⌈ Floor 2 ⋅ Solo Party ⌋ May My Enemy Become My Friend <<Feeding Your Enemy>>

[MISERY 1]

Spoiler

MISERY Level: 4 HP: 80 Energy: 8 DMG: 1 MIT: 18 Thorns: 18 Bleed 2 Regen 2 EQUIPMENT Ordmordeo Tier One; Rare Two-Handed Battle Axe An amalgamation of mismatched bones held stiffly together by an unseen but foreboding force. They have taken the shape of a scythe. Bleed | Bleed Blood Veil Tier One; Perfect Heavy Armor Only a Grandmaster of the craft is capable of producing work such as this. Rather than typical plates of metal, it is thick iron content that whirls within the strange liquid concoction that masks the wearer that provides protection, as well as a bite against those foolish enough to attack them. MIT | MIT | Thorns Unsettling Mask Tier One; Perfect Heavy Armor The mask is basic and featureless, with only three small holes dotting its smooth surface. Two allow the wearer to see, while the third modulates their voice into a sinister cacophony. Thorns | Regen | Regen SKILLS Hiding; Rank One Blend into your surroundings, making it harder for monsters and other players to sense your presence and detect you. +1 Stealth rating

He'd assembled all of the pieces he needed to ensure that everything went off without a hitch. With a variety of items procured with the explicit purpose of making the taming process easier, MISERY was confident that he wouldn't run into too much trouble. That was never a certainty, however, as this quest in particular was notorious hard. 

He'd found the gypsy. She'd seemed a bit perplexed when he explained the type of familiar he was going after, but nonetheless handed over the honey. With the item acquired, he got to work setting things up for the main event. Used the Spyglass. Consumed the Pheromones. Played the Familiar Sight. Everything was in place, and now all he needed to do was find them.

In the meantime, however, he could occupy himself with the larger mobs that roamed about. Such as the small swarm of bees that rested just before him. He stepped out into the pack, