Pinball

He once again found himself walking through the hellscape that was the 9th floor. And once again, he found himself thinking about what a horribly and overall sucky place it was. He couldn't imagine hanging out here. He wondered what kind of psychopaths would want to live on a floor like this. He knew they existed out there, somewhere. He didn't want to interact with anyone of the sort. They were undoubtedly not right in the head -- which, to be fair, was kind of rich coming from him. Pinball let out a humorless snort as he walked. There wasn't much else to say about it. Or think about it, for that matter. The 9th floor sucked and he hated it. It was just a good thing that his time here was finally coming to an end. He was getting closer to the Field Boss now, about halfway there already, and he only planned on killing it one more time. He just wanted three of its unique drops -- one for use soon, a second for a later date, and a third just in case. Pinball rolled his neck and kept walking. Not much longer now. 

***

Field Boss Cooldown: 3/5 

Descending  had been a whole lot easier than ascending. As a general rule, Pinball thought that would hold true for most situations like that. After a brief few minutes of struggle, Pinball had climbed to the top. He stood there for a moment and caught his breath. The floor above ground was completely unchangeed. Fiery lava lakes and volcanoes, check. Eerie dark clouds stained a crimson hue? Check. Pinball's hands vanished beneath his cloak as he activated the Tracking skill once again (it had been disabled as he'd climbed, for some reason or another). The Field Boss would spawn again somewhere North. Pinball started talking to his familiar, as he oftentimes did when he got especially lonely. Zomekko listened, or he assumed it did, as the familiar laid dormant within the small jar on his belt. Pinball began to walk. The Field Boss shouldn't be as far away as the first time was. 

***

Field Boss Cooldown: 2/5 

After the remains of the phoenix had been completely carried away, dispersed and scattered by the wind, Pinball would turn and leave. He was still stuck in the bottom of the ravine, but by activating the Tracking skill, he knew the path to the next boss -- and he also knew the best way to get out of the ravine. What a skill Searching was! He caught himself wondering why he'd dropped it in the first place. He began the fairly long and bothersome process of clawing his way out of the ravine. He had to scale a rock wall, and it didn't have many friendly hand or foot holds placed for him. He had to work for it. He dug his heels deep into the stone and pushed. The strenuous activity got his mind off the heat. At least it did for a little while. He scaled the wall in due time, taking his time with it, careful not to fall to an unceremonious and kind of funny death. 

***
Field Boss cooldown 1/5 

This time, much like the last, he didn't allow much room for error. He waited patiently for the phoenix to reform, and then for a split second after, when his health bar went back up into the red from being empty. That was when he struck. Unceremoniouusly hurling a dagger at it, the beast had little time to react before a knife found itself buried in its beautiful red and gold plumage. If it had been a rare bird, or any less dangerous, Pinball would have thought killing it was quite a shame. Unfortunately, he cared about little, and the beauty of a Field Boss definitely did not make that list. It exploded into crystalline fragments, a cloud of sparkly dust, and was carried up, and up, and away by the volcanic wind. Pinball quietly stowed his blades, his hands once more disappearing beneath his cloak. He watched the cloud disappear from where he stood. 

***

Action Taken: [TECH-D] [-10 EN]
ID#227000 BD: 10 - 20+2+8= 30*16= 480 DMG 

Pinball | HP: 400/400 | EN: 28/68 | DMG: 20 | ACC:6 | EVA:5 | BH:22 | LD:8 | HLY: 8 | FLN: 8 | Phase 

Phoenix | HP: 0/975 | MIT:10 (-20, -20, -20) | DMG:110 | ACC:2 | EVA:2 {ASHBORN ACTIVE} [Shatter 3/3]
Abilities:

• Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
• Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
• Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats.

