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[PP-22] Sword and Board (Shield)


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"The problems of the past came from people trying to create artificial barriers of entry. They wanted to control who participated, and who was in control of the boss raids. Ego's got involved, it got messy, politics started to become part of the raid set up. The problem, though, isn't necessarily control of the raid or having standards, though I agree with what you said. When the raid is done, the people a part of the raid need to be more inclusive than exclusive. If you build a guild that is focused around being a raid team, accept people who wish to aspire to those ranks. Work together, build camaraderie, but don't isolate."

Baldur leaned forward, resting both of his arms parallel to one another on the tabletop.

"We maintain a standard. We accept the best, we demand your best, and we are willing to help you get there."

He leaned back in his seat, gesturing in a method to encompass everything in his sight.

"The major league sports teams of the world all compete with one another, but they all recognize the need for high talent players, not just in their own organization, but in all of them. If the assault team find talent, and foster that growth, then we all benefit, regardless of whoever pulls them into their guild. Having multiple, competing, quality guilds will be good for making sure that no one ever gets too much of a control. Plus, it gives everyone a niche, and a place for their personality to find a match."

Baldur nodded along with several of Shield's other comments and suggestions.

"I like the idea of having an officer in charge of running training and recruiting. I know Itzal has lauded a scouting position and role. I don't know if holds a place in the main party breakdown of tank, support, and damage, but it does it have amazing potential in a position of recruiting, training and support outside of a raid position. Having someone who can be a point leader, shot caller, or lead scouting and support missions to support the front line are indispensable. Plus there's no reason he couldn't fill a support or dps role."

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"It's difficult truly divvying up roles in an active guild," Shield sighed, tracing his thoughts back to even his early days with the Ascendants. "Players are often busy with their own planning, running their shops, etc." He put all of his opposing fingertips together and leaned on his elbows, trying to attack the problem from as many angles as he could. "Still, I think that's part of what made the Ascendants truly struggle. The positions were held by necessity and because of tradition, not because of passion or motivation. If we give the positions to those who are motivated and give them opportunities to benefit from their labors, then we may yet pull it off and make their work meaningful and rewarding."

He turned the situation over in his mind, trying to decide what positions would be necessary and which would be superfluous, putting too many chefs in the kitchen. "I think that having a dungeon raid officer is important. Beat and I have often discussed the value of such a thing in any guild. And I think you're right, that a scout, or at least one capable of scouting, is best for that position. Itzal would be a top pick, if we can get him. Still... he's close with Jonathan, and Jonathan will likely avoid me at all costs. If he tests Itzal's loyalty, we may lose him."

There was almost a sour expression on Shield's face, though not out of actual bitterness. There were a lot of matters to weigh and consider, and with another capable brain present, it meant now was the time to wrack his brain. "I can serve as a stand-in for now, if need be. I'm not a fully fledged scout, but I can do in a pinch. And I'm optimized for chest farming, which will be a good way to entice players with material rewards. I would have liked to be more focused on the front-lines themselves, but..." The corner of his lips twisted up in a wry smile, moving the rough mustache above. "Between that and my ability to both tank and energy support, it makes me more or less ideal for the position."

"In addition to that role, we'll want either a player or a small cadre of players to recruit, and potentially to organize resources for raids as well as communication with honorary members from other guilds," he went on, lacing his fingers together and resting his face against the sides of his hands. "I like the idea of such players being particularly skilled at their professions. That way, instead of being intermediaries to crafters, they themselves would be the source, making the process more efficient."

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"Hmmm... I think you're on to something. I like the non-standard guild roles. So many people are caught up in roles of the raid itself, or titles regarding who's in charge of whom..." Baldur mulled on that thought as Shield continued. It was a shame that Jonathan had let his pride get between him and Shield. They were both great in their own roles, but Shield had excelled at Jonathan's desired role, without seeing the one that he could have fulfilled well. Pride was always a dangerous weapon.

"I really think you'd do well as a Quartermaster role. It takes someone with know how and resources to outfit a guild, and obviously with your acumen you could keep the guild stocked, but you are right. If you're farming dungeons for experience, you need someone to find it, and someone to tank the boss at the end. Maybe if you could convince him, Itzal and Jonathan could be a good team for that. Training, recruiting, resource gathering. Quartermaster can allocate resources, bargain on the guild's behalf, and stock the raid party first with the primary supplies, and stock the gathering parties with the secondary supplies. The Raid leader chooses the team or teams. The guild master would serve a secondary role, fill in or help out where needed."

