[F25-SP] A Test of Mettle <Essence of Titanium>

[Freyd 0]

He'd deliberately avoided returning to floor 25 for some time after concluding the raid against Shadow.  Its traumas were still too fresh in many ways.  The din of pleas and cries still rang out in his mind many months later.  Faces lost in a flood of inky blackness and the mocking voice of a deluded would-be god were its accompaniment.  The Whisper's eyes still flinched when recalling Elora's face flashed by, only to be washed away with the others.  But there was a mysterious mob within the maze that had been causing consternation.  The few who still foolishly delved inside in search of loot often found more trouble than it was worth, so naturally he had to go see for himself and alone.  "If you're going to be stupid about something, why not go all out?"

Buffs consumed and gear triple-checked, Freyd knew that entering this place was much easier than getting out.  Several pieces of chalk had been procured as a precaution.  This could easily turn into a slogfest where waves upon waves of enemies hounded his every step.  It felt a bit like entering the Black Iron Dungeon, except somehow more notably ominous.  Maybe it was Shadow's lingering presence?  The Frontlines had felled him.  He was there, yet also touched some portion of that foul, corrupting deity through the medium of Orgoth, the minotaur champion who'd been possessed to serve as the villain's puppet.  The same who now stood at Freyd's side as he prepared his delve.

"Are you sure you wouldn't prefer to wait for others?  The maze is no place for solitary heroes."

"You've gone in there alone, haven't you?"  Freyd's polite retort garnered only a rumble from deep within the giant guardian's chest.  Scars from the raid were still showing upon him, likely permanently.  "Don't worry, my friend.  It may not always look like it, but I know what I'm doing.  Mostly."

***

Mega-Slime Farm used (2023-09-29)

Freyd Consumes:

Gugnir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Crème Brûlée Tray | ACC 2 | Feast (6/6)
Liquor of Light (Potion) | Damage 3 | 183087-4
Red Velvet Meringue (Snack) | Evasion 2 | 197249] + Filled
Jackpot Pretzel (Snack) | Loot Die 3 | 179910
Stalwart's Stew | T4 Perfect Meal | MIT 3 | 215248a
Divinity's Protection (Meal)| Over-Health 3 | 176352-2
Troll's Blood | 202053e

Freyd | HP: 1357/1357 | EN: 152/152 | DMG: 26 | MIT: 103 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 3 | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | TRLBLD                          

Spoiler

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadow
Level: 33
Paragon Level: 121
HP: 1180/1180+177
EN: 152/152

Stats:
Damage: 23+3
Mitigation: 103+60
Accuracy: 5+2
Evation: 0+2+1
Battle Healing: 64+10
Loot Dice: 5+3
FLN: 16
HLY: 16
PARA IMMUNE
REC: 8

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Samael's Pride | T4 MA | FLN 2 | HLY 2 
Armor: Fallen Angel Garb | T4 LA | MIT 2 | REC 2
Misc: The Shadowed Rose | T4 Trinket | ACC 3 | Para.Imm

Combat Mastery: Damage R3
Combat Shift: AOE
Familiar Skill: Grappling Familiar
Custom Skill: n/a

Skills:
Martial Arts R5
Battle Healing R5
Light Armor R5
Searching R4
Charge
Energist
Quick Change
Extended Mod Limit
Extended Weight Limit
Fighting Spirit
Howl

Active Mods:
Night Vision
Tracking
Meticulous
Emergency Recovery
Untraceable
Detect

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Ferocity
Precision
Resolve
Reveal
Stamina
Focused Howl

Active Extra Skills:
Disguise
Survival
Meditation
Forgotten King’s Authority

Inactive Extra Skills:
Frozen Hide
Brawler
Photosynthesize
Hiding R2

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystals x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+10% HP) x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+10% HP) x7
Crystal of Divine Light (Reusable) x1
Rhino's Horn (Reusable) x1
Hmr.Pk: Hope's Covenant - Resolve +4 (T4 Demonic Weapon (MA) - AA, Phase, Frostbite, VO) x1
EWL: The Thing Behind All Lies (T4 Demonic MA, AA, Blight, Static, Para.Ven (Off)) x1
EWL: Dagan Crystal-B (Reusable) x1

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
Angler: +2 Fishing EXP per attempt
Practiced Angler: +2 Fishing EXP per attempt, addition +1 LD/CD to fishing attempts
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [1/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor [Potted Tanabata Bamboo Tree]: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:
Tanos Statue: +25 Mitigation for a thread.

Wedding Ring:

Fishing: Level 4 | 461XP

 

Edited September 29, 2023 by Freyd

[Freyd 0]

All limbered and ready for a sprint, Freyd rushed in the moment the gates open only to run headlong into a wall of solid metal blocking his path.  Tumbling sideways to avoid the worst of the impact, he rolled a few times before righting himself in a crouch and glancing up to figure out what he'd just run into.  It was a giant metal humanoid, with veins of molten metal running between the titanium plates.  

"Wait.  What?  HERE!?  But, I've barely set a foot inside!"

Behind it, only visible for a moment as the entry doors shut to lock him in, a wide-eyed Orgoth stared, stupified at the mob having been literally outside his door. Freyd might have laughed at the giant minotaur's bearded jaw dipping down as if reaching for his navel.  Unfortunately, he already had bigger fish to fry: much, much bigger, and mildly angry-looking fish.  Slowly, the massive metal figure turned and shifted its gaze downward towards him, a brightness flaring through its core and eyes confirming the imminent nature of its threat.

