[PP-NK-F7] Two Heads Are Better than One <<Case of Wurms>> (Itzal)

[Grave 0]

I had visited the seventh floor many a time, and as I had said before, the thought of moving my store up was certainly tempting, but the welcoming, familiar atmosphere of Delilah kept me anchored down below. On one occasion of adventuring through the seventh floor, I decided to scout further out and came across a strange new city, quite Greek-styled with a large Colosseum being the main attraction. Scratching my chin, I opened my map and hovered over the large spot that had now appeared on the blue grid; Rig. With a shrug, I entered the town, starting to explore the new settlement. How long it had been there, I had no idea, but it was entirely new to me.

@Itzal

[Itzal 0]

This wasn't his first, or second time to this floor, but his, what, twelfth?  There was a dungeon he and a friend encountered inside a strange realm made of shadows and Itzal was exploring the entire realm bit by bit.  However he was also exploring the rest of the floor as well.  Being a scout he was naturally curious and enjoyed exploring every nook and cranny.  As he walked along the floor he spotted a nearby ruin.  He grinned and wondered what secrets it might be holding.  With his Twilight Cloak equipped, a deep purple trechcoat with a hood (down at the moment), silver vest and dark brown pants, he sprinted to the ancient structure.  When he arrived he glanced around, trying to analyze what sort of structure it was.  It didn't take long.  A Greek themed Colosseum of sorts.  He knew that players or mobs could ambush him so he went ahead and activated both reveal and detect and:  There was a player entering the Colosseum along with him.  He turned to look through the wall and he grinned.  Was that...  Grave?  He deactivated the skill and came out into the open waving.  "Hey!  Grave!  Long time no see!"

[Grave 0]

My eyes could not stop flitting to the large circular structure that seemed to be the staple of the town, so to satisfy my own curiosity, I shrugged and headed towards the Colosseum, seeing no harm in exploring. Even the buildings around me were heavily Greek-inspired, as well as the NPCs, and what seemed to be players appeared to have taken on the same cultural idea. Finally the arch set into the front of the Colosseum as a doorway loomed overhead, and I began to take my first step into the structure's shadow-

 "Hey! Grave! Long time no see!"

I whirled around when I heard he familiar voice, my coat swishing as I spun. My silver-blue eyes locked onto the player approaching the Colosseum, and I smiled widely; it was Itzal. But the armor he was wearing... it looked so much more powerful than what he wore the last time I had seen him... considering I had been hiding away for quite some time. "Itzal! It has been a long time!" I called back as he approached, flourishing my hands to point out his armour. "Geez... what level are you now? I have been hiding under a rock for too long, you look like you have surpassed me." I complimented him with a grin.

[Itzal 0]

Itzal heard Grave's reply and question.  "Yeah it's been a while indeed.  How long was that exactly?  A month?  Two?  I never know what time it is anymore.  All this work has got me losing track of it all.  At least Kasier helps me relax from time to time...  Oh my level?  I'm level forty three now.  Not good enough though.  I need to get the experience to unlock the ferocity mods.  Otherwise I'm not much use in the front lines.  Look like?  Oh this is something I got while I was still tier one actually.  Twilight Cloak, enhances my searching abilities.  I did choose a scout build after all.  Though I do have combat gear as well.  What about you?  What have you been doing lately?"  While Grave did say that he had been living under a rock, Itzal didn't believe he did literally nothing for that amount of time they'd been separated.  After all, how could someone sit there doing nothing for months and not be bored?  Or was it weeks?  He didn't know anymore.

@Grave

[Grave 0]

I shook my head and chuckled. "Time passes too fast in here. It has been at least two months." I agreed. He mentioned he was level forty three, and my eyes almost bulged out of my head; the exaggerated expressions of SAO would not have helped my case with that either. "Woah..." I sighed, clenching my fists in fury at myself. How could I have let myself lag behind so much?! He asked about me and I sighed, scratching the back of my neck and pouting. "I, uh... have not leveled up once since our meeting. Still only level twenty eight." I explained with a groan, looking away out of envy and embarrassment. "You left me in the dust, man." I turned back to him with a self-pitying simper. "Guess that is what I get for rolling over and dying under a rock."