Baldur rubbed his chin more in thought, as if playing with a beard that wasn't there.

"If you're gonna run recruits through dungeons, you'd need a tank, unless you were giving a junior tank a chance to prove himself. Those are usually the hardest to come by, and you'll need to actively seek balance. People who are willing to cooperate and fill a role in a larger unit. If you ever got big enough to have multiple teams, you could break the raid leader up into team leader positions. Each tank or shot caller choosing their team. It's an interesting thought."

He tapped the rim of his tea cup.

"I think if you have a support system set up, so that players know if they fulfill their role that they'll be supplied for the raid or their training and resource missions, that'll you'll begin to see people come together and do their disparate parts. But if they're always having to fight for themselves AND the guild, then you're gonna have people's interests pulling them in many different directions.""

 

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"I don't think Jonathan will want anything to do with a guild that I'm a part of," Shield sighed. He rolled his mug between his hands, staring down into the pale liquid that remained with its specks of tea leaf that skated along the bottom. "It's unfortunate, but it's the way it is, at least for the moment. He didn't appreciate being challenged, and he has made that clear ever since. He does not show any signs of releasing that grudge."

Shield continued rolling thoughts around in his head. There was one that kept resurfacing. He tried to dismiss it to consider some of the strategic comments Baldur had made, but it continued to resurface. "I think it's going to be very important to have a very loose command structure. As you said, people have their own interests and their own goals. If we are too controlling, of the individuals or even of the respective branches, we may lose people. I think it would be very helpful if each separate part of the guild had a certain amount of autonomy. Those handling recruits should be free to do so the way they see fit. Those managing the dungeon raids need to have the freedom to follow their own style and schedule. Those handling mercantile matters, supplying the other branches, need to be able to work at their own pace."

It was a risky model if a bad egg made it into the guild and then into a position of power. A portion of players could splinter off, taking an entire leg out from under the stool so that it collapsed, but hopefully common goals would unite players back to the core even if the head of one branch went rogue. "Ideally, the head of each would report back to a counsel of some sort that would be overseen by a triumvirate of leaders. One player is risky because a they could easily let the power go to their head, and even numbers get messy with tied votes. If there aren't enough leaders to go around though, one or two could do in the short term."

Tracing over his mental notes, they had discussed quite a bit, and much of the discussion had been expanding on different things that the guild hoped to tackle. It was a lot to keep up with. "At the start, I'm going to be pulling a lot of double and triple duty, recruiting and organizing and trying to select leaders for different parts of the guild. Not to mention overseeing progress and assessing whether I made good decisions on who to put in what position." He turned his eyes back to Baldur. He had been focused elsewhere for some time now. "And what about you? Where would you like to fit into that puzzle?"

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Their discussion was progressing well, but the plan was almost getting too grand. Their guild had turned into an organization encompassing the entirety of the front line. Supply chains, training groups, raid parties. They were talking about a guild that was at least 20 people. He would likely start with only a single party. A core of active players to build upon. Perhaps if he has 12, a full two groups, but even that was ambitious. No guild had ever regularly fielded one full group let alone 2 and all the supplies to manage them.

"You're absolutely right. Too tight a grip and they'll balk at the demands, but too loose and you'll lose them to tighter cliques. The Spectrum was built that way. We were just friends who knew we could count on one another. Even through the guild is disbanded, we all still wear our colors, but no one had a strong enough force of will to pull everyone together. Ultimately as a guild we never really accomplished much, and we could have." Baldur let the thought tail off until Shield pointed a question at him.

"Me? I'm a soldier. I just go where I'm told and stick the pointy end in the other guy. I don't mean to sound like I'm inviting myself to your hypothetical guild."

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"You don't need to invite yourself," Shield said, waving the notion aside. "You're already invited. Even if you only participate as a boss raid participant, your presence is a welcome one. I know it all sounds very big, but most of those 'branches' can likely be manned by one or two players." He was reminding himself as much as he was Baldur. It seemed like a massive undertaking, and in all likelihood, it would be. However, with any luck, most of the work would go into networking and organization, and the resulting structure would work out some of the remaining kinks. "The dungeon raids don't have to have many of the core guild's members present. Really, as long as there's a tank and a scout, whoever wants to be there can be there, and the supplies can be managed by just one player for now. I'd imagine they'll go around trying to make connections and buying up whatever supplies are necessary from what's already made. Remember, this isn't a typical guild, where everyone who participates is a member. It's a core group that coordinates the efforts of the top players."

