[OP-F20] <<21st Floor Boss Meeting>>

[Macradon 0]

Waiting with his hand slightly risen so people could see he would like to speak, Macradon would come with what he had gathered of information about the participants of the guild. “I can say that Commander Heathcliff will be joining the Raid, Hirru will be joining as well, and so will I. I still need confirmation from the other members, but it seems like our newest member will be joining as a healer in our team” Macradon would say clearly so everyone would be able to understand what he was saying. It was clear that KoB wasn’t the most likable of guilds at the moment, nor were the members of the guild. Macradon would shut up and stay silent as he would find a chair to sit down in. Macradon would just stay silent until there was something needed for him to speak of, but for now, Macradon would only need to prepare himself with potions and other consumable for the raid.

[Baldur 0]

"Sorry guys, it just helps me if I see things written down."

Baldur had been making notes on his UI once Macradon had spoken about their teams, and then Baldur made his window of notes visible to the other players. His handwriting was clean and crisp, though perhaps a bit blocky and uniform. It was a practiced writing style, but not a pretty one.

"Team 1: CA
1: Morgenstern (Tank)
2: Beatbot
3: Itzal (damage and healing)
4: Hikoru
5: (empty)
6: (empty)

Team 2: SC
1: Calrex (tank)
2: Baldur
3: Takao
4: Teayre
5: Ariel
6: Zandra (healing)

Team 3: KotBO
1: Heathcliff (tank)
2: Macradon
3: Hirru
4: "Newest member" (healing)
5: Mack?
6: (empty)

Unassigned: Sey (damage and healing), Shield (Tank), Beat (DPS)"

With his window of notes displayed, Baldur let the leaders take the discussion from there. Guild groups made the most sense, with unguilded players filling in the holes. But there were still a few 'ifs' in the attending column. He had seen @Mack show up more recently, so why wasn't he here? The Commander had also attended raid meetings, but seemed content now to have Macradon, as the commander of the Vanguard, show up on his own. Such was the guild leader's confidence, he supposed.

[Seul 1]

“For f*ck’s sake guys… I didn't know you all thought I was so useless.”

Somehow he managed to keep quiet for most of the discussion but as things winded down and the teams started being formulated both Hikoru and Baldur failed to place him on a team or even mention his lack of one. The only one who even considered his role was Morgenstern, so it seemed everyone else was now intent on excluding him from the raid. He didn't mean to be rude with his outburst, but he wasn’t about to hide his distaste with always going unnoticed by his peers so easily. They'd all see how useful he could be in this next raid, then there'd be no choice but to remember his presence. Probably.

“Anyways… I plan on going too, so it sounds like I'm either fighting with the Knights or the Celestials. Just put me wherever there's room and I'll be happy. Sitting out on too many boss fights will make me rusty.”

[Baldur 0]

Baldur frowned and his face took an embarassed cast as he looked over at the injured Seul. He had been sitting right in front of him and Baldur had not included him on the list, but had managed to include Mack, who wasn't present.

"I appologize Seul." He gave his comrade a deep bow of respect, "I was just going off of what Hikoru and Macradon said, and apparently didn't use my own two eyes or my own brain." He returned the notes to where he could edit them as his steel blue eyes surveyed the room in earnest this time. "Let me be more thorough this time."

Baldur quickly adjusted his notes and then showed them back to everyone else to review.

"If there is anyone else I have missed... and erm... sorry, I don't know your name." Baldur gesticulated at the red haired Domarus. "Or if you plan to attend the fight or not either."

Spoiler

Team 1: CA
1: Morgenstern (Tank)
2: Beatbox
3: Itzal (damage and healing)
4: Hikoru
5: (empty)
6: (empty)

Team 2: SC
1: Calrex (tank)
2: Baldur
3: Takao
4: Teayre
5: Ariel
6: Zandra (healing)

Team 3: KotBO
1: Heathcliff (tank)
2: Macradon
3: Hirru
4: "Newest member" (healing)
5: Mack?
6: Seul

Unassigned: Sey (damage and healing), Shield (Tank), Beat (DPS), Red-haired kid, Kaiser, rude-girl, ninja-looking-guy

"That should be everyone but the young girl. I am assuming everyone else is here because they're either participating, or planning on it."

