[5F - PP - NK] Into the Ring <<Butcher of the Sands>> (Calrex) [Completed]

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

<<Butcher of the Sands>>

"Credit to Ssendom"

This quest takes place on Floor 5
This quest is NOT repeatable. (Though you may help others complete)
This RP does not count towards the Benchmark

 

 

A recently massive dust storm blew over the sands of the north of the 5^th floor, an arena of spears appeared in the aftermath. A large of circle of spears angled toward the center preventing an immediate escape without time to plot your movements. The information broker has obtained knowledge regarding a new respawning Field Boss… And it is not a kind one.
Upon entering the Arena of the Sands a quest immediately appears when you have a group of people, when this requirement is not met you are simply teleported out of the arena. <<Butcher of the Sands>> all that is noted in the quest parameters, if you accept this quest you cannot leave you must fight or die.
Upon acceptance a massive armored crocodile explodes out of the ground wielding an oversized Half circle Glaive with grips on the inside, the beast towers over you and charges forward.


Requirements:
-Once you enter the arena you must fight until either you or the boss has been defeated
-The boss has no agro table, it will randomly choose a target (Depicted by the LD roll [EX. 3 people in the party, first player will be attacked on a 1-6, second on a 7-13, 14-20. Make it as even as possible]) to attack.
-Must fight this boss with at least 1 other in your party
-Only the party leader will obtain the Choose one reward.
-At least one [1] FULL Page (21 posts or more)

Rewards:

 

• Choose One: (Cloak or Armor) of the Sands: +2 Mitigation, +1 Thorns OR (Weapon) of the Sands: +2 Damage, +1 Bleed.
• 3 Skill Points. (You obtain this if you help someone. You cannot receive this a second time regardless of being a Party Leader or Helper.)

<Sando Satsu> is a Field Boss and has the following statistics:
Health: 350 HP
+20 Mitigation

Damage per Attack: 100
Sando Satsu ignores Block, Evasion, and Mitigation. But does not do bonus damage on a 9-10
-Cull of the Meek: On a natural roll of 10 he will spin with his weapon at maximum reach hitting everyone in the fight. He will gain 10 hp per person hit.
-Dominus: When he reaches 175 hp, he grows massive in size upping his damage to 150 and mitigation to 30 for the rest of the fight.

Parties or Groups of players are required.
Recommended Level: 35

Taking with @Calrex

Shield thought that he had fished the fifth floor dry of its quests, irony aside. Any number of sand-dwelling sharks and hidden cargoes, not to mention bandits, had all been dealt with. Hearing that a new boss had appeared, one that was beyond fierce and made short work of armored opponents, attacking seemingly at random, was enough to pique his curiosity. Upon hearing the details laid out by the brokers, however, he soon realized that facing it alone would not only involve piquing his curiosity, but also his stupidity.

"Tank seeking high level carry to face the boss in the supposed ring of spears. Come ready to take a decent amount of damage. No guarantee of safety from aggro."

It was not an attractive offer, but he did not want to be responsible for a player's death just because they reported for a quest they were ill equipped to handle. He sent out the bulletin for the fifth floor message board and returned his gaze to the fountain where his large snapping turtle familiar, Norbert, was currently hunkered down. The player's unkempt hair whipped in the desert wind, the force of which was still prominent even inside of the windbreak of the walls.

"The sooner I can be done with this floor, the better."

Edited April 7, 2017 by Shield

[Calrex 0]

"Well, it's certainly been some time since I've been on this...gah!...Of course I'd get sand in my eye only a few seconds after coming here."

As if the system was waiting for him to appear on the fifth floor, Calrex was greeted with a soft wind that carried some sand grit through the air, a single grain landing in his eye. Even though Sword Art Online was merciful enough to numb certain sensations from the real world, the feeling of something in one's eye was not one of them. Raising a hand to rub the offending tear duct he gave a small sigh, making his way forward through the crowds.

"I don't even remember the reason I came to this floor. Maybe I've just got too much time on my hands now since the slowing of the floor progression. Not like I'm really contributing to that at the moment. From what I've heard there's multiple scouting parties taking place...although I don't understand why they're all separate and not a single group. I would have thought that would make things much faster."

