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[F18 - PP] <<Just for the Halibut>>


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Passive [+1 EN] BH [+66 EN] ID# 94368 results: Craft: 4 [+0 EN]

Action: Energize > Calypso [Shield: -10 EN, Calypso: +8 EN]

[H:6] Shield - HP: 1329/1330 | EP: 114/124 | Dmg: 2 | Acc: 0 | Eva: -1 | Mit: 169 | BH: 66 | THN: 87 | REC: 6 | LD: 7
[H:0] 
Calypso - HP200/200 | EP: 7/20 | DMG: 10 | MIT: 9 | ACC: 1

<Fossil Fish> HP: 76/250 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 1 | Eva: 2 | DMG: 100 MOB: 10  [+1+1=12 - Hit! 100+2-169=1 dmg]

Shield kept an eye on Calypso as the fish continued to make its clumsy, unpredictable attacks flopping and flailing about on the pier. She seemed to be having a very difficult time landing a hit. Not that he really had room to talk. He had no way of really taking offensive actions against the creature. He did make a mental note though. If they were going to be questing together more often, then it might not be a bad idea to help equip her.

He flicked his sword and tossed another bundle of energy her way. Immediately after he had done so, he felt an impact against the side of his head. The Fossil Fish, apparently deciding to strike just as his attention had been elsewhere, had managed to bounce its wall all the way up above his shoulders and swung with its tail. Had he not activated the Stonewall mod before the fight, the strike could have easily knocked him off balance. Instead, despite his head not moving, he did look momentarily confused about why he had been struck before he shoved his shield into the creature and pushed it away from him.

"Ugh..." he said aloud. "Speaking of smells that the game could have done without..."

His nostrils flared at the putrid smell of low tide that lingered on his face after the attack.

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"Finally!" Her voice carried more excitement than she had anticipated when the sharpened edge of her claymore sliced into the fish's flank. Though it hardly took anything away from the colored health bar that floated in the air alongside it, it was a small personal victory.

Damage would come more naturally with levels and the skills that she invested into. But apparently some monsters would prove more difficult to even land a hit on without going out of her way to pick up extra accuracy wherever she could manage it. "Yep, just like anything else, hit cap is the first priority." She muttered, the words more meant for herself as she thought aloud.

She pulled back after the successful swipe, holding the two-handed blade centered in front of her with elbows locked. 'Hopefully a bit more of his damage is enough to kill it off,' She thought, no longer surprising herself with the thought of wanting someone to get hit by a monster. 'But then this isn't even the important one... Ugh.'

ID#: 95838 | BD: 7(+1)(-2)=6 - Hit!

[H:6] Shield - HP: 1329/1330 | EP: 114/124 | Dmg: 2 | Acc: 0 | Eva: -1 | Mit: 169 | BH: 66 | THN: 87 | REC: 6 | LD: 7
[H:0] 
Calypso - HP200/200 | EP: 15/20 | DMG: 10 | MIT: 9 | ACC: 1

<Fossil Fish> HP: 75/250 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 1 | Eva: 2 | DMG: 100

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Passive [+1 EN] BH [+66 EN] ID# 95863 results: Craft: 4 [+0 EN]

Action: Energize > Calypso [Shield: -10 EN, Calypso: +8 EN]

[H:6] Shield - HP: 1329/1330 | EP: 105/124 | Dmg: 2 | Acc: 0 | Eva: -1 | Mit: 169 | BH: 66 | THN: 87 | REC: 6 | LD: 7
[H:0] 
Calypso - HP200/200 | EP: 20/20 | DMG: 10 | MIT: 9 | ACC: 1

<Fossil Fish> HP: 0/250 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 1 | Eva: 2 | DMG: 100 MOB: 4 [+1+1=6 - Hit! 100 dmg-169=1 dmg - THN: 87 dmg]

Fossil Fish Killed [3/5]

Enraged by the unwelcome strike, the fossil fish lashed out in all directions with its razor-edged fins. Shield barely had time to send Calypso another sphere of energy before he found himself on the receiving end of one. As the attack connected, it seemed to seize up in mid-air, suspended as its body washed with a pale blue light that shattered into the familiar polygonal death animation.

