Pinball

<<THREAD SUMMARY>>

Mishiro Receives:
Mishiro | [Word Count: 6663/10 = 666.3] * [True Tier: 3] * [Group Factor: 0.7] + 500 EXP (Quest Reward) = 1899 EXP
10,296 + 500 (Quest Reward) = 10,796 Col
8 Materials
<<Survival>> Extra Skill Unlocked
And this stuff:

Pinball Receives:

Pinball | [Word Count: 6663/10 = 666.3] * [True Tier: 8] * [Group Factor: 0.7] = 3731 EXP
Laurel Wreath: 559 Col

Pinball's head shot up. Mishiro calling for him had snagged his attention. Something about her voice. She thanked him -- she told him that he was good at fighting, and that she felt safe around him. Pinball's eyes lowered. "Of course," he replied. His voice was almost sullen, yet strangely resolute. Most days he wished that he wasn't, that she didn't. On others he caught a glimpse of her and remembered why he couldn't stop. 

Pinball watched as Zamek dropped to his knees, unearthing his most treasured possessions in the world. Letters, jewels, and other trinkets had been locked away in that little box beneath the sand. He clutched them close to his chest, tears welling up in the virtual man's eyes. Pinball remained cloaked, hooded. He was unaware that Mishiro was looking at him, searching, perhaps, for any hint of emotion breaking through the unchanging wall of ice that was his face. 

There was not. He was not as gentle as he once was. 

Zamek was gone. They were alone. He regarded Mishiro with a brief nod as she opened up her menu to equip her new skill. 

"One out of three," Pinball echoed. A part of him was proud. But he remained focused. "Good. Alright, on to the next." 

<<THREAD SUMMARY>>

Acanthus Receives:
Acanthus | [Word Count: 5193/10 = 519.3] * [True Tier: 3] * [Group Factor: 0.7] + 1,000 EXP (Quest Reward) = 2,091 * 2 [recruit drive] = 4182 EXP
8,316 + 2,000 Col (Quest Reward) = 10,316 Col
12 Mats
Kumatetsu Key

And also this stuff:

Pinball Receives:

           Pinball | [Word Count: 5193/10 = 519.3] * [True Tier: 8] * [Group Factor: 0.7] + 1,000 EXP (Quest Reward) = 3908 * 2 [recruit drive] = 7816 EXP
2,000 (Quest Reward) + 436 (Laurel Wreath) = 2,436 Col 
x1 T4 Dungeon Map (Recorded using Blank)
Kumatetsu Key

He didn't believe her. 

But he also didn't push it. After waiting a moment to see if she had anything else to say, Pinball finally relented with a nod. "Okay." He wasn't sure how she would act in the quests going forward. She presented this strange, unpredictable variable that he wasn't entirely comfortable introducing into his life. But he also didn't want to leave her alone. Not after that display. 

As they walked, Pinball's eyes were drawn to a path through the bushes... a dungeon? He withdrew a blank dungeon map and recorded the location. He was of a mind to collect as many dungeon locations as he could -- from what he understood, they were dangerous, but the experience gain was pretty great. Pinball responded to Acanthus' question about inn suggestions as he did this. 

"The Gilded Dove if you're feeling lavish," he said, stowing the map. "There's also the Honeydew Inn for something a little quieter." Those were the ones that he remembered, silly names and all. Elves were a little pretentious like that. For half a second he considered inviting her to rest at his home, Green Garden, but he had the feeling that would be the last place she wanted to be. Her reaction to him vanishing earlier had told him all he needed to know about that. 

Pinball walked with her until the gates were in sight, where he'd stop. 

"I'll send you a message in a couple days about the next quest," Pinball said. He wanted her to take that break. "Take care." 

*** 

Action: [Searching for Dungeon] 
ID#228623 LD: 11+8= 19 (Success) 
Used x1 Blank Dungeon Map -> x1 T4 Dungeon Map 

Pinball didn't dwell on it. He nodded and led the way. Behind them, Zamek recovered. Though he was pale as a sheet and looked completely bewildered, the old man was wise enough to keep any comments to himself. He coughed, wheezed, and followed. It wasn't like he had much of a choice, now. 

There was a storm coming. 

They fled across the desert. Pinball had swapped his cloak for one longer, tattered. It bore the insignia of a forgotten guild. His eyes shone gold from beneath his hood. "There," he said. Ahead of them, the desert flattened; the sand gave way to stone. There was a shallow cave -- more of an overhang, really, one that would only barely protect them from the elements, but it would serve its purpose. They didn't have the time to be picky. 

- - - 

The sandstorm raged. Whipping winds carried flakes of sands across the desert at blistering speeds. The sand would fill your lungs, cut your skin like glass -- and though you would feel no pain, the harsh conditions would take a toll on your health total. Thanks to his skill, Pinball was safe, but Mishiro wouldn't find herself as lucky. Thankfully, they'd found shelter in time. Zamek hugged the wall, his cloak pulled tight around his skin. The sand did not help his condition. Aside from his frequent coughs and ragged breaths, which seemed to grow worse by the minute, he was silent. 

