Date posted: 18th March 2022
Welcome back to MP, everyone. Sorry for the wait, but Sinonon took priority, you know how it is.
The votes for best girl are in - and I must admit I am very, very surprised at it. But I'll talk about at the end. See you there!
Chapter 10: Training Montage
"A strict regimen is paramount, if one is to master the brutal arithmetic of combat."
- Darkest Dungeon
His hand was steady, his aim true. Every strike of the hammer bent the iron into the desired form. Flakes fell after each blow, sweat dripped from his forehead, he timed his strikes for every third heartbeat to keep consistency. He wiped away the sweat from his brow; such was the detail and accuracy that this virtual world had.
As the metal lost its glow, he thrusted it back onto the coals. The forge was small and light, and didn't heat up as quickly as he liked, but that was part of the challenge. He lacked bellows and a fully enclosed space like the big guilds but such was the life of a freelance smith.
A light breeze blew from the north, cooling his skin. That was one of the pros of setting up shop on a hill. That and the view.
Before him was the war camp of the Kyoto Warhawks, currently led by one Colonel HonshuBoy2012. People went about like ants, everyone knowing what they had to do. Food was cooked over great fires, the nearby forest being harvested to create palisades, wells being dug, men on patrol; there was a sense of security to all of it that he had gotten used to after … what? Four months into SAO?
Four months and still only Floor 17. That wasn't a good sign.
The Warhawks were a three thousand strong guild in the business of tomb raiding, monster slaying, caravan escorts, and all those things players were known for. Currently, their operation was warring against the Beaver Clans of the United Dams. The game devs must have been lazy the day they designed that faction. Beaver people? Really?
That was until he learned a beaver was the size of a man, great builders and combat engineers, the masters of the art of war in drowning their enemies. This was the third camp the Warhawks had made, which would explain why the river was a good half kilometer away.
His train of thought was broken as he spotted someone coming up the hill, wheelbarrow in hand. He returned to his work, readjusting the metal on the horn of the anvil.
The player in question was clad in red/white gambeson of the guild, a hawk's head above her heart. The leather pauldron had a red cross indicating her as a medic and the single chevron under it marked her as a corporal.
"Hey, Nezha-san! Finished with the orders yet?"
"Just finishing this bit, aaaand done!" He checked his handiwork, admiring it in the afternoon sun. "Not bad if I say so myself!"
The corporal nodded in agreement. "That is certainly a horseshoe."
"Excuse you, Hikari-san. Horseshoes are what ensure your very expensive cavalry functions as well."
The medic shrugged. "I wouldn't know, I'm too poor to own a horse. At least you have a donkey."
Said donkey was currently grazing nearby, unperturbed by the worries of the world. Sometimes Nezha wished he was a donkey.
"Anyway, that's the last one. One hundred and twenty horseshoes for thirty horses."
They loaded all the horseshoes onto the wheelbarrow, almost fifty kilos in total. As Nezha drank from his waterskin, Hikari pulled a pouch from her bag, the coins clinking in a most satisfying manner.
"Nice! With this money, I could upgrade my forge."
Hikari made a face. "Weeelll, about that."
He wasn't listening. "Get myself the Travel Forge 3000. Dwarven made that. It even comes with one year back guarantee and fire salt. That'll let me smelt some of the higher quality materials."
"Look, about the contract …"
Nezha caressed the pouch like a small pet. "Yep, just a few more months of this work with the Warhawks, and that fancy forge, maybe I can get a big break finding some adamantine. Then I can open up my own shop. I can see it now, Nezha's Smithy!"
"Nezha-san!"
"Oh, did you say something?"
She broke the news to him. The pouch fell to the ground. "Wait, hold on! I thought I did good work!"
"Sorry bud, colonel's orders. You're just too expensive to maintain."
"Excuse him?! I do the work of an entire company! And I barely get paid enough as is!" Clearers had no idea how hard it is to find a good worker like him. "I had to get my own ores for this, you know!"
Hikari did look sorry at his predicament. "They're hiring, well … NPCs. A dozen goblin smiths from Mankhlar."
Nezha scoffed. "Of course. Those damn NPCs are coming here, stealing our jobs … and goblins? Do those things even know how to work a forge?"
"I'm gonna pretend you didn't do an accidental racism there, dude."
"It's not racism, they're literal programs!"
"Anyway," Hikari looked away, very much preferring to be anywhere else but here. "You need to pack up your stuff and leave. The new smiths will be arriving later this evening."
Nezha slumped down on the hill, utterly defeated. "What now? All the other guilds have their own smiths and they barely ever get low level ones like me." He could smith iron as any other player, make mail and daggers and most tools. But anything longer than a short sword was beyond his capabilities.
The medic patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. I heard there's a fort a level below. Heard they're hiring new hands for renovation."
Nezha frowned. "I'm not interested in working for some NPC lord. What will that help in Clearing the game?"
"Hey, beggars can't be choosers." She took a slip of paper from her pocket and handed it to him.
"Huh, this kinda looks familiar … Fort Eternal Vigilance? I served at a Fort Vigilance once, minus the Eternal bit."
"Oh when's that?"
"Uh, that? A long while ago." Best keep his mouth shut about his beta tester status. Players get really irrational when it comes to that. "Anyway, who runs this joint?"
"Oh that? That's the thing, it's not an NPC, but a player! Some sort of merchant. A guy called Kirito."
Nezha's eye twitched. "What did you just say?"
Meeting: On the Agenda of Upcoming Strengthening Fort Eternal Vigilance
Date: 18th of May 2052, 9:00 am
Location: Floor 16, Fort Eternal Vigilance, Steward's Office
Chairperson: Kirito, CEO of the Kirito Corporation
Secretary: Lisbeth, Smith
In attendance:
Tupi, Steward of the Eternal Watch
Asuna, Head of Security, Board Member
Sinon, Head of Hunting, Board Member
Argo, Head of Intelligence, Board Member, Head Advertiser*
Notes on meeting:
1. Tupi begins the meeting on the effort of modernising and reinforcing the fort and its prison. He lists out the main priorities as:
a. Fixing the fort's buildings and walls
b. Training a new generation of Watch warriors
c. Expanding the farmland around the fort and securing a permanent food source
d. Updating and replacing the old wards for the Prisoner
e. A revenue source to pay for the upkeep of operations
2. Tupi has chosen numerous abandoned fields around the fort to be cleared. There is enough manpower to do so, but the farmers required seeds, tools, and security to expand farmland. Ser Reginald has promised to send volunteers to create a militia and/or more farmers. Asuna has been tasked to train the militia.
