Scarlet Firefly 0 Posted August 5 #1 Share Posted August 5 (edited) Keep Calm and Ki'Raion After the events of the waterfall dreams, Samantha was feeling a little under the weather. The horrors she was subjected to were still fresh in her mind. However, that wouldn't stop her from seeing the things she wanted to see. After inspecting the quest board for a not-so-esoteric quests, Firefly would find herself looking at a large feline. The more she saw of cats, the more she began to understand why her mother swooned so when she saw one. Of course, dad was too allergic to them for the family to get a pet. At least she had Myst now! Unfortunately, the quest required killing it. Of the very few monsters Firefly has sent to digital heaven, though, one of them was her mother. Blindfolding herself was a move that she did not regret. If she can only hold the image of her mother's smile in her mind's eye... She would take that back to real life and hang it in her memories like a painting on a wall. Judging the level recommendation, she figured she would need a friend to come along. After struggling with the menu like usual(Still working on the alphabet), her hand instinctively hung over Zajcica(Yuki). Yuki had been so keen on her asking for help if she ever needed it but at the same time she'd already bothered the girl so much. Besides, getting to know other members of the guild would be a boon since everyone was so nice. Immediately, she thought of Acanthus. They joined Yuki and her for the Sand Shark and the paladin seemed to know her. So she would open the message system with a deep breath to prepare for the slow struggle session of typing. >>Acanthus - Hello! It me Samantha, I'm a friend of Yuki's. I joined you both for the shark that swam in the sand. I wasn't very helpful there but I still want to get stronger. Would you like to join me for this quest? I don't care about the rewards if there's anything especially rare. [link attached > Quest] And with that, the girl would make her way to the closest teleportation plaza. "Floor 19 - Home." The lights from the teleportation were nauseating but she simply closed her eyes until she was on the wet floor. First impressions? The rain was always very relaxing when it was calm. Thunderstorms could be a good scare since she could not see lightning, but thankfully it wasn't like that here. This would be a good time for her make space for a possible new location for her journal, probably. Otherwise, the scenery the rain fell on was rather gloomy and distraught. The people here looked like they were struggling. She would chat with NPC's idly while she wanted for a response, even if Acanthus was too busy. Spoiler Name: Scarlet Firefly, The Blinded Light True Tier: 2 Level: 20 Paragon Level: 0 HP: 400/400 EN: 58/58 Stats: Damage: 17 Mitigation: 24 Accuracy: 4 Evasion: 2 Battle Healing: 8 Stealth Rating: -1 Equipped Gear: Weapon/Armor/Trinket: - Butterfly Cross-Blade - T1 Str. Sword | DMG III Armor/Trinket: - Emerald Cape - Tier 1 Light Armor Perfect | EVA II; MIT Shield/Armor/Trinket: - basalt - T1 Trinket Perfect | ACC III Combat Mastery: - Combat Mastery: Damage R3 Combat Shift: - ST Shift Familiar Skill: - Custom Skill: - Skills: - Battle Healing R2 - Light Armor R3 - Straight Sword R5 Extra Skills: Inactive Extra Skills: Addons: - Ferocity - Precision - Stamina Mods: - Meticulous Inactive Mods: Battle Ready Inventory: - Starter Healing Potion x3 Housing Buffs: Guild Hall Buffs: Scents of the Wild Totem: Wedding Ring: Crafting Profession: Gathering Profession: Scarlet Firefly | HP: 400/400 | EN: 58/58 | DMG: 17 | MIT:24 | ACC:4 | EVA:2 | BH:8 @Acanthus Edited August 9 by Scarlet Firefly Link to post Share on other sites
