[PP - F01] Demons in the Distance <<Nature's Treasure>>

[Shield 0]

Quest

Spoiler

Any Floor
<<Nature’s Treasures: Little Eden>>
Party Limit: 4 | 20+ Posts
Repeatable

Quest Rewards:

• Any materials and loot that you find/gather.

Requirements:

• Speak with Nemo about a special dungeon near the edge of the floor.
• Roleplay travelling to Little Eden (minimum of four posts) with Nemo.
• Optional: Defeat rare monsters for loot.
• Optional: Go fishing in the river for treasure.
• Optional: Search for chests.
• Optional: Search for materials throughout the garden.
• Defeat  <<Nemo, Wind of Gaia>> (only available for the first time clearing this quest).

Summary:

A rumor has begun to spread far and wide across Aincrad. Players and NPCs alike speak of a special dungeon that offers great wealth and riches for those that can defeat its guardian. Players speak of a lonely NPC that cares for the garden held within its depths, and guides anyone who requests to enter it. However, NPCs warn of a powerful monster that lurks within, attacking players who dare to “steal” from the garden, leaving them gravely injured, or simply killing them outright. You search out the NPC, seeking to enter the garden, and gather materials and loot. Eventually, you come across the NPC introducing himself as Nemo. He guides you to Little Eden, showing the way to the garden within the depths of the dungeon.

As you begin to gather materials, loot chests, fish in the river, and defeat monsters, you notice that Nemo seems to be growing more and more agitated with your  actions. When you make ready to leave, Nemo forcibly stops you, demanding that you return what you have taken. Your eyes focus on his name and health bar, and, much to your horror, you see that somehow his health pool has grown significantly larger, and his name has changed. It seems that the boss was really Nemo in disguise.

After defeating Nemo, he concedes to your strength, and gifts you a special crystal that activates a warp panel at the center of the garden, allowing you to leave the Garden.

Outline: 

After accepting the quest, you travel alongside Nemo to Little Eden, and make your way into the depths of Little Eden, reaching the garden at its very core. You have the option of fighting rare mobs, each of them offering their own challenges and granting increased rewards upon their defeat. <<Gilded hands>>, which are rare mobs not spawned by usual means, grant a bonus 1000*Tier col and 3*Tier Materials upon their defeat.

Upon trying to leave the dungeon, you will be unable to find the way that you came in, and will have your way blocked by Nemo, who transforms into the dungeon boss.

The following bonuses are applied when performing the following actions in Little Eden:

• Gathering | LD rolls of 11-14 give 1 material.  LD rolls of 15+ give 2 materials. For players with the Gatherer Profession, this works alongside their profession's material-gathering chart. CD thresholds are also reduced by 1.
• Fishing | A natural CD roll of 1-3 fishes up a <<Gilded Hand>> mob. For players with the Fishing Profession, CD thresholds for the Fishing Skill are reduced by 1.
• Treasure Chests | A natural LD of 1-3 results in two <<Gilded Hand>> mobs.
• Looting Mobs | Mobs that satisfy the loot minimum always drop (HP * 4) col and 1 Material as default drops, before other upgrades and aspects of the loot table are taken into account.
   

---

NPCs:

<<Nemo>>
A kind gardener that cares for and tends to the many plants and mobs that live in Little Eden. He happily guides players there, though he gives them a warning about “stealing” from the garden. Nemo will greet the player as a friend on repeat visits. However, he does not seem to remember fighting the player, and will react in a confused manner if questioned about it, brushing aside any questions of the sort. Gets upset with the player if they kill mobs while he is nearby, expressing pain at their actions towards the creatures of the garden.

---

Enemies:

<<Orchid Nymph>>
A large flower-like creature that resembles a cross between a preying mantis, a spider, and an orchid blossom. Attacks are swift and painful, and can cause swift paralysis if players are not careful while fighting them

HP: Loot Standard (Any tier)
DMG: Loot Standard (Any tier)

Abilities:

• Venomous Claws | Crits cause paralysis and inflict Toxic Venom matching the player's tier for 2 turns.

<<Snapdragon>>
A small dragon that pretends to be a flower until an unsuspecting traveler tries to pull it out of the ground, causing it to reveal its true nature. Don’t let its small size fool you, the fangs of this small dragon can pierce through even the toughest steel

HP: Loot Standard (Any tier)
DMG: Loot Standard (Any tier)

Abilities:

• Piercing Crunch | Gains <<Phase>> on a natural MD of 9 or 10.

