(PP-F9) Nothing to Sweat Over It <<Guardian of Fire>> (Zelrius)

[Ebony 0]

 

Spoiler

 

<<Guardian of Fire>>

This quest takes place on Floor 9
This quest is not repeatable
This RP will not count in the benchmark
  

 

 

 

Rumors about a three headed dog are floating around Vulcan Village, that spawns a rare potion that gives the user the ability to inflict burn damage. They say it is hard to get to. It takes two days and three nights due south to get to the cave in which the beast lurks.

The Cerberus only appears after players make their way into Inferno Cavern a cave that is immensely hot. The heat is so strong that all players who enter loose 1 HP If their craft roll is below 6. There they must defeat an unknown number of  «Hell Hounds»  to awaken Cerberus.

Cerberus appears from seemingly nowhere; a dark body covered in dancing flames; its three heads are ferocious; and each attack individually, players must destroy all three heads in order to defeat Cerberus.

 

 

Requirements:

-At least two [2] Pages (21 or more posts)
- Must RP that two days have passed from «Vulcan Town» to «Inferno Cavern»

-Once in Inferno Cavern - players must use the Perma Roller to roll craft Dice. Any roll below 6 incurs 1HP damage
-Must Defeat X amount of Hell Hounds At 30 HP each.  (Where X is 3 hounds per player present)
- Cerberus MUST be defeated

Cerberus Information:

 

«Cerberus» is a Field Boss and has the following statistics:
Head 1: 75 HP
Head 2: 75 HP
Head 3: 75 HP
Damage per Attack: 24 + 6 Burn Damage next turn
Cerberus ignores armor mitigation on a natural roll of 9-10
Each head attacks independently of one another. 
Thus, every hit you inflict the Cerberus will attack you three times.

Rewards:

1. Cerberus Soul: A Potion that when used on Weapon adds burn damage for the duration of the thread, burn damage at +2 for 2 turns on Natural Dice Roll of 8-10
2. 3 Skill Points

 

Parties or Groups of low level players are advised.
Recommended Level: 23

 

 

Edited November 12, 2015 by Ebony

[Ebony 0]

Ebony stood around on the ninth floor. This was, in fact, the second time she had been on this floor, so she wasn't as nervous as she had been before. Whether it was because of her experience with Calrex and Tristan on this floor just the day before, or the fact that she had acquired a decent amount of mitigation for her level. She had realized that in order to join in the boss fight she needed to be able to protect herself, and that meant mitigation. She had her armor equipped as she waited for Zelrius. It wasn't a full set of armor, but it certainly did the job. It was thick black steel, from the tips of the fingers on her left hand, up to her shoulder where it was strapped in place by a strap. She also had her dagger equipped at her side, and a wooden rose, carved out of ebony, around her neck on a silver chain. She had messaged Zelrius, asking him to help her out with some sort of multi-headed boss that she had heard was on the floor.

[Zelrius 0]

Zelrius merely appeared at the Podium amongst the red skies and lava of Floor Nine. He had been culled from his comfortable inn room on the Eleventh floor to a lower one, simply by request of an acquaintance who went by the username Ebony. The last few times the two had adventured together, Zelrius had actually enjoyed her company, which was odd, given Zelrius didn't really enjoy much anyone else being around. Sure, there were the Commandants, but anyone would love to have Tristan and Ssendom around, their social charisma being much higher than that of the abrasive personality that the golden haired Commandant ran around with. Making his way to the location on his map marked as the player Ebony, Zelrius instantly put on his arrogant facade in the presence of another player, something that was pretty much mechanical and automatic by now.

Giving the player a quick glance up and down, Zelrius' arrogant grin went from so to a geniune smile. "Gotten geared up a little since we last met, have you Lady Ebony? The rose looks nice," He commented, giving his own Azure Rose made by Kitty for his birthday a nice little twiddle between his fingers. Today, the boy was fully geared out as always, his cloak flowing nicely behind him in the hot air, the pendants and sheaths he was adorned in making a pleasantly quiet little jingle sound with each click of his black dress shoes, matched with the tuxedo.

