[F4 - PP] As Steel Sharpens Steel - Axe Grand Mastery <<The Essence of Steel>> [Completed]

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

<<The Essence of Steel>>

This quest takes place on Floor 4
This quest is repeatable
This RP will not count in the benchmark

Word from Information Brokers speaks of a mysterious Beast Skull found in the far north of the Frozen wasteland of Floor 4. A small party reported having struck the skull with a nearby bone, waking a huge beast in a nearby cave. This monster, identified as <>, was easily equal in health and strength to a Floor Boss, and is said to yield an incredibly rare drop upon death that will allow a player to enhance a single item, improving it's quality by one level.

Requirements:
-At least two [2] Pages (21 or more posts)
- The Snow Beast must be defeated

Snow Beast Information:
<Snow Beast> is a Field Boss and has the following statistics:
HP: 250
Damage per Attack: 160
Special Ability: Partial Phase- Snow Beast will always deal a minimum of 24 damage, even through Armor and Armor Abilities.

Rewards:

1. Essence of Steel: an incredibly rare monster drop that allows a player to enhance a weapon, armor, or accessory and improve it's quality by one level. (Example, an Uncommon Weapon becomes a Rare Weapon.) Enhanced Gear is eligible for new Item Enhancements and must be approved through the Crafting Item Evaluation Topic.
   Note: This item CANNOT change a weapon's Tier. (Example, a Tier 1 weapon becomes a Tier 2).
2. 1 Skill Point

Parties or Groups are encouraged, though only the player who takes this quest, and uses the Skull to awaken The Snow Beast will receive the <<Essence of Steel>> drop. That means ONLY ONE ESSENCE WILL DROP PER TOPIC.

 

Recommended Level: 25

The last time Shield had been on the fourth floor, he had spent entirely too much time grinding the same low level boss with a first level character. While the character in question had not been a bad fellow, going into the upcoming fight without backup by a dedicated DPS was a mistake, which was the motivation behind the bulletin he was about to post.

"Tank seeking DPS to help with Essence of Steel quest. Fully qualified to tank. Only need someone to deal the damage. Other loot negotiable. 'Essence' non-negotiable. Ask for Shield."

He hit send and sat back on the snow-covered bench, absentmindedly drawing circles in the snow with the toe of his boot as he awaited a reply. Norbert, meanwhile, being cold-blooded as he was, was wrapped in a holiday themed sweater that Shield had begged off of a low level player. Ironically, it was a turtleneck, and the only thing visible under the thick woolen knit of the fabric was the tip of Norbert's nose that protruded from the sweater's neck. The bottom of the sweater was tied to keep his lower half covered, while his fore legs had found their way into the sleeved which were currently flopping about lazily.

@Teion

Edited March 30, 2017 by Shield

[Teion 0]

"Teleport: Snowfrost." Teion spoke the words just loudly enough for the system to register them and send her through the teleport gate. She couldn't remember the last time she traveled just one floor below from the shop she spent so much of her time running, although she had an idea of what kept her avoiding it. The woman let out a breath once her virtual body materialized in the snowy city. The air that escaped her mouth quickly condensed before vanishing again, but she blinked in confusion when she realized her body didn't feel the harsh bite of the cold. Perhaps the Survival skill was doing its job to counteract the chilled air--it certainly proved useful on a daily basis in the harsh desert sands she was so used to.

Teion made her way through the city until she reached her destination. The blacksmith was running out of quests and bounties on the fifth floor, so she had made her way to Snowfrost to check for any quick jobs and get some extra materials while she was here. Scanning over the bulletin board, a familiar name caught her eye. "Essence of Steel?" She mumbled under her breath. Her hand moved towards a 'Reply' button before she recoiled slightly in hesitation. Was she strong enough to solo-DPS a quest boss? She frowned, scolding herself slightly as she pushed the button and typed out an incredibly short message:

I'll go.
-Teion

With the message sent, Teion mentally noted a set of coordinates on the bulletin before making her way to what she assumed was Shield's current location.