Pinball was quiet, too. He stood while Zamek sat, and examined the furthest wall of the cavern. There was a crack in the stone, maybe large enough to squeeze through if he really tried... 

But it led to nothing, and Pinball left it be. 

The storm had begun to die down, and it was time for them to finish their journey. 

*** 
Free Action: [Quick Change] - Black Cloak: +3 EVA -> Cloak of the Harbingers: +3 LD 
Action Taken: [Searching for Dungeon] 
ID#228538 LD: 2+8= 10 :( 

His knife hissed through the air and embedded itself in the soft spot between the bear cub's skull and neck. It almost unceremoniously exploded into crystalline fragments, leaving just the two of them in the forest clearing. Pinball stood, knives out -- a flash -- and Tyrfing was replaced with the sickly crimson-black blades he used to inflict his DoTs. They disappeared beneath his cloak. 

First on their way here, and now this. There had been signs before too, hadn't there? He just hadn't noticed. Or maybe he hadn't wanted to notice. Maybe he had always known.

Now there's a thought.

She was slipping. He wasn't sure why. Her past? His presence? The general stress of living in a never-ending nightmare? Whatever it was, he couldn't blame her. But it was getting to her. That much was plain to see. Especially to someone like him. He couldn't keep ignoring it. 

"Acanthus." His voice was firm, and far colder than he realized. "Are you alright?" 

***

Action Taken: {Well Rested} [TECH-F] [-7 EN] 
Cub 1: ID#228520 BD: 2+5 - 20*12= 240 DMG 

Acanthus | HP: 450/450 | EN: 25/60 | DMG: 13 | MIT: 66 | EVA: 1 | ACC: 5 | LD: 3 | BLD: 36 | PARA
Pinball | Lvl 33 (PL40) | HP: 820/820 | Energy: 104/120 | DMG: 20  | ACC: 5 | BH: 45 | LD: 8

<<Kumatestu Cub 1>>Hate (1,1) HP: 0/396 | DMG: 132

Looting: 

Cub 1: ID: 228531 | LD: 23 (15, +8) | CD: 1 (1, +0) | 1188col, Materials (4), Tier 4 Perfect Weapon (1), Tier 4 Perfect Trinket (1)

Oz went whistling along. Pinball kept his eye out for the warden. He knew that he was close. In truth, he had no reason to believe that he was -- the Endless Maze was just that... an endless maze. There was no right direction here, and the distinction between things like close and far was hazy at best. But there was a weird intuition that came with years of experience doing things like this. 

His hunch was proven correct when he heard the rumbling. The walls beside them shifted and slid apart. The path directly ahead of them led not into another series of walls and dead ends, but a wide open room, almost like a miniature boss arena.

Pinball remained hidden. The Titanium Warden stood directly ahead of them. He was a hulking mass of heat and molten metal. Here, so close to the quest boss, the temperature seemed to rise and fall based on proximity alone. Pinball's eyes flicked to Oz. He'd stand invisible behind him. 

"On your mark," he murmured. 

*** 

Maintaining Stealth: ID#228528 LD: 10+6= 16 Stealth Rating 

Endless Maze Roll: ID#228529 CD: 12 (No Mobs) 
Searching for Titanium Warden: ID#228529 CD: 12 LD: 14+5= 19 (Titanium Warden found) 

This time, Acanthus joined him. A far cry from herself just a matter of hours prior, she launched herself into the crowd of bears without a hint of hesitation. Pinball watched as she cut through the group of them, her Sword Art cleaving her a path through the bloodthirsty bear cubs (cubs? they were pretty big for cubs).  

Despite the vague interest he felt by Acanthus' display of competence, Pinball wasted no time in following up with his own attack. He'd been in this exact scenario countless times, and he wasn't the type to be slowed by emotion in the first place (not anymore, at least). His daggers flew. Each of them were struck with impunity; their health bars were dropped to the red, but they were not killed. Acanthus had used the TECH-F Sword Art, which sacrificed raw damage in exchange for a Stun effect. But the bears were stunned no longer, and as they struggled to their feet, Pinball whistled sharply. 

It was up to Acanthus to finish the job. 

*** 

Oz switched up very quickly. It was enough to make Pinball squint -- he wasn't totally oblivious to the scraggly man's theatrics, and even less so to what type of person he was. He didn't like being touched though. He'd slide Oz's arm off from around his shoulder nearly as soon as it was wrapped around his neck, but let him continue otherwise uninterrupted. 

He was essentially asking Pinball for protection in exchange for his boss drop. Truth be told, he would have escorted him out for free if he'd asked him to. But Pinball wanted the boss drop, and Oz didn't seem like the type that would trust anybody who worked for free. "Alright," Pinball agreed. "And no, I'm not here on behalf of anyone else." 

Pinball tilted his head. "Who would I be here for?"