3. As the farmers would be preoccupied with clearing land for farming or raising livestock, Sinon was tasked to hunt to upkeep the food reserves. She will be given resources to hunt game on the 16th Floor, with permission to go to the 17th Floor if need be. Sinon has heard news of wild bison herds on the 17th Floor.
4. Tupi suggests securing the abandoned quarry/mine north of the Fort for the stone/ore. According to Ser Reginald, there are problems of some kind which need to be dealt with. Whatever the danger, it would require a warband to deal with instead of a small party of players. The repairing of stone walls must then be postponed until the mine/quarry is required.
5. Argo appoints herself as 'advertisement manager'. No one is sure what she means by that.
6. In return for such hefty investments, the Eternal Watch will provide a percentage of its revenue to the Kirito Corporation for the foreseeable future.
7. The meeting would have ended thirty minutes in, had Asuna not suggested what colour the Watch's uniform would be.
8. Ten pages of furious arguing on what should be the Watch's uniform has been redacted as it has been deemed a waste of time and parchment. It has been vetoed by Tupi that they would be using the uniform used since his time in the Watch.
Adjournment:
The meeting was adjourned at 2:00 pm.
Submitted by: Lisbeth, Smith
Approved by: Kirito, CEO
It was said that a hundred specialists were employed in making SAO. Experts on the field of architecture, economics, history; of biology, ecology, meteorology and all other sorts of other-logies. Even the UN had a hand in the funding of the game, as well as numerous think tanks. World militaries, sensing the numerous benefits of true VR - not the strapping of lenses with a helmet, but the creation of an alternate reality. SAO took eight years to make, ten if you count pre-production, and cost a billion dollars to make. A true castle in the sky, more fantasy than science.
And what did it all account to?
"Son of a bitch!"
Lisbeth exploded into the room, mace and shield at the ready. "Bandits? Raiders? Beavers! Let me at em'!"
"How on earth would anyone get in here? There's only a single door."
Lisbeth tapped a finger on her head. "You never know, all sorts of devious beasts are out here in the Wild. Skadegamutcs, wendigos, chupacabras, kanontsistóntie's, scary stuff."
"You don't even know what those things are."
"No, but it pays to be mindful."
Asuna shook her head. "You spend too much time with Sinon."
The smith gestured to the hearth. "Why'd you say a naughty word?"
Asuna sighed as she showed the smith her handiwork. Lisbeth raised an eyebrow at it.
The bread in question was fluffy and circular, more pillow than food. The bowl of bean paste nearby meant that it was anpan and Lisbeth felt a sudden surge of homesickness at the sight of it. The smell of it made Lisbeth's mouth water and she was reminded she only had a bowl of porridge and a cup of water for breakfast.
"Asuna-chan, that is a perfectly fine piece of bread."
It was actually more than fine, it was as if someone plucked it from a real world bakery and transported it here.
"Fine? Fine?!" She flipped the bread over, revealing the slightest sign of being burnt. If Lisbeth ate it, she would never have noticed it.
"Look at it! It's hideous! An affront to God is what it is! A billion dollars and ten years in development, for the sole purpose of mocking my baking skill."
The cook threw the bread out of the window. Lisbeth's heart skipped a beat as she hurried to the window to catch it, only to see the flock of chickens outside devouring it mercilessly. A single tear trailed down the smith's face.
Asuna wasn't paying attention to Lisbeth's emotional breakdown as she plopped back on her stool. "Funny, how usually I cook to get away from the stress of fighting, and now I want to fight to get away from the stress of baking. Anyway, what's going on in the fort?"
Lisbeth wiped the tear away from her face. "Oh, you didn't know? Kirito's addressing the newcomers."
"Newcomers? But aren't they supposed to come here in a week?"
"They came early aaaand there she goes …"
Asuna rushed through the fort, fast as lightning, spooking poor maids and the odd wall painter as she raced down the halls. She reached the barracks she shared with the rest of the company. From her chest she put on her arming jacket, the left side white and the right side red. Her rapier was at Lisbeth's so she belted on her shamshir instead and retrieved her sallet. It was not shining like she would have preferred but it would be good enough.
She marched out onto the courtyard only to bump into the merchant. "Ah, Asuna, there you are. I was looking for you. Come, let's meet the new recruits."
Asuna straightened her back and put on her best sergeant face, the same one employed back when she was training the goblin militia back in Manklar. "Okay, I haven't finished my lesson plan but I guess I'll make do."
She could see a group of people milling about on the field a fair distance away from the fort. Local tribals in buckskin breeks and cotton tunics, armed with bow and spear; the players were clad in lighter gear, cheap mail and helmets. There must have been thirty of them. It was amazing how the fort went from a bandit infested dungeon to a lively settlement in such a short time.
A while ago, the fifty or so peasants that Ser Reginald sent over arrived. They worked alongside the original families that inhabited the ancient fort and were already putting in good work. The western part of the fort where it met the river was already being cleared. Fresh plaster had been applied in the grand hall and new furniture was being made. Steward Tupi seemed to age in reverse, relishing in the amount of work that was going around.
The two were halfway to the training field. "They're all pretty low level so don't go too hard on them," said Kirito.
"I'll use the carrot over the stick if that's what you're worried about."
"That's why I can always rely on you."
"Well if it wasn't for me you'd be mauled by every animal in a forest." She pointed to the sword he wore. "You should swap that longsword for something shorter, like an arming sword. Do you even know how to use it?"
"I did a little kendo in my youth," he said all mysterious-like. The guy was seventeen, and here he was speaking like he was in his thirties. The fact she never saw him ever pull out that sword aside from the odd cleaning made her doubtful.
