[5F - PP - NK] Dungeon of the Shifting Sands (Calrex) [Completed]

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Using F5 Advanced Dungeon Map - ID 81578

Advanced Dungeons

Rules and Requirements

1. Advanced Dungeons cannot be fled from at any point after being entered. Teleportation crystals are disabled in these dungeons when on floor 25 or above.
2. Advanced Dungeons cannot be found or completed in solo threads. If the player rolls LD22 or higher in a solo thread, an intermediate dungeon will be found in its stead.
3. Participants must fight a total of fifteen floor or loot strength monsters of their own design, whichever is greater, before moving on to the boss.
4. Participants must fight a boss monster with the following statistics in order to qualify for the reward:
   HP = floor * 100 | Damage = floor * 20 | Mitigation = Floor * 3

Rewards

3 SP upon completion
A Col value of ((floor + loot die) * 150)
6 Materials

With two quests already under their collective belts, Shield figured it was high time he get in touch with Calrex again. Their first venture had resulted in the discovery of a dungeon that they had yet to explore, and he had gone to great lengths to mark out its location. The desert wind was in fine form today, stinging his skin with the airborne sand as he stared out in the direction where the dungeon had lain. The message had been sent to this quest's travel companion, and although he had yet to hear back, he didn't expect the other player to keep him waiting long. He set out across the dunes, plotting his course on the HUD, and trusting it over his eyes in the sandy barrage.

Spoiler

ID# 82220 results: Loot: 12 + 3 item + 1 skill + 1 skill item = 17 - +1 Material (1 total)

As he descended a dune, sheltered in its wind shadow, he caught sight of a glint of something in the sand. He knelt down, digging out what seemed to be a piece of quartz, storing it away in his inventory for later use. By the time he found the entrance, the dunes had shifted so much that what was once buried in sand was now an open, exposed staircase, framed on both sides by pale limestone brickwork.

"I guess I'm the first one here."

He sat down by the steps, enjoying the little shelter the nearby dunes provided as he waited.

@Calrex

Edited May 5, 2017 by Shield

[Calrex 0]

"I guess we really are getting around to this one."

The first time Calrex had partnered up with Shield to help him with the <<Butcher of the Sands>> quest the duo had literally fallen upon the entrance to an advanced dungeon. However, rather than deciding to enter it right then and there, the man had kept track of it to return back later. It was a concept Calrex had not heard of in the past, so it was to his surprise when he walked back to the coordinates of the area to find the downhill slope leading back to the entrance still there, "Well...I guess this game had some changes since I was active."

Seeing the armored player down below the bluenette decided to slide down one of the sandy dunes down to the entrance. It was a near flawless descent, except at the end where his foot bumped against a recently exposed rock, causing him to flip over it and tumble the rest of the way down.

Getting to his feet he shook his head back and forth, his usually dark blue hair now slightly tanned from the amount of sand that got caught, "Geezes, first I faceplant when we discovered this dungeon, and now one more for good measure, heh. In any case, time to take on whatever's inside, right?"

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 82222 results: Loot: 14 + 5 = 19 - +1 Material (2 total)

As Calrex skidded to a hald in front of him, his face managed to divulge a partially covered leafy segment from a succulent plant. The fleshy leaf was thick and full of stored moisture to survive the unkind environment. He collected the item, trying to hold in an amused smirk at the other player's entrance.

"Are you sure you want to go in there, man?" he said, offering a hand up to the fallen man before him. "This dungeon seems like bad news for you, and you've barely been inside the entry way."

He glanced behind him down the dark staircase into the hieroglyph covered hall and took a deep breath. With Calrex's level, the monsters that would spawn for them would likely be no joking matter, but he figured he'd be able to take it. If not, he knew Calrex could, but he still wanted to be useful. He glanced back, his dark hair and eyes both standing out against the light sky and the tan haze cast both on the ground and in the air from the ever present sand storm.

"After you, if you dare."

@Calrex

Edited April 14, 2017 by Shield

[Calrex 0]

"Heh, trust me, my luck trying to perform like a high-functioning human is not representative of my dungeon abilities."

