[EV-PP-29] A New Kind of Wrong <<Fatal Error: Act 1>>

Freyd · Tuesday at 01:09 AM

Black steel met the slurping coil of writhing tentacles as the latest batch of freshly risen monstrosities surged forth. Mangled and twisted abominations whose very misshapen existence defied imagination fell upon them like a wave of gnashing teeth, rent flesh and raking black claws. Just another day in the frontlines' latest paradise lost.

"Someone definitely kicked over an anthill, or whatever the squid-themed equivalent might be!" Forming a mental image of the eldritch horror version of a snake breeding ball quickly prompted him to stop, focusing instead on the wounded gaggle of fleeing players scrambling their way. The dread in their eyes told an all-too-familiar tale.

"This way," Freyd bellowed, his black armor already covered in the thick, viscous indigo coating of ichor and gore. They'd been patrolling for hours in what increasingly felt like a futile effort to clear surcharged spawn points full of ever multiplying horrors. "Regroup in Ilridge, in the valley. You'll find healers there." A quick wave of his ebon bracer lanced a string of something resembling saliva to mark their heading. Only a moment could be spared before another batch swarmed over ridge. One young woman amongst the retreating party gave silent thanks with only a painful wince, gratitude of eyes beleaguered by the trauma of unmitigated horrors. Such things were all to common here. Too real. Something about her reminded him of Haine, the warmth of memory steeling his resolve to buy the morsel of time they needed to escape.

"They must have let something loose in Kineallen Parish to have triggered such a response." It was a guess. Patterns were frustratingly difficult to glean anywhere on this floor. Only the ever-flooding tides of madness were assured, though even they felt like some semblance of knowledge lurked just around the corner. That, or yet another wave of wrongness incarnate.

"Something's different." A pause for fancy footwork dodged a series of obsidian darts flung by the fishiest of their new assailants, measured mostly by the size and shape of its excessively wide lips. "We haven't seen this kind of reckless zeal since we first arrived." Another foe with way too many tentacles latched onto his left leg, only to lose the appendage for getting too frisky. Freyd's inevitable follow-up quip died on the vine at the bellow of some distorted distant horn. Blaring across the broken landscape like some unholy clarion call, it sounded mixed with the clinking tones of unnatural wind chimes belied by the stillness in the air. They all felt it.

"That... doesn't sound good." A fleeting glance spared to the rest of his companions, they'd all fought too hard to just give up gained ground over one more ominous sound. If that was all it took to scare them off the local supply would have kept them from setting foot on this floor at all.

***

Note: CS (Shades of the Gemini) and CSA (Beckon the Void) are in use. If any other player objects to these, please state in first post and it will be considered inactive.

Freyd consumes:

Freyd consumes and shares:

Gungir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Smokin' Hot Honey Bun Tray | ACC 2 | EVA 2 | Feast (6/6) - ACC filled
Stalwart's Stew | T4 Perfect Meal | MIT 3 | Combine [216715, 216716] into Lesser Feast (4/4)

Freyd | HP: 1495/1495 | EN: 162/162 | DMG: 24 | MIT: 212 | ACC: 8 (inc.AA) | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA: 4 | BH:72 | PROB: 36 | DOTE (3/3) | VAMP-D: 82 | VAMP-O: 164 | PARA-V | LD:5

Spoiler

Name: Freyd, of the Freyloras
True Tier: 18
Level: 34
Paragon Level: 144
HP: 1300/1300+195
EN: 162/162

Stats:
Damage: 21+3
Mitigation: 152+60
Accuracy: 4+2+1+AA
Evasion: 2+2
Battle Healing: 72
Loot Die: 5
Stealth Rating: -5
TAUNT
VAMP-D: 72+10
VAMP-O: 143+21
PARA-V

Combat Mastery:
- Combat Mastery: Damage R3

Combat Shift:
- AOE Shift

Familiar Skill:
- Grappling Familiar (Reliq)

Custom Skill:
- Shades of the Gemini (CS)
- Beckon the Void (CSA)

Skills:
- Battle Healing R5
- Charge
- Energist
- Extended Mod Limit
- Extended Weight Limit
- Fighting Spirit
- Heavy Armor R5
- Howl
- Katana R5
- Quick Change
- Searching R4

Extra Skills:
- Disguise
- Survival
- Meditation
- Brawler

Inactive Extra Skills:
- Leadership R5
- Forgotten King's Authority
- Lady Luck
- Photosynthesize
- Assault Mode
- Frozen Hide

Addons:
- Focus
- Focused Howl
- Iron Skin
- Precision
- Reveal
- Stamina

Mods:
- Emergency Recovery
- Impetus
- Inspiring Speech
- Press the Attack
- Night Vision