"After training them, I can always give you some personal lessons."
He smiled at that. "Nice try, Asuna-chan, but Sinon already made me that offer. Though I'm sure she just wants me alone in the forest so she can have her way with me. Horny woman that."
She blushed. "Hey, that's not what I meant."
The merchant pursed his lips. "And before that, Argo invited me to a sparring match. In the barracks. She was wearing very little. I don't think we have the same concept of 'sparring' in mind."
"Well, rest assured Kirito, I have no plans to get in your pants," Asuna lied as naturally as she breathed.
"That's good to hear. I admit it's very exhausting to try to fend off those two. That's why you're my first choice."
"First choice of what?"
"To lead the company! You're smart, disciplined, and you don't take shit from anyone. If I ever die you'll be the first person to inherit the Kirito Corporation."
Die? "A bit dramatic don't you think?"
He looked at her, all smiles. "You never know, we could die at any time."
"I won't let you die. I'll protect you to the end," she said with a sincerity that surprised even herself.
Kirito's eyes widened at the proclamation of her oath. It was uncommon to see him being taken by surprise but his easy going demeanor returned as quickly as it disappeared. "Thank you, that really means a lot."
A silence descended upon them as they made their way to the training field, smiling. It was not an uncomfortable one.
"Kirito, a question."
"Hmm?"
"If you die, can I rename the company to the Asuna Corporation?"
He frowned. "You may not."
A large man stood upon a marble platform, glaring at the recruits but saying nothing. In the times before Tupi, it would have been lavishly decorated, great warriors would be hailed as heroes and presented awards for their service. The only remnant of that legacy would have been the totem poles in each corner, carved from good cedar; decorated with various creatures, images of war, and faces. Each carving its own tale and only decipherable by the company's Annalist (which also happened to be Tupi). The poles too needed a fresh coat of paint and varnish.
The training field was large, a good two hundred by one hundred yards. It was unkempt, grass and nature had reclaimed it, but one could imagine a legion of champions standing proud decorated in medals. Kirito had mustered a small army of goats to act as lawnmowers. Half the field was already cleared thanks to them.
"Unlike actual groundskeepers, we can actually eat them when they're done!" he said when he bought them from a traveling herder.
"You could eat any groundskeepers if you aren't a coward," said Sinon.
Sometimes Asuna wondered if hiring the slayer was a good idea.
The man on the platform was a big man, with a shaved head and a cleanly groomed moustache in the Granum style and a scar on his chin which spoke of his violent past. He was clad in lamellar made of boiled-buck leather and under which was a mail shirt. On his belt was a nasty falchion, and in his fist was a vine staff, a popular piece of equipment in most military organisations.
The man spotted them and barked, "Attention! Commander in presence!"
With that, the thirty or so newbies stood straight and stopped talking. They stood in their own clumps instead of straight lines. Clearers they were not, but it was better than nothing.
"See, I told you it was a good investment in hiring the guy."
Asuna frowned. "I just don't think it's a good idea to hire the bandit boss that literally had a knife to your neck."
"We hired Sinon and she shot me in the face."
Asuna sighed, realising full well that there was no use in arguing with him. "Point taken."
The bandit turned master-at-arms addressed the rabble. "This is Captain Asuna, head of security, and Kirito, lord of this fine company. Pay attention or I'll tan your hides" He nodded to Kirito. "Lord."
"Robert." The merchant turned the crowd and put on his 'businessman' voice. "Ladies and gentlemen. Players and Aincradians. Today is a fortuitous day if you've the bravery to grasp opportunities!"
As Kirito continued his speech, «Robber Knight Robert» now called «Master-at-Arms Robert» stood beside Asuna, arms folded behind his back. "Captain Asuna."
"Die in a ditch."
"Ah, so you are speaking to me at least. Usually you'll just be staring daggers. I consider that an improvement!"
Asuna stayed silent. She simply could not understand Kirito's logic.
She recalled when it was decided what would happen to the bandit. It was the day Kirito had made the contract with Ser Reginald and the rest of Fort Arrowhead. Everyone was there in the fort's dunjeon, the prisoner behind rusty but solid bars.
The knight looked at him disapprovingly. "Ah, for men-at-arms to turn into routiers, mercenaries in times of peace turning to rob good honest folk is a tale as old as time. It's not an uncommon fate, but people everywhere suffer when young men have nothing to do in times of peace."
"I'm thirty-eight," said the robber knight.
"Let me guess, youngest son of the family."
"It was either be a sellsword or a monk."
"I can relate. My youngest brother is out there serving some tyrant in the Thronelands. He hates it but it's good pay."
Tupi cleared his throat and Reginald got to it. "Right, right. So, merchant, would you like a hanging or a decapitation? Just got myself a new longsword and I'm itching to use it so please say the latter."
Kirito's eyes went wide at that. "What? No! I don't want to kill the guy! Can't you put him in prison or something?"
The knight tugged at his moustache. "Prison? What's that, some of gaol?"
"Nevermind." Kirito put fist to mouth, deep in thought. Asuna understood his feelings. It was one thing to kill an NPC in battle, it was another to execute a surrendered man, bandit or no. What kind of uncivilised person would take another life like this?
Sinon voiced her thoughts. "I could always use target practice."
"Sinon!" the swordswoman snapped. "You can't do that!"
"Aa-chan is right, Sinonon," said the Rat. "That's just inhumane."
"Thank you, Argo."
"I say we instead toss him into the ring with me. He can be my eternal punching bag!"
"How does this solve the problem of giving him a fair sentence?"
Argo looked at Asuna, genuinely confused. "Fair sentence?"
Tupi broke the stalemate. "Well, we need to do something with him. He eats far too much and he moans whenever his porridge isn't right."
"Porridge? That thing you call porridge isn't fit for kibble!"
"See?"
Kirito snapped his fingers. "I've got just the idea!"
Asuna stared at him, she had been with him long enough. "Kirito, he literally tried to kill y-"
Instantly, parchment and pen in hand. "So do you want a job?"