Calrex gave a laugh, accepting Shield's gesture to help himself back to his feet. Since he was sporting his casual clothes instead of the Grand Chariot II armor, only small bits of sand got stuck to his clothing, rather than the heavy armor serving as a makeshift vessel to carry the grains in. "Let me know if you ever fall under threat though. From what I know these dungeons tend to scale up to the strongest player, so these things will likely be strengthened to match my current level. So if we ever need to take a break to recover health and energy, we'll do so."

Moving over to the steps the bluenette gave a small sigh to center himself, "We'll need to clear out groups of monsters, meaning that I'll need to focus on area of effect strikes. Guess that means Martial Arts will have to be saved for the dungeon boss. Until then it's straight sword."

Swiping on his menu the Grand Blade II appeared in its scabbard across the back of his hip. Drawing it in a reverse grip he flipped it into a standard grip with a flick of his wrist, "Alright, let's do this..."

Spoiler

Calrex Stats:
HP: 1615
EN: 160
DMG: 13
ACC: 4
EVA: 3
MIT: 30

Gear:
Grand Blade 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 Aegis (T2): +2 Paralyze (Defensive) / +1 Heavy Momentum
Grand Chariot: Aegis (T2): +2 Regen / +1 MIT
Grand Crest: Aegis (T2): +2 Thorns / +1 MIT
Grand Gauntlets II (T2): +3 Unarmed DMG
5x Safeguard Potion
1x Basic Teleportation Crystal
1x Tiger's Rage Potion: +2 DMG for one thread

Active Skill Mods:
Athletics (Heavy Armor)
Ferocity (One-Handed Straight Sword)
Quick Change (One-Handed Straight Sword)
Bull Rush (Charge)
Precision (Martial Arts)

ID: 82226
Battle Dice: 8 (Accuracy +3) = 11
Mob Dice: 7 (Evasion +3) = 4
Sword Art <<Shadow Explosion>> Activated / <<Charge>> Activated (18 Energy Used / 142 Remaining)

Upon entering into the dungeon immediately the bluenette saw four sarcophagi burst open, revealing four decrepit mummies. Their bandages were starting to fall off, exposing the shriveled skin beneath, "Well, I guess this really is that kind of theme. Get ready Shield!"

Lowering into his stance for triggering <<Shadow Explosion>>, his sword lit up with a dark purple glow before rushing forward. Triggering <<Charge>> at the same time he picked up a massive amount of speed before unleashing his assault. Dark purple cuts riddled the four creatures before they became Stunned by the bluenette's Bull Rush skill mod. Turning to face the monsters he readied for another attack, "They're stunned, so that's hopefully another free attack before they retaliate..."

H: 1 Calrex: 1615/1615 | EN: 142/160
H: 0 Shield: 880/880 | EN: 88/88

Shambling Mummy: 629/800 (13+1+5 DMG * 9 Art = 171 DMG / Stunned Until Next Turn)
Shambling Mummy 2: 629/800 (13+1+5 DMG * 9 Art = 171 DMG / Stunned Until Next Turn)
Shambling Mummy 3: 629/800 (13+1+5 DMG * 9 Art = 171 DMG / Stunned Until Next Turn)
Shambling Mummy 4: 629/800 (13+1+5 DMG * 9 Art = 171 DMG / Stunned Until Next Turn)

Shambling Mummy Stats:
240 DMG
4 ACC

Enemies Remaining: 15/15

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Shield Stats:
HP: 880
EN: 88
DMG: 3
ACC: 0
EVA: 0
MIT: 124

Gear:
Bloody Hell (T2): 2 DMG, 24 Bleed (8+)
Razor Ire (T2): 28 Thorns , 1 Recovery
Pain Drinker (T2): 54 Regen

Familiar:
Norbert: 54 Mit

At Ready:

Basic Teleport Crystal
Potion of Safeguard x 2
Sandstone Armor Pot (Mit 54)
Healing Crystal (160 HP) x 3
Immolation Pot (14 Thn) x 5
Banner of Support (Dimensional Backpack)

Active Skill Mods:
Howl

"Oh, no you don't," Shield called out, filling his lungs as he threw himself into the fray. "You dead heads don't get to focus on him! I'm way more fun to mess with!"