Moving past a collection of robed NPCs he ended up in front of something he had not approached in months, the request board. Even back at the beginning, when he was first starting out, he didn't consider the idea of putting up a posting, but maybe that was out of sheer luck than anything. The grain of sand finally out of his avatar's eye he gave a sigh, casually scanning across the listing that jumped out on his HUD. One stood out to him, one that was requesting assistance in a quest he had taken a few times in the past, the <<Butcher of the Sands>>.

"Well, I guess I feel comfortable helping people out on that one. From what I remember the main goal of the fight is to eliminate as much HP from the lizard swordsman as possible. It ignores the Hate mechanic, and from what I remember it ignores a lot of the fundamentals that make up tanks and even strikers...yeah I'd best see who needs the help."

Pressing "Accept" at the bottom of the holographic page the bluenette scanned around, looking for the indicator of the person who posted the listing, placing his hands in his jacket pockets. Eventually he saw the small crystal and made his way over, seeing a person that looked older than he was come into view. With a small breath to center himself he raised a hand, "Hello there. I'm guessing you're the one that posted about the butcher quest?"

@Shield

[Shield 0]

The voice that addressed Shield was not a familiar one, and as he turned to see the face it belonged to he was not greeted by a familiar sight. He met the newcomer's gaze, giving an incline of his head in greeting.

"I am," he replied standing and dusting himself off, not so much because dusting off would be productive on this floor, but more to stall for the moment when he would have to fish a grouchy turtle out of his bath. "I go by Shield. What about yourself?"

Shield couldn't read much off of the other player. In some games, the look of equipment or displayed statistics would be an indicator, but here, unless someone was in the same party, it was impossible to say. After all, vanity items could be made to look like anything, even something as intimidating as some of the more dangerous and exotic weapons on the market.

"I appreciate the help. Normally these says, I'm the one doing the helping," he added, bending down to finally retrieve his turtle. Norbert snapped defiantly, his jaw closing with a heavy thud, but Shield was wise to his tantrums. "You'll be fine, Norbert. Calm yourself." The turtle hissed, gaping its mouth defensively, but it otherwise resigned itself to being strapped back into the makeshift backpack that Shield carried him in. "Do you have a preference for how we handle the fight? I'm afraid my damage is inconsistent. It bypasses mitigation, but it's hardly impressive."

@Calrex

[Calrex 0]

Calrex gave a nod in response to the man's own greeting gesture, "Shield you say. Nice to meet you. I'm Calrex, but most people tend to just shorten it to Cal."

He glanced over to the side, following the man's hands as he pulled what appeared to be a turtle out of a nearby pool, "I guess that must be his familiar. Certainly one I haven't seen so far. Usually it's birds, dogs, lions, leopards, dragons, or even bears, but never a turtle or tortoise."

As if realizing that his partner was interacting with someone who had a familiar, his own blue peregrine falcon, Roc, swooped down before perching on the edge of the fountain, dipping his beak into the water to drink before looking at both of the players in front of him. The blunette gave a nod as he lowered his hands out of his pockets, "That's perfectly fine. I've actually taken this quest a couple of times in the past, so I'm fairly familiarized with the quest boss' tactics. It's got some gimmicks, bypassing defensive stats being one of them. The other nasty one is that it can't be manipulated by using Hate skills like Howl and Fighting Spirit."

Quickly scanning that the man was wearing he made note of the heavy battle equipment he was wearing. It seemed fairly familiar, much like the equipment he had seen Tristan wear before when the red-haired tank was still active. Shield appeared to be built for guarding rather than attacking, which would make sense why he is capable of handling his own while assisting others. With a small smirk Calrex nodded, "I think the best strategy would be to try and hit as hard as we can and often, as counterintuitive as it sounds. But this boss is one of the few that fighting a battle of attrition might not work in our favor. Whatever amount of damage you can do will be helpful, so I can take care of the attacking."

@Shield

[Shield 0]

With his turtle secured and slung onto his back, not without protest, Shield straightened up to face Calrex. He nodded along with the assessment on tactics, everything lining up with the information he had managed to gather so far. That was always a relief. He had heard his share of horror stories, players dying because of bad information, either due to inattentive brokers or the rumored instances of changes between the beta test and the actual game launch. He looked over the falcon that had perched on the edge of the fountain.

"Peregrine, right?" he said, motioning to Calrex to indicate he was ready to move out. "Fascinating creatures. My usual travel companion has one as well. Unfortunately, he doesn't have much as far as defense, so for him, this fight would be even riskier than it is already with most defenses out of the picture."