Letting out a long, drawn-out sigh, Shield plopped down onto the now soaking wet planks of the pier, taking out the fishing pole and making sure it was prepped and ready to cast.

"Well, we're making progress," he sighed. "From what the brokers have mentioned, as soon as the boss appears, the quest is basically done, but either way you always have to fight a handful of these puny guys. Anyway, what were you saying again? We keep getting oh so rudely interrupted, it seems."

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  • 2 weeks later...

With each fish they defeated--or rather, after a fish had managed to ram itself against Shield's armor enough times to end its own life--Callie was overwhelmed with the same tired accomplishment. "Finally." She muttered, feeling as though that wasn't the first time the word had left her with the same tone during this afternoon. Although she knew she was going to be drawing the blade again before long, she still shoved her claymore back into its holster on her back. She pulled a hand to her shoulder, slipping her fingers under Danesh's long body as if to lift the familiar from his perch atop her. The dragon hybrid was quick to express his displeasure with being handled as such, and pushed himself up on short legs before hopping off of the woman. Callie frowned, but allowed her companion to hover lazily as she made mental note that the creature didn't actually take kindly to being handled.

"Hmm, wonder how long that'll take." She thought aloud, taking a step towards the end of the pier to go back to leaning against the corner support that pushed past the slatted planks of wood beneath her feet. "Hm? Ah," Callie chuckled softly when Shield steered back to their earlier topics of conversation. If only she could remember what exactly they had been talking about in between their fishy encounters. "Small talk? I'm not really sure." She admitted while casting her gaze out over the lake. "I don't suppose you have any good stories to pass the time? You've certainly seen a lot more of this place than I have. What's the most...fun you've had in this game so far?" Her lips curled into a smile after she'd found the right word.

ID#: 97337 | LD: 1 - Nothing

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Fishing - ID# 97346 results: Craft: 5+1=6 - Fossil Fish Found!

Passive [+1 EN] BH [+66 EN] Recovery [+0 EN]

[H:0] Shield - HP: 1329/1330 | EP: 106/124 | Dmg: 2 | Acc: 0 | Eva: -1 | Mit: 169 | BH: 66 | THN: 87 | REC: 6 | LD: 7
[H:0] 
Calypso - HP200/200 | EP: 20/20 | DMG: 10 | MIT: 9 | ACC: 1

<Fossil Fish> HP: 163/250 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 1 | Eva: 2 | DMG: 100 MOB: 5  [+1+1=7 - Hit! 100-169=1 dmg, THN: 87 dmg]

"It would probably have to be some of the odd monsters that Beat and I have encountered," he thought back, trying to remember exactly what all they had run into. "While we were searching for a falcon familiar for him, we ran into a band of 'dire pigeons,' I believe it was."

Absentmindedly, he cast his line out over the water, but before it had even landed a large, all-too-familiar fish leaped out of the water and caught the hook in its toothy mouth, splashing back down and swimming frantically away.

"Oh for the love of-" he grumbled, catching the reel, which had begun spinning backwards with the pull of the Fossil Fish. He relled hard against it, fighting the creature all the way to the dock where with one final heave, he hauled it out of the water and onto the now sopping wet planks. "Let's get this over with."

The scaly nuisance flailed helplessly on the dock before kipping up into the air and slapping Shield across the face with its tail. He wasn't sure whether the fish had meant to harm him or merely challenge him to a duel. Either way, it had felt the sting of his armor and dipped down to a little over half health.