Acanthus 0 Posted August 11 #2 Share Posted August 11 (edited) Yesterday had been a miserable day. Failures stacked on her plate so high that one more would likely crack the table. None of her song crystals worked like she wanted them too, and the one she had finally completed, well, the buyer had skipped out on the piece entirely. A week of time wasted. Not even the experience was any benefit anymore. And that didn’t even account for her experience quota. She’d lost track of Ariel and Baldur, and no fewer than three field boss expeditions slipped through her hands. The charts and graphs she had tacked up in her study stared down at her, accusing her in her own handwriting. Level 100 in two weeks! The exclamation point was a wry twist of the knife. Had she actually been happier then, or was two-weeks ago Acanthus also faking it? Acanthus had only barely managed to uncork a bottle of sake—the kind that she reserved for bad weeks—when a message notification caught her eye. Moving the sake to her left hand, she navigated to the message. It sounded rather chipper; two-weeks ago Acanthus would approve. But was it spam? She didn’t recall traveling with a Samantha… Wait, the shark did ring a bell. Yuki sprung quickly to mind. But Samantha… The mental image of a resolute, nervous girl flashed in her mind. Oh, Firefly. I do remember her. A nice girl. But she’s looking to take on Ki’raion? That seems way above her paygrade. I'll send her a message back; try and talk her out of it. But an unfamiliar voice chimed in. It was above your paygrade when you did it too. Pay it forward? If not for your conscience, then maybe for mine. Acanthus corked the sake. I’ll save it for when I get back. Maybe break out something better if I can keep her alive through the whole thing. * * * Floor 19 was *not* at its optimal weather setting. It was a shade too dark and a drop too humid. The weather seemed to have chased away most of the players and sent the NPCs inside, so Firefly was not too difficult to find. She talked idly with the few NPCs who had yet to retreat. Acanthus did not want to yell, so she approached before speaking. “Firefly, I got your message. I wasn’t doing anything important, so I thought we could go ahead and take care of this quest. Invite incoming.” Firefly's equipment looked the same, so Acanthus was relieved to see that her levels had increased substantially since they had adventured last. “It’s nice to see you hard at work. And you’ve picked a good quest to follow up on. This one has a skill that will be very important if you ever decide to try your hand at supporting the party.” The niceties slipped away from Acanthus by accident, and she began walking towards the quest without another word, remaining silent until they reached the edge of Home. “It appears to be day, which is preferable for this quest. If we are lucky, the clouds will affect Ki’Raion’s ability to regenerate. Were the choices intentional?” Acanthus asked with an air of mild, but genuine, curiosity. ----- Note: Acanthus has already completed this quest. Acanthus | Lvl 91 | HP: 960/960 | EN: 128/128 | DMG: 23 | MIT:160 | ACC:4 | AA | FL.AURA: 16 | THORNS:476 | BH:53 | HB: 42 | LD:6 Spoiler Equipment and Consumables Spoiler All enhancements reflected in the stat block unless otherwise specified. Weapon. botan | AA | ACC 3 Armor. Corpse Flower's Kiss | Mitigation 2 | Thorns 2 Shield. Fractured Heart | Fl. Aura 2 | Holy Blessing 2 Consumables Immolation Potion (+10 * Tier Thorns) Creme Brulee | ACC 2 Filled! Abilities (Skills, Shifts, Masteries, Add-ons, and Mods) Spoiler Combat Mastery and Shift No Shift or Mastery Taken Skills Straight Sword R1 (4 SP) Heavy Armor R5 (30 SP) Impetus (4 SP) Iron Skin (6 SP) Battle Hearing R5 (30 SP) Energist (8 SP) Fighting Spirit (10 SP) Extra Skills Survival Forgotten King's Authority Photosynthesize Assault Mode Inactive Extra Skills Addons Impetus Mods Iron Skin 92 SP Spent before specializations. Specializations Reflective x13 (130 SP) 222 SP total. 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. Bear Trap | Set enemy EVA to 0 for one turn. Meathook | 249118d | Consumable - T4 Reusable As a free action once per combat, apply a single stack of [Shatter] to one target of your choosing (No roll required). [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 Performer | Rank 5 Apollo’s Metronome | Crafting Tool | Meticulous: +1 CD when crafting in one’s workshop. Forager | Rank 5 Demeter's Cornucopia | Gathering Tool | Bountiful: +1 CD to gathering attempts. Edited August 11 by Acanthus Link to post Share on other sites
