[F2-PP] Long Live The Queen [Completed]

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

<<Long Live The Queen>>

This quest takes place on Floor 2
This quest is repeatable

This RP will not count in the benchmark
 

Word from the Information Brokers speaks of a hidden respawning Field Boss on Floor 2. A small party reported having farmed the <<Wind Wasps>> found throughout the fields awakened a hidden Field Boss. This monster, identified as <<Wind Wasp Queen>>, proved to be a dangerous opponent for the relatively low levelled party, and dropped a powerful Alchemical Potion.

Requirements:

-At least two [2] Pages (21 or more posts)

-Maximum Party Size of 3

-The Wasp Queen must be defeated 

-Repeat completions will only yield <<The Matriarch's Stinger>>

Wasp Queen Information

<The Wasp Queen> is a respawning Field Boss and has the following statistics:

HP: 50
Damage per Attack: 20

Rewards:

1. <<The Matriarch's Stinger>> This incredibly potent venom can be applied to a weapon to provide an additional +1 damage for the duration of one battle.
2. 3 Skill Points

Parties or Groups of low level players are advised.
Recommended Level: 8

 

(This quest has been updated for the September Update)

The sky was a pleasant shade of orange and the birds sang happily as the morning sun peered over the edge of the crater that housed the small town of Urbis. The town had a medieval European sort of design and the stone buildings seemed arranged haphazardly. Towards the center of the town,   Beat was sitting in the local tavern, enjoying a plate of steak and eggs. He had recently begun learning to cook and he was always taking notes on flavor and texture, not that he truly had a lot of control over the exact properties of the things he made, at least not yet. So far, he had managed to make a passable stew, something that felt like an accomplishment when compared to how the rest of his attempts had gone.

Crazy how hard it is to make food..I'll get there though...

He pulled his menu up as he ate, checking the time. HE was waiting on Shield to arrive so that they could venture to the woods to hunt the hidden field boss that an unsuspecting low-level party had uncovered. Its stats weren't impressive, but the quest yielded a good amount of SP, something he and Shield were always looking for. 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 28, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

This was the most naked Shield had felt since the death game had first been announced on day one of Sword Art Online. He wasn't sure why he had kept the little mirror that Kayaba had gifted to all of the players, but he found himself looking into it now, examining his simple attire. In addition to the pouldron that he had recently purchased and appraised, he wore a ring that his companion had lent him and a beaded wristband, both designed to maximize his loot drops. He would still be able to tank the majority of the damage that came their way, but for once, he would be relying on his hit points more than his armor.

I don't like it, but it makes sense to at least try... If I need to swap out my gear for something more defensive, I can.

He caught one last view of his garish scar before he stowed the mirror and took a glance around the little square that the inn bordered. It was still only the second floor, and although there were strong players to be found, the vast majority were lowbies like him. Something was different in him lately. Although he had always been motivated to escape the game, he was taking bigger risks than he normally might.

Beat probably has a lot to do with that. I suppose he's not used to acting with as much caution as we have. I suppose it should be no surprise that we've met somewhere in the middle...

Pushing open the door to the little inn, Shield stepped inside. He scanned the crowd until he spotted his sole party member, making his way over to the younger man.

"Are you stocked and ready to go?" he asked. "We have a lot of quests to tick off of our to do list."

[Beat 0]

Shield had managed to catch beat at the most inopportune moment as he had just taken a large bite of steak. He held his finger up, indicating that his partner would simply have to wait. He resisted the urge to prolong the enjoyment of his mouthful of food and irritate the sometimes impatient man standing before him. He was, however, still only halfway through his meal, so he gestured to the chair across the table from him after swallowing. 

"We do, but Beats gotta eat. Take a sit, I'll try not to dally too much. This steak is legit though." 

He knew slowing down and waiting wasn't something the older player enjoyed doing, but he was determined to try and get him to relax a little. Since their last adventure, particularly the expression of values the two of them shared, Beat had decided to take Shield's words under advisory, since he hadn't yet figured out everything just yet. Regardless of whether or not Shield took his  offer to relax, Beat would continue eating his meal until it was finished. He was in no rush to finish his meal, but he would eat at a steady pace to avoid invoking Shield's ire.

"You know, I wouldn't have to buy food at a tavern if I could cook for crap. Hahaha!"