[Sey 0]

Sey would place his hands in his pockets as he would then walk over to the Celestial group, as that was his guild and all. If they were going to fight, they were going to fight together and get some sweet loot. It was why he joined a group anyways, or one of the many reasons rather. With that said, he would look around in case he saw her around. But when he saw that he didn't, a part of him would have relief and a part of him would have disappointment. Knowing her strong and independent persona, he would have expected her to fight the floor boss. Well, at least he knew that she was safe. So with that thought out of his head, he would head over to meet up with the others, waiting for the whole thing to be prepared. They were going to have to get a bunch of items, Sey himself needed to get some materials, then they could fight the floor boss in about a week or two. "Well guys, I'm ready."

[Morgenstern 1]

Jonathan would watch as another player entered the hall. Hakai. She spoke up in the middle of everything and then spoke something rude about healers. Jonathan's eyes narrowed. A spike of anger shot through his body and he calmly, but sternly replied, "First of all, that is not true. Second of all, we do NOT need that kind of nonsense in a boss raid. Now either contribute... Or get out of our hall" He glared at her for a few minutes before looking back to the meeting.It would appear that he had finally got things moving. Hikoru suggested guild teams. Jonathan nodded. He would be fine with that. Baldur began to write down a list, and Seul spoke up. Baldur made a few quick change and Jonathan took a few glances at it. He shook his head. "I have just a few proposals. I personally believe Shield is prepared to be a main tank somewhere. I also know from event bosses, that Heathcliff can pack a punch when it comes to dealing damage, where Shield does not deal any. Perhaps, we should make use of all players by putting Shield in place of Heathcliff, and asking Heathcliff to play the DPS roll. We need too make the most use of our players" He glanced over at Shield for a small second. "As for Beat and Sey.... Every other team has about three DPS's, so we should place Beat under the CA group as well. Sey can heal when need be, and damage the rest of the time. I think he should also be placed under the CA category" Jonathan began to make one final of check of things and noticed a few other players were on the unassigned. 

"She perfectly well can speak for herself, but I don't believe she is coming to this one. She is not ready, and is here for the sole purposes that she is a Paladin of this hall. That guy" He jabbed a finger at Soredell. "Was in one of the groups fighting Nato is the Asterios fight. He is here for the sake of it. Hakai and the guy.... I can't speak for." 

[Itzal 0]

Itzal had watched carefully as Hakai walked in and essentially insulted healers, probably for the sake of insulting them.  While annoyed at the fact that she was treating healers like garbage he chose to remain calm.  Jonathan however did nod.  Itzal sighed.  This was going to become a problem rather quickly.  "Jonathan.  Please calm down.  Anger breeds anger and we do not need this at a boss meeting.  Let it go, please."  He then turned to Hakai and Ariel.  "I can handle rude comments and insults, but if you intend to stir up trouble and make these meetings longer I politely ask you to skip the next one.  The best chance to take down a floor boss is by working together, not by turning on each other.  So how about we all work together instead of insulting or threatening each other."  He looked at the two women when he mentioned insulting, and Jonathan when he mentioned threatening.  He did not want the Celestial Ascendants to be recognized as quick to anger and throwing out threats like that.  After that Itzal heard Baldur's proposal and Jonathan's words on it he nodded.  "It all makes perfect sense to me.  Although we should let Shield hear it and decide whether or not he'll follow suit.  I don't want to force anyone to do anything.  Baldur I noticed that you wrote me down as healing even though I don't have first aid.  The best I can do is make an attempt to craft healing songs for the party.  It will take me a bit to finally craft it but I'll try to get it done."