That was almost a week ago. Surprisingly, neither Tupi nor Reginald were against it, and the farmers the bandit terrorised accepted their new master-at-arms with as much annoyance as the weather being bad. Not even Argo or Sinon cared much for it and sometimes Asuna wondered if she was the only sane woman in this entire damn company.
"Asuna. Asuna!"
The swordswoman snapped out of her expository flashback. "Oh, yes?"
Kirito gestured to the crowd. "Would you like to say a few words?"
"O-of course!" Damn, she was out of focus but to retreat was cowardly.
She took her place, all eyes on her.
Calm down, Asuna Yuuki. You've been trained for this. You are the heiress of one of Japan's leading companies. You've had the best tutors money could buy, you are a straight A student, the best freshman on your college's fencing team. You were born to lead.
She saw Kirito next to Robert, giving her thumbs up and a smile.You got this, girl. Kirito trusted her, she would not fail him.
Finally, she cleared her throat and said to her audience:
"Underneath the earth we stand upon is a monster from legend. A wizard of immense power, or a dragon, or both. The wards are breaking, the chains that bind the beast rusting. And you alone are its last defense. Yes, you! You may think you could not, in fact, stand up against a spell-slinging dragon, but know that you are laying down your lives for the greater good. And is there a more noble thing than laying down your life to a complete stranger?"
The field was silent. You could hear a blade of grass move. Some of the recruits even looked pale. Uh oh.
One of the goats went baa.
Asuna coughed. "Also, we're paying double the minimum wage."
The recruits exploded into cheers.
It had been a couple of weeks since they had settled into Fort Eternal Vigilance. Asuna had settled into her role as head of security well. She had been traveling for so long, she had forgotten how it was to settle down in one spot for so long. This had been the longest time they had stayed stationary.
She would wake up at five in the morning, perform her morning rituals, and go for a walk. The cold morning air revitalised her, and the quiet of before dawn allowed for reflection.
After that, she would go to her office, which was situated in the fort's northwestern corner and see what needed to be done for the day. It was a four storey tower, long abandoned, saved for the ground floor, which was actively used as storage. The upper floors doors were locked, the keys long gone and no one had the skill to pick it or the will to chop down the door.
It took an entire day of cleaning and half of the fort's workforce. When the sun was setting, the cleaners ran out of the tower screaming.
"What's happening?" Asuna had asked one of the laundresses.
"A beast, milady! A great horrible beast!"
Sinon came strolling in through the gates at that moment and a bundle of tomahawks. "I got this."
The carcass of the «Great Rat Lord» was cooked over a huge firepit. It was the most nourishing meal the families of the fort had in the last year.
Training the troops was going well. They would wake up at six at the blast of the horn. From there, Asuna would have them do laps around the fort's territory. Robert, who had indeed been a man of rank in the past, taught them how to march. In regards to swordplay, she had her experience in training Manklar's goblins and her time tutoring her fellow students back at uni to thank for.
The most common weapon amongst the Free Tribes was the bow and they required little to no training with them. The average tribal could stalk, hunt and shoot better than most players who did specialise into that sort of build.
It was one morning and they were training to shoot. Robert threw a piece of broken pottery into the air and the players had difficulty hitting it. One of the tribals stepped up and hit them three in a row. There was much cheering.
"Pfft, they're alright, I guess," Sinon remarked.
At some point, Sinon gathered as many ponies and donkeys as she could get, two sacks of salt, and she was off by herself on a great hunt. She didn't even tell anyone, just up and left the fort a day before she was supposed to.
Tupi was also missing his horse, but Asuna was sure that wasn't related to the slayer at all.
"Shouldn't we go after her?" she had asked.
Kirito didn't even look up from his paperwork. "Nah, let her. She's survived long enough by herself so far."
That was three days ago. Asuna found herself missing the slayer. She didn't miss her many attempts at seducing Kirito however.
As head of security, she had gotten to know her troops. The tribals were mostly of the Orage tribe, which despite the name was more of a confederacy of many clans than a single overarching clan; many of them were close relatives of Alona, Ser Reginald's wife. They had been raised on tales of Wicasa the Wise, who despite not belonging to any clan, was revered and beloved by all the Free Tribes.
Asuna had little to teach them in regards to outdoorsmanship. Handy with bow, tomahawk and spear, they were just as comfortable in their homes as well as the wilds. If anything, she could learn a thing or two from them.
Of the NPCs, the most promising recruit was a youth called Hiawatha. He was solid, dependable, and friendly. Asuna instantly took a liking to him.
The tribal was teaching Hansel and Gretel, a pair of teenage siblings and far too low level to pass Floor 10, on how to shoot. They must have been no older than fifteen.
He had the makings of a good teacher. "No, stand like this, see? And pull the string as far back as your cheek. Now, loose."
Gretel loose, hitting the bullseye on her first try. Hiawatha clapped her on the back. "That's how you do it!"
"Teach me too, please!" the brother asked, envious of his sister's shot.
There was also a swordsman called Guld. He was … odd. Excessive in his training, he was first to rise from bed, the last to hit the mess hall. He struck the pells so hard they had to be replaced constantly. Robert had threatened to take pay out of his wages if he kept doing it, not that it stopped the man.
"It's not my fault these pells aren't guld enough."
"You mean good enough, right?" asked Lisbeth. She wasn't on the payroll, but she trained all the same.
"I know what I said. Everyone here needs to git guld, like me!"
"Please speak like a normal person."
But he was an excellent soldier. Didn't matter if Asuna told him to climb a wall, attack while completely outnumbered, or stand for hours on end, he did it without issue. What led a man to such a mindset, she didn't want to know.
"I'm thinking of promoting Hiawatha, what do you think?" she had asked Kirito over dinner.
"I for one agree. The lad has a good head on his shoulders. If he were serving me, I would make him corporal," said Robert, who was munching on some sweetmeats. Asuna had made it known that she disliked him at the table but Kirito vetoed her.
"If you think it's a good idea, sure! You're the one in charge after all."
Argo punched her in the shoulder. "Oooh, would ya look at that! Captain AA-chan! Maybe one day you'll be commander of your own guild!"