As they walked, Shield brought up his map display, marking out a general course to the rumored location of the boss. Granted, in the desert, most paths tended to be more or less linear, but with no landmarks to navigate from and a sea of sand to obscure vision, it made the indicator on his map all the more useful.

He mentioned staying on top of damage. I should be fine to do so for a while, but if worse comes to worst, the Parry option remains open. It's rare to have to go full turtle, but we'll see what the situation holds.

@Calrex

Edited April 6, 2017 by Shield

[Calrex 0]

At the mention of Roc Calrex looked over, giving a nod, "Yeah. This is Roc. I partnered up with him on the second floor, second largest of his flock if I remember correctly. He's been with me through many adventures over the past months. I'm pretty sure he's saved me from a bunch of hairy situations."

Leaning his head over to indicate his attention on the turtle in Shield's backpack the blunette continued, "I don't think I've seem someone with a familiar quite like yours though. Course I've also seen someone with a dragon and another with a small bear, so I guess it doesn't really show much, heh."

Following behind the man in front of him Calrex pulled up his own menu, beginning to make sure his inventory was ready for the upcoming battle, "Since this is a single target I won't need to focus on area of effect attacks. I guess that means it'll be gauntlets and Martial Arts for this battle. Going from the amount of damage that the boss deals, it might be a good idea for both of us to pop a Safeguard. However, it's health wasn't high enough to drag the battle on, so we'll need to play that part by ear."

Gusts of sand continued to whip up here and there as the two traveled on. Luckily enough a repeat incident did not occur, with Calrex's eyes being spared from more grit getting in them. "If we're lucky this battle shouldn't be long, hopefully not even a few rotations. However I've been proven wrong before, since this game as a twisted way of messing with set formulas. I'll keep a couple of spare safeguards in my at ready, just in case we need a quick save."

@Shield

[Shield 0]

At the mention of the game making fools out of good numbers, Shield gestured with his thumb towards the banner than extended up from his shoulder blade, which Norbert was currently snapping fruitlessly at as it buffeted in the wind. It bore the markings of a support banner, which sure enough was exactly what it was.

"I've got us covered on health if we end up a little low," Shield said with a glance over his shoulder. "I'm a merchant, so refilling charges on this thing won't be a problem. In any case, yeah, Norbert was definitely an interesting choice, but I wanted something to reflect what benefits he would be offering me, and turtles are about as tanky as the animal kingdom gets. "

The wind whipped away at them, both blasting them with sand and obscuring their vision. As they marched over dunes, something that the other player said caught his memory.

"You mentioned a bear familiar," Shield said, remembering back to a few encounters with a certain chocolate-eyed terror. "You wouldn't be talking about Chewie, now would you?"

Spoiler

ID# 81480 results: Loot: 20 + 3 item + 1 skill + 1 skill item = 25 - +1 material (1 total)

-Seeking Aura, -Finder's Keeper, +Pain Drinker, +Bloody Hell

He bent down, dusting off a pock mark in the sand to reveal an odd structure of sand fused into hot glass - a fulgurite, lightning sand. He nodded to himself, stashing the natural glass formation into his inventory before banishing his earring and wristband, replacing them with a shining silver shield and a hooked hand-axe.

@Calrex

Edited April 6, 2017 by Shield

[Calrex 0]

Being directed to the recognizable Banner of Support Calrex gave a nod, "Good to hear, although I wouldn't worry too badly about my health, heh. One of the perks of being too overleveled for even the highest unlocked floor. In any case, with all of these backup plans in play I don't believe we should have reason to be concerned."

As they continued further Roc continued to fly overhead, moving at a speed that would keep him centered over the trio without having to excessively flap his wings to speed up or slow down. If needed he could always accelerate with a quick hunting swoop to close the distance. However, as they came into view of the makeshift arena where the boss spawned he soared ahead, now circling around the perimeter of the circle of spears.

At the mention of what he remembered to be Mack's familiar's name Calrex gave a nod, "At least if I remember correctly that was the name that Mack gave his familiar, so I believe you are correct. I guess that he's become fairly well known, heh. In any case, looks like we're here..."