@Hakai @Morgenstern @Ariel - The Crowned Lion @Baldur @Shield

Edited April 12, 2017 by Itzal

[Hakai 0]

Hakai smiled at Morgenstern. "I'm simply being truthful and straightforward. Im sorry that you cant deal with that. Keep hiding behind your anger little man; Ignorance is bliss." She turned to Itzal. "Ill be at the boss fight. Good luck to you and your guild." She said sincerely. Itzal was the brains behind Celestial Ascendants and one of the few people on the frontlines that she respected. Still, she tended to get the urge to stab people a lot, and he was no exception to that. "Ill go wherever you want to put me, as long as im able to play my part. The faster we do this the sooner we can get out of this game. I imagine that many people you all used to know have died in accidents or moved away. Your parents might even give up on you any minute, so think on that. Its only a matter of time before they start pulling the plugs. Speed is key." She turned towards the doors and started to exit. "Peace homies."

[Baldur 0]

Baldur watched Hakai, and let out a slight breath when she left. People like that were more trouble than they were worth, and of little value to the frontline. He had no idea who would actually take her as a part of their group, but he certainly wouldn't. He couldn't trust a player like her to pull her own weight, and just like when he and Calrex had to confront Opal a few floors back, it was better to enforce order and discipline into the frontline than have more loose canons.

"Itzal, they said that you had some healing back-up abilities, which is why I labeled you as that for the Celestial party."

Turning, he looked at the other tank. He couldn't believe that for once, they had a good number of tanks. Now they just needed to introduce the idea of an 'off-tank' and they could finally have some good, safe, group comps. The Frontline was transforming, and it was doing so in a good way, due in large part to the Celestial Ascendants. He had no right to be, but he was proud of what they had become. He still thought of many of them as junior players, but that was wrong of him to continue thinking that way.

"Morg -- er.. Jonathan, I would hate to break up a guild group. While this is certainly your ship to run, the parties are really up to the participants. We need to trust the players with us to do their part and watch our backs. I work well with Ariel and Zandra, so I am happy to accept them into my -- our -- party." He gestures at Calrex "But I won't take someone like what's her name" Baldur gestured at the door with a thumb which Hakai had just left through. "My opinions on her aside."

He looked at the list and tapped the names at the bottom.

"We have seven unassigned players, six if you don't count the rude girl, and five if you don't count Mr Ninja over there." He gestured at @Soredell "And four, if you don't count Kaiser. That's basically another group. In addition, Shield and Sey make up a great core, being Tank and healing with someone who can also do good damage. Now, pardon me for being so bold, especially since I don't know the strength and weakness of your guild, and there are not only new faces here, but ones I am still unfortunately unfamiliar with. Here would be my recommendation."

Team 1	Team 2	Team 3	Team 4
Morgenstern (t)	Calrex (t)	Heathcliff (t)	Shield(t)
Itzal (s)	Zandra (s)	Newbie (s)	Sey (s)
Beatbox (d)	Baldur (d)	Macradon (d)	Beat (d)
Hikoru (d)	Takao (d)	Hirru (d)	DPS needed
DPS needed	Teayre (d)	Seul (d)	DPS needed
DPS needed	Ariel (d)	Mack or DPS	DPS needed

"Going from this information, Spectrum has 4 members, the Knights have 5 or 6 members, and Celestial Ascendant has 8 members, with 2 to 4 people here being unguilded or uncommitted. The logical thing to do would be to move Ariel from our group over to team 4 and a dps from the knights to either team 1 or team 4. Assuming those players trust their new group. With regular attendance at floor bosses I imagine this will become easier, but we have a lot of... untested... players. The Floor Boss isn't the time to find out someone isn't going to play along."

"The second logical option, would be to pull Sey into Team 1 as their main support, and pull Beat into team 1 to flesh out damage dealers for the CA team, and then have Shield ride with the Knights if @Mack doesn't show up. It would be a bit of a carry, but it's worthwhile to carry a tank more than it is to carry a damage dealer. If Oikawa and Lawfer or more of the Knights to mobilize for the next floor boss fight, having a tank who has seen a Floor Boss is will be worth his weight in gold."