His Astral Blades reflected the light of the lava, sending bright reflections across the dark stone. Pinball paid no mind, however. The phoenix screeched, spreading its wings wide. From its extended wings, bolts of fire began rocketing towards him. Pinball closed the distance he had just put between them. If the phoenix decided to fight at range, he was going to be fighting a losing battle. His knives in hand, Pinball leapt into the air, and hurled both daggers at the phoenix. The blades landed flush, and he knew from the sound of the impact and the sickly red glow enveloping the weapons that this time, the Fallen enchantment had triggered. Pinball hit the ground, bounced backwards, and landed a few feet further back than that. His eyes were on the Field Boss. Like before, it exploded into ash, becoming a pile of dust on the ground beneath him. And like before, it began to burn, and reform before his eyes. Stronger, a little faster, but most importantly, still kicking it. 

***

Action Taken: {Well Rested} [TECH-D] [-9 EN]
ID#226999 BD: 6 MD: 2 - 20+8= 28*16= 448-10= 438 DMG 

Pinball | HP: 400/400 | EN: 36/68 | DMG: 20 | ACC:6 | EVA:5 | BH:22 | LD:8 | HLY: 8 | FLN: 8 | Phase

Phoenix | HP: 225/975 | MIT:10 (-20, -20) | DMG:110 | ACC:2 | EVA:2 {ASHBORN ACTIVE} [Shatter 2/3]
Abilities:

• Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
• Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
• Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats.

In a flash, he swapped his daggers. He'd been using Quick Change for a long time -- back when he used both a spear and a sword -- and it had quickly become an indespensible part of his build's toolkit. Though, watching the DoTs apply and deal its damage at so low a tier, he began to wonder if his general strategy wasn't as effective as it once was. He'd once wielded such a build with lethal effect. But things were different now. Perpetuate didn't double the length of DoTs anymore, and Incarcerate was unfortunately not a readily available enchantment. Holy and Fallen, on the other hand, seemed awfully reliable, from his experience. Would it not be better, at least in this fight specifically, to just go in with his Astral Blades from the start? He made a mental note to test it in the next fight, as he rolled out of the way of a flamethrower-like blast. One more good, solid hit would do the phoenix in, he figured. One more good, solid hit, and it'd explode into ash and regenerate, and then he'd really only have one more good, solid hit to go. 

***

Free Action: {Hellfire} -> {Astral Blade} 
Action Taken: {Well Rested} [TECH-D] [-9 EN] 
ID#226974 BD: 2+6= 8 MD: 5 - 20*16= 320-20= 300 DMG 

Pinball | HP: 400/400 | EN: 43/68 | DMG: 20 | ACC:6 | EVA:5 | BH:22 | LD:8 | HLY: 8 | FLN: 8 | Phase

Phoenix | HP: 351/975 | MIT:20 (-10 BLT, -20) | DMG:90 | ACC:2 | EVA:2 [SHATTER: 1/3] [BlitReduc: 2/2] [BRN 28: 2/2] [BLD 24: 2/2] [BLT 16: 2/2] [STC 20: 2/2] [RND 14: 2/2] 
Abilities:

• Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
• Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
• Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats.

Despite his increasing proximity, the phoenix hadn't spotted him. Good. Pinball retrieved his knives, aimed it with a deadly precision, and let it fly. The dagger soared through the air with a low whoosh, and landed perfectly square in the phoenix's breast. This time, he hadn't used the Shatter Sword Art -- he'd gone for the stun, instead. He'd figured it was probably best to open with it, as opposed to cutting its mitigation down from the start, just to be safe. He was playing in the phoenix's arena, and it had the definite home advantage. One slip up, and Pinball would be in for a very, very bad time. But if he could help mitigate that risk as much as possible, that was going to be for the best. He created some distance between him and the boss, watching as his damage over time effects took hold, quickly chipping away at its HP. 

***

Maintaining Stealth: ID#226965 LD: 13+6= 19 LD {Hidden} 

Action Taken: {Well Rested} {Sneak Attack!Trickster} [TECH-A] [-18 EN] , [DoTs Applied] 
ID#226968 BD: 2 (Hit) MD: 10 (Stunned) - 20*16 - 320/2 - 40 = 120 DMG 

Pinball | HP: 400/400 | EN: 50/68 | DMG: 20 | ACC:6 | EVA:5 | BH:22 | LD:8 | BRN: 28 | BLD: 24 | BLT: 16 | STC: 20 | RND: 14 [CD: 0/5] 

Phoenix | HP: 753/975 | MIT:40 (-10 BLT) | DMG:90 | ACC:2 | EVA:2 [BlitReduc: 1/2] [BRN 28: 1/2] [BLD 24: 1/2] [BLT 16: 1/2] [STC 20: 1/2] [RND 14: 1/2] {STUNNED}
Abilities:

• Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
• Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
• Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats.