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ID# 98377 | BD: 9 - Critical Hit!
(9 base) + (1 critical) = (10 DMG) x (5 sword art) = (50 DMG) - (50 MIT) = 1 DMG

[H:0] Shield - HP: 1329/1330 | EP: 106/124 | Dmg: 2 | Acc: 0 | Eva: -1 | Mit: 169 | BH: 66 | THN: 87 | REC: 6 | LD: 7
[H:2] 
Calypso - HP200/200 | EP: 20/20 | DMG: 10 | MIT: 9 | ACC: 1

<Fossil Fish> HP: 162/250 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 1 | Eva: 2 | DMG: 100

"Dire...pigeons." She repeated, her tone carrying both disbelief and amusement. She then chuckled, giving in to the amusement as she shook her head. "I gotta hand it to Argus, at least some of their developers have a sense of humor." Callie tried to think back on the different monsters she'd encountered thus far, only to come up quite short in terms of interest. There were a lot of basic models--things most everyone has seen if they'd taken five minutes to travel outside of the lower floors' main settlements. In fact, the only notable creatures she could recall encountering were Danesh, and a couple of the quest objectives she'd gone after with Shield in the past.

Frowning as she realized just how much she'd seemed to avoid combat and danger up to this point, her attention was drawn to the fossilized fish that broke the lake's surface in order to catch the man's lure mid-air. She suppressed a laugh, pushing off of the pier's wooden support while Shield worked to reel the monster in. "That one must really like you." She remarked. Drawing her sword yet again, Callie gave another inconsequential swing once the monster was pulled back up to the dock.

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Passive [+1 EN] BH [+66 EN] ID# 94368 results: Craft: 4 [+6 EN]

Action: Focused Howl [-8 EN]

[H:6] Shield - HP: 1329/1330 | EP: 104/124 | Dmg: 2 | Acc: 0 | Eva: -1 | Mit: 169 | BH: 66 | THN: 87 | REC: 6 | LD: 7
[H:2] 
Calypso - HP200/200 | EP: 20/20 | DMG: 10 | MIT: 9 | ACC: 1

<Fossil Fish> HP: 75/250 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 1 | Eva: 2 | DMG: 100 - ID# 98379 results: Craft: 8 [REC Proc] MOB: 8 [+1+1=6 - Hit! 100 dmg-169=1 dmg - THN: 87 dmg]

Shield rolled his eyes. "Yes. The fish and I are becoming fast friends." He exhaled, emptying his lungs before filling them up. After all, even in its random flopping, Shield could see that the fish was already starting to eye the only player that had thus far made an attack. He hurled his voice, knocking the fish entirely off of the dock this time.

"Come and get it, shark bait!" he called out, his shield flashing in what little light penetrated the overcast sky, not unlike a reflective fishing lure. "We've already dispatched three of your friends! I promise you this won't go any better for you!"

As if by prophecy, Shields words were realized as the fossil fish leaped once more out of the water, colliding head on with Shield. It bounced harmlessly off of him, its health now dropping deep into the lower half of its bar. It turned a bright, cherry red.

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ID# 98430 | BD: 4(+1)(-2)=3 - Miss!

[H:6] Shield - HP: 1329/1330 | EP: 104/124 | Dmg: 2 | Acc: 0 | Eva: -1 | Mit: 169 | BH: 66 | THN: 87 | REC: 6 | LD: 7
[H:2] 
Calypso - HP200/200 | EP: 18/20 | DMG: 10 | MIT: 9 | ACC: 1

<Fossil Fish> HP: 75/250 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 1 | Eva: 2 | DMG: 100 

"Hey, not bad." She commented, either at Shield's ability to draw the monsters into the lethal pin cushion that was his armor, or the fish itself for so eagerly throwing its frail body to its steady demise. With talk of the game's monsters fresh in her mind, and the braindead actions of the flailing fish playing out in front of her, Callie wondered aloud. "Makes me curious how many monsters out there are smart enough to avoid stuff like that, if any." She took her blade in both hands again, golden eyes following the fish's haphazard movements before she gave another slice through the air in its direction.