Whether or not he should answer, Pinball would continue into the maze. He'd enter stealth, but Oz would be able to keep track of him very easily -- it wasn't Oz that Pinball was hiding from. "Stay close," he said, "and keep an eye out for the Warden." 

*** 

Endless Maze Roll: 
ID#228306 CD: 8 (No encounter) 

Entering Stealth
ID#228306 LD: 5+6= 11 Stealth Rating 

Pinball was quiet as he walked. That is to say, nothing was different in that regard. His fingers raced across his menu interface, stopping only to start scrolling through an inventory that seemed almost endless. He finally found what it was he was looking for, and he equipped both items to help him. In a flash, Pinball wore both Tyrfing, his simple yet elegant looking set of knives, and an old, tattered cloak sporting the insignia of a guild that he figured had likely faded from all minds but his. 

"Same plan," Pinball began to ask, "hunt down a few mobs on the way back?" 

It was a quick way to make a little extra loot on the way back to the starting city. Pinball didn't plan on following her there, but he'd make sure she got there safely. 

"We'll take on the next quest tomorrow. My home's on this floor. I'll walk you back to Ellesmera." 

*** 

Equipped: 
Black Cloak: +3 EVA -> Cloak of the Harbingers: +3 LD 
Hellfire: Static, Burn, Blight, Bleed -> Tyrfing: Absolute Accuracy 

He began making his escape through the fluffy brown mass of hot, furry bodies. They paid him no mind, even when he shredded up their cousins and friends on his way out. He watched his energy level dip. Should he really be playing it so fast and loose, when death was a concern? He thought about it for a moment. He couldn't see himself dying to these bears, unless they all suddenly turned on him, and they'd not shown any signs of hostility since he'd started. He figured if he made it out of the bear ocean quick enough, he could recover and likely finish off the rest of them afterwards. He could start at the outskirts of it and cut his way in, instead of jumping right into the middle of all of it. It had been rash. He'd been blinded by the possibility of loot, and perhaps the annoyance of bears on his doorstep. 

***

Action Taken: {Well Rested} [TECH-F] [-16 EN] 
Free Action: Using Rhino Horn (+3 DMG, -1 EVA) 
Bear 33: ID#228212 BD: 8 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG 
Bear 34: ID#228213 BD: 2+5 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG 
Bear 35: ID#228214 BD: 1+5 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG 
Bear 36: ID#228215 BD: 4+5 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG 

Pinball: 840/840 HP | 32/120 EN | DMG: 25 | ABS.ACC | ACC: 5 | EVA: 2 | BH: 37 | Hellstorm: +80 DMG | Looting LD: +14 | Looting CD: +2 

Bear 33: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG 
Bear 34: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG
Bear 35: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG
Bear 36: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG 

Looting: 

Bear 33: ID: 228216 | LD: 17+14=31 | CD:4+2=6 | Col:4992, Mats:2, [228216a] T4 Perfect Weapon, [228216b] T4 Perfect Weapon, [228216c] T4 Perfect Weapon     
Bear 34: ID: 228219 | LD: 12+14=26 | CD:9+2=11 | Col:2080, Mats:2, [228219a] Gleaming Scale (1) or Demonic Shard (1), [228219b] Random Dungeon Map     
Bear 35: ID: 228217 | LD: 10+14=24 | CD:1+2=3 | Col:2080, Mats:2, [228217a] T4 Perfect Trinket, [228217b] T4 Perfect Weapon     
Bear 36: ID: 228218 | LD: 3+14=17 | CD:10+2=12 | Col:3328, Mats:2, [228218a] T4 Rare Trinket 

From beside Morningstar, Pinball whistled. His stealth dropped, and there he was, arms crossed. 

"Nice hit." Morningstar had sent Terra Firma's health plummeting below half. "Might be killing it too fast, though." 

If they were after the monster's extra skill, they needed to crit Terra Firma, activating its stance change. But not if they killed it before it had the chance to do that. Pinball tilted his head. He realized how he must have sounded, suddenly appearing like that -- he apologized. If he had been in Morningstar's position, he would have been pretty irritated. "Sorry. Not trying to be an asshole." 

Though if Morningstar believed that Pinball was sorry was something entirely up to his discretion. Nothing in Pinball's flat tone and stoic expression screamed "sorry," though the sincerity was certainly there. Pinball uncrossed his arms. If they were in the middle of battle. If they couldn't get Terra Firma to enter Assault Mode... 

"I'll help." 

***

A woman trapped in a gelatinous cube wasn't on this year's bingo card. He wished he could have said that he'd seen stranger things over the years, but he wasn't sure that he had. 

The woman in the slime had a green cursor above her head. She was a real player. More than that -- though he couldn't quite remember how, she seemed strangely familiar. Pinball stood there for a moment, debating his best course of action. He could always reach in to save her, but what if it was a trap? He could try to cut her out, but would she take damage? And what if (however unlikely it might have been) he decided to pull her out and she just died instantly? Pinball frowned. While kind of funny in a morbid way, he thought that it was probably best if he had a witness before he tried to do anything. 