He sat back in his chair a little and thought through who all would likely be a dedicated member. He knew that he and Beat would be, but Beat would likely not be taking a leadership position, or at least not a majorly active one. Hopefully though, he would be able to do at least some of the cooking for whoever was taking care of the mercantile side of things. "It's going to be a fair amount of trial and error, most likely."

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Baldur had not been falsely modest when he had told Shield that he didn't mean to sound like he was inviting himself to his hypothetical guild that wasn't even a sure thing yet, but he felt a bit flattered just the same. What Shield was setting out to do was a project Baldur had hoped to find for a while, and he had to admit that feeling a bit of a kindred spirit in Shield was pretty refreshing. He couldn't remember the last time he had such a frank peer to peer conversation like this. He sat there for a moment, thinking over and repeating the words Shield had said.

"You're right, I was beginning to think of this guild as getting pretty massive, rather than just trying to manage the front line. And... I admit, I'm honored. I had planned on being a solo player for a while until I found a place to fit. I had hoped that might be Ascendants. I'll be frank with you. I don't want to be a leader. I've been the leader before, and it doesn't fit me. I like being a Captain, but not a leader. I don't have vision, but I enjoy supporting those who do, and I can lead a team to accomplish goals. So if you're fine having someone like that, I'd be along for the ride... depending on the cult of personalities you build."

Leaning back, he began to tap his nail on the table as he thought. Once. Twice. Thrice.

"Perhaps that is a good place to start. Have you gotten anyone else on board, or do you know who you could drag in with you? I'm reasonably certain if you don't already have him, I could bring Calrex to the table. Though I wouldn't count for him to be much more than deadweight like me. Finding the people with ambition is going to be the tricky part. Especially if you have someone whose pride will be hurt as a leader at being overshadowed by other talent, such as you and Jonathan. "

Baldur got that thousand mile stare again, trying to think of the people he would want to be in a guild with. People whom he could trust to have his back, and who help one another out. He had once thought about making his own guild, a wolf pack. Those who were basically family, and who he could train to fight together. But he didn't have enough people he felt he could trust like that. Lessa, Calrex, maybe Oikawa. There were others he was getting close to, but none he would yet call family.

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It was a reversal to be sure. To be a potential commander over someone who he once looked up to, both on the battlefield and in the mercantile trade, was disorienting. Still, Shield appreciated that Baldur knew his own strengths and where he best fit. He gave a nod. "If being a soldier is where you feel your place lies, then of course you're welcome to fill that role. The whole aim of the guild is to push the front lines forward, and if we don't have capable fighters, that may as well be a pipe dream."

Shield pulled up a new blank document and began making notes of the potential needs of a true assault team. "So as far as an organized band of players who hope to spearhead the process of accelerating the front lines, we'll need at least those few things."

 

Quote

Triumvirate of Leaders

  • Shield
  • Beat
  •  

Secondary Officers:

  • Dungeon Raid Officer - Shield
  • Recruiting - 
  • Supplies - 
  • Communications - 

Raid Team Members:

  • Shield
  • Beat
  • Baldur

Honorary Members

  •  

There were a number of vacant positions. It unsettled him how much ground work was left to lay, but with the early stages of planning, such was likely going to be the case no matter what. Still, that empty spot on the triumvirate bothered him.

"I have one last proposal," Shield said, holding up a finger to stay Baldur's tongue until he got his whole thought out in the open. "Suppose that not every member of the triumvirate had the same role." He continued, tapping the top of his list to indicate the positions he meant. "As it is, I will likely serve as the main driving force behind the guild, with Beat only voicing his opinions when they differ from mine strongly enough to do so or when due diligence calls for a vote. Likewise, I'm sure you will have a different sort of perspective from either of us that will lend valuable insight. I trust your experience and your strategic mind. What if all of the members had equal voting power, but each participated in whatever capacity they deemed best? I would be honored to have you take on a position as an adviser and vote caster. I doubt we would need votes frequently enough to overburden you."