Had he not learned to make use of Zomekko's shadow, it would have probably been difficult to find a place to hide. The phoenix rested on a slight overhang above him, several dozen yards away, overlooking a small river of lava that ran through the bottom of the ravine. The path was fairly open, with no real places to duck for cover. The walls of the ravine rose high on either high, steep and probably unscaleable without having great difficulty. Invisible to the naked eye, Pinball made notes of these things, and crept forward. The plan was the same as the last time. Sneak attack, swap to his knives, and burst the beast down. This would be his second time killing this particular monster, and it was the second to last time he planned on it... at least for now. Three of the boss's unique drops would last him enough time, he figured. 

*** 

Action Taken: [Hiding] 
Stealth: ID#226960 LD: 10+6= 16 {Hidden} 

Field Boss Cooldown: 5/5

Almost there. Almost there. Almost there. The thought of it kept replaying in his mind, over and over and over. The heat was nearly unbearable as he descended the mountainside. If he didn't have the Survival skill, he had a feeling he might have been taking damage over time. Just what was a bird doing in the depths of a fiery ravine--? Nevermind. He had a feeling he knew what it was doing. It was probably basking in the heat, chilling (ha) in one of earth's open wounds. Though he slid down a rocky clifface, deep into the ravine's eerie depths, it didn't get any darker. The floor's sky seemed to be in a perpetual state of gloom, but kept a perpetual crimson hue due to the sheer volcanic activity on it. The ravine was no different. The lava rivers lit his way, and soon, Pinball caught sight of the phoenix. 

***

Field Boss Cooldown: 4/5
Equipped: {Astral Blade} -> {Hellfire} 

He was about halfway there now. The distance between them was shortening. Pinball could have probably picked up the pace and rushed over there, but he figured he might as well just take his time with it. The traveling was going to take up the most time, and he'd hate to get to the location before the boss spawned. They seemed to not spawn around people; generally, you had to go and seek them out. He worried that if he showed up at the Field Boss's spawn location before it spawned, it would consequently spawn somewhere else entirely, and he'd have to go chase after it in its new location.

Not that that mattered too much, either. It wasn't like he had a whole lot to do today other than kill this Field Boss a couple of times. He didn't have any real friends, or a social life to speak of. He had no real responsibilities or commitments. That probably wasn't a good thing. 

*** 

Field Boss Cooldown: 3/5

Floor 9 was a completely different beast from the floors he normally roamed. As a general rule, Pinball preferred the colder climates over the more temperate ones. Beaches, volcanoes, and deserts? Yuck. Give him a land trapped in perpetual winter, a heavily wooded forest, or a quiet mountain range any day of the week over any one of those. He stepped over cool, jagged volcano rock. Nearly stumbled down a clifface. Cut himself on splintered stone. Pinball glowered. He hated it here. It was hot and bleak and miserable. And he was pretty damn familiar with bleak and miserable. But he needed the item Phoenix dropped, and his hatred of the floor was far outweighed by the simple desire of convenience at a later time. Suffer now, have an easier time later. That was the play. He was heading in the right direction... and that went both towards the boss, and his goal. 

*** 

Field Boss Cooldown: 2/5

He retrieved from his inventory a spyglass. He'd apparently used a charge of it, meaning he'd used it once in the past -- though he couldn't for the life of him remember when or why he ever would have. Hell, he didn't really remember buying it, either. Maybe he had wanted to go dungeon hunting, once upon a time? It didn't matter now. He scoped in on the distance. Looked around a bit. He didn't remember how to use it, but he got a little buff or icon saying that it had been used, so he figured that it was fine. Hopefully he didn't have to whip it out and look around with it every once and a while to keep the buff up. That seemed like it'd be a pretty major (minor, he was just irritable) hassle. He activated his Tracking skill as well. A glowing path shone before him. It was leading him to the Phoenix's next spawn location. It was time to get a move on. 