He sent a message to Lessa. 
    >To: Lessa
>> found someone trapped in slime on the 26th. 
>>> blond/white hair. young. looks asleep. or paralyzed. 
>>>> maybe you know her? 
>>>>> coordinates attached. 

As Pinball sent the message, he suddenly got the feeling that he was being watched. He glanced back at slime girl and squinted. 

She hadn't moved, had she? 

Grit teeth and a frown. The bandit chief grinned maniacally. Sweat dotted the brows of both. Pinball ducked beneath sword strikes and the spear thrusts. He exhaled. Ahsan's scimitar was thrust towards his chest. Pinball twisted and avoided it narrowly. He buried two knives in his chest and kicked him away as the other bandits attacked. There were a lot of them. He knew on their own he could handle each of them handily. In a smaller group, too, the fight would have already been over. But there were many more than what he was used to fighting and their attacks took decent chunks out of his healthbar and Mishiro -- Mishiro needed him to hurry. 

Duck, weave, counter. He spun around and danced within the group of them. A writhing mass of bodies. They attacked with wild abandon, all pretenses dropped. Pinball was cutting through them now. One, two. A bandit exploded into a cloud of light. Three, four. His daggers flew and buried themselves within the chest of another two. They, too, were defeated. Five, six. He parried the spear of one and killed the other, twisted the weapon out of the hands of the bandit he'd parried, and finished him by sweeping his legs out and sending a dagger to follow him as he fell. 

Then all that remained was Ahsan. The bandit leader opened his mouth to speak -- 

-- Pinball left him behind and rushed to Mishiro's aid. He darted up the dunes at a blistering pace, catapulted into the air, and rained daggers down on her attackers.  

The bear was as good as dead. For a moment he watched as the boss's health bar ticked away in chunks. Then his attention turned to Acanthus. 

She was not putting the bear out of its misery. 

Not that there was any need to. It was as good as dead anyway -- why get in close and risk taking a hit for no reason? In life or death scenarios -- and boss fights, regardless of what floor or tier or whatever should always be treated as such -- you should always take every precaution to mitigate risks. You only needed to make one bad mistake, and your life was forfeit. You would die, your avatar turned to dust, your brains soupified by the NerveGear. 

That being said, the pathetic pained grunts and whines coming from Kumatetsu were pretty sad. It tried helplessly to get its footing again, stumbling, collapsing under its own weight, before eventually the bear seemed to accept its fate. Its breathing became labored, quiet, the giant rampaging monster a shell of its former self. It tried to lift its head but couldn't. Beneath its matted fur were eyes that betrayed a sad recognition of the inevitable. Its health emptied out, the bear sighed almost acceptingly, and the ferocious Kumatetsu was no more. Pinball stared at Acanthus as Kumatetsu's dying breaths were carried away by the wind. 

A menu popped up in front of the both of them, listing their rewards. 

"Alright, well. Let's get moving." 

Pinball turned on his heel and began to walk back the way they'd came. 

***

Action Taken: None. 

Acanthus | Lvl 21 | HP: 450/450 | EN: 47/60 | DMG: 13 | MIT: 66 | EVA: 1 | ACC: 5 | LD: 3 | BLD: 36 | PARA
Pinball | Lvl 33 (PL40) | HP: 820/820 | Energy: 115/120 | DMG: 20  | ACC: 4  | EVA: 3  | BH: 45 | LD: 5

<<Kumatestu>>
Hate (1,1)
HP: 0/500 | DMG: 250 (Transformation) | MIT: 0 (-20, -20, Transformation) | ACC: 0 (Transformation) | EVA: 2 [Shatter: 1/3] [BlitReduc: 2/2] [48 BLD: 2/2] [32 BLT: 2/2] [56 BRN: 2/2] [40 STC: 2/2] [28 RND: 2/2] 

"Bored?" Was Pinball bored? He wasn't sure. He didn't often approach people. He'd come on pretty confident for someone who preferred his solitude though, and now he was floundering like a fish out of water. He didn't usually enjoy company. He usually didn't get bored, either. Pinball just sort of existed on a day-to-day basis, and that was usually enough for him. 

He struggled to find the right reply, but Shin wasted no time in continuing down the path, seemingly unbothered by his sudden appearance -- and not at all intrigued by the orange crystal above his head, as far as he could tell. Pinball frowned. After another moment spent deciding whether or not he wanted to just vanish into the forest again and leave, he followed after her. "Sure." He lowered his head and followed, the hood of his cloak shadowing his features. Dressed in such dark clothing, he cut a pretty suspicious figure against the otherwise verdant landscape of the First Floor. 

At a loss for words, or perhaps not having anything to say at all, Pinball followed. At the very least, he could protect her from potential attackers. 