Once again, the creatures she could think of off-hand were unimpressive to say the least, and so she doubted anything she had encountered yet had any kind of special mechanic or behavior. "Out of anything, I would think humanoids like those bandits would be fairly smart, but," She let the sentence hang, recalling the bandits' actions and conduct as hardly any more intelligent than the fish before them.

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Passive [+1 EN] BH [+66 EN] ID# 94368 results: Craft: 4 [+6 EN]

Action: Basic Attack vs. Fossil Fish [-1 ENID# 98431 results: Battle: 8 [Hit! 2-50=1 dmg] Craft: 11 [REC Proc]

[H:6] Shield - HP: 1329/1330 | EP: 109/124 | Dmg: 2 | Acc: 0 | Eva: -1 | Mit: 169 | BH: 66 | THN: 87 | REC: 6 | LD: 7
[H:2] 
Calypso - HP200/200 | EP: 18/20 | DMG: 10 | MIT: 9 | ACC: 1

<Fossil Fish> HP: 0/250 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 1 | Eva: 2 | DMG: 100 - MOB: 8 [+1+1=6 - Hit! 100 dmg-169=1 dmg - THN: 87 dmg]

Shield stood back, waiting for the inevitable attack of the seemingly, and likely actually, mindless fish. "You'd be amazed how few things defy the Hate mechanic," he said, pulling back his sword arm as the fish drew nearer. He struck, cutting through part of the fish's tail. Meanwhile, the fish itself collided with his body and immediately fractured into fragments, each of which melted into the air and was gone. He sighed, lowering his arms.

"And that's one more down," he said with a nod. "According to sources, those are the only fish we're required to fight before the big one. If we-"

"Did someone say... fiiiiiiish?" croaked an all too familiar voice over Shield's shoulder. He leaped about three feet, practically launching off of the dock altogether. He had to grab the nearest piling to keep his footing. "I just thought I heard someone say something, so I came a-runnin'!" 

"We're fine, thanks," Shield insisted, turning the fisherman around and pushing him back towards the shack. "Now keep it down. You don't wanna scare the fish away!" As the lumbering fisherman hobbled his way back towards his shack, Shield let out a shudder, turning back to Calypso and shaking his head. "Did you even hear him coming?" He took out his fishing rod and settled back down on the edge of the dock.

Edited by Shield
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Watching with a satisfied smirk as the fourth fossil fish shattered and disappeared between them, Callie shifted her weight back. She kept her sword drawn; if the last catch was anything to go off of, it wouldn't be long before she'd be needing to reach for it again anyway. Looking over her shoulder at Shield as he spoke, Callie just barely caught sight of a figure shambling up behind the man. Just as she was about to interject, the fisherman took the initiative for her and seemed to leave Shield practically jumping out of his own skin.

She blinked in stunned surprise at the exchange, but forced her nerves away through a small chuckle. "And here I thought we'd be safe until the quest was all finished." She gave a shake of her head in reply, "Hardly. He must move pretty fast and quiet for a crazy old fish-guy." She said, keeping an eye on the NPC as he disappeared around the corner of his shack, almost worried she might draw his attention again by uttering the 'f' word.

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Fishing: ID# 98549 results: Craft: 4+1=5 - Nothing

It took a minute for Shield to shake off the surprise of that encounter. True, the old man seemed harmless enough, but his scent alone was enough to shock someone, let alone his odd mannerisms and fixation on the fish that was their target. He settled himself back down on the edge of the dock and cast his line, slowly reeling it back in again and repeating the process.

"Since we really only have the big fish left, I think we should avoid the extra fights. They don't benefit us in the least at this point," he observed, his eyes still out on the now placid surface of the lake before them. "I'd say be prepared to get back out of combat range as soon as you see the pole bend. If it's the big guy, you can choose whether or not to engage. If it's one of the little guys, I'll try to ditch them and hope they go back to swimming so we can keep looking. I think it'll be quicker that way."

