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{PP-F12} There's a First Time for Everything <<Lord of the Seas>>


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Editing to use [x1] Yui's Grace w/ permission from Beatbox

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Pinball grimaced as his boots sunk into the mud. He was walking in the shallows, alongside a particularly large body of water, his eyes searching anxiously for the quest boss he was here to kill. He adjusted the fluffy white jacket that hung over his thin leather armor. I shouldn't have worn white to a swamp. Pinball shook his head. He swiped open his menu, hovering over Shield's name. He hesitated, but ultimately yielded to himself, and opened up the messenger. Trying to sound as formal and mature as possible, he scribbled a quick message. 

To: @Shield

Spoiler

Hey, Shield. 
I'm on the 12th Floor finishing up a quest, and I'm probably going to go up to one of the higher floors and see what all this dungeon business is about. 
I've kinda been wanting to go dungeon diving for a while, but I'm not exactly sure how I would actually go about clearing one.
I figured you would know more about that kind of thing than most people. Any advice? 

He shook away his nervous jitters, and clicked send. 
As if on que, something incredibly large rose from the water, its growling a deep rumble that reverberated through the rather bleak swamp. Pinball squinted, looking the creature up and down, then nodding as it became hostile, the name and healthbar that blazed into existence the confirmation he needed. 
Deftly twirling his spear into a comfortable position, Pinball prepared his charge, praying that the water's muck didn't interrupt his first attack. 
His attack met the mob in moments. For a brief second, as the Charge skill launched him forward, he felt like he was flying. That was until his first blows struck the creature with a force he wouldn't normally be able to put out on his own. As Pinball's last spear strike raked across the Sea Wyvern's side, it let out a horrible shriek that was much higher pitched in comparison to its initial challenging growl. It shattered, then, the fight only lasting for the one exchange. 

Player Stats: 

Spoiler

Level: 43
Health: 860 | Energy: 86
DMG: 15 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3
 
Skills:
 
Combat skills:
►<<Charge>> [50/50]: Rank 5 - Grandmaster
 
Weapon skills:
►<<2H Assault Spear>> [50/50]: Rank 5 - Grandmaster
 
Armor skills:
►N/A
 
Extra skills:
►<<Familiar Mastery: Fighter>> [18/18]: Rank 3 - Grandmaster
►<<Martial Arts>> [0/50]: N/A
►<<Survival>>
 
Utility Skills:
►<<Fishing>>
 
Modifiers:
►[Active] <<2H Assault Spear: Ferocity>>: +1 Base DMG
►[Active] <<Bullrush>>
►[Active] <<2H Assault Spear: Finesse>> ~ Rank 3 
 
Inventory
»[Equipped] [Demonic] Cold Fervor: +2 Freeze, Phase, Cursed
»[Equipped] [Perfect] Leather Armor of the Amatuer Duelist: +3 EVA
»[Equipped] [Perfect] Warrior’s Focus: +3 ACC

ROLLING

Action Taken: Sword Art - [Dimension Stampede] Hit! [-14 EN] / Charge! +5 DMG and Bullrush 
Sea Wyvern: ID# 105967  BD: 7+3= 10 (Hit!) ~ 15+5= 20*15 = 300 DMG + Stun! 

- Enemies - 

Sea Wyvern: 0/300 HP |  300 DMG 

- Players - 

Pinball: 860/860 HP | 72/86 EN | 15 DMG | 3 ACC | 1 EVA | 8-10/24 FRZ 

Edited by Pinball
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Shield had been pondering over the ruins of the current top floor of Aincrad. The structures seemed rife with nooks and crannies, and yet he had not yet poked or prodded within to find if there were any sub dungeons lying in wait. The dungeons on the twenty first floor had been challenging on their own. A higher floor would mean stronger beasts, and now without Beat by his side as much as he had once been, it meant facing unknown danger with even fewer resources at his disposal. As he turned his options over in his head, he heard the chime of his inbox and swiped through the air to summon the menu.