Spoiler

Calrex Stats:
HP: 1615
EN: 160
DMG: 15
ACC: 4
EVA: 3
MIT: 30

Gear:
Grand Gauntlets II (T2): +3 DMG
Amethyst Charm: +2 ACC / +1 EVA
Tide Pendant: +2 EVA / +1 Loot Dice
Grand Dragoon: Unenhanced Heavy Armor

Familiar:
Roc: +1 ACC

At Ready:
Grand Guard II (T2): +2 MIT / +1 Heavy Momentum
Grand Blade II (T2): +3 DMG
Grand Chariot II (T2): +1 MIT / +2 Thorns
5x Safeguard Potion
1x Basic Teleportation Crystal
1x Tiger's Rage Potion: +2 DMG for one thread
1x Monkey Agility Potion : +1 EVA for one thread

Active Skill Mods:
Athletics (Heavy Armor)
R5 Ferocity (One-Handed Straight Sword)
Vengeful Riposte (Parry)
Bull Rush (Charge)
Precision (Martial Arts)

Entering into the circle of spears Calrex gave a calming exhale, clenching his right fist at the ready, already surrounded by the deep-sea blue of the Grand Gauntlets II. This was a battle he needed to hit hard and fast for, just like many he had done in the past.

ID: 81481
Battle Dice: 5 (Accuracy +4) = 9
Loot Dice: 1 (Targeting Calrex)
Mob Dice: 4 (Evasion Ignored) = 4 (Miss)
Sword Art <<All Might>> Activated / <<Charge>> Activated (17 Energy Used / 143 Remaining)

Right as he saw the light of the field boss appear Calrex shot forward, his right arm already back with its fist shining with the light blue glow of <<All Might>>. Triggering <<Charge>> at the same time he felt his body jerk forward at the speed increase, but the assisted system kept him on course and in form as his punch connected with the lizard swordsman's form.

Glancing at its health bar as the huge number indicating the damage flew by the blunette could see its health was already in the red. Leaping back Sando Satsu's form already began to expand as the effect of the boss' low health buff triggered.

"Alright, you're up Shield!"

@Shield

Calrex: 1615/1615 | EN: 143/160
Shield: 800/800 | EN: 80/80

Sando Satsu: 70/350 (15+5 DMG * 15 Art - 20 MIT = 280 DMG)
<<Cull of the Meek>> Activated: DMG: 150 / MIT: 30

[Shield 0]

Even despite the approach of the intimidating arena ahead of them, Shield let out a little involuntary half scoff at his comment about Mack's companion.

"Well known? Yeah, that's fair to say," he replied out of the side of his mouth. "Remind me later to tell you about him using Norbert as a portable dance floor."

The battle began in a flash, quite literally, with Calrex rushing in before the boss had even finished materializing. This had been a little surprising as he had been expecting the other player to draw a weapon, but he should have been able to recognize offensive gauntlets rather than defensive ones.

Beat would be ashamed of me for that one. And yeah, that was definitely the same sword art he uses. I'll have to recount this fight to him later.

Spoiler

ID# 81482 results:

 Battle: 4 - Miss

Calrex: 1615/1615 | EN: 143/160
Shield: 840/840 | EN: 82/84

Sando Satsu: 70/350

After making an impressive display, Shield was left to make a rather unimpressive display. He rushed forward, trying to keep wide of the side that Calrex was occupying to stay out of his way and hopefully gain advantage from splitting the boss' focus. Things rarely worked out logically like that in these fights, but it was hard to eschew good reasoning even if the game paid it little mind.

He swung, but his axe was turned aside by the foe's thick skin, failing to even penetrate the hide. The pitiful attack conjured memories of punching a boulder long ago to help Beat unlock his skill, but now was not the time for such painfully embarrassing old memories. Though with that attack, his odds seemed good to create some new ones instead.

@Calrex

Edited April 6, 2017 by Shield

[Calrex 0]

ID: 81534
Battle Dice: 5 (Accuracy +4) = 9
Loot Dice: 16 (Targeting Shield)
Mob Dice: 3 (Miss)
Sword Art <<All Might>> Activated (17 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 127 Remaining)

As Calrex waited for the next opportunity to act he had time to observe his teammates actions, watching as Shield took his attempt to strike. It appeared that the man wielded a one-handed axe, a category of arms he had not seen commonplace among the players. It was just as unique as when he saw a new player using a one-handed mace, another type of weapon that was in the minority for usage. Of course, from what he could gather from Shield's equipment, the weapon was more for show than anything, something to add on damage to assist other full-time strikers. The build was very reminiscent of Tristan, who also specialized more in enduring and reflecting damage and dealing it with his spear.

