito replied.
“Smart move,” Bladescape admitted. “Malus, how are the quotas?”
Malus passed the full report to Bladescape. She quickly looked through it.
“We're doing well,” Bladescape stated. “Better than projected. Kirito, I think you know why that is. Anyway, I need you at the top of your game. You are welcome to join us, in our rotation of course. We can't have you messing that up. It was a nightmare to organize."
“It’s worth it?” Kirito asked.
Bladescape chuckled. “Oh yes, it is.” Bladescape said as she picked up the rotation chart. “We would not be here otherwise. I can get you in with us in… two hours. We have a team that will have two open slots, so we can both join that party. It will require you to be in a party. I know you will handle the combat fine, but this place is unique.”
“How so?” Kirito asked, apparently reserving himself to joining a party for this training location.
“It’s an all out bar brawl,” Bladescape explained. “Once you start, they just keep coming. Fast respawn, low health, low attack, chump change, and it all adds up to hot and fast action with no stops and the ending XP yields are substantial. Hence why parties are necessary. We are currently on two hour rotations. Our members are tired. We're not taking any risks with them being as worn out as they are. They have done an admirable push. With a full load of six, it will have its short lulls though, because it can't respawn everything fast enough.”
“Sounds good,” Kirito replied.
“And we have plenty of food out here, so feel free to get something from the chow tent there,” Bladescape added, pointing it out.
“I already was given a cupcake,” Kirito said. “But I will probably grab another.”
Bladescape and Malus both chuckled.
“That reminds me,” Bladescape said, pulling up her menu. “I have food sent by the kitchen.”
Multiple picnic baskets popped out onto the table. The three of them grabbed them and brought the baskets to the chow tent. Others were there, eating and preparing for their upcoming rotation.
“Kirito,” Bladescape said. “Meet Kate, Pell, Shintia, and Cygnus. They are going to be the other four in our rotation party.”
They happily greeted Kirito as their sixth party member. Six was better than four in the bar brawls. It meant less work and was safer. It also showed to have the best XP yields for the party. Having a player like the Black Swordsman with them only increased those factors.
Malus pulled Bladescape aside while they had time before their rotation. “It's done?”
“Yes,” Bladescape nodded. “Lobelia, Kamishi, and Shikiku are performing all of the ceremonies they can, but the shrine was successfully installed. It's beautiful, yet traditional, despite the condensing and adapting we had to do to fit it in Aincrad. A very good place to commemorate the dead and keep many of the key traditions. Even some of the Buddhist ones. I suspect something big will happen once we are done with the training, but for now, it's all being taken care of. They will be here in a few hours."
“What would that ceremony look like?” Malus asked.
“I honestly don’t know,” Bladescape admitted. “I also don’t know if I could attend. My focus has to be forward and up: The Ruby Palace. Just being there while it was being installed… I was losing focus. I made a less than smooth exit to get here. It made me want to quit. I was remembering all we have been through and a lot of it hasn't been good. It's certainly been exhausting.”
“Hey, they'll understand,” Malus assured her. “They all will. We need you focused, so you can keep us focused. So get in there, when it's time, and focus back on keepin us livin.”
“Thanks,” Bladescape smiled.
BLADESCAPE: Level 92 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics — Greatsword — Rend
NATORA: Level 86 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint — Mugen Yari
MALUS: Level 87 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend — Sprint
THUNDERBORNE: Level 86 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing — Search
KONPEITO: Level 84 — 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 84 — 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 90 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche — Search — Sleight of Hand — Armor Pierce
KIEFER: Level 85 — 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 83 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 86 — 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 81 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry — Armor Pierce — Search
LOBELIA: Level 81 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Search — Meditation — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Painting
KAMISHI: Level 82 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Katana — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Reveal — Trap Dismantling
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nice update! I cannt really blame that other group for being a little annoyed, but Malus did try and politely ask them to leave only to be rebuffed. Nice to see Kirito get some screen time too!
12153184
Malus needs more epic actions. lol. It was fun getting Kirito some more screen time. More of that is to come. Plenty more. Dang, this is such a long story. lol.
12153195
those are all good things! XD
12153197
We are working on it all as fast as the team can. There's a lot of fun stuff in store for all characters.
12153204
As always, i look forward to it
I've level grinder in a few games. It is long and tedious but worth it. The results here speak for themselves, seeing how many levels everyone has jumped up.
It was great seeing Malus in a duel when that group stubbornly wouldn't take no for an answer and being polite wasn't working. Also, always love Kirito showing up to lend a hand.
12153303
More epic and fun Kirito is coming! Same with Malus getting more awesome.
Still good progress though.
It may not show up here, but there a long space/gap from "work." to "Malus looked". Or are they supposed to be separate?
AJ doesn't lie, and when she does its serious.
The fool shouldn't have done it!
Malus threw a left hook,*
Shouldn't it saying shocking?
You're the one who started it!
Not surprised but must've been fun to watch.
See ya suckers!
I'd hate to think what a hoarder be like in sao. I've seen a tv show on helping hoarders in general since 2021. Trust me, it's not often pretty.
You said it!
12153389
Socking is a slangish / older way of saying hit forcefully.
12153584
Oh... noted
12153389
That was a weird space. No idea what happened there. lol.
So, hoarding in this case is either loading up where you grind so others can't rotate in, or protecting valuable spots, not letting the info get out. Most of the big players on the front lines have their secret training spots. Some hoard spots more than others. The Wondercolts are one of the few that don't have any secret spots. A good part of that is because they are always helping Argo with those, mostly Bladescape to get the data and Knightstar for crunching the calculations/math for XP profits, risk assessment, etc.
And 12153584 said it well, socking is an informal and/or old fashioned way to say "hit forcefully." Most often in the head.
12153649
Oh... I guess often forgot that hoarding has two meanings.
12153705
Same meaning, just not physical items. Information and map data.
12153717
noted
I come back to the states from vacation to see Lobelia finally got some levels.
Good Job kid, now get more.
has been—>had been