***

using Spyglass (2 Charges -> 1 Charge Remaining) 

Field Boss Cooldown: 1/5

As his attack landed, the bird collapsed, bursting into flame and turning to ash. 

Was that it? 

His answer was answered almost immediately. The pile of ashes began to swirl and burn again, though no wind carried it and no flame touched its remains. Swirling back into form was the Phoenix, born again. And this time with a fiery aura which had quite a bit more intensity behind it than it had previously. It didn't matter to him. Pinball could see its health bar -- though he was alone, and Tier Locked to 2, Pinball was ripping through its defenses. There really was a difference,  and his skills were to thank to that. 

He didn't give it time to go into a second phase. Hurling a flurry of daggers at it with vicious aim, Pinball but the field boss down once more, filling its brilliant plumage with golden knives glowing red hot as they made contact with the fire bird. This time it exploded not into ash, but into crystalline fragments, carried up and up and up by the volcanic winds. A menu popped up in front of him, listing a minor EXP reward, and, more importantly, the item that he was here to hunt in the first place. 

***

Action Taken: [TECH-D][-10 EN] 
ID#226875 BD: 3+6= 9 - 20*16 - 320 DMG 

Pinball | HP: 400/400 | EN: 29/68 | DMG: 20 | ACC:6 | EVA:5 | BH:22 | LD:8 | HLY: 8 | FLN: 8 | Phase | RND: 14 [CD: 3/5] 

Phoenix | HP: 0/975 | MIT:0 (-20, -20, -20) | DMG:110 | ACC:2 | EVA:2 [SHATTER: 3/3] {ASHBORN TRIGGERED}
Abilities:

• Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
• Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
• Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats.

He guessed it wasn't going to be throwing any more fireballs at him. Instead of staying at range, the Phoennix tilted towards him and dove. It flew down on him at a blistering speed, but Pinball was a little faster. Nimbly leaping from rock to rock, he was able to dodge the Phoenix's physical attack by just a hair. He felt his back get hotter as the phoenix flew past, and cooler as more distance was put between them. Not like it was any cooler by any significant means, though. Below him the lava still swirled and bubbled, threatening a painful death should he slip. Pinball briefly found himself wondering again why he hadn't just chosen to take the fight to more solid ground -- but he didn't have much time to think about it before the Phoenix arced in the air, swooping back down towards him with a cruel look in its fiery eyes. 

*** 

Action Taken: {Well Rested} [TECH-D][-9 EN] 
ID#226870 BD: 9 (+1) MD: 8-5+2= 5 - 29*16= 464 DMG 

Pinball | HP: 400/400 | EN: 37/68 | DMG: 20 | ACC:6 | EVA:5 | BH:22 | LD:8 | HLY: 8 | FLN: 8 | Phase | RND: 14 [CD: 2/5] 

Phoenix | HP: 225/975 | MIT:0 (-20, -20, -20) | DMG:110 | ACC:2 | EVA:2 [SHATTER: 3/3] {ASHBORN TRIGGERED}
Abilities:

• Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
• Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
• Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats.

<<THREAD SUMMARY>>

<<Pinball>> Receives:
 [Word Count: 5072/10 = 507.2] * [True Tier: 8] * [Group Factor: 0.7] + 1,600 EXP [Yui's Grace] + 500 EXP [Quest Reward]= 3,340 *2 [recruitment drive] = 6,680 EXP
9,504 + 426 col (Laurel Wreath) = 9,930 Col and 7 Mats
Nature’s Tablet

<<Acanthus>> Receives:
[Word Count: 5072/10 = 507.2] * [True Tier: 2] * [Group Factor: 0.7] + 500 EXP [Quest Reward] = 1,210 * 2 [recruitment drive]  = 2,420 EXP
9,504 Col and 7 Mats
Nature's Tablet

And <<Acanthus>> gets all this stuff too: 

The second pack of wolves went down much like the first. He had a knife for each of them, and he casually put the digital beasts out of their misery. He stowed his weapons and pulled his hood back over his head. They'd burned a nice couple of minutes, and maybe they'd come across more direwolves on their way to the first Keeper. But it was probably time to go. 

