[E3][PP-F21] <<Nature's Treasure>> A Long Expected Party

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 139489 results: Craft: 4 [0 Materials found] Loot: 7+8=15 [6 Eggs found]

Total Loot:

Eggs: 34
Materials: 16
Col: 1,800
Rare Consumables: [139436a] [139436b]

Another cast another splash as the hook and bobber landed, and Shield was left to mull over the question. "That's what attending the meeting will hopefully tell us," he answered, giving a little shrug. "I don't know what to expect... I might try to patch things up with a player or two before the meeting... I don't know." There was so much that had happened before they left and so much that had happened since they left. Although the lines had barely advanced, things never stopped on the front lines, it seemed.

The end of his pole dipped a little, and with a little reeling, he managed to bring in another load of eggs in a bundle, no fish attached. Shield didn't care much about the fish, but the clutch of eggs was enough for him to be satisfied with the catch. He dismissed it, back to his inventory to join the countless others he had already fished up for the event. "I do look forward to finding out where we stand though," he added. "From there, we can at least know how to proceed. Until then, we're just left wondering."

Edited April 4, 2020 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

Fishing Roll: ID# 139585: CD 3 LD 3 + 6 + 1= 11

Used housing bonus to add +1 to LD

Results: 0 Mats and 6 Eggs

Totals: 

Mats: 19

Eggs: 76

Beat's memories of the last boss meeting and subsequent fight returned to the very front of his mind. The bitterness and confusion caused by grudges and ill will nearly cost many players their lives. The elven council had certainly appeared sentient, but Beat refused to believe that they had any connection to actual people. 

"You know things may not be different. Then we have to choose to tolerate it or let their lives possibly be forfeit." He said matter-of-factly, not enjoying the fact that the choice was not an easy one for him. Putting up with in fighting was not something he was prepared  to deal with and he would be quickly out of the meeting if it occurred once again. "So who do you plan to make up with? I don't remember you having bad blood with anyone."

Edited April 14, 2020 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

 ID# 139641 results: Craft: 9 [3 Materials found] Loot: 4+8=12 [6 Eggs found]

Total Loot:

Eggs: 40
Materials: 19
Col: 1,800
Rare Consumables: [139436a] [139436b]

"You weren't involved in that last meeting. Hestia set herself against anyone who was in our party in that mini boss fight, and Zandra actually decked me." He shook his head, remebering the absolute shambles that meeting had left the front lines in. "Well, first of all, I'll tell you I probably will not make amends with Hestia," Shield said. There was no malice behind his voice. This was Shield at his most frank. "Even if she extended a peace offering, I don't believe her fit to fight on the front lines. Her judgment is too far skewed and she has a nature that is argumentative even in the face of a larger group effort." He sighed, remembering the headaches of the tank meeting that Baldur had called and how the bad blood from that had spilled forth into the Sahagin fight and the subsequent boss meeting.

Even as he spoke, his line tightened and his pole bent over. He could feel in his hands that this was a fish that would take a little bit of effort to bring in. He grunted as he worked the reel, though he kept his seat for this one. "Zandra on the other hand-" He pulled back hard on his pole. "She is a little reckless, and she has a temper that flares over tiny issues, but she and I have never had personal issues. I think she was just offended by the joke Baldur and I made when we charged in and thought it meant something it didn't."

With a sploosh from the water's edge, his quarry popped out and flopped on the shore. He hoisted himself up and strode over, collecting it and storing it away.

Edited April 5, 2020 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

Fishing Roll: ID# 139729: CD 9 LD 16 + 6 = 22

Result: 3 Mats and 8 eggs

Totals: 

Mats: 22 

Eggs: 84

"Ah right, the Tank meeting you had mentioned before..." Beat said as his brow furrowed. He had heard multiple tales of the sourness that arose from that meeting, particularly from Hestia. He had only interacted with Hestia a handful of times, but Beat was pretty sure he would not miss the opportunity to see her again. "So, Hestia is a problem for the frontlines. Not sure how, but we may want to handle that issue at some point. If she really rubs people the wrong way like you say, we can't be the only ones who feel that way." 

As beat considered the rest of what Shield had said, his line gave a mighty tug, "oooh this is like the chest, but with a lot more fight! GRRGH!" With a mighty heave, Beat hoisted what appeared to be a large bass the size of a car out of the water. The fish flew through the air like a blimp before crashing to the ground with a loud, wet thud. 

"This event is ridiculous." Beat said with a chuckle, giving Shield a wink.