Scarlet Firefly 0 Posted August 12 Author #3 Share Posted August 12 The people of the town weren’t much for conversation. It seemed like the state of the floor was not the most pleasant and the light drizzle was really emphasizing that atmosphere. Sooner than later, Acanthus would meet up with Firefly. The quiet nature in which Acanthus approached would have probably caught any other person than her off guard but footsteps coming towards her were something she innately honed in on without even having to think about it. “Nice to see you again, Acanthus. Sorry to drag you to such a gloomy setting.” The girl would pull up her map to figure out the best route to the boss’s location before following Acanthus. The gear she had was still not upgraded to her current tier - let along the tier that she was about to reach - but it that wasn’t much of a problem as of now. “Thanks.” She smiled. “I haven’t really been too busy doing quests or anything. Just a lot of touring the floors, I guess I’ve just been picking up experience that way.” That and the massive jump she had gotten thanks to Yuki and Wulfrin carrying her through the Forgotten Time King fight. ”Yeah, I meant for the weather to possibly affect the boss. I wasn’t sure what the effect meant exactly, just that it’s stronger when the sun is out.” Information on quests was always so easy to get and she never missed the opportunity to learn about what she was up against. “Though the rain is light. I wonder if it will hold up until we get there.” The duo would walk for some time before getting to their first checkpoint: An old stone-walled shrine covered in moss and weathered with age. They would have to pass through to reach their destination, though it seemed the way through was completely safe. “Wow, this is an ancient looking location. Hoe old do you think it is and who built it?” The girl mostly asked herself as she walked in to get a better look at the stonework sculptures which dotted the balls. “Must be some spiritual symbols or something.” A notebook materialized in her hand so she could take a few quick notes before they moved on. It didn’t take her any more than a minute before she caught back up with Acanthus to finish their trek through the stone passageway. Link to post Share on other sites
Acanthus 0 Posted August 12 #4 Share Posted August 12 Quote "Wow, this is an ancient looking location. Hoe old do you think it is and who built it?” “It’s about two years old. I am guessing it was coded by an army of unpaid interns, fueled by research from an outdated encyclopedia. In game, it’s called the Bastion Wall Shrine and serves as a gate to the Forbidden Lands…” Firefly was no longer in Acanthus’ peripheral vision. But I didn’t hear anything! She drew botan instinctively, scanning the land for their enemy. Only to find Firefly had slowed to take some notes. Acanthus fought the urge to chide the girl. She did nothing wrong. You used to be interested in all of the little things, too. Putting away botan made her heart slow just a little, but adrenaline still coursed through her body. It had been nothing to get worked up about. And yet her heart still pounded, eager to squeeze the worry from her body. “I… apologize. I tend to startle easily, and you’re very quiet.” She attempted to initiate some conversation as an olive branch. Friends talked to each other, right? “What did you slow down for? Did something interesting catch your eye? We can go back for it if you would like.” Link to post Share on other sites
