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F1 PP - Trade in the Shade | Nature's Treasure [Shield & Itzal]


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Passive [+1 EN] Battle Healing [+43 HP] Holy Blessing [+51 HPVampiric (Defensive) - [+0HP]

Post Action: None

Shield - HP:806/860 | EN:125/128 | DMG:1 | ACC:0 | MIT:133 | THN:88 | EVA:0 | BH:43 | LD:1 | V.D.:43 | HB:51 | TNT | ANT.FZ
Itzal - HP: 
820/820 | EN: 67/82 | DMG: 23/27 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 4 | MIT: 20 | SR: +5 | SD: +7 | LD: 5| T4 BLD 2 | T4 PRZ 1 | BH: 11 | Disguise: 0/5

[3,1] Gilded Hand - HP: 76/620 | DMG: 186 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2

Attack vs. Shield - ID# 188867 results: Craft: 10 [Failed to escape] MOB: 9+2=11 - Hit! 186+1-133=54 dmg

Abilities:
Knockdown Pro | MD: 10+: Target stunned, attacks again [Only once per turn]
Anxious              | Only attacks every 2 turns [Exception for <<Knockdown Pro>>]
Coward                | HP < 1/2: Automatically attempts to flee. Succeeds on a CD 12 or if all players in the party are stunned

The time and place for parsing out the finer details of the quest would come when the thorn was gone from their side. For now, the frantic hand was the top concern. Shield had been stalemated for embarrassingly long stretches of time before, but it was another thing to have more DPS-focused players stuck in a similar boat.

"It's times like this I wish I had more options to help, but that accuracy boost is about all I have, and that's on cool down for a little longer." The gilded hand feinted to the left, making a move as if it intended to jump back into the water, but as soon as Shield reacted, it planted a finger and pushed off towards the nearest hedge, making to lose them in the foliage. Shield had already committed his motion, but managed to flail out with his shield and clunk the monster in the back of its "head." It took no damage, but sprawled forward onto its masked face. With a flick, it kipped over onto its palm and started skittering on all fours towards its exit.

"Head him off, Are! I don't got this one!"

Edited by Shield
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Sick and tired of leaving everything to chance, Itzal's mind went to overtime as he scanned the area, even to the extent of using his searching skill, to look for anything he could use to trap this thing. Finally, reaching the end of his ropes, Itzal took his sword and made two huge swings at some small trees hear him, cleaving them off. Taking the two in his hands like spears, he noted Shield's current position and estimated where the guilded hand would end up. Running with all his might over, he scaled a tree real quick and just as the hand tripped and fell, Itzal jumped overhead, throwing both spear-like trees down at it, piercing two of it's fingers and preventing it from escaping. With that in play, he jumped down, his blade engulfed in dark red energy as he activated Shadow Explosion. He made no battle cry. He made no roar of fury or victory. This was what he did every day. Pin players down, apply the stun and chain them up, then throw them through a corridor crystal. This was a job at this point. His blade pierced the monster and it shattered very quickly, the two trees following suit. "Done." He said as he pulled his blade out of the dirt, swinging it to the side to throw the loose dirt off.

ID# 189020  BD: 7+3-2=8  HIT
ID# 189022  LD: 20+5  CD: 6
     12,680 col, 12 MAT, 3 T1 Perfect Weapons (unidentified)
6,340 Col each, 6 MAT each
Itzal gains 3 Perfect weapons

Spoiler

Shield - HP:806/860 | EN:125/128 | DMG:1 | ACC:0 | MIT:133 | THN:88 | EVA:0 | BH:43 | LD:1 | V.D.:43 | HB:51 | TNT | ANT.FZ
Itzal - HP: 
820/820 | EN: 67/82 | DMG: 23/27 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 4 | MIT: 20 | SR: +5 | SD: +7 | LD: 5| T4 BLD 2 | T4 PRZ 1 | BH: 11 | Disguise: 0/5
     Rank 4: Nova Ascension 0/1
     Rank 5: Meteor Break 1/2 | Shadow Explosion 0/3

[3,1] Gilded Hand - HP: 0/620 | DMG: 186 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2

Abilities:
Knockdown Pro | MD: 10+: Target stunned, attacks again [Only once per turn]
Anxious              | Only attacks every 2 turns [Exception for <<Knockdown Pro>>]
Coward                | HP < 1/2: Automatically attempts to flee. Succeeds on a CD 12 or if all players in the party are stunned

 

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Searching for chest - ID#:189024 - Loot Die: 16+1=17 - Chest found!