He was being practical, and perhaps a bit too much so. While his actual tactics seemed sound enough to him, he was also recognizing that it was sort of his default to do so.

Not everyone is as strict of a by-the-numbers person as I am.

He lifted his eyes from the water, trying to find something polite to talk about that wasn't all business. It was moments like this when he remembered how very bad he was at small talk. Eventually, he settled on something that would suffice.

"Have you been doing any more questing? I know we've done a few together, but I also remember you were trying to focus on getting yourself trained up a bit."

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Callie simply nodded in agreement. With how long and drawn-out the fights with the smaller fish had been, or at least had the potential to be, she wasn't ecstatic about having to go through many more of them in order to get the quest finished and done with. If she could actually use them as target practice, or if they dropped anything worthwhile then perhaps she wouldn't be as eager to pass up the fights. But all they'd done thus far is worn her out and had her feeling ill-suited for the task. "Yeah, I won't complain." She added a verbal agreement to the small gesture. "Those ones are too annoying to keep fighting all day."

At the mention of quests, Callie's mouth twisted slightly to the side, and she thought over the past few weeks. The majority of quests or other outings she'd participated in were indeed with Shield himself, though she could pick out at least one instance where she'd taken an initiative on her own. "Mm, a bit. I did find that one you had mentioned to me before, on the fourth floor. The one that gives the equipment-upgrading item." She explained, thinking back to the very brief fight against the Snow Beast that the Emerald Duelist had assisted her with. "This quest alone has gotten me thinking on using it for an accuracy boost." She admitted, eyeing the plain-looking garnet ring on her finger that awarded just a bit of the stat from one of the beginner quests she'd completed ages ago.

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Fishing: ID# 98564 results: Craft: 9+1=10 - Fossil Fish Found

"That sounds like a worthwhile goal," he said with a nod. "Though, if I'm being honest, Steel Essences are much more worthwhile when paired with something that's harder to come by. Most players search for unique enhancements and then use the essences to pick out enhancements that best compliment the-"

Shield's line went taut, and the pole began to arc forward towards the spot where the line disappeared into the water. He could already tell though from the pull against his rod that it wasn't going to be the boss. He frowned. With his free hand, he opened his inventory and summoned out a vanity knife, almost better suited for a kitchen than a battlefield. Reaching up, he cut his line loose. The little translucent thread whipped through the air and disappeared against the background, gone from sight with a slight ripple in the water where it touched down before being pulled under entirely.

He then brought out another hook, tying it onto the line and pulling back to cast again.

"Anyways, as we were saying," he picked up, tossing the new hook out into the water. "Attaining standard gear is simple enough. It seems a shame to spend an essence on that, especially when you'll need new equipment once you hit the next tier."

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Callie took a seat on the side of the pier, allowing a bit of distance between herself and the area that was best suited for their battlegrounds once a monster was fished up. Her legs hung over the edge, swaying back and forth slightly in the empty space and she leaned back on her arms, palms pressed against the knotted wood behind her. She looked over towards Shield as he spoke, watching as he deemed whatever that had nibbled at his line not worth the trouble to reel in. "Hmm," She frowned with a thoughtful hum. "You have a point... Guess I'm better off checking the shops for something normal like that." She noted, chin tilting upward to look up at the overcast sky. Her gear was most certainly something she had been neglecting--getting by with rather basic items, and nothing better than the 'rare' quality of her broadsword. She hadn't even put any more skill points into boosting Danesh's damage, for fear of needing to adjust her build to compensate. Now was she just being lazy, or had she always been this unmotivated?

"Mmm, I don't think I'm even close to the next tier, either." She mumbled, more to herself as she shifted her weight to one side in order to idly scroll through her menus with a free hand. She panned over to her character data, her username on display beside a simple layout of numbers and labels.