"Pinball?" He opened the message and read the contents, raising his eyebrows at the unusual coincidence. "It seems I'm not the only one with dungeons on the brain. Who else do I trust to come with me on this kind of venture... Someone who is readily available and who can hold his own in a fight. We'll need more damage, so..." He hit the option to reply.

Quote

'Pinball,

I am already on the current top floor. Feel free to join me. I'm going to be bringing in some help. We'll need some big guns for some of the fights we may encounter.

-Shield.'

With that, he opened a second dialogue box and penned a message to a certain crimson hunter.

Quote

'Hirru,

I may be searching for a dungeon up on the 24th floor before too long. Feel free to come and find me. I'll be with a spear-man named Pinball. Thought we could use some extra firepower.

-Shield'

@Hirru

Edited by Shield
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A yawn crossed the lips of rather worn out hunter.  His constant search on the 22nd floor for that bloody quest room has taken him farther out from the original location that he wanted.  To find ones memories was beginning to really bog down on a guy.  When he really thought about it, around now, someone would be interrupting his search to find this bloody room, to go hunting or something.  It was around that time that a ding came up from his hud.

"Called it.."

A message.  It's from Shield, this time.  Figuring that they could go on another dungeon run.  The hunter sighed while shifting his equipment around.  Taking off his crimson armor for the lesser bangle to boost his <<Search>> skill nearly passing the maximum.  He only needed one more modification to his build to really drive home the skill.  All these names for parts of his own body and talents, it really made the hunter think.

Quote

'Shield,

Been wondering where those polearm wielders went!  I'll be there soon.

~Hirru"

Getting up from the lush grass that spread far for the peaceful 22nd floor, the man looked as if a bush had come to life, without his armor on.  It would take him a bit to get to the town to teleport up, or he could... No, going through the labyrinth would take too much time and too much effort.  Teleportation, it would have to be.

@Pinball

Stats:

Spoiler

Hirru Lvl 55

1145 HP
110 Energy
3 Accuracy
1 Evasion
16 Base Damage (17 w/ Ferocity) [21 w/ Ferocity & Charge]
0 Mitigation
8 LD (11 w/ Rev|Det)

Equipment

Loyalty of the Sworn Knight ........ // +9 Damage
Spirit of the Jade Dragon .......... // +2 Accuracy, +1 Evasion
Glory of the Golden Dragon ......... // +3 Luck Die
Blades Cloak ....................... // Vanity
Dimensional Backpack ............... // +1 B.R.I Slot

Battle Ready Inventory

<Teleportation Crystal> x2 ......... // Teleport to a town / out of a dungeon [Uses 2 posts: 1 for use, next to teleport]
<Natures Blessing> x3 .............. // Heal +45 hp
Pride of the Guardian .............. // +54 Mitigation
<Empty>
<Empty>
<Empty>

Skills

One Handed Straight Sword .......... // Rank 5: +5 DMG
Heavy Armor ........................ // Rank 3: +18 MIT
Search and Detect .................. // Rank 5: +5 LD | +5 Stealth Detect
Charge ............................. // Rank 4: +4 DMG on successful first strike
Martial Arts ....................... // Rank 2: +4 Unarmed
Concentration ...................... // +1 to your BD / 5 turn cooldown
Survival ........................... // Heal 45 HP when out of battle each post / Negate environmental damage

Skill Mods

Precision .......................... // +1 Accuracy
Detect ............................. // +1 to Labyrinth searches|+2 Stealth Detect

Reveal ............................. // +2 to Labyrinth searches|@15 post Sub-dungeon
Athletics .......................... // +1 Dmg / +45 HP
OHSS Ferocity ...................... // +1 Dmg to all OHSS Sword Arts
OHSS Finesse R3 .................... // -3 EN to all OHSS Sword Arts

 

Edited by Hirru
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He was on his way back to the teleporter when he received Shield's response. Pleasantly surprised, Pinball practically skipped to the center of the main settlement. He had only been asking for advice, but he had secretly hoped Shield would interpret him as him asking for help without... actually having to ask for him to come along. Or maybe he realized and just didn't want Pinball to hurt himself? Regardless of the interpretation, Pinball got what he want. Standing straight up on the monument, Pinball held his hands out wide by his sides. "Teleport: Kalanaes!" 