It was certainly an important role, but seeing as it did not put power to govern the minutia on Baldur's shoulders, he considered it a more realistic request. The self-branded gaijin samurai was well respected, and decisions Shield made while under his advisement would have more weight to them. "You have much to offer the guild, even without being actively involved. If nothing else, simply your endorsement during crucial moments may be vital."

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Baldur stared at the blank spaces in front of him. He understand that Shield had no even really decided to pull the trigger on his new guild, since the old one had not yet perished, even if there were internal politics that were dragging it down, still, Baldur had hoped Shield would have a better understanding of the factions within an who might follow him along. Shield was a master at all that he set his mind to, both on and off the battlefield, but they would need more than the three of them to form a Frontline guild. At the very least, to be taken seriously, they would need a full party. He raised a good point though. Beat and Shield would rarely disagree, they were already so used to working together, so if Baldur took a position upon the triumvirate, it would be as the outside voice. His vote should have to sway Shield or Beat from their chosen path, but it would be more effective in that forum than just as a rank soldier, even if he was one to whom special consideration was given. Baldur stared off behind Shield with a thousand yard stare as he ran through his thoughts. He enjoyed having visibility and the option to toss in his two cents into decisions, so perhaps this would be a good fit for him. 

"I think you're right, I'd enjoy the role of being an advisor or vote caster, even if you and Beat are on the same page most of the time." He left unspoken the idea that Baldur's voice would add legitimacy. It may be true, since Shield and Beat and many of the Ascedants were still relative newcomers to the front line.

"But here's my condition. I have seen too many ideas, and not enough actions before. So before I throw my name in, or sign my name to it, as it were, I want to get the core group together and run them through a dungeon or something of the like. I want to see how everyone works together. And if it's a good group of people I can get behind, then we'll do this thing."

Baldur gave a nod after his statement, as if to reassure himself of what he had just said. Shield's idea was a great one, but it needed people to be successful. The right people.

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Shield gave a steady nod as he pushed his mug back and forth between his hands. "Of course," he answered, sitting up a little straighter. "The planning has to begin somewhere, though. And at the moment, it's impossible to say who all will even want to join, so it's impossible to count heads just yet. I don't know if I should even bring this up among the other ascendants. They might take it the wrong way. Jonathan especially."

The server returned to check on them, giving a slight bow to engage with her patrons. Shield nodded a greeting and handed her his mug. He dismissed his plans that he had jotted down , turning back to Baldur. "It' also difficult to plan portions of the matter since currently... the state of shop activity is... slow. It's going to be a challenge finding someone to fill that spot. Very likely.. at least in the short term... that will be me. As will a number of the other roles. But as players prove their abilities, we will fill those spots. As far as building a party... that may be a challenge, particularly finding a healer. Zandra is... unpredictable. Hestia is tied to a guild already, though I can't imagine that she will be unwilling to participate in cross-guild ventures. Ruby..." Shield sucked in air between his teeth. "Well, there are some personality issues there. As well as some reliability concerns. And Kasier just isn't active enough. I've only seen her once or twice since joining."

Shield scratched his chin, trying to plumb the depths of his memory to recall if anyone else had proper healing skills. For now, he was stumped. It was not a pleasant feeling, but it couldn't be helped. The availability of healers was an issue. Despite only having needed them on occasion in the past, if a strong area attack were to hit a party, they would need a way to properly recover. "I'll have to think on that... Perhaps Piera... but she's all but disappeared as well..." He sighed. It almost seemed as if they would need to train a healer from the ground up in order to have someone available. That was no small undertaking, but it would pay off well in the long run.

Having someone around to use healer buffs would be nice. I had considered taking healing myself for that exact reason, though that needs to wait until I have an extra skill slot available... I can always save up skill points in the mean time...

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Baldur tapped his chin in thought as Shield brought up the subject of support. They did have a limited cast of characters to work with. It was a shame some of them had been retired. Or forcefully retired. Baldur remembered all too tiredly. He rubbed his hands over the laquered wooden table as he listened intently to Shield's words. They were good points, all of them.