Kirito raised an eyebrow at that. Asuna gave a reassuring smile. "I think I'm right where I belong."
The merchant looked away. It may have been the heat, but was he blushing?
Argo rolled her eyes.
Tupi frowned at the mention of promotions. "This better not cut into the treasury too much."
"Speaking of which, Kirito. How are we making a profit?" She had checked the ledger: they had already spent a third of the money they already had and were yet to make a Col back.
"Patience, Asuna-chan. To make money …"
"- we need to spend money, yes, yes, you've said it a hundred times."
The days continued.
Asuna's duties as head of security wasn't actually too different from her job as bodyguard. She was still Kirito's shadow, whose whole job was looking very intimidating and fending off the odd wildlife, bandit and rabbit who looked at them the wrong way. She disliked leaving that bandit alone in the fort with Tupi and the rest of the peasants, but Argo promised to keep an eye on him.
"Don't worry, Asuna. Robert Dickhead there won't lay a hand on anyone while I'm here."
"Thank you, Argo. I appreciate it."
The Rat nudged her with an elbow. "Try not to seduce our Kii-bou too much! I'm not very fond of sharing him with you."
"I've no intention in such things, I'll have you know."
Argo just shot her trademarked infuriating mischievous smile. "Sure thing, Aa-chan."
"Aren't you supposed to be doing something about advertising or something?" Argo had spent most of her time either sparring or exercising. In fact, Asuna hadn't seen the Rat do much of anything at all.
The info broker just winked at that.
Today, the merchant visited the outlying villages around the fort, many of which were single family homesteads with the odd cattle mainly consisting of cows, pigs and chickens. The main crop was actually three crops: corn, beans, and squash. The corn stalk provides the pillar which the bean vines support themselves on, the beans in turn provide nutrition back into the soil, fertilising the corn and the squash, while the squash's leaves protect the beans from pests. It was a beautiful symbiotic relationship.
Kirito would go to these homesteads, introduce himself, sweet talk the villagers, and purchase necessary supplies: farming tools like hoes, scythes, shovels, ploughs, rakes, and fertiliser, building equipment like hammers, nails, saws, drills and chisels.
At one point, he visited one of the fishing villages on the Magula, the main river of the 16th Floor. There he purchased fishing nets, fishing rods, bait, and some smoked fish. Sinon had yet to return from her hunt and the feeding of the recruits had been a hassle in itself.
He was chatting with the tribe's chief on a dock when one of his children came up to Asuna with a cup of tea. "Oh, thank you."
The youth, a girl of eight, in a dress too big for her, asked, "Are you a warrior?"
"I suppose I am."
She made an 'oooo' face. "Like, a knight?"
"No, not really."
The girl pointed to where the wagon was parked and her white courser, Kumo-chan, was munching on some hay. "But you've got a horse, like Ser Reggie! That makes you a knight!"
"Well, when you put it that way, I guess I am." She was going to correct the little girl that it technically made her a mounted man-at-arms (woman-at-arms?) but she was no pedant. What's the harm of entertaining a child's imagination?
The child's eyes widened at that. "Does that mean the pretty man talking to father is your lover?"
Asuna choked on her tea, the hot drink poured out of her nostrils.
The girl didn't seem to notice. "It's just like in the stories grandmother told me! Knightesses in shining armour, rescuing handsome princes from dragons! And something about towers? Why are they stuck in towers? Does the dragon collect pretty men or something?"
She finally got herself under control and wiped the tea off her chin. "I-I don't think that's how those stories work."
"Maybe!" She produced a teapot from somewhere. "More tea, ser knight?"
It was noon when the inspection was called for. The recruits gathered in the field, thirty-two strong. They had only a week of training but most of them had experience in combat of some kind. Robert was there, acting as the stereotypical drill sergeant. To be begrudgingly fair, he was training them well.
The majority of the new Eternal Watch recruits were NPCs, unsurprisingly. Most players chased the opening of new Floors and very few stayed back on the lower Floors except for quest reasons. This led to a race of sorts, where Clearer guilds, which only made the minority of the 50,000 or so playerbase, to find the best quests, the most rewarding dungeons, the most dangerous beasts to slay. Clearers were an elitist sort and it was difficult for low level players to catch up.
But enough about guild politics.
The Corporation had yet to find a good source of iron, and Libseth was running out of ore that they came with and had resorted to smelting old discarded junk which itself required more fuel for the forge. The best armour they could provide the NPC recruits were hand-me-down aketons and skull cap helmets that Kirito bought in bulk a while ago. The aketons were in bad shape, Kirito and Tupi spent an entire day patching them up. Even then, they looked like a sorry lot.
As Asuna walked down the line inspecting them, she noticed something. Hold on …
"Robert."
"Yes, captain."
"Why are they all sleeveless?"
"I CAN EXPLAIN THAT!"
A player took a step forward. He had a massive rectangular greatshield - a pavise - which was more of a mobile wall than anything vaguely usable but he carried it as easily as Asuna wielded her steel dhal. His spear was a good seven feet tall, with a cruel jagged spearhead, which Asuna recognised as «Throatripper», a quest reward from the «Militias of Aincrad» questline.
The player himself was in heavy shining silver scale armour, looking like some sort of armoured fish. His face was fully covered by a greathelm, and he wore, of all things, a mail cape. He must have weighed thirty-five kilos at least - way heavier than an actual suit of plate. The only part of him that wasn't covered were his biceps. He was, despite his recruit status, the most heavily armoured person in the fort.
Asuna sighed. "Brickwall-san. Why -"
Brickwall slammed the butt of his spear to the ground. "THE LADS AND I DECIDED WE WERE DOING A LOT OF PUSHUPS, AND IT WOULD BE A SHAME TO COVER OUR VERY TONED ARMS."
Asuna pinched the bridge of her nose, wishing the player knew what volume control was. She would have dismissed him had he not be the only person who knew how to act as a tank in the fort. "You do realise you're breaking Watch equipment are you?"
Brickwall cocked his head, an impressive feat with such a heavy helm. "BUT ARGO-SAMA GAVE US PERMISSION!"