Baldur had two other plans in mind, but he didn't necessarily want to reveal those options as they were less desirable. He didn't want to get cocky with what could potentially be a very difficult boss fight. They were about to unlock Tier 3 equipment. That means this boss might be a challenge fight in relation to the reward they were about to unlock. It's what he would do, if he were designing the game.

[Domarus 0]

Baldur continued, sharing how his group was set as their own guild.  Domarus hadn't seen much of their guild at all, besides Teayre who he only met while gathering materials for the Rovian wars thread, which she failed to attend.  Then another player emerged and when Domarus turned to look who it was he recognized her.  The last time he saw her it had taken a moment or two to recall their first encounter.  However after encountering someone twice made him far more wary and conscious of their name and face.  Hakai.  She was the one who informed him of the status of the front liners.  From what he saw in the event bosses it would seem she was right. For the most part at least.  She had essentially summarized everything that was going to be happening, which by the way she said it was usually the summary every meeting, with an extra joke on the healers.  It was true healers hadn't been needed recently but there was no harm in keeping them there just in case things turned for the worse.  And then she called them out on it.  She essentially accused them all of only caring about the demonic.  Domarus watched eagerly now to see the reaction.  To his surprise the first to reply completely ignored Hakai entirely and mentioned how Heathcliff would be joining the raid.  Baldur spoke next and asked indirectly if Domarus was joining and he shook his head.
     "Not this time around.  I'm afraid my level is far too low for this.  However I seek to change that soon enough.  Perhaps the next boss I'll attend along with you."  As more players spoke they didn't even acknowledge her existence which even he found annoying.  Even if it was wrong Domarus could see a use for him should players continue to ignore her.  Domarus could use Hakai in certain areas.  So long as nobody paid her mind he had many options.  As a red player argued with Baldur and Sey prepared to leave, Domarus noticed the blonde tank snap out at Hakai.  What a pathetic leader he thought.  His solution for an insult is to insult her back and threaten to throw her out?  How obnoxious.  He could come up with a hundred solutions that were better than that one.  Then the scout spoke up and essentially took a far more calm approach, speaking not only to Hakai, but also to the blonde warrior Ariel as well as the tank, whom he addressed as Jonathan.  The player made his point rather gently and moved on, agreeing with what was established but questioning one thing.  Domarus watched Hakai's response from that point.  She wasn't fazed at all by the tank's words but when she addressed the guild he felt she was speaking mainly to the scout.  Possibly, though he wasn't sure.  Regardless of who she was speaking to there was a change in her voice when she spoke.  After that she established that she didn't mind where she was placed and then left.  After that Baldur returned to details and seemed close to wrapping everything up.  How interesting it seemed that a member of the Celestial Ascendants had started the meeting and now a member of a different guild was ending it.

[Beat 0]

Beat had been listening quietly, preferring to defer to the players that had experience with such planning meetings, having never fought or even seen a floor boss before. It was obvious who the main strategists on the front lines were and they carried a certain confidence about them that that did not waver in the face of a challenge of this magnitude. They had certainly been hardened by experience, something Beat hoped to accomplish himself. 

As he listened to Baldur grouped people together, he had been processing everything when his name was mentioned before, but as he looked at the group assignments, he felt he needed to object to not being in a party with Shield. They had pushed hard towards the front lines for this fight and it felt wrong to not be fighting side by side. Beat also didn't feel comfortable trusting someone other than the surly tank with his life in the current situation.

"One request." Beat said, finally speaking up and looking at @Baldur, "I would prefer to be in a party with @Shield. I'm sure everyone here is plenty competent, but I must insist on this." He finished, his tone respectful, but firm. He saw no reason why  his request would cause any issues and it was a fact that he and Shield worked better together. 