Edited April 14, 2020 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 139929 results: Craft: 3 [0 Materials found] Loot: 10+8=18 [8 Eggs found]

Total Loot:

Eggs: 48
Materials: 19
Col: 1,800
Rare Consumables: [139436a] [139436b]

"No... It wasn't the tank meeting, though that was a disaster for a different reason," Shield said, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. "It was the actual floor boss meeting. Zandra wasn't at the tank meeting." Shield sighed, opening his eyes. With a flick of his arm, he cast out into the dark again, hearing the faint 'sploosh' of his hook hitting the water. "The tank meeting is definitely where things started to spiral. Who knows? It may have even started sooner, at the prior boss raid. But where it started is only somewhat relevant."

He began to reel in his line once again, but when it emerged from the water, it had a mesh bag on the end full of eggs and fake Easter grass. "This event is so weird... Anyways, as it stands, it seems that most of the front liners I was close with before have no issue with us. Calrex, Baldur, Oikawa, though I did not know him well, as well as the newly acquainted Mari... It seems despite our absence, we still have friends on the front who would welcome us back. I don't know how chips would fall in the event of further infighting though..."

Edited April 7, 2020 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

Fishing Roll: ID# 140985: CD: 9 LD: 18

Results: 3 mats and 8 eggs!

Totals: 

Mats: 25

Eggs: 92

 

Beat nodded and a small smile returned to Beat's face at Shield's words. He, once again, casted his line into the water that was only distilled by their fishing and was otherwise reflective of what parts of the cave they could see easily as he began digging up memories of the players on the frontlines.  It was good to hear that it seemed like most of the big players had no issue with their hiatus. Even though he had been far less social than Shield was, it was good to know they still had friends. 

At least our return won't be unwelcome...hopefully...

Beat quickly reeled his line at the feeling of yet another catch. He pulled in the basket of fake grass and easter eggs as his thoughts fell on Shield's last words. He threw his line out again as he looked to his partner with a cold stare, "More infighting that costs people their lives? I'll end that [censored] myself if I have to. If I'm going to come back to the front lines instead of helping others elsewhere, then it needs to be done right."

Edited April 14, 2020 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Fishing:ID# 140996 results: Craft: 9 [3 Materials found] Loot: 9+8=17 [8 Eggs found]

Total Loot:

Eggs: 56
Materials: 22
Col: 1,800
Rare Consumables: [139436a] [139436b]

"That 'if' didn't sound like much of an 'if.' It sounded more like a 'when,'" he said, puffing a half laugh out of his nostrils. "But I suppose I'm fooling myself if I think it's any different for me." He rolled the handle of his fishing pole absentmindedly between his palms. "I guess in the end, even if we wanted to stay away from the action, we're not very good at it. I mean look at me," he blurted out, almost surprised at how much Beat's words had made him realize his actual feelings. "A couple of hours fishing with a wannabe samurai and I'm somehow back from my isolation and making plans for the future of a guild again. I didn't let myself think I was decided about the next boss fight, but..." he regripped his pole and cast out into the dark waters. "I am."

The faint glow of the bobber under the glow of the cavern stood out against the black water, the latter only showing up as waving blips of light cast off as reflections of the walls and ceiling. "You know, when there's no motion in the water, caves become so still in caverns that you can't see them. It reflects the rest of the cave so smoothly, that it just looks like more cave. I only get to see it briefly when I first arrive here, but it's pretty spectacular."

Edited April 13, 2020 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

Fishing Roll: ID# 141022: CD: 12 LD: 2 + 6 = 8

Results: 4 T3 Mats and 4 Eggs

Mats: 29

Eggs: 96

Beat couldn't help but laugh darkly, "It may be a bit presumptuous, but I know some of the people on the frontlines and the issues they caused before. I hope they prove me wrong." He felt a heavy tug on his line and he fought with it for a while before finally managing to pull it in. He stowed the large fish, who had apparently eaten some of the eggs in the half full basket he found along with it. He scoffed as the fish disappeared into his inventory, "Fat little thief." He muttered as he recast his line once again. 

"Staying away from the action is something you and I have never been good at." Beat said, his tone much lighter as this was a topic of conversation he actually enjoyed. "You and I strive to be the best and the only way to do that is to be at the frontlines of whatever we're doing. Peace in this game doesn't suit us." Beat sat down as he held his pole steady, staring at the place in the water where his line disappeared, "Well...I guess if you're going back, I have to too. It wouldn't do to have the Immovable Object on the frontlines without the Unstoppable Force!" Beat's voice had a small amount of pride that it had been lacking for sometime and this fact was not lost on Beat as he addressed the last thing Shield had mentioned, "You mentioned a guild..."