Pinball stared right back at him. Why the hostility? He hadn't taken Oz for the type to get hung up over an orange cursor -- but Pinball had been wrong before, and he had no right to complain if he was. Pinball was, after all, a rightfully branded murderer. There'd be no changing that. He wouldn't change it if he had the choice to (and he did).That being said, he was about to tell him exactly why he was here, when Oz began to chide and dismiss him entirely. 

"Stalkers...?"  If Oz wanted to leave, he wouldn't try to stop him. But Pinball's normally stoic expression betrayed genuine confusion. "Uh, okay. You too." 

Pinball would remain where he stood, brow furrowed. Stalker? Did he think that he was following him? Why? He could have asked. But he figured that it was maybe better if he didn't. Instead, he'd leave him with a warning. The Endless Maze was a dangerous place. Especially for somebody like Oz, who seemed to Pinball as someone who hadn't gotten a lot of combat experience yet. Where there was the one spider, there would almost assuredly be more. 

"Watch out for the Titanium Warden. You should have a straight shot out of the maze, but..." 

His eyes darted down a corridor, where a dead-end slid away, revealing another set of twists and turns where there had just been none. Pinball frowned.

"Never know with this place." 

*** 

Endless Maze encounter: 

ID#228209 CD: 12 (No mobs. Would have been a scale/shard roll too. kms.) 

His energy was low. It was lower than he think it had been in a very long time. But still, despite thirty odd bears being slain, there was still an ocean of enemies remaining. He felt the slightest twinge of worry in his chest. What was going to happen when he ran out of energy? Every time a group of bears had gotten close, he had put them through the blender. A flurry of knives was enough to keep them at bay. It's what made them look so passive, so unresponsive. When he ran out of energy, was that going to remain the same? Or were the bears going to finally take their opportunity to maul him? He was well aware that he had no mitigation to speak of. And there was hardly any room for him to escape, being so crowded in. It wouldn't take many attacks to put him down. 

***

Action Taken: {Well Rested} [TECH-F] [-16 EN] 
Free Action: Using Rhino Horn (+3 DMG, -1 EVA) 
Bear 29: ID#227866 BD: 1+5 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG 
Bear 30: ID#227867 BD: 9 - 25+3+1= 29*12+80= 428 DMG 
Bear 31: ID#227868 BD: 6 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG 
Bear 32: ID#227869 BD: 10 - 25+3+2= 30*12= 440 DMG 

Pinball: 840/840 HP | 41/120 EN | DMG: 25 | ABS.ACC | ACC: 5 | EVA: 2 | BH: 37 | Hellstorm: +80 DMG | Looting LD: +14 | Looting CD: +2 

Bear 29: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG 
Bear 30: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG
Bear 31: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG
Bear 32: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG 

Looting: 

Bear 29: ID: 227870 | LD: 8+14=22 | CD:5+2=7 | Col:2080, Mats:2, [227870a] T4 Perfect Armor/Shield, [227870b] T4 Perfect Consumable, [227870c] T4 Perfect Consumable     
Bear 30: ID: 227871 | LD: 14+14=28 | CD:3+2=5 | Col:4992, Mats:2, [227871a] T4 Perfect Weapon, [227871b] T4 Perfect Weapon, [227871c] T4 Perfect Weapon     
Bear 31: ID: 227872 | LD: 2+14=16 | CD:12+2=14 | Col:4160, Mats:0, [227872a] T4 Rare Trinket     
Bear 32: ID: 227873 | LD: 14+14=28 | CD:10+2=12 | Col:2912, Mats:0, [227873a] Gleaming Scale (1) or Demonic Shard (1), [227873b] Random Dungeon Map     

It was slowly coming to his attention that there were only so many ways you could kill a bear. Put a knive through their forehead, bury a blade in their belly, carve 'em up, stick 'em full of daggers -- after a while of the same thing, over and over again, it began to lack creativity and imagination. Not that Pinball felt particularly uninspired when it came to killing things (as much as he'd hate to admit it). But especially when they were passive, stupid, and generally unresponsive, Pinball almost felt that it was too easy. He had to remind himself that however they had gotten to his doorstep, flooding the forest in an ocean of brown fur, it was to Pinball's great benefit. He was already practically drowning in loot, and with no end to the bears in sight, he would be set for a good and long time by the time it was finished. 