"You can have any of the drops. We'll split Col and mats down the middle." His fingers would fly across his menu's interface as he sent half the loot over to Acanthus. He'd then dismiss the menu and begin to walk. "Alright. Let's go." 

Pinball would lead the way, giving Acanthus her space, and if she at any point desired to stop, or take a break, or split up for whatever reason, he would easily obligue. As they traveled together, Acanthus would have figured out that Pinball wasn't particularly talkative, but he didn't seem unkind either. At the same time, though, you'd be hard-pressed to describe him any other way. His expression was icy, emotionless, and his tone was flat. He kept his sentences short and eye contact even shorter. 

But he was curious about Acanthus. Invested. And in his own sort of loose, dampened way, he was looking forward to the challenges ahead of them. 

*** 

Looting: 

They fanned out around him. Pinball had eyes on each one -- even the ones he couldn't see. He wasn't stressed. He wanted Acanthus to see that, too. The last thing he wanted was for her to think that he'd pluck her out of her little shop just to put her life in danger. He didn't say it outwadly, but he wanted to help. Pinball had been in situations like these a countless number of times. Acanthus, should she stick to it, would too. It was better to get used to it sooner rather than later. 

Once again the knives flashed out. A blade was buried in the pelt of each direwolf, leaving them stunned, immobile, and disoriented. Pinball, this time, remained rooted in place, and let his throwing knives fly at will. He replied as the wolves went down, "It's all simulated. I'm not any faster than anyone else my level, the system just wants me to look that way. It all just comes down to numbers and equipment. As you progress through the tiers, I'll probably start looking slower and slower." His replies, like always, were delivered quite flat. 

*** 

The wolves were still stunned. They were only just beginning to recover, unsteadily trying to stand on legs they just couldn't quite get back under them. They'd stand, and then they would attack again, turning their claws and daggerlike fangs on the one who had wounded them. 

Pinball didn't even give them the chance to try. 

He walked calmly back to Acanthus, two knives held in each hand. He flung the knives downwards, and the blades each found a wolf to call their new homes. He flung upwards, and the last two did the same. Each direwolf exploded in a brilliant cloud of crystalline fractals and bright dust, carried away by the breeze. Pinball returned his hands beneath his cloak. 

"Alright, that's all of them--"

Then came growling in the distance, coming from the treeline behind him. He turned back around to see four more direwolves, hackles raised, fangs bared. 

"Sorry. One second." 

*** 

Looting: 

He was quick with it. The knives in hand were replaced with a new pair. A shinier pair. The phoenix rose into the air, a giant fire ball forming in front of its open beak. The fireball was launched wildly in his direction, and Pinball leapt away, soaring through the air and landing on another stone some fifteen feet away. As he landed, he hurled both knives at the phoenix again. Both knives landed flush. The phoenix fell backwards, descending some feet, before regaining its balance and beginning to soar once more. Pinball stood in place this time. He wasn't sure what other attacks it had up its sleeve -- but he knew that he had to be careful, or he would end up learning the hard way. He didn't feel like getting burnt alive any time soon. That would certainly suck. He replaced the daggers he had thrown and prepared for his next counter attack. 