Breathing a sigh of relief, he straightened up and let his shoulders hang slack at his side. Rolling his head slowly, he let his weight settle back onto his heels. His head clear, he straightened back up. "Well, as frustrating as that was, I doubt I'll feel the need to dance with more of those creatures any time soon." He dismissed his shield and turned to look around the garden.

Fishing was no longer an option. Even if the ratio held of one hand to two chests found, it still wasn't worth the hassle. If gear on this floor was really and truly destined to be of a lesser tier, it wasn't worth the fight. He cast about, scanning the surrounding area to see if there were other opportunities for loot. As luck would have it, buried in the very hedge that the hand had fled towards, Shield spotted the outline of something rectangular and large.

"That's better," he thought aloud and set about dragging the hidden chest out into the open.

Edited by Shield
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Sheathing his blade, the rogue walked off to the side so that his old friend could open up the lock of the chest in piece. Aldion, who had lost all of his fighting capabilities with the update, simply sat there in the branches watching everything. In particular the raven kept it's eyes on the multicolored snake. It had never seen such a creature before and was incredibly baffled by it. Especially since it's scales did the opposite of concealing it, and instead with it's bright visage told other predators that it was poisonous, and to stay away. Even more so with how many crazy colors were on it's scales. Itzal in the meantime, sat down cross legged among the herbs, grass and the rest. Placing his hands down on his legs, he activated the meditation skill to help boost the out of combat recovery. He wanted to be ready for any sort of monster they might encounter next, and the sooner he did this, the sooner the skill's cooldown would actually reset. It was the perfect method. While the meditation skill worked, he opened his menu and began transferring the col and materials Shield deserved over to him. "I've received three perfect weapons. Did you wish to keep any of them?" Itzal asked, thinking about the swords he himself needed to obtain. "They're only tier one, but they could be useful to an appraiser."

Meditation activated: +16 EN
+1/3 energy out of combat

Meditation: 5/5
     Rank 4: Nova Ascension 0/1
     Rank 5: Meteor Break 0/2 | Shadow Explosion 2/3

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Opening Chest - ID#: 189034 - Loot: 15+7=24

24+ [250 Col, 12 materials, 1 Perfect Weapon, 1 Perfect Armor/Shield, 2 Perfect Consumables]

Shield shook his head as he knelt down beside his find. "More chances for you to ID something worthwhile. Besides, I essentially already have what I need to make the perfect weapon for my purposes. If there's anything I'd find useful from this trip's findings, it would be consumables, but even then I'd rather just buy from local shops."

Holding out his hand, Lilith took her cue and extended her scaly head from the cover of his sleeve. She flicked her tongue and inspected the lock, squeezing Shield's arm to communicate the difficulty of the lock. It seemed to be about identical to the last, and so Shield pulled a similar key from his key ring.

With a jingle and a click, the lock was open and presented a relatively decent haul, at least considering the floor they were on. "I think that's a good stopping point then." He took up the armor that had been offered him from the spot where it had been left, leaving behind the sword that he had placed beside it originally. "As long as we even out Col and materials between us, all I require is the armor. I'll transfer the rest to you on our way ou-"

"But you can't leave," howled the familiar voice of Nemo, the garden's keeper. "The... the monsters will be displeased if you take what's rightfully theirs!"

He came bustling over, his previously well-kept hair now a messy mane. This didn't smell right. There was something to his words - almost an indignation or anger. Something about his demeanor and desperation made the hairs on back of Shield's neck bristle. Subtly, he flicked his eyes over to Are and put his arm behind his back where his shield materialized, hopefully without the NPC's notice.