[Ebony 0]

Ebony saw Zelrius approaching from the direction of the teleportation podium. As always he was dressed impeccably, and all geared up for a fight. The abrasive, arrogant attitude that she liked so much seemed to still be one of his defining characteristics. She had attempted to emulate his arrogance the last time he had seen him, while talking with Shizuka. The result wasn't great, and she had since decided that he was probably the only one that could really pull it off successfully. 

She was glad that he had noticed the changes in her gear, and smiled back at him. "Yup. I've been working even harder ever since I met that pink haired girl. I can't let any support player surpass me."  She explained her reasoning. She had another couple of quests scheduled for the next day, with Manta, and another one with a player named Ace. She hadn't had a break from the grinding since she started, a little over two weeks ago. "Which is the reason I asked you for help. The quests with the best skill point rewards are pretty high level as you probably know."

[Zelrius 0]

He stretched his arms a bit, exposing the bowtie around his neck and then he relaxed again, once more being covered by the azure cloak and it's golden colored fur. The boy only listened for a moment and burst out in a short fit of laughter after she explained her reasoning for gearing up and getting to doing quests like this. "I thought you guys were friends after the last quest," He commented jokingly, clearly knowing full well that something like this would occur. "Naturally I am kidding. Humorously enough, Brigadier Shizuka seems to be just as competitive. This is easily told by the simple fact that despite her dislike of me, She still invites myself along for quests like the Essence of Steel. Well, I offer my services to the both of you, and may the best support win." He chuckled slightly, giving a bit of thought to the fact that Zandra was ahead of both of them. 

He too accepted the quest. Minus will get some SP myself while I am here. Giving her another smile, Zelrius gestured for her to lead the way. "Let us be on our way. The faster we get this done, the sooner we can focus on other things." Zelrius was more or less at this point trying to hammer out quests between the two supports, seeing just who it was that would win in the end. Finally, something entertaining for a change, he thought to himself in light of this little arms race between Ebony and Shizuka.

[Ebony 0]

Zelrius seemed to have gotten the wrong impression. They were certainly not friends, more like arch-rivals. Not that Shizuka really counted as a rival, as she was about to get left in the dust. It seemed like he understood now though. Ebony nodded to Zelrius, agreeing with his statement about them getting this quest done quickly. The sooner they finished this up, the sooner she could prove once and for all that she was the best. And more than that, she could start considering joining the front-liners. 

Ebony unsheathed her dagger with her un-armored hand, preparing for the fight ahead. She didn't actually know where the Cerberus was located, so she would follow after Zelrius. She doubted that she would have to do much fighting though. Zelrius would likely rip through all of the enemies extremely quickly. And with his evasion he would probably never get hit so she wouldn't need to heal him. Despite all of this she still wanted to do something. She wasn't lazy, and enjoyed working for her rewards. Still, sometimes this sort of thing was necessary. "I don't really know where the boss is located. Can you please lead the way?"

Hellhounds: 0/6 Killed (30 HP each)

[Zelrius 0]

(Going to give them great HP because I want them loots yo)

Nodding, the boy began to head off into the direction, figuring that Ebony probably hasn't been on this floor before, let alone know where the boss was located. He laughed to himself quietly as she confirmed his suspicions. "If you have the quest selected in your quest log, A marker should appear somewhere on your map." He began to explain, pointing in the air at his own map, not thinking about how she couldn't see it. He rose a gloved finger and swiped through his menu quickly, coming across his friends menu. In moments, a little request box appeared in front of Ebony, detailing that Zelrius wanted to share his map info of the Ninth floor. "There you are, that should help a little bit." He said, giving another smile, than turning in the direction of the cave they were headed to.