Edited April 12, 2017 by Beat

[Eira 0]

All she wanted to do was pet the turtle… nothing more, nothing left. Perhaps the explanation could have been enough for the girl, but as soon as she felt the hands wrap around her side to pick her up, Eira felt a sharp jolt shoot through her. The physical contact was unexpected, and extremely uncomfortable, startling the child as it took her by complete surprise. As soon as Hikoru lifted her away from the turtle, and the ground, she kicked with all of her small might, and flailed her arms desperately, in an attempt to push away from the man and free herself.

His words were lost on her, and while she subconsciously understood what she had said, she no longer cared. She just wanted to move away from being picked up. Out of her mouth came loud shrieks of protest, until Hikoru finally set her back down in her chair. However, this was currently the last place she wanted to be. Pouting and releasing an angry groan, she pushed herself out of her chair, clutching the ferret he had given her and putting it down on the table. She loved the ferret a lot, but if she kept a hold of it, would he come back to pick her up again? 

Eira was not about to take that risk. Distancing herself from the man’s ferret, she quickly moved away from her seat and art supplies. She would go to something that could be a better one to comfort her than any person in the room; the wolf. The young blonde began to approach the white-furred canine who sat close to the snowy-haired man. Last time she approached, the wolf had growled. Perhaps the she-wolf was just having a bad day, and needing some comforting. Now was the best opportunity, seeing as the child was in need of the same thing. 

As she tried to calm herself down, she ran over from her seat to the large canine and attempted to quickly put her arms around the wolf and cuddle. Hopefully the wolf would be put in a better mood, along with the girl. The white fur had been soft and fluffy, after all, like a pillow. Plus, the animal was cute, like a domestic dog, only larger and prettier. And unlike turtles, dogs usually did not bite, right? They were obedient animals who respected humans, typically, which made them loyal friends. The trauma of being picked up and rushing over to the wolf for comfort made Eira oblivious to the rest of the tension in the room, regarding the players and boss organization. Right now in the world, only the alabaster-hued canine mattered.

 

@Sey @Hikoru

[Soredell 0]

Soredell could only watch on silently as the whole situation slowly delved into chaos and discord. You have children who didn't look like they were older than 10 showcasing crayon drawings to everyone in the room during a serious meeting; hushed arguments to arguments that everyone could hear; other people who did nothing to contribute to the situation except stirring s*** up. It was madness, something that he wouldn't expect from the front-liners, the 'saviours' of the players that were still alive. But Soredell wasn't stupid, he could read into social situations easy enough, and until he was addressed, he wouldn't say anything. Eventually, another person (@Baldur) made some attempt to address him, during a discussion about party composition. Soredell shook his head and said, "Much like this guy," he says, pausing to motion to @Domarus before continuing, "I won't be participating this time around. I'm not even close to being at the right level, or having the best equipment. I'm just here to see what I can expect out of boss fights, and the players fighting them, although..." he pauses, thinking of the best way to say his piece, "The latter of the two is... certainly leaving a lot to be desired, to put it bluntly." he says. "For an event such as this where teamwork and cooperation is key, I'm seeing nothing but discord and infighting. I understand that tensions are high, but this is not the time to be fighting among ourselves. That's all." he says, satisfied. "In any case, I'll be here until the end of the meeting, which I suspect is very soon."

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Seeing as her concern was brushed off without hesitation by the rest.. the blonde let out a sigh and hoped that she had nothing to worry and the moth would be gracious and come down by itself so that they can hit it. Then the group went on with one of her point of interests, which would be group placement. In the past that hindered her a bit as she was being placed alongside people she barely know... let one trust with covering her back, the reason why she went with a more tank approach in the last battle.

She could not fail to notice that Itzal's comment also seemed to target her. The blonde's eyes narrowed and she let out a small 'tsk', overall her features taking shape of a displeased expression. "I never threatened or insulted anybody here, you lot are not that high on my list of priorities. I have enough on my mind as it is. If there was a transcript of what I said, you'd see that I only listed the recent deaths in the older boss raids since most here are too... new to remember. Everything else is something people taking my words personally." this wasn't directly directed towards the scout but rather all from which she sensed 'animosity' directed at her.