Scarlet Firefly 0 Posted August 13 Author #5 Share Posted August 13 (edited) Having been caught in her own world, Firefly wandered off without saying anything her to her company. She had been exploring things by herself so much she had forgotten her manners. While Acanthus was panicking to find her, she was busy admiring rocks. Within a few seconds though, they reunite. The swords-woman quickly reminded her how running off alone wasn't a smart idea. "O-Oh, you're right. I'm sorry, I'll make sure to stick close." Acanthus reminded her of her mother here. When she was young she had a habit of losing her way when she wasn't paying attention and giving her mom a good fright. Acanthus quickly transitioned into curiosity, though, which brought the mood into a lighter tone thankfully. "Oh, I'm sorry. I really enjoy the scenery of the game. The combat isn't really my strongest skill. I hope I don't slow you down any longer." The girl decided not to waste anymore of Acanthus' time. The would arrive at the bosses spawn location. It was wandering a bit, seemingly waiting for something to challenge it. It noticed the two very quickly and roared. Her ears paid close attention to its footsteps as it began to close the distance. Her makeshift blindfold covered her eyes and the unsheathing of her weapon followed. She waited for Acanthus to make contact before she followed up. Despite the system's assistance that she normally relied on, her blade found no purchase. She positioned herself around the tail so that she didn't get caught in a swipe from the boss and shuffled along with its feet to keep up with it. The darkness of the blindfold softened for a moment, peeling in some new light. "The sun? Oh what terrible timing!" It was only now that she had realized the rain stopped some few minutes ago. Now the clouds had parted and Ki'Raion was buffed. ST-I vs Ki'Raion ID#249798 | BD: 1+4 Critical Miss! [0]Scarlet Firefly | HP: 400/400 | EN: 57/58 | DMG: 17 | MIT:24 | ACC:4 | EVA:2 | BH:8 Acanthus Ki'Raion | HP: 1000/1000 | DMG: 200 | MIT: 100 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2 This boss uses its own BD roll when attacking. Spoiler Abilities: Tail Swipe | If BD 9-10 and MD 1-5 is rolled simultaneously, <<Ki’Raion>> unleashes a powerful tail swipe that can strike a whole party. Deals 150 AoE damage to all party members as well as normal damage to the player with the most hate. Venus Fly Trap | If BD of 9-10 and MD of 6-10 is rolled simultaneously, <<Ki’Raion>> lunges at the player with the most hate and encases them in its floral mane. They experience 50 additional damage and will take 50 additional damage for each following turn that they're trapped. They are freed when at least 200 HP damage has been dealt to "Ki’Raion" or another player achieves greater hate. A trapped player may still attack. Photosynthesize | Absorbing the Sun’s energy, every second attack <<Ki’Raion>> makes will be damage boosted by 50. On turns when this damage boost is not active, <<Ki'Raion>> will heal 100 HP. This ability is only available to <<Ki'Raion>> if fought during the day. Edited August 13 by Scarlet Firefly Link to post Share on other sites
Acanthus 0 Posted August 15 #6 Share Posted August 15 (edited) “I hope I don’t slow you down any longer.” Acanthus smiled. “You sound like me when I was your level. Just keep your eyes forward and I’m sure that you’ll be ready in no time. Here, let me start.” Acanthus readied her sword and shield, prepared to square off with the cat one more time. She thought the fight might be a great learning experience for the two of them. Working in teams isn’t something the game can really teach. It was something she learned through trial and error. Mostly error, it felt like. But Firefly had promise. There was a drive Acanthus could sense. Something unknown to her moved the young girl through Aincrad, and Acanthus had no doubt that she would eventually make it to the frontlines. Or not. The girl was donning a blindfold. Acanthus nearly yelled at her. Firefly shuffled along the side of the boss, careful to avoid the tail. Her attack, though ultimately a miss, seemed far more coordinated that the blindfold would have suggested. "The sun? Oh what terrible timing!" In a blindfold? She can’t… She can’t be serious right now. Acanthus realized this might be more of a learning experience for her than it would be for Firefly. She had planned to coax attacks from the girl with confident commands, but the words fell out in more of a question. “I’ve knocked it’s rear left leg out from under it, so it shouldn’t be interested in you? Can you circle around and flank it? The right side, not quite in front, please?” Spoiler Free Action: Lama Sabacthani -> Ki'Raion Lullaby 2 | Hypnosis 2 Post Action: RAW-A -> Ki'Raion 249893 | BD 4 + 5 | Hit! 476 * 2 = 952 - 100 = 852 damage. Monster's Turn: Ki'Raion -> Acanthus 249 894 | BD 1 | Critical Miss [0]Scarlet Firefly | HP: 400/400 | EN: 57/58 | DMG: 17 | MIT:24 | ACC:4 | EVA:2 | BH:8 [1] Acanthus | Lvl 91 | HP: 960/960 | EN: 128/128 | DMG: 23 | MIT:160 | ACC:4 | AA | FL.AURA: 16 | THORNS:476 | BH:53 | HB: 42 | LD:6 Ki'Raion | HP: 148/1000 | DMG: 200 | MIT: 100 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0 Edited August 15 by Acanthus Link to post Share on other sites