Of course Argo was behind this, the stupid gym rat.
The swordswoman took a deep breath to control herself. "Anyway … today, warriors of the Watch, we have a noble quest."
That got everyone's attention.
Training had done good work. The Watch's fighters marched in lockstep, spears high, making good progress on the dirt road. Asuna led them from the back as Robert rode in the front; both of them were on horseback.
The quest was simple: there was an infestation problem at one of the mines and in return of clearing out the danger, would give a steady supply of the ores. Through the knight's influence, Kirito's charm, and Argo's Argoness (Asuna did wonder how she ran her info broker network considering they were all in the middle of nowhere), they had acquired a fair amount of miners for the job which would come at the end of the month. This would put the mine under the protection (and more importantly payroll) of the Watch. The problem was no one was entirely sure what was infesting it. They had too little manpower to actually scout it proper.
The mine was half a day on paper, according to Tupi. "On paper?"
"Well, yes. The mine was flooded a long time ago and has only recently opened up. According to some ancient documents, it used to belong to the Watch so it's ours by right."
"But …"
"But the roads have been long unused, so travel will take a while."
"That shouldn't be a problem." Asuna need not need worry, the recruits knew how to rough it out in the woods.
"Ah, but here's the thing." The steward looked at some parchment, not meeting her eyes. "Lord Kirito would be most grateful if you removed some obstacles on the road …"
"You want me to do labour work."
"Yes."
The trip took two days.
The Eternal Watch - the legacy of Wicasa, gaoler of an ancient evil, the brotherhood of champions! Also, the best woodcutters in the world apparently. A tree fallen on the road? Wild bushes? Annoying roots? Potholes to be filled? You know who to call!
Damn that Kirito. Argo could have at least lent a hand. She would have been useful in moving the trees out of the way.
But the Rat and Kirito were away, taking a trip back to Mankhklar for business reasons, Tupi and the rest to hold the fort. No doubt to find money to pay for the upcoming miners. Kirito had purchased enough beaver pelts to make a tidy profit assuming he could get a good price on them.
Lisbeth accompanied them, a smith first, a fighter second; she was in charge of sharpening and maintaining the numerous saws and axes for the group. Not that the girl would shy away from a scruff.
"After all, I have you to thank for my new hairdo!" she told her, flicking her pink hair. Or attempted to anyway, the branches stuck in it ruined the effect. "Ugh, how the heck do you keep your hair so smooth and clean anyway?"
Asuna merely smiled. "Forge me a new weapon and I'll tell you."
She meant it as a joke but the look of seriousness on Lis' face said she didn't think it that way.
Of course, Asuna helped too. Hansel and Gretel were sawing a log with a two-man saw. Brickwall and a few others were hauling wood to the side of the road, perhaps they could retrieve them later. Robert was trimming branches with the speed of a skilled woodsman. Guld was competing to cut more logs than anyone else, a competition only he himself was interested in.
It was hard work, but the clear road would help down the future.
At noon on the third day, they arrived at their destination.
They were resting after a morning's worth of work in the shade. Asuna was munching on some pemmican when Hiawatha, who sent ahead, reported back to her.
"Captain, we've got a problem!"
"Let me guess, spiders?"
"Bandits?" said Robert.
"Please tell me it's not goblins," said Lisbeth.
"I HOPE IT'S A DRAGON!" said Brickwall. The mention of one rattled the recruits and Robert was quick to admonish him.
Hiawatha shook his head. "No warchief, it's -"
"You've got to be kidding me."
"Begone, sellswords! For this mine belongs to the honourable Lord Arog of Karak Askud!" bellowed the «Dwarf Overseer». A most impressive feat considering he had no vocal chords to speak of. Or a throat. Or a tongue. Or skin.
The skeletal dwarf stood at an impressive five feet (which made him taller than most dwarves). His bones were bleached, he was missing a few ribs, and the iron pickaxe he wielded was long rusted. His eyes were two small balls of blue fire, staring intensely at Asuna and Robert. On his mining cap, curiously, was a brand new candle. Somehow, he had retained his beard in death.
Behind the overseer was a small group of similar skeletal dwarves, toiling at their work even in death. Asuna counted at least a dozen of them, there must have been more inside.
"Magic!" Robert spat. "Foul necromancy! I dislike it immensely."
"That's at least something that you and I agree with," said Asuna. It had been a long time since she had tangled with the undead. Last time she did was back with that band of samurai a while ago.
The ex-routier nodded. "Indeed. It is cowardly and unmanly."
"I'm gonna ignore that sexist remark for now. Mister dwarf, may we enter?"
"Not without permission!" the skeleton growled.
"And how do I get permission?"
"You need Permit A38 for that."
"Okay, where do I get Permit A38?"
"You'll need Form 202."
"And where do I get that?"
This went on far too long.
"After you get Form Z4, you'll need to head to the Scriptorium at the town of Dorfsburg at Floor 30. They are however only open on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, at 9 am. That way you can register your galley at the harbourmaster's office."
"I don't want to register a galley, I just want to see what's inside the mines!" Asuna almost shouted. "Can't I just bribe you or something?"
"Ah," said the undead dwarf. "Why didn't you just say so!"
"Finally."
"But for that, you'll need to sign the Permit of Bribery to Miner's Guild, but before that, you'll need an appointment with the local Thieves Guild to get the Right of Bribing Civilian Officials …"
Asuna returned to camp immediately, Robert trailing behind her.
The master-at-arms shook his head. "Even in death, the dwarves are known for their eldritch bureaucracy."
After calming down with a cup of tea, Hiawatha returned from another recon mission. "Warchief, I've scouted the perimeter. I count two dozen undead, perhaps even more inside the mines themselves."
"I see. What else?"
"Three men in black robes. They have the Lich's Skull on them."
Ah, to think this was a simple dungeon dive. "Okay, let me think about this."
She had thirty-two men, most of them in little armour. As good as their bows were, they did little against skeletons even in old rusty armour. The tribals had leather-backed wooden shields, bows, tomahawks and light spears. The way of war amongst the Free Tribes wasn't the disciplined phalanx in a dungeon's hallway or the cavalry charge of Granum's chivalry, but of long distance raids and skirmishes in the woods. It was not unheard of for them to fight in formation, but it was uncommon and only for the best champions of each tribe.