***

Action Taken: {Well Rested} [TECH-F] [-16 EN] 
Free Action: Using Rhino Horn (+3 DMG, -1 EVA) 
Bear 25: ID#227858 BD: 6 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG  
Bear 26: ID#227859 BD: 2+5 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG 
Bear 27: ID#227860 BD: 3+5 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG 
Bear 28: ID#227861 BD: 10 - 25+3+2= 30*12+80= 440 DMG 

Pinball: 840/840 HP | 50/120 EN | DMG: 25 | ABS.ACC | ACC: 5 | EVA: 2 | BH: 37| Hellstorm: +80 DMG | Looting LD: +14 | Looting CD: +2 

Bear 25: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG 
Bear 26: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG
Bear 27: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG
Bear 28: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG 

Looting: 

Bear 25: ID: 227862 | LD: 20+14=34 | CD:9+2=11 | Col:2080, Mats:2, [227862a] Gleaming Scale (1) or Demonic Shard (1), [227862b] Random Dungeon Map     
Bear 26: ID: 227863 | LD: 14+14=28 | CD:9+2=11 | Col:2080, Mats:2, [227863a] Gleaming Scale (1) or Demonic Shard (1), [227863b] Random Dungeon Map     
Bear 27: ID: 227864 | LD: 9+14=23 | CD:10+2=12 | Col:2080, Mats:2, [227864a] T4 Perfect Consumable     
Bear 28: ID: 227865 | LD: 7+14=21 | CD:1+2=3 | Col:1248, Mats:4, [227865a] T4 Perfect Armor/Shield, [227865b] T4 Perfect Weapon     

Pinball didn't throw knives this time. He just put the big brown bears through the blender, slashing wildly in all directions and carving them up haphazardly. Every attack hit, of course. It was nearly impossible to, in an ocean of bears. There was a certain amount of finesse that was required to wield his knives effectively; or at least they did because he had the bad habit of flourishing them. That was all thrown out the window in a situation like this, though. The correct answer was to just swing your arms around wildly and move on to the next one. The bears, as they always were, were completely unresponsive and passive. Pinball wondered what would happen if he let himself stand still for a moment, but with the sheer number of bears around him, he was a little worried to try. It wouldn't take much to kill him with numbers like that. 

***

Action Taken: {Well Rested} [TECH-F] [-16 EN] 
Free Action: Using Rhino Horn (+3 DMG, -1 EVA) 
Bear 21: ID#227850 BD: 10 - 25+3+2= 30*12+80= 440 DMG 
Bear 22: ID#227851 BD: 8 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG
Bear 23: ID#227852 BD: 6 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG 
Bear 24: ID#227853 BD: 1+5 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG 

Pinball: 840/840 HP | 59/120 EN | DMG: 25 | ABS.ACC | ACC: 5 | EVA: 2 | BH: 37 | Hellstorm: +80 DMG | Looting LD: +14 | Looting CD: +2 

Bear 21: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG 
Bear 22: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG
Bear 23: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG
Bear 24: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG 

Looting: 

Bear 21: ID: 227854 | LD: 13+14=27 | CD:4+2=6 | Col:4992, Mats:2, [227854a] T4 Perfect Weapon, [227854b] T4 Perfect Weapon, [227854c] T4 Perfect Weapon 
Bear 22: ID: 227855 | LD: 12+14=26 | CD:12+2=14 | Col:2912, Mats:0, [227855a] Gleaming Scale (1) or Demonic Shard (1), [227855b] Random Dungeon Map     
Bear 23: ID: 227856 | LD: 9+14=23 | CD:2+2=4 | Col:2080, Mats:2, [227856a] T4 Perfect Trinket, [227856b] T4 Perfect Weapon     
Bear 24: ID: 227857 | LD: 11+14=25 | CD:6+2=8 | Col:4992, Mats:2, [227857a] T4 Perfect Weapon, [227857b] T4 Perfect Weapon, [227857c] T4 Perfect Weapon     

He pushed through the ocean of bears, and killed another four. One, two, three, and four. They all fell with ease. The huffing, puffing, grunting mass of large brown furred bodies did not stop. It did not even lessen in intensity. Pinball resolved himself for a long day. He wouldn't be able to stop until he'd thinned the herd -- no, eradicated all of them. How could he sleep when there was a constant stampede outside? Pinball's knives found their marks and he swam through the ocean of bears again. Again, they didn't seem to pay him much mind. Pinball sighed. How much more of this was he going to take? They didn't seem willing -- or capable of, for that matter -- attacking him. So he guessed that it depended entirely on which exhausted itself first: Pinball's patience, or the bears' numbers. He sincerely hoped that it would turn out to be the latter. 

***

Action Taken: {Well Rested} [TECH-F] [-16 EN] 
Free Action: Using Rhino Horn (+3 DMG, -1 EVA) 
Bear 17: ID#227842 BD: 1+5 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG 
Bear 18: ID#227843 BD: 2+5 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG 
Bear 19: ID#227844 BD: 6 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG 
Bear 20: ID#227845 BD: 5+5 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG 

Pinball: 840/840 HP | 68/120 EN | DMG: 25 | ABS.ACC | ACC: 5 | EVA: 2 | BH: 37 | Hellstorm: +80 DMG | Looting LD: +14 | Looting CD: +2 

Bear 17: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG 
Bear 18: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG
Bear 19: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG
Bear 20: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG 

Looting: 