"Well, I suppose this will save me some time?"  Scrambling like a freaked cat, Freyd barely dodged the things titanic mitten hand as it smashed the stone upon which he'd been standing to smithereens.

***

Search for Titanium Warden | ID 218310 | CD 8 | LD 10+8=18 | Titanium Warden found!

Edited September 29, 2023 by Freyd

[Freyd 0]

Rolling to a stop against the far wall, Freyd instantly leapt into action by pouncing onto the thing's colossal arm and racing up towards its head.  A satisfying grin spread across his face as he climbed and the screeching keening of his weapon split the silent gloom of the maze.  A single passing swipe caught the juggernaut's head on its left side, smashing and eating it away including one of its eyes.  A hand that might have been meant to grab him pawed at the missing portion of its skull instead, poking and prodding as it attempting to process why its vision was so suddenly impaired.

For all the talk about how mighty this thing was, it seemed neither swift nor overly smart.  Making clean his escape to the far side of the corridor, Freyd could already hear all sorts of yelping and skittering from the far sides of the walls.  The labyrinth had been roused.

"Awww great.  Nice going, Freyd," he scolded himself, not that there was much he could have done to prevent it.

***

Spoiler

Post Action | AoE-I (x15, 11 EN, +2 shift, +2/hit): 15 EN - (Rested 2/2; Stamina) = 12 EN.  Charge (CD 0/3, +8 EN)
Free Action | Activate Grappling Familiar (CD 0/5)

ID #218311 | BD:7+7+3-1=16 (hit, Fallen +16, charge +3).  DMG (15*45=675-200=475) to Titanium Warden.  Stun (F) applied.  (CD 11 | ST-B Unlocked)

Freyd takes 50 unmitigated damage from thorns.  

Titanium Warden is stunned, but regains 50 HP.  Stun fades.

Freyd | HP: 1307/1357 (1357-50) | EN: 132/152 (152-20) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 103 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 3 | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | TRLBLD  

Titanium Warden | HP: 825/1250 | DMG: 200 | MIT: 200 | ACC: 3 | EVA: -3 | Battle Healing: 50 | Thorns: 50 | Fireproof | Stun (F). Imm (1/3) (775+50)

Abilities:

• Methodical | The <<Titanium Warden>> is in no rush, only attacking once every other turn. During the turns that it does not attack, any debuffs active on the creature are ineffective.
• Magma Jolt | On attack rolls of BD 9+ and CD 9+, this boss will issue an AoE attack that fires a blast of molten steel at each player for 175 damage, ignoring 50% of Mitigation. Additional rolls for this AoE are unnecessary - it will strike each target without fail.
• Deteriorate | For each critical hit dealt to this boss, its Mitigation is permanently reduced by 50.

 

Edited September 29, 2023 by Freyd

[Freyd 0]

Ricocheting off the wall opposite from which he'd just bounced, Freyd drove himself fist-first into the warden's back.  A gigantic pulse of light and force erupted the moment the two made contact, throwing both combatants in opposite directions.  Freyd slammed into the same wall from which he'd just launched himself, the wind leaving his lungs in a hurry.  His target got the worst of it, the thing's torso have ruptured on the far side and sprayed its motes through a newly created hole in the labyrinth wall on the far side.  The rest of the titan was already starting to decay, its core having been absolutely devastated by the blast.

Freyd, meanwhile, was peeling himself out of a self-created, Freyd-shaped impression in the stone and wondering what the heck had just happened.  "Was that it?" He mused aloud.  "This isn't some sort of warmup round or anything, is it?"  The rest of the maze had gone silent, as if every creature within its bounds had suddenly gone still with fright at the source of the blazing burst of light and blast.

"Aww cripes.  Now they're all gonna be coming here."

***

Spoiler

Freyd regains +4 EN
Freyd regains 74 HP from BH (maxed)
CD 8 (REC proc +8) ID #218312

Post Action | ST-B (x20, 20 EN): 20 EN - (Rested 1/2; Stamina) = 17 EN.
Free Action | Activate Crystal of Divine Light

ID #218313 | BD: 9 (Crit +1, Holy +24).  DMG (20*51=1020*2=2040-200=1840) to Titanium Warden.  

Freyd | HP: 1357/1357 (1307+74) | EN: 127/152 (132+4+8-17) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 103 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 3 | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | TRLBLD  

Titanium Warden | HP: 0/1250 | DMG: 200 | MIT: 200 | ACC: 3 | EVA: -3 | Battle Healing: 50 | Thorns: 50 | Fireproof | Stun (F). Imm (1/3) (825-1840)

Abilities:

• Methodical | The <<Titanium Warden>> is in no rush, only attacking once every other turn. During the turns that it does not attack, any debuffs active on the creature are ineffective.
• Magma Jolt | On attack rolls of BD 9+ and CD 9+, this boss will issue an AoE attack that fires a blast of molten steel at each player for 175 damage, ignoring 50% of Mitigation. Additional rolls for this AoE are unnecessary - it will strike each target without fail.
• Deteriorate | For each critical hit dealt to this boss, its Mitigation is permanently reduced by 50.