"Your gear appears to be quite nice. Though I wish you would've contacted me on that matter. I imagine it costed a bit. I would have been more than willing to pay the price for it, as I do for most all who ask me to do so." Zelrius spoke, throwing a glance between Ebony and his col count in his menu.  Soon enough, the pair came upon the cave, and Zelrius reached for his waist, unclipping a weapon from his waist and holding out the sheath to her. Drawing out the other weapon, Zelrius explained himself "The AoE sword arts for Curved Blade take less energy. Wait right here," He said, charging forth, activating a Bloodrage crystal and annihilating the first group of 3 hounds with the Blade of Lucifer. Activating his Hand of Midas, Zelrius reaped in the rewards.

ID 38432 BD 3+4 Accuracy = 7 HIT LD 19+3 Hands of Midas = 21+2 S&D = 23, x10 Col, 2 Materials per kill.

7+4 Fallen = 11+3 Buff = 14+5 Charge = 19*11 = 209

Zelrius 180/180 EN: 23/45

Hellhound DEAD/165
Hellhound DEAD/165
Hellhound DEAD/165
 

4950 Col, 6 Materials.

[Ebony 0]

Ebony hadn't expected Zelrius to share his map info for the ninth floor with her, but the help was certainly appreciated. She certainly wasn't going to turn down something like that. Ebony tapped the little circle button, and suddenly her own map filled up. That would certainly be useful for if she ever went hunting on this floor. "Thank you Zelrius." She said politely. "I didnt know that, and that will certainly be helpful later on. I've done all of my quests with other players, so I never learned that myself."

Ebony gave a little smile as Zelrius commented on her equipment and how much it must have cost. "I have a lot of col, and I actually ordered both the armor and my dagger before we met." She explained. "And the rose I crafted myself to help with my healing." All in all it hadn't cost her too much, what with how Manta was always giving her all of the loot they received in quests and hunts. What was really costing her was how she found herself giving out col and pieces of equipment for free. Just two days before she had loaned out two thousand and five hundred col to a starting player. She enjoyed being generous like that, but it put a dent in her finances. Of course, the player had promised to pay her back twice the amount, so she should supposedly make a profit. 

Ebony smiled, her dagger held up and a medicine patch in her hand as Zelrius decimated the first wave of enemies. She still didn't cease to be impressed with the golden haired man. "You do some amazing damage. I wanted to be a DPS player when I first started, but convinced myself that this was the path to take. You get a lot more party requests and allies as a healer you see. Enough to make up for the lack of damage and mitigation." She explained her original motives for her choices as Zelrius collected up his loot.

[Zelrius 0]

"Glad I could help, at the same time, don't put my help to waste. Too many Low Levels do that already." He said, not evening glancing her direction in thought of that. He did, however, smile that she accepted the Map request, as most low levels refuse things like that saying that they'd rather do it on their own. While the golden haired boy respected their want to do things alone, but it often got on his nerves how willingly they seemed to work overly hard at things. He let out a sigh, giving a slight digression to that though as he was culled back to reality by Ebony speaking.

"I too used to have a great deal of col and materials. I still have a considerable wealth of both, but I have since spent it on things for the guild and helping out lower levels. Word of advice, however, don't lend out col. Either offer to buy what it is they want for them, or deny it. My person experience is that no one ever pays back." Quickly letting go of that thought, Zelrius thought he was being rude, offering someone else advice of whom didn't ask for any. His thoughts drifted to the Col and Mats, and he sent her a request to give her what he had just earned. "DPS Huh? I like the DPS route, but it's a tough one. It caps out way faster than the other two and is simply harder to keep up with the increasing demand for energy to do any noticeable damage." 

He finished that sentence, obliterating another group of Hell hounds, which opened up the way to Cerberus. Looking to Ebony, the boy have a smile and a nod. "If you don't mind, I'd like to wait for my energy to fully regenerate before we head in there to deal with the boss, please." The please was hastily added and seemed awkward coming from Zelrius, given it wasn't a word he said often. 