For a second, everything was dark. Soon his eyes (or his avatar, rather) adjusted to the dim light of the Underdark. For a second he stood there, holding his spear close to his chest with both hands. No signs of Shield. He took a few hops down, then started walking, using his spear as a walking stick. He figured he'd run into him eventually. The steady click clack of his spear on the stone pavement punctuated his walking. Pinball took a lazy hand, swiped it across the air in front of him, and materialized a drink he had made a while ago. He drank as he walked, not wanting to call out for the tank and risk embarrassing himself in front of players and elves alike. 

@Shield

Consumed: Rare T2 Meal - Apple Cider: +2 DMG (-20 MIT) [#100487-1] 
Base DMG: 15 -> 17 

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Consuming:

Immolation Potion +2 [+30 THN]
Field Rations +2 [+120 HP]
T3 Perfect Solid Marble Cake + Kitchen Bonus [60 MIT]

Shield read Hirru's message and gave a nod, making sure his player information was actively broadcasting his location, he made his way down towards the main settlement. The journey to the Underdark was a slow one, but by the time he made it, he had plowed through his way through a handful of stat boosting consumables, including the modified cake he had ordered from pinball, altered in his own personal kitchen to sharpen its effects. He found a crossroads near the main town and pinged the others, letting them know he was at a good rendez-vous spot and posted up, keeping his eyes peeled for newcomers or anything of note.

Lilith sensed the lack of motion and poked her colorful serpent snout from the inside of Shield's collar. Her tongue tasted the dank, stuffy air of the subterranean world around her, but her senses did not protest as a human might if exposed to the slightly rancid air unexpectedly. She remained at that spot, continually tasting the scents in the air and enjoying the peace of the dark. Of course, peace was hardly something Shield associated with the tumultuous Underdark, but for now, it was calm.

@Hirru

Player Stats

Spoiler

[H:0] Shield - HP1730/1730 | EN: 152/152 | MIT: 241 | BH:86 | EVA: -1 | THN: 99 | ENV: 18 | DMG: 2 | ACC: 0

 

Edited by Shield
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The hunter found himself in a rather new area.  Although it had the near damp dark feel of the 21st floor, he could tell that it was incredibly different.  This time around, everything wasn't as illuminated as it was on the previous floors.  It seemed smaller too, like they were all cramped together with the residents of this floor.  This also brought the hunter to the notice of the dwellers of the dark.  White, nearly silver, hair adorned the heads of people with long sharp ears.  He recognized the elven ears from his exploits on the third floor, but he had not seen a single trace of them from that point forward.  Of course, these elves seemed to have a very distinct difference, besides the silver hair.  All were noticeable indistinguishable under the dimly lit streets, as their skin was much darker than those on the third floor.

If the hunter wasn't in his own search, he would be investigating the area, but instead would be looking out for the hulking shieldman.  It wouldn't take long as with the many adventures that they had, the two never really changed much in wardrobe / armor.

"Shield!"

The hunter would call out and raise his hand over the crowd, gaining many glares and remarks from players and NPCs.

@Pinball

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"Shield!"
The name was familiar. That's who he was here to meet. That, coupled with the fact that it was a sudden loud shout in a relatively quiet place, drew Pinball's attention. He saw a player's hand raise over the crowd, and he saw the glares that some of the dark elves shot the player afterwards. Why is he meeting Shield? Was I not supposed to come? Pinball took a few steps backward, opening his Inbox and re-reading the message Shield had sent him. Oh. He must be the help. Pinball took a second, then swiped over to his items and materialized a potion. The glass bottle, in a flash of blue light, appeared in his hands, the bright orange liquid almost glowing in the dimly lit floor. Pinball popped the cork and downed it completely. He tossed it aside, where it shattered into a cloud of blue pixels, wiped his mouth, and made his way over to where the other player had been heading - where he hoped he would find Shield. 