[Shield 0]

Replies were always slow on the fourth floor, or at the very least that had been Shield's experience. He had a few theories about why that was. The first was that many players, particularly those who lacked the Survival hidden skill, avoided the floor to stay out of the cold. This made sense, though if a player was truly dedicated to beating SAO, they would likely have to deal with some unpleasant conditions, between this and the ninth floor's lava plains. His second thought was that those who were likely to come here would be the type to be very distracted by snow. This wasn't to say that he wasn't expecting a reply, but he certainly wasn't expecting one quickly. When his notification chimed, he almost expected it to be a message from Beat about affairs at home.

"Teion?" he said out loud, a little surprised to see her volunteer for the task. "And here I thought it was a fluke that she helped us on the Hoya quest."

He was considering sending a short 'cool, see you when you get here' reply, but the thought occurred to him that that might be a little silly since it wouldn't really make any difference regarding their meeting. She would get there when she got there.

"Besides, she's a woman of few-SON OF A-!"

A certain turtle, having snagged part of its sweater on one of Shield's armor's blades, had used this as an anchor and pulled himself up far enough to latch onto the player's ear. It had not been painful, but it had certainly been sudden. The surprise forced him to his feet, and he was tugged, as if by some invisible, scolding, motherly force, by his ear in slow circles in the snow as he tried to pry the powerful beak open. It was a safe zone, so actual injury was impossible here, but boy was this uncomfortable.

Edited March 18, 2017 by Shield

[Teion 0]

Another visible puff of air escaped from Teion's mouth as her boots left a pattern of tracks in the snow behind her. Something about this floor had her anxious; had it really been so long since she'd been in Snowfrost? She vaguely recalled the hours she'd spent in the Fearesomely Strong Cider when she was feeling confusion or doubt. The familiar taste of a strawberry lemonade while the red-headed barkeep tried to take her mind away from her troubles with an animated tale of some recent adventure he'd found himself a part of, followed by the vague planning of a quest they would take on together.

Teion squeezed her eyes shut and gave a sharp shake of her head. The woman had stopped herself in her tracks to do so, attempting to clear her head while another deep breath filled her lungs with chilled air. There was no time to dwell on those things now, and worrying about "what-if"s wouldn't do her any good either. She had a job to do.

Shortly after she'd continued ahead, Teion reached a clearing in town where her eyes fell upon the brunette tank in question. 'Is that...a snapping turtle?' The blacksmith was left perplexed with the scene in front of her as she arrived at their meeting spot. She brought up a curled hand in front of her mouth, giving a small but audible clear of her throat as she leaned forward with a slight tilt of her head. "Am I uh...interrupting something?"

[Shield 0]

With a wince, Shield reached back and pried the powerful jaws loose from his ear, unslinging the turtle from his back and panting as he recovered himself. He kept his eyes closed as he took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to regain his composure before turning to Teion.

"No, you're not, though for the sake of my ear I sort of wish you had," he said with a slight exhale of frosted breath. "Don't worry about that. Norbert can be a bit of a grump."

He reached down and tightened the straps that secured the creature's considerable carapace. Norbert, of course, protested, opening his threatening maw wide and letting out the nearest sound to grumbling that a turtle is capable of making, which apparently is convincing. His familiar secured, he hoisted the critter back onto his own back and secured it extra tightly. If nothing else, the turtle would have to work harder to crawl up his back.

"Well, if you need to prepare your inventory or use any consumables, I suggest you do that as we walk," flipping through his menus, he brought up the navigation he had plotted for their path and made towards the edge of the safe zone.

Spoiler

ID# 80031 results: Loot: 14  + 3 item + 1 skill + 1 skill item = 19 - +1 Material (1 total)

Swapping gear:
- Finder's Keeper (- 1 skill rank: search & detect), -Seeking Aura (- 3 LD), + Pain Drinker (+ 54 Regen), + 1 Bloody Hell (+ 2 dmg, + 24 bleed)

As they trekked along the snowy path just outside of the settlement beside a frozen river, Shield spotted what appeared to be a frozen fish just on top of the ice's surface. Stepping aside and bending down, he tapped the curious find.

Item tag, so it's a craftable item, but it's a mundane fish. Guess you need a rod to catch things with special properties.

He used the menu he had summoned to store the item before returning to the path.

"I think this is the first time I've seen you off of the fifth floor aside from the quests we've done," Shield said with a lift of his eyebrows. "Is there a reason for that?"