 

[Shield 0]

Taking the seat that was offered him, Shield crossed his arms over his chest. It was not that he was particularly muscular or thickly built. On the contrary, Shield had always been thin. However, he had played tanks in games for years, and it showed in how he carried himself. His shoulders were typically pulled back and his chest out, as if they were what was protecting him, not his gear.

"I think this one should be straight-forward," he said, trying to cover the basics while Beat finished his meal. "Compared to what we've fought so far, it should be low damage, low health, and high payout. Not sure if that's typical of field bosses, but I suppose we'll see if there's more to the equation once we're there."

His finger dragged through the air in front of him to summon his main menu, which he quickly navigated to his equipment specs.

"Because of that, I'm shifting my gearing strategy, at least for this one. Minimizing defense to capitalize on loot output. I suggest you do the same, within reason."

[Beat 0]

Beat smiled as he pulled the quest up and reviewed the stats of the field boss, scoffing arrogantly and shaking his head, a disappointed look on his face. 

"Yeah, this thing won't even drop standard loot, so all we can really hope for is whatever comes from the quest rewards."

Beat looked through his equipment as he took another delicious bite of juicy steak. He was suddenly reminded of a scene from a movie he had seen where one of the characters was eating a steak and acknowledging that while the steak was not real, his brain only knew that it was satisfying and delicious regardless of what he actually knew to be true. Taking a swig of orange juice, he swallowed and gave the heavily armored man an inquisitive look. 

"Did you ever see the Matrix? Great movie that has some parallels to our situation. It's kinda funny." 

He figured making small talk wasn't really Shield's thing, but Beat enjoyed conversation while they were actually sitting and taking a few minutes of respite before charging into battle. Beat hoped that there would more interesting fights along the way, but if not, we wasn't about to complain about free skill points. 

Edited January 26, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Giving Beat a nod, acknowledging the question. The correlations had not been lost on Shield.

"I think everyone from my generation is familiar with the film, at least to some degree," he said solemnly. "And yes, there are connections. However, I don't know if I find it amusing. While I recognized that the film was inspiring, it was not one I was excited to live in."

As he spoke, he summoned a little paper bag from his inventory, and the smell coming from it was noxious to say the least. The paper seemed greasy, and the top was brimming with little bait fish. Shield took one from the bag and handed it over his shoulder. From behind him, a thick, sharp-beaked head reared into view, snapping up not only the fish, but biting through a little bit of Shield's fingertips with it.

"Norbert! Be nice!" he scolded, shaking his head as he examined the tips of his fingers. "I know that we're in a safe zone, but if you do that on the road, I'll have to wait for them to grow back with my health meter!"

There was a new article of clothing over the top of his armor: a set of leather straps that ran over his shoulders like a backpack. Apparently, it was some sort of sling for what appeared to be an over-sized snapping turtle.

Edited January 26, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Beat's face scrunched up at the smell of the fish bait as he glared at Shield. 

"Hey man! That stuff reeks, I'm trying to enjoy my br-"

He paused as he watched Shield place the fish over his shoulder, his eyes growing wider as a turtle's head appeared and snatched the fish and then some. It took him only a few moments to realize what that Turtle was before he smiled, happy that his Friend's efforts had bore fruit. 

"I take it that is your familiar? Very cool. Once a certain chef finish an order I recently placed, I should be on my way to hunting one of my own. Where did you find this little guy?" 

The smell of the bait dissipating somewhat, Beat resumed eating his steak as he thought about what sort of familiar he would prefer. He knew he really wouldn't care for a turtle, but the animal somehow suited Shield. The thought brought a smile to Beat's face.  

[Shield 0]

"He was actually right by the bridge to the mini badlands where we hunted the boar pups," he answered. "I remembered that there was a little slow-moving stream there, and that's one of the bets places to find snappers. He's heavy, but I think he suits me."

He turned slightly and reached behind himself and tapped on the shell of his familiar, producing a heavy 'thunk.' As his back was exposed, the size of the creature became more obvious. Its carapace was at least a foot and a half across, and even more than that lengthwise. The head, which was the size of Shield's sizable fist, was lined behind with little horn-like protrusions of skin.

"I can't imagine you going for something as slow as this little tank though," he said, feeding Norbert another slimy piece of fish. "You thinking of something lighter? Maybe a falcon or some other kind of raptor?"

[Beat 0]

Beat smiled as his eyes went wide, taking another bit of steak at just the wrong moment. He chewed quickly and swallowed as he rushed to reply in his excitement.

"A falcon! Oo I like that! My first thought was a dragon, but it would be a small one and I'd rather have something a little more grown up. I'm not looking to take care of a baby."