Loot Titanium Warden: ID #218357 | LD: 5+9=14 | CD: 7
+4 materials (+4 CD/LD odd)
3750 col (HP[1250]*3)
T4 Rare Weapon 218357a
T4 Uncommon Consumable 218357b

Edited September 30, 2023 by Freyd

[Freyd 0]

He'd barely had time to regain his footing when the first of the howls started echoing off the walls.  Wolves, wargs, or some other variety of canine threat was surely heading his way.  Rushing for the door he'd where he'd first entered, he found nothing but smooth stone.  "Yeah.  That figures.  The way in is never the way out."  Crouching low and avoiding any more loss of time, Freyd darted along the shadowed wall in search of another exit. 

Soon enough, the baying of the hounds fell behind and he allowed himself a slower pace.  There was no sense exhausting himself needlessly.  As expected, most of the corridors looked completely identical.  Tall pillars could be seen in the distance, but there were no straight through lines to reach them.  Without a proper sense of their scale, they might also be much farther than they seemed.  

"There must be some way out here somewhere," Freyd muttered, rounding the corner as he cursed, only to come face to face with a maw full of pointed teeth.

***
Searching for labyrinth exit | ID 218314 | CD 1 | LD 3 (+8=11) | Find 1 Mounted Goblin

Edited September 29, 2023 by Freyd

[Freyd 0]

Sidestepping by instinct, the massive mutt's maw snapped shut on nothing but air while Freyd kicked the nearest leg out from underneath it with a sickening crunch.  Equally startled, the goblin rider on the warg's back flailed and failed to grip his saddle or the mangy beast's coarse fur and fell off to the side only the be crushed beneath his own mount's weight.  A quick booted stomp made sure to finish the job, even as Freyd punched the teetering target in its nearest widened eye for its trouble, the bulk of its remaining form crumpling into glittery dust an instant later.

"At least I know what I'm up against now," he muttered to no one in particular.  Persi, who'd been trailing behind him since aiding against the titan, simply sauntered past the scene with no outward evidence of interest.  She was clearly to cool to be slumming it down here with the dogs, or so it appeared.

***

Spoiler

Post Action | AoE-I (x15, 11 EN, +2 shit, +2/hit): 15 EN - (Rested 2/2; Stamina) = 12 EN.
Free Action | Activate Rhino Horn

ID #218315 | BD: 5+7-2=10 (hit, Horn +3).  DMG (15*29=435) to Dire Wolf & Goblin #1

Freyd | HP: 1357/1357 | EN: 115/152 (127-12) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 103 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 3 (2) | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | TRLBLD  

Dire Wolf & Goblin #1 | HP: 0/400 | DMG 198 | EVA 2 (400-435)

Loot Dire Wolf & Goblin #1: ID #218316 | LD: 17+9=26 | CD: 11
+4 materials (+4 CD/LD odd)
1200 col (HP[400]*3)
Demonic Shard x1
Random Dungeon Map 218316

Edited September 29, 2023 by Freyd

[Freyd 0]

Another howl echoed off the impossibly high walls of the maze as a second rider whipped around the corner to spot the last dregs of its companions showering the floor at Freyd's feet.

"Uh... would you believe that I found them like this?"  He grinned and shrugged.  They charged.  Preferring confusion, Freyd did exactly the opposite to their expectations and ran straight towards them, screaming like a maniac as he did so.  The warg seemed hesitant and momentarily lost its speed, long enough for Persi to streak past and scratch its nose.  Yelping in surprise, it rear, allowing enough of an opening for a Whisper to slide beneath its legs and keep running down the corridor from which it came.

"GET UP!  Get up you mangy cur, and get after him!!!"  Freyd imagined a roughly scrawled red heart on the goblin's tunic and oversized cricket mallet in a harness at his side.  No doubt, he'd be calling for his head any minute.

***
Searching for labyrinth exit | ID 218317 | CD 1 | LD 1 (+8=9) | Find 1 Mounted Goblin

Edited September 29, 2023 by Freyd

[Freyd 0]

Rounding another corner as they gave chase, Freyd jumped to perform a full parcour climb, bouncing back and forth from the adjacent walls to be left clinging between them thirty feet up when the hunters came after.  Falling like a stone, he crashed right into the goblin and flattened him and his mount in a single blow, then rolled off to the side to break his fall.  Beast and rider staggered, too dazed to figure out which way was up and were soon finished off for their trouble.  Persi sat aloofly aside, grooming herself and admitting nothing about the skill which her lummox may or may not have displayed in dispatching their foes.

"Oh, fine.  Be like that," he grumbled mockingly in her direction.  The blue shadow mongoose was always just a little too cool for whatever was happening around her.  Freyd was starting to wonder if she was secretly a cat.

***

Spoiler

Post Action | AoE-II (x18, 14 EN, +2 shit, +2/hit): 18 EN - (Rested 2/2; Stamina) = 15 EN.
Free Action | None

ID #218318 | BD: 5+7-2=10 (hit).  DMG (18*26=468) to Dire Wolf & Goblin #2 (CD 12 | ST-B Unlocked)

Freyd | HP: 1357/1357 | EN: 100/152 (115-15) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 103 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 3 (2) | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | TRLBLD  

Dire Wolf & Goblin #1 | HP: 0/400 | DMG 198 | EVA 2 (400-435)

Loot Dire Wolf & Goblin #2: ID #218319 | LD: 4+9=13 | CD: 12
3600 col (HP[400]*9 - incl. +4 CD/LD even, +2 from roll)
T4 Rare Armor/Shield 218319

Edited September 29, 2023 by Freyd

[Freyd 0]

The sounds of metal grinding against metal and stone filled the air around them, coming from up ahead.  Light streamed down the passageway framed by the form of a familiar, large minotaur standing guard.  Not willing to look a gift... bull?... in the mouth, Freyd made his way promptly to the opening and nodded in thanks at Orgoth as he breached the threshold.