Baldur once again showed brilliant tactical thinking by arranging this 'frontliners' motley into raid teams. She couldn't complain as guild focused groups were becoming more prominent and honestly she was pretty glad of her initial grouping. Taking a step closer to look at the full listing, since her name was mentioned a few times related with that. At the alternative of going to team 4, she read the names and recognized them all so far. 

She shifted from her leaning position and drew closer to Baldur, extending her finger over his floating notes where the last team was listed: "I'm cool with going with team 4." she said plainly as she looked at the current 3 participants. Then she leaned closer to his ear and said in a more reserved voice. "Just make sure to point out that healers and those who deal lesser dmg should be given food with Antioxidants, Probiotics or Antidote potions/crystals. As a tank or DPS, I'd want to know someone has my back in case I get paralyzed." she then put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a small squeeze letting out a small 'thanks' as she returned to her spot away from the table and leaned back against the pilar.

[Baldur 0]

Baldur smiled at @Beat's words. They echoed exactly the point he was trying to make. They were all risking their lives, and they wanted to know that they were behind people whom they could trust. The bond between a tank and his team was sacred, but the Frontlines had not been in a position in the past where that sort of camaraderie and bond could be built up. Now that they had a third guild with their own tank, and not just one, but two... Things were finally beginning to take shape. @Ariel - The Crowned Lion then came up to him and made some comments, both those directed at the demeanor of the meeting, and about the boss fight. One of them was not his business to manage, and the other wasn't his place, but as he seemed to have the attention of the room, he figured he should say something.

"I apologize, Celestials, but I have one last suggestion to make."

With a few taps of the button, Baldur sent the final group breakdown to @Hikoru and @Itzal, the two CA members he was most familiar with, and then looked around with a slightly embarrassed look on his face.

"We're approaching a threshold. This boss unlocks floor 21, and if the pattern continues, we'll find better gear. Not only that, but we're 20% up the tower, which could be considered some sort of a milestone floor. Both of these suggest that this boss could be something more fierce than we normally would face. It would behoove you all to not only reflect on past fights, but also to treat this one with respect. Coming ill prepared to a boss fight might save you some time preparing, and a little col here and there, but you are gambling with not only your life, but your friend's lives as well.

"Thanks to the efforts of the Celestial Ascendants we have the opportunity to face this boss head on and with good, solid tactics on our side. As guilds or as individuals, do your due diligence in preparing for this fight. If you need to retreat, having just a teleport crystal isn't enough. In the time it takes to activate, and by the time you realize you need to run, it may be too late. Bring an extra safeguard potion with for just this reason. Drink the potion and activate the crystal, and the safeguard should keep you safe until the crystal carries you out. Even if you're not a tank, bring a mitigation enhancement. It is always worth it. Alcoholic enhancements can be helpful, but they can also be dangerous, if you're on the cusp of coming into a boss fight, I wouldn't recommend one. Bosses have a bonus to accuracy just by being bosses, and drinking a potion like this means you will get hit if it attacks you, there's no way around it.

"Bring status effect items. I always carry an antidote with me, but that's only useful for me. A crystal lets you help a teammate out, which is very important if your tank gets stunned, or if someone can't get out of the way. It would be best if you had at least 2 people on your team with one of these. AoE health crystals are important that they be spread out among your team. I can activate one at a time, but a whole party activating theirs simultaneously can turn an entire failed fight around. Especially if you've got one member close to dying and you need to get them back on their feet. If you're playing a DPS role, make sure you've got your damage crystal. These bosses keep getting tougher, and usually big bads like this guy assume that you're coming into this fight fully buffed."

He looked around the room once more.

"I apologize for taking your time repeating what you all already know, but if there's a fight for us to show up with our game faces on, it might be this one."