<<Mossy Wolf>>
A direwolf formed from the earth of the floor, attacks in packs, and is able to drain the life of players away in order to heal itself.

HP: Loot Standard (Any tier)
DMG: Loot Standard (Any tier)

Abilities:

• Leeching Fang | On a natural MD of 9 or 10, this mob heals for 10% of the final damage dealt to its target.

<<Knight of Gaia>>
A large, silvery creature with razor-sharp blades on its hands, it attacks with vicious precision, aiming to slow them down, and drain away their health at a steady rate.

HP: Loot Standard (Any tier)
DMG: Loot Standard (Any tier)
ACC: 3

Abilities:

• Debilitate | On a natural MD of 9 or 10, the mob strikes the player with a heavy blow, inflicting Bleed matching the Player's Tier for two turns, and applying a -2 evasion debuff to the player hit.

<<Gilded Hand>>
A strange glove that has developed a head, and glimmers with a faint golden sheen. It aims to debilitate or severely weaken players so that it can flee from them. Only encountered through fishing and through opening chests.

HP: Loot Standard (Any tier)
DMG: Loot Standard (Any tier)
ACC: 2
EVA: 2

Abilities:

• Knockdown Pro | On a natural 10, Gilded Hand applies a stun to their target, and attacks a second time.  This effect can only occur once per turn.
• Anxious | This mob only attacks every other turn, unless attacking multiple times in a row due to <<Knockdown Pro>>.
• Coward | Gilded Hand attempts to flee automatically when their health falls below half. Successfully escapes on a CD 12. <<Gilded Hands>> automatically flee if all players in the party are stunned.

<<Nemo, the Wind of Gaia>>
The true form of Nemo. A ferocious green dragon that is as nimble and swift as the flowing wind. Attacks swiftly and powerfully, attempting to kill the player for trespassing and desecrating his home

HP: Loot Standard + 25*Tier
DMG: Loot Standard + 10*Tier
EVA: 2
MIT: 25*Tier
This mob uses its own BD roll when attacking.

Abilities:

• Twin Fangs | On a natural BD of 9 with a CD of 8+, the boss tears into the player with razor sharp fangs, inflicting 35*Tier unmitigatable damage.
• Nature’s Roar | On a natural BD of 10, Nemo unleashes a gust of wind on the player, inflicting 65*Tier mitigatable damage.
• Gaia’s Protection | Nemo cannot be reduced below 10 HP, and the fight ends once the player reduces his health to this level.

Shield

Spoiler

Shield - HP:920/920 | EN:128/128 | DMG:1 | ACC:0 | MIT:167 | THN:88 | EVA:0 | BH:50 | LD:0 | V.D.:50 | HB:60 | TNT | ANT.FZ | GS:151 [17/17]
» Shield	The Immovable Object
Modified HP:	920
Modified EN:	128
Modified MIT:	167
Modified ACC:	0
Modified DMG:	1
Modified EVA:	0
Battle Heal:	50
Loot Die:	7
Temp Buff:	Good Luck Chuck - T1 Perfect LD Food
Temp Buff:
Temp Buff:
» Base Stats
Base HP:	920
Base EN:	128
Base MIT:	167
Base ACC:	0
Base DMG:	1
Base EVA:	0
Battle Heal:	46
Loot Die:	0
» Items Equipped:
Trinket	Seeking Aura - T1 Perfect Trinket [Loot Die / Loot Die / Loot Die]
Armor	Blessed Greaves - T4 Demonic Heavy Armor [Mitigation / Mitigation / Holy Blessing / Holy Blessing]
Armor	Naudia's Allure - T4 Demonic Heavy Armor [Holy Blessing / Mitigation / Vampiric (Defensive) / Taunt]
Extra	Dimensional Backpack - Battle Ready Inventory Slots [+1]
Extra	Wedding Ring - Mitigation [+18]
Extra	Hammerspace Backpack - Inventory Slot Capacity [+2]
Extra
Extra
» Combat Mastery:	Mitigation | Rank 3
» Familiar:	Lilith | Bush Viper | Protector
» Totem:	Yamata no Orochi (LD +1)
» Battle-Ready Inventory:
Slot 1	Gungnir's Shard [Instant Song of Healing] x17
Slot 2	Manticore Mask - T4 Demonic Shield [Thorns / Thorns / Frost Aura / Frost Aura]
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5
Dimensional Backpack
Storage Closet
» Skills:
	Heavy Armor | Rank 5
	Fighting Spirit | No Ranks
	Battle Healing | Rank 5
	Howl | No Ranks
	Extended Weight Limit | No Ranks
	Extended Mod Limit | No Ranks
» Extra Skills:
	Block | Rank 5
	Survival
	Parry
» Mods:
1	Focused Howl
2	Iron Skin
3	Shield Bash
4	Large Pockets
5	Rampart
	Justified Riposte
	Vengeful Riposte