His brow quirked as he reached out and attempted to pet the shell of Shield's companion. He knew the Turtle would have to real way of feeling and appreciating it, but petting an animal just seemed like the natural thing to do. He looked to Shield as he continued to pet Norbert. 

"So, what does a familiar do for you? I haven't looked into the specifics other than the info you shared from the info broker about loot find bonuses helping."

Beat hoped it provided special bonuses unique to Familiars alone, though any bonus at all would be helpful. He remembered that Ariel had possessed a familiar as well and was kicking himself for not asking these questions then. 

[Shield 0]

"Well, they're useful for their own reasons, though not because they offer unique enhancements," he said, pulling up his stat sheets and turning them so Beat could see properly. "A familiar offers you a bonus, and yet it does not take up one of your limited slots for equipment-based enhancements. It may seem odd, but this little guy is actually where I'm going to be getting my mitigation from in the future."

The snapper made motions with its legs in response to the vibrations in its shell, seeming as if it was trying to lazily swim up Shield's back. He gave Norbert's shell another pat and returned to a neural position facing towards Beat.

"I'd recommend looking through your enhancements and decide which ones you need permanently, which ones can come from more than one type of equipment, and which ones are only applicable to one."

He indicated his character sheet as he continued.

"If I'm going full tank, I'll need mitigation and regen pretty much maxed out, and evasion would also suit me well. Any other effects are tertiary to my build, but the flexibility to have another enhancement will make me either more defensive or offensive as the situation demands."

As he spoke, he tapped the various portions of his radial menu that represented different items slots. He finally settled on the tab that was specific to familiars.

"The only one of those that I can take 3 times on a familiar is mitigation. The others kinda fall into place from there."

[Beat 0]

Beat nodded slowly in understanding as he took the final bit of his steak. As he chewed the flank of some unfortunate virtual bovine, Beat considered the possibilities that freeing up an equipment slot would bring. When it came to an enhancement he would need permanently, it wasn't hard to choose. He swallowed the last thoroughly enjoyed morsels of his meal and took a sip of orange juice before replying.  

"Well, my familiar will definitely be giving me a damage enhancement then. I can't see a situation in which that won't be helpful to me."

Beat pulled his menus back up and started flicking through his stats at a rapid pace, running calculations and projections of what end game statistics would look like. Beat was smart for a guy who dropped out of highschool, he just lacked a good chunk of the basic education that his peers had likely gotten. When it came to video games, his knowledge and abilities to pick out optimal builds were unquestionable. He quickly downed his juice as he continued to flick through menus until he shook his head, his brow furrowing. 

"Hmm, specializing early is best at lower levels, but once we get into the higher levels, we'll have to skill points to spread out. I think we're on the right track, but optimal endgame builds will vary I think since you have to worry about more than just combat." 

[Shield 0]

Seeing that Beat was nearing the end of his meal, Shield stood and stretched his arms out. Behind him, Norbert was continuing to do his perpetual crawl stroke in the air, his mouth open and listing back and forth as he tried to make sense of the world around him. Shield offered him a fish, which he took, before stowing the little morsels and closing out of his menu.

"It seems like we're making pretty short work of a lot of these quests," he said, thinking back through the various missions the two had accomplished together. "If we keep this up, we'll be pushing into the upper floors in no time. On a few of these, we might even push to see if we can find a sub-dungeon if it takes us to the right floor."

Neither of them had set foot in a dungeon since Ran had carried then through the lizard lair on floor five. It seemed daunting, but Shield suspected that was largely due to the feeling of just having been so soundly outclasses by the more experienced player and not really having an opportunity to be helpful due to their low levels at the time.

I don't remember our exact level.... but if we were above level 1, it wasn't by much. We're much stronger now.

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 75468: LD: 21 (19+2) = 1 T1 Mat found (total 1)

Beat used his napkin to wipe his mouth as he stood up, thinking about their first sub-dungeon. A high level player named Rain had carried them handily through the depths of a desert dungeon filled with lizard soldiers that, even now, would pose a decent threat. Now, after they completed the three or four quests on their roster, that feeling was likely to change a little bit. Their goal was reaching the second tier of power in the game. At that point, better equipment became available and the enhancements on that gear was practically doubled. Players within that tier were in a league of their own compared to the two of them as they were currently. 