With his opening now present the bluenette quickly crouched low, clenching his right hand into a fist once again. The light blue glow returned to surround his hand, solidifying into a solid orb of light. Releasing <<All Might>> for a second time he rushed forward, arriving at the same time he saw the boss' massive blade swing clear of Shield's avatar. Aligning his elbow and wrist Calrex thrust his fist forward, slamming into the center of Sando Satsu's form. The blow was enough to take away the rest of the creature's health as it burst into shards, indicating its defeat.

Unfortunately, due to the large level difference between Calrex and the boss, no loot appeared to have dropped, but at the least the battle was over, and Shield would gain the spoils for the quest upon their return to the safe zone.

Flicking his right arm down to his side the bluenette gave a small sigh, centering his thoughts after the battle before turning to face his teammate, "Well, that went well. So you were saying something about some bear riding on turtle dancing you bore witness to?" 

Calrex: 1615/1615 | EN: 127/160
Shield: 800/800 | EN: 80/80

Sando Satsu: 0/350 (15 DMG * 15 Art - 30 MIT = 195 DMG)
<<Cull of the Meek>> Activated: DMG: 150 / MIT: 30

@Shield

[Shield 0]

"Nice work," he barked out as the foe disintegrated into basic graphic elements and disappeared altogether. As was his usual method of congratulation, he extended a fist to Calrex for him to tap. Not that the battle was particularly difficult for the other player, but any fight that Shield could walk away from he considered to be a victory.

He sighed at the question as the memory replayed in his head: A formal occasion, with dress skirts and tuxedo pant legs within biting range of the turtle's readied beak. The enraged reptile slowly revolved on the spot as it tried to find ways to reach the bear and the small purple dragon that had attempted to use his back as a stage to imitate the dancing players around them. His hand pressed against his forehead as he began the trek back to the safe zone.

"You ever see a pack of familiars terrorize a dance floor at a formal event?" he said, not bothering to wait for the inevitable no that he assumed would come as a response to his rhetorical inquiry. "It's certainly a sight to behold. I can't say I've ever had a run-in with that bear that didn't end up with my ankles full of little baby bear teeth, a tortured turtle, or in some cases, both."

Spoiler

Swapping gear:
- Pain Drinker (-54 Regen), -1 Bloody Hell (-2 dmg, -24 bleed), + Finder's Keeper (+1 skill rank: search & detect), +Seeking Aura (+3 LD)

ID# 81536 results: Loot: 6 + 3 item + 1 skill + 1 skill item = 11 - No materials (1 total)

With the main task of the day already accomplished, Shield's gait was slower somewhat than it had been, and in addition to craftable materials, he kept his eyes peeled for entrances to dungeons that may have been exposed by shifting dunes. It would not have been the first he found on this floor.

@Calrex

Edited April 6, 2017 by Shield

[Calrex 0]

As Shield raised his fist to prompt a fistbump Calrex gave a small smirk, raising his own in response to complete the gesture. With the battle over Roc slowly lowered his altitude, descending down before finally perching on one of the shoulder pauldrons of Calrex's Grand Dragoon. Following the man the bluenette glanced at the turtle on his back once again. It was still not something that his mind had gotten used to just yet, or at least the idea of it. Normally someone would have a furry companion, but instead his perception was met with that or a large turtle. It made him want to laugh , but he managed to maintain his calm for now.

However, Shield's recalling almost broke that front as Calrex raised a hand to stifle a laugh. The idea of a small bear dancing on top of a turtle was a rather odd unrealistic sight, but something he wished he could have witnessed. "Well, I can't really say much for my encounters with him. I think the only time I've seen Chewie outside of combat was at one of the past floor meetings, of course that time he looked more hungry and ready to attack another player's dragon familiar. You might know who it is, since that little guy runs a shop for the most part in place of his player partner. I think his name was Otoko if I remember correctly."

@Shield

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 81537 results: Loot: 18 + 3 item + 1 skill + 1 skill item = 23 - +1 Material (2 total)

"The name 'Otoko' isn't familiar, no," he answered, frowning as he tried to search his memory for any use of the moniker, but it came up blank. "I believe that food is the only thing that can quell that little beast. I would say the same for Norbert, but it doesn't actually do anything to improve his mood. It just keeps his jaws occupied. There's a reason he's lashed down."