The force of his <Howl> ruffled the bandages that bound them, and the shuffling monstrosities looked at one another in confusion. While one of the players had clearly attacked and struck serious damage, the other had commanded immediate attention and respect. One at a time, they turned away from Calrex and towards Shield.

This is the round where I'll be most vulnerable. I'm not fully in my defensive mode. It'll take me some time to get ready for a proper defense. I'll get focused up soon.

Despite psyching himself up, the foes did seem to deal significant damage, and considering it had not been terribly long since their fight against Shi, that was saying something.

To whatever may come, I suppose!

@Calrex

Edited April 19, 2017 by Shield

[Calrex 0]

ID: 82228
Battle Dice: 4 (Accuracy +3) = 7
Mob Dice: 8 (Disregarded Due to Stun)
Sword Art <<Shadow Explosion>> Activated (18 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 125 Remaining)

With Shield grabbing the highest Hate of the two Calrex gave a nod, letting the dark purple glow of <<Shadow Explosion>> engulf his sword once again. Rushing forward as the four mummies turned around to face his teammate, his attack ripped rapidly through the creatures once again, leaving them with even less health than a few moments ago. At the same time he slid a short distance, stopping alongside the armored player.

"Still got a little over half of their health left so far. Get ready for the attacks. I think they're about to come out of Stun."

Giving a calming breath the bluenette lowered his stance, preparing to trigger his Sword Art once more, once the opportunity prevented itself. At the same time the mummies slowly began to move again, twitching a few times as their limbs became free of the Stun effect.

"I think with four more strikes, they'll go down. With Shield's equipment, that likely means he's got Thorns, so that should speed up the process. Either way, we'll need to see if we need to take a breather after this battle is done."

H: 2 Calrex: 1615/1615 | EN: 125/160
H: 3 Shield: 880/880 | EN: 88/88

Shambling Mummy: 503/800 (13+1 DMG * 9 Art = 126 DMG / Stun End)
Shambling Mummy 2: 503/800 (13+1 DMG * 9 Art = 126 DMG / Stun End)
Shambling Mummy 3: 503/800 (13+1 DMG * 9 Art = 126 DMG / Stun End)
Shambling Mummy 4: 503/800 (13+1 DMG * 9 Art = 126 DMG / Stun End)

Shambling Mummy Stats:
240 DMG
4 ACC

Enemies Remaining: 15/15

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Action: Drinking Sandstone Armor Potion

The battle was already shaping up nicely. In just two hits, the part time martial artist, part time sword wielder had brought them down at least a third of the health. However, knowing how hard they were likely going to hit and the longevity that this dungeon would likely require, Shield decided now was the time to make himself more sustainable long-term. He flipped through his inventory and brought out the potion that was the prize for winning the fight against the second sand shark. He hoped that Calrex would be able to hold out for another round, but there was a good possibility the next swing would take him down below half way, which was not a situation he wanted to end up in.

Chugging the potion, he felt the effects take root, his skin becoming hardened like stone, and apparently rough to the touch. It was an odd sensation, but not an unwelcome one, as it did make him look and feel more resilient. He would now have the fortitude to stomach their attacks, though possibly not the ability. If Calrex hit, they would be all over the other player before he had a chance to howl again.

"Watch yourself," he said firmly to the other player. "If you hit again, they're going to go after you. If you think you're up to it, go for it. I just needed some insurance."

@Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 82276
Battle Dice: 2 (Accuracy +3) = 5
Mob Dice: 6
Miss (2 Energy Lost / 1 Recovered / 124 Remaining)

"Yeah, that wouldn't be something I have a problem with, but we'll see how it goes with this."

As he felt his attack build up to full power Calrex rushed forward, attempting to score another barrage. However, right as his sword was about to hit, the first mummy appeared to crumple for a second, its form reducing to half its size for a moment. The Grand Blade II sailed clear out of the way, the dark purple aura surrounding it dissipating from the missed strike. Losing his momentum from the assisted system the bluenette turned to keep all of the four creatures in his field of vision.