Baldur turned to Hikoru, @Morgenstern, and Itzal.

"Sorry for taking the floor. This is your show." He gestured respectfully and then gave them a generous bow, before backing up to a section of wall next to @Calrex.

Spoiler

To: Hikoru, Itzal

Team 1	Team 2	Team 3	Team 4
Morgenstern (t)	Calrex (t)	Heathcliff (t)	Shield(t)
Itzal (s)	Zandra (s)	Newbie (s)	Sey (s)
Beatbox (d)	Baldur (d)	Macradon (d)	Beat (d)
Hikoru (d)	Takao (d)	Hirru (d)	Ariel (d)
DPS needed	Teayre (d)	Seul (d)	DPS needed
DPS needed	DPS needed	DPS needed	DPS needed

*CA - feel free to rebalance your two teams however you want to balance them. Ariel and Beat want to stay with Shield. Open slots can be filled with stragglers who don't show up till the fight and whom are accepted by that party. Usually 1 or 2 show up this way.

 

 

[Calrex 0]

Time seemed to slip by for the bluenette as he continued to listen to the back and forths from each of the people that took the floor during the course of the meeting. There were many voices that seemed to echo throughout the room, and as usual some he could get behind while others he was more hesitant about. There was the usual disagreement that threatened to escalate, a fact that Calrex had grown accustomed to, while at the same time preparing to step in if necessary. He had done so during the time that the Spectrum Coalition had hosted the floor boss meeting, and from that point on he had kept it in the back of his mind. After all, while the guild he helped found had no established hierarchy, there was the need for a leader-type at times, someone that could reel in the "sheep" that were straying from the herd.

However, this time around he appreciated the fact that Baldur had taken point, being the main spokesperson and strategist for the coalition at this meeting. If he was honest, such small trifles he had to regularly bear witness to and at times have to participate in wore him down much faster than any barrage of enemy attacks ever could. If he had to take working as a babysitter or teacher for a general education school compared to a stuntman, he'd take the latter.

With the brown-haired samurai-themed fighter giving his finishing remarks before returning the meeting to the Celestial Ascendants he had time to think of his own preparations. The things Baldur had just spoken about with caution made perfect sense, and it was something that he himself was likely lacking in past battles. Due to his state of being far overleveled for the current floor battles, he had been slacking, only carrying at best a healing potion and basic teleport crystal, one that he still possessed from back as a low level player. But the memory of the PumpKing fight was still present in the back of his mind, a reminder of the need to be prepared for these things. He had nearly died that day, and if it hadn't been for the combined efforts of everyone in the various teams involved, he might not be here today. Plus with many of the people he had been in contact with starting to lose some grip on their morality in relation to the value of life, he had to be prepared for the worst.

"There's a reason why I have more than twenty Safeguard potions in the shared inventory. My build may aim for consistency in various roles, but I still need to be prepared for those times that things don't go according to plan or preconceived assumptions. The strategy for the boss fights may be for the most part following a basic strategy, there's been a few times in my time participating in the frontlines that have proven that notion wrong. Rohk was one glaring example of this..."

As Baldur made his way back over to the wall alongside him he spoke in a lower volume, more for himself any maybe those in a close radius around him than addressing the entire group, "These fights are not and should not be something we can expect to walk in and walk out of without making the correct preparations like some common monster in the field zones. With the gap from now to commencing the raid, there's ample time to be ready. I just hope the people here recognize that and don't let some form of boisterous pride get the better of their common sense. I don't want there to be any more losses that could have been prevented."

[Zandra 0]

I held my eyes on Ariel when throwing a glance at Hikoru as the blonde said she didn’t knew the reason, just that he have been like that since they broke up.