Edited March 20, 2017 by Shield

[Teion 0]

Teion wasn't sure if she should let out an amused chuckle or a sympathetic frown. She settled for uncertain curiosity instead, eyeing the familiar as Shield took control of the unruly turtle. 'Norbert...?' She left the question to her mind, not quite curious enough to voice her thoughts. She was capable of piecing enough information together to determine that the grumpy Norbert was Shield's familiar, at least. 'I guess they're not all cute little forest creatures.'

It wasn't long that they were out of the safe zone that both of them were checking their surroundings for stray materials. Teion had just bent down to recover a large feather sitting atop the snow that looked like it had been frozen over. Still the item showed it could be used in some sort of crafting, so the woman quickly added it to her inventory before hearing Shield's voice address her again. Teion straightened up and frowned in thought at his question. While she kept her eyes fixed ahead of them and they continued walking, the blacksmith picked out her words. "I don't like this floor," Her frown came off more like a pout with the simple words, but she continued. "but I need more quests and materials." She admitted with a small, defeated sigh. "Besides, I guess it's a nice break." She tacked on. Despite her attachment to the desert floor, she couldn't argue that a change of scenery now again was rather refreshing.

Material Gathering:

  Hide contents

• ID#: 80151
• LD: 13 + (2 Skill) + (2 Equipped) = 17 - Success!
   
• Teion: (1) T1 crafting material

Current Equipment & Stats:

  Hide contents

• Lucent Reaver - 3 DMG
• Waning Crescent - 2 ACC, 1 REC
• Treasure Hunter's Scarf - 2 LD
   
• Level: 23
• HP: 460
• Energy: 46
• 10 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 REC | 4 LD
• Skills:
  • [Rank 4] 2H Battle Axe
  • [Rank 2] Search & Detect
  • [Rank 1] Charge
  • [Extra] Disguise
  • [Extra] Survival

[Shield 0]

"I suppose that's fair," Shield answered with a shrug. "Snow is pretty to look at, but I have no love for the cold."

As they walked, the land became more and more desolate, the drifts and the snow-laden coniferous trees giving way to dead wood and flat fields of undisturbed snow. They came to a small valley that seemed to almost be a dry, snow-filled river bed. There in the middle, resting on what appeared to be a large, upright section of spinal column, rested a large-fanged skull that was nearly the size of Shield's entire upper body. Sitting beside it, sticking out of the snow was a bone that was the size and general shape of a great club.

"I think this is what we're looking for," he said, stepping cautiously forward and recovering the makeshift mallet from the snowbank.

He swung the great bone back for a wind-up and struck the skull with a deep, resonating 'boom,' like an ancient drum. While the soft snow swallowed up most of the sound, there was a rumbling that was less of an echo and more of a response to the drum beat. Furthermore, it was growing louder. Shield tossed down the bone and summoned out his axe, filling his lungs to prepare for what was to come.

From the bank of the dry river opposite them, snow burst forth, exposing a hidden entrance to an underground cave that had been hidden in the slope by the snow cover. As the showering snow settled, a great, snowy beast not unlike a saber tooth stood on its muscular legs in the entrance, shaking snow flakes from its great head.

"Come and get it!" Shield bellowed with the pressurized contents of his lungs. "Let's see what the great Snow Beast can do!"

Spoiler

ID# 80168 results:

Action: Focused Howl

MOB: 6 - Hit! - 160 dmg - 111 mit = 49 dmg, Thorns - 28 dmg

[H:6] Shield HP: 711/760 - 76 Energy - 3 Dmg - 24 Bleed (BD 8+) - 111 Mitigation - 54 Regen - 28 Thorns - 20 Battle Healing
[H:0] @Teion

<Snow Beast> HP: 222/250, Dmg: 160 (Partial Phase 24)

Charging forward, the beast rammed into Shield, knocking the player on his back and sinking its fangs deep into his shoulder. However, even as it did so, it recoiled, leaping back and growling at Shield with narrowed eyes.

Edited March 22, 2017 by Shield

[Teion 0]

Teion took in a breath of air that felt cold enough to bite at her lungs. As Shield came to a stop and examined the massive skeletal remains before them, Teion took only a moment to pull her axe from its sheath at her back. The woman gripped Lucent Reaver tightly, her eyes scanning the area for any movement. It wasn't long until Shield summoned the beast and Teion found herself lowering her stance to prepare for battle.