[Itzal 0]

Itzal chuckled when Grave agreed with him on the matter of time.  When Grave showed obvious shock Itzal rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous chuckle.  "Yeah, I've been overworking myself lately.  Kasier's been helping me slow down and take it easy though, so there's that.  And don't worry about it ok?  There's such a thing as pushing yourself too hard and I sort of did that."  He placed a comforting hand on his friend and smiled.  Then he turned to the ruins.  "So, have you been here before?  I know I haven't, and I've seen most of what this floor has to offer...  I still wish Kayaba added dwarves in this floor though.  Maybe there will be some in the floors to come.  However this is definitely Greek themed.  Not sure if it's a dungeon or quest, but either way we need to be careful.  If it's a dungeon I suggest we don't enter.  Dungeon bosses have become stronger and we probably won't survive without a tank." 

@Grave

[Grave 0]

I scratched the back of my head and grinned. "Yeah... I guess you are right. Taking a holiday is much better than running yourself ragged after all," I agreed, feeling Itzal's comforting hand on my shoulder. "Still though... I need to catch back up to the frontlines. I was high leveled enough before I left, I need to regain that status." I explained with a slight shrug. Itzal asked if I had been at that Colosseum before, and I shook my head. "No, this place is new to me, even though I have been up here countless times. I might actually end up moving shop," I mentioned, my hands nonchalantly behind my head. I snickered when Itzal mentioned dwarves. "Mm, that would be interesting. I do hope they are somewhere in this damned castle," I agreed with a toothy smile. Itzal suggested the arena was either a dungeon or a quest and I bit my lip in thought. "Hmm... I do not know, it does not exude the same aura that a dungeon does, and besides, most dungeons are underground. This one is completely open air, though... so it is likely to be a quest." I explained and placed my hands on my hips, stepping a little further into the shadow of the arch. "What do you think? Want to take a peek?"

[Itzal 0]

When Grave talked about how it probably was better, though he'd work hard till he reached the front lines.  Itzal nodded.  "They definitely need it.  The boss is going to be hard.  I was at the boss meeting, which was taken place in the KoB guild hall...  I have to be honest I'm not very fond of them, nor their leader.  Macrodon is a good player though.  I like him."  When Grave mentioned how he hadn't seen this place before Itzal thought for a moment.  "Yeah it's probably a quest, but shouldn't we have heard of it in the town first?  Come on, let's check it out.  Stay close to the wall though, the center could be a trap."  As they made their way in, keeping close to the walls, they circled the entire Colosseum nothing seemed to have happened.  Itzal picked up a large stone and threw it into the center and still nothing happened.  He turned to Grave and shrugged.  "Guess we try it then.  Best get your gear set."  And with that he opened his menu and equipped Niger Natio, Ascendant's Rosario, and Beauty Incarnated.

OOC- Images of Niger Natio, black armor, and the sword is in my journal.  The ring is a ruby with golden designing on it

@Grave

[Grave 0]

I nodded in agreement. "I agree, many of the players are quite toxic and aggressive when it comes to planning. As for Macradon, he is a natural born leader. He was the third in command when Mack took second, and now that Mack's gone AWOL, Mac's had to take his spot." I explained with idle waves of my hand. "Mm, you are right, we probably should have... unless it is not one many know of." I suggested with a shrug, simply spitballing. I followed Itzal into the Colosseum, sidling up to the wall as we entered. The boy threw a rock to test the center, and nothing happened. "Hmm..." I hummed as I thought, before Itzal broke into my bubble when he suggested we get our gear on. I nodded and opened my inventory with a gentle ringing sound, dragging my amulet, armor and gauntlets onto the status page mannequin. Heavy, white, dragon-like armor encompassed me from head to toe with a spined tail-like appendage descending from the back of my neck. Black claw-like gauntlets sat under the sleeves of the armor, and I felt the thick, round amulet rest on my chest under the armor. I looked to Itzal, the golden eyes of the helmet peering at him as I nodded.

(My armor's also in my journal in my equipment)

[Itzal 0]

Foregoing Action

Itzal looked through his hood and mouthpiece at his friend's armor and was quite impressed with the display.  It certainly made him look powerful.  He didn't even care that drew all visual attention to him.  He felt like something like that should be saved for tanks but it wasn't his place to judge outfits.  He looked at the tail and wondered if that ever got in the way during combat or if he had complete control of it.  Either way Itzal drew Ascendant's Rosario, the icy blue blade gleaming in the sunlight.  With that the two began making their way into the center.  As they did Itzal kept his eyes scanning the area around them.  Then he stopped Grave right before they reached the center.  "Hold up, I just realized.  If it's not in the air or around us...  He used his reveal mod and looked down, spotting movement coming up fast directly below them.  Itzal pushed Grave, strong enough to do so even with Grave's armor and backflipped from the spot, which erupted as a two headed snake shot out of the ground and hovered in the air, hissing as it's health appeared.