*** 

Free Action: [Quick Change] | {Hellfire} -> {Astral Blade} 
Action Taken: {Well Rested} [TECH-D][-9 EN] 
ID#226869 BD: 5+6= 11 MD: 6+2-5= 3 - 20*16= 320-0= 320 DMG 

Pinball | HP: 400/400 | EN: 44/68 | DMG: 20 | ACC:6 | EVA:5 | BH:22 | LD:8 | HLY: 8 | FLN: 8 | Phase | RND: 14 [CD: 1/5] 

Phoenix | HP: 303/975 | MIT:0 (-20, -10, -20) | DMG:90 | ACC:2 | EVA:2 [SHATTER: 1/3] [BlitReduc: 2/2] [BRN 28: 2/2] [BLD 24: 2/2] [BLT 16: 2/2] [STC 20: 2/2] [RND 14: 2/2] 
Abilities:

• Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
• Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
• Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats.

It didn't take him long to line up the perfect shot. 

But he also liked to take his time. 

His proximity with the phoenix confirmed his suspicions: its feathers were, in fact, glowing red hot. He realized that it was probably to be expected of a creature living on the 9th Floor, if not also a creature supposed to be the embodiment of fire. Flames seemed to spark the air around it, and Pinball felt that if he got any closer, he'd be burned. 

Well, it was a good thing that he wasn't planning on getting close. He retreated a few dozen feet or so, hopping from stepping stone to stepping stone. 

Without further ado, he threw his knives. They flew through the air and landed in the Phoenix's chest with a soft thud. The bird shrieked, taking flight, and fire began to spread from its wings. 

The fight had finally begun. 

*** 

Maintaining Stealth: ID#226808 LD: 14+6= 20 {Hidden} 

Action Taken: {Well Rested} {Sneak Attack!Trickster} [TECH-D][-17 EN] , [DoTs Applied] 
ID#226809 BD: 9 (Crit|AutoHit) MD: 4+2-5= 1 (Miss) - 21*16= 336/2-20 = 148 DMG 

Pinball | HP: 400/400 | EN: 51/68 | DMG: 20 | ACC:6 | EVA:5 | BH:22 | LD:8 | BRN: 28 | BLD: 24 | BLT: 16 | STC: 20 | RND: 14 [CD: 0/5] 

Phoenix | HP: 725/975 | MIT:20 (-20, -10) | DMG:90 | ACC:2 | EVA:2 [SHATTER: 1/3] [BlitReduc: 1/2] [BRN 28: 1/2] [BLD 24: 1/2] [BLT 16: 1/2] [STC 20: 1/2] [RND 14: 1/2] 
Abilities:

• Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
• Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
• Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats.

He gave Acanthus time to think. Pinball was thinking too. She seemed nervous around him. 

Well, that was pretty normal. Nervousness turned into hatred as their confidence grew. He'd seen it before. And that was okay. It was natural. He wouldn't judge her for that -- he wouldn't judge anyone for that. He only hoped that she stuck around for the rest of the questline. It was for her own good. 

She expressed interest in grinding a few mobs on the way to the first boss fight, and in watching him fight. He didn't think twice about it, until she started slapping her cheeks. His brow furrowed. Was she okay? But she just as quickly excused herself, and after a moment's hesitation, Pinball nodded. 

"Okay. Sure. I know the place."

--- 

There they were. Finally. Big, hulking monsters that probably shared more in common with bears than wolves. As they emerged from the wilderness, they froze, noses raised to the sky. One lowered its head and locked eyes with them. It began to growl. The entire pack soon joined. It was a sound like thunder, deep and reverberating. And it would have been intimidating, if he hadn't done it a million times before. 

He told Acanthus, "Just stay back. I'll keep them off you." He lowered his hood. 

And the wolves descended on him with cruel intent. 

It happened in a flash. Pinball stood completely still as they approached, and then -- flash! -- he moved with blinding speed, his daggers practically shining in the sun. Each wolf was struck with pinpoint accuracy. Their legs were suddenly useless beneath them, the momentum carrying them off their paws and leaving them each sprawling several feet behind him. His cloak, which had whipped behind him wildly when he'd attacked, again settled comfortably around his shoulders. 

