[5F - PP] Blood in the Sand [Completed]

[Shield 0]

Combat

Spoiler

Shield - HP 420/420, Dmg: 1, Thorns: 14 dmg, Mit: 47, Regen: 27
Combat Action: Howl

Jackal 1 - HP: 210/210, Dmg: 50, Accuracy: 3, Mob: 2 + 3 = Miss
Jackal 2 - HP: 210/210, Dmg: 50, Accuracy: 3, Mob: 2 + 3 = Miss
Jackal 3 - HP: 210/210, Dmg: 50, Accuracy: 3, Mob: 2 + 3 = Miss
Jackal 4 - HP: 210/210, Dmg: 50, Accuracy: 3, Mob: 2 + 3 = Miss

Shield preferred to take the more conventional route to the front, dragging his hand in the sand behind him to stabilize himself as gravity pulled him down the steep slope. Arriving at the bottom, he admired the structure, giving Beat a nod to acknowledge the find.

"We actually have decent luck at this, or you do at least," Shield said, checking over Beat's shoulder to make sure he was mapping out the location properly.

"Looks good. I say we go ahead and get back to town before-"

From the depths of the dunes, Shield thought he heard a faint tapping. It was irregular, so it wasn't something inanimate that was just tapping as it swung or bounced or somehow just carried leftover momentum. This was organic, or at least mock organic considering the game they were in. Cool air continually spilled from the underground entrance, and as Shield squinted in the darkness, he began to make out four pairs of green eyes.

"Heads up, Beat," he whispered. "We have company."

Turning to face whatever was approaching, he narrowed his eyes even further. The tapping became more distinct, clearly the sound of claws on stone, like a dog on concrete. The nearest animal that took shape though was only somewhat canine. Their ears were tall and stood up at high angles, and he recognized the shape of its head from certain guardians the two of them had once faced.

"Is it... a jackal?"

Four sleek, dark-haired animals sprinted from the darkness, the clacking of their claws picking up pace. With a deep breath, Shield unleashed the force of his lungs.

"Come on, you mangy curs!" he bellowed.

The force of his voice caught them off guard, and although they snapped at his ankles with their fangs, they were too skittish at first to come too near, darting around in circles as they cackled in confusion.

Edited February 12, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77162: BD: 13 (10+3) 

Tornado Kick - 1x6 - AoE - Dmg- (10+2) * 6 = 72 -12 EP

Beat [340/340] [22/34]

Beat stared through the entrance of the dungeon with apprehension as the clacking of claws drew nearer and nearer along with the pairs of green eyes that bounced through the darkness of the dungeon. He bent his knees and prepared to spring as soon as he had an opening.

I thought they were supposed to stay in the dungeon until we came in after them!

The the Jackals emerged and attempted to assault Shield, Beat leaped through the air and drew a circle in the sand with his glowing left leg, kicking a circular wave of dust up as his heel crashed into the jowls of each of the canines. They flew back with a yelp and landed with a harsh thud , despite the sandy ground. Slowly they got to their feet, snaring at Beat for a moment before returning their green eyes to Shield. Beat bounced on the balls of his feet, pleased with the extra damage his attack had inflicted. 

"That was a good one!"  

Edited February 12, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77164 results

Shield - HP 420/420, Dmg: 1, Thorns: 14 dmg, Mit: 47, Regen: 27
Battle: 9 - Hit Jackal 1 - 1 dmg + 1 = 2 dmg

Jackal 1 - HP: 122/210, Dmg: 50, Accuracy: 3, Mob: 4 + 3 = 7 - Hit!, Thorns - 14 dmg
Jackal 2 - HP: 124/210, Dmg: 50, Accuracy: 3, Mob: 4 + 3 = 7 - Hit!, Thorns - 14 dmg
Jackal 3 - HP: 124/210, Dmg: 50, Accuracy: 3, Mob: 4 + 3 = 7 - Hit!, Thorns - 14 dmg
Jackal 4 - HP: 124/210, Dmg: 50, Accuracy: 3, Mob: 4 + 3 = 7 - Hit!, Thorns - 14 dmg

Dmg 50 - 47 mit - 27 regen = 0 x 4 = 0

Using the opening of Beat's attack, Shield pounced. He Thrust the weapon at the first jackal that seemed to be leading the pack. Though it scrambled to get out of the way, he just managed to catch its tail, pinning the creature against the stone entrance to the dungeon. The tip of his weapon wedged itself in the masonry. With a shrug, Shield abandoned the pinning weapon, instead turning to the other jackals and forcing them back towards the other with his shield as cover.

Backing them up, each took a turn attempting to bite at Shield, but each time they succeeded, they yelped and whined, their health taking a hit as soon as they tasted his thorns. Between the shining barrier and the threat of what should happen to them if they fought back, Shield managed to back all of them against the wall.

