[5F - PP] Blood in the Sand [Completed]

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

<<Blood in the Sand>>

This Repeatable quest takes place on Floor 5

 

Word from the Information Brokers speaks of a hidden respawning Field Boss on Floor 5. A small party reported having encountered a dangerous unknown enemy in the sand dunes of Floor 5. 'Swimming' through the sand, the shark like creature would attack by bursting out of the sand and biting with powerful jaws. This monster <<Sand Shark>>, proved to be a dangerous opponent for the relatively low leveled party, and dropped a powerful alchemical concoction.

 

This RP will not count in the benchmark

 

Requirement: 

<<Sand Shark>> must be defeated, Maximum Party Size of 3

At least two [2] Pages  (21 or more posts)

 

Rewards: 

1. [sand Armor Potion] This incredibly potent alchemical salve can be applied to a piece of armor, increasing damage mitigation/resistance by one point for one battle. (MIT +27)
2. [3 Skill Points]

 

 

<<Sand Shark>> is a respawning Field Boss and has the following statistics:

HP: 125

Damage per Attack: 50

 

• Parties or Groups of low level players are encouraged.
• You are free to control Sand Shark yourself, however he must be Rp'd responsibly.

 

Note:

While you may repeat this Quest as many times as you like, the 3 Skill Point reward will only be obtained on the first completion of the Quest. Repeat completions will only yield <<The Sand Armor>>

 

Good Luck Players!

 

 

(Updated to include changes for the September Update)

It had been a while since Shield had gone on a proper quest with his travel companion, @Beat. While they had been constantly adventuring at one point, matters in their respective shops had made it rather difficult to split their focus. Still, with whispers going around of an interesting field boss on the fifth floor, the itch for adventure and experience began to stir in Shield's stomach. At first, he had ignored it, working to fill orders in his growing mercantile operation, but one afternoon, after appraising what felt like his hundredth set of mundane gauntlets, he had had enough.

He threw down the gauntlet and summoned up his menus.

"Alright, Beat," he typed into his HUD, actually speaking out loud due to sheer antsiness. "We're going after the sand shark. I trust you're in? I've been cooped up all week."

Firing off the message, he closed his shop up, making a beeline for the center of the Town of Beginnings. His dark hair bounced as he huffed off down the road to the teleport plaza.

Edited February 12, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Beat stood over his stove, staring at a series of steaming pots. Each one contained a different variation of the same soup. He had spent the better portion of the afternoon attempting to perfect his latest soup recipe. He had gotten it down to two batches, but was having a hard time deciding between them. He crossed his arms and raised a hand up to scratch his cheek as he moved the remnants of his last taste test around in his mouth. 

What does it need? Maybe both are off...

His musings were interrupted by the ping of a message hitting his inbox. He quirked an eyebrow as he pulled his message box up and smiled as he read the message. It had been a while since they had gone adventuring and it would be good to leave the cafe. They had been so focused on their individual tasks that he hadn't realized how long it had been. He quickly typed a reply: Be right there. He found Shield's icon on the map and rushed towards the town square as he whistled loudly, grinning as his familiar screeched in reply, dismounting his perch on top of Beat's cafe and flying along side the player until he reached the rendezvous. Horus landed on Beat's shoulder as the man grinned at his traveling partner, bouncing with energy at the opportunity to get out again. 

"Yo! Let's go fishing!"

[Shield 0]

He nodded, the fire in his veins fanned by the enthusiasm of his partner. Without even waiting for further details, he stepped into the teleportation pad.

"Floor five!" Shield called out, vanishing into the ether to find himself in the main square of Fortaleza. "Right," he thought aloud, waiting for Beat to show up before striding for the edge of town.

He pulled up his HUD, plotting a course through the dunes towards where the field boss was reported to frequent. It was not that he was unprepared for the sandstorm, but it was still not pleasant to be blasted by sand as soon as they walked out from the protective walls of the desert settlement. He spluttered, spitting out the granules of sand that had pelted him.