Spoiler

Col: 13,030
Materials: 31
Rare Weapons: [188150a]
Rare Consumables: [188150b] [188150c]
Perfect Weapons: [188277a] [
189022a] [189022b] [189022c] [189034a]
Perfect Armor/Shields: [188277b] [189034b]
Perfect Consumables: [188277c] [188277d] [189034c] [189034d]

 

Edited by Shield
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The merchant was ever shrewd and calculating he thought with a smile. "I appreciate that." He said as he closed the menu, forgoing the option of sending any of the weapons now that the offer had been turned down. Truth be told, he didn't think he'd get anything worthwhile out of these swords either. He still hadn't found a way to increase the tier of an item through the crafting system, and there weren't anymore stickers left to use. The bosses seemed to have stopped dropping those as well. Perhaps this was in preparation of when players could get powerful items on their own like with this update. Did Kayaba think that far ahead? (Meta comment: No... No he did not lol)  Regardless, if he did happen to gain some unique enhancements off of these, he would prefer them to be something that didn't require the strength of a tier. Absolute accuracy was the first that came to his mind. The second was phase. Neither required tier for strength, just slots. And both he could technically use. If he could get a sword with two accuracy, one absolute accuracy, and one phase, it would definitely help him more than a DoT weapon. For one it helped him hit stuff. For another, he could cut through their mitigation on critical hits. That was already a way better concept to him than- His searching skill went off. As Shield went to pick up the armor for the trade, Itzal immediately activated his stealth skill. In an instant he vanished into the shadows, unable to be detected by whatever approached. When Shield turned to look at Itzal, he'd see the rogue was already gone. In fact, the player was already scaling the trees so that he could land a surprise attack from above. This reeked of a boss battle. They try to leave and the npc comes rushing in finding excuses as to why they can't? His sword was drawn and ready...

ID# 189119  LD: 17+5=22 Stealth Rating.

Meditation: 4/5
     Rank 4: Nova Ascension 0/1
     Rank 5: Meteor Break 0/2 | Shadow Explosion 1/3

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Passive [N/A]

Post Action - Press the Attack [-9 EN]

Shield - HP:860/860 | EN:119/128 | DMG:1 | ACC:0 | MIT:133 | THN:88 | EVA:0 | BH:43 | LD:1 | V.D.:43 | HB:51 | TNT | ANT.FZ
Itzal - HP: 
820/820 | EN: 82/82 | DMG: 23/27 [+4] | ACC: 3 | EVA: 4 | MIT: 20 | SR: +5 | SD: +7 | LD: 5| T4 BLD 2 | T4 PRZ 1 | BH: 11 | Disguise: 0/5

HP: 720/720 | DMG: 226 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 100 - Separate BD

Abilities:
Twin Fangs [BD 9 + CD 8+] 140 unmitigatable damage.
Nature’s Roar [BD 10] 250 mitigatable damage.
Gaia’s Protection [HP 10]Fight ends - cannot be reduced below 10.

With Are already gone, Shield got the impression that they had come to the same conclusion. He turned his dark eyes back to the frazzled NPC"The only monster that we took anything directly from attacked us, and we dispatched it. It no longer has any need for its loot. Nor do whatever creatures abandoned their ches-"

"It isn't yours to take!" spat Nemo, his form now towering over Shield. It only took him a moment to recall that before the groundskeeper had been shorter than him by several inches. He leaped back, raising his fist and ducking behind his shield. The buff he used bolstered the attack of the hidden ally that had apparently taken to the shadows. Long fangs extended from Nemo's jws, and a new nametag replaced the old.

"Nemo, the wind of Gaia, huh? Sounds pretty presumptuous of a glorified gardener."

Edited by Shield
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Watching from above as the human npc transformed himself into a massive green dragon with three wings, he didn't really note any legs, so it was probably styled moreso after Chinese culture dragons than European. At any rate, the creature didn't notice him when it transformed and it was about to launch an attack on Shield when Itzal let go and plummeted down to the boss below. His blade turned crimson again as he emerged from stealth and sunk his blade deep, deep into the zone between it's wing joints and the base of it's neck. He heard the creature scream before it twisted it's body to get to him. With his blade stuck in there he was subject to it's fury, struck by it's powerful talons as it raked at him in the hopes of getting him off. He hoped to get off too, and with the attack's help he was able to dislodge his blade and was flung off. Luckily he had the acrobatics mod, and it's aid allowed him to adjust the angle of his body to slow his descent, and land on the side of a tree, bent his knees, and pushed the rest of the way towards the ground where he rolled to prevent more damage. He watched as his rank one battle healing recovered a sliver of his health. "You're up guardian." He called out. Both as a title for his class, but also as his own personal throwback to old times.