His fondness for his familiar was not in question by any means, but that didn't mean he wasn't aware of how much of a nuisance the tanky little critter could be. As they made their way down a steep dune, finding themselves in its shade, a faint light bathed Shield's shoulder, telling him that the gold inlay of his earring was indicating a nearby item. He bent down and dug a little way into the sand, uncovering a chunk of stone with a rusty red stain along the side: iron ore, most likely. He stored it away before returning to the journey.

"Would you object to poking around for a dungeon?" he asked the other player. "I'm quickly running out of quests to attempt. It's the only real source of SP I can rely on right now."

@Calrex

Edited April 6, 2017 by Shield

[Calrex 0]

"Huh, I guess maybe not, heh. Well if you ever enter into a cafe that appears to be managed by a small flightless dragon, that would be the place I'm referring to."

It was still an odd, yet funny sight whenever he entered into Takao's shop to see not a person, but a familiar managing the cafe. There were some times he was tempted to go find a bowtie and collar to stick on the small dragon, but that possibly would have been over the top. Calrex glanced over at his shoulder as Roc decided to take flight once again, the weight from the falcon vanishing almost instantly as his familiar took to the air. "I'm not surprised about the food part, although I think Roc's been taking care of that issue on his own. There's been more than a few times I've seen him flying with some kind of prey either in his claw or beak. He is basically the definition of in-flight dining."

Watching as Shield stopped to pick up a material the bluenette listened as he asked if they could search for a dungeon, giving a nod, "I've got no problems with that. I'm in a similar situation, and since I'm unable to take on the randomly found ones I've heard about, it's one of the few ways I can actually gain more experience."

Putting his hands into his jacket pockets he leaned his head back, stretching the front of his neck before tilting his gaze down to stretch the back. His shoulders and neck now loosened up Calrex began to swipe on his menu, debating whether or not he should switch to the one-handed straight sword. If they did happen to find a dungeon, that usually meant they had to clear a series of monsters before fighting the boss of the dungeon. That meant eliminating groups of enemies with AoE attacks, which of the two weapon skills he had, his sword skill had the stronger Sword Arts.

@Shield

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 81567 results: Loot: 12  + 3 item + 1 skill + 1 skill item = 17 - +1 Material (3 total)

Before he had moved more than a few steps, he spotted yet another stone with the same staining pattern. Recovering it from the ground, he stored it with the others.

"I likely wouldn't want to tear through that today," Shield said, consulting his HUD for the time. "I do have a shop to manage, and with events beginning to line up for the clearing of the twentieth floor, there's going to be a whole new set of gear people are going to want appraised. I need to be back to clear out old inventory to make sure I'll be ready to handle the influx."

He kept his eyes attentive, careful to glance around the curve of each adjacent dune as they rose up and down the peaks and valleys of each. His attempt to keep up his attention was an odd little twist of irony, considering that he was more or less unaware of the actual power and prestige of the player he currently traveled beside. To his knowledge, it was not entirely unusual for certain players to just be able to take out challenging bosses in a matter of one or two hits. Then again, the people he was now basing this off of were Ariel and now Calrex, easily some of the more accomplished damage dealers in the whole of the game.

"I figure if we find a dungeon, we can record the map data and return when the time is ideal to do so."

@Calrex

Edited April 7, 2017 by Shield

[Calrex 0]

"Hm...that would be a wise decision, although I guess that means the dungeon discovery mechanic has changed from when I took them on. Usually a discovered dungeon, whether explored or not, tends to vanish the second time around. Either that or I'm just bad at marking past locations, heh."

Stretching his arms behind him Calrex gave a small sigh. Even though his avatar didn't technically have any muscles, or even internal structure to begin with, the simulated sensation of relief from stretching his limbs was still present. Of course, that question was still if it was something programmed into the game, or a placebo effect from his mind. In any case he decided to let the thought slide, lowering his arms into time with his stride. "I'm guessing from what you just said though, that means the scouting parties have gotten all the information needed about the next floor boss. Are you going to be participating in the floor raid then?"

"Guess that means a meeting will be happening soon. I guess I'll need to keep an eye out for a notification about the time and place for it."