"I am never going to get used to that."

As they ventured further along, he swapped out his axe for an earring, his trusty Seeking Aura.

Spoiler

Equipped: Seeking Aura - LD 3

Spoiler

 ID# 77040 results: Loot: 11 + 3 earring + 1 skill = 15 - +1 Material (1 total)

Fixing the trinket in place, it immediately began to glow. Looking around for the source of the anomaly, Shield spotted a small chunk of shining matter in the sand by his foot.

"Lightning sand? Fascinating!" he exclaimed, happily stored the substance. "I've been needing more materials."

Edited February 10, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77041: LD: 6 (2+4)= No mats

"Floor Five!" 

The familiar tugging sensation of the teleportation to another overcame Beat as the town square of the City of Beginnings melted into the square of Fortaleza. He had been here once before, but it had been over a month since Rain had carried the two of them through a sub-dungeon in the desert. He let out a sigh as he winced from the harsh, sandy winds of the desert. 

"Urgh! This is not going to be one of those pleasant fishing trips I guess..." 

Horus was equally displeased, but seemed at least somewhat more tolerant of the conditions once he had turned his neck and tucked his head against the side of Beat's. It was hard to see anything, let alone materials, so Beat stuck to keeping sand out of his eyes while he decided to remind his comrade of something he definitely wanted to do since they were on the fifth floor. 

"Oh! We should look for a dungeon while were up here!"

Edited February 10, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77042 results: Loot: 17  + 3 earring + 1 skill = 21 - +1 Material (2 total)

Shield nodded in response to Beat's comment, not wanting to open his mouth. He was already regretting having mentioned the lightning sand, spitting out even more clumps of sand than had found their way into his mouth from the first gust of wind. He kept his head down with his hands over his eyes, focusing on his HUD while his squinting brown eyes tracked the grade of the sand in their peripherals.

A warm light once again emitted from the gold inlay of his earring, bathing his hands in a faint glow. Checking the ground, he saw what appeared to be a fresh ear of prickly-pear cactus. He bent down and carefully collected the growing material, stashing it with the lightning sand before covering his eyes and straightening back up.

Gotta keep a careful eye on the map. This is no place to get lost.

The blinking dot on his HUD continued to flash at the edge of the map, meaning they were not near enough for it to show the exact distance. Sighing through his nose, he plodded on through the sand.

Edited February 10, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77043: LD: 8 (4+4) = no mats

Beat walked closely behind his broader traveling companion, using him as a shield to avoid swallowing too much sand. Beat kept his map in front of himself since it was much easier to follow it than to keep his eyes forward at this point. A half hour passed until the sand storm finally let up to some degree, the endless sand now being accompanied by the occasional rock formation or cactus. He moved to Shield's side once again as Horus shook a grotesque amount of sand out of his feathers before taking off and flying a patrol pattern above them. 

"He's used to doing that, it was probably annoying for him to be stuck on my shoulder while we were traveling." 

He ran his hands through his hair aggressively as he dumped sand from his long hair. The process provided some relief as the feeling that a pound or two of sand was covering his frontside remained. 

"Man, I do not remember the desert being that bad last time!"

Edited February 10, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Shield

Spoiler

Basic Stats
	Lv	21	HP		420	Tier	1
	DMG	1		LD	4	SP	60
	ACC	0				Spent	59
	EVA	0				Remaining	1
	MIT	47
	NRG	42
				Thorns	14 dmg
		Stealth			Healing
			10		Energy/Turn	1+1 on a CD 6+
					HP/Turn	+27 when hit

Enemies

Spoiler

Sand Shark - HP: 125, DMG: 50

Guardian Shark 1 - HP: 210, DMG: 50, Acu: +3

Guardian Shark 2 - HP: 210, DMG: 50, Acu: +3

Guardian Shark 3 - HP: 210, DMG: 50, Acu: +3

Combat

Spoiler

ID# 77044 results:

Shield: 420/420, 1 Dmg, Post action: Change armor: Barbed Ire - Thorns 2, Recovery 1

Sand Shark - HP: 125/125, DMG: 50,  MOB: 4 - Miss

Guardian Shark 1 - HP: 196/210, DMG: 50, Acu: +3, MOB: 4 + 3 = Hit! 50 dmg - 47 Mit - 27 Regen = 0 dmg, Thorns - 14 dmg

Guardian Shark 2 - HP: 196/210, DMG: 50, Acu: +3, MOB: 4 + 3 = Hit! 50 dmg - 47 Mit - 27 Regen = 0 dmg, Thorns - 14 dmg

Guardian Shark 3 - HP: 196/210, DMG: 50, Acu: +3, MOB: 4 + 3 = Hit! 50 dmg - 47 Mit - 27 Regen = 0 dmg, Thorns - 14 dmg

"It wasn't pleasant, but yeah, I agre-"

Shield cut himself off mid sentence. It felt as if the dune were shifting, but that could have just been sand settling under his feet. He was about to make another step, but the sand under his feet moved again.

"Did you feel that?" Shield said quietly to Beat.

Before he could even get a response, the top layer of sand of the dune they were on slid down to the base, and four Bugs Bunny style bulges began to move along the exposed layer beneath. Fins protruded one at a time as the tunneling creatures drew nearer to the surface. Shield looked down at this map in shock, the location of the boss still far ahead.

"This sucker must move around!" he shouted to Beat. "Fall back! Let me take the first hit!"

His fingers flew across his displays, and just as his trust Barbed Ire armor appeared on his body, replacing his Skill Slot trinket, four pointed noses protruded from the sand around him. The dead, black eyes of each focused on the tank and their mouths gaped, exposing four sets of jagged teeth. Three of those sets managed to find purchase on Shield's legs. The fourth, belonging to the most scarred and weathered of the dune-swimmers appeared to be their quarry.

Edited February 10, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77045: BD: 11 (8+3) 

Tornado Kick - 1x6 - AoE - Dmg= 60 -12 EP 

Beat [340/340] [22/34]

"What the?"

Beat was instantly reminded of the cartoons he grew up watching as the san sharks burrowed through the ground. He bent his knees and readied himself for the precise moment of attack as his left leg began to glow. The instant they emerged, Beat leaped into action. 

"Tornado Kick!"

He hadn't been quick enough on the draw to stop them from sinking their teeth into his tank, but that was actually to their benefit thanks to Shield's thorny armor. As the sand sharks disengaged and went to burrow for another pass, Beat's glowing leg swept up the sand they sought refuge in and flung them into the air. They flailed as they traversed the unfamiliar ocean of air before slamming harshly back on the sandy desert ground. Beat landed softly in the sand as Horus circled around them and swooped down to agitate the sandy predators. 

"Eat that!"
 

 

Edited February 11, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Combat

Spoiler

ID# 77047 results:

Shield: 420/420, 1 Dmg, Post action: Howl

Sand Shark - HP: 95/125, DMG: 50,  MOB: 4 - Miss

Guardian Shark 1 - HP: 122/210, DMG: 50, Acu: +3, MOB: 4 + 3 = Hit! 50 dmg - 47 Mit - 27 Regen = 0 dmg, Thorns - 14 dmg

Guardian Shark 2 - HP: 122/210, DMG: 50, Acu: +3, MOB: 4 + 3 = Hit! 50 dmg - 47 Mit - 27 Regen = 0 dmg, Thorns - 14 dmg

Guardian Shark 3 - HP: 122/210, DMG: 50, Acu: +3, MOB: 4 + 3 = Hit! 50 dmg - 47 Mit - 27 Regen = 0 dmg, Thorns - 14 dmg

As they wriggled their way back into the ground, Shield covered his mouth, protecting it from the sand in the wind as he filled his lungs. Their noses were just finding good purchase to begin burrowing when the tank let out a mighty howl, sending buffets of sandy air to pelt their already sandpaper-like hides. The sharks were dislodged from the ground, rolling over themselves into the side of the nearby dune where they sunk in their noses and disappeared.