"I think it would be great if we could pull someone out of retirement to rejoin the front lines, but that can be tricky until we establish a rhythm with them. If we can't put together a full party for the raid, than we'd be resorting to pick up groups to fill in our ranks. It works, but it's not ideal. However, First Aid isn't the only way to run a support type. If a player comes in stocked with healing crystals, they could be a support hybrid. Especially if everyone is stocked with a decent number of party heal crystals. You don't get the single big dump like you would from a dedicated support player, but it works. One or two conscientious people could keep a party up like that, it would just be expensive."

Baldur began to run the numbers through his head. If the boss hit hard enough that they needed to heal Shield more than 5 times, they'd begin to run into trouble. Set aside the fact that to have that number of consumables it wouldn't be cheap, they also wouldn't all be of the highest quality. Even if they could plan for each member of the party to carry 5 AoE rare healing crystals, that would require 30 crystals, even with only a 10% failure rate, that would be a tremendous amount of materials.

"On the plus side, if the boss isn't as difficult, but you get the rhythm going, you could develop a stockpile of consumables. It may be the best way to go. However, with you being one of the primary tanks of the raid, we will have a healer in our party, the ultimate question becomes who? Who is set to be your healer in the next raid fight against the floor 22 boss? Who was your healer against 21?"

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"In both cases... Zandra," Shield sighed, leaning back further in his chair. "Honestly, I have no specific qualm with her on her own. The problem is her... allegiances." He sat forward again, lacing his fingers together and resting his mouth against them. "She and I have quested before. She's been more or less consistent in boss battles. Not to mention being the singe highest AoE damage player on the front lines. She would be an asset. The problem isn't Zandra so much as it it Ariel." The air in the little inn was too tranquil to lend proper deference to the names being tossed about so freely. "They were at least at some point romantically involved, and I know for a fact now that Ariel has taken players' lives, and from the sound of things, covered it up under the guise of an accident. I believe the name Lowenthal will ring a bell to you. You can thank Ariel for his death."

Turning his dark eyes to the door, Shield paused before continuing on. It wasn't as if he expected either of the players in question to stumble through the doorway. Then again, they were on the current top floor. If front liners would be found on any level of Aincrad, it would be this one. "It would be a lengthy process to induct Zandra, and even if we did so, we would be taking on considerable risk. Maybe not from her, but from those she surrounds herself with." Player killing was a touchy subject for him, as it likely was with others who might seek to join. Beat especially seemed so averse to player killing that he had expressed a not-so-small desire to hunt such players down and deal with them personally.

"Right now," he went on, returning his eyes to the table. "our only options seem to be to gamble on Zandra or else just play each situation by ear and hope someone steps up before it's too late. We could also gamble by not having a healer and doing as you say with consumables. With mass healing crystals, a player doesn't even need to take much extra time to do so, and I do have extra inventory slots from my interdimensional backpack and storage closet. If our quarter master can secure the crystals, I can handle them easily enough."

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Baldur was stunned.

He heard Shield continue to speak, but the words fell on deaf, uncomprehending ears.

'The problem isn't Zandra so much as it it Ariel. They were at least at some point romantically involved, and I know for a fact now that Ariel has taken players' lives, and from the sound of things, covered it up under the guise of an accident. I believe the name Lowenthal will ring a bell to you. You can thank Ariel for his death.'

The room seemed to spin for a moment as Baldur, in a rare out of character moment, showed full well the emotions he was experiencing plain on his face. His normally controlled expressions were gone, and were instead replaced by a total and complete shock that shook him to his core. You can thank Ariel for his death.

Baldur hadn't known Lowenthal, thought they had run in similar circles. But he had known Ariel almost since day 1. They had been what... level 10 when they met? Maybe less. Now that he thought about, they had all been in the single digits. Baldur and Tyger had been the two highest level players of their small expedition group. All of this played out through his thoughts in the time of a sudden gasp of breath. His eyes wide. His normally steel blue eyes filled with shock. His hands suddenly gripping the table. He had known Ariel had started to change when she took up the spear instead of her rapier, but not like this.

"Ariel... you.. you're.. that can't be right."

He brought his right hand up to rub his face as if to fix the confusion or clear up what he had seen.

"She intentionally killed someone, and then covered it up like an accident? That... that must be why Zandra and Jomei broke off... I was supposed to go to their wedding..."

That brought thoughts of Opal back to his mind as well, and Baldur brought up his other hand to his face, steading his whole head in his hands as he rested his elbows on the table.