Stealth ID: 189121  LD: 12+5=17
Attack ID: 189122  BD: 7-2+3=8  27+4*16-100=396 DMG  -8 EN Surprise Attack, -16 EN SA

+1 EN,  +10 HP

Gaia's Attack:  ID# 189186  MD: 9  CD: 8  226-20+140=346 damage
 

Spoiler

 

Shield - HP:860/860 | EN:119/128 | DMG:1 | ACC:0 | MIT:133 | THN:88 | EVA:0 | BH:43 | LD:1 | V.D.:43 | HB:51 | TNT | ANT.FZ
Itzal - HP:
484/820 | EN: 59/82 | DMG: 23/27 [+4] | ACC: 3 | EVA: 4 | MIT: 20 | SR: +5 | SD: +7 | LD: 5| T4 BLD 2 | T4 PRZ 1 | BH: 11 | Disguise: 0/5
     Skills: Meditation 3/5
     Rank 4: Nova Ascension 0/1
     Rank 5: Meteor Strike 2/2 | Shadow Explosion 0/3

HP: 324/720 | DMG: 226 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 100 - Separate BD

Abilities:
Twin Fangs [BD 9 + CD 8+] 140 unmitigatable damage.
Nature’s Roar [BD 10] 250 mitigatable damage.
Gaia’s Protection [HP 10]Fight ends - cannot be reduced below 10.

 

 

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Passive [+1 EN] Battle Healing [+43 HP] Holy Blessing [+51 HPVampiric (Defensive) - [+0HP]

Post Action: Focused Howl > Nemo [-3 EN]

Shield - HP:860/860 | EN:117/128 | DMG:1 | ACC:0 | MIT:133 | THN:88 | EVA:0 | BH:43 | LD:1 | V.D.:43 | HB:51 | TNT | ANT.FZ
Itzal - HP: 
484/820 | EN: 59/82 | DMG: 23/27 [+4] | ACC: 3 | EVA: 4 | MIT: 20 | SR: +5 | SD: +7 | LD: 5| T4 BLD 2 | T4 PRZ 1 | BH: 11 | Disguise: 0/5
     Skills: Meditation 3/5
     Rank 4: Nova Ascension 0/1
     Rank 5: Meteor Strike 2/2 | Shadow Explosion 0/3

[6,1] HP: 324/720 | DMG: 226 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 100 - Separate BD

Abilities:
Twin Fangs [BD 9 + CD 8+] 140 unmitigatable damage.
Nature’s Roar [BD 10] 250 mitigatable damage.
Gaia’s Protection [HP 10]Fight ends - cannot be reduced below 10.

Shield winced slightly as he saw the blow that the boss dealt a nasty set of scratches to Are. He as still in better shape than the enemy, which was good, but if anyone was taking damage besides him, Shield wasn't doing his job. Planting both feet firmly in the grass, he expanded his ribcage, air rushing in through his nose to fill his lungs before he compressed the gathered air. Gaping his mouth, he unleashed a gale of wind and sound, blasting the dragon's head with a cone of force.

"HEY, SCALY! YOU'RE THE MOST BASIC TROPE THERE IS!" he mocked. "'OH NO! A FRIENDLY NPC THAT LEADS US SOMEWHERE MAGICAL, BUT IS SECRETLY A DRAGON!?' GIMME A BREAK!" The words were empty and pointless, but roasting enemies with his howls had long been one of his favorite ways to spice up battles. He slapped the face of his shield with the a gauntlet and glared up at the beast which was their only thing obstructingicting them from escaping back to the first floor proper.

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With the howl skill activated, the massive green feathered dragon turned it's attention to Shield and snaked through the air to strike him. However, it's attacks seemed light and quick, not a good idea against a tank. "You can't blame him for it," Itzal chuckled with a grin, joining in on Shield's fun little taunt. "He can't help that big daddy Kayaba didn't pay him enough attention. He just wants mister senpai to notice him" He was only made to be more amused when it flicked it's tail at him which he easily managed to dodge as a "stay out of this" kind of answer. Taking his black blade and lighting it up with his sword art, he rushed at the boss. However the creature was faster than he gave it credit for, and it weaved through the air around him trying to confuse him. And it kind of worked. The way it twisted through the air caused reflections in the light that gave off minor illusions. The only way he was able to identify the real one was with the help of the search skill. Without it, he was a poor mortal with no chance of seeing it. That, and Aldion also flew in and plucked one of it's feathers, which halted it's movements temporarily, growling in annoyance.