Back underground, their familiar tunnels bulged up from the surface of the sand, winding their way back towards Shield. The dark haired, sullen looking warrior opened his arms wide to welcome them.

"Come on, then!" he cried into the wind.

Four sets of toothy jaws burst from the ground at his feet, three of which found flesh to bite, while the fourth leaped up and grabbed hold of his shield, wriggling hard to try to rend the non-existent flesh.

"I mean... nice try?"

Edited February 11, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77098: BD: 8 (5+3) 

Tornado Kick - 1x6 - AoE - Dmg= 60 -12 EP +1 EP 

Beat [340/340] [11/34]

Horus screeched as the sharks made another pass at Shield. Beat grinned as he held his hand into the air, the falcon soaring above quickly diving and landing on his outstretched limb. Beat looked to the beautiful avian raptor as inspiration struck him. He closed his eyes and focused on his familiar while channelling his sword art. Horus slowly began to glow and cried out as he instantly knew what to do. 

"GO!!"

At Beat's signal, the falcon screamed towards the retreating Sharks, sore form their attempt at a meal, and quickly made a circular pass through each of them, his wings became as sharp as a razors as he cleaved through each of the sand sharks, leaving large red streaks across each one.  Beat cheered as he watched his companion succeed in style, amazed that his improvisation had actually worked given the normal limitations of the game.  

"Yeah! Nice one!"

Edited February 11, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77100 results:

Shield: 420/420, 1 Dmg, Combat Action: Attack Sand Shark, Battle: 9 - Hit! 1 dmg + 1 = 2 dmg

Sand Shark - HP: 19/125, DMG: 50,  MOB: 7 - Hit! 50 dmg - 47 Mit - 27 Regen = 0 dmg, Thorns - 14 dmg

Guardian Shark 1 - HP: 48/210, DMG: 50, Acu: +3, MOB: 7 + 3 = 10 Hit! 50 dmg - 47 Mit - 27 Regen = 0 dmg, Thorns - 14 dmg

Guardian Shark 2 - HP: 48/210, DMG: 50, Acu: +3, MOB: 7 + 3 = 10 Hit! 50 dmg - 47 Mit - 27 Regen = 0 dmg, Thorns - 14 dmg

Guardian Shark 3 - HP: 48/210, DMG: 50, Acu: +3, MOB: 7 + 3 = 10 Hit! 50 dmg - 47 Mit - 27 Regen = 0 dmg, Thorns - 14 dmg

As the sharks tumbled away from Horus' gleaming wings, Shield swiped with his spear towards the one that was their objective, stinging him along the fin as he did so. He let out a triumphant whoop, and the collection of carnivores, not even bothering to bury themselves, wriggled along the sand, angered that anyone would have the audacity to strike at their leader.

"I hate to break it to you, sand punks, but your leader is a weakling!" he taunted, egging them on as they closed in.

Each of them latched on, too angry to have learned their lesson from the previous attempts to get any amount of damage to stick to Shield. He smirked to himself as each of their health gauges dropped down even further into the red. One at a time, he peeled them off, heaving their unwieldy bodies towards Beat.

"You have any recipes for shark fin?"

Edited February 11, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77101: BD: 13 (10+3) LD: 23 (19+4)

Tornado Kick - 1x6 - AoE - Dmg- 12* 6 = 72   +1 EP -12 EP 

Beat [340/340] [0/34]

 

Loot: 

6300 Col & 6 T1 Mats

With his targets literally tossed into the air for him, Beat had no trouble taking his time as he leaped through the air and spun like a top, his heel finding each of his targets in turn. each shark flew higher into the air before finally exploding into the familiar spray of red pixels that they had seen so many time before. He landed right next to Shield, the sand cushioning his landing as he held his arm out for Horus, who immediately landed on his forearm. He chuckled at the joke as he nodded. 