Stats:  175 hp  <>  45 MIT  <>  70 dmg  <>  9-10 MD:  attack hits both players and poison dmg of 20 for 5 turns

"Yeah, ok, definitely a field boss.  Let me take the hits for now since I've got more health than you do.  If I drop too low I can switch with you alright?" 

ID#  70960  MD:  3-3=1

Itzal:  840/840  <>  84/84

Grave:  560/560  <>  56/56

Serpent:  175/175

@Grave

Edited November 18, 2016 by Itzal

[Grave 0]

We continued to creep around the Colosseum, carefully watching every pixel for signs of danger. Itzal halted me and I stared at him, my helmet's golden eyes reflecting light onto his chest. "Wait, you are right..." I threw a glance across the sky and around the walls of the Colosseum, before staring at the ground. "Crap!" I shouted as Itzal pushed me aside and swiftly dodged out of the way as well, and a lithe, snake-like figure burst from the sand, hovering in the sandy air between us. "What the..." I grunted and focused my vision on the monster; the <<Amphis Serpens>> hissed at me and stared daggers into my chest... with both heads.

"Two heads?!" I exclaimed, surprised I had not noticed the abnormality previously. I locked my eyes onto the health bar and sighed in relief; it was little more than the flaming tiger, Byakko's. "It should not be too much trouble. I have decent mitigation and lots of passive healing, so I can still take a few hits." I explained to Itzal past the monster, before falling into a boxing stance. I could feel my feet shifting slowly in the recently upturned sand; evading and hitting were going to be slightly challenging, especially in my heavy armor, but hopefully Itzal could land a few easy strikes.

ID: 71111 | BD: 4 - 1 = 3

Party
Grave: 560/560 HP | 52/56 EN | D: 12 | M: 36 | Rec: 2 | CC: 1 | Reg: 18 | BLD: 24 | BH: 5 | Sand: -1 to EVA and ACC
Itzal:  840/840 HP | 84/84 EN | ??? | Sand: -1 to EVA and ACC

Enemies
Amphis Serpens: 175/175 | D: 70 | M: 45 | Critical Special - Twin Fangs: Strikes two highest hate players and poisons them with 20 DMG for 5 turns.

@Itzal

Edited January 6, 2017 by Grave

[Itzal 0]

Itzal saw the creature erupt from the ground and did a quick analysis.  The creature was blowing sand everywhere with it's constant moving, it would be a tiny bit harder to hit it.  However his ring should help balance that out.  The two heads shouldn't be a problem.  In fact if he could get them arguing against each other it would make the fight much easier...  And interesting.  Either way he charged and activated one of his sword arts:  Nova Ascention, and leaped into the air, releasing it on both heads as he moved between them, then finished the sword art on it's back on the way down, before leaping from it and landing on the sand softly.  The beast roared with rage and tried to do a counter attack but it failed miserably.  Itzal leaped left then right, evading it's attacks with ease.  He probably didn't even need his armor to evade that attack.  He blocked one of the heads with his sword and looked at the other.  "This guy isn't very good at this is he?"  With that the monster fell on it's belly due to fatigue from the stun attack.

ID#  72647  BD:  7-1+3  CD:  1  MD:  5-3

Itzal:  840/840  <>  72/84  <-12 energy:  Nova ascension used>

@Grave:  560/560  <>  56/56

Amphis Serpens: 148/175

Edited January 7, 2017 by Itzal

[Grave 0]

I watched Itzal unleash a flashy Sword Art upon both heads at once, dealing only a small amount of damage, but leaving a golden stun icon next to the boss's health bar. "Nice! Should make for an easy fight now!" I yipped and approached as well, barely keeping my footing in the constantly shifting sand.

As one head attempted to lift itself off the ground in its fatigued state, I approached it and sighed. "Sorry buddy." I apologized, and reared a fist back, orange light consuming it and a flame-like aura bursting to life. I launched my fist forward and, mid-flight, my hand burst open, scratching the serpent in the side of the face with the talons of the gauntlet, triggering the bleed effect on the monster. "Alright!" I cried and shook my hand, fanning the fiery aura away.