Post Action

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192444 - Loot: 18+7=25 - Material Found +2 Bounus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 3
Total EXP: 3

There was little that could be done about the chaos of the sweeping changes that had poured forth from the boss room of the twenty fifth floor. With the second quarter of Aincrad cracked open, the first was turned on its ear. In the aftermath, a once unkillable tank had found his health and defense shattered. Now, for the moment, his gear was still decent, but the landscape for the meta of his build had shifted, and he found himself once again in need of materials to kickstart the next stage of his build's evolution.

It was for this very reason that he found himself venturing to the first floor, a place where he had spent little to no time in well over a year other than to recruit players to Jacob's Ladder. What's more, he was in the same garden that had once seemed entirely pointless to one of higher level. Munching on the haunch of meat that he had brought with him, he spotted a small glint in the grass, bending down to retrieve a single tear-drop shaped piece of clear crystal, finding two more underneath.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192446 - Loot: 6+7 [Applying Versatile Housing Bonus] +1=14 - Material Found +1 bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 5
Total EXP: 6

"What a mess, what a mess," he sighed to himself. He glanced over his shoulder, spotting the once nervous Nemo guarding the entrance to the garden where he now hunted. Although he knew that the items he'd found would not be Demonic Shards, Shield still couldn't help feeling a twinge of disappointment. "It's gonna be a long grind before those are possible, at least from what others have said. Put it out of mind."

He scanned the grass leading up to the edge of the nearest of many glistening ponds. There among the pebbles at the water's edge, he could see the shining scales of some elegant creature that had likely been basking peacefully before his heavy-booted approach had startled it. Likely, it was still in the water nearby, but he knew that any mobs not found while fishing or opening chests would not attack unprovoked. He collected them and stored them away.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192447 - Loot: 19+7=26 - Material Found + 2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 8
Total EXP: 9

Scouting further around the edge of the water, Shield continued to pace. His feet stepped carefully over the uneven stones that made up much of the bank. "The real trick is," he mused aloud, "I can only ever gather one of the two needed materials to forge next end loot. However, on the plus side, the one that I chose is the more universally needed one, so trading can be an option. I just hope someone I know has taken up fishing." With another sigh, Shield reminisced on how simple it had once been for him to find the kinds of items he might need to grind for better gear. "Maybe one day."

This wistful imagining was interrupted once again though as he stumbled upon another cluster of scales. Gathering them up, he stored them away. "I don't even need these... I have enough materials to last me until Kayaba come!"

Edited May 10, 2021 by Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192448 - Loot: 6+7=13 - No Material Found +1 Bonus
EXP Gained: 1
Total Materials: 9
Total EXP: 10

At this rate, he would likely reach the rank necessary to find what he needed in, what, a month? A year? It was hard to say. Regardless though, aside from simply continuing to grind for experience with Freyd, this was the only other goal he could work toward in the short term. "He might be the first player I've watched actively pass me," he said with a slight smirk. His entire career in Aincrad had either been spent catching up to other front liners, leaving them in the metaphorical dust, or as was often the case, one and then the other.

He continued to wander, almost deciding that the water was no longer going to be his ally before spotting one last scale sitting nicely on top of a rock. Sadly, this one was by itself.

Not like I need more. Still could be one day I can use them to sweeten a deal for Gleaming Scales or something of the like.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192449 - Loot: 5+7=12 - No Material Found +1 Bonus
EXP Gained: 1
Total Materials: 10
Total EXP: 11

With the fishing hole fished out, or at least its borders empty of scales, Shield decided a searching break was in order and pulled open his gear notes. "So at this rate, how plausible is it to have a farming set of armor? Something that instead of being pure defense offers purely offense on top of my existing Thorns..." Shield sat down and scoured the list of enhancements that he had encountered that might add to his offensive defense.