Next, she explained what the badge was. ‘’Was, was it you?’’ I asked as she told me the badge was from the NPC that had been starting the rovian wars event. ‘’Was it you that brought the ship back to shore and safety?’’ I remembered that the dragon of the sea had been brought back to shore. But from the chaos that have started due to the need for everyone to flee, I didn’t saw who brought home the longboat. And lately there have just been so much to think about it had totally slipped out of my mind. A window showing that she had sent the badge to me appeared. ‘’Thanks Ari. Thank you so much for saving our ship.’’ I said with a slight bow.

What she said next made me look away and scratch my neck. ‘’Hehe… wasn’t it me that ordered it from you in the first place? You have nothing to apology for.’’ What I herd next I never thoguth I would hear. Well, not from the woman infront of me at least. And when I herd it my scratching stopped and eyes turned back to the lioness. I just looked at her for a few seconds. Then I took a step closer to her. I layed my hands on her shoulder and moved my face closer to hers. When our foreheads softly got in contact and my red hood threw a shadow over our faces, I said with kind words. ‘’Ariel. Im not angry on you. I promise, I will stand by your side whenever you need me. Something small like a near death experience wont change that. In me you have a friend you can trust on.’’ I finshed with a friendly smile before taking a step back and turning my focus to the reason why we was here in the first place.

Everything thougth about the boss’s skills and different tactics seemed to already have been mentioned so there was nothing to add. Then I checked the team lists. A smile on my face when I recognized all players in my team to be veterans Ive known and adventured with before. Well, until my eyes red the last name. When I saw it I gritted my teeths and took a few deep breaths to control myself. ‘’I cant be in same team as her.’’ I said in a low whisper to myself, barely hearable. That woman I would never forgive. Only reason I haven’t taken her life yet was because that would mean the end of me as well. Thou this was something I haven’t shared with anyone. Not even Jomei. So of course they wouldnt think that was a troublesome sorting. I quickly putted on a fake smile. ‘’Looks like pretty solid teams.’’ Even since I would prefer to be put in team four instead I knew it wasn’t an option. I couldn’t put my own feelings above the need of tactics for survival.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Recieved 1x 'The Dragon of the Sea' badge. (Vanity event item) from Ariel

[Morgenstern 1]

Jonathan would smile as Baldur took the floor. They were finally moving along. The man noted about the need for mitigation, the need for all players to have it along with a safeguard and teleport crystal. He himself would not need to follow anything like that. He also mentioned status effect items. Another thing he was not too worried about. These were all little problems that he as a tank did not have to worry about. He did like the fact that t was only recommended for Alcoholics, if you could take a few hits. Most of those people were already in the Tier Three range zone. "Well everyone. It was much better as we got on track. I think that we have everything covered for now unless someone else would like to add something" The blond wanted to get everyone out of here. He had some potion making to do. "If nobody has anything else, let's just call it a wrap and leave it there." The blond out his hand on the table and said, "You have little time to begin to prepare yourself. Perhaps a week a maximum. Prepare for the worst" With that, Jonathan pushed out from the table, pushed in the chair. He nodded to Hikoru before walking out of the room, eyeing Calrex before leaving. 'Damn Achilles' he thought to himself. 

[Hikoru 0]

THREAD COMPLETE

Celestial Ascendants gain 800 Col

SP: (If you think I missed a post, please link me to all your posts so I can edit accordingly)

Spoiler

Hikoru: IIII (1 SP)
Sey: IlI (1 SP)
Morgenstern: IIIII (1 SP)
Itzal: IIIII (1 SP)
Macradon: III (1 SP)
Seul: III (1 SP)
Zandra: III (1 SP)
Beat: II (0 SP)
Shield: II (0 SP)
Domarus: IIIII (1 SP)
Beatbox: II (0 SP)
Calrex: III (1 SP)
Ariel: II (0 SP)
Soredell: II (0 SP)
Eira: III (1 SP)
Baldur: IIIIII (2 SP) [Gold Star for most posts]
Kaiser: II (0 SP)
Hakai: II (0 SP)

BOSS FIGHT IS PLANNED FOR TUESDAY, MAY 2ND 12:00 PM EST