ID 38441 BD 3+4 ACC = 7 LD 10+3 Midas = 13+2 S&D = 15 x5 Col, one material.

7+4 Fallen = 11+3 Buff = 14+5 Charge = 19*11 = 209

 

Zelrius 180/180 EN: 1/44

Hellhound DEAD/165
Hellhound DEAD/165
Hellhound DEAD/165

Col: 2475 3 Materials.

 

[Ebony 0]

Ebony nodded. Zelrius help was certainly something that she hoped she would never take for granted. Still, she would accept his help as much as she could. More than most she knew that there was no such thing as free, being the sort of person that used the concept to gain allies herself. Zelrius was one of two or three people whom she would accept things from, because she felt that she understood the exchange that took place. Anything he gave her wasn't for her sake necessarily, but for the sake of the players of Aincrad. By accepting his help she was making a commitment to grow more powerful until she could assist the front lines. 

His advice about lending money certainly seemed sound, although the truth was, Ebony had done it for the reputation she gained. She was gradually gaining a reputation as a kindhearted, generous person, through her gifts and role as a support player. That wasnt to say she didnt want the player to pay her back. Every bit of col helped. As she was thinking this, Zelrius sent her a request for a transfer of col and materials. She wanted to think that it was just the loot from his last fight, but it just seemed like so much. She didn't comment on it though, and tapped the accept. "Thank you Zel." She added on sincerely. Zelrius went on to talk about DPS and Ebony nodded her head. This seemed like some very relevant information for her friend Manta, so she tried to remember what she could

As she processed the information he had just given her, Zelrius went ahead and cut down another three hell hounds, opening up a path in front of them which looked to lead to Cerberus. Zelrius mentioned wanting to wait for his energy to restore, and she sheathed her dagger for the moment. "Of course." She was a bit surprised by the please, it seemed foreign coming from Zelrius. That wasn't to say that she didn't find it nice, just unexpected. "I'm going to make it to the front lines so that I can pay back your kindness." She said on the spur of the moment. It had been her plan for a while now, joining the front lines, but mentioning it to Zelrius had been impulsive. She knew that she had a long way to go before she was prepared for the stress of healing in battle, but it would probably only be two more weeks of grinding or so before she was strong enough. She wouldn't let Manta, or Zelrius, or any of her friends down. Even that Shizuka girl.  

[Zelrius 0]

"No problem," He commented to her thank you. Zelrius couldn't tell whether or not Ebony was actually interested in what he had to say, or if she was just being polite. Releasing a sigh, Zelrius decided it wasn't good to dwell on that thought too much. Zelrius' thoughts traced back for a moment to his Iron Guardian quest with Shizuka not too long ago. That means twice now in the same week, Zelrius had asked someone to wait on his energy to come back, and he hated it. Zelrius felt it as a point of weakness, having to rely so heavily on the little green gauge under his health bar that signified his drained energy. He threw a glance its direction, completely bothered by just how slow it crawled along the bar. 

Her comment about joining the Frontlines surprised him. He had expected her to go there one day, given that was everyone's dream and that anytime Zelrius helped anyone, that was his unspoken promise to them. "Well, I don't see how you joining the Frontlines will repay me. But it will certainly help, Lady Ebony." He fiddled a bit with his bowtie. "Could always use more people on the Frontlines, and I look forward to seeing you there." It was true enough, people wanted to be on the Frontlines for various reasons, Zelrius' own public, or the reason he told people was for Glory, which he now had plenty of. The real reason that he wouldn't dare admit, was to help everyone out of the game, the people he both knew, and didn't know. 