Spoiler

+1 EN

ID: 73883 | BD: 10-1 (Crit - Bleed Activated) | CD: 12 (Recovery Activated)

+2 EN

Falcon Jab - 1 x 10 x 12+1 = 130 RAW - 45 = 85 DMG to Amphis Serpens (10 EN - Rank 5 Finesse)

Party
Grave: 560/560 HP | 45/56 EN | D: 12 | M: 36 | Rec: 2 | CC: 1 | Reg: 18 | BLD: 24 | BH: 10 | Sand: -1 to EVA and ACC
Itzal:  840/840 HP | 84/84 EN | ??? | Sand: -1 to EVA and ACC

Enemies
Amphis Serpens: 63/175 | D: 70 | M: 45 | Critical Special - Twin Fangs: Strikes two highest hate players and poisons them with 20 DMG for 5 turns. | Bleeding: 24, 2/2

 

Edited January 6, 2017 by Grave

[Itzal 0]

With the monster having been stunned Itzal tried to rush in and deal a blow that would land the bleed effect.  At least he was about to, when Grave had struck the beast with a bleed attack of his own.  Itzal slowed to a halt as he saw the stunned monster struggling to break free of it's paralysis.  In a moment it would.  If Grave had a stun attack he hoped he would use it.  For now however.  Itzal wanted to see if he could get it's hate back in case Grave couldn't land a stun.  He rushed at it, charging his weakest sword art.  He leaped at the monster, but the loose sand messed up his footing and he missed the monster.  When he landed the two headed flying snake stood up and flew up into the air, whipping it's heads around furiously.  It was getting tired of this and wanted to kill them fast so it could have it's Meal.  Itzal gripped his sword tighter as this was only going to take longer if he couldn't even hit it.

ID#  73930  BD:  1  CD:  4  MD:  nulified:  stunned

Itzal:  840/840  <>  71/84

@Grave:  560/560  <>  45/56

Amphis Serpens:  39/175  <24 dmg bleed.  1/2 bleed>

Edited January 7, 2017 by Itzal

[Grave 0]

The snake was starting to become agitated, furious and, most of all, hungry. It wanted dinner ASAP, preferably served on a silver platter. And with the rate we were going, it could as well have us for dinner. We could hardly hit it, the sand kept sucking at our feet like some starving symbiote. "Damn it... it is too hard to move in this sand." I grunted and attempted to heave my sinking feet from the sand, barely managing to drag them through the shifting golden grains.

The flying snake took a bite at me, and I swung my fist in an arc in an attempt to catch the bastard on the way, but it recoiled from its failed attack before my fist could make contact with its scaly face. "Stop it and just die you bastard!" I growled, becoming agitated from the sand at my feet. I watched the monster's health bar continue to drop from my successful bleed attack, before abruptly stopping, the effect finally wearing off.

Spoiler

+1 EN

ID: 75487 | BD: 1 (Critical Fail, THE SECOND ONE IN A ROW TODAY) | CD: 7 (Recovery Activated)

+2 EN 
Miss (2 EN)

Party
[H:2]Grave: 560/560 HP | 46/56 EN | D: 12 | M: 36 | Rec: 2 | CC: 1 | Reg: 18 | BLD: 24 | BH: 10 | Sand: -1 to EVA and ACC
[H:1]Itzal:  840/840 HP | 84/84 EN | ??? | Sand: -1 to EVA and ACC

Enemies
Amphis Serpens: 15/175 | D: 70 | M: 45 | Critical Special - Twin Fangs: Strikes two highest hate players and poisons them with 20 DMG for 5 turns. | Bleeding: 24, 0/2

Edited January 26, 2017 by Grave

[Itzal 0]

Itzal watched as Grave attempted to attack but failed, and then shouted at the boss.  Why was he doing that?  Shouting at it would only agitate the monster and would do nothing to help him in the fight.  One needed a calm mind to win.  Itzal should know, he struggled with anger for a while.  He waited for the right moment, watched the sand for a while and soon he had plotted his course.  When the boss was where he wanted it to be he charged at full speed, landing his feet on the most stable areas he could, and then leaped into the air, releasing Shadow Explosion and finishing off the last of it's health.  The creature roared in pain and shattered into crystals.  When Itzal landed he turned to Grave, switching back to his twilight cloak now that the fight was over.  "Alright, well that's over.  So now that the boss is dead would you like to explore this place with me for a bit?  It's not every day you fight a boss and have the chance to explore it's lair."  He pointed to an opening in the wall where lions typically came out of during a fight in the Colosseum. 