"That didn't take long.  Did you just run away from it?"  The beast-man's eyes twinkled with jest.

"No, I didn't just run away," Freyd snipped back at him jovially.  "I had him in pieces within seconds.  Have a bit of faith!"

"You want me to believe that you took that thing down in the time of a couple of tail swipes?"  Orgoth's brow twisted suspiciously.  Minotaurs have particularly monopolar views about truth.  He would think less of Freyd if he was lying.  But the grin had already sprung to the Whisper's face as he reached into a hidden pocket and drew forth a shard of gleaming metal as proof.

"The Essence of Titanium? How can you... so it's true!  Well done, friend.  I confess to have misjudged you, and should never have allowed it given our past encounters.  Truly, this is an accomplishment."

Freyd waved off the praise.  "I just didn't want you to think of me as a liar."

***

Searching for labyrinth exit | ID 218320 | CD 10 | LD 14+8=22) | Find Labyrinth exit.

Edited September 29, 2023 by Freyd

[Freyd 0]

"There is another matter we should discuss, if you will permit it."  Orgoth's tone had become much more serious and quieted substantially, especially given his size.  "Entering the Labyrinth still seems to bring with it some of his  taint, for those of us sensitive to it.  There is a ritual that can be performed to help cleanse you after your passage, but it is harrowing.  I know that you touched a part of him, in the raid.  It was part of what helped set me free.  We both know the consequences, should any part of him still linger within us, or be allowed to escape the confines of the maze."

Freyd merely nodded, acknowledging with the gesture that he felt the very thing to which Orgoth was alluding. "Show me the way."

Taken to the outskirts of Lite'tara, at the very edge of the floor, a monument resembling the exposed core of half a geode stood mounted on a dais.  Strange purple and blue light crackled along the crystal veins that traces a spiral towards its centre.

"It looks like some sort of portal."

"Because it is.  Should taint have followed you, it must remain contained.  If you fail the test, the portal will prevent your return or escape."

"Oh, so no pressure then?"  Freyd's tone variated between joking and sarcasm.  He couldn't quite decide which to embrace.

***

Freyd uses Random Dungeon Map 200014a

[Freyd 0]

"You know the danger.  It must not be permitted to return."  There was real passion in Orgoth's voice as he spoke, perhaps even a little fear.  The champion had suffered untold horrors at the hands of the malevolent raid boss.  Freyd knew very little of him prior to that point, but had heard he'd played a crucial role in allowing the frontliners to escape from the Labyrinth guardian battle.

"We know the danger," Freyd rephrased.  "It must not be permitted to return."  Paroting the words, he couldn't help but think of how much functionality and control he'd gained over his own shadow since that incident; even those of others.  There was a certain kinship with shade within him.  When tracking, he peered through shadows to find his prey through their own, or any others that might be nearby.  At times he had even slipped from one shadow to another, as if using a corridor crystal.  But, he'd never required an instrument to do so.  It wasn't the first time these doubts had surfaced.  "This is the right thing to do.  Thank you, Orgoth.  I will see you again shortly."  He spoke with confidence, and the champion put on his usual, stoic facade.  Both held their unspoken fears.

***
EN fully recovered.

[Freyd 0]

Expecting the surface to be dry and rough, Freyd was surprised to find it slick and inky instead, like a think, viscous soup that pulled at his fingertips like a current and scooped him up to bring along for the ride.  Swirling lights dominated his vision, glaring and overwhelming his sensations, as if staring at the sun too long.  When the field of dots and blemishes vanished, only a dim violet haze remained, like standing at the edge of a penumbra.  This was a place between light and darkness, on the very edge of being shadow itself.  Nothing moved or made any sounds.  By what little he could still see thanks to his night vision mod, he was inside a larger version of the same geode that he'd just touched outside of Lite'tara.  An area had been smoothed, cleared and leveled to form a floor surface upon which he could stand, with roughly thirty feet of clear space in every direction around him.

"So, what happens now?  Am I expected to pray or something, because that's not really my style."

A breeze blew through the cavern without any obvious point of origin.  Between rocky outcroppings and crystal clusters, dark vapours billowed and sank in his direction.  Monsters formed from it in a way he'd only seen once before.  "Shadowlings.  Shit."  These were the same abominations that swarmed the raid chamber while the flood swallowed entire floors of Aincrad.  They were individually weak, but infinitely numerous.  