@Shield

Consuming: 
[x1] T1 Rare Potion - Burning Edge: +2 DMG [#99920]
Base DMG: 17 -> 19 

Edited by Pinball
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Shield greeted both players with his customary fist bump, during which, Lilith retreated into the folds of his clothing with a flick of her tail. He faced the two players, looking from one to the other. "I have spent a fair amount of time above ground, but honestly, very little down here," he said, looking around the dim landscape. It was like being underwater, with distant shapes looming in the darkness around them, but without clear distinction to know scenery from monsters. "At least not since searching for the labyrinth, but that search eventually lead up top into the mountains."

He motioned with his head away from town and turned to walk that way himself. As the silent bustle of the dark elf city faded into the darkness behind them, they began encountering actual pockets of light. Here and there, they found collections of fungus that glowed with a malevolent radiance, and they even passed by a lake of something glowing and molten. They were not blind by any means, but the Underdark was truly living up to its name. "I do not miss this uncertain landscape," he thought aloud. "However, if there's to be anything noteworthy, I feel like our best bet is here. The best treasure is often found in the darkest holes."

@Hirru

Edited by Shield
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"I would agree with you on the darkest areas part, but.."

Looking around at his surroundings as they met.

"I haven't been to this floor yet, so I wouldn't know about any goings-on up top, or wherever you were talking about.  I'm assuming there is more to this floor than another underground area."

From what he could understand, this floor was a two parter with the Underdark and another above ground part.  The hunter wondered why so many dark elves, as he would so eloquently name them, seemed to be in quite large numbers in this crowded space.  One would think that they would settle up top too.  So either their society was thriving quite a bit, but with quite a few left to squander and rags.  Or something was amiss.

Activating all of his search skills the moment that they left the hunter blinked and the world became different shades of green.  Anything that approached them from farther than 10 mel would ping through his mind and alert him to the dangers ahead.  However, the dark would make things slightly different than usual.  He didn't have the Night Vision modification, and doubted if he ever would.  Although the amount of floors that were covered in darkness were increasing, and it wouldn't be long until the darkness would be their only salvation.

The hunter shook his head.  He needed to get more sleep.

@Pinball

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Pinball followed along silently. Without Night Vision aiding him, he found it difficult to make out some of the more minute details of the Underdark. Yes, there was lighting, but with that light came even more shadow, and Pinball had trouble adjusting his eyes. Maybe Night Vision wasn't so useless after all? As he leveled up, there was a steadily increasing amount of uses for the skill, though Pinball had always prioritized his combat skills. When I finish with that, he thought to himself, looking forward to the day, I can start training myself to do something other than fighting. 
Truth be told, constant combat had started to weigh down on the teenager. No matter how hard they seemed to fight, progress was slow. He knew he should hold out hope, but he was never the most optimistic of the bunch, despite his relatively carefree attitude. 
If I'm going to die here, is it so bad that I die doing something I enjoy? 

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Buying Glow Stones from Merchant Stock

-2000 Col, +10 Glow Stones

Activating Glow Stone - Underdark penalty negated for party

It was difficult to see clearly, but from what he could tell, his companions were having just as much trouble seeing as he was. They too had to squint into the darkness in order to make out their surroundings, or else they just seemed to enjoy squinting in general for the fun of it while underground. Shield opened his menu and scrolled past his combat inventory to his shop items. There was a pile of items that he had been stocking that thus far had not been selling. Still, he figured he might as well use the opportunity now to test them out.

