[F03- PP] <<Feeding the Enemy>> Falcown...PAWNCH! [Complete]

[Beat 0]

- Quest Details -

Spoiler

<<Feeding the Enemy>>

This quest may take place on any Floor.
This quest is not repeatable, unless your previous familiar is dead or has died.

An old gypsy NPC woman approaches you. She tells you that if you feed a monster, it may become tamed and accompany you on adventures, and sometimes even help you. However, taming a familiar is very rare, and you may even be damaged by the familiar. Use caution. This quest can be taken on any floor.

Requirements:

Thread Length: 1 Page/20 Posts

The monster tamed must be smaller than a large dog and within reason. The tamed monster must also be logically tamed, and as such most humanoid monsters will not be tamable. Staff reserves the right to deny certain types of familiars. If you're worried that your familiar may not be approved before searching for it, please PM a member of Staff.

Rewards:

1. The title <<(Insert beast's type name) Tamer>>
2. A familiar (Possibly, view chart below.)
3. 1 Skill Point

Familiar Results:
When feeding a familiar, you have one chance to tame a familiar every 15 posts. That means you may only roll the loot die for the familiar on the fifteenth post. If you don't want a familiar that you tamed without buffs, you may kill it and continue searching. Use the loot die(LD) to see if you do. Familiars may only be attempted to be found in intervals of 15 posts of the attempting player.

LD 1 - 10	Failure	No monster is found or the taming attempt is unsuccessful.
LD 11-18	Success	Monster is found and may be successfully tamed.
LD 19+	Success	Monster is found and successfully tamed. Player may choose an extra skill from the Familiar Enhancements, submitted for approval via the Evaluations forum.

 

Only one familiar may be obtained per thread.

Beat stood outside of the merchant's shop that he had gotten to know fairly well. He had often brought his various confections into the shop to have his travel companion taste test them. The cooking mechanism was remarkable in that constructing the food was simple, but it still allowed for the freedom to personalize and adjust the flavor to the chef's personal preference and style. Today was likely to be a special day as the two of them were about to head towards the third floor. It was the first time they would do any sort of questing on the floor and the goal of today was to find a familiar for Beat. Shield's acquisition of a familiar as well as Ariel's relationship with her lioness cub had made Beat a little jealous. 

I want the chance to raise a partner. The bonuses don't hurt either.

Beat would patiently continue to wait, Shield having told him that he had a few things to finish up before he closed the shop. Beat had been busy in the kitchen himself, so he could understand the time investment needed to maintain and run a business, though he had yet to open his doors to the public. 

Edited February 3, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

On the other side of the door, Shield stood, as he had for the last five minutes, dreading stepping outside. He dug his fingers into his hair, brushing it back along his head so forcefully that it almost felt as if he were pulling some of the strands out along the way.

"He's going to make me taste more of his food... I just know it... I know he's finally getting the recipes and the effects are doing what they're intended to do but..."

His stomach gave a lurch at some of the early memories of Beat's cooking career. While it was polite to continue to offer help and constructive criticisms, he didn't know how much more his virtual stomach could take.

"Just.... does he have to drown EVERYthing in essence of green onion?"

Still, he knew there were larger matters at hand today, so as much as he dreaded it, he would have to swallow his pride. And whatever else Beat decided to feed him.

"Well... here goes nothing."

He stepped out the door, locking up behind him before turning to address his travel companion.

"Are you ready to go?"

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

Consuming: 

  Hide contents

Name: Double Sundae
Profession: Cook
Rank: 2
ID:  75751
Roll: 12 (11+1)
Item Type: Dessert
Tier: 1
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Loot Dice +3
Description: This ice cream is double the size of a normal one. The purple, glowing confection is delicious and makes anyone who eats it feel luckier. 

"Finally!"

Beat let out an exasperated breath as Shield exited his shop. He had a large smile on hi face, however, having had plenty of time to hype himself up about finding a familiar of his own. He opened his menu and retrieved a food item in the form of a double scoop ice cream sundae. He gave gave Shield an evil glare as he held it menacingly. His cooking was becoming rather good as of late, but Shield had likely spent nights nursing an upset stomach due to the monstrosities he had concocted while he was learning the basics. 

"Hungry?" 

He moved it around in a taunting manner for a moment before retrieving a spook from his inventory and taking a bite himself. He closed his eyes as he assessed the quality of his work, moving the frozen confection from one side of his mouth to another, allowing the different parts of his tongue to experience the flavor. He pointed ahead with his spoon as he began to walk towards the city gate. He laughed between bites as he spoke. 

"My cooking is actually getting pretty good believe it or not! This is really good!" 