Inactive Mods:
- Elusive
- Detect
- Tracking
- Rally
- Steadfast

Battle Ready Inventory:
- Bear Trap (Reusable 1/combat) x1
- Bear Trap (Reusable 1/combat) x1
- Crystal of Divine Light (Reusable 1/thread) x1
- Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+10% HP) x7
- Meathook (Reusable 1/combat) x1
- Ordsea Crystal-B (Reusable 1/combat) x1
- Ordsea Crystal-B (Reusable 1/combat) x1
- Rhino's Horn (Reusable 1/combat) x1
- Samael's Pride | T4 Katana | FLN II | HLY II x1
- Teleport Crystals x7

Housing Buffs:
- Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
- Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
- Basic Kitchen: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.
- Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
- Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
- Attic (Bedroom): +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cannot boost a skill without ranks, or increase a skill past its maximum rank. Cannot boost a skill the user has not learned yet. Ranks obtained using this buff will make the mods of that rank available for purchase. Mods obtained this way are unusable if this buff is removed until the skill is returned to the appropriate rank by way of SP purchase.
- Basement: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
- Guest Room: Players can have one «Amenity» in a «Guest Room» and the «Amenity» cannot be recovered. Players are allowed to change which «Amenity» is in the «Guest Room». Multiple instances of the same «Amenity» do not stack. This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.
- Extended Workshop: +2 Crafting EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
- Ornate Fishing Pond: +2 Fishing EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to fishing attempts.
- Dining Hall: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed. Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread.
- Mega Slime Farm: +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post.

Guild Hall Buffs:
- Guild Hall I: Allows a Guild the ability to create one Guild Quest. Narratively, it also allows players to teleport back to the Guild Territory when using Teleport Crystals.
- Storage Vault: Allows a guild to create a Storage Vault in their Guild Page. Members can use this thread to store and withdraw items. Any items that have trading restrictions cannot be moved to a Storage Vault.
- Trading Hall III: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (9+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters and Rank 4 merchants/performers receive +1 crafting/identification attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters and Rank 5 merchants/performers receive +5 crafting/identification attempts per day. Appraisers gain an initial additional reroll per identified item at no cost.
- Treasury: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.
- Laboratory I: Once per charge, when receiving single-use consumables from Quest Rewards, if a Guild Treasurer were to receive additional tokens, one guild member may claim 1 x (Additional Token / 2) copies of the consumable.
- Bureau II: Once per charge, if two or more Guild members are present in a thread, allow two dungeons to be spawned/explored in that thread, regardless of Dungeon-searching cooldowns. This buff may only apply once per thread.
- Library I: Once per charge, if a Storyteller is eligible to claim a Guild Token, their character gains +10% bonus EXP at the end of the thread. This buff may only apply once per thread.
- Armory II: Once per charge, players may submit a Skill Refund evaluation regardless of the 30 day cooldown window. In addition to Armory buffs, when submitting a Skill Refund evaluation, guild members have the option to pay an additional Token to refund up to 30 additional SP.
- Menagerie III: Guild members undertaking <<Feeding Your Enemy>> gain +1 LD to familiar searching rolls and +1 to familiar taming rolls. In addition to Menagerie II buffs, the maximum number of familiars guild members can tame narratively is five (5). Guild officials may also appoint a familiar mascot, shared between their guild members to accompany them narratively in their threads.

Scents of the Wild Totem:
- Tanos
Wedding Ring: n/a

Crafting Profession:
- Appraising[3478exp] R5
Gathering Profession:
- Fishing[576exp] R5

Edited 4 hours ago by Freyd

Acanthus · Tuesday at 05:15 AM

A whole day, wasted. Acanthus picked grime out of her metal armor as she gave the landscape another despairing look. When Argent had shared news of another Spectral Knight, she had no doubt the thing would be near the Kineallan Parish, as he said. He was a new source, but proved reliable over and over. If not a touch overconcerned.

* * *

“I’m telling you this so that you can go and get a group together. You’re going to reach out to the other frontliners for this one, right? This isn’t some patrol into Miremore, like last time. You’ll get yourself killed.”

Acanthus shakes her head. “It will be fine. I survived last time.”

“By the skin of your teeth. You walked back in here with a broken leg and a red health bar. If you want to keep getting information from me, you’re not going alone.”

Argent’s frustration visibly compounds, but he says nothing further on the matter. “Here’s the coordinates. Message me when you get there.” His hands tug at his hair as she leaves. He fears that one day, she won’t make it back—and it will be his fault for sending her.

* * *

It was his fault for giving her the coordinates without some guarantee that she would party up. If Argent didn’t like it, he could have simply withheld the thing’s location. But the info was bad, regardless. There were no spectral knights. Not even other players.

"This way," came a familiar voice. She crept closer to the commotion to confirm.