***

Spoiler

Post Action | AoE-1 (x15, 11 EN, +2 Shift, +2/hit): 19 EN - (Rested 2/2; Stamina) = 16 EN.  
Free Action | None

ID #218321 | BD:9 (Crit +1, Holy +16).  DMG (15*43=645*2=1290-60= 1230) to Shadowling #1
ID #218322 | BD:7+7-1=13 (hit, Fallen +16).  DMG (15*42=630-60=570) to Shadowling #2
ID #218323 | BD:1 (miss) on Shadowling #3
ID #218324 | BD:7+7-1=13 (hit, Fallen +16).  DMG (15*42=630-60=570) to Shadowling #4

ID #218325 | MD: 9 (Crit +1).  Freyd takes (180-103=77) damage

Freyd | HP: 1280/1357 (1357-77) | EN: 136/152 (152-16) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 103 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 3 (2) | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | TRLBLD  

Shadowling #1 | HP: 0/400 | DMG: 180 | MIT: 60 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 1 (400-1230)
Shadowling #2 | HP: 0/400 | DMG: 180 | MIT: 60 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 1 (400-570)
Shadowling #3 | HP: 400/400 | DMG: 180 | MIT: 60 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 1
Shadowling #4 | HP: 0/400 | DMG: 180 | MIT: 60 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 1 (400-570)

Loot Shadowling #1: ID #218326 | LD: 2+9=11 | CD: 9
+4 materials (+4 CD/LD odd)
2000 col (HP[400]*5 - incl. +2 from roll)
T4 Rare Armor/Shield 218326

Loot Shadowling #2: ID #218327 | LD: 8+9=17 | CD: 2
2800 col (HP[400]*7 - incl. +4 CD/LD even)
T4 Rare Consumable 218327a
T4 Rare Weapon 218327b

Loot Shadowling #4: ID #218328 | LD: 16+9=25 | CD: 7
+2 materials (+2 CD odd)
4800 col (HP[400]*12 - incl. +2 LD even, +7 from roll)
T4 Perfect Weapon 218328a
T4 Perfect Weapon 218328b
T4 Perfect Weapon 218328c

 

Edited September 29, 2023 by Freyd

[Freyd 0]

The swarm fell upon him like a flood, gnashing and gnawing as it sought to grasp and weigh him down to drag him into its depths.  'So this is what it felt like,' he realized, fathoming for the first time what those outside the raid must have experienced.  Countless mouths and claws ripped and tore at him, gouging flesh wherever they could find it, but to little actual avail.  In the instant that he realized the absence of a serious threat, the ink turned itself back to vapour and dissipated, withdrawing to the outer portions of the chamber where it resisted the natural urge to fall.  Shadows never play by the rules, you see.

Sitting up, a confused and grateful Whisper propped himself up on his elbows while the rest of him stretch out in gloriously prone splendor.  He was dry as a bone.  Of course he was.  Shadows have no substance either, unless they're made of more malignant void that devours the very fabric of existence.  Fortunately, these were merely the lesser variety.  But at the mere thought of greater danger, two additional figures took shape in the waiting tides.

***

Spoiler

Freyd regains +4 EN
Freyd regains 74 HP from BH
CD 5 (No REC proc) ID #218329

Post Action | AoE-1 (x15, 11 EN, +2 Shift, +2/hit): 15 EN - (Rested 1/2; Stamina) = 12 EN.  
Free Action | None

ID #218330 | BD:6+7-1=12 (hit, Fallen +16).  DMG (15*42=630-60=570) to Shadowling #3

Freyd | HP: 1354/1357 (1280+74) | EN: 128/152 (136+4-12) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 103 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 3 (2) | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | TRLBLD  

Shadowling #3 | HP: 0/400 | DMG: 180 | MIT: 60 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 1 (400-570)

Loot Shadowling #3: ID #218331 | LD: 20+9=29 | CD: 11
+2 materials (+2 CD odd)
2000 col (HP[400]*5 - incl. +2 LD even)
Gleaming Scale x1
Random Dungeon Map 218331

Edited September 29, 2023 by Freyd

[Freyd 0]

Two giant forms bearing horned heads and eyes like twin orbs of liquid fire stepped forth from the roiling mists.  Each hefted a smoking battle axe in its hands, the haft of which alone was longer than Freyd was tall.  If these were meant to be his champion friend, he could not make out the distinction. Too much detail was obscured.

"Have you come to pay homage at the altar, pilgrim?"  They spoke in unison, but with strangely calm reverence given their appearance.

"Have you come to pay homage," They asked again, firmly and in a sterner tone this time.  

"Depends, I guess.  Who would I be paying homage to?  If it were Orgoth, I would do so, save that he's not actually dead.  Given all the ink blots around here, I'm guessing that you probably mean the other guy.  In that case, the answer would be: fuck no."

Shadow billowed from flared nostrils like steam from a pressurizing boiler.  Fire blazed hotter in their eyes at the sacrilege.  "You who has touched his blessing would deny him his right?  Blasphemy!  DEATH!"

Slipping through shadow itself, like he'd not done in some time, Freyd appeared above them in the darkness and plummeted like a stone.  One fist keened with oblivion's hunger while the other pulse with the force of righteousness itself.  Both beastmen were blasted away to the sides, their motes drifting into the mists as quickly as they'd formed in the first place.

"No.  Not death.  Change."