"I never... could have seen that coming. Not from Ariel. She could be ironically edgy from time to time, but she was always one of the good guys..."

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Shield's words had shown an impact in Baldur that he had not anticipated. He paused, letting the swordsman gather himself. There was some explaining to do, and Shield wished that he was better equipped for it, but all he could relay was the limited information he had. At the mention of Ariel being 'one of the good guys,' Shield had to intercept the conversation. It would likely not do anything to calm Baldur, but there was too much information missing. He leaned forward, clearing his throat.

"The first time Beat and I met Ariel was when she agreed to carry us through the Monkey King quest," he began, trying to pick his words carefully and move slowly as to not elevate Baldur more than he already had. "She fulfilled her end of the arrangement, but even then, I knew something was off. She was... almost bestial. There was a lust for violence there that she did not even bother to conceal."

That much information would already be hard to swallow, at least judging by what Baldur had already shared about the person Ariel had once been. "The incident with Lowenthal was likely long before this. From what I had seen of Ariel, the news of it was not shocking to me when I found out, but I saw it for myself on the Monument of Life. It was the result of a Full Health Duel. You can go and see it for yourself. In any case, that's what I can tell you about who she is now, other than being unfocused and careless in the fight against Tesseleth. She got herself frozen, and from the way she had been fighting, I think everyone agreed silently that it was better to leave her than to spend time trying to free her and make ourrselves targets in the mean time."

With that, Shield had said more or less all of what needed saying, at least from his limited information. He reached forward, giving Baldur a thump and a squeeze on his shoulde to bring him out of it. "I'm sorry for the shock. I did not anticipate that reaction, particularly not for that reason. I had heard you mention Ariel fairly regularly in the past, so I expected that you would know at least as much as I about who she is."

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"No... that... She wasn't beastial, she was competitive..." Baldur shook his head, but his mind went to the last boss raid meeting they went to. Something had been off, and it wasn't just the goth phase she was going through. Remember. He forced his mind back. Ariel was important to him, but had he paid attention? To her? To Cal? To Lessa? To Tyger? To Oikawa? What about poor Crozeph, or Raze? There were so many people. Takao was gone. Teayre hermitted. People he had failed. Poor Azide. Lawfer. Rain. Cygnus almost dying. Itzal. Mac. Hirru. Opal.

He put his face back into his hands as a wave of phases assaulted him. The living and the dead. What had he done for them? When had he been there for them? I was there for Lessa. I was mostly there for Cal. But who else?

He hadn't been. Lessa was a recluse, but by her own choosing. Cal, his apprentice, had changed so much while Baldur had been what, playing teacher's assistant? Assuaging his guilt?

One breath.

He took it.

Then another, longer and slower than the first.

Then another.

Slowly, Baldur composed himself. He did what he had taught to Calrex. He took his emotions, he took his fear, he took his love, and he forged them in the fire. He burned them in the forge and built the steel in his eyes. He took control of the thoughts running rampant in his head. And he focused them. One thought at a time. He pulled the emotion out of them and threw them into the crucible and listened to what Shield had to say.

Ariel had been getting a little wild. She had always been hyper competitive, but she had also been measured and chivalrous. A duel to the death made sense. Lowenthal had to accept a full loss duel. Why anyone would challenge Ariel to a full loss duel is anyone's guess, but the man had known he was walking into the Lion's Den. It didn't excuse her of killing him, but it didn't make her a cold blooded murderer either.

It was obvious to Baldur at that point, however, that he needed to do more. Perhaps Ariel was beyond it. He could not save those who did not wish to be saved, but even Teayre, who had bloodier hands than anyone save perhaps Mari, deserved a second chance when she earnestly came for it. She sought redemption. Maybe Ariel would as well. He at least owed it to her. He also needed to check up on the others. If he and Shield were looking to start a guild especially, Baldur needed to regroup, and seek out those kindred to him.

"I'm... sorry you had to see that. I just...  That was like me suddenly telling you that Beat had killed Hirru and covered it up. I just... it took me a minute to wrap my mind around it. I know she and I haven't been close as of late, but we always come and go with the ebb and flow."

He shook his head to shake off the thoughts crossing through his mind.