Freyd danced backwards, away from a hail of darts. He and his patrol stood in-between the attackers and a haggard group of fleeing people. What are they doing up here?! Acanthus nearly shouted at them. Wasn’t the first onslaught enough to teach these idiots a lesson? Underleveled players had died, and they still flocked to the floor for reasons unknown. Good thing Freyd was here to save them. She had almost turned to leave when a thought crossed her mind. “You’re going to reach out to the other frontliners, right?”

Acanthus groaned. She was not ready to deal with players—competent players, that is—but if she wanted more info from Argent, she would need to play ball. And she knew that he would learn if she were recklessly chasing these things alone. Taking care on the uneven ground, Acanthus closed the distance and cut through the fish-man with the wide smile, calling out as she did.

“Freyd. Little wonder you’re here.” He busied himself slicing a tentacle from his leg. Before he had a chance to respond, a trumpet blast shook the ground and permeated her entire body. She winced and tried blocking out the noise as best she could. "That... doesn't sound good."

“And I thought I was prone to understatements.” Acanthus gazed at the remainder of the patrol and winced again. (Note: I’m assuming LesMei is in the patrol. If that’s not how y’all write it, I can rewrite this no problem!)

She was glad to see Lessa, but Jomei’s presence caught her off-guard. Acanthus had spent so much time avoiding the aftermath of her fight with Morningstar that she had forgotten about the jealous insults she had lobbed in the heat of battle. What hadn’t gone wrong in those fights? The whole clash had been a terrible idea. Without thinking, she reached for her metal flask.

“Let me down this—damage potion, and I can join you. If that call came from a Spectral Knight, then it won’t hurt to have some backup, will it?” She threw her head back to finish the flask and returned it to her inventory. “Lead the way.”

Acanthus | Lvl 72 (34/38) | HP: 880/880 | EN: 120/120 | DMG: 29 | MIT:160 | ACC:6 | AA | EVA:2 | FL.AURA: 16 | THORNS:72 | BH:48 | HB: 39 | LD:4 | PROB:36

Spoiler

Equipment and Consumables

Spoiler

All enhancements reflected in the stat block unless otherwise specified.

Equipment
Weapon. botan. AA | ACC 3
Armor (Heavy). Corpse Flower's Kiss MIT II | Thorns II
Shield. Fractured Heart | Holy Blessing 2 | Flame Aura 2

Abilities (Skills, Shifts, Masteries, Add-ons, and Mods)

Spoiler

Combat Mastery and Shift
Combat Mastery: Damage R3
AoE Shift

Skills

Battle Healing R5
Energist
Heavy Armor R5
- Addon: Precision
- Addon: Iron Skin
- Mod: Impetus (1/5)
Searching R4 + 1 (Skylight: Searching)
- Mod: Night Vision (2/5)
- Mod: Tracking (3/5)
Straight Sword R5
- Addon: Ferocity
- Addon: Stamina

Extra Skills

Forgotten King's Authority
Survival
Assault Mode
Block
- Mod: Shield Bash (4/5)

Inactive Extra Skills

Photosynthesize
Disguise

Addons

Ferocity
Iron Skin
Precision
Reveal
Stamina

Mods

Shield Bash
Meticulous
Night Vision
Tracking

Battle Ready Inventory (7 Slots)
Dimensional Backpack + Item Stash

Spoiler

Lama Sabachthani | 236687 | Consumable - Soundtrack | Hypnosis 2 | Lullaby 2 (Instant)
Pain deeper than words, engraved by a hand that does not know its own heart.
Edict's Threnody | 236686 | Consumable - Soundtrack | Perpetuate (Instant)
If my suffering will not end, then neither will yours.
Instant HP Recovery 3 | 243744 243735 243750 24376
[Empty]
[Empty]
[Empty]
[Empty]

Housing

Spoiler

House Name: Villa of Coruscating Flowers (The Villa)
Location: Floor 24 - Paradise Islands
Description: See above
Plot Size: Estate - PK Accessible
Rooms: Listed below. All rooms are assigned to Acanthus.

Master Bedroom
- Well Rested | -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat.
Greenhouse
- Green Thumb | +2 Gathering EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to gathering attempts.
Extended Workshop: Recording Studio (25,000 col)
- Hard Working | +2 Crafting EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day.
Mega Slime Farm
- Advanced Training | +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post.
Living Room:
- Relaxed | Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Attic (Bedroom)
- Skylight (Searching) | +1 Expertise to declared utility skill (Searching). Cannot boost a skill without ranks, or increase a skill past its maximum rank. Cannot boost a skill the user has not learned yet. Ranks obtained using this buff will make the mods of that rank available for purchase. Mods obtained this way are unusable if this buff is removed until the skill is returned to the appropriate rank by way of SP purchase.
Basement:
- Multipurpose | Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll.
Storage Closet: (10,000 col)
- Item Stash | +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Master Bathroom: (25,000 col)
- Squeaky Clean | The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
Basic Kitchen (15,000 col)
- Filling | Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.