Itzal's Attack:  ID# 189187  BD: 3+3-2=4  Miss..  -1 EN

Gaia's Attack:  ID# 189189  MD: 4  Miss

+1 En, +10 HP

Spoiler

Shield - HP:860/860 | EN:117/128 | DMG:1 | ACC:0 | MIT:133 | THN:88 | EVA:0 | BH:43 | LD:1 | V.D.:43 | HB:51 | TNT | ANT.FZ
Itzal - HP: 
494/820 | EN: 59/82 | DMG: 23/27 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 4 | MIT: 20 | SR: +5 | SD: +7 | LD: 5| T4 BLD 2 | T4 PRZ 1 | BH: 11 | Disguise: 0/5
     Skills: Meditation 2/5
     Rank 4: Nova Ascension 0/1
     Rank 5: Meteor Strike 1/2 | Shadow Explosion 0/3

[6,1] HP: 324/720 | DMG: 226 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 100 - Separate BD

Abilities:
Twin Fangs [BD 9 + CD 8+] 140 unmitigatable damage.
Nature’s Roar [BD 10] 250 mitigatable damage.
Gaia’s Protection [HP 10]Fight ends - cannot be reduced below 10.

 

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Passive [+1 EN] Battle Healing [+43 HP] Holy Blessing [+51 HPVampiric (Defensive) - [+0HP]

Post Action: Inspiring Speech [-7 EN]

Shield - HP:860/860 | EN:111/128 | DMG:1 | ACC:0 | MIT:133 | THN:88 | EVA:0 | BH:43 | LD:1 | V.D.:43 | HB:51 | TNT | ANT.FZ
Itzal - HP: 
494/820 | EN: 60/82 | DMG: 23/27 [+4] | ACC: 3 | EVA: 4 | MIT: 20 | SR: +5 | SD: +7 | LD: 5| T4 BLD 2 | T4 PRZ 1 | BH: 11 | Disguise: 0/5
     Skills: Meditation 3/5
     Rank 4: Nova Ascension 0/1
     Rank 5: Meteor Strike 2/2 | Shadow Explosion 0/3

[6,1] HP: 324/720 | DMG: 226 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 100 - Separate BD

Abilities:
Twin Fangs [BD 9 + CD 8+] 140 unmitigatable damage.
Nature’s Roar [BD 10] 250 mitigatable damage.
Gaia’s Protection [HP 10]Fight ends - cannot be reduced below 10.

With the ease with which Are had disappeared before, it was hard to say if the dice had fallen in his favor or if he was a true stealth build. After all, some players that Shield had partied with in the past were constantly employing the Vanish mod and chose fewer but more decisive attacks. Regardless, if he planned to keep popping in and out of sight, it was probably smarter for Shield to buff him for attacks only when he was in the process of attacking. In the mean time, the faster they could cycle that last art, the better.

Raising his fist once again, he called out to the other player. "No mind, no mind! One miss won't make a difference! Just like the hand, even with a few bad swings, this guy isn't long for this world!" Are's form was bathed momentarily in light, counting down an extra tick off of each of his recovering abilities.

Edited by Shield
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Hearing the quick speech from his partner, he looked at him confused, and was even more confused when he felt an emotional tug that wasn't his own whatsoever. However that confusion washed away the moment he saw his cooldowns skip a segment. Aaah, so this was what the leadership mods felt like when they were activated on you. While he hadn't needed this immediately, it was nice to know he had it. "Let's see if my luck agrees with you on that one." The rogue said before leaping backwards into the shadows of the forest, vanishing from view. While he could make exits and entrances look cool and mysterious, he felt a little silly doing so. He just landed like normal and snuck his way around the battlefield looking for an opening really. It wasn't all that impressive. Dodging sunrays as he maneuvered through the shade of the forest's canopy, he watched the fight continue. Gaia was still trying to penetrate Shield's armor but paused for a moment when it noticed that Itzal was gone again. It looked around, but even when looking in his direction it didn't spot him. While normally Itzal would believe this to be too easy, he knew his luck wouldn't have that. All he had to do was hope for the best at this point...