Right as they all came back into view he saw them lunge forward, their arms directed at Shield as they appeared to shoot the bandages from the ends of their limbs like whips. The barrage of strikes took of a significant chunk of health from the man, but also triggered his Thorns enhancement, which knocked them back. Calrex glanced up at the party health meter, seeing that it had dealt over a quarter his health, "Geeze and that wasn't from a critical strike either..."

"Shield you holding up alright?"

H: 2 Calrex: 1615/1615 | EN: 124/160
H: 3 Shield: 632/880 | EN: 88/88 (4 * (240 DMG - 178 MIT) = 248 DMG)

Shambling Mummy: 475/800 (28 Thorns)
Shambling Mummy 2: 475/800 (28 Thorns)
Shambling Mummy 3: 475/800 (28 Thorns)
Shambling Mummy 4: 475/800 (28 Thorns)

Shambling Mummy Stats:
240 DMG
4 ACC

Enemies Remaining: 15/15

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

+54 HP x 4 - Regen, + 30 HP - BH

Action: Howling

H: 2 @Calrex: 1615/1615 | EN: 124/160
H: 6 Shield: 878/880 | EN: 88/88 (4 * (240 DMG - 178 MIT) = 248 DMG)

Shambling Mummy 1: 475/800 (28 Thorns)
Shambling Mummy 2: 475/800 (28 Thorns)
Shambling Mummy 3: 475/800 (28 Thorns)
Shambling Mummy 4: 475/800 (28 Thorns)

Shambling Mummy Stats:
240 DMG
4 ACC

With the extra defense of the potion he had weathered the storm without dropping into different colored gauges. Having barely had time to finish drinking before the onslaught, he tossed the empty bottle aside, hearing it shatter and burst as its stamina dropped to zero. By the time that the fragments of broken bottle had disappeared into the dungeon floor, his health was already nearly at capacity once again.

"That's much better," he said, twisting his head so that his neck popped loudly into the echoing stone chamber. "Good acoustics in here," he added, making a sharp intake of breath. "You cretins are in a lot of trouble, you know that?!"

His bellowing howl reverberated off of the stone, bouncing up and down the hallways both ahead of and behind them so that he doubted if even the boss of the dungeon was unaware of their presence. He let the grip of his axe slip further down, gripping tighter and securing his handhold when he reached the end of the handle, stepping forward to properly enter the battle.

"I should be good from here, Calrex," he said calmly. "Had to adjust strategy, but we're set now."

[Calrex 0]

ID: 82343
Battle Dice: 4 (Accuracy +3) = 7
Mob Dice: 5 (Accuracy +4) = 9
Sword Art <<Shadow Explosion>> Activated (18 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 107 Remaining)

Hearing Shield's <<Howl>> further increase his Hate level difference compared to the bluenette worried Calrex for a moment, but as he saw the Regen enhancement take effect, nearly restoring the armored man's to near full he gave a small sigh of relief. Refocusing his attention back to the mummies in front of them he lowered into his fighting stance once again, "Alright, let's try that one more time..."

The Grand Blade II reignited with the dark purple aura of <<Shadow Explosion>>, solidifying as the Ultramarine Knight rushed forward. This time his blows connected, each slash ripping through another chunk of the four monsters' health, reducing them to below half. The HP bars turned a briht yellow as an indicator while Calrex turned to bring them back into his field of vision.

It seemed the successful barrage threw the creatures off balance, as they attempted to move forward and bite Shield's avatar, but this time their movements were too slow, making them easily avoidable. Calmly tightening his grip on the deep sea blue blade Calrex began to move his arm into position once again, "Still for a few more attacks before these things go down. By then I'll be low on Energy, so even if we do come out of this mostly unscathed I'll need a few moments to recover."