***

Spoiler

Freyd regains +4 EN
Freyd regains 74 HP from BH (maxed)
CD 4 (No REC proc) ID #218322

Post Action | AoE-II (x18, 15 EN, +2 Shift, +2/hit): 21 EN - (Rested 2/2; Stamina) = 18 EN.  Charge (CD 0/3, +8 EN)
Free Action | None

ID #218333 | BD: 9 (Crit +1, Holy +16).  DMG (18*43=774*2=1548-120=1428) to Shadow Orgoth #1 (CD 4 | ST-B still locked)
ID #218334 | BD: 10 (Crit +2, Holy +16).  DMG (18*44=792*2=1584-120=1464) to Shadow Orgoth #2

Freyd | HP: 1357/1357 (1354+74) | EN: 114/152 (128+4-18) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 103 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 3 (2) | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | TRLBLD  

Shadow Orgoth #1 | HP: 0/700 | DMG: 280 | MIT: 120 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 1 (700-1428)
Shadow Orgoth #2 | HP: 0/700 | DMG: 280 | MIT: 120 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 1  (700+1464)

Loot Shadow Orgoth #1: ID #218335 | LD: 13+9=21 | CD: 12
+2 materials (+2 LD odd)
7000 col (HP[700]*10 - incl. +2 CD even, +5 from roll)
T4 Perfect Trinket 218335

Loot Shadow Orgoth #2: ID #218336 | LD: 10+9=19 | CD: 3
+2 materials (+2 CD odd)
3500 col (HP[700]*5 - incl. +2 LD even)
T4 Perfect Consumable 218336a
T4 Rare Trinket 218336b

Edited September 29, 2023 by Freyd

[Freyd 0]

"Change, you say?"  The voice was masculine, but sounded hollow like it was being projected into the geode's void from elsewhere.  "Oh, I know all about change.  So many times have I changed myself, and all for the betterment of this world.  And what have I gotten in return?  Scorn.  Hatred.  Disdain.  You're all too kind!"  The speaker cackled madly, breaking pitch and sounding ominously familiar to Freyd.

"So what are you supposed to be," Freyd taunted, "the thing Shadow shat out before he died?  Are you the Sauron's anus of Malevolence, is that it?  Because we've dealt with you before-"

"Yes you have, haven't you?"  The voice was quick and eager to interject.  "And still smell the scent of despair on your words.  You're not sure if I'm gone.  Better yet, you think I might be growing there inside you, just like that precious seed of darkness you have nestled there at the centre of your psyche.  We have met before, you and I, but you only seem to recall the most recent parts."

"Quit your endless babbling, You can't seem to shut up, and yet you say absolutely nothing.  Is that what is means to live the void?  Is there nothing of significance or capable of meaning?"

"I WAS EVERYTHING!  Or... very nearly, at least.  But if I can't have that, I might just settle for taking you instead."

***

Spoiler

Freyd regains +4 EN
CD 4 (No REC proc) ID #218337
Charge (CD 1/3)

Post Action | AoE-I (x15, 11 EN, +2 Shift, +2/hit): 15 EN - (Rested 2/2; Stamina) = 12 EN.  Missed (2 EN)
Free Action | Activate Grappling Familiar (CD 0/5)

ID #218338 | BD: 1 (miss). (CD 9 | ST-B unlocked)

ID #218339 | MD: 4+3-2=5 (miss)

Freyd | HP: 1357/1357 | EN: 116/152 (114+4-2) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 103 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 3 (2) | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | TRLBLD  

Figment of Malevolence | HP: 2000/2000 | DMG 360 | MIT: 160 | ACC : 3 | EVA : 3

• Critical (MD 9): Deals (Tier * 100) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (Tier * 60) DMG to every other player.
• Critical (MD 10): Deals (Tier * 110) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (Tier * 85) DMG to every other player.

 

Edited September 29, 2023 by Freyd

[Freyd 0]

All the while that Freyd and the disembodied voice had been speaking, Persi had been on the prowl.  Her nose had an uncanny knack for finding and rooting out everything from field bosses, to dungeon bosses, and even raid bosses.  This one was a special case, and she had encountered his scent before.  Somehow, she sensed where the right swirl of vapours had gathered and pounced at the critical moment, denying Malevolence its ambush and driving its straight into Freyd waiting strike.  The cloud lurched away, gathering into the form of a gangly, lanky boy, perhaps just a few years younger than Freyd judging by size.  Normally opposed to striking children, this was exception ready and waiting to be used.

A keening wail broke the oppressive weight of the air within the geode as Samael's Pride swelled with hunger and drove itself through the spectral mass of the boss' barely tangible form.  It was enough.  The void is not finicky about its diet and even the barest of presence would be devoured.

***

Spoiler

Freyd regains +4 EN
CD 11 (REC proc +8) ID #218340
Charge (CD 1/3)
Grappling Familiar (CD 1/5) - note: effect lingers until next successful hit, per skill description.

Post Action | ST-B (x20, 20 EN): 20 EN - (Rested 1/2; Stamina) = 17 EN. 
Free Action | None

ID #218341 | BD: 7+7-3=11 (hit, Fallen +16) DMG (20*42=840-160=680) to Figment of Malevolence.  Grappling stun applied.

Figment of Malevolence is stunned.  Stun fades.

Freyd | HP: 1357/1357 | EN: 111/152 (116+4+8-17) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 103 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 3 (2) | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | TRLBLD  

Figment of Malevolence | HP: 1320/2000 | DMG 360 | MIT: 160 | ACC : 3 | EVA : 3 | Stun.Imm(F) 1/3 (2000-680)

• Critical (MD 9): Deals (Tier * 100) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (Tier * 60) DMG to every other player.
• Critical (MD 10): Deals (Tier * 110) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (Tier * 85) DMG to every other player.

 

Edited September 29, 2023 by Freyd

[Freyd 0]

Where only one was revealed, suddenly a dozen more sprang from the first.  Freyd had used the very same trick to distract and confused, and wasn't fooled in the slightest.  Despite their shifting forms, he found the target he sought and struck straight at the chest and heart.  An equal number of Freyds appeared in silhouette all around as he matched figment for figment and turned the trick against its user.  His blow met substance, where his opponent's went wide.  The Whisper bore a Cheshire grin of satisfaction on his face as half the enemies shades disappeared with his blow.  