[Shield 0]

This was not the first time that Beat had waved a loaded spoon in front of his face. With great effort, he kept his stomach from heaving, just from previous memories of the many prior taste tests. It only stood to reason that he would improve with time, and he didn't doubt that fact. Still, he had no problem pretending to be on a diet while he recovered from the past experiences.

Is it possible to get PTSD from eating virtual food?

He followed after Beat, grateful that he had been spared the fate of the spoon for now. On his back, Norbert the alligator snapping turtle groaned his grumpy little groan, complaining at being stuck in his sling as usual. His little legs flailed lazily in his fruitless attempts to escape.

"Have you settled on a familiar yet?" Shield asked, focusing his mind on the task at hand. "I know at one point you still had some degree of uncertainty on the manner."

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 76115: LD: 20 (12+7) = 1 T1 Mat found (1 Total) 

Beat spooned up the last morsel of dessert and held it in the air as he looked up to the sky, the top of the gate passing through his field of vision as they exited the safe zone. He had actually spent a good deal of time considering his choice and he had found it nearly impossible to settle on just one, but as he dreamed that night, it had finally come to him. 

"Yep, I think I want to tame a falcon. They're fierce and fast. The very essence of a damage dealing role."

He fed the last of the dessert into his mouth and savored it as the glass bowl evaporated into a spray of pixels. His hand fluttered as he pulled up his menu and looked to see that the benefit of his delicacy had taken effect, giving him a significant increase to his loot drop chance. He smiled before closing his menu as his eyes immediately spied a large tufts of weeds that were harboring a blue spotted mushroom. He happily plucked the fungus from the ground and added to his stock as he had so many times before. 

"Plus, they're incredibly intelligent, so a falcon would make a great traveling partner."

Edited January 31, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 76116 results: Loot: 8 + 4 = 12 - No materials (0 total)

"It's fitting," Shield agreed with a slow, steady nod. "Fastest animals on earth, falcons. Also, highly prized throughout history. It was a mark of nobility to have a falcon. Have you thought over what species of falcon, or are you just going to tame the first thing you find? I know you like to let fate make some of your decisions for you."

In all honesty, there were no bad choices here. Falcons as a genus were all very desirable as companions. As fun and flashy as they were, Shield knew he had made the right decision with his own. Come to think of it, it was probably wise for Beat to pick something quick enough to avoid being bitten by Norbert.

"You mentioned your damage dealing role. Is that what you hope for skill-wise then?" he asked, continuing to probe to see how much Beat had already considered. "A boost to your damage?"

Edited January 31, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 76117: LD: 17 (10+7) = 1 T1 Mat found (2 Total)

Beat smiled as he enjoyed the interest Shield was showing. They had started out as unlikely companions, but as time went on, they had gotten to know each other fairly well, at least on the surface. As old rivals, this turn into a friendship of sorts came with a little blood and sweat. Their ideals hadn't always agreed with one another, but they had more or less resolved any differences they had for the time being. He bent down to pick up and pocket another herb as he replied happily. 

"Yeah, I think I'll let the breed happen on its own, but as for the skills, I definitely want damage. With my familiar giving me my damage enhancement for the future, I'll be guaranteed to do my maximum damage while being able to experiment with various weapon enhancements. Bleed is definitely something I'm interested in..." Beat looked to his comrade as with an inquisitive expression, "-what do you recommend? I know as a merchant you see more enhancements that I do."

Edited January 31, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 76118 results: Loot: 14 + 4 = 18 - +1 Material (1 total)

In the same patch of greenery where Beat found his herb, Shield spotted another of the same type and followed suit. This was a very weighty question that had just been posed to him, so he had to take a moment to think it over.

"Well, your best weapon is going to be versatility," he concluded to himself before going on to justify his answer. "Bleed has its place, but there are going to be bosses, especially later on, with a considerable amount of evasion that you need to overcome. While having bleed damage will keep the pressure on, you also need consistency, because those bosses are going to be wreaking havoc on me as you're swinging away."

His gaze shifted over to Beat, making eye contact to emphasize his point as he went on.

"Accuracy will be key, but I know you already know that. Along that same train of thought, the 'Momentum' enhancements will be a very useful boon to you when a boss proves difficult to hit. Each miss will stack with current accuracy bonuses to make your next strike more accurate. In essence, after missing, if you have both enhancements maxed, you'll get a cumulative plus five on your next attack, and if you know that ahead of time, you can make safer bets of how and when to spend your energy."

This was beginning to turn into a lecture, but it was definitely a discussion worth having. Shield was beginning to wonder if Beat had started asking such questions because he knew it would get him talking.