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ID# 98576 results: Craft: 5+1=6 - Fossil Fish Found

"Maybe not," Shield said, pulling in his line and casting it back out as far as he could. It landed with a slight sploosh and he made to reel it back in again. "I will tell you though, each time I've hit a tier, all of the decisions about the gear I had before ceased to be relevant pretty quickly. Each time is a big jump in power. You'll see it when you get there."

His reel whined loudly and his pole bent forward once again. Once again, he could feel that it was nothing that would be worth trying to land. "It's a good thing hooks are pretty much worthless." He picked up his knife and once again cut his line loose. If this kept up, he was going to either run out of vanity hooks or the reel would run out of fishing line. He was not excited about either possibility as it likely meant needing to pay the old fisherman a visit. "In any case, it's good that you're getting in quests. There's a lot of value in them. If you keep up on them, you'll be tier two before you know it."

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  • 2 months later...

Callie nodded. While the natural growth in numbers that she would see as her level increased--and especially this power spike that Shield mentioned where tiers were concerned--would be satisfying, she was less concerned with being able to kill things better as the freedoms that came with having bigger, more appropriate stats for the floors that were being unlocked. If the size of her health pool wasn't threatened by the standard monsters roaming around on this or that floor, then she could explore it more freely. Using the increases in damage and such to clear quests, farm better materials, or whatever else it was that people like the frontliners occupied their time with was just an added bonus in her mind.

With her menus still open in front of her, and the data of her avatar still staring back at her as her thoughts wandered, her attention finally came back to the floating screen. She was becoming aware of how their time at the docks aside the murky lake was dragging, and wondered for a moment if Shield would have been stubborn enough to endure the lengthy quest by himself if she hadn't shown up for the company. 'Probably.' She answered herself as her index finger dragged through the air to scroll over to her list of skills. Golden eyes pulled from the transparent window to Shield's profile, as if stealing a glance while a question to ask came to mind. She felt the urge to go somewhere, a desire to see something new, and the few excursions they'd had together were easily recalled. She'd always enjoyed the freedom that the virtual world allowed her, but it wasn't until her and Shield's little arrangement and subsequent meet-ups that she had the opportunity to do more in good company.

The beach sounded nice right about now, but her earlier mention of it hadn't garnered any response. Maybe he just didn't like the ocean? "So. Any plans after we finally get the one we need?"

Edited by Calypso
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Fishing: ID# 101513 results: Craft: 2+1=3 - Nothing

"Well, just for a change of pace, I think I'm planning to yell at it and let it hit me a lot," Shield said, a very slight twist at the corner of his mouth. Despite his familiarity with grinding and slogging through mind numbingly repetitive or frustrating tasks, even he was aware of how trying this particular quest was becoming. "Hey," he added, shifting a little uncomfortably on the edge of the dock. "Thanks for coming. It would have been a lot less bearable without the company." He did not look at Callie, but despite this, his tone was one of sincerity. Or rather, he did not look at Callie largely because of his sincerity. He couldn't quite bring himself to look people in the eye at such times, so he continues monitoring the movements of his little red and white bobber. Lilith, on the other hand, was happily twining her way around Danesh's horn, tasting the open air with her flickering tongue.

How is that snake so much better at socializing than I am?

He paid the familiars little mind, instead tilting his head forward to look down at the water. Though the surface and his fishing tackle remained unchanged, he thought he had seen some movement. It had only been for a moment, and it had been a change in color rather than a ripple or a splash of any sort. "Did you-" He paused and shook his head. "Never mind. Water's playing tricks on my eyes. Maybe we've been out on the dock for too long." Even as he said so though, he did not slack his grip or turn his shoulders from the lake. He had no intention of giving up on his pursuit of the fabled Lurker.