She brought her blade to her right side, moving forward just as the tank got the monster's attention. It seemed to take some damage after sinking its teeth into the man, and while the snow beast shook its head in distaste Teion hurried to close the gap between them. Hauling her weapon at her side, she tried to sweep the blade along the monster's side, but it had come back to its senses faster than she had expected. The beast dashed to the side to dodge her cleave, snarling at her with a low growl as it did so. The blacksmith narrowed her eyes in return, letting out a small "Tch." in dissatisfaction at her failed attack. Keeping her balance, Teion brought her axe back to her center and lowered her stance once more as she tried to gauge a weak spot to focus on.

Combat Results

  Hide contents

• ID#: 80183
  • BD: 2 + (2 ACC) = 4 - Fail!
     
• [H:6] @Shield:
  • HP: 711/760
  • Energy: 76/76
  • 3 DMG | 24 BLD | 3 EVA | 111 MIT | 54 RGN | 28 THN | 20 BH
• [H:0] Teion:
  • HP: 460/460
  • Energy: 44/46
  • 10 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 REC | 4 LD
• <<Snow Beast>>
  • HP: 222/250
  • 160 DMG | 24 Partial Phase

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 80611 results:

+ 54 HP regen, + 20 HP battle healing

Battle: 9 - Hit! - 3 dmg + 1 = 4 dmg - Bleed - 24 dmg

MOB: 9 - Hit! - 161 - 111 mit = 50 dmg

• [H:8] @Shield:
  • HP: 710/760
  • Energy: 76/76
  • 3 DMG | 24 BLD | 3 EVA | 111 MIT | 54 RGN | 28 THN | 20 BH
• [H:0] Teion:
  • HP: 460/460
  • Energy: 44/46
  • 10 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 REC | 4 LD
• <<Snow Beast>> Bleed - 1/2 remaining
  • HP: 194/250
  • 160 DMG | 24 Partial Phase

"Wrong move!" Shield growled, swinging his own axe overhand directly into the top of the beast's skull, sending a font of red particles spewing from around the edges of the wound. "You start paying attention to her and I'm gonna start to get jealous!"

He wrenched his axe free, nodding with satisfaction at his handiwork. The damage had been minimal, but its health continued to drain after his attack. It was only then that he noticed the glowing gashes in his side that the snow beast had left on the inside of his thigh. Shaking his head to clear his awareness, he saw that although his health had completely rebounded a moment, before, it was practically right back where it had been after taking the first hit.

"Sneaky," he scoffed. "Managed to sneak in a claw without pricking himself on the thorns. But that's not gonna cut it. You'll have to do a lot better than that."

Edited March 28, 2017 by Shield

[Teion 0]

Teion's scowl shifted to a smirk as a thought entered her mind. "Guess I can give that a try." She spoke softly as she straightened her spine. The woman took the weight of her axe against her shoulder as she held her free hand palm-up in front of her. Being the first time she would activate her <<Disguise>> skill since she acquired it, Teion was letting the system take over now. The hand in front of her quickly began to shift and change its shape, causing the woman to have to resist a grimace at the sight. She didn't feel a thing, but watching her hand and forearm morph into a clawed paw identical to their opponent's wasn't exactly a pleasant sight. Teion took a step forward just before she realized the hand gripping her axe had begun to transform as well. Her axe seemed to be affected as well, twisting its shape and reducing in size before her weapon had been replaced with a pair of beast's claws. The woman gave a small shrug to herself in acceptance. "Whatever works, I guess." She mumbled under her breath.

While their target was preoccupied with Shield, Teion drew in a sharp breath before dashing towards the beast once more. Quickly closing the gap, she rushed to the monster's flank and drew the bared claws across its side. As Cardinal continued to dictate her movements, Teion inflicted six more strikes that resulted in several bright red gashes that glowed and overlapped on the beast's hide. Shortly after she'd completed her attack and disengaged from the creature's attack range, Teion's disguise quickly dissipated and she returned to normal. Gripping her reformed axe in both hands, the woman flexed her fingers around the ivory handle. 'Not sure I care much for that ability.'