***

(Turn Order: Pinball, Acanthus, Mobs) 

Action Taken: {Well Rested} [TECH-F] [-13 EN] 
Direwolf 1: ID#226755 BD: 8 - 20*12 = 240 DMG 
Direwolf 2: ID#226757 BD: 6 - 20*12 = 240 DMG 
Direwolf 3: ID#226758 BD: 7 - 20*12 = 240 DMG 
Direwolf 4: ID#226759 BD: 2+5= 7 - 20*12= 240 DMG 

Pinball: 800/800 HP | 105/118 EN | DMG: 20 | ABS. ACC | ACC: 5 | EVA: 3 | BH: 44
Acanthus: 280/280 HP | EN: 46/46 | DMG: 9 | MIT: 30 | EVA: 1 | ACC: 3 | LD: 3 | BLD: 24

Direwolf 1: 156/396 HP | 132 DMG {STUNNED} 
Direwolf 2: 156/396 HP | 132 DMG {STUNNED} 
Direwolf 3: 156/396 HP | 132 DMG {STUNNED} 
Direwolf 4: 156/396 HP | 132 DMG {STUNNED} 

The phoenix (aptly named Phoenix) was roosting atop a flat stone in the middle of the lava lake. Its feathers seemed to glow in the light, brilliant reds and golds. It was a magnificent looking bird. Sucks he had to kill it. Pinball clicked his tongue twice, and Zomekko emerged, enveloping him in shadow. He vanished. 

There were stepping stones scattered about the lava lake. He was going to have to play hopscotch during the whole fight. If he had half a brain, he'd eliminate the unecessary danger and kite the bird onto more solid ground. The idea of getting blasted with flames and falling into the lava was a pretty real risk. But he didn't want to. Maybe he took the fear as a challenge. Maybe the risk excited him. He didn't read too deeply into it. 

Deftly hopping from one stone to the next, daggers in hand, Pinball crept closer to the Phoenix with murderous intent. 

*** 

Action Taken: [HIDING] - ID#226732 LD: 7+6= 13 {Hidden} 

It was done -- she'd cracked it. Pinball would straighten himself, happy that they'd made such good time, even if his face didn't show it. His icy expression remained the same, even when Acanthus reached over and grabbed him by she shoulders, excitedly exclaiming that she'd figured it out. He didn't smile, but he shook his head. "Don't worry about it." He remained standing in place as she returned to the podium beneath the tree. She worked quietly, decoding the message at a rapid pace. He joined her then, watching silently. Eventually she stood, stepping back, and the message seemed to shift before their very eyes. 

“If seeking power, wisdom and resilience, find ye those which embody nature’s graces: The fiercest of beasts with unmatched strength; a sentinel to the afterlife bound by the Stygian river; a wise and wily water-borne predator; the unmoved titan who is callous and free; a sly shadow high in the branches of the forest; and lastly, that which prowls and safeguards the sky. Only once vanquished will you harness their power to your benefit. These are the Keepers of Nature.”

"Absolutely." She'd nailed it. Six boss fights. Six trials to undertake. If they wanted to claim Nature's Blessing, they'd first have to prove themselves worthy. 

Or something like that, anyway. Pinball nodded. "Not a problem at all." And he meant it. He was absolutely confident in his ability, and was absolutely confident that Acanthus would come into her own as they progressed as well. He'd turn away and walk a bit. It was still morning, but the forest was warming up, and the sun had climbed much higher into the sky than when they'd left. 

"There's still daylight left. Would you like to head to the first Keeper now? Or would you rather take a break?" 

As he talked, he swiped open his menu, fingers flying across the interface. Now that he had a moment, he did two things in rapid succession; equipped a new weapon, and filled his Battle-Ready Inventory with things that might be useful later. 

*** 

Equipped: [Uncommon T1 TW] Tyrfing: Absolute Accuracy 

Updated Battle-Ready Inventory: 

[TIER LOCKED: TIER 2]
<<Using x1 Yui's Grace>>

The 9th floor was all fire and brimstone. Real intimidating stuff. 

Pinball sat perched on some warm rocks overlooking a burbling lake of lava. He was munching on cakes, liquor, a tofu burger (gross), and washed it all down with pilk (delicious). He was bird watching. 