"The only things not accounted for are Frost Thorns and Flame Thorns... and that is entirely enough to fill a full demonic suit of armor. If something is beefy but doesn't hit very hard, that's not a bad defense." Shield made some scribbles before closing the document. At his feet, he spotted another of the tear-dropped shaped crystals. He almost wondered if he had missed it before, but it was in the wrong direction. There was something depositing them, or else perhaps they just spawned randomly."

Edited May 10, 2021 by Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192450 - Loot: 8+7=15 - Material Found +2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 13
Total EXP: 14

A thought occurred to Shield, and he popped his notes back open. With the thought of going full offense, Shield wondered if there was an option for going full defense. "So with full offense, it requires Naudia's Allure for full Vampiric and a little bit of Holy Blessing. The rest of Holy Blessing is filled by the Blessed Greaves. The only remaining healing available from enhancements that will do me any good will be the offensive form of Vampiric..." Shield frowned. "That would completely remove a shield from my build, unless I were to convert an existing item or building an entirely new shield altogether."

He frowned, continuing his pacing absentmindedly away from the pond and towards a row of well tended hedges. This led him down a line of flowering shrubberies. Pausing by one cluster of violet blooms, Shield spotted an item tag on several of them, and he made quick work of gathering them up.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192451 - Loot: 6+7=13 - No Material Found +1 Bonus
EXP Gained: 1
Total Materials: 14
Total EXP: 15

Slowing his pace, Shield continued scanning the planted row of flowers, picking another blossom from its stem before deciding he had gathered all that he could - or close enough. As he made towards the hedges once again, he felt a familiar movement in the sleeve of his tunic. "Good morning, Lilith," he chirped brightly, or relatively so given his normally subdued demeanor. "How is the new defender?"

It was an odd thing, trying to retrain the bush viper, but he found a good skill in her skill tree that gave him a very slight defensive edge. With her bright colors, Shield had managed to put the right points into an ability to solidify a sort of crystalline carapace over the top of her body. It was fragile, and would shatter immediately upon contact, but it was just enough to take the edge off of powerful hits, and it didn't cause her any harm.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192452 - Loot: 8+7=15 - Material Found +2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 17
Total EXP: 18

Lilith gave a sleepy, gaping yawn, her fangs squirming like fingers from their muscular bases. These fangs were now entirely cosmetic. Once upon a time, they had stored a healing salve. They had been a crucial part of Shield's healing defenses. However, now that he had Gungnir's Shard lined up, not only did he have a more potent emergency heal, but it did not have a cool down. Sure, it was limited to a certain number of charges before it would burn out. "If I'm fighting something where I need more than seventeen heals, I probably deserve what I would get."

As he thought this out loud, he remembered the rumblings that had drifted up to his ears from the underbellies of Aincrad. There were whispers of a new dungeon that some players never returned from. Some of them he was sure were trumped up. Some of them seemed... plausible at least.

Arriving at the line of hedges, Shield spotted a small cluster of a pickable fruit. He took them from their stems, pocketing them with the other oddities he had collected.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192453 - Loot: 15+7=22 - Material Found +2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 20
Total EXP: 21

The hedges turned out to be a gold mine - or rather, a fruit mine - or even more accurately, a fruit-bearing plant. Just beyond the outer leaves, the inner branches were heavy with more of the same fruit. As Shield picked them one by one, he tried to work out the most effective way he could trace a path from one set of items to another, allowing him a single activation of quick change to trade out items. Best case scenario, it would require him to ditch a sword and shield for another sword and shield or a two-handed sword. It would not allow him to ditch a sword and an armor for another sword and armor.

"In order to make things work without sacrificing defense, I'd require something to allow me to use the Block skill without a shield." That was not a likely scenario. Then again, if one could parry with a weapon, perhaps one could find other ways to block. "It might require not attacking."

Edited May 10, 2021 by Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192454 - Loot: 19+7=26 - Material Found +2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 23
Total EXP: 24

He continued to relieve the hedges of their curious fruit, taking them out by the handful. As his hands worked, so too did his brain. It was a twisting and turning train of thought, but one that he did not entirely hate.