Crafting and Gathering

Spoiler

Edited Tuesday at 05:19 AM by Acanthus

Baldur · Wednesday at 03:31 PM

A blue flash shot through the air and crashed into the ground near Freyd's group and Acanthus. It cratered the ground and throw a cloud of dirt and dust into the air around them. Then the sound of groaning and the silhouette of a man standing up could be seen, using a sword to prop himself up.

"Oh... hey guys."

The trail of smoke that came from Baldur and his dusty blue haori still hung in the air from where he had arced over the next hill.

"Acanthus... there you are! I was told you might be out here."

Baldur's steel blue eyes glanced at the top of the hill and then he sheathed his katana at his side.

"We've probably got a minute if it chases me, but there's something nasty just over the hill. It was something called a <<Spectral Knight>>. I was warned about them, but they had already attacked another group of players. I've been trying to kite it with..." He paused, some slight color coming to his cheeks, "perhaps a bit more literal success than I had intended."

He shook his head and some small pebbles fell to the ground.

"Hey Acanthus, sorry to ask, but would you message your friend Argent and tell him I found you? He's been blowing up my inbox and I couldn't respond while fighting."

Baldur turned to regard Freyd a bit more as they tried to fight off some trash mobs and get some other players out of here.

"Well, since you're here I think we'll be good. You got your tank setup on you?"

Baldur | HP: 1137/1137 | EN: 132/132 | DMG: 26 | MIT:138 | ACC:8 | AA (incl in ACC#) | KEEN: 1 | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:63 | REC: 8 | FLN: 8 | BLI: 32/-20 | BRN: 56 | FRZ: 64 | LD:5

Spoiler

Combat Statblock

Baldur | HP: 1137/1137 | EN: 132/132 | DMG: 26 | MIT:138 | ACC:7 | AA | KEEN: 1 | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:63 | REC: 8 | FLN: 8 | BLI: 32/-20 | BRN: 56 | FRZ: 64 | LD:5

Consumables Taken

Accuracy 2 Consumed
Evasion 2 Consumed
Mitigation 3 Consumed
Damage 3 Consumed

Field Rations 1 Consumed [Filled]

First Post Character Information [Signature]

Name: Baldur
True Tier: 10
Level: 34
Paragon Level: 66
HP: 1137/1137
EN: 132/132

Stats:
Damage: 26
Mitigation: 138
Accuracy: 7
Evasion: 4
Battle Healing: 63
Loot Die: 5
Stealth Rating: -2
AA KEEN: 1
REC: 8
FLN: 8
BLI: 32/-20
BRN: 56 FRZ: 64
Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket:
- Etheral Tether - Zanshin AA/Keen/Freeze/Burn
Armor/Trinket:
- Jade Magatama - Acc/Acc/Eva/Recovery
Shield/Armor/Trinket:
- Monstsuki Haori - Mit/Mit/Eva/Recovery

Combat Mastery:
- Combat Mastery: Damage R3

Combat Shift:
- TECH Shift

Familiar Skill:
-

Custom Skill:
-

Skills:
- Battle Healing R5
- Charge
- Energist
- Extended Weight Limit
- Fighting Spirit
- Katana R5
- Light Armor R5
- Quick Change
- Searching R5

Extra Skills:
- Concentration
- Survival
- Forgotten King's Authority
- Parry

Inactive Extra Skills:
- Meditation

Addons:
- Ferocity
- Precision
- Resolve
- Reveal
- Stamina

Mods:
- Detect
- Emergency Recovery
- Meticulous

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:
- Basic Teleport Crystal x7
- Bear Trap x7
- Group Heal Crystal x1
- Hypnosis x5
- Medium Vitality Snack x1
- Misperception x2
- Safeguard Potion x1
- Warden's Fury x1
- Zanshin or Muramasa x1

Housing Buffs:
- Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
- Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
- Basic Kitchen: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.
- Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
- Dining Room: Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed. Lesser Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread.
- Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
- Fishing Pond: +2 Fishing EXP per fishing attempt
- Mega Slime Farm: +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post.