"Indeed, we'll hit that second tier in no time. I wonder how hard a sub dungeon would be now. We may have to look into it once we have knocked a few more quests. If I recall, that dungeon gave us quite a good head start financially thanks to Rain not taking his share." 

Beat turned and walked out of the tavern, waiting for Shield before beginning down the cobblestone road through the town, towards the forest where the boss was said to be. Just outside of the safe zone, one of the stones in the road stood out. Upon picking the stone up and inspecting it, it turned out to be a piece of metallic ore. He stowed the valuable material and continued on. 

 

Edited January 26, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

75474 results: Loot: 4 + 5 = 9 - No materials. (0 total)

The two of them had spent so much time together in recent weeks that, despite Beat's tendency towards chatter, long stretches of travel would go without conversation. This tended to suit Shield just fine, but it was rarely up to him how much conversation would pass on the road. As they passed through the little collections of houses and out into the countryside, Shield began to pay more attention to the landscape, since this is where one could begin to spot useful materials that spawned regularly in the terrain.

It was good that they were exploring different floors a little bit more.Their last mission had left them some unpleasant memories back on floor one, and Shield figured that blazing new trails to avoid retracing their steps would be good for both of them.

"What I don't get is why the boss is so much experience for so little combat. We've fought much tougher even just from random encounters on the floor below, I feel."

Edited January 26, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 75475: LD: 10 = no mats (1 Total)

Beat nodded in agreement as his brow furrowed in frustration as he tried to understand what the developers were thinking.

"I know what you mean. I mean, fifty hitpoints? That's embarrassing. Maybe it is because the party that discovered had to meet special conditions before it unlocked the spawn." 

It was true that sometimes MMOs had global unlocks that made something available to the entire player base once someone had performed the unlock requirements. He shrugged as he decided to keep his eyes peeled for more materials as they neared the forested area where they could see wasps flying above and through the tree tops. 

"I guess it's just a gimme. Something to reward going through the effort of unlocking the boss spawn. Only thing I can think of."

He smiled, eyeing the wasps with a greedy gleam in his eye. 

"I wonder what those guys drop...up for checking to see?"

Edited January 26, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 75476 results: Loot: 7 + 5 = 12 - No Mats (0 total)

Following Beat's gaze, Shield saw that he was referring to the buzzing insects overhead. He gave a silent half-chuckle at the thought of engaging them.

"Something tells me they'll be coming after us on their own soon enough," he replied. "Especially since these are wasps. Bees tend to keep to themselves, but anything in the more wasp-y family is more aggressive."

The buzzing was continually getting louder, and it was impossible to say whether that was due to the wasps themselves or to some environmental ambiance that was programmed into this section of the floor.

"That is going to get very old very quickly," he grumbled, Norbert groaning a similar sentiment on his back as his jaw snapped angrily at the air around him. "Easy Norbert. I don't want you taking out chunks of my hair just because you don't like the noise."

The reptile snapped his beak towards Shield's ear in rebellion, which Shield narrowly avoided. He shot Beat a glance and cleared his throat.

"He'll learn to behave... eventually... Oh, and by the way, here. I won't be needing this anymore."

Shield brought up his menu and transferred Beat the item he had traded with him earlier, the Watchful Sentry.

[-Watchful Sentry]

Edited January 26, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 75477: LD: 22 (20+2) = 1 T1 Mat found (2 Total)

 

unequipping: Green Dragon Ring (+2 LD)

Equipping: Watchful Sentry (+3 LD)

Beat snickered as Norbert defied his new owner. He encouraged the hard shelled ally with nods and whispers. He wondered if his familiar would misbehave the same way at first. It was also worth pondering if familiars grew as they gained strength. 

"Yeah, get him Norbert. Lower those ears."

He hardly attempted to hide his antics as Shield glanced at him, giving the serious tank a toothy grin. He had been teasing and so had meant nothing by it. This was Beat's way and Shield was just going to have to learn to like it. Beat leaned down to pick up what appeared to be a chunk of broken armor, assuming it had been from a dead player, but he perished the thought as he reminded himself that nothing remained when you died. The thought was certainly sobering to say the least. His dark contemplation was cut short as a trade menu opened in front of him. 

"Ahh, it's back!"

Beat's smile was now one of appreciation as he readily accepted the trade, welcoming his old ring back to his inventory. He swiped through his menus, equipping the returned trinket over the slightly less effective substitute he had been wearing. He made one last glance at his equipment, happy to see his loot chances ever-so slightly improved, before closing his menus and giving Shield the "go-ahead" with a nod.