H: 3 Calrex: 1615/1615 | EN: 107/160
H: 6 Shield: 630/880 | EN: 88/88 (4 * (240 DMG - 178 MIT) = 248 DMG)

Shambling Mummy: 321/800 (13+1 DMG * 9 Art = 126 DMG / 28 Thorns)
Shambling Mummy 2: 321/800 (13+1 DMG * 9 Art = 126 DMG/ 28 Thorns)
Shambling Mummy 3: 321/800 (13+1 DMG * 9 Art = 126 DMG/ 28 Thorns)
Shambling Mummy 4: 321/800 (13+1 DMG * 9 Art = 126 DMG/ 28 Thorns)

Shambling Mummy Stats:
240 DMG
4 ACC

Enemies Remaining: 15/15

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

+54 HP x 4 - Regen, +30 HP - BH

ID# 82346 results:

 Battle: 8 - Hit! - 3 dmg, Bleed - 24 dmg

H: 3 Calrex: 1615/1615 | EN: 124/160
H: 6 (+1 vs #1) Shield: 876/880 | EN: 88/88

Shambling Mummy 1: 318/800 (-3 dmg) [Bld 1/2]
Shambling Mummy 2: 321/800 
Shambling Mummy 3: 321/800 
Shambling Mummy 4: 321/800

Shambling Mummy Stats:
240 DMG
4 ACC

Although he had already been relatively certain that monsters scaled their difficulty off of the players present, never had it been quite so clearly outlined for Shield as it was now. Although his health was now much higher to be able to accommodate the situation, the damage these mummies dealt was even greater than the critical damage he had taken from Cerberus. Fortunately, not only his health had improved, but also his Battle Healing.

He shrugged off the damage, almost all of it falling off just as it had before as he rolled his axe-side shoulder. With the first of the shamblers so near, and his mitigation and aggro squared away, he swung high with his axe, missing the neck but still slicing deep into the shoulder. His damage was minuscule, but the spray of red pixelated blood told him that he had managed to trigger the bleed effect that was always the true hope he helf every time he swung.

"There we go!" he said with a whoop, shrinking back behind his shield.

Edited April 15, 2017 by Shield

[Calrex 0]

ID: 82590
Battle Dice: 5 (Accuracy +3) = 8
Mob Dice: 10 (Accuracy +4) = 14 (+2 Damage)
Sword Art <<Shadow Explosion>> Activated (18 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 90 Remaining)

Seeing Shield's Bleed enhancement take effect Calrex capitalized on the opportunity. The dark purple glow of <<Shadow Explosion>> returned back to surround the Grand Blade II, solidifying as the bluenette rushed forward. Streaking past the mummies his sword slashed rapidly left and right from various angles as he was carried by, guided by the assisted system. Such swordsmanship was likely impossible in the real world, as the muscles and control needed to execute the precise and speedy maneuvers would likely be physically undoable.

Riddling the creatures with even more purple cuts across their bandage-wrapped bodies Calrex landed next to his teammate once again, "Geezes I should start saying hi and bye every time I zip by you with that, heh. Just one or two more rounds and this battle should be over, although I think it'd be best for us to take a quick breather before proceeding. If we continue the fights are only going to get more tedious as I'm already down to almost half of my energy."

H: 5 Calrex: 1615/1615 | EN: 90/160
H: 6 (+1 vs #1) Shield: 620/880 | EN: 88/88 (4 * (240+2 DMG - 178 MIT) = 256 DMG)

Shambling Mummy 1: 140/800 [Bld 1/2] (13+1 DMG * 9 Art = 126 DMG / 28 Thorns / 24 Bleed)
Shambling Mummy 2: 167/800 (13+1 DMG * 9 Art = 126 DMG / 28 Thorns)
Shambling Mummy 3: 167/800 (13+1 DMG * 9 Art = 126 DMG / 28 Thorns)
Shambling Mummy 4: 167/800 (13+1 DMG * 9 Art = 126 DMG / 28 Thorns)

Shambling Mummy Stats:
240 DMG
4 ACC

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

+54 HP x 4 - Regen, + 30 HP - BH

ID# 82592 results: Battle: 6 - Hit mummy 2! - 3 dmg

H: 4 @Calrex: 1615/1615 | EN: 90/160
H: 6 (+1 vs #1-2) Shield: 866/880 | EN: 88/88