Edited January 31, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 76119: LD: 19 (12+7) = 1 T1 Mat found (3 Total)

It was certainly true that Beat had made it into a bit of a game to figure out how to get Shield to talk and how long he could keep him talking, but his curiosities were certainly genuine most of the time. He had slowly come respect Shield's age and the wisdom it afforded him. There were times where Shield's reserved nature was a hinderance, but his life experience was worth hearing at the very least. He was momentarily distracted by a feather that had blown into his mouth as he opened it to speak. He coughed for a moment, before staring at the item tag that marked it as a material and he stashed it way, amazed at the effects of the loot drop bonuses he was stacking. 

"Jeez, stack enough of these bonuses and materials LITERALLY fly into your face!" 

Beat cackled for a moment before shaking his head at the amusing coincidence before replying to the subject at hand.

"hmm that makes sense, a weapon for every situation. Now...what about unique enhancements? I know you've seen one, but they're exceedingly rare right?" 

Edited January 31, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 76121 results: Loot: 12 + 4 = 16 - +1 Material (2 total)

With an exasperated groan, Shield put his hands over his face at the thought of the many unique enhancements that he had been hearing about.

"You don't know the half of it," he sighed, going over all of his mental notes on the matter before continuing. "Assuming I'm using my plus one crafting item... and assuming I'm getting a perfect food item to boost my crafting... and assuming that I also have a house with a fireplace..."

He took another moment as he counted on his fingers again before letting out an even heavier sigh, his calculations reaffirming what he already knew.

"At best, I have a shot of one in thirty to get a unique. And a random one at that. And let me remind you, the house with the fireplace would cost 68K, which is a little out of our price range still. Currently, my odds are half that."

He blew air out, puffing out his cheeks as he tried to cool off a little. It had not helped his hopes any that he had spent the entire morning going over equipment without discovering a single enhancement. Glancing down, he spotted a small chunk of rusty red ore on the edge of the gravel path, snatching it up and stashing it in his inventory with the others. 

Edited January 31, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 76175: LD: 15 (8+7) = 1 T1 Mat found (4 Total)

Beat's jaw dropped as Shield discussed housing. He had heard that it was expensive and that you had to make it to the tenth floor before being able to buy one, but he had no idea that that it was so prohibitive. 

"Are you serious!? Crap! I guess I'd better start saving now!"

Beat wasn't a heavy spender, but, thanks to Rain's assistance a long time ago, he and Shield had been in an advantageous position in terms of money. Having a jump start like that had given them the ability to fund their equipment and profession needs from the very beginning, streamlining their path towards the front lines. He bent down and deposited another chunk of ore into his inventory as he spoke, exasperation in his voice. 

"Good thing I'm a cook. Saves me money on familiar chow. Plus their bonuses cost nothing but time, so there's a bonus."

Edited January 31, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 76180 results: Loot: 7 + 4 = 11 - No materials (2 total)

Shield's eyes wandered away from the road, unable to concentrate properly on the search for materials while he plotted out his future expenditures. He was just glad that he had bought most of the things he already knew he needed.

"It's gonna be an uphill climb," he sighed. "I don't know about you, but I'm barely at fourteen thousand Col right now, and that's after having done a bit of farming lately...."

Though his frustrations had anything but abated, he mastered them and returned his focus to the world around them. It had been some time since he had seen any real geography, real or virtual, and the thought of having a bit of a scenic hike gave him something more pleasant to busy his mind with.

"I know your crafting odds have been improving. Still, I don't know if we'll ever see a day when it will be economically feasible to spam crafting food items in order to farm uniques like that."

Edited February 1, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 76195: LD: 27 (20+7) = 1 T1 Mats found (5 Total)

Unequipping Eagle's Splendor +3 Acc and equipping Finder's Keeper +1 Skill Rank (S&D)

Total LD bonus: 8

Beat's mind immediately leapt to the first subdungeon they had done with Rain. That day had been a whirlwind of lessons and he had gleamed much wisdom from the event of that fateful day. He leaned down and retrieved an egg that had fallen from a bird's nest, adding it to his inventory once he realized it was actually a material. He looked at the nest apologetically before moving on.  

"What about sub dungeons and treasure hunting? I know we couldn't open the chest when we found it before because none of us had the picking skill, but I've heard that unique items can drop from those."

- Several Hours later -

They made good time, using the gateways to make their trip shorter, the prairies of floor three greeting them as they emerged. Immediately, an old woman NPC stepped in Beat's path. She eyed him for a moment as he blinked at the woman before she spoke. 

"The falcons of the prairie hunt their prey with impunity and with unrivaled skill and speed. You seek to tame one for yourself?"