 

Edited April 22, 2020 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Fishing: ID# 141039 results: Craft: 2 [Nothing]

Total Loot:

Eggs: 56
Materials: 22
Col: 1,800
Rare Consumables: [139436a] [139436b]

"Baldur has been working," Shield said, trying to remember exactly how it had been described to him. "He disappeared for a while as well. But he's back. He started himself a dojo. It's not quite the assault team we had planned before. It's more... probably what the Ascendants were trying to do for us." He gave a little laugh. "Little did they know they would be holding us back." The dark lake stretched out in front of him, and he cast as far as he could, hearing the distant sound of the line landing rather than actually being able to see.

"In any case, as he told me about it, we started picking up on some of our old conversations," he went on. "Something a little loftier than just a dojo. You know, teams didn't used to divvy up by assignment. They used to be separated into their respective guilds. We want to be able to foster a proper raid team - one that would do the front lines proud without being too boastful or selfish like those in the past." He remembered back to the last boss meeting. "Hestia called us by the names of those players. Players of a guild called the Azure Brigade." Reeling in his line, he didn't feel a bite. He gave it a little extra time, but finally he decided he would just need to cast again. "In any case... what we really lack is a healer. There are really only two proper tanks on the line and a few off-tanks. Healers are our real weakness though. Hestia and I both have first aid, but..." He shrugged.

It's not enough.

Edited April 13, 2020 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

Fishing: ID# 141051: CD: 6 LD: 13 + 6 = 19

Results: 1 T3 Mat and 8 eggs

Totals:

Mats: 30

Eggs: 104

Beat shook his head at the mention of the guild that had recruited them when they were still new to the frontlines, "Holding back is an understatement. I can't recall most of their faces, let alone anything we did together as a guild." His impression of the Ascendants had initially had them regarded as a necessary evil more than a boon to he and Shield. His assumption had proven correct, though only by coincidence. Beat slowly reeled in a large bag of colorful easter eggs, which he stowed as he though on the idea of joining another guild. 

"I suppose the idea of joining a guild that doesn't have its head up its own ass would be fine with me." Beat shrugged his shoulders as he threw his line out into the darkness again, the familiar plop echoing through the cave, "Well, you know I can't can't. I suck at playing those builds. Remember when I respecced in Crossreign to try and fill a raid role? That was an unmitigated disaster!" Beat started laughing as the pleasant memories from a VR game that wasn't trying to kill him came flooding back. 

 

Edited April 14, 2020 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Fishing:ID# 141054 results: Craft: 7 [2 Materials found] Loot: 13+8=21 [8 Eggs found]

Total Loot:

Eggs: 64
Materials: 24
Col: 1,800
Rare Consumables: [139436a] [139436b]

"Beat. You're a glass canon." Shield said, quirking an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure that's the definition of 'UNMITIGATED disaster." He resisted the urge to snort at his pun, but did not manage to keep the smirk off of his face. He quickly sobered though as he returned to the topic of their conversation. "Look, here's the thing with the Ascendants... They weren't bad people they were just..." He struggled to find another wording to say what we needed to say, sighing when he couldn't find a more tactful way. "They were kids. Jonathan couldn't keep himself together. He was insanely jealous of his position, refusing to even consider relinquishing it even though he knew I was more accomplished and ambitious. He... went off the deep end... for a long time... I don't know what happened, but when he came back from it, he had an orange cursor."

There came a bite at the end of Shield's line, and he reeled it in, the fish not putting up a particularly difficult resistance. "There's no way someone his age should have been expected to shoulder the burden that he put upon himself... and he snapped. Itzal is nowhere to be found. Hikoru is..." Shield failed for fords for a moment. "...off being edgy somewhere... It's no wonder they didn't last... but they tried... they really did."

Edited April 13, 2020 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

Fishing: ID#141092: CD 1 = nuttin. Nada. Zero. Game over man! Game over!

Beat attempted to keep himself from laughing, but he had missed the older players sense of humor and he could not hold back a few good chuckles before settling himself back down as he suddenly realized he had missed a tug on his line. He scrambled to reel it in, but by the time he even began, the resistance was gone and so was his bait. He clicked his tongue and reset his hook, recasting it back into the darkness and refocusing, "Nice one." 

Not an excuse, but sure, we're all human I suppose...