"The Ariel I knew was gifted. She burned with purpose and was highly competitive. She had a temper, but it manifested itself by propelling her to excel and to prove herself. She was always pushing, always competing with someone, even if it was herself. She was going to be the best. She loved her pack, and she was fiercely loyal. She was chivalrous, sometimes to a fault. But one should never take her lightly, cause she could bite as well."

Baldur pulled his steel blue eyes back from the invisible horizon.

"Thank you for telling me in relative private. I'm glad more people didn't have to see me like that."

Baldur flagged over the serving girl and begged for another pot of tea.

"You... we had.. been talking about Zandra. Right? Her being the healer for the last couple boss fights. She lives up to her name, the berzerker, but she'll pull through. If you think she's a liability in the game of politics, that's your call, but she's loyal too. I'd rather point her, than lose her."

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"That... will be a hard sell for me," Shield said, refusing the tea offered to him by their server. She departed back to the kitchen and Shield's expression returned to one of stolid, focused thought. "It's not that I distrust your judgment, and clearly you've known both players longer than either Beat or I have, but I can't unsee what I've seen." Standing up from the table, he paced along its edge, pressing his palms together in front of his mouth. "Zandra is clearly very skilled," he admitted, waving the notion away with his hand as it had not been called into question by either of them and did not bear mentioning. "Still, I have a hard time seeing a situation where someone would willingly accept a total loss duel unless they were somehow okay with the other players' death, and from the little I've heard about Lownthal, I already trust him more than I do the self-crowned lioness."

He sat himself back down, closing his eyes and slowly shaking his head from side to side. "There are holding facilities for players who need to be dealt with if someone is really a danger, and issues of pride can easily be settled by any other style of duel. We can't even call it a crime of passion. If that were the case, there would be no duel. It would just be violence." He held out a hand and let his other hand fall into the open palm of the first to emphasize his words and intensity. "There's a long timer that precedes any duel, and that means it was plenty of time to think. There was intention. To put it bluntly... there was premeditation. We're talking the difference between first and second-degree murder here. Who cares if they were in a planned back-alley street prawl with broken bottles or standing on the field of honor with pistols? All you're doing is putting different wrapping on the thing."

Shield knew he was walking a fine line. From everything Baldur had said and the shocking reaction to the news of Ariel's actions, it was clear he thought well of the lioness and was more than willing to rationalize her actions. Still, this was the beginnings of a movement that Shield hoped might slingshot everyone that much faster towards freedom. Mincing words for the sake of feelings would only do so much, and the outcome may have dire results if not taken with the proper degree of caution and deliberation.

"I realize this isn't something you're likely to see eye-to-eye with me on," he added, lifting a hand to hold off any protests at least until he was finished his thought. "Still, objectivity can't be eschewed for the sake of comfort here. If at the end of it you still feel the same way, then that's that. But I urge you to challenge your feelings. They guide us, and they matter, but they must be kept in check so that they do not rule us."

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"I think you're mis-understanding my words." Baldur waved a hand to dismiss Shield's concerns.

"I don't think you're lying to me. I will deal with Ariel as a separate matter, but the truth remains that we will need a healer, and of the options, Zandra is the only one without a guild who seems to be an acceptable option. She may be a bit wild, but she fights for her party with everything she has. I don't know how she justifies sticking with Ariel over Jomei, her husband, but we still have to work with the tools that we have, unless you're suggesting that find some newbie, and PL him to the frontlines. I'm not necessarily against that, but it might be a couple boss fights before that happens."

Baldur held the hot cup between his hands, and let the little tendrils of steam dance as they rose up to his nose. It was helping to calm him down and collect himself.

"In this, we will have to be a realist. We have to work with the tools we have on hand. So we're either looking at stocking everyone in our party with a ton of party heal crystals, and having them use them constantly to build up a reserve, or working with Zandra. And if we're working with Zandra, then we need to form that bond and work out the mechanics of how our party will operate, even if she is an independent agent, we need to control the variables."

lifting the small, delicate tea-cup to his lips, Baldur took a long sip. It was hot, too hot to drink normally, but he forced himself to drink it. There wasn't any pain, and he had to remind himself of that.

"I have kicked around the idea..." Baldur set the half empty cup down and then fiddled nervously with the handle as he continued, "of dropping the Merchant profession, and picking up Alchemy. I am not a crafter, nor am I a great gatherer, but if I had a guild to back me up and help with supplies, then I could just turn all the material allotted to me into guild consumables. With the way it works now, we could get a lot of uncommon and rare consumables. Tier 1 heals might not help a lot, but damage, antidote, and safeguard don't care about Tier. I think there's a way to push it forward into getting an alchemist leveled up. And with Beat pulling his weight as a Cook, we could be fully stocked. We'd just need a musician."