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For a fraction of a second, Callie didn't understand his answer. It took her a moment to realize he had misunderstood her question, going for more of an immediate 'after' than she had intended. She kept herself looking out at the lake over the top of her floating menus, pausing for a second before she opened her mouth in order to tell him that wasn't quite what she meant, and perhaps try to rephrase the question, but she stopped herself. Just then, Shield tacked on an unexpected thanks and Callie closed her mouth again. She looked over to the man who kept his sights firmly forward, her gaze lingering a moment until she took on a smile. She turned her head back to facing the muddy stretch of water, giving it a tiny shake. "No problem. It's not like I have a busy schedule these day." She half-joked in return.

As the boring mood that was fishing seeped back into the air, Callie ran her hand sideways through the air to finally dismiss the half-hearted distraction that was her open menus. Rocking back and forth once, and then twice from her heels to the balls of her feet, she extended the conversation from her last thought. "It's still kind of weird for me, not going to work every day and things like that. It's like I've done the same old things for so long, I didn't know what to do with myself with the thought of living here. Makes me think I was some kind of workaholic." She chuckled softly at her own rambling, weaving her fingers loosely together in front of her abdomen. She hesitated a second, but continued with her train of thought to air the next question on her mind. "Do you mind if I asked what you did, before all this?"

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Fishing: ID# 101515 results: Craft: 10+ 1=11 - Lurker Found!

[H:0] Shield - HP: 1249/1330 | EP: 124/124 | Dmg: 2 | Acc: 0 | Eva: -1 | Mit: 169 | BH: 66 | THN: 87 | REC: 6 | LD: 7
[H:0] 
Calypso - HP200/200 | EP: 20/20 | DMG: 10 | MIT: 9 | ACC: 1

<The Lurker> HP: 413/500 | MIT: 150 | ACC: 2 | EVA: -1 | DMG: 250 [9: 300,  10: 350] - Battle: 4+1+2=7- Hit! [250-169=81 dmg, THN: 87 dmg]

The question was an odd one to encounter. While it was not exactly forbidden, a lot of players considered it taboo to talk about their real selves. Some of that likely came from the general precautions of personal privacy, but Shield often wondered how much of it was from players simply not wanting to open the floodgates of homesickness and misery at the reminder of being trapped. Still, there were a number of things Shield was fine with discussing.

There were also a lot of things he was not.

Fortunately, this was a safe topic. "I used to be a statistician," he said, trying to find the least boring ways to explain it. "See, any time someone does a study, any measurements taken need to be properly ana-"

Shield's pole remained stationary in his hand, but his line began to feed out at such a pace that it sounded more like a sustained note from some stringed instrument than it did a line feeding from a winch. He quickly grabbed for the crank to stop the turning, but as soon as he put his fingers within the turn radius, he felt the little handle batter his fingertips like the blades of a ceiling fan. In the real world, it would have smarted enough to make him give up for the moment, but he knew what this violent force must mean. With a great deal of fumbling, he finally managed a grip on the spinning reel. As soon as he did, the next weak point to give was his shoulders. They lurched forward, not fully prepared for the monstrous pull that had been transferred onto them. If he insisted on keeping his grip on the reel, he would lose the pole. He let go of the former, letting the reel turn freely again.

With all of the concentration that he had, he forced the bowing tip of the fishing pole back, making a partial loop around the nearest piling with the line. With that, he dug in his heels, squared his shoulders, gripped the reel, and leaned against the force with all his might. His features were almost distorted, his lips pulled back to show his clenched teeth. The reel had fallen silent, to be replaced by Shield's guttural strainings and the creaking of the piling that he had used for stability. The water on the lake was turbulent. Whatever it was, it had been fighting its way deeper into the water. With its progress halted by Shield's pole, it was now dragging the line laterally, creating a semicircle in the water with its tether. Finally, nearing the shore, whatever it was was now forced back up to the top.