Scarlet Firefly 0 Posted August 15 Author #7 Share Posted August 15 (edited) Firefly still wasn’t the best with combat compared to peers of her level. The total whiff was to be expected from her which is why she waited for Acanthus before making her attack. Her partner got the large cat’s attention. It probably didn’t help for her image to this (mostly a) stranger for her to equip a blindfold only to miss but she knew she could fight with it on. Proof would be on her side with next one though. She could feel it. The cooldown on her sword art became free just as Acanthus suggested what she should do. “Right side flank. On it.” Confidence came to her much more easily when the threat of death wasn’t directly in front of her. The combination of the system’s assistance and her natural senses allowed her to move to Ki’Raion’s side without putting herself in threat of a cleave. The cross blade glowed with emerald-colored energy as it reared back the forward through Ki’raion’s side. The red scar along its side only lasted a second or two before the cat burst into data. Once she heard the creature poof, her hand reached to the blindfold to remove it. The sky looked pretty when the sun was out bringing some bit of hope to the dreary looking floor. “You’re really good at fighting! I don’t think I could ever hit that hard.” Firefly didn’t really care all that much about being a great fighter. It was necessary for her to visit higher level floors, though. ID#249898 | BD: 3+4 = 7 Hit! 17*15 = 255-100 damage! [0]Scarlet Firefly | HP: 400/400 | EN: 57/58 | DMG: 17 | MIT:24 | ACC:4 | EVA:2 | BH:8 [1] Acanthus | Lvl 91 | HP: 960/960 | EN: 128/128 | DMG: 23 | MIT:160 | ACC:4 | AA | FL.AURA: 16 | THORNS:476 | BH:53 | HB: 42 | LD:6 Ki'Raion | HP: 148/1000 | DMG: 200 | MIT: 100 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0 Edited August 15 by Scarlet Firefly Link to post Share on other sites
Acanthus 0 Posted August 16 #8 Share Posted August 16 Quote "You’re really good at fighting! I don’t think I could ever hit that hard.” “Thanks, but I think you’re discounting your own abilities. That was a solid hit. Even if… you have a unique way of fighting.” Acanthus found it easier to not linger on the circumstances after having seen them in action. Blind fighting was unorthodox, to save the least. But she was able to handle herself, and more than that, she was able to strike the final blow. Afraid of impoliteness, Acanthus refrained from asking any questions about the blindfold. I can always ask later. I’m sure we’ll go on another quest again soon enough. The pair wandered back home, a little more lazily than they had out to Ki’Raion’s lair. The clouds were parting, and it would be a shame to waste the weather worrying. Acanthus’ own grind was slowing down. Watching other people gain levels wasn’t so bad. “Firefly, don’t hesitate to reach out if you need any other quests. I may be busy, but I’ll try to find some time to get you ready for the frontlines.” Link to post Share on other sites
Acanthus 0 Posted August 16 #9 Share Posted August 16 (edited) THREAD SUMMARY Experience Acanthus | [Word Count: 2571/5 = 514.2] * [True Tier: 10] = 5142 EXP Firefly | [Word Count: 2571/5 = 514.2] * [True Tier: 2] = 1028 + 2500 (quest) = 3528 EXP Col Acanthus | 385 (Laurel Wreath) = 385 col Firefly | 8000 (Quest) = 8000 col Materials Firefly | 15 (Quest) = 15 materials Mon Firefly | 1 Mon Acanthus | 1 Mon Unlocks Firefly | <<Photosynthesize>> Unlocked! Edited August 17 by Scarlet Firefly Link to post Share on other sites
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