Baldur smiled slightly at the thought of a musician debuff at the boss fight. Who would have thought?

"It's something I had considered, but not something I'd ever do alone."

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  • 2 weeks later...

"I have to admit, it's a little strange to hear you potentially leaving the mercantile trade," Shield said, shifting back in his seat. "Granted, I know you haven't been super active in your shop, but still. In a lot of ways, it was watching you work that inspired me to start my little empire. Feels like the ending of an era." He chuckled to himself a little at the thought. "Still, I daresay we could use an alchemist on board. Those who are currently active are good at what they do, but they're hardly top rank." Shield did not wish to sound dismissive of their crafts, but it was costly to get an order out of any serious size. "I will definitely make use of your shop if you open it to the public."

The matter of their fourth player troubled him a little, but that was not likely to change on its own without proper investigation. He sighed and looked down at his hands. "In any case, regarding Zandra, I will... talk to her. Perhaps I am making more of her connection to Ariel than is there. Still, it pays to be cautious. I will need to have a very frank chat with her."

With that, Shield turned his cup upside down on the table. "Well, there's no reason we can't make the most of our time up here. We've gotten a lot done, but I always like to poke around a little. What do you say we poke around the wilderness and try to find a chest. I can split the Col and materials with you 50/50 and any weapons and consumables are yours as long as I have claim to any armor. What do you say?"

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Baldur smiled at Shield's reaction to his comment about closing down his general store. It was a flattering compliment, but Baldur had never been successful as a merchant. His entire business lost money from the start, and he had never been able to turn a profit, but he had been able to help people along the way. Shield had come to him a hopeful prospective member of the frontline, and Baldur had done his best not to take advantage of him. Calrex had come to him the same, and Baldur had given him a health potion that had saved his life, for free, because the gaijin samurai would not take chances with people's lives.

No, he had not made money, but he had made allies. Allies and friends.

"It's not something I consider lightly. But since I don't really make use of my tradecraft, and having a more active alchemist would help, as well as it being a more useful trade to me personally, and to a guild in general... I don't think the market really needs multiple merchants, as long as no one is being predatory. But having another alchemist seems to always be useful, if only to remove burden from a single one to produce product."

Baldur gestured plaintively with his hands, "But it's not something I'm capable of doing alone. I'll put in the time, but I would need help with the money and equipment. I am sure you are well aware there are ways to power-level a crafting class."

He was glad to hear that Shield would be willing to attempt to understand Zandra, even if he wasn't willing to mend fences. They would be working together regardless of whether she was in the guild or not, and as a guild, they needed to have a healer, or else they would have a gaping hole in their strategy, and always be reliant on someone else.

"A chest you say? That sounds good to me. The last one I found was a rather disappointing mimic. But I am certain you have engineered luck to be more in your favor."

Baldur gave a slight smirk at Shield as he slowly and carefully rose from the table.

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Searching for Chest:

ID# 101267 results: Loot: 20+8=28 - Success!

Shield rose as well, stretching his shoulder as he plunked down the Col to cover their fare. He gave a slight wave to the hostess and made his way to the exit. It took him a moment making up his mind where to look first. In general, he favored the lakes, as they were more concentrated activity centers. The forests were interesting landmarks, but you could get lost in them for hours and never find anything of note.

He struggled with the thought of branching out and trying his luck in the forest, but in the end, his statistician mind won out. He led them on towards the water, checking to make sure his earring was properly in place. He felt the hard, familiar loop of metal in his fingers, and no sooner had he done so than the trinket lit up like a beacon, the gold inlaid wire acting like a lightbulb filament and casting bright illumination onto his hand. Glancing down at the water's edge, sure enough, he saw the outline of a wooden chest just below the surface.

"There we go," he said with a smirk. "Once again, the numbers paid off. Give me a hand, would you?"

Shield waded down into the shallows and grabbed the nearer of the two handles, heaving against the weight of the sunken box. It was impossible to know the quality of the contents, but the coins within were definitely enough to weigh the box down.

Edited by Shield
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