To send them into the mines? Where danger could come from every shadow? Even if all of them were proper heavy infantry, there would still be casualties.
As Asuna continued wracking her brain for a battle plan, someone stepped forward. "What is it, private?"
"CAPTAIN!" Brickwall boomed, as he often did. "I HAVE A SUGGESTION!"
She sighed again, better get it over with. "Let's hear it."
"WHAT IF WE BAIT THEM OUT?"
"I thought of that already. There's nothing we can do that would get them out, and even if we picked them off, they'll just hunker down and lock themselves in the mines."
He deflated at that. "WELL I'M OUT OF IDEAS."
"I have one, however."
"Fine, Robert. Let's hear it."
The master-at-arms tugged at his moustache conspiratorially. "I have heard from Steward Tupi and Lord Kirito that you, Lady Sinon and Lady Argo, have experience in night battles, yes?"
"You want us to attack at night?"
"Aye, we have a tribe of stalkers with us. No reason to not use them."
Hiawatha spoke up, "My grandmother told me that necromancers derive their power from the stars. These wizards need to constantly feed their minions their magic, meaning the best place to do that …"
"Is out in the open." Ah, so this must be what having officers felt like. "Robert, have the troops sleep right now and post guards. We wake up at dusk.
It was eight PM when they mustered at the edge of the mines. They prepared themselves at the edge of the clearing, their only source of light the full moon and a few lit candles.
Asuna spied robed men going about, administering spells of some kind to the dwarf dead as they laid on the ground, like some sort of priest giving a blessing. The older the corpse, the more powerful the magic they required. Zombies were relatively easy to animate but mobs like Revenants and Death Ksatrias required even more powerful necromancy.
Or at least that's what Asuna read in a book at Fort Eternal Vigilance' ancient library- Necromancy 101: A Practical Guide to Get Revenge to Everyone You Hate.
She returned to her troops and everyone was doing … makeup of some kind?
"What are you doing?" Asuna had asked the smith. Lisbeth was dipping her hand in a pot of red clay and charcoal.
"Psychological warfare!" she answered, red paint covering her eyes like a blindfold. "According to Robert-san, it's common for the Free Tribes to paint themselves before battle."
Robert appeared, his own face covered with vertical black markings over his eyes and cheeks. "As warchief, it is important that you follow the customs of your soldiers. Even bandit lords like I know this."
Asuna saw the rest of the tribals, painting not only their faces but also their arms. She saw the brother Hansel and Gretel, doing each other's faces. Brickwall had covered his right arm white, his left arm black. Hiawatha was done with his and gave her a reassuring smile, he had a bowl in hand, a brush in the other.
Well, when in Aincrad, do what Aincradians do. "Fine, I'll put on makeup!"
"But Asuna-chan, you're wearing makeup right now!" accused Lisbeth.
"What? No, I'm not. This is how I normally look."
Hiawatha helped paint Asuna's face while Lisbeth grumbled how unfair it was that other girls were pretty without the need for cosmetics.
"How would you like to colour your face?" asked the tribal.
Asuna pointed to her arming jacket: left side white, right side red. "Like this, but on opposite sides."
An axe was quite different from a sword. Most swords were hilt-heavy, axes by their nature were tip-heavy. Asuna respected the axe but she wasn't the biggest fan of it. They were often too short for her liking, and Asuna's years of sport fencing proved that reach was almost always the determining factor in a fight.
As her borrowed tomahawk buried itself in the Dwarf Overseer's head, splitting helmet and skull, perhaps she needed to reconsider her opinion.
"Here's your stupid Permit A38 right here!"
The rest of the dwarves awoke from their magical-infused rest. They were streaming out of their broken down shacks as multiple robed men ran around like headless chickens, summoning their minions. Asuna returned to her spearline. Robert produced a warhorn from his belt and blew.
With her were Robert, Brickwall, Hansel, Gretel and a few others. All players save the master-at-arms. All wearing proper mail. They had rushed into the walls of the mines, killed a few dwarves, and at the reanimated miners, they retreated to the gates.
Asuna raised her steel dhal. "Ready yourselves!"
The undead broke against them like a wave. The stouty and hardy dwarves were but miners in their past lives, not warriors. But a barrage of pickaxes from a bunch of angry dwarves was no laughing matter, warriors or not.
Up and down the picks went as Asuna's men struck back at them with their own weapons. Brickwall's «Throatripper» licked out and severed a dwarf's spinal cord. Robert's falchion severed an arm while Hansel's sword broke the dwarf's shoulder. Guld wielded his katana with a shield, yelling "Git Guld!" every time he hit someone. Lisbeth kept telling him to shut up to no effect.
So there they stood, outnumbered five to one.
Asuna barely parried a pickaxe with her tomahawk and it was only due to the rust on the tool that it merely cut her forearm instead of breaking it. In return she swiped the small axe horizontally, taking out the miner's jaw and sending him sprawling to the ground. Yet for every skeleton they destroyed, another came to take its place.
"How long do we have to take this?" Hansel asked, raising his shield just in time to block another blow only for his sister to come to his rescue.
Robert, the biggest man in the line, took one step forward and stabbed the rim of his kite shield into a dwarf, sending them sprawling like bowling ball pins. "Until the rest are in position!"
Asuna could spy five necromancers waving their arms as they buffed their undead minions. Some of the dwarves had red eyes instead of the usual blue, which Asuna knew gave a considerable buff to both Attack Speed and Damage.
As she noticed this, Guld went down all of a sudden. "Guld!" Asuna shouted.
Robert stepped in with his enormous frame, his kite shield blocking the hit. Hansel and Lisbeth dragged him away to safety. Where were the rest of them?
And just as the phalanx came to a breaking point, the flankers came to their rescue.
They climbed over the miner's ancient palisade, the mages had pulled all their guards to the front - a fatal mistake. The prideful necromancers deigned to not wear any armour at all and were easily slaughtered by the tribals' arrows. As soon as the dwarves' masters died, the skeletons had become slow, sluggish even. Some even dropped their picks, as suddenly lacking the strength to wield them.