Bear 17: ID: 227846 | LD: 6+14=20 | CD:9+2=11 | Col:3744, Mats:2, [227846a] T4 Perfect Weapon     
Bear 18: ID: 227847 | LD: 7+14=21 | CD:10+2=12 | Col:4160, Mats:2, [227847a] T4 Perfect Trinket     
Bear 19: ID: 227848 | LD: 13+14=27 | CD:4+2=6 | Col:4992, Mats:2, [227848a] T4 Perfect Weapon, [227848b] T4 Perfect Weapon, [227848c] T4 Perfect Weapon     
Bear 20: ID: 227849 | LD: 2+14=16 | CD:4+2=6 | Col:2912, Mats:0, [227849a] T4 Rare Consumable, [227849b] T4 Rare Armor/Shield     

More knives, more bears dead. He threw two, cut down another two with a fresh pair in his hands. Like all the others, they didn't offer up much of a fight in response. Maybe it was because there was just so many of them that they didn't notice Pinball mowing through them by the squadron of them, or maybe there just wasn't enough room for them to properly attack in the first place. Pinball himself was having difficulty with just that thing. He was crowded in, boxed in by giant walking tanks of fat and fur. They looked at him with stupid eyes, not recognizing or perhaps not caring that he was in fact not one of them. For a brief, crazy moment, Pinball wondered if someone had put all these bears on his doorstep intentionally. Was this all just one big prank? But as he considered the logistics of such a thought, he ruled it out as impossible. A shame. It'd be funny to do to somebody else. Just not to him. It wasn't funny if it happened to you. 

***

Action Taken: {Well Rested} [TECH-F] [-16 EN] 
Free Action: Using Rhino Horn (+3 DMG, -1 EVA) 
Bear 13: ID#227834 BD: 3+5 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG 
Bear 14: ID#227835 BD: 9 - 25+3+1= 29*12+80= 428 DMG 
Bear 15: ID#227836 BD: 1+5 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG 
Bear 16: ID#227837 BD: 8 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG 

Pinball: 840/840 HP | 77/120 EN | DMG: 25 | ABS.ACC | ACC: 5 | EVA: 2 | BH: 37 | Hellstorm: +80 DMG | Looting LD: +14 | Looting CD: +2 

Bear 13: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG 
Bear 14: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG
Bear 15: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG
Bear 16: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG 

Looting: 

Bear 13: ID: 227839 | LD: 10+14=24 | CD:11+2=13 | Col:4576, Mats:2, [227839a] T4 Perfect Consumable     
Bear 14: ID: 227839 | LD: 10+14=24 | CD:11+2=13 | Col:4576, Mats:2, [227839a] T4 Perfect Consumable     
Bear 15: ID: 227840 | LD: 7+14=21 | CD:12+2=14 | Col:4160, Mats:2, [227840a] T4 Perfect Trinket     
Bear 16: ID: 227841 | LD: 14+14=28 | CD:1+2=3 | Col:2080, Mats:2, [227841a] T4 Perfect Consumable, [227841b] T4 Perfect Consumable, [227841c] T4 Perfect Armor/Shield, [227841d] T4 Perfect Armor/Shield     

Another thing to note about the army of bears outside his home was the heat. The heat generated from a hundred something giant, heavily furred, hot-breathed beasts was overwhelming. Pinball would have started sweating if it was the real world, surely, but it didn't make the heat any less uncomfortable. He kept his hands on his knives and kept mowing through them. It did nothing to less the heat. Or the crowding. Whenever he cut down a group of bears, it felt like another group was already there to take their place. When would it end? He'd already cut througha  dozen of them, and seemed to make no dent in the ursine onslaught on his front door. Pinball shook his head. He really shouldn't be complaining. He could buy another house, with all this cash, or at the least finish upgrading his. Not that he needed to, but it was nice to think about. 

*** 

Action Taken: {Well Rested} [TECH-F] [-16 EN] 
Free Action: Using Rhino Horn (+3 DMG, -1 EVA) 
Bear 9: ID#227819 BD: 6 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG 
Bear 10: ID#227820 BD: 7 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG 
Bear 11: ID#227821 BD: 8 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG 
Bear 12: ID#227822 BD: 4 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG

Pinball: 840/840 HP | 86/120 EN | DMG: 25 | ABS.ACC | ACC: 5 | EVA: 2 | BH: 37 | Hellstorm: +80 DMG | Looting LD: +14 | Looting CD: +2 

Bear 9: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG 
Bear 10: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG
Bear 11: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG
Bear 12: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG 

Looting: 

Bear 9: ID: 227822 | LD: 18+14=32 | CD:1+2=3 | Col:2080, Mats:2, [227822a] T4 Perfect Consumable, [227822b] T4 Perfect Consumable, [227822c] T4 Perfect Armor/Shield, [227822d] T4 Perfect Armor/Shield     
Bear 10: ID: 227823 | LD: 1+14=15 | CD:3+2=5 | Col:1248, Mats:4, [227823a] T4 Rare Weapon, [227823b] T4 Uncommon Consumable  
Bear 11: ID: 227824 | LD: 15+14=29 | CD:12+2=14 | Col:2080, Mats:2, [227824a] Gleaming Scale (1) or Demonic Shard (1), [227824b] Random Dungeon Map 
Bear 12: ID: 227825 | LD: 4+14=18 | CD:5+2=7 | Col:2080, Mats:2, [227825a] T4 Rare Consumable, [227825b] T4 Rare Armor/Shield