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild Totem:

Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:
- Appraising[5000exp] R5
Gathering Profession:
- Fishing[exp] R1

Edited Wednesday at 05:18 PM by Baldur

Jomei · Thursday at 02:57 PM

Jomei
the emerald duelist

Spoiler

notes

Level: 34 | Paragon: 78 | Tier: 4(12)

Jomei | HP: 980/980 | EN: 136/136 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:3 | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:54 | HB: 43 | VAMP-D: 108 | BLI: 32/-20 | LD:1

equipped

Vicious Mockery
Fencer's Regalia - Trepidation
Token of Serenity

battle-ready inventory

Bizarre Antidote
Smores EVA II
Bingsu MIT III
Teleportation Crystal
Creme Brule ACC II

skills

Spoiler

Skills
Rapier R5 | TECH Spec.
Combat Mastery DMG R3
Cloth Armor R5
Charge
B Healing R5
Energist
MA R2
Howl
Fighting Spirit
Quick Change

Extra:
Concentration
Survival
Parry
Forgotten King's Authority
~~Assault Mode~~
~~Lady Luck~~
~~Meditation~~

Mods
Athletics
Emergency Recovery
Vengeful Riposte
Justified Riposte

Addons
Stamina
Focus
Precision
Nimble
Focused Howl

buffs

Spoiler

Housing Buffs
Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
Squeaky Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
Tasty: Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps.
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Item Stash: +1 BRI slot
Advanced Training: +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post.

"An anthill is an .. understatement." he would grunt through grit teeth as he wrestled the inky black mass of tentacles and teeth off of him. Planting a boot in what was possibly its chest - maybe its face, he couldn't tell exactly - he kept the creature from sinking its massive, eerily human like teeth into his skin. Like playing some sick game of tug-of-war, Jomei fought to pull his hand back to free his rapier from his hip and the squid-like monstrosity yanked in the opposite direction. A sword plunged into the body of the creature, its appendages retracting as it screeched and writhed in pain. One of the other players that they were trying to protect found their courage, leaping into the fray to assist a struggling Jomei. However, the attack wasn't enough to finish off the monster, and as its eyeless, toothy maw turned in their direction, all of that gusto shriveled back into nothingness. Now able to retrieve his own weapon, however, Jomei made quick work of the creature. "Hah hah" he took heavy breaths, looking in the other player's direction with a nod, "Good hit, thanks." Some encouragement from a frontliner was always nice, but he wasn't trying to turn the kid into a hero. They needed to get to safety if they wanted to survive, and that was what he and Freyd were there for.

Jomei had responded to the mysterious call - if it could even be called that - all players had received earlier. //Fatal Error// the message prompted, with vague quest details that could barely be made out on the glitchy prompt. The Spectral Knights in question were hard to track down, especially if there were only five of them on the entire floor. Was Jomei foolish for not gathering a party before venturing forth? Yes, absolutely. However, if he knew his comrades, the other frontliners would be out here in force. And, just as he had expected, he ran into one of them who seemingly jumped into the fray alone, just as he had.

The ginger scoffed at Freyd's assumption of the creatures' origin, "Well, when somethings off, its usually the defiled church" he responded. He turned his gaze to their surroundings, slowly scanning as they had a moment of respite. Heavy fog and sheets of pouring rain obscured most people and objects a couple of meters out, but the constant gurgling and growling of monsters met with shouts of battle lead him to believe this was much bigger than just some weird old church. "Whatever is going on, its on a whole nother level than when we first emerged onto this floor. So we should try and handle this quickly." A figure caught his attention as they approached, though it was not one of the inky black squids that they had been fighting for, what was it, hours..? It was Acanthus, and Jomei felt instant relief. Not only was it not a foe, but it was a very formidable ally. Despite his exhaustion, he still managed to flash a rain and grime slick smile in her direction. "Do what you have to, then we can figure out where that-" a flash of blue crashed into the ground, knocking mud and debris in all directions. From the newly formed crater, a familiar samurai rose.. as if he hadn't just been turned into a human meteor.

"And with that makes four." Jomei would chuckle. "Alright, I'll play tank and try to keep it off of you guys.. You three do what you do best and smash it to bits."

> Consuming
Gungir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Smokin' Hot Honey Bun Tray | ACC 2 | EVA 2 | Feast (4/6) - ACC filled
Stalwart's Stew | T4 Perfect Meal | MIT 3 | Combine [216715, 216716] into Lesser Feast (2/4)

Jomei | HP: 980/980 | EN: 136/136 | DMG: 21 | MIT: 104 | ACC: 5 | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA: 6 | BH:54 | HB: 43 | VAMP-D: 108 | BLI: 32/-20 | LD:1

Morningstar · 2025-06-07T19:31:34Z

"Let's call it five," Morningstar corrected, joining from the rear. He was elbow deep in an inky black mess. He wasn't even sure what kind of creature it was anymore. Tentacles constricted around his arm, tightening the more he struggled. Somehow, despite being impaled by a spear-like jab, it lived on. His free hand burned golden and he sliced his way out of the monster's grip.

He was disheveled; his normally pristine jacket was in tatters and it looked as though he'd been playing in the dirt. Nevertheless, his smile remained.