He summoned one of the curious stones into his hand and struck it against his shield. It flared to life, sparking and then lighting up with a steady pale green glow. It threw a dim halo of light around the players that extended several yards in each direction, but even beyond its edge, forms and shapes were more distinct. It would make them easier to spot, but odds were good that most monsters on such a floor would be adapted to see them, blind or not, so the players might as well not be blind while fighting.

@Hirru

Edited by Shield
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A sudden flash of light came from Shield which messed with his vision slightly.  The darkness was seemingly easing out, but the light which now shone from Shields hand made the farther reaches become that much darker.  Though, the bright side of it all was their current vicinity was well lit to a couple mel.  Whether or not it would help more with locating this sub-dungeon would be all on how they both were able to interact with their surroundings.  The hunter was sure that, by now, Shield would have started to carry his own on search.  Luck easily gains more materials and non-invest items, and a tank could easily pull his own, if they wanted to.

It looked as if their other member wasn't having as much problems as the rest.  Did he have Night Vision?  Interesting.. the hunter thought to himself before realizing something.

"Oh yeah, that's right.  I don't think I've introduced myself."

He turned to Pin while keeping his skills on.

"I'm the Jade Hunter, Hirru.  You can just call me, Hirru."

@Pinball

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He was starting to get annoyed by the darkness. If it bothers you that much, invest in the Night Vision skill. Pinball frowned, but he kept walking along, as silent as ever. It was then that Shield retrieved a small stone from his inventory, and striking it across the edge of his shield, it blazed to life. Immediately the surrounding were brightened, illuminated by the faint green glow of the palm-sized stone. Pinball was a bit surprised. He had never seen something like that - or maybe he had, but he had never seen someone put it to use. Pinball made a mental note to look into the item, and its, uses, and where he would acquire one. He was about to ask Shield what exactly it was when the other player in the party turned to him and introduced himself. 
"Oh, I'm - I'm Pinball," he replied, hesitantly beginning to offer his hand for a shake, but taking it back halfway through the motion. One eye squinted as he mustered up the courage to follow-up, then, quickly, he added, "It's nice to meet you, Hirru.

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Shield was a little surprised that Pinball had started to withdraw his hand but was relieved that he thought better of his hesitation to extend it properly. There had always been confidence issues with the younger player, but this was at least the beginnings of more certainty here and there. "You're going to have to get used to interacting with front liners, Pinball," he said with a little half-chuckle. "You're practically one yourself."

He had only seen Pinball take part in a handful of raid related activities, but the fact remained that he was already well along on his build and making some serious progress as a player. When he needed damage along for a mission, his first pick was always Beat, but Pinball was shaping up to be quite the spearman himself.

The shapes of the Underdark continued to materialize at the edge of their vision, but the space between the edge of the Glow Stone's effective radius and the small band of players was lit comfortably, any refuge in the shadows removed. Little critters scampered out of the halo of light and sparkles shone off of crystal embedded in the stones along the way. 

@Hirru 

Spoiler

[OOC: Search dat dungeon, boi]

 

Edited by Shield
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  • 1 month later...

Pinball let his hands run along the length of his spear. "Y-yeah," he forced a laugh, "I guess that's true." And then he fell silent again, and they marched on. Despite the occasions where he's off the walls, Pinball is a pretty patient guy. So he thought it would be rude if he asked where they were going - or if Shield even knew where they were going. Did they know where they would find this dungeon? Are they just wandering until they stumbled upon one? Have they been looking while they walked? Did they need to stop and search soon? When? Pinball let his mind wander a bit, filling in the blanks for himself though managing to keep himself from bombarding the quieter tank with questions. He shifted his spear into his offhand, the tip almost touching the ground as he walked, and let his fingers brush along some of the rocks. 