At that, Hiawatha called the charge and all of them replaced their bows for their tomohawks.
It was long and dusty work but the deed was done. There was nothing left of the dwarves but their bones and rusty mining equipment.
Asuna resumed command. "Search the mines! They might have valuables! Brickwall, you're leading."
"SIR, YES SIR!" They followed their orders briskly, like good soldiers.
Lisbeth spoke up, "Uh, Asuna … you might wanna take a rest."
It was actually legitimately difficult, the adrenaline was rushing through her like a high. "That's fine. Hiawatha, secure the perimeter. There might still be dangers about."
Hansel popped up. "Captain, I found someone in a cage! They're knocked out!"
A prisoner, interesting. "Alright, is there anyone else that can patch them up?"
"Asuna, you're bleeding!" Lisbeth snapped, pointing to the wound in her side. How'd that happen?
She quickly glanced at her HP, steadily decreasing. "I'm fine, there's still plenty of work to -"
And then her HP dipped to 15%, triggering the «Knocked Out» status.
Asuna woke up on a good straw cot with clean sheets. The time on her HUD clock stated it was noon the next day. The room itself was familiar. Wait, this was her office. Someone had put a curtain on one side of the room.
Sitting on the window sill was a familiar slayer, cutting an apple. "Yo."
"Sinon? W-what …"
She ate a slice. "Did you know that if you suffer a massive amount of «Bleed Loss» in a very short period of time, you pass out? The HP loss still goes on but at a much reduced rate."
Asuna lifted the covers and saw her left side was heavily bandaged. "Ah, okay. That explains it."
The slayer munched on the fruit before continuing. "Bandit Man put you on your horse and rode back in the middle of the night. Some of the boys are still there, guarding the mine. The rest are in the barracks, sleeping."
Oh, well. Maybe the bandit wasn't as bad as she originally thought.
Sinon pointed to her face. "Nice makeup. Fits you well."
Asuna sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "That was a disaster."
Sinon stopped eating. "Asuna, you got a bunch of goobers, most of them in armour that was outdated ten levels ago, herded them into a fight, at night, against comparatively high level undead, and the only casualty you suffered was yourself."
"But what about Guld-san?"
"Yeah they brought him back too. He wasn't even hurt, he collapsed out of exhaustion."
Now that Asuna recalled, Robert did say the player refused to sleep and trained by himself. Figures.
The slayer threw her apple at the patient which Asuna barely caught. "Don't be too hard on yourself. Kirito was right choosing you as head of security."
"Wow, Sinon … thank you. I just … didn't expect that from you."
The slayer gave the slightest hint of a smile. "If you tell anyone about this, I'll deny it completely."
Asuna returned the smile. "How was the hunt anyway?"
She shrugged. "It was fine. I hunted a bunch of deer, found that boring, sold off the meat but kept the pelts. Met this fella who taught me how to hunt bison with a lance. Found myself herding a dozen of them right back to the Fort. Made a tidy profit."
"Aren't bison wild animals, and not domesticated?"
"Oh yeah. They're on a rampage, eating some of the crops. Tupi was chasing me for doing that, but I needed a break before I get back to it." Her head cocked towards the door. "Someone's coming, I'll take my leave then."
With that, Sinon plunged from the window. Wait, weren't they on the second floor?
Kirito came barging in. "Asuna, I heard you were hurt! Are you okay?"
Before she could say anything, he placed the back of his hand on her forehead. "No fever, your HP is full. You've got a nasty hole in your side but it looks patched up. Oh, thank God."
"Kirito, it's alright …"
"I'm going to buy you a nice breastplate so this won't happen again, I swear it."
Tongue tied, she wasn't sure what to say until Argo entered just after him. "See, Kii-bou. Told you Aa-chan's a tough girl. She's not gonna fall to some random spooky bones."
The three sat down and chatted, all the while Kirito cleaned her face with a wet cloth, much to her embarrassment. The merchant explained that Robert was already in the process of writing up a report. He also spoke of the business trip to Mankhlar, how he was able to secure a loan from the Merchants Guild, how he may have gotten some donours to pour money into the fort. Meanwhile, Argo had worked hard as the company's self appointed advertiser and she had hooked up some 'sweet gigs' and a deal to make posters to drive up recruitment, as well as meet up with old contacts for her info network.
It was hard to take it all in because she was somewhat dizzy. She could hardly get a word in but as she understood it, they were making a profit.
It was a while before she realised something. "Wait, one of the recruits said that there was someone else, a prisoner?"
Argo answered, "Oh yeah, that guy. He's talking to Tupi right now about some sort of cult. Apparently, they're tied to Dickbag Prime locked under the fort."
Great, just great. "Who is he?"
"I think he's some sort of paladin."
Asuna raised an eyebrow at that. "What's a paladin?"
Can you tell I want to go back to writing Aincrad Retold? Pretty obvious, huh?
Back to the best girl votes! The question as followed was:
"Merchant Prince of Aincrad Readers: Who is the best girl of the group, and who do you want Kirito to be with first? You may only choose one."
At 30 votes, ongoing since Jan 13 (chapter 9's publication) and closed today, the results are as follows:
1. Sinon at 13 votes: 43%
2. Argo at 9 votes: 30%
3. Asuna at 8 votes: 26%
I am very curious at this. Not only because Argo had the most spotlight given to her in the Mankhlar arc, but also because I feel that Sinon doesn't have that much to do since her introduction in chapter 3. Sometimes I wonder people who voted for Sinon are because the voters came from reading Sinonon, which is totally unrelated to Merchant Prince. To those who voted who you did, mind telling me why that is?
Ah well. Seeing as I already guessed Asuna would come at number three, it was a matter of time until I give her some more writing. Despite being Kirito's longest companion, she really hasn't much to go on so I hope this makes up for it. You're welcome, you eight voters
I'll be getting back to Sinonon. Seeing as she is clearly the most popular, I hope to those who haven't read that yet to give it a chance!