The golden haired boy nodded, simply as a way of respect. Ebony was one of the few people Zelrius didn't find insufferably annoying or boring, and as such, he enjoyed being around her. The amount of people who could say they had the same honor was scarce. The commandant decided that the silence was a bit odd, and decided to break it further. "So, since we're here. Let's play a game. I will ask you a question, answer honestly, and then you ask me a question." Without waiting for her confirmation, Zelrius pushed the 'game' forward. "What made you want to be a support?"

[Ebony 0]

Ebony hated how DPS players ran out of energy so quickly. It was the same with Manta. Every time they fought something they had to sit down and wait for it to restore itself. It seemed like joining the frontlines wasn't what Zelrius wanted in return, at least not fully. Now she was bothered, trying to figure out exactly what the trade was. It was too much to think about at that moment, so she shelved it in the back of her mind to contemplate later. She glanced over at him, momentarily wondering if a skill would ever be found where one player could restore anothers energy. That would be extremely helpful, especially in situations like this one.

Zelrius suggested a game, and Ebony perked up, wondering exactly what sort of game one could play on a place like this with no boards or pieces. The only thing she could come up with were games like truth or dare, and rock paper scissors. So it was going to be a question answer game. She didn't really know if that counted as a game, but she decided to go with it anyway. The question was certainly interesting. "I don't want to be a support to help people. Granted that is a part of it, but it's not my main goal. Supports exchange fighting ability for social connections. By healing people they become indebted to you, allowing you to have numerous allies. And that can be more useful than any sword skill that does four hundred damage."  She explained. She thought about a question to ask him. She couldn't really think of any pertaining to him that she wanted to ask. Then she thought of something. "What do you think my chances are of getting a unique skill?" SHe asked.

[Zelrius 0]

(Last post from me for about four or so hours, has work, Sorry)

Zelrius nearly bursted out in laughter at her reasoning for wanting to be a support. It sounded selfish, but at the same time, was a damn intelligent Idea. He threw in a teasing comment toward her "Remind me not to let you heal me. Last thing I need is to be indebted to someone. Though you don't seem like such a bad person, and who knows, you may need a favor from me." It was true enough that the slow energy regeneration was insufferable, but at the same time, Zelrius wasn't in a terrible rush to get things done anyhow. Oh, how he wished there was something that could bring his energy back to him at a faster pace.

It was her question that kind of caught him off guard. The boy was in no way shape or form expecting that and didn't really know how to answer. "Depends on the Unique skill, your personal strength, and others. If you're talking about like, the rumored Support unique skill, Inquisitor, I'd say pretty low, given I know a great number of people looking for that. But, if you stay persistent and determined, your chances will increase." It sounded cheesy, but it was all he could think to say. "My turn. What is your personal opinion of myself?" 

[Ebony 0]

Ebony smirked a bit. "It's not that bad being indebted to me. And its not like I can make you do anything you dont want to." She explained. To tell the truth she couldn't think of a realistic situation where Zelrius would be indebted to her and not the other way around. He continued on to answer her question, and her smirk shifted to a thoughtful frown. Not good huh... She gritted her teeth momentarily, the fire of determination that had been slowly fading flaring up even stronger than before. She was going to be the best support, and without that skill she doubted she could succeed in that goal. Wait, he knew the name of the skill? Inquisitor... No matter how hard she thought, she couldn't come up with an idea to what that could do based off of the name.

She turned back to the conversation, smiling as he asked for her opinion of him. It was a good thing she didn't think anything bad about him. "I think your a very complicated yet simple person at the same time. Your extremely arrogant but generous and caring at the same time. Your my sort of person, someone I think I could trust implicitly with time. Your the only person I've met who's arrogance make you more likable." It was a bit embarrassing to tell him everything that she thought, but she felt like that was how this worked. He had told her the truth, straight up with no sugar coating, and she would do the same for him. 

Now it was time for her question. She already knew what to ask, but she doubted he would be able to help much. "What do you know about the skill? Whats it do? If you dont know can I get your guess?" She said quickly. He probably knew more than most information brokers on the subject, as he actually had a unique skill himself. She would be content if he didn't know though. That would be stupid. If he didn't know then he didn't know and her being discontent wouldn't change that.