Shambling Mummy 1: 140/800 [Bld 2/2] (13+1 DMG * 9 Art = 126 DMG / 28 Thorns)
Shambling Mummy 2: 164/800 (13+1 DMG * 9 Art = 126 DMG / 28 Thorns)
Shambling Mummy 3: 167/800 (13+1 DMG * 9 Art = 126 DMG / 28 Thorns)
Shambling Mummy 4: 167/800 (13+1 DMG * 9 Art = 126 DMG / 28 Thorns)

Shambling Mummy Stats:
240 DMG
4 ACC

With the numbers that Calrex was putting up, Shield really only served as much purpose in the fight as his name insinuated, but like hell was he going to let the other player have all of the fun. He snorted slightly at the observation, giving him a sidelong glance.

"Bye!" he said, with a little musical lilt before taking off and rushing around the shamblers, running his axe along the belly of the first that he came to. Meanwhile, as the mummy's health barely even moved, his was leaping back in one swift bound back to nearly his maximum capacity.

Despite the copious damage that Calrex had dealt them, their simple programming didn't allow them the hindsight to be able to address the real problem, instead turning towards the player whose total damage so far this fight had been in the double digits, other than the mountain of damage they had taken from simply attacking him.

"As silly as it is to watch them, there's some satisfaction in outsmarting the system, even the less intelligent parts of it."

Edited April 18, 2017 by Shield

[Calrex 0]

ID: 82595
Battle Dice: 2 (Accuracy +3) = 5
Mob Dice: 1 (Accuracy +4) = 5
Miss Occurred (2 Energy Lost / 1 Recovered / 89 Remaining)

Seeing Shield act upon his light-hearted comment Calrex gave a small laugh before preparing to act again. However, as he lowered into his stance suddenly he felt his foot slide out from underneath him for a moment. It appeared that the mummies were starting to unravel due to their low health state, and the ball of his left foot had slide over it. The dark purple glow of his Sword Art vanished like a popped bubble as the bluenette watched a sliver of his energy disappear.

At the same time, the creatures turned to face Shield, still under the control of the Hate system. But their unraveling bandages turned out to work against them as well, the monsters stumbling over the wraps on the floor so much that they began to trip and fall. If they weren't in combat, it maybe have resembled something out of a cartoon, except the banana peels were replaced with the strips of cloth.

H: 5 @Calrex: 1615/1615 | EN: 89/160
H: 6 (+1 vs #1-2) Shield: 866/880 | EN: 88/88

Shambling Mummy 1: 116/800 [Bld 2/2] (24 Bleed)
Shambling Mummy 2: 164/800
Shambling Mummy 3: 167/800
Shambling Mummy 4: 167/800

Shambling Mummy Stats:
240 DMG
4 ACC

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

+ 30 HP - BH

ID# 82597 results:

 Battle: 5 - Missed mummy 3

H: 4 @Calrex: 1615/1615 | EN: 90/160
H: 6 (+1 vs #1-2) Shield: 880/880 | EN: 88/88

Shambling Mummy 1: 116/800 [Bld 2/2] (24 Bleed)
Shambling Mummy 2: 164/800
Shambling Mummy 3: 167/800
Shambling Mummy 4: 167/800

Shambling Mummy Stats:
240 DMG
4 ACC

Not to be left out, Shield tried to capitalize on the literal unraveling of his opponents, but in his overzealous mindset, he misjudged the distance, his axe managing to pump the target's nose and actually knock the now scentless organ clean off of its face, but its health gauge did not move. He cursed under his breath, but kept himself moving none the less, watching the undead denizens of the dungeon follow after him like sheep.

He felt a little like the Pied Piper, only instead of leading them directly to their doom, he was leading them away from their doom so that their doom would have a clearer shot at them from behind.

"I think we should just call mulligan on that whole exchange," he called out over the sea of bandaged corpses. "What do you think, Calrex?"

It felt all to familiar to him, getting enemies down so near to death and yet suddenly being halted in the march towards victory by the luck of the draw and some lack of focus.