Combat Results

  Hide contents

• ID#: 80653
  • BD: 3 + (2 ACC) + (1 Disguise) = 6 - Success! Crescent Avalanche Activated!
    • (3 Base) + (4 Skill) + (3 Equipment) = (10 Damage) x (7 Sword Art) = 70 DMG
       
• [H:6] @Shield:
  • HP: 710/760
  • Energy: 76/76
  • 3 DMG | 24 BLD | 3 EVA | 111 MIT | 54 RGN | 28 THN | 20 BH
• [H:0] Teion:
  • HP: 460/460
  • Energy: 38/46
  • 10 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 REC | 4 LD
• <<Snow Beast>>
  • HP: 124/250 - Bleeding
  • 160 DMG | 24 Partial Phase

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

+ 54 HP regen, + 20 HP battle healing

ID# 80659 results:

Battle: 1 - Miss

MOB: 9 - Hit! - 161 - 111 mit = 50 dmg

• [H:8] Shield:
  • HP: 710/760
  • Energy: 73/76
  • 3 DMG | 24 BLD | 111 MIT | 54 RGN | 28 THN | 20 BH
• [H:1] @Teion:
  • HP: 460/460
  • Energy: 38/46
  • 10 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 REC | 4 LD
• <<Snow Beast>>
  • HP: 100/250
  • 160 DMG | 24 Partial Phase

While it was typically not easy to faze Shield, he had never seen the disguise skill used before. having come from behind him, he had not seen Teion's transformation, and in the heat of battle, his natural inclination to fight or flight told his arm to swing his axe at the new threat. It was the same instinct that nearly caused him to punch a coworker who had decided to hide behind the vending machine at work. No sooner had her attack landed did she turn back into her normal self, and Shield had to stomp his foot in the snow to stop his momentum. His arm was still raised, poised to strike at the newest perceived threat.

Holy hell, that was close...

The moment of indecision was all his foe needed. Its claws raked across Shield's face, which although not exactly painful, he could feel them penetrate deep into his eyes and sinuses as they passed through his skin and tore through him. It was sickening. He shuddered, stepping back as he attempted to regain himself. As the red glowing gashes that crowded his vision dissipated, he could just barely make out the bleeding wound on the creature finally closing.

Edited March 28, 2017 by Shield

[Teion 0]

While Teion had hurried to back off from the beast and regain her composure, she caught sight of Shield's weapon raised in the corner of her eye. She froze up for a fraction of a second, her shocked gaze darting between Shield and his axe. Luckily, he seemed to have stopped himself and Teion had managed to put distance between her and the player at the same time. The woman opened her mouth to stammer out an apology, but before she made a sound the beast raised its own claw to strike the tank. Teion clenched her teeth at the sight, her brow furrowed as she shifted her gaze and glared at the monster. The curved blade of her axe began to glow a bright blue as her sword art activated. The blacksmith didn't have to move far to get back into range of the beast. She unleashed several swings of her axe to leave the creature with even more red gashes along its body. A quick glance to the health bar hovering beside it caused a low growl from Teion. The indicator quickly began draining until it turned a red color to match the glowing wounds, but the beast was still standing. "Sorry." She mumbled towards the brunette.

Combat Results

  Hide contents

• ID#: 80661
  • BD: 4 + (2 ACC) = 6 - Success! Crescent Avalanche Activated!
    • (3 Base) + (4 Skill) + (3 Equipment) = (10 Damage) x (7 Sword Art) = 70 DMG
       
• [H:6] @Shield:
  • HP: 710/760
  • Energy: 73/76
  • 3 DMG | 24 BLD | 3 EVA | 111 MIT | 54 RGN | 28 THN | 20 BH
• [H:0] Teion:
  • HP: 460/460
  • Energy: 38/46
  • 10 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 REC | 4 LD
• <<Snow Beast>>
  • HP: 30/250
  • 160 DMG | 24 Partial Phase

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

+ 54 HP regen, + 20 HP battle healing

ID# 80662 results:

 Battle: 9 - Hit! - 3 dmg + 1 = 4 dmg, Bleed! - 24 dmg

 MOB: 1

• [H:6] Shield:
  • HP: 760/760
  • Energy: 73/76
  • 3 DMG | 24 BLD | 3 EVA | 111 MIT | 54 RGN | 28 THN | 20 BH
• [H:0] @Teion:
  • HP: 460/460
  • Energy: 38/46
  • 10 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 REC | 4 LD
• <<Snow Beast>>
  • HP: 2/250 - Bleed rounds remaining 1/2
  • 160 DMG | 24 Partial Phase

As the dust settled and Shield's panicked heart rate returned to the normal elevated beat of a battle, he shook off the shock and returned his mind to battle.