[Zelrius 0]

He gave a short laugh at her responses, taking a second to watch as his guage peaked and filled fully. His smirk only widened as she continued on the subject of debt. "You're right, you couldn't force me to do anything you wanted. But I suppose I'd honor anything you asked of me so long as it was noting too dramatic. Just know that no matter how much you heal me or of the like, you'll never get my Dual Blades skill. Other than that, I mean, I suppose I'd be okay with lending you a Unique item or two, if you asked nicely, Lady Ebony."  Zelrius grinned, adding another comment in there, "As for obtaining Inquisitor, if you promise your service as a Top Notch healer to myself and the Azure Brigade, I would be more than willing to give you any information and even go so far as to help you achieve this unique skill." 

He was glad to hear her opinion of him, it was nice little ego-stroke that the boy craved every once in a while from the people around him. "Funny enough, Shizuka said the same thing about the Complicated yet simply at the same time bit. I suppose that's a common and easily visible thing." Although now that he had asked, the golden haired Commandant had felt a bit dumb even asking that question. He was embarrassed to find himself prehaps being too flirty with her. Giving a small shiver at the thought, he redirected the conversation to the unique skill and her next question. 

"I know that it is rumored to be the only Support item remaining. I am not sure if it is Weapon Skill tied like that of the other skills, so don't spend too many points in your weapon until we know for sure. I will let you know if I find anything more on that bit. As for what it does? I am not entirely sure, but at a guess, Probably allows for you heal in groups for the same efficiency that a high ranked First Aid would. In that case, I would have to beg you to join Azure."

 

[Ebony 0]

Ebony smirked. Dual blades wasnt her style, although that wasnt to say if he gave to her that she would reject it. Uniques would definately be helpful though, and they were something he could realistically help her with. "With the way you've been fighting I doubt youll need me to heal you any time soon." She mentioned. She didn't comment on his offer of help though, preferring to think that over before saying anything about it. "I haven't heard much about it, as im not in those circles, but I heard it was the only one. Thats not something worth debating though." Her eyes widened as he said he would have to beg her to join Azure Brigade if she got the skill. That flame of determination mentioned earlier exploded into a supernova of determination. She had to see that. "I'll try even harder for that skill then!" She declared. She didn't have any particular want to join Azure Brigade, she just wanted to see Zel beg for something, just for the laughs. She stood up from where she had been sitting, preparing to face the boss with Zel.

[Zelrius 0]

"My build is strictly no mitigation, so a Single hit from an enemy could be a tiny bit painful," He stopped to draw his two blades once more, as it was clear the questions had stopped. "So who knows, you may get lucky and find your Hero indebted to you. Though, don't get your hopes too high." His smirk would have grown wider if it could. Giving a small jump of surprise at her sudden outburst and random enthusiasm, the golden haired Commandant was curious as to what it was that sparked her so much. As she stood. He approached the cave entrance of the Boss area and looked back to Ebony.  "Better hurry on in if you want a glimpse of the boss before I take a shït all over its HP." With that, he ran in, the boss spawned, and then it was dead.

ID 40642 BD 5 HIT

7+4 Fallen = 11+5 Charge= 16+3 Buff = 19*12 = 228. 

Cerberus; DEAD

[Ebony 0]

Ebony raised an eyebrow as he ran into the cave and decimated the Cerberus's three heads just like that. She didn't know whether or not he had been talking 'her hero' or just 'hero as in Hero of Aincrad before, but either way it was true. Zel had to be the strongest player she knew, and one of the nicest, at least as far as she knew. She still liked Manta better though, even though she didn't have the sheer power that Zelrius did. "Well, that things definitely dead." She said with a smirk. "And even with no mitigation your extremely fast. Like my friend, although she doesn't have your hitting power."