"Let's exterminate some bugs."

Edited January 27, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Shield

Spoiler

Basic Stats
	Lv	13	HP		260 -8 +9 -4 +9	Tier	1
	DMG	1		LD	5	SP	31
	ACC	0				Spent	29
	EVA	3				Remaining	3
	MIT	16
	NRG	26
				Thorns	14 dmg
		Stealth			Healing
			10		Energy/Turn	1
					HP/Turn	+9 when hit

Mobs:

Spoiler

[Vespa Warrior 1 - 130 HP - 20 dmg] ID 75513 MOB: 10 - Hit! (10 + 2) x 2 = 24dmg -16 Mit
[Vespa Warrior 2 - 130 HP - 20 dmg] ID 75514 MOB: 2 - Miss
[Vespa Warrior 3 - 116 HP - 20 dmg] ID 75516 MOB: 7 - Hit! 20 dmg - 16 Mit - Takes 14 thorns dmg
[Vespa Warrior 4 - 130 HP - 20 dmg] ID 75515 MOB: 5 - Miss

Almost as if in response to Beat's enthusiasm for battle, the buzzing grew to a fevered pitch, and out of the foliage of the tree overhead, four wasps the size of dogs came whizzing down. Shield only just managed to avoid their stingers, dodging and rolling out of the way. He came back onto his feet, his shoulders pointed towards the small platoon of not so small insects.

Taking a deep breath, he planted his feet in preparation for his battle cry.

"Fight us like warriors, not like sniveling, hiding cowards!"

The one closest to the center of the cluster rose into the air and plummeted towards Shield stinger first, the other three following suit. Being more accustomed to attacks from the same level where he stood, the angle caught Shield offguard. The first stinger slipped past his guard and into his neck. The second, into his shoulder. He shrank behind his shield to avoid the next two, brushing the great stingers of the first two attackers away from him.

Even as he did so, despite the depth of the first wasp's penetration, the wound closed up like nothing.

"They're no threat, Beat! Pick them off however you like"

Edited January 27, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 75553: BD: 11 (8+3)

Tornado Kick - 1x6 - AoE - Dmg: 9 * 6 = 54  -12 EP

HP: 220/220 EP: 10

Beat watched eagerly as the wasps swarmed Shield with reckless abandon, driven by their natural instinct to attack anything with area that they deemed under their control. Beat had always detested wasps, having been stung a number of times in his life, thus adding to the list of reasons he preferred to not leave his home. He glared at them as his left leg began to glow below the knee. 

Nasty creatures, no reason to exist.

"This is revenge!!" 

Beat leaped into the air, directly above Shield and perfectly in between all of the wasps as his glowing leg turned in a lightning fast 360 as he spun, his hell catching each of them squarely, knocking them back and doing a good amount of damage. He smiled as he landed, satisfied with the damage they had sustained. 

"Not too bad, how are those thorns working out?"

Edited January 27, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Shield

Spoiler

Combat action -  Howl

Mobs

Spoiler

[Vespa Warrior 1 - 76 HP - 20 dmg] ID 75554 MOB: 10 - Hit! (10 + 2) x 2 = 24dmg -16 Mit
[Vespa Warrior 2 - 76 HP - 20 dmg] ID 75555 MOB: 9 - Hit! (10 + 1) x 2 = 22dmg -16 Mit
[Vespa Warrior 3 - 48 HP - 20 dmg] ID 75556 MOB: 7 - Hit! 20 dmg - 16 Mit - Takes 14 thorns dmg
[Vespa Warrior 4 - 62 HP - 20 dmg] ID 75557 MOB: 6 - Hit! 20 dmg - 16 Mit - Takes 14 thorns dmg

The ferocity of Beat's attack scattered the insects, but they were hardly discouraged from the defense of their territory. Doubling back, they charged in at Shield. Seeing how weak their stings had proven, Shield did very little to stop them. One stinger plunged into the center of his chest. Another caught him in the stomach, and the other two glanced off harmlessly, having actually sustained damage from striking.

"I don't know why you make such a big deal out of having to attack. I'm doing fine just standing here," Shield called out in response to Beat's question.

Even as the first two extracted their stingers, the wounds closed immediately, Shield made a mental note to not bother with evasion enhancements against weak foes like this. Their damage was paltry, and his defenses more than made up for them.

"What's the matter?" Shield taunted. "You enjoy stinging, but you can't take being stung back?"

Edited January 27, 2017 by Shield