The ruination of his Ilridge outpost left him frustrated and scrambling. He took that energy and put it to use, tracking the Spectral Knight that had nearly killed him. Eventually, the road led him to the church, and to his friends. His gaze lingered on Acanthus a few seconds longer than the rest, but he said nothing to single her out. Today, they would work together. He pushed aside their differences and drew his sword.

"So, where's the knight?" he asked, eager for another go at the ghostly outlier.

Hide contents

Morningstar | Lv. 76 | P. 42 | True Tier: 8

HP: 860/860 | EN: 122/122 | DMG: 25 | MIT: 60 | EVA: 6 | ACC: 7 | LD: 6 | REC: 8 | FLN: 16 | AA | PARA-V

notes:

//

equipped

Dying Sun
FLN 2, AA, PARA-V
Inner Focus
EVA 2, REC 2
Sapphire
ACC 3, EVA

battle-ready inventory

Magdalyn's Cuckoo
Teleport Crystal
Yellow Dragon, Red Tiger
HLY 2, AA, FRZ

skills

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STRAIGHT SWORD | RANK 5/5
- precision, stamina, ferocity
- shift: tech
MARTIAL ARTS | RANK 5/5
- precision, stamina, ferocity
- shift: aoe
COMBAT MASTERY: DMG | RANK 3/3
SEARCHING | RANK 4/5 (5)
- night vision, detect, tracking, reveal
QUICK CHANGE
UNHINDERED
ENERGIST
CHARGE

extra (active)

SURVIVAL
FORGOTTEN KING'S AUTHORITY
LADY LUCK
DISGUISE

buffs

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consumables

imperial quarter blend | dmg 3
gungir (freyd) | acc 2, eva 2
stalwart's stew | mit 3

paragon

Lv. 5 | Gain additional col equivalent to 15% of EXP earned in that thread.
Lv. 10 | +1 LD to looting.

♦ms.

Lessa · 2025-06-08T00:42:33Z

"Okay, sorry, I'm back!" The shout carried through the fog, and was followed seconds later by a bedraggled Lessa. Her cheeks were flushed crimson with exertion, and framed by the tendrils of blonde hair that were plastered by the never-ending rain. Mud climbed Lessa’s boots, splattered as high as her armored thighs, and caked the hem of her cape. She’d limited herself to only half a dozen complaints about the abysmal conditions, so as not to bring down morale, but another danced just on the tip of her tongue as she slowed to a stop beside Jomei. “Got distracted by a-” Octopus? Tentacle monster? Demon spawn? “-thing.” The hand not clutching her sword gestured in the direction she’d just come from. “I saw it chasing after that group of Players, and wanted to make sure it didn’t jump them.” She doubled over, elbows propped on her knees, and drew a few deep breaths. “Motherfuckers are fast,” she wheezed from behind a curtain of wet hair.

Only once she’d straightened again did Lessa notice that their party had grown - now Baldur, Acanthus, and Morningstar joined their small group. Though she didn’t know the latter two very well, she appreciated the help that strong Players would provide. Baldur, as he always did, drew a megawatt smile from her.

“Hey old man,” she greeted warmly. Then she added, entirely oblivious to the pun, “When did you drop in?”

To Acanthus and Morningstar, she offered a slightly less blinding grin. “Good to have you both along, too. This is such a cluster, and the sooner we can take care of it, the better. It’s all hands on deck.”

As she spoke the words, Lessa slanted a look toward Freyd. It would have to be, for her to be partnering with him. Their last interaction had painted a picture of a conceited asshole, and she hadn’t given him the opportunity to prove that first impression wrong. But desperate times, and all that.

“I’ve got your backs,” she told the newly formed party. “You may have heard that the Jomei/Lessa tank/support duo is a pretty solid one.” Finally, she looked to her favorite redhead. “I’m happy to report that it is one hundred percent true.”

Lessa Consumes:
Gungir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Smokin' Hot Honey Bun Tray | ACC 2 | EVA 2 | Feast (2/6)

Lessa | HP: 980/980 | EN: 130/130 | DMG: 18 | MIT:127 | ACC:2 | EVA:2 | THORNS:72 | BH:29 | HB: 39 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | HLY: 8

꧁༺Lessa༻꧂

Lessa, Guardian of Aincrad

Tier: 10
Level: 34
Paragon Level: 60
HP: 980/980
EN: 130/130

Stats:
Damage: 18
Mitigation: 127
Accuracy: 2
Evasion: 2
Battle Healing: 29
Stealth Rating: -5
HB: 39
MENDING: 2
REC: 8
HLY: 8

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket:
- Arcael's Might (T4 THSS - DMG DMG DMG HLY)
Armor/Trinket:
- Vega's Panoply (T4 HA - THNS THNS HB HB)
Shield/Armor/Trinket:
- Red Tide Beacon - Venus (T4 TRINKET - LM LM REC REC)