"It's alright," he said, refocusing his attention on the beast. "I don't hit particularly hard. Besides, it would have been your skin, not mine, right?"

He gave a little half smirk before stepping himself back in between Teion and the beast. He swung his axe upward, knocking its attacking paw aside and catching the underside of its chin. He ripped a wide gash that ran up the entire left side of the monster's white, fur-lined face. Again, although his initial damage was paltry, the health gauge continued to deplete beyond the initial strike damage, dipping nearly down to zero.

"It's finished," he said with a sigh, straightening his legs and standing back up to his full height. "You're welcome to get in another swing, but it will die before it gets another chance to strike."

Edited March 28, 2017 by Shield

[Teion 0]

Teion felt a smirk of her own tugging at the corner of her mouth as the situation seemed to quickly diffuse itself. With Shield's last swing she had expected the monster to shatter into pixels, but the beast was still barely standing. It continued to growl and snarl at them, unaware of its impending defeat. The violet-haired warrior relaxed her shoulders as Shield spoke dismissively as relaxed his own stance. Teion frowned, looking back to the monster and the little health it had remaining. The blacksmith walked up to the beast and pulled the handle of her axe back. When she was close enough Teion thrust the tip of her weapon into the snowy monster's side, akin to how one would attack with a longspear. The creature let out a howl as its health plummetted to zero and it burst into shards of light before dissipating completely.

The woman pulled her axe back and rested the weight of it against her shoulder once more. She shifted her weight to one side, standing casually now that the battle was over without any signs of other beasts prowling about. "Get the item you wanted?"

Combat Results

  Hide contents

• ID#: 80676
  • BD: 5 + (2 ACC) = 7 - Success!
    • (3 Base) + (4 Skill) + (3 Equipment) = 10 DMG
       
• [H:6] @Shield:
  • HP: 710/760
  • Energy: 73/76
  • 3 DMG | 24 BLD | 3 EVA | 111 MIT | 54 RGN | 28 THN | 20 BH
• [H:0] Teion:
  • HP: 460/460
  • Energy: 39/46
  • 10 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 REC | 4 LD
• <<Snow Beast>>
  • HP: 0/250 - Dead
  • 160 DMG | 24 Partial Phase

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Swapping gear:
- Pain Drinker (-54 Regen), -1 Bloody Hell (-2 dmg, -24 bleed), + Finder's Keeper (+1 skill rank: search & detect), +Seeking Aura (+3 LD)

ID# 80678 results: Loot: 8 + 3 item + 1 skill + 1 skill item = 13 - No Material (0 total)

Shield nodded with a note of finality as the snow beast disappeared. A dialog box appeared midair in front of him, and sure enough, there at the top of the rewards was the item he'd been told about.

"Essence of Steel," he said aloud. "Yup, that's the one. I realize that everyone has opportunities to make use of them, but for my occupation especially, there's a lot of value to be had in getting to boost an item up with an enhancement of your choice. I find the right unique, slap a couple of these on it, and what was moments ago a mundane item is suddenly top tier, or just about."

He turned and began wandering back towards town, the teleportation plaza in mind. He got special loot, so the least he could do was try to help her find a dungeon so she could get more than just experience out of it.

"So let me know if you get any tier two equipment that doesn't quite have enough on its own to be worth using in combat," he said tossing her a sidelong glance. "It's a long shot, but that's exactly the kind of gear that will turn into the kind of thing I'm looking for."

@Teion

Edited March 28, 2017 by Shield

[Teion 0]

"Hmm?" Teion tilted her head slightly as she sheathed her weapon behind her and followed after the man. She gave a thoughtful look before mumbling half to herself and half in response. "I'm sure to have something in my shop... Ahh, that reminds me." The woman gave a dissatisfied look at her clothing for a moment. "I should really start looking for some new pieces."

