Title: Misfits of Aincrad.
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: Nothing Specific.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Asuna or Liz or Silica or Sachi or... I would buy them all but I am broke.
Summary: After the First Floor Boss Fight, Kirito deals with Kibaou in a different way. This leads to him meeting a number of Players who play SAO in their own unique ways. AU which diverges significantly from Canon.
"Switch" Asuna shouted.
Rigu jumped in with her one handed curved sabre and sliced into the side of the Juvenile Treant as Asuna jumped back, the Rapier User's health down to the bottom of the Green. Kiki shield bashed away one of the flailing branches before severing it with her Axe while Atalanta fired her bow from the back lines. Noticing the health of the Juvenile Treant was almost gone, Rigu charged up a Sword Skill and released it. Her sword sliced through the side of the Juvenile Treant and she slid to a stop behind it as she heard the sound of the Juvenile Treant shattering.
"Nicely timed Rigu." Kiki complemented.
Rigu simply nodded in acknowledgement. The party was hunting on the Fifth Floor trying to level up. Asuna and Rigu had been spending a lot of time in a group since Kirito had introduced them, with others joining at various times. Since the near disaster of the Seventh Floor Boss, the Clearers were scattering throughout floors Five through Seven to grind up before really tackling exploring and clearing Floor Eight.
Many who did not personally know the Betas, after hearing some of the rumours, would think that they distained the use of Sword Skills, especially after the establishment of 'The School' on Floor Three's training area to teach Players real life weapons techniques. This was not true. While Kiki and the other Betas did teach how to use manual attacks, they also taught how to judge the best times to use Sword Skills and the appropriate Sword Skills to use. Sword Skills were good for opening gaps for others in the Party or Raid to exploit or as finishing moves, as Rigu had just done, but given the pre-determined action of the skill and the System taking over it left the Player vulnerable after the end of Sword Skill until the system 'released' the player, and the more powerful the Sword Skill the longer that vulnerability lasted.
"One more or are we done for the day?" Atalanta asked.
"One more if that is cool with you." Rigu said, after glancing at the setting sun through the outside gap of Aincrad in the almost endless sky beyond. "I want to work on my Two Hand Sword for a bit."
The other girls nodded and Rigu opened her menu and change her gear to her alternate equipment set, which she had set up as a quick change alternate. Her gear changed from light armour with Agility bonuses and her Sabre at her belt to medium style armour that gave greater protection and a two handed sword on her back. In this gear set she was no front line tank but could give and take damage if it was required.
"Right." Kiki said, looking over the group. "Atalanta, you going to stay ranged or want to work on your Sword?"
"I'm starting to run low on Arrows." Atalanta mused. "I'm going to have stop by and see Lizbeth. I'll go sword."
"Ok. Rigu, you are up on Tank Duty, I'll switch in as required." Kiki ordered. "Asuna, Atalanta. Flank but hit and run. Allow Rigu to keep Aggro."
Rigu took the lead towards the next Juvenile Teant drawing the two handed sword from her back.
Liz sat down in the side area of the Floor Three Training Area, opened her menu and began the automatic setup of her portable market stall. Even before the stall had finished deploying there was already a line waiting for her.
"I've got no new Siswai." Liz said without looking up. "I got a few new leather bucklers and two types of arrows."
The six Aiel who were at the front of the line all chuckled at that.
"Save some of those arrows for me." Atalanta said from behind the Aiel.
The Aiel were mostly there for repairs to their Siswai, though Rhu also bought a new leather buckler and they all also got a few bundles of arrows, Liz getting some good wooden and leather crafting materials in return. The Aiel only ever trusted Liz to work on or replace their Siswai, as she was the only Blacksmith they had found that made Siswai, so she made sure she stocked all the Weapons and Shields that the Aiel used so she had a loyal group of customers.
This was the second time that Liz had set up her stall here at 'The School', and she was the only Crafter who bothered. Most of the merchants and crafters waited for customers to come to them in the markets in the town safe zones. There were two reasons that Liz set up in the training zone. The first reason was a bigger client base for her and her two silent partners, as both Clearers and lower level Players all congregated here in order to train and learn manual attacks. Her silent partners were crafters, one a carpenter and the other a leather worker, who both were hold up in the Town of Beginnings with no intention of venturing outside the Safe Zone.
Combined her partners made the leather bucklers that the Aiel used. The carpenter made quarterstaffs and bows, as well as ingredients to be used in her Blacksmithing like shafts for the arrows, the handles of Siswai and other spears, as well as axe hafts, while the leather worker made the leather strapping she used in sword hilts and for scabbards. All of those items she was able to purchase from NPC vendors but the deal she had with her partners was that she helped to provide crafting materials to them in return for their work, which is one of the reasons why she was well known for taking barter.
Liz did go out and fight Mobs for materials and experience out in the field, but the Barter got her materials from Mobs that were too difficult for her to hunt as well as loot weapons she could add to her stock and loot armour for her own use or to trade with other Merchants and Crafters.
"Can I get a rental of that Staff?" A Customer asked.
A quick glance told Liz that this was a Player who was trying to decide what weapon to use rather than someone looking to change their weapon.
"It is fifty Col for half and hour." Liz said. "If it is not returned after the half hour the System will automatically return it to the stall. No refunds if the weapon is returned early."
The other Player simply nodded and paid the fifty Col, before picking up the quarterstaff from the Rental Table.
"I suggest you talk to Kine'Iende." Liz advised, pointing to the quarterstaff wielder. "He'll show you how to properly use the quarterstaff."
The Player nodded and headed over to speak to Kine'Iende. This was the second reason she set up in the Training Area, as only here could she 'rent' out weapons to Players so that could try out a weapon in a safe environment. That was the one service she could not take barter for as the cost and duration of the rental were determined by the System.
Her Rental Table had only very basic examples of the weapons so that they could try them out and if they decided they liked the weapon type and, if they did, she could sell them a weapon of that type from her normal stock.
The next customer wanted their sword repaired. She would run her stall for the next two or three hours and then close the stall for an hour or two to work on her own weapons skill before reopening the stall. Kiki was supposed to around by that time and Liz wanted show the Shield Maiden a new manual Shield Attack that she had come up with by accident, kind of a follow up to a shield deflection where she drives the edge of her Shield into the Attacker after their weapon was deflected by the shield. She thought it could also possibly be used after a Shield Bash as well, if the opponent left an opening.
TBC….