Itzal uses Vanish!  -5 EN  ID#  189191  LD: 11+5=16

Gaia's Attack:  ID#  189192  MD:  5  Miss

+1 EN,  +10 HP

Spoiler
Shield - HP:860/860 | EN:111/128 | DMG:1 | ACC:0 | MIT:133 | THN:88 | EVA:0 | BH:43 | LD:1 | V.D.:43 | HB:51 | TNT | ANT.FZ

Itzal - HP: 504/820 | EN: 56/82 | DMG: 23/27 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 4 | MIT: 20 | SR: +5 | SD: +7 | LD: 5| T4 BLD 2 | T4 PRZ 1 | BH: 11 | Disguise: 0/5
     Skills: Meditation 0/5
     Rank 4: Nova Ascension 0/1
     Rank 5: Meteor Strike 0/2 | Shadow Explosion 1/3

[6,1] HP: 324/720 | DMG: 226 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 100 - Separate BD

Abilities:
Twin Fangs [BD 9 + CD 8+] 140 unmitigatable damage.
Nature’s Roar [BD 10] 250 mitigatable damage.
Gaia’s Protection [HP 10]Fight ends - cannot be reduced below 10.

 

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Passive [+1 EN] Battle Healing [+43 HP] Holy Blessing [+51 HPVampiric (Defensive) - [+0HP]

Post Action: Rally [-6 EN]

Shield - HP:860/860 | EN:106/128 | DMG:1 | ACC:0 [-1] | MIT:133 | THN:88 | EVA:0 | BH:43 | LD:1 | V.D.:43 | HB:51 | TNT | ANT.FZ

Itzal - HP: 504/820 | EN: 56/82 | DMG: 23/27 | ACC: 3 [+1] | EVA: 4 | MIT: 20 | SR: +5 | SD: +7 | LD: 5| T4 BLD 2 | T4 PRZ 1 | BH: 11 | Disguise: 0/5
     Skills: Meditation 0/5
     Rank 4: Nova Ascension 0/1
     Rank 5: Meteor Strike 0/2 | Shadow Explosion 1/3

[6,1] HP: 324/720 | DMG: 226 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 100 - Separate BD

Abilities:
Twin Fangs [BD 9 + CD 8+] 140 unmitigatable damage.
Nature’s Roar [BD 10] 250 mitigatable damage.
Gaia’s Protection [HP 10]Fight ends - cannot be reduced below 10.

Moments later and Are was gone again. That told Shield all he needed to know, and he was already raising his fist to deliver another buff.

It's a little like partying with Hik again. Then again, he's how I was tipped off about this place in the first place, so that may be appropriate.

For a moment, thinking about Hikoru, his old guild mate, something fresh touched his memories from that time. Something he had just seen or felt - a nearby presence. As soon as he recalled the feeling it was gone, and the fight drew him back to the current moment.

Letting out a slow breath, he let his eyes go out of focus. The concentration that he released would hopefully find the hidden player and give him the needed concentration to deliver another blow. Likely not a killing strike, given the buffs that had been stacked up for that first hit, but one could always hope. The accuracy buff engaged, shield thought a single hope into the ether, knowing it would likely do little to nothing, but a sincere hope none the less.

...Focus...

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Itzal was still trying to find the right angle and eventually he believed he spotted it. When Shield's mod had activated, his vision enhanced and he smiled. He was going to make the attack regardless, but the bonus to his accuracy had only confirmed his suspicions. He ducked behind a tree just in time to avoid Gaia's face before it was distracted by Aldion and forced to focus on the battle once again. Taking a moment to prep his blade, he began to rush out from the shadows. He made no sound as he made low leaps across the ground, almost seeming to glide over the dead leaves, placing his feet down only on the soil, before making one long jump up above Gaia. Grasping his sword with two hands, it burst with dark red energy before he buried it deep into Gaia's back. The same, exact spot which he had stabbed earlier. Gaia let out a howl of pain, not expecting this attack, let alone the pain of a blade digging deeper than before into his back, probably his spine. The creature quickly abandoned it's attack and crashed into the ground. Recovering surprisingly quickly, it slithered off into the forest and paused to look at them. "Curse you... Trespassers... Desecrators... You would destroy such a realm of peace and balance.... Curse you both!" With that the boss slithered off into the darkness. Itzal picked the sword off the ground and sheathed it. "That strike would have brought the boss to negative eight points of health. Guess it can't ever be killed. An eternal guardian of a garden destined to be plundered for all of time... Sounds like a tragic, albeit cheesy folk tale or poem."