"Actually I do, though I wonder if the fins of sand sharks have a different flavor...questions for later." 

Beat checked the quest progression as after clearing a pleasing rewards screen. They had actually completed the quest relatively quickly, which wasn't surprising given the difficulty, but the trip seemed like a bit of a waste without more spoils. He looked at his map of the area as he pondered out loud. 

"So, the quest was easy, but I say we try to find a dungeon or at least some more loot. You down?"

Edited February 11, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77108 results: Loot: 6 + 3 item + 1 skill = 10 - No materials (2 total)

Shield nodded, studying the aftermath of the battle before stretching his neck and turning back to the desert. His eyes scanned the uneven horizon, most of the points of which were very nearby due to the obstruction of the sand dunes.

"The dunes shift with the sand, I believe," Shield thought aloud. "Dungeon entrances could in theory be anywhere, so we may as well hunt around a little"

He trekked up the nearest slope, trying to gain a vantage point to spot anything unusual, but as expected, this only afforded him a view of a more vast expanse of sand. He set his fists against his hips as he surveyed the wasteland.

"You know, it's not like I expected a dungeon to just jump out at us, but that view is still fairly discouraging."

He sighed before beginning the downward journey towards the base of the next dune, hoping that something more promising would present itself before too long.

Edited February 11, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77113: LD: not good enough

 

Rest 1/3

Beat joined Shield atop the dune, his eyes squinting against the harsh desert sun as he took in the scenery. It was certainly daunting and the conditions was unpleasant, but there was beauty to behold in the sandy landscape. He gave to gesture to Horus as he descended the dune alongside the armored Shield as Horus took to the sky, assuming his normal lookout duties. 

"Yeah, but if my streak holds true, I'll find one no problem!" 

Beat pulled up his menu and left it there as he mapped the area. There was a good chance that they would quest in the desert again, so it would be good to know at least some of the desert ahead of time. He pulled out a pair of water filled bottles from his inventory and handed one to his comrade before opening his and downing half of it before allowing himself to breathe. His thirst was quenched and he was glad that the heat had no effect of items in his storage. 

"Gotta stay hydrated, last thing we need to do is start taking environmental damage."

Edited February 11, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77114 results: Loot: 11 + 3 item + 1 skill = 15 - +1 Material! (3 total)

Shield accepted the offering and inclined his head in a clear though silent gesture of thanks. It did not take him long to drain its contents, the container vanishing as its durability depleted in the absence of contents.

"The scenery can be pretty all it wants, but stopping to smell the roses in the desert will probably just get more sand up your nose," Shield said, snorting a little at the thought. "You ever blow your nose after being anywhere dusty or sandy while it's windy? Makes it look like you have some nightmarish cold."

As he spoke, his eyes fell on a small something in the sand that, when picked up and examined, turned out to be a quartz crystal. He shrugged and stashed it away in his inventory.

I suppose sand is largely made from minerals like quarts and the like. It probably shouldn't be all that surprising.

Edited February 11, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77117: LD: randomly below average 4 times in a row...sure... >_>

 

Rest: 2/3

"I suppose that's true. Really, this heat is what bothers me."

Beat proceeded to finish the bottle of water, tossing the bottle to the side as he saw its durability meter run out, causing the bottle to disappear before it had a chance to hit the ground. He looked down at the ground as they scaled down the sand dune, the sand somewhat giving way to his feet each time, sending grains of sand spilling down the hill. Beat continued to look around the desert, his energy level slowly rising as his enthusiasm continued to drop. Letting out a sigh, he decided to make more conversation. 

"So, if we find a dungeon, do we want to take it on today? We can always save the map, but I've been cooped up in my cafe for a while. Some exercise would feel good."

Given how much non-adventuring activities there were, it was easy to fall into a "civilian" life style, but their goal to get to the front lines needed to take priority in their lives there. 