"So that's how it works for you, is it?  I can work with that."

"Work with what, fool?  You think one lucky shot makes us equals?  You think you can master in a blink what spent tens of lifetimes perfecting?!"  The sound of fingers snapping broke through the melee, banishing all illusions from the field.  Only Freyd and his nemesis remained.  "You tasted darkness, boy, but I AM darkness.  I'm inside your veins, and soon enough I'll do to you what I did to Orgoth.  Now, won't that be fun?"

***

Spoiler

Freyd regains +4 EN
CD 12 (REC proc +8) ID #218342
Charge (CD 2/3)
Grappling Familiar (CD 2/5) - note: effect lingers until next successful hit, per skill description.

Post Action | AoE-I (x15, 11 EN, +2 shift, +2/hit): 15 EN - (Stamina) = 13 EN. 
Free Action | Activate Disguise (CD 0/5)

ID #218343 | BD: 3+7-3=7 (hit) DMG (15*26=390-160=230) to Figment of Malevolence. (CD 5 | ST-B still locked)

ID #218344 | MD: 4+3-3=4 (miss)

Freyd | HP: 1357/1357 | EN: 110/152 (111+4+8-13) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 103 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 3 (2+1) | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | TRLBLD  

Figment of Malevolence | HP: 1090/2000 | DMG 360 | MIT: 160 | ACC : 3 | EVA : 3 | Stun.Imm(F) 2/3 (1320-230)

• Critical (MD 9): Deals (Tier * 100) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (Tier * 60) DMG to every other player.
• Critical (MD 10): Deals (Tier * 110) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (Tier * 85) DMG to every other player.

 

Edited September 29, 2023 by Freyd

[Freyd 0]

Like mirror images the two figures matched each other blow for blow, each kata predicted and paired by its counterpart with total perfection.

"You can't win, Takeshi.  You're only human.  You will grow weak and tired.  I am relentless.  I AM INEVITAB--- Ackkk.... *cough*.... hurkkk.."

"You talk too much," Freyd replied, having delivered a quick slash to the throat while his opponent drifted into the age old trap of monologuing.  "And Takeshi is long gone."

Confusion furrowed the figment's blazing eyes.  Could it have misjudged or misread?  What was this thing that it was actually fighting against.  Another screeching wail and Freyd's hands devoured a section of his left shoulder.  Shadow felt the loss, and if a part of himself was gone, never to be reclaimed.

"How are you doing this," it hissed between invisible teeth.  

"Not talking?  It's a talent.  You should practice more."  Malevolence lunged and overreached, the Whisper grasping his wrist and twisting it into a joint lock, then driving the void in his other hand straight through to sever and suction Shadow's arm at the elbow.

***

Spoiler

Freyd regains +4 EN
CD 7 (REC proc +8) ID #218345
Charge (CD 3/3)
Grappling Familiar (CD 3/5) 
Disguise (CD 1/5)

Post Action | AoE-II (x18, 14 EN, +2 shift, +2/hit): 18 EN - (Stamina) = 16 EN.  Charge (CD 0/3, +8 EN)
Free Action | None

ID #218346 | BD: 7+7-3-1=10 (hit, Fallen +16, Charge +3) DMG (18*45=810-160=650) to Figment of Malevolence. (CD 8 | ST-B still locked)

ID #218347 | MD: 4+3-3=4 (miss)

Freyd | HP: 1357/1357 | EN: 98/152 (110+4+8-24) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 103 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 3 (2) | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | TRLBLD  

Figment of Malevolence | HP: 440/2000 | DMG 360 | MIT: 160 | ACC : 3 | EVA : 3 | Stun.Imm(F) 3/3 (1090-650)

• Critical (MD 9): Deals (Tier * 100) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (Tier * 60) DMG to every other player.
• Critical (MD 10): Deals (Tier * 110) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (Tier * 85) DMG to every other player.

 

Edited September 29, 2023 by Freyd

[Freyd 0]

"ENOUGH!"  Malevolence swelled and burst with dark power, sending Freyd flying like a rag doll and impaling him on a number of jagged crystals on the far side of the geode, broken during the course of their combat.  Drawing all of its remaining vestiges together, Shadow pulled back to deliver its pounding strike, driving its giant fist into Freyd's face and burying him in a grave of razor blades.

"Ha!  Hahahaha!  That's more like it!"  Stupidly strutting around and thrusting his junk forward like some hormone addled adolescent, Shadow's pitfall had always been an over-abundance of ego.  One hit did not win a battle any more than one battle was guaranteed to win a war.  Jigging around in the middle of his premature victory lap, the figment nearly missed the figure risen from its shadow and standing now behind it.

*tap* *tap*

Two fingers on the shoulder.  

"What the...?"

***SMASH***

Freyd's blow spun Shadow around like a drunken top, tripping and careening into the very hole where he thought to have buried his enemy and sealed the win.

"Thank you, Shadow, for all of your gifts, including all the lessons you have taught me."  Something shifted beneath the cowl, that only the would-be boss could see.  It's eyes widening with a terror it had never felt before.  "We will use them well."  As he spoke, dozens of shadows pulled themselves from the room's wreckage, bearing the familiar silhouettes of his friends.