Her boots kicked up some snow as she walked. It wasn't taking long for them to get back to Snowfrost, and Teion let the conversation hang as she thought idly about what kinds of unused equipment she had laying around in her forge. At least sorting through those items would give her something to do tonight. "Anyway, I can come by your shop sometime with any extras. I've just been short on materials lately." She gave a small shrug as they reached the gates of Snowfrost. 'Is this where we part ways, or...?' She wondered, but kept the thought to herself. Besides getting some extra experience for completing the quest, she wasn't sure what else the fourth floor had to offer them.

@Shield

[Shield 0]

"I was thinking we could hop up a few floors and see if we can find a dungeon," Shield said, giving Teion a glance as they approached the teleportation plaza. "It was good experience for you, I'm sure, but if we find something, it might make it a more worthwhile trip for you."

He motioned for her to follow stepping into the teleportation array and lifting his chin.

"Floor Eleven!"

With that, the snowscape of the fourth floor melted away and he found himself on the firm ground of the floor that was now his home. He stepped out of the landing area and stepped off to the side to wait.

Spoiler

ID# 80713 results: Loot: 8 + 5 = 13 - No Materials (0 Total)

The distant mountains where his home and merchant shop loomed in the distance, though he could see neither from here. Perhaps it was inconvenient to live so far off the beaten path, but he liked the seclusion. Besides, the closer one was to crowds, the closer one was to dangerous people. The solitude was a buffer, if nothing else.

@Teion

Edited March 29, 2017 by Shield

[Teion 0]

"Oh, alright." Teion agreed after he explained his plan. She didn't have a reason to decline; if Shield was willing to take the damage for her, it put her in a much better position to go treasure hunting on a higher floor. With her level and equipment, it was still rather risky to try and tackle a dungeon on her own.

'Back to floor eleven?' She thought with a mental shrug in response to her own question. Just after Shield vanished, Teion echoed his words to activate the gate herself. She caught up to him within seconds, giving a small nod to indicate she was ready to go.

She had only found herself on the eleventh floor a couple of times now, and with her lack of knowledge on the level she would patiently wait for Shield to lead the way before she would follow after him. "Seems like this floor is good for dungeon hunting, then?" She wondered aloud. While her interpersonal skills were generally lacking, she felt in a mood to strike up a conversation rather than let the silence loom over them.

Material Gathering:

  Hide contents

• ID#: 80809
• LD: 11 + (2 Skill) + (2 Equipped) = 15 - Success!
   
• Teion: (1) T1 crafting material, (1) T2 crafting material

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 80811 results: Loot: 7 + 5 = 12 - No materials (0 total)

"Much in the same way that you're accustomed to doing your gathering on floor five," Shield replied, sending Teion a quick glance before returning his eyes forward as they walked. "It's home. Beat and I have shops and a home that we share on this floor, so we've had plenty of opportunities to test our mettle up here. Also, it's ideal for better quality gear than the lower floors."

They were an odd pair to say the least. Neither was particularly talkative by nature, but that suited Shield fine. He was perfectly happy to converse, but having a break from Beat the chatterbox was far from unwelcome. He did get the impression that he was a good deal older than she was, but he was used to that by now, aside from the tendency of certain members of the Ascendants to still regard him as a kid at times.

"We'll have a better bet the closer we get to the mountains," he went on, gesturing ahead of them. "We'll give it a short hike, but if we don't find anything right away, I won't keep you."

Edited March 30, 2017 by Shield

[Teion 0]

Teion gave a small shake of her head as they stepped over the border that denoted the city's safe zone bounderies. "It's no trouble." She said simply. Without taking a look at her menus to confirm, she guessed it was about mid-afternoon by the time they had put a fair distance between themselves and the city walls, the virtual sun still shining brightly overhead. Once again, the woman pondered over any tasks she needed to complete before the day's end. When nothing came to mind she nudged the topic away. Her curiosity couldn't help dwelling on his previous statement as another thought entered her mind. 'Sharing a home?' She quickly decided to keep the thoughts to herself this time. Teion had heard of a housing system within the game, but knew next to nothing about it.

Instead, she offered a comment on his first point. "It seems like everyone ends up finding a floor they call home, in some way." A half-smile pulled up at the corner of her mouth as she reflected on how much time she'd spent living on the fifth floor.

@Shield

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• ID#: 80814
  • LD: 4 + (2 Skill) + (2 Equipment) = 4 - Nothing Found!