"All rounded up for you, Beat!" he called out. "Give em hell!"

Edited February 12, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77165: LD: 9 (6+3)

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

Beat [340/340] [11/34]

Beat chuckled as he watched Shield handle their foes with ease. Shield's extra time in the field had certainly sharpened his skills and allowed him to become more than a simple meat shield for their party. That kind of effort was beyond numbers and was a testament to Shield's passion for clearing the game. His leg began to glow a familiar pale blue as he chose the spot he would launch his attack from, a wide grin on his face as he glared at the pinned canines. 

"Now that's what I'm talking about! Jackals?! STAY!" 

Beat charged forward, leaving a foot on the ground as he made a full spin and delivered a kick to each of the canines that would have likely broken a few ribs if it weren't for the physics of the game. Still, punishing the enemies of the game was always fun and a good tank simply made that task easier. 

"Like fish in a barrel."

Edited February 12, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77167 results:

Shield - HP 420/420, Dmg: 1, Thorns: 14 dmg, Mit: 47, Regen: 27
Battle: 2 - Miss

Jackal 1 - HP: 62/210, Dmg: 50, Accuracy: 3, Mob: 10 + 3 = 13 - Hit!
Jackal 2 - HP: 64/210, Dmg: 50, Accuracy: 3, Mob: 10 + 3 = 13 - Hit!
Jackal 3 - HP: 64/210, Dmg: 50, Accuracy: 3, Mob: 10 + 3 = 13 - Hit!
Jackal 4 - HP: 64/210, Dmg: 50, Accuracy: 3, Mob: 10 + 3 = 13 - Hit!

Dmg 70 - 47 mit - 27 regen = 0 x 4 = 0

As the jackals bounced away in the wake of Beat's attack, Shield went to recover his spear. Pulling it from the tight gap of the masonry, he spun the haft of the pole arm in his palm to reverse the grip to prepare to throw the weapon. In his haste to close distance, however, he misjudged the weapon's spin and it rolled off of his fingertips before he could grip it. The weapon clattered to the ground.

Shield cursed under his breath, and as he reached down to retrieve the fallen spear, four sets of jaws clamped onto the backs of his legs. He whipped his head around behind him to discover the jackals, all of which had recovered and come back for another attack. Doing so behind his back made it much harder to position the barbs of his armor in an advantageous manner, and his brows furrowed as he observed that their health was not suffering as a result of their attacks.

"Lucky sons of..."

Edited February 12, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77176: BD: 5 (2+3) 

-2 EP +1 EP

Beat: [340/340] [10/34]

The jackals luck would continue as Beat positioned himself to attack once again, stepping directly into a sinkhole in the sand, trapping his right leg up to the middle of his thigh. The strain on his tendons was uncomfortable to say the least and curse out loud as he fought to free himself, grateful that the jackals were not focused on him while he was in such a miserable state.

"How lucky are things guys gonna get?!" 

After a moment of quick digging and a large heave from the rest of his limbs, Beat managed to free himself and rise to his feet, shaking the sand from his pants and boot. Frustrated he stomped the ground as he began to march towards the fortunate dogs. He stopped short as he realized where his energy bar was, cursing himself for expending what he had to in order to free himself. 

"Lucky dog would seem appropriate, but I know that your luck is going to run out!" 

Edited February 12, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77177 results:

Shield - HP 420/420, Dmg: 1, Thorns: 14 dmg, Mit: 47, Regen: 27
Battle: 6 - Hit jackal 2

Jackal 1 - HP: 48/210, Dmg: 50, Accuracy: 3, Mob: 3 + 3 = 6 - Hit!, Thorns - 14 dmg
Jackal 2 - HP: 49/210, Dmg: 50, Accuracy: 3, Mob: 3 + 3 = 6 - Hit!, Thorns - 14 dmg
Jackal 3 - HP: 50/210, Dmg: 50, Accuracy: 3, Mob: 3 + 3 = 6 - Hit!, Thorns - 14 dmg
Jackal 4 - HP: 50/210, Dmg: 50, Accuracy: 3, Mob: 3 + 3 = 6 - Hit!, Thorns - 14 dmg

Dmg 50 - 47 mit - 27 regen = 0 x 4 = 0

Shield looked down at the jackals, then back up at Beat, still trying to free himself from the sand, then back down at the jackals again. His palm rose to his face as he let out a sigh.

"I say we call mulligan on the last five seconds or so," he called out to Beat.

Wading over to his spear, still dragging the four growling beats behind him, Shield bent over and finally retrieved his weapon. His targets were easy enough, not even having released his leg since they had last latched on. With a short jab, he sank the tip into the shoulder of one of the less injured enemies.