Beat's mouth seemed to reply on it's own as he stumbled to figure out how an NPC would know what his goals were. 

"uh...uh yeah..."

The old woman grinned as she pointed skyward. 

"Then reach for the skies and find your companion!" 

Shield and Beat would find themselves compelled to follow her gesture, immediately spotting a pair of falcons hunting high in the air. Beat stared for a moment before looking to thank the NPC, but the woman had vanished, or at least moved very quickly. Beat shook his head as he opened his menu and placed the bracelet Shield had traded him on in exchange for his accuracy trinket. Maximizing his loot find was imperative. 

"Okay! Let's find my falcon!" 

Edited February 1, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 76196 results: Loot: 17 + 4 = 21 - +1 Material (3 total)

As Beat reached for the sky, Shield decided to take a seat and watch, keeping his eye on the sky to see if the birds reacted at all to the beckoning. He summoned the little bad of fish from his inventory and passed a few morsels to Norbert as he watched. 

"You know," he began, raising a now greasy finger to get Beat's attention quietly, "the quest is probably named what it is for a reason."

He pulled up his menu and opened his quest log, turning the screen so Beat could see the words 'Feeding the Enemy' on display.

"We're in a prairie, so I'm sure we'll be able to find some mobs that are basically monster-fied versions of a raptor's prey species."

As he spoke, his eyes scanned the ground around him. They settled on a clump of moss, which like the algae from their previous quest, seemed to be there intentionally.

Likely an alchemic reagent.

He pried the matted substance off of the ground and added to his collection.

Edited February 1, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 76201: LD 10 (2+8) = no familiar. (Figures....)

 

Equipping Eagle's Splendor +3 Acc and unequipping Finder's Keeper +1 Skill Rank (S&D)

Beat continued to look up at the pair of falcons, wishing they would come down, but after a minute, he realised his hopes would not be met so easily. He smiled as he listened to Shield's advice. The reasoning seemed sound enough and he was always in favor of fighting the mobs that were unlucky enough to come up against the two of them. He slammed a closed fist into an open open, purging his initial disappointment and looking forward to the challenge that was the hunt. 

"Feed them huh? Seems simple enough...what do falcon's typically eat? Given their size I would guess smaller animals." 

Beat scanned the fields for signs of life and finding wildlife was certainly not the challenge, it was find mobs worth their time. He had a hard time accepting that the quest meant for them to actually feed a falcon, though it would certainly fit the quest's title. Placing his hand to his stomach, he looked to Shield as he continued to walk down the road, his gut leading the way. 

"Let's explore this floor a bit, those two aren't mine."

Edited February 1, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Shield nodded, smirking a little as he saw Beat equip his wristband.

Well, it got me my familiar. Hopefully it will serve him as well as it did me.

He motioned for Beat to follow him as they made their way further along the plains. The long, waving grasses brushed Shield's shins as he scanned the sky.

"To answer your questions, yes, I believe falcons hunt most little rodents and such, depending on the species," he began, keeping his eyes on the sky. "However, there's one breed of falcon in particular that comes to mind that I think would be fitting, and they're known for dive-bombing other birds and killing them mid-flight. I think they might-"

From overhead, there came the most menacing sounding cooing that Shield had ever heard, which of course was not saying much. As he glanced skyward, four over-sized gray-splotched projectiles swooped in from overhead, diving at Beat. Not having time to summon words, Shield filled his lungs and let out a wordless howl, knocking the odd foes off of the course. They swooped around, diving this time at the tank, who welcomed their clumsy attacks.

Two struck home with their raking talons, their feather ruffling indignantly as they ended up worse for wear than their target had. Immediately, the little gashes from their claws closed up, while the attackers trailed a line of red particles from their own wounds.

Shield

Spoiler

Action: Howl

Mobs

Spoiler

[Dire Pigeon 1 - HP: 170 - DMG: 30] ID# 76222 results: MOB: 5 - Miss
[Dire Pigeon 1 - HP: 156 - DMG: 30] ID# 76223 results: MOB: 8 - Hit! - 30 dmg - 27 Mit = 3 dmg, Thorns - 14 dmg
[Dire Pigeon 1 - HP: 170 - DMG: 30] ID# 76224 results: MOB: 5 - Miss
[Dire Pigeon 1 - HP: 156 - DMG: 30] ID# 76225 results: MOB: 6 - Hit! - 30 dmg - 27 Mit = 3 dmg, Thorns - 14 dmg

 

Edited February 1, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 76226: BD 7 (4+3) 

Tornado Kick - 1x6 - AoE - Dmg: 10 * 6 = 60 -12 EP

EP [20/32]

Beat listened intently, enjoying the conversations about what his future companion might be. He thought of the videos he had seen where a falconer held out his hand and the birn came straight to him, not an aggressive instinct towards its trainer. The ability for human beings to train other animals had always somewhat interested Beat, making this quest even more enticing. He glared at the source of the interruption to their conversation, his eyes quickly picking the airborne aggressors out of the sky. 