"So let's play with that notion," he continued aloud, doing his best to process the confusing train of thought. "So to go full defense, it would require that I have a weapon. Therein is the crux of my dilemma. I would need to either make sure that I have a sword and no shield or else have an alternate shield that has healing. And I've just chased my tail in a full circle." He frowned, withdrawing momentarily from the bushy growth of the hedges to clear his head. "This is becoming a very expensive plan. Without blade blocking, it requires I go armor, armor, shield on offense to armor shield weapon on defense, where both the shield and the weapon are completely different pieces of equipment. That's stretching the limits of what I'm aware Quick Change is capable of."

Edited May 10, 2021 by Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192455 - Loot: 7+7=14 - Material Found +1 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 25
Total EXP: 27

This spot on the hedge was beginning to dry up. Shield migrated a few steps down and although the new spot was not quite as plentiful, it was still not lacking fruit. One by one, he picked them and added them to his growing pile. "Looks like I'm going to be giving some poor fruit merchant far too much of the same item. I might have to spread the love out between a few different players."

At this point, he had more or less run his thoughts dry on the matter of his gear, and he would need to let those ideas tumble around for a while. "It's all fairly moot for the time being," he sighed. "Until I find a steady stream of Gleaming Scales, I'll be able to make good on a single set of armor and that's about it." He pocketed the fruit in his hand before inspecting the branches for more.

Edited May 11, 2021 by Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192456 - Loot: 10+7=17 - Material Found +2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 28
Total EXP: 30

Moving aside the next branch, Shield found another small cluster of fruit which he happily pilfered. It was like being a kid out picking berries from a wild berry patch, stuffing them greedily into his pockets. However, he was no longer a child, these fruit may somehow end up saving someone's life, and he [hopefully] would not end up with a pair of ruined pants.

With his sweet gains stowed away, Shield was left with nothing but a very empty hedge and a dead-end set of plans to expand his gear. "At the moment, I will just have to plan to have a few different pieces that I can swap around on a case by case basis. The most vital thing is to keep at least one piece of armor and one shield to maintain skill bonuses." It wasn't much of a plan, but then again, with the current pieces he had at the ready, he was more or less at the peak of his build.

Edited May 11, 2021 by Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192457 - Loot: 2+7=8 - No Material Found
EXP Gained: 1
Total Materials: 28
Total EXP: 31

With those thoughts in mind, Shield set out to find a new spot to gather. Wandering across the grounds to find more goods, he let his mind wander as well. The grass beneath his feet was soft and welcoming, and eventually, the softness tempted him and he took a seat, looking out over the water of the various nearby ponds.

He found himself thinking of friends. He had seen very little of them lately. More to the point, he had begun adventuring with an entirely new player. Aside from the jaunt through Valhalla, all of his interactions with Freyd had been in the previous week. Still, their partnership thus far was a profitable one, and there had been much to gain for the both of them.

"Now if only I can convince him to take up fishing, we might just be able to make something of it. Maybe... Who knows?"

Edited May 11, 2021 by Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192458 - Loot: 2+7=8 - No Material Found
EXP Gained: 1
Total Materials: 28
Total EXP: 32

Before long, Shield found his eyes had closed. He had not fallen asleep, though he was probably closer to that mark than he would have liked to admit. As nice as the sun and the grass felt, he couldn't allow himself to be so vulnerable. Not anymore.

While I might have been nigh unkillable before, the new Aincrad is not so forgiving. I'll have to be more steely.

He glanced down at his wrist, where a certain small, ornately colored snake had wound herself. She once again unhinged her jaw in a mighty yawn. "I'm holding you responsible for that almost-nap. If you weren't here making me sleepy, it never would have happened." She flicked her tongue, indifferent to Shield's little blame game. He was satisfied with this as a clear admission of guilt and stretched his legs, springing to his feet. "Time to get back to searching. Lilith, hold my calls."

Edited May 11, 2021 by Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192459 - Loot: 16+7=23 - Material Found +2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 31
Total EXP: 35

Shield took the long way around the garden, leaving the pond and hedge behind. There was a collection of mounds of tilled soil over by a stand of willow trees, and he decided it looked like it was worth a look. Sure enough, the mounds seemed to be some kind of planter, where creeping plant life spilled from the tops of the mounds and crawled across the garden.