It yelped, and the four hangers-on proceeded to shake their heads like dogs fighting over a chew toy. As they fought against one another's pulls, their bodies jostled and bumped against one another, and each of them shifted just a little too close to the bottom edge of Shield's barbed chain shirt. In a series of yelps, they all cantered away from Shield with glowing red welts on their sides and faces from where they brushed his armor.

Edited February 12, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

+1 EP

[11/34]

Beat sighed with a nod of agreement and was happy to pass the last five seconds off as a fluke. He cracked his knuckles as he glared at his energy bar. He had the food to solve his energy shortage, but it would not save the two of them any time, so the only thing to do was to simply wait another three seconds or so. 

"I second that motion. Give me another three seconds and I'll have enough energy to end this!" 

Beat kept his eyes focused on his targets as he began to think that it was unfortunate that they always seemed to run into large groups of enemies. The problem was not that they couldn't handle the increase in damage being put on the tank, it was the fact that area of effect sword arts cost double the amount of energy for the same amount of damage a single target sword art would cost. He could certainly understand why from a design standpoint, but it certainly made him feel like fighting bosses was preferable to fighting mobs at times. 

Edited February 12, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77181 results:

Shield - HP 420/420, Dmg: 1, Thorns: 14 dmg, Mit: 47, Regen: 27
Battle: 7 - Hit jackal 3

Jackal 1 - HP: 34/210, Dmg: 50, Accuracy: 3, Mob: 8 + 3 = 11 - Hit!, Thorns - 14 dmg
Jackal 2 - HP: 35/210, Dmg: 50, Accuracy: 3, Mob: 8 + 3 = 11 - Hit!, Thorns - 14 dmg
Jackal 3 - HP: 35/210, Dmg: 50, Accuracy: 3, Mob: 8 + 3 = 11 - Hit!, Thorns - 14 dmg
Jackal 4 - HP: 36/210, Dmg: 50, Accuracy: 3, Mob: 8 + 3 = 11 - Hit!, Thorns - 14 dmg

Dmg 50 - 47 mit - 27 regen = 0 x 4 = 0

Shield sighed, standing in the entry way to the dungeon with four jackals hanging off of his legs. He sighed, his shoulders sagging from the force of his exasperation at such weak enemies having survived so long and making both of them look like such novices.

And this fight started out so well, too.

Almost as an afterthought, he made a jab for the eye of one of the healthier remaining jackals. Not even bothering to move, the jackal watched as Shield's spear stabbed into its very eye.

"Really?" he sighed. "If I had known you weren't even going to bother getting out of the way of that one, I would have at least put some effort into it."

He shook his head, contenting himself to watch his HUD to count down until Beat's energy would be more manageable.

"It's like watching the timer on a microwave," he groaned, trying to mentally will the gauge to fill more quickly.

Edited February 12, 2017 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77182: BD: 13 (10+3) LD: 18 (14+4)

Tornado Kick - 1x6 - AoE - Dmg- (10+2) * 6 = 72 +1 EP -12 EP

Beat [340/340] [0/34]

Loot: 4200 col and 4 T1 mats

With the time he had spent watching his energy bar and adjusting his position to the jackals who foolishly continued to prick themselves on Shield's armor, Beat had entered a level of focus he normally didn't tap into. When he saw his moment, time seemed to slow down as he took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then exhaled as he took off towards the unwitting Jackals, his steps swift and silent.

I'll end it now.

With a shining spin kick, he cleaved each of their heads clean off with nothing but his leg. It was a brutally efficient kill and one his took pride in as time sped back up, causing him to blink a few times as he readjusted his senses. He smiled as he read the spoils screen and looked to Shield, giving him a thumbs up. 

"Nice work. I can tell you've been practicing your maneuvers."

Edited February 12, 2017 by Beat

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 77183 results: Loot: 14 + 3 equipped + 1 skill = 18 - +1 Material (4 total)

Shield rolled his eyes a little, recognizing the statement regarding his maneuvers, while contrasting it with how silly that entire fight had become in the middle of it. Out of instinct, he checked the rewards before closing the window and pointing with his thumb towards the town where they had begun. His map guided them back over the seemingly endless dunes until the little desert settlement came back into view.

"As much as I feel like taking this quest was the wise move, I am very glad to be done wandering through sand dunes," he sighed, cresting one of the last remaining dunes before the outer walls. "I know we both know how to read maps, but it's frustrating not being able to see anything until you're right on top of it."

As they wandered back into the safe zone and out of the wind and blowing sand, Shield punched the air, happy to be able to reap the benefits of their quest, not least of which was no longer being sand-blasted.

 

[Quest Rewards]

Both: 4 SP (1 thread length, 3 quest reward)

Both: Sand Armor Potion

Both: 5450 Col

Shield: 9 T1 materials

Beat: 5 T1 materials

Edited February 12, 2017 by Shield