***

Spoiler

Freyd regains +4 EN
CD 10 (REC proc +8) ID #218349
Charge (CD 1/3)
Grappling Familiar (CD 4/5) 
Disguise (CD 2/5)

Post Action | AoE-I (x15, 11 EN, +2 shift, +2/hit): 15 EN - (Stamina) = 13 EN
Free Action | None

ID #218348 | BD: 2+7-3=6 (hit) DMG (15*26=390-160=230) to Figment of Malevolence. (CD 3 | ST-B still locked)

ID #218350 | MD: 10 (Crit) Figment of Malevolence deals (440-103=337) damage to Freyd

Freyd | HP: 1020/1357 (1357-337) | EN: 97/152 (98+4+8-13) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 103 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 3 (2) | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | TRLBLD  

Figment of Malevolence | HP: 210/2000 | DMG 360 | MIT: 160 | ACC : 3 | EVA : 3 (440-230)

• Critical (MD 9): Deals (Tier * 100) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (Tier * 60) DMG to every other player.
• Critical (MD 10): Deals (Tier * 110) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (Tier * 85) DMG to every other player.

 

Edited September 29, 2023 by Freyd

[Freyd 0]

As the final blow was cocked and ready to release, a change came over Freyd's figure once more, his face still buried deep beneath the charcoal softness of the cowl.  In one instant his clothing loosened into a cloak tinged crimson with blood, a glint of light reflecting on vitrous surfaces within.  Then, shifting to patterned cerulean blue, his stature shrunk be speed increased to blazing intensity.  In the same moment, locks of verdant hair flowed loose over pointed ears and the lilt of distant carefree laughter broke through the din of battle.  Blazing fury of gold scented with honey, came next, the warmth of  passionate intensity laced with chaos and destruction.  These were the very building blocks of humanity, gifted through the least expected but most welcomed acts of friendship.  And where the Whisper once would have finished the job with machine-like precision, he halted for an act of mercy that no longer required Montjoy or Takeshi's interjection.

"You have no idea what you've unleashed here, Shadow, or even that it all began so very long ago."  As he spoke, Freyd's voice droned and boomed with the same digital tones of the system overlord that sought to crush them all beneath its infinite army of heels.  Its echoes filled the chamber to bursting, as if the scale of the place was insufficient for the moment.  "We are the same, you and I.  But we've chosen different sides.  I cast my lot in with them, because they have earned it.  All the power you garnered was stolen and forced.  We should have shared it, and worked together against the true adversary.  It is to them, now, that we should look and learn.  Goodbye, old friend."

And then the final fist fell.

***

Note: This moment narratively represents the moment where Freyd unlocks his custom skill: Shades of the Gemini.

Vanity Tag: @Elora @Katoka @Freya @Raidou

Spoiler

Freyd regains +4 EN
CD 2 (No REC proc) ID #218351
Charge (CD 2/3)
Grappling Familiar (CD 5/5) 
Disguise (CD 3/5)

Free Action | Quick Change (CD 0/3 | Replace Samael's Pride with Hope's Covenant - Resolve +4.  Stats adjusted.)
Post Action | AoE-II (x18, 14 EN, +2 shift, +2/hit): 18 EN - (Stamina) = 16 EN

ID #218352 | BD: 7+8-3=12 (hit) DMG (18*26=468-160=308) to Figment of Malevolence. 

Freyd | HP: 1094/1357 (1020+74) | EN: 85/152 (97+4-16) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 103 | ACC: 7 (+AA) | EVA: 3 (2) | BH: 74 | LD: 8 | VO 135 | FSTBT 40/2 | PHASE | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | TRLBLD  

Figment of Malevolence | HP: 0/2000 | DMG 360 | MIT: 160 | ACC : 3 | EVA : 3 (210-308)

• Critical (MD 9): Deals (Tier * 100) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (Tier * 60) DMG to every other player.
• Critical (MD 10): Deals (Tier * 110) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (Tier * 85) DMG to every other player.

Loot Figment of Malevolence: ID #218353 | LD: 9+9=18 | CD: 10
+2 materials (+2 LD odd)
16000 col (HP[2000]*8 - incl. +2 CD even, +3 from roll)
T4 Rare Trinket 218353

Wave 3 Completion Loot Roll: ID #218354 | LD: 6

Additional 100,000 col and 50 materials

Thread Closing:

21,216 EXP (Word Count [4186/10*16*1.0] + Quest [3,000] + T4 Dungeon [9,600] +10% for Mega Slime Farm)
278,232 col (1 page [400] +  Loot [46,650] + Dungeon rewards [228,000] + 15% P5 Reward [3,182])
122 Materials (Loot [22] + Dungeon rewards [100])

Essence of Titanium x1 (ID Tag: 218355)

Demonic Shard x1
Gleaming Scale x1

Random Dungeon Map 218316
Random Dungeon Map 218331

T4 Rare Weapon 218357a
T4 Uncommon Consumable 218357b
T4 Rare Armor/Shield 218319
T4 Rare Armor/Shield 218326
T4 Rare Consumable 218327a
T4 Rare Weapon 218327b
T4 Perfect Weapon 218328a
T4 Perfect Weapon 218328b
T4 Perfect Weapon 218328c
T4 Perfect Trinket 218335
T4 Perfect Consumable 218336a
T4 Rare Trinket 218336b
T4 Rare Trinket 218353
 

Edited September 30, 2023 by Freyd