Beat's demeanor became more serious as he addressed Shield's comments about the Ascendants, "Look, I'm not saying they aren't allowed to be human, I'm just saying they screwed the pooch. Reasonable or not. Results have to matter at some point." Beat paused as he began feel his anger simmering again, "I'll hold anyone accountable for causing issues that cost lives on the frontlines. I'll never go orange, you know I wouldn't, but The guild could have done more harm than it did." 

Edited April 13, 2020 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Fishing: ID# 141176 results: Craft: 5 [1 Material found] Loot: 11+8=19 [8 Eggs found]

Total Loot:

Eggs: 72
Materials: 25
Col: 1,800
Rare Consumables: [139436a] [139436b]

"Do not mistake my understanding for approval," Shield corrected. There was no sharpness or warning behind his words, but they were stern none the less. "There is a reason I aspired to be tank paladin, and general ambition only has to do with it partially. That guild needed work, and a lot of it." His line came back empty, and he tossed it out again. "I figured, as recent ventures have more or less confirmed, that it's easier to fix something that's already there than it is to start from scratch. Uniting a divided front lines under any kind of banner has been fruitless thus far."

There came a nibble on his line, just enough to bend the tip of his pole down a few degrees. He reeled it in, watching the line slip back and forth in the water, following the fish that was otherwise not able to slow the march of progress towards the shore. Shield gave one final tug, and the fish popped out of the water and landed on the shore. Its body was lumpy, and in the real world, Shield would have assumed it was riddled with some sort of parasite. Because of its translucent gummy body though, Shield could see the lumps were from the eggs that could barely fit in its small fishy body.

Edited April 13, 2020 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

Fishing: ID# 141225: CD: 3 LD: 10+6 = 16

Results: no mats and 8 Eggs

Totals: 

Mats: 30

Eggs: 112

"Well, that's why I take accountability seriously. You think I would enjoy myself on the frontlines if I got someone hurt?" Beat said calmly, happy that he and Shield agreed on this. Beat's line began to tug hard as it had during his first cast, "I'm either snagged or I just found another chest!" He said as he leaned back and gave a tug. His hook came loose and flew upwards, striking the cave ceiling above him and bringing a small shower of rock down on top of him. He suffered no damage, but a series of eggs had also fallen down and were now sitting near him as he shook the dust out of his hair, "How does that...nevermind...thanks easter bunny."

Beat sat back down and recasted his line into the darkness as he continued, "So, what is the concept and plan behind this guild then? Any idea on how to get people to drop their egos? That has always been the challenge in the past."

Edited April 14, 2020 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Fishing: ID# 141227 results: Craft: 12 [4 Materials found] Loot: 4+8=12 [6 Eggs found]

Total Loot:

Eggs: 78
Materials: 29
Col: 1,575
Rare Consumables: [139436a] [139436b]

"Unfortunately, the odds of that are very low, but even if they weren't, and even if Zandra somehow agreed to join us, it would be seen as usurping the front lines' only true healer, and maybe fairly so," he added, shrugging slightly. "Zandra has been in more boss raids than both of us combined. She's a valuable resource and a boon to any party she is in. She needs to go where she is most needed." Shield sent his line out and sat patiently this time, seeing if some fish might prefer to come to him rather than drag his bait across their notice.

"No, unfortunately, the best option we have is to recruit straight from the lower floors and train up a new healer. From there, we would likely need to do the same with a fourth player, preferably some build of tank. There are a few hopefuls, but thus far, the healer isn't actually a healer," he sighed. As he paused for breath, his line was jerked and jerked hard. He dug in his heels, but even that seemed to barely be enough to hold him steady. The beast at the other end was tenacious and powerful, and Shield had to put his update on hold as he reeled in and landed the behemoth. Once he had succeeded and the fish had surrendered to the air, he was finally able to pick up where he had left his thoughts.

"Where was- Ah! The healer. She's actually already a tank, and she later plans to spec into healing," he explained. His expression was one of disappointment, his brows wrinkled as he pictured that future. "I think she could be convinced to go full heal eventually, but it may take convincing. For now, she's the best we've got. But... she can be bull-headed. I helped her train her familiar, and that.... was an exercise in frustration."

Edited April 14, 2020 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

Fishing: ID# 141234: CD: 10 LD 6 + 6 = 12

Result: 3 T3 Mats and 6 Eggs

Totals: 

33 T3 Mats

118 Eggs

Beat's brow furrowed as he continued to realize that he was missing pieces of the puzzle as this conversation went on, "Alright, so what guilds are still active? I guess I'm not sure why the effort to unite the frontlines would be taken as some sort of power grab." Beat's voice had raised slightly and it echoed through the cave as he continued to work through his questions, "Like...where does the distrust come from? What would we have to gain from consolidating the frontline players under one banner other than the common goal of escaping this death game?" 