"Hey! No interrupting National Geographic!" 

He quickly leapt up and spun around, sending his heel into the backs of each of the avian attackers. THey flew away several feet before righting themselves in the air and returning to their idiotic assault on Shield. He shrugged with a sigh and began to prepare his next attack. His eyes having an easy time following the movements of the agile birds. 

Looks like I'm ready for floor 3 at least, these guys are nothing!

 

Edited February 1, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Shield

Spoiler

Action: Howl

Mobs

Spoiler

[Dire Pigeon 1 - HP: 110 - DMG: 30] ID# 76228 results: MOB: 4 - Miss
[Dire Pigeon 1 - HP: 96 - DMG: 30] ID# 76229 results: MOB: 10 - Hit! - (10 + 2) * 3 = 36 dmg - 27 Mit = 9 dmg
[Dire Pigeon 1 - HP: 110 - DMG: 30] ID# 76230 results: MOB: 2 - Miss
[Dire Pigeon 1 - HP: 82 - DMG: 30] ID# 76231 results: MOB: 8 - Hit! - 30 dmg - 27 Mit = 3 dmg, Thorns - 14 dmg

The pigeons darted about, weaving in and out of one another as they lined up their second assault on Shield. Just as the four of them were about to come into striking range. As they grew nearer, he decided to give them a proper welcome.

"Come on, feather, brains!" he bellowed, blasting the hot air from his lungs at his attackers. "Try and get a claw into me!"

The wind from his howl rushed over them. In the chaos, one decided to change his angle of attack and turned, colliding with the pigeon to his left, spinning both of them off course.

The third and fourth, oblivious to the mid-air bumble of their allies, continued unabated. The first managed to strike with brutal accuracy, raking the spur-like back talon across Shield's eye. The other connected with his shoulder, spinning away and ruffling its feathers once again as the armor bit back.

Shield's eye healed almost instantly, his vision clearing now that there were not red particles blocking his view.

Edited February 1, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 76232: LD: 4 = miss

+1 EP -2 EP

19/32 EP

Beat continued to follow the enemy's movements, waiting for his opportunity to strike. This would be their first encounter with avian opponents, but was sure to not be the last, so Beat wanted to make sure he learned everything he could. In an attempt to anticipate one of the birds' movements, he leaped into the air and attempted to beat it out of the air, missing completely as the pigeon  saw him coming a mile away and evaded his strike with a mocking coo before returning its attention to Shield. Beat landed and furrowed his brow as he looked for his next opening. 

Ground units are much simpler, they can move up, but only so fast and so much, but in the air, those birds have an infinite number of directions they can move. Anticipating them is going to be next to impossible, but following and reacting to their movements might work. 

Edited February 1, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Shield

Spoiler

Action: Howl

Combat

Spoiler

[Dire Pigeon 1 - HP: 110 - DMG: 30] ID# 76234 results: MOB: 6 - Hit! - 30 dmg - 27 Mit = 3 dmg, Thorns - 14 dmg
[Dire Pigeon 1 - HP: 96 - DMG: 30] ID# 76235 results: MOB: 9 - Hit! - (10 + 1) * 3 = 33 dmg - 27 Mit = 6 dmg
[Dire Pigeon 1 - HP: 110 - DMG: 30] ID# 76236 results: MOB: 2 - Miss
[Dire Pigeon 1 - HP: 82 - DMG: 30] ID# 76237 results: MOB: 10 - Hit! - (10 + 2) * 3 = 36 dmg - 27 Mit = 9 dmg

The birds were becoming wise, not only to Beat's attacks, but to Shield's tactics as well. As they swooped in, three of them managed to catch a claw on him, but only one of the, on an area that would harm it. It was Shield's brow's turn now to furrow now as he attempted to assess their current situation.

"Beat," he called out. "Let them focus on me. Let them in close, and then try to hit them from behind! They can't focus on dodging both you and my thorns at the same time!"

Shield pulled out his spear for the first time so far, turning the weapon against his own shield to create some confusion in hopes of throwing off their coordination and drawing the focus away from Beat.

"What's the matter?" he mocked in between banging on his shield. "Scared to get closer? I thought you were pigeons, not a bunch of chickens!"

Edited February 1, 2017 by Shield