Edited February 11, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77153 results: Loot: 4 + 3 item + 1 skill = 8 - No material (3 total)

The question was a fair one, and definitely one worth considering. Shield ho'd and hummed over it for a moment scanning the area around them for anything for interest as he thought to himself.

"I think that having a healthy supply of dungeon maps in our back pocket is a good thing," he thought aloud, still not entirely sure which way he leaned. "It's good money and possibility for loot. However... I feel like we lag behind the most in experience, not money or loot. Finding more quests are the best way to play that catch up game."

He thumbed through his menu until he found the details on the dragon hunt quests. Copying the details, he forwarded them to the other adventurer.

"Have you seen these before?" he asked. "I tried out the first one on a whim. It was interesting, but it won't be long before soloing won't be an option for me anymore. If you can knock out that first one, the others would be a good path that should keep us plenty occupied for some time."

Edited February 12, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77156: LD: still WAY under average 5 rolls in a row...huh... >:( #salt
Rest: 3/3 EP full!

Beat's brow rose in interest at the idea of fighting dragons. IT wasn't that dragons were necessarily more special than any other monstrosity that typically inhabited a MMO, but they certainly had a stigma as the "token" mythical beast of any fantasy setting. They ranked up there with unicorns and magic. Still, despite this understanding, Beat's interest was certainly piqued at the mention of the magical beasts.

"Dragons you say?" 

He pulled up his menus and began looking through the quest line. The first few seemed simple enough, but eventually, the difficulty would get to the point where the two of them would need to pair up to conquer them. He bookmarked the first quest in the series and smiled as he heard the familiar ding that indicated that his energy bar was full. 

"I'll look into those for sure! Also, if we do decide to do that dungeon, I've got an energy bar full of kickass ready for whatever we find."

Edited February 12, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77157 results: Loot: 4 + 3 item + 1 skill = 8 - No materials (3 total)

"Dragons always make things interesting," Shield agreed. "The first one was a little long-winded, but only because I was having to do my fighting with my armor, not a weapon. Then again... fifty mitigation is no slouch. I'm barely there now, but that also doesn't include my regeneration."

He glanced around the sand once again, though at this point he wasn't sure what he expected to see that was new. Working his legs a little harder, he pushed his way up the next slope, taking advantage of the view from the top to scout around, but again, the current vantage point offered no unique sights.

"Just a whole lot of sand," he sighed. "We might be out here for a while if we're hoping to find a dungeon today."

Shield took off down the next slope with a little hop, letting the downhill do the rest of the work for him as he controlled his descent. He waited at the bottom for Beat to join him before continuing on.

Edited February 12, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

Dungeon Find roll (ID# 77159): LD: 21 (17+4) = Intermediate Sub Dungeon found! (Okay loot roller....we're cool. ^_^)

 

Adding [Map for F- 5 Int. Dungeon (ID:77159)] to inventory

At bottom of the sand dune and flat platform of a red tinted rock jutted out, creating a sort of cliff that hung over what was likely a twenty foot drop. Beat peered over the cliff before backing up, taking a running start and leaping off of the rocky cliff, the wind rushing through his hair as he plummeted to the sandy ground below. 

"Woooo!" 

The sand below was soft and forgiving as Beat nearly buried himself in the hot sand. He had become submerged up to his chest and it took him a few moments to free his arms so he could push himself out of the ground. After about a minute of work, he had managed to completely free himself and proceeded to shake all of the sand out of his everything. Despite the inconvenience, Beat was all smiles from the thrill of the jump and his grin got even wider as he looked up after shaking his hair out. His mouth opened as he scanned the fifty foot entrance to what was clearly a dungeon. 

"Shield! I freaking found one!" 

He proceeded to sketch the area on his map, saving it as Shield had the one before. If they weren't planning on delving into it today, he was sure going to do it later. 

Edited February 12, 2017 by Beat