ID#  75599  BD:  9  CD:  11  MD:  4

Itzal:  840/840  <>  54/84

@Grave:  560/560  <>  45/56

Amphis Serpens:  0/175  <8x9-45=27>

Edited January 27, 2017 by Itzal

[Grave 0]

From where I stood, I could see Itzal's tactical mind whirring its gears, clicking all aspects of the fight into a plan within his mind, and I sighed; wish I could be tactical like that. But all I did was beat the crap out of things with my fists and yell at them if they did not die. I would make a great tank if I had howl, I am sure. Within a few seconds after my failure, Itzal had shot across the sand like some desert snake and unleashed a Sword Art that cleaved the serpent into flickering blue shards of glass. "Good job." I sighed, grasping my helmet and yanking it off, letting my silver locks stand up straight. "Yeah, who knows what we could find here? There be booty to be plundered." I made the second statement in my best impression of a pirate accent, and it worked surprisingly better than I had expected. "Come on, let us snoop around."

[Itzal 0]

Itzal listened and watched as Grave sighed and then agreed that they should look around.  Then he gave an excellent impression of a pirate's accent...  Then again.  He smiled.  "Alright then, let's get looking.  Hey, that accent's got me wondering.  Was that how pirates actually talked back then?  I mean, what if it's not and just misunderstanding?  Not saying you shouldn't do it, it's pretty fun and should be enjoyed.  It's just a thought I had."  They made their way to the doorway and Itzal scanned the walls as he did so.  However the entryway was only filled with bones.  Figures as it was where the monsters would come out.  As they made their way into the pitch black area, Itzal pulled out two glowing crystals, both of them purple, and handed one to Grave.  "Oh, last time we met you mentioned a girlfriend.  How's that working out?"  He hadn't told Grave yet but he now had a girlfriend himself.  How they came together was a rather interesting story in itself.

ID#  75775  LD:  5+8=13

@Grave

Edited January 28, 2017 by Itzal

[Grave 0]

Itzal posed an interesting, although random question, in response to my pirate accent. "Hmm... true. I do not think there is any evidence that they did speak like that. From what I remember it was adapted as a stereotype from a famous character in a very old pirate movie." I explained, scratching my chin. "And from then on it just became the 'pirate' accent, although he was the only pirate in the movie to speak in such a fashion." I admitted, and peered around. I had to keep focused on my surroundings, to see what I could find. We entered the 'beast's lair', pitch black and laden with the bones of men and other creatures. He handed me an amethyst-coloured crystal that heavily illuminated our surroundings, reaching out towards the darkest corners. He asked about Jevi and I smiled. "It is going okay. She has been busy, so I have not had much of a chance to spend time with her, but I hope she can crawl out of her own hole to join me soon." I explained with a chuckle before nudging Itzal. "How about you? Got yourself a woman yet?" I asked with a crooked eyebrow.

ID: 76444 | LD: 7

Edited February 3, 2017 by Grave

[Itzal 0]

Itzal listened to Grave's question and nodded.  He seemed to have studied enough to know more info than Itzal was expecting, however he was not at all upset about this.  Itzal loved to research and gather intel so this worked out.  As the two walked around Grave asked Itzal a more...  Personal question.  He was glad the light of the crystals couldn't reveal the slight red tint that appeared on his face.  "Uh, heh heh.  I have actually.  Her name's Kasier.  Gold hair and red eyes.  She's a healer and although she's extremely sweet and caring, she doesn't seem like that to others.  I have to admit, I doubted I'd ever get anyone, but the way we got together?  That was nothing but a miracle in my opinion," he finished with a chuckle.  As they explored they eventually hit the end.  An empty room with bones.  Itzal activated reveal, trying to see if there were hidden pathways, trapdoors or something, but he spotted nothing at all.  He shook his head.  "I guess it wasn't hiding anything.  Oh well.  Let's head out now."

ID#  77106  LD:  4+13=17 oh you've got to be kidding me >-<  Not my searching day

@Grave

Edited February 11, 2017 by Itzal