Scanning the dunes the bluenette began to spy the heat-wave riddled appearance of the settlement from a distance. The nostalgia of such a trip returned to him for a short moment, reminding him of the many times he made the same trek back after various quests and excursions being completed. All of them had ended in success to some level, although he still tried to gleam some kind of lesson from each encounter.

@Shield

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 81572 results: Loot: 18 + 5 = 23 - +1 Material (4 total)

"I hope to be," Shield said, pondering the question. "It's a big part of why I pushed so hard when the other Ascendants and I were exploring the last of the labyrinth. My travel companion and I, we've worked hard to come as far as we have and make it to the front lines. We hope to participate as much as we can."

His toe snagged on something solid that was loose in the sand, which upon inspection revealed itself to be a hunk of dried cactus. Picking it up, he banished it to his inventory with the other materials he had been fortunate enough to find.

"Then again," he went on, his mind wandering back to other recent events, "it may be we're not as ready as we hoped. We were among the deserters who had to leave in the middle of the last event boss. Perhaps with more coordination we might have been able to walk away victorious, but if we had stuck around longer than we did... it would have been a slaughter. Players would have died."

@Calrex

Edited April 7, 2017 by Shield

[Calrex 0]

Calrex listened attentively as Shield told him the work that he, his usual companion, and the rest of his guild had worked to get to the frontlines. However, it brought the bluenette some relief that the man expressed some hesitation about actually participating. He gave a calm exhale as his mind looped through all of the past fights he had been through, along with the gains and losses from each.

"Well believe me when I say this, don't lose that feeling of hesitation about participating in the floor raids or event boss battles. I've been through my fair share of both, and I've met many other players who have wanted to try and help clear the floors faster by becoming strong enough to participate. However I've also seen many of those same individuals burst into crystals from a single unpredicted event. A mechanic that no one accounted for, a environment hazard, or some other variable that was more than sufficient to drop their health below zero. So keep that tick in the back of your mind, to make sure you're more than just prepared for any upcoming battles. Heck, it's part of the reason why I commissioned over twenty safeguard potions, and I guess why I keep training even though I'm way above the current level average."

Scratching the back of his head Calrex gave a small sigh, "Sorry...if that was a little long winded. I guess I've been through enough that I don't want to see another person's life lost, at least if I can warn them beforehand."

@Shield

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 81577 results: Loot: 20 + 5 = 25 - +1 Material (5 total)

Shield's expression remained steady throughout Calrex's speech. He listened, and he nodded along, waiting until the more experienced player had spoken his piece.

"Your warning is not an unwelcome one," he said, his jaw firmly set as he thought through his exact response, hoping to reassure the other player. "I have been in few boss fights myself, but I have seen death at the hands of the game in one of those, and nearly experienced it myself on another occasion. It's why I keep a stack of healing crystals at the ready and have my banned in case it's more than just one person who needs aid."

He bent down and picked up another piece of shriveled cactus, likely tossed about in the desert winds after the host plant had given up the ghost, so to speak.

"Know that I have important people to see once I'm out. I don't intend to cut my experience short before I get that chance."

@Calrex

Edited April 7, 2017 by Shield

[Calrex 0]

ID: 81578
Loot Dice: 19 (Search and Detect +2 / Item +1) = 22 (Advanced Dungeon Found)

Calrex gave a nod as he listened to Shield's reply, a calm smile coming to his face, "Good to hear. I guess sometimes I think a person might take such warnings as more of an attempt to keep out players and shrink the special loot pool than life preservation."

"Now that I think of it...maybe Shield reminds me of Lindow in some ways. He certainly seems to be the type wanting to protect others, just like he was. Maybe I'm also trying to make up for what I failed to do then..."

As he was lost in his thoughts the bluenette did not notice that something was under the sand right in front of him. A single step forward and he heard Roc screech, immediately initiating a hunting swoop. But by then he already felt his weight immediately drop below his hips, following his front placed foot. The sand gave way beneath as he vanished beneath the ground for a second, before a large area of the sand began to cascade down into what appeared to be a newly exposed cavern.

Calrex burst out from a mound of sand shaking his head and trying to get the grains out of his mouth with intermittent blasts of air, "Well...not exactly what I thought would happen. Geezes now there's more than just a grain of sand in my eye..."

Getting to his feet he dusted off his clothing, looking back to see a long steep staircase leading to what appeared to be a Egyptian style temple, "Well...guess we found a dungeon..."

@Shield