Edited April 18, 2017 by Shield

[Calrex 0]

ID: 82598
Battle Dice: 2 (Accuracy +4) = 6
Mob Dice: 8 (Accuracy +4) = 12 (Mummy 1 and 2 Hit Shield) | (Evasion +3) = 5 (Mummy 3 and 4 Miss Calrex)
Quick Change Activated (Switch to Grand Gauntlets) / Sword Art <<Tornado Kick>> Activated (12 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 78 Remaining)

"No kidding. Let's try this one more time."

Calrex lowered himself into a fighting stance, ready to try and reactivate his sword's technique once again. However, as he glanced down at the bandages littered in front of him he shook his head for a moment, "Not enough stability wielding the sword. I'll need to rely on my fists for this. Hopefully the technique is enough."

Swinging the Grand Blade II to the side it vanished in a flash of light, immediately being replaced by the Grand Gauntlets II, signaling that the bluenette had used his Quick Switch skill mod. Quickly switching his position to trigger <<Tornado Kick>> his right foot became covered in the light blue glow of the attack. Triggering it he launched forward, taking a leading step with his left foot right before the sea of wraps, then propelling himself with the momentum built up. The arching crescent kick seemed to expel a blade-like afterimage that slammed into all four of the mummies, but it wasn't enough to shake them from Shield's Hate lock. They whipped what remained of their bandages towards him connecting, but the Thorns enhancement triggered again, shooting out and eliminating one of the four creatures.

"Alright, one down so far."

Switched Grand Blade II to Grand Gauntlets II
DMG: 13 > 15
ACC: 3 > 4
Sword Arts: OHSS > MA

H: 6 @Calrex: 1615/1615 | EN: 78/160
H: 6 (+1 vs #1-2) Shield: 756/880 | EN: 88/88 (2 * (240 DMG - 178 MIT) = 124 DMG)

Shambling Mummy 1: 0/800 (15 DMG * 6 Art = 90 DMG / 28 Thorns)
Shambling Mummy 2: 18/800 (15 DMG * 6 Art = 90 DMG / 28 Thorns)
Shambling Mummy 3: 49/800 (15 DMG * 6 Art = 90 DMG)
Shambling Mummy 4: 49/800 (15 DMG * 6 Art = 90 DMG)

Shambling Mummy Stats:
240 DMG
4 ACC

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

+ 54 HP x 2 - Regen, + 30 HP BH

ID# 82601 results:

  Craft: 2

 Loot: 21 (20 + 1) - 5 materials

Action: Howl

H: 6 : @Calrex 1615/1615 | EN: 78/160
H: 9 (+1 vs #1-2) Shield: 880/880 | EN: 88/88 (4 * (240 DMG - 178 MIT) = 248 DMG)

Shambling Mummy 1: 0/800 (15 DMG * 6 Art = 90 DMG / 28 Thorns)
Shambling Mummy 2: 18/800 (15 DMG * 6 Art = 90 DMG / 28 Thorns)
Shambling Mummy 3: 49/800 (15 DMG * 6 Art = 90 DMG)
Shambling Mummy 4: 49/800 (15 DMG * 6 Art = 90 DMG)

Shambling Mummy Stats:
240 DMG
4 ACC

With the remaining battlefield divided between Shield and Calrex, the former decided it was time for him to stop being distracted on the battlefield and do his job. Just because Calrex could take a few licks doesn't mean he should have to. Shield took a deep breath and let his voice boom through the enclosed space.

"Almost dead for a second time, and only yourselves to blame!" he crowed, taunting the simple, almost literally robotic creatures. "You should have shuffled off as soon as you saw what you were up against!" 

He paused for a moment after speaking, trying to make sense of what he said.

"Shuffled off in the literal sense. Not the metaph-" he tried one more time to find a better way to phrase his sentiment, but eventually just shook his head. "Screw it. You're about to die either way. I don't have to impress any of you."

As a testament to how reliably programmed the monsters were, even such a poorly phrased threat was enough to turn them all away from Calrex and back onto the dedicated tank.