The surface of the water bulged as a shadow grew in the depths. A loud bang of wood on wood sounded from behind the players as a black monster erupted from the surface of the water. Its jagged teeth were crowded unevenly in it its ferocious mouth. Its seemingly amorphous black body had no real definition to it other than some tattered fins and the shining lure appendage that dangled in front of its beady eyes. This was the fabled Lurker.

"Fiiiiiiiiish!" bellowed the fisherman, his body framed in the open doorway of his shack. He held a harpoon aloft with both hands as he took off towards the end of the dock. However, rather than throwing it at the fish, he was content merely to hold it, waving it menacingly as he shouted out nonsensical orders. Shield meanwhile was finally beginning to fight back, turning the crank as quickly as he was able. Now that the Lurker had spotted its captor, it was not content merely to escape. It splashed down into the water, and the line went slack as the shadow under the water raced toward the dock.

There was a part of him that knew Callie was perfectly capable of getting out of the way on her own. However, the part of him that instinctively threw out his arm to shield the passenger seat of his car whenever he stopped too suddenly was far faster to act. Before he was even aware he had done it, he was already pulling Callie's collar, launching her as far as he could past him towards land. Not a moment after he had released her, he heard another splash, and the nightmarish teeth of the Lurker had completely encompassed his arm. Were he not as defensive as he was, that limb would have been lost altogether. A chunk disappeared from his health as well as that of the Lurker itself.

Edited by Shield
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  • 4 weeks later...

She listened with interest, in part because their conversations rarely seemed to have as much substance. But just when she started following along at the beginning of his explanation of what made up the work of a statistician, the hiss of his fishing line served to cut him off. She froze up for a moment, having turned to see the man fighting against a force that looked several times more intimidating than anything the lake had to offer them up to this point. In silent realization, Callie also knew exactly what the violent force on the hook-end of the fishing pole meant: the monster-fish they'd been waiting for all this time had finally spared Shield's lure its interest.

Golden-tinted eyes went wide at the sight of the beast that broke through the water's surface. She was fixed on the creature for a dangerous moment, easily registering its design as the most frightening that she'd encountered thus far. The only memory she could grasp at that rivaled the Lurker in size alone was the frigid Avalanche, but there was something clearly more terrifying about a half-decayed sea monster than a towering man made of ice. Callie shuddered on more than one instance when catching a glimpse of those deep-sea documentaries that showed off recently-discovered species skulking in the farthest reaches of the dark ocean.

Where the vast unknown--and more importantly, what lived inside of it--never failed to unsettle her, Callie was content to put some distance between herself and the massive creature that she knew they were soon to be locked in combat with. Already a step and a half back from her original position, the sounds of shouting that came from behind them caused her attention to snap in the direction of the fisherman's cabin. Spotting the ludicrous old man hurriedly shambling towards the dock, her sights were no longer locked on Shield and his catch. As such, her body tensed up with the sudden feeling of forced movement. Her party member was yanking at the collar of her basic leather armor, jerking her back and giving her enough momentum to stumble several paces towards the end of the dock where the crazed fisherman stood flailing about with his harpoon. It would have been impressive for her to have kept her footing, but thankfully the woman caught herself on her knees and was able to quickly pick herself back up. With the salty NPC beside her spouting out strings of words and curses she could hardly make any sense of, Callie's lips pursed in frustration while her hand reached for the leather-wrapped handle of her claymore. "Well you're not going to be of any actual help, are you?" She grumbled to herself without expecting an answer from the obsessive fisherman.

Freeing the steel from its sheathe, Callie winced in reaction when she looked back to see the Lurker's maw closed around Shield's arm. She gripped the hilt of her weapon tightly in both hands, knowing full well that any attacks she threw at the intimidating monster would be inconsequential. "Right. Anything you know about this guy I should watch out for?" She called forward. If she was going to put in an honest effort, the last thing she wanted to do was turn herself into a liability should the monster decide to start thrashing about on the docks, or betray the game's standard targeting system.

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