Big brown furred beasties stretched out across the forest like an ocean of fur. Tooth and claw, thick fat and fur -- it was lucky that Pinball was on a lower floor, and that they were simple trash mobs, or else Pinball might have had a much harder time working his way through that endless sea of mobs. Four had fallen to his blades, and another four quickly followed. He kept his back to the door of his home, Green Garden. At the end of the day, he was horribly outnumbered, and he couldn't afford to draw the aggro of more than a small group of bears at the time. It was lucky then that they showed more interest in milling about aimlessly than fighting him, and that they only really showed Pinball any mind when he approached with his knives out. It was weird, he knew, but again, he was going to take advantage of it. 

*** 

Action Taken: {Well Rested} [TECH-F] [-16 EN] 
Free Action: Using Rhino Horn (+3 DMG, -1 EVA) 
Bear 5: ID#227810 BD: 8 - 25+3= 28*12+80 = 416 DMG
Bear 6: ID#227811 BD: 9 - 25+3+1= 29*12+80 = 428 DMG
Bear 7: ID#227812 BD: 7 - 25+3= 28*12+80 = 416 DMG
Bear 8: ID#227813 BD: 8 - 25+3= 28*12+80 = 416 DMG

Pinball: 840/840 HP | 95/120 EN | DMG: 25 | ABS.ACC | ACC: 5 | EVA: 2 | BH: 37 | Hellstorm: +80 DMG | Looting LD: +14 | Looting CD: +2 

Bear 1: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG 
Bear 2: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG
Bear 3: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG
Bear 4: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG 

Looting: 

Bear 5: ID: 227814 | LD: 8+14=22 | CD:8+2=10 | Col:4992, Mats:0, [227814a] T4 Perfect Trinket     
Bear 6: ID: 227815 | LD: 1+14=15 | CD:11+2=13 | Col:2080, Mats:4, [227815a] T4 Rare Armor/Shield     
Bear 7: ID: 227816 | LD: 8+14=22 | CD:10+2=12 | Col:4992, Mats:0, [227816a] T4 Perfect Trinket     
Bear 8: ID: 227817 | LD: 1+14=15 | CD:4+2=6 | Col:2080, Mats:2, [227817a] T4 Rare Weapon, [227817b] T4 Uncommon Consumable     

He was going to be rolling in col, materials, and loot by the time this was over. Pinball hurried across the stone floors of Green Garden. Outside, the cacophany of snorting and paws and shuffling was unceasing. Pinball made sure his stuff was equipped properly -- he was going to take full advantage of this opportunity, however annoying it might be. His cloak was equipped, and so was the right knife and his new trinket for looting mobs. Pinball nodded quietly to himself, sent a quiet prayer that he wouldn't have to deal with something like this on his doorstep again, and pushed outside. Immediately, he started throwing knives. It didn't matter where he threw them. They were going to hit. Four knives were thrown and four bears were killed. What did that leave? A hundred? More? It certainly looked that way. Pinball grimaced. It looked like it was going to be a very long day. 

*** 
Action Taken: {Well Rested} [TECH-F] [-16 EN] 
Free Action: Using Rhino Horn (+3 DMG, -1 EVA) 
Bear 1: ID#227802 BD: 2+5= 7 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG
Bear 2: ID#227803 BD: 6 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG
Bear 3: ID#227804 BD: 2+5= 7 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG
Bear 4: ID#227805 BD: 6 - 25+3= 28*12+80= 416 DMG

Pinball: 840/840 HP | 104/120 EN | DMG: 25 | ABS.ACC | ACC: 5 | EVA: 2 | BH: 37 | Hellstorm: +80 DMG | Looting LD: +14 | Looting CD: +2 

Bear 1: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG 
Bear 2: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG
Bear 3: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG
Bear 4: 0/416 HP | 132 DMG 

Looting: 

ID: 227807 | LD: 4+14=18 | CD:11+2=13 | Col:3328, Mats:2, [227807a] T4 Rare Trinket  
ID: 227806 | LD: 4+14=18 | CD:2+2=4 | Col:2912, Mats:0, [227806a] T4 Rare Consumable, [227806b] T4 Rare Weapon
ID: 227808 | LD: 17+14=31 | CD:1+2=3 | Col:1248, Mats:4, [227808a] T4 Perfect Consumable, [227808b] T4 Perfect Consumable, [227808c] T4 Perfect Armor/Shield, [227808d] T4 Perfect Armor/Shield
ID: 227809 | LD: 13+14=27 | CD:3+2=5 | Col:4160, Mats:4, [227809a] T4 Perfect Weapon, [227809b] T4 Perfect Weapon, [227809c] T4 Perfect Weapon