Stealth Check:  ID#  189195  LD: 6+5=11
Itzal Attacks with Surprise Attack!  -8 EN, -16 EN  ID# 189193  BD: 7+3-2=8  27*16-100=332 Damage
Gaia Attacks!  ID#  189194  MD: 2

+10 HP, +1 EN

Spoiler

Shield - HP:860/860 | EN:106/128 | DMG:1 | ACC:0 [-1] | MIT:133 | THN:88 | EVA:0 | BH:43 | LD:1 | V.D.:43 | HB:51 | TNT | ANT.FZ

Itzal - HP: 514/820 | EN: 33/82 | DMG: 23/27 | ACC: 3 [+1] | EVA: 4 | MIT: 20 | SR: +5 | SD: +7 | LD: 5| T4 BLD 2 | T4 PRZ 1 | BH: 11 | Disguise: 0/5
     Skills/Mods: Meditation 0/5 | Vanish 3/3
     Rank 4: Nova Ascension 0/1
     Rank 5: Meteor Strike 2/2 | Shadow Explosion 0/3

[6,1] HP: 10/720 | DMG: 226 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 100 - Separate BD

Abilities:
Twin Fangs [BD 9 + CD 8+] 140 unmitigatable damage.
Nature’s Roar [BD 10] 250 mitigatable damage.
Gaia’s Protection [HP 10]Fight ends - cannot be reduced below 10.

 

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Shield nodded, silently agreeing to both the cheese and the folklore-esque quality to the situation. "It's hardly a new concept, but it's one I haven't specifically seen in SAO before. Even if it's spitting out cards we've seen before, it's at least a diverse nenough deck that we're not seeing a ton of repeats."

Banishing his shield, he motioned with his head in the direction from which they had been led. "I think our business can be concluded as we make our way out, don't you?" Truth told, Shield had seen more than enough of this little corner of Aincrad already, and the rewards were not what he might have hoped. It might be useful to some, but for now, he needed to keep exploring to find where the good fishing and hunting spots truly were.

That's assuming any of them are worthwhile. Might be we have to face end-game content in order to find meta loot now. I have yet to hear of grinding spots that are both safe and lucrative....

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Walking over to Orgoth's Legacy which was still sitting in the ground, he pulled it out and with a flourish, sent it into his inventory storage for later.  "Indeed. From what I've seen thus far of the update, it doesn't seem like quests or floors will lack unique lore or content anymore. And from what we can tell from the monsters and bosses of this quest, it seems the challenges we face will be diverse in their own right as well." The black raven familiar of Itzal's flew down from the branches and landed onto his shoulders. "Caw! Caw!" The raven seemed to be congratulating their victory, which was nice of him Itzal thought. However the battle lasted a lot shorter than the one against the guilded hand. Maybe he should be focusing on his burst attacks more often than he thought originally... As Shield suggested they begin returning to where the entrance was, Itzal nodded in agreement and took the lead, using his searching skill to look out for wandering monsters, and leading them around said mobs. He didn't really come here for materials anyways. He didn't have the gathering proficiency... Yet. But that would change soon after this meeting. "It was a pleasure to fight alongside you outside of a floor raid. I'm usually too occupied to meet up with any of the other frontliners." He then chuckled. "Then again, I'm fairly certain half of them dislike me for my appearance, and the other half for how I handle matters."

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Shield gave a slight shrug. "You can't please everyone," he said matter of factly. "It seems that you have your reasons for keeping yourself hidden," he went on, trying to think how best to sum up his sentiments. They were complicated, and in some ways maybe more critical than was merited. After a moment, he settled on a conclusion for the thought.