Shield knelt beside the nearest one and investigated, digging into the soil with his fingers. At first, he was sure he had found a rock, but upon closer inspection, it seemed he'd found a small, hard tuber. The greens of the plants seemed to sprout from the heart of it. He pulled the greens loose and continued searching through the loose soil, overturning a handful more before deciding the mound had given him everything it was going to. He dusted his hands off and moved on to the next.

Edited May 11, 2021 by Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192460 - Loot: 5+7=12 - No Material Found +1 Bonus
EXP Gained: 1
Total Materials: 32
Total EXP: 36

As Shield inspected more of the mounds, he quickly found that some were far less along in their growth cycles than the first. A second mound had far less plant growth, and as he dug down into the soil with his hands he found that there was only one or two tubers to speak of. He took the largest of them as this was the only one with an item tag.

The rest of the mounds were in much the same shape as this second one had been, so it was very clear that his luck would be similar if he continued to inspect them.

Moving on from this spot, he continued to wander. Out of the corner of his vision, Nemo continued to lurk. Occasionally, Shield thought he spotted a look of sad resignation on the NPC's face. Apparently, much like the Wicked Witch from the quest by the same name, upon one defeat, a second would not be necessary.

Edited May 11, 2021 by Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192461 - Loot: 2+7=9 - No Material Found
EXP Gained: 1
Total Materials: 32
Total EXP: 37

The half of the garden where he had started was beginning to fail him. He wandered, stopping here and there at a stand of trees or in a clearing, but each time yielded the same results. He didn't know whether his initial luck had been unusual, if the garden would only yield so many finds in a set amount of time, or - as was most likely - if he had simply hit a stroke of bad luck.

Regardless, he began to slow his gait, taking a moment to take in the sights around him. Once he looked up from the ground, he was reminded just how unusual and diverse the fauna was here. Those present were peaceful, at least at the moment. Tall creatures with feathers or scales or colorful hides wandered past.

"It's a little like that scene from Jurassic Park where the scientists get so wrapped up in the extinct plants that they found that they completely overlook the dinosaurs at first."

Edited May 11, 2021 by Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192462 - Loot: 11+7=18 - Material Found +2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 35
Total EXP: 40

As he now had flipped to the exact opposite, he stopped looking at the ground entirely, merely exploring and making note of the strange birds and odd herds of fiercely built but currently contented creatures that had surrounded him this whole time.

Of course, as one does on occasion when not watching their feet, Shield felt his toe catch on something had and heavy and he toppled over. In the real world, this would have hurt quite a bit, but in the moment, all that was wounded was his pride. He thought he could hear Nemo chortle, but he couldn't be sure. What he could be sure of though were the large melons that he had tripped over being a sign that his luck might be improving. He squirreled away a quarter dozen and gave a nod of satisfaction.

"I suppose there are far worse reasons to trip over oneself."

Edited May 11, 2021 by Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192463 - Loot: 10+7=17 - Material Found +2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 38
Total EXP: 43

The patch from which the melons had sprung was not short by any means of other similar produce. Just in the immediate area, Shield managed to find another three of them and in very short order. Much like the other produce found in the garden, these were nothing like what one might find in a grocery store. They were a deep velvety red on the outside. Of course, there was no telling what they looked like on the inside and Shield was not about to crack one open to find out only to waste the item.

Out of curiosity, Shield looked through his inventory to see what his haul thus far looked like. Much to his surprise, he had found what looked to be over three dozen separate items, which rivaled some of his finds during the Easter event of the previous year. "While I personally have very little use for so many crafting materials, I suppose they may yet be useful to me."

Edited May 11, 2021 by Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192464 - Loot: 20+7=27 - Material Found +2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 41
Total EXP: 46

Regardless, Shield felt he had accomplished about as much as was reasonable for the trip. Fishing and chest finding, though usually lucrative and his primary plan of action, was no longer a valid course of action.

"I will miss the returns, though I will not miss the lack of movement as  you sit in one spot watching the bobber, nor will I miss the battles against bigger fish," he scoffed, recalling his many such battles. "Best I keep to my lane and do the new gathering thing that requires no skill point investment."

He took the opportunity to grab up a few more melons before deciding he'd had his fill. With a nod and a symbolic dusting off of his hands, Shield began to retrace his steps back to the entrance. Nemo, of course, followed in his footsteps, though he did so subtly.

Do I tell him he's not as sneaky as he thinks he is?

Edited May 11, 2021 by Shield