Kind of. It was less of a bird, more of a giant flaming hawk of sorts. Pinball had never fought a Field Boss before, and he'd certainly never considered tier locking himself in any capacity (why would he willingly become weaker?), but to get the item, he had to be locked down to Tier 2. Hence the buffs. 

Hence the hesitation. 

He had no mitigation, and no way of increasing his mitigation, either. His health was nearly halved, and that meant that so was his Battle Healing. He'd dropped Emergency Recovery in favor of Tracking, and so his defenses were arguably lower than they'd ever be. That meant he had to blitz the bird down before it could hit him a couple times. And with a Field Boss, solo, as a player as squishy as he was, any hit could very well turn out to be a damning one. Could he do it? 

Of course he could. 

He flicked his blades into his hands and stood. 

*** 

Consuming: 
Evasion Cake: +2 EVA 
Eye-Spy Cake: +2 ACC 
Liquor of Might: +3 DMG 
Tofu Burger: +2 DMG {Filling} -> +3 DMG 
Pilk: +3 LD 

Pinball | HP: 400/400 | EN: 68/68 | DMG: 20 | ACC:6 | EVA:5 | BH:22 | LD:8

Player Stats (unlocked/unbuffed):

Housing Buffs: 

They stopped for water at a well. It was a wonder it hadn't dried out. Sweat beaded his face as he accepted the canister. He was faring a bit better than the other two, thanks to his Survival skill... but just because he wasn't going to collapse of dehydration or get ripped apart by sand didn't mean the heat didn't absolutely suck. He took a small sip from the canister for courtesy's sake before passing it back to Mishiro. Zamek, it seemed, had his own water, and drank it silently by himself. 

Mishiro told him he should take point. He nodded. "Right." They'd spotted plenty of mobs on their journey, but they had kept their distance and continued their journey uninterrupted because of it. She was right, though. It was better to be safe than sorry. As they readied themselves to set out again, Pinball would hurry ahead. It was about time he made good on his word and did a little gathering himself, anyway.

He bounded up the sandy slopes like a dark streak across a golden canvas. Armored worms, twice the size of him with mandibles to match erupted from the earth and swam across the dessert like eels chasing him. He danced atop hills of sand, dodging the knife-like maws of the worms, grouping them up, waiting for his moment, getting closer, waiting for his moment... 

And there it was. All at once, the worms collided into each other -- into where Pinball had been but was no longer. The hooded assassin had leapt into the air, raining a hailstorm of daggers down on them. There was a rush of cool air as his blades found their homes in the bodies of the monsters below him. His cloak whipped in the wind as he descended. The worms were a jumbled mess, a veritable pastabowl of legs, chitin, and mandibles. Half of them were stunned, their movements slowed and disoriented. The other half was completely immobile, their bodies encased in a thin but deceptively strong layer of ice. 

Pinball landed and slid swiftly down a dune. He wasn't yet in position for a follow-up attack. His eyes flicked to Mishiro. 

"Your turn." 

*** 

Action Taken: {Well Rested} [TECH-F] [-13 EN] 
Worm 1: ID#226681 BD: 10 - 22*12= 264 DMG + FREEZE 
Worm 2: ID#226682 BD: 3+4= 7 - 20*12= 240 DMG 
Worm 3: ID#226683 BD: 6 - 20*12 = 240 DMG 
Worm 4: ID#226684 BD: 8 - 20*12= 240 DMG + FREEZE 

[H:2,1,1,1] Pinball | HP: 800/800 | EN: 105/118 | DMG: 20 | ACC:4 | EVA:3 | BH:44 | LD:5 | FRZ 8-10 | Phase 
[H:0,0,0,0] Mishiro | HP: 420/420 | EN: 60/60 | DMG 19 | ACC 4 | ABS. ACC | FLN 6 (6-8) | VO 10%

Worm 1:  132/396 HP | 132 DMG {Stunned} [FRZN] 
Worm 2:  156/396 HP | 132 DMG {Stunned} 
Worm 3:  156/396 HP | 132 DMG {Stunned}  
Worm 4:  156/396 HP | 132 DMG {Stunned} [FRZN]