Combat Mastery:
- Combat Mastery: Mitigation R3

Combat Shift:
- ST Shift

Familiar Skill:
- Rending Familiar

Skills:
- Battle Healing R3
- Energist
- Extended Weight Limit
- Heavy Armor R5
- Straight Sword R3

Extra Skills:
- First Aid R5
- Leadership R5

Addons:
- Field Medic
- Hyperactive
- Iron Skin

Mods:
- Barrier
- Energize
- Inspiring Speech
- Large Pockets
- Press the Attack

Battle Ready Inventory:
- Blessing of the Wood x4
- Chocolate Truffles (T4 Vitality II Desserts) x13
- Congealing Ale (Tierless Antidote Salves) x4
- March to the Dawn (Instant HP Recovery 3) x14
- Rumbling Rum Party Favor (Tierless Mass HP Recovery Crystals) x13
- Teleportation Crystal x14
- Tiger's Balm (Tierless Antidote Salves) x1

Housing Buffs:
- Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
- Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
- Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
- Attic (Storage): +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
- Slime Farm: +5% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post.
- Basement: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll

Crafting Profession:
- Blacksmith[465exp] R6
Gathering Profession:
- Forager[0exp] R1

https://www.dustloop.com/wiki/images/6/6f/GBVS_Katalina_Color_01.png

Freyd · 2025-06-08T03:00:17Z

Mixed feelings met the sound of Acanthus' voice as she rounded the corner to join them. Last he'd seen the woman, she'd fled the chaos of their arrival on this accursed floor by running recklessly into its wilds. Trust had been an early casualty in the shock of their arrival. No safe zone. No NPCs. Hordes of horrific mobs led by eldritch champions besieging them from the outset and twisted whispers that messed with the mind in every stinking, miasmic vapour. Doubts and skepticism were nagging, at the best of times. And now another mysterious threat.

“And I thought I was prone to understatements.”

"It's all relative, I suppose," he murmured, strangely compelled to keep his voice low while algid eyes surveyed the nearby ridge for whatever had routed the other party. A flash of blue and scattering of broken stones skid to a stop beside them, Freyd raising an arm to shield himself from the rain of cloud and shrapnel cast by Baldur's expeditious descent. Given the manner of the samurai's arrival, he'd half-expected him to turn out to be Oscar. Absorbing his quick exchange with Acanthus, Freyd was still distracted finishing off the last of the horrors besetting them.

"Kind of you to land on that one. And nice aim." Brief smirk granted, a barely spared glance pointed to the trail of dissipating fractal fragment at Baldur's feet. Mention of the approaching boss only made it more crucial that they organize themselves to engage it. Instincts kicked in to start issuing party invites and glean whatever stats Baldur might have gained access to in drawing their enemy's attention. "You've seen one? I caught the broadcast, barely. We've been a little busy out here. What are we dealing with?" A brisk downward slash dispatched the last of their current assailants, finally granting them a moment's respite. "And yes. I'm set to tank," Freyd added, tapping the oily surface of his heavy black armor, now marred by an assortment of claw marks and indigo-tinted slime trails. "Facing Wushan in my pajamas taught me a lesson or two." He'd been nuts to do it, but necessity too often yielded to sound judgement. Floor twenty-nine exuded that sentiment in spades.

Jovial taunts about anthills and defiled churches lifted their mood, as a certain ginger's effervescent personality was wont to do. Jomei and Lessa had rallied to the faltering party along with his own, not long before.

“Thanks, Jomei. You held up well in the last raid. Tank away. I’ll focus on making a nuisance of myself to whatever we're facing, but with this kit I can’t promise not to yank its chain and pull aggro. We may have to tag team by default.” A nod acknowledged the man's bravery. It took a certain kind of courage to casually offer yourself as a bastion in the face of an unknown threat - especially one warranting one of Cardinal's rare social media messages.

"Let's call it five. So where's the knight?" Morningstar's modestly disheveled figure emerged through the ranks of retreating players, every jubilant and ready for a scrap.

“Always wandering towards the trouble, aren’t you?" They'd faced their fair share of misadventures together and always managed, drawing a rumbling chuckle at his friend's approach. Given the events of the last raid, Freyd was grateful that they'd all rallied in response. That inexplicable moment remained a mystery. An earlier Freyd might not have been so trusting in the aftermath. Yet, here they all were. Eyes more worn and weathered by the ordeal softened their default stern and stoic pose in silently hinted appreciation and relief, screened by added layers of greying scruff. Elora seemed to like it, essentially ensuring it would stay.