"Still," he said, turning a few words over in his head. "It's not good for a person to spend too much time playing Superman. Just make sure you're taking time to drop the cape and be a regular citizen here and there, or the blue and red pajamas will only do you so much good."

Unfortunately, Shield had been too busy keeping an eye out for responses to his ad on the way in to retrace their steps on the way back out.

Guess I can be a little hit and miss regarding where I exercise my tendency towards being meticulous. Might need to be more careful...

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They were in firm agreement that not everyone was able to be made happy, or at least content. Itzal had learned that harsh lesson when Hirru chose to betray every player in Aincrad by defending the floor boss which blocked their way to freedom. And he came to the conclusion that he was likely to anger other players. But honestly, he really didn't mind that anymore. Players could hate Itzal for speaking, but he only spoke the truth when he did. Hestia tried to make the frontlines look like immortal Gods, and Itzal quickly crushed that concept to the newcomers, and warned them to take every precaution, and to only join if they were willing to risk their lives, telling them what happened at the fallen event. When players encouraged a newcomer who barely qualified for the frontlines to tank a boss that was reported to be far more powerful than anything they'd fought before, he stood firmly against them stating that she shouldn't tank this session, and instead focus on getting stronger and acting as support or dps for the time being. He was right on that area too, as she nearly died, having lost nearly all her health from a single attack. Yet everyone was enranged that he spoke up, only calmed down slightly by his suggestion that the topic moved forward. When Shield continued he couldn't help but give a slight laugh. "I have a confession to make. I have no idea who Superman is. I know of batman vaguely, but not enough to take valuable information from that." He turned and smiled to his friend, though he couldn't see it. "But don't worry. I enjoy a normal life as well. I have my hobbies, my special places I like to visit. My relaxation spots. I used to know everything about each floor, though I'll need to do another scouting mission to update my maps."

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"There's not much to know," Shield said, a false statement to be sure, but one that he would love to make in front of a comic book nerd just to watch their eyes bug out of their head. "Alien from a dead planet, came here as a baby, light from yellow stars empowers him with flight and super speed and super strength and every other BS power under the sun. Point of bringing him up is just that a lot of people consider Clark Kent, his disguise to blend in to the population, to be the real costume, while his spandex super self is who he actually is."

They passed the entrance to the garden and Shield directed himself towards the Town of Beginnings. He didn't know how long Are would accompany him, but either way he didn't mind the company for the time being. "Contrast that with Bruce Wayne or Barry Allen, who live their lives by their birth names and then have as super hero alter ego under which they hide their identity to fight crime."

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Aaaah, so that was how it worked Itzal thought. No wonder Shield was concerned. It was less about whether he was always wearing the mask, and more so about whether he was the mask. "To be honest, that kind of sounds like Goku from an animation called Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. Only, minus the sun." He chuckled a bit before continuing. "Now that I know what you mean, I can once again alleviate your fears. No. I would not be superman. Are is nothing more than an alias. I never wanted to go around beating up players. However after the things that I've witnessed, and how poorly people have handled player killers thus far, I felt something had to be done. Their activity has been dying down, but I'm worried this update is going to get them riled up again..." The two of them finally reached the entrance slash exit of the garden... Slash dungeon. As they reached it he turned to say farewell. "I'm pleased we were able to meet in person outside of meetings and raids where everyone is on edge. It was a pleasure to formally meet you Shield." With that he ran to the forest, scaled a tree and activated stealth before jumping from branch to branch, no longer visible to players or monsters.

Divider.jpg

THREAD COMPLETED!

ITZAL

1,648 EXP (includes 3%)
6,904 Col (includes 10%)
6 MAT
3 T1 Perfect Weapons [189022]

SHIELD

1,648 EXP (includes 3%)
13,194 Col (includes 10%)
31 MAT
Rare Weapons: [188150a]
Rare Consumables: [188150b] [188150c]
Perfect Weapons: [188277a] [
189022a] [189022b] [189022c] [189034a]
Perfect Armor/Shields: [188277b] [189034b]
Perfect Consumables: [188277c] [188277d] [189034c] [189034d]

Unique Skill Attempt:
[189569] BD: 4 CD: 12 LD: 19  MOB: 3

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