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Consuming:

Good Luck Chuck: +3 LD

-Manticore Mask
-Stinging Nettle

+Seeking Aura
+Raw Passion

Hirru was usually more than skilled enough to find what they needed, but thus far their trip had not been fruitful. If one skilled set of eyes was not doing the trick, then Shield would have to lend his own to the cause. He scarfed down one of the few remaining steaks that Pinball had cooked for him and began trading out equipment, replacing his armor with an earring and pendant. "There we go," he said with a sigh. "Now maybe I can help spot something in this blasted darkness." He scanned ahead of them, squinting into the dark trying to catch a glimpse of something promising.

For the time being, that did not prove productive. Although the glow stone lit the area around them, it was not as if a dungeon would simply appear under their noses. "Let's widen our search," Shield said, beginning to make back and forth weavings along the path, craning his neck to see around this ridge or that boulder. He was not yet discouraged. He had taken his fair share of hikes that turned up very little for long stints of time. True, this one was through the fabled Underdark, but Shield was not going to let that get inside his head. He merely kept his eyes out for something useful.

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For the most part, Pinball felt out of his area of expertise. He was following two guys he barely knew deep into the darkest parts of the underground tunnels in what was currently the most dangerous floor in Aincrad in pursuit of a dungeon that could more or less devastate the three-man party. Wow, that's a mouthful, he thought. What could go wrong? Pinball followed Shield around like a lost puppy, clutching his spear close to his chest now as the green light illuminated the dark underground. "Widen our search?" Pinball nodded, squinting. "Yeah," he said slowly, "okay." And he kept following Shield, even as he zigzagged and weaved left and right, searching every nook and cranny of the path. He remained silent. He had nothing to contribute here. Realizing this, and staying close to Shield so he didn't have a lack of light, he retrieved his journal from his notebook and began flipping through the pages. 

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  • 1 year later...

But eventually the light faded, and Pinball was left in the darkness with the pages of a journal he couldn't read anymore. He looked up with a start, his head on a swivel. "Shield? Hirru?" They were gone, now - and suddenly, too. It felt like one moment he'd been idly flipping through his notebook, and the next he was enveloped in an absolute blackness. He started to field the nervousness, then, and he put the book away slowly. 

"Hello?" 

There wasn't a response. Not that he could hear, anyway. Pinball's hand immediately traced along the wall of the tunnel. The only sound to be heard was his own heartbeat, racing quickly as panic set in. He was alone, now, on a floor with monsters that could probably kill him - or at least, beat him badly enough to make him fear death. Pinball looked behind him, and then to the front, and wondered which way was the way out. 

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It was scary. Scary and dark and the tunnels seemed endless - he wasn't sure how long he'd been searching for a way out, but it felt like ages. What if he couldn't find a way out? At one point it went from him looking for Shield and Hirru to him looking desperately for any cracks in the rocky prison - any form of light, however pale or strained it might have been. 

Surprise, surprise - the Underdark didn't have much in the way of light. There were no glowing mushrooms to be found, no sunlight to be spoken for. And Pinball remained totally, absolutely lost. It was when he hit the hour mark that he started truly losing hope. His frantic search became resigned, tired, and slow. Soon it wasn't a priority, but something he did without enthusiasm. 

It was a mind numbingly dull experience, and one that Pinball would look back on with disdain. He should have brought a TP Crystal with him. 

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He found the exit, eventually; finally, he was free. Pinball left that cave with a healthy fear of the dark and a passive lack of trust for the two that had lead him in there in the first place, the assholes, but that was all as well. He was out, free, alive, and that, for now, was all that really mattered. The teen would make his way back through the city, heading straight towards the teleporter that he'd gotten here from. It was time for him to leave - he wanted brownies, and he had a shop with a kitchen capable of producing them. 

Pinball left the Underdark a free man. There were no strings on him then, and he tasted true patriotism that day. And then he would taste fresh brownies - a whole tray of 'em, soft and mushy and piping hot, all for him. He'd fall asleep to the sound of the breeze rustling the great big oak tree outside of his shop-made-home, a half eaten pastry in his hand. 

It had been inconvenient, sure - but for now, life was good. 

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