Another clarion sound crested more loudly from over the hill which Baldur leapt. Barely an eye had blinked when the massive silvery figure had lances over the landscape into their midst and instantly claimed a jaw-dropping kill. Finger-like blades extended from its fingertips speared the remnants of what had just been the frolicking form of one of the retreating player's familiars. A bear? Freyd couldn't remember, and its body was already bloating with so many gleaming white pustules that it was unrecognizable. Like some sort of lab experiment on fast forward, the pulsing metallic mass formed a caul that swelled and burst open within seconds to reveal a second knight.

"Goddamn!" There was no more time for discussion or debate. Ready or not, the knights were already upon them, the newly spawned abomination already hurtling past them towards Ilridge. "Foyle, Ren, Jeeves. Tag that one and keep it busy. We'll deal with this one and come to your aid." The rest of his patrol dispatched, Freyd rushed the more imminent threat, hoping the hadn't somehow consigned them to some doomed fate. Trusting Jomei to keep to their fledgling notions of a plan, the Whisper focused on shock and awe instead. Rattling metal on metal broke the stunned silence of its initial onslaught as a length of chain loosed from his left hand and spun around the knight's arm. It howled in that same clarion, like a fog horn at full blast and right in their faces, as the meathook found purchase in its silvery flesh. I just need a gap for the others to exploit and then...

"Reliq! NO!"

Some writhing mass of purple tentacles, bloodshot eyes and yellowed teeth raced along the chain to the tune of rippling bubble wrap and wet fart before diving into straight into the mob's freshly opened wound. Freyd cursed, hoping he hadn't just lost another familiar, and fed their foe more cloning fodder. For the moment, at least, the tiny mimic seemed to be having a blast wreaking having on the Spectral figure, its high-pitched cackling laughter echoing absurdly from within.

***

Spoiler

Post Action | TECH-D (x12, 12 EN): 12 EN - (Rested 2/2; Stamina) = 9 EN.
Free Action [item] | Meathook (1/combat)
Free Action [skill] | Grappling Familiar (CD 0/5)

Freyd | HP: 1495/1495 | EN: 150/162 (162-12) | DMG: 24 | MIT: 212 | ACC: 8 (inc.AA) | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA: 4 | BH:72 | PROB: 36 | DOTE (3/3) | VAMP-D: 82 | VAMP-O: 164 | PARA-V | LD:5 | GRAPPLE (0/5)
Acanthus | HP: 880/880 | EN: 120/120 | DMG: 29 | MIT:160 | ACC: 6 | AA | EVA:2 | FL.AURA: 16 | THORNS:72 | BH:48 | HB: 39 | LD:4 | PROB:36
Baldur | HP: 1137/1137 | EN: 132/132 | DMG: 26 | MIT:138 | ACC:8 | AA (incl in ACC#) | KEEN: 1 | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:63 | REC: 8 | FLN: 8 | BLI: 32/-20 | BRN: 56 | FRZ: 64 | LD:5
Jomei | HP: 980/980 | EN: 136/136 | DMG: 21 | MIT: 104 | ACC: 5 | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA: 6 | BH:54 | HB: 43 | VAMP-D: 108 | BLI: 32/-20 | LD:1
Morningstar | HP: 860/860 | EN: 122/122 | DMG: 25 | EVA: 6 | MIT: 60 | ACC: 7 | LD: 6 | REC: 8 | FLN: 16 | AA | PARA-V
Lessa | HP: 980/980 | EN: 130/130 | DMG: 18 | MIT:127 | ACC:2 | EVA:2 | THORNS:72 | BH:29 | HB: 39 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | HLY: 8

[3,0,0,0,0,0] Spectral Knight | HP: 3700/3700 (3700-228) | DMG: 300 | MIT:~~100~~ 60 (Shatter 2 | 0/3) | ACC:5 (0) | EVA:3 (0) | FRB [40/2] | BLD [48/2] | BLGT [32/2] | BRN [56/2] | FAM-STUNNED

Splinter | Whenever the Spectral Knight critically hits (BD 9-10), its attack instead only deals 50 mitigated damage and 60 unmitigated damage to the entire party as the weapon splinters into a sharpened spray. This attack applies all applicable DoT's to all targets when this occurs.
Mist Body | Natural BD 9 attacks made against Spectral Knight will no longer automatically hit and will use accuracy & damage calculations as normal due to the Spectral Knight bending and twisting to allow dangerous attacks to pass harmlessly through. All enhancements that would activate on a natural BD 9 (bleed, holy, burn, freeze) will not trigger when this occurs.
Attempted Rewrite | On a CD 10+, the Spectral Knight will find another NPC nearby and manufacture that NPC into a clone of itself with the same stat block including remaining hit points and any applied status effects.
Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 4. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3 will still have T1, T2, or T3 stats, respectively.

Edited 2 hours ago by Freyd

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[EV-PP-29] A New Kind of Wrong <<Fatal Error: Act 1>>

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