I'll consolidate my foot in some asses if I have to. 

Beat's face lit up as a heavy pull on his line meant he had found more success in this mystical cave pond that Shield would just have to get used to sharing from now on. "Oh yeah!" Beat shouted as he hauled the large fish out of the water and into the air. It slapped against the stone floor of the cave along with a bundle of eggs, which Beat happily stowed.

Edited April 14, 2020 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Fishing: ID# 141242 results: Craft: 9 [3 Materials found] Loot: 6+8=14 [6 Eggs found] 

Total Loot:

Eggs: 84
Materials: 32
Col: 1,575
Rare Consumables: [139436a] [139436b]

"The objections would come from the same player who was the main thorn in our side before," Shield said, rolling his eyes. "Zandra... we are working on making up with her, but things are still tenuous. She also is currently the leader of what I understand to be the largest guild - the Aincrad Trading Post." He threw his line into the water, paying little attention to it in the mean time as he did his best to recount the little information he had. "They are a guild mainly centered around crafting. They are actually outfitting much of the upcoming raid. Zandra has already started asking for crafting requests and plans to not have players pay for the items at all, except by willing donation."

The waters rippled and then undulated around his hook as something seemed to be investigating it. Then there was a splash and his bobber sank under the black waters. Shield pulled, and something pulled back. it was nowhere near the struggle of the last catch, but it still took some effort. Eventually, he fell into a rhythm of gaining ground and resumed his thoughts. "Aside from that, I don't know. Most of the player I know are still solo, aside from Baldur and his dojo." Finally, he hauled his catch onto land, trotting down to the edge of the water to corral and collect it.

Edited April 14, 2020 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

Fishing: ID# 142364: CD: 2 = nothing

Totals: 

33 T3 Mats

118 Eggs

Beat laughed and shook his head as he fidgeted with his fishing rod, "Pride.It's a problem on the front line." He paused as he felt a tug on his line. He waited for a second tug before finally whipping his line out of the water, but the resistance he had felt was gone, and his hook was once again empty. He exhaled sharply out of his nose before recasting his line into the darkness, the light splash echoing softly through the cave.

"A little bit is fine. I know I certainly have a chip on my shoulder, but when it goes beyond showboating and actually affects the lives of real people, something has to be done about it." Beat's brow furrowed as he felt his temper beginning to once again simmer, "I mean, they already have the idea of supporting the frontlines community down. Why the need for THEIR banner? Why the need for separate recognition?" 

Edited April 18, 2020 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Fishing - ID# 142371 results: Craft: 6 [1 Material found] Loot: 4+8=12 [6 Eggs found]

Total Loot:

Eggs: 90
Materials: 33
Col: 1,575
Rare Consumables: [139436a] [139436b]

"Because we've both seen what happens when cooperation breaks down," Shield turned away from his fishing and quirked an impatient eyebrow at Beat. "We have seen relations breaking down in most of the major boss fights we had been in before leaving the lines. In the sahagin fight, we had to teleport out, but next time we don't know if we'll get the chance." He shook his head, turning back to the lake and tossing out his line. "This is going to be the twenty-fifth floor boss. One quarter of the way to the top." The experienced fisherman's fingers idly turned the crank on his reel. "Do you really think Kayaba isn't going to make this one to remember?"

As he pulled in his line, there came a tug, a continual pull from something that was 'alive' and trying to escape. With a little negotiation, Shield managed to bring in his small catch. Tapping the fish, he summoned the item menu and collected it and its contained eggs.

Edited April 18, 2020 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

Fishing: ID# 142450: CD: 1 - nothing...again...

Beat returned Shield's expression, "Right, so why not avoid singular recognition and unite behind a single banner? Individuality is what causes those break downs and those events are probably unavoidable," he said, his voice echoing through the cave and disturbing some members of the local wildlife, "but if everyone is behind a single banner, those small breakdowns don't threaten to take down the whole operation." 

Beat had stood up as he had been speaking, but he had vented most of the heat that was rising in him and he managed to sit himself back down. He whipped his rod out of the water and stared at his empty hook. He clicked his tongue and casted it back out quickly, growing somewhat impatient. The young player let out a long sigh and lowered his head as he continued to think, "So, what about just joining Zandra's guild then? Does it matter which banner we unite everyone under?"

Edited April 19, 2020 by Beat