Edited April 18, 2017 by Shield

[Calrex 0]

ID: 82620
Battle Dice: 4 (Accuracy +4) = 8
Mob Dice: 6 (Accuracy +4) = 10
Sword Art <<Tornado Kick>> Activated (12 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 67 Remaining)

"Heh, that's a sign that this battle has gone on for long enough."

Calrex quickly spread his legs into a low stance once again, his right foot shining with energy once again. Rushing forward the <<Tornado Kick>> Sword Art triggered once again as the blade-like arc of energy appeared once again, slamming through the three remaining mummies. Right after the attack completed the monsters burst into crystals, the battle completed.

The bluenette gave a small sigh, lowering his arms to his sides, looking up at his energy level. It was already below half, meaning that they couldn't even take on another battle without falling short of the mark, extending the fight even longer than needed, "Well with that I need to take a break and recovery my energy. Looks like the entrance corridor leads further. If we're lucky we'll reach the next battle right as we're back to full strength."

Swiping on his menu Calrex began to scroll through his equipment once again, preparing to swap his gauntlets for his sword once again. Other than that, he guessed that his current equipment was functioning properly for the situation. Since Shield was handling the crowd control and Hate of the two of them, he still needed to focus on damage, "Times like this make me wish I had a stronger AoE weapon. Oh well, best make do with what I've got."

H: 6 : Calrex: 1615/1615 | EN: 67/160
H: 9 (+1 vs #1-2) Shield: 880/880 | EN: 88/88

Shambling Mummy 1: 0/800
Shambling Mummy 2: 0/800 (15 DMG * 6 Art = 90 DMG)
Shambling Mummy 3: 0/800 (15 DMG * 6 Art = 90 DMG)
Shambling Mummy 4: 0/800 (15 DMG * 6 Art = 90 DMG)

Shambling Mummy Stats:
240 DMG
4 ACC

[Shield 0]

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# 82621 results: Loot: 6 + 3 item + 1 skill + 1 skill item = Material ( total)

Shield nodded as Calrex talked through the battle plan and the projected time for recovery. Though energy served no true purpose for him just yet, he traveled with enough DPS players who were energy dependent, and in all honesty, more efficient than he was at handling combat. He could handle the incoming damage, but dealing it back took a lot of time and patience for him.

Mid thought, he realized that he had been absentmindedly rubbing the scar that dominated the left side of his face. He quickly gave his hands something else to do, opening his menus to trade out his combat gear for his loot gear. Though the monsters they had fought already dropped a few materials, gaining more meant less Col he would have to sink into his shop in order to make appraisals.

"The longer I spend on the front lines, the more the name 'Calrex' seems to crop up," he said, a note in his tone that was some form of serious. It almost sounded grim, perhaps just because of what the thought of being on the front lines really mean to him. It was a dangerous place, after all. "Sounds like you've been pushing the front lines forward for a little while now."

@Calrex

Edited April 18, 2017 by Shield

[Calrex 0]

(1/3 Turns Out of Combat, 1 Energy Recovered)

Hearing Shield speak to him as the bluenette continued to set right his equipment, Calrex paused for a moment as he heard the armored player make mention of his current status in the frontlines. Giving a small sigh he swiped his hand to the right, dismissing the menu as he turned to face the man, "Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if my name has circulated about a decent amount. I still remember only a couple of years ago I wasn't even an afterthought in anyone's mind. Now at times it feels like I can't talk a walk around the Starting City without someone recognizing me from somewhere."

Moving over to the side he leaned against it, bringing his hands to his jacket pockets. Glancing up at his energy level for a moment he saw the single flash, indicating that the out of combat recovery had begun. Only two more flashes and he would be back at full strength, "I've been on the frontlines since the raid to unlock the twelfth floor, and with the next floor boss to come that'll be ten that I've been a part of already. Can't really say that all of them have been smooth sailing though."

He could still remember each of the battles, recalling the monsters they had faced, and more importantly the people that were lost. A few of the people he had become acquainted with, as well as a few he had considered good friends had perished for various reasons during the battles, and their memories still were present in his mind.

Looking over he gave a nod, "Guess I never really figured to ask about this, but what is it you've heard about me?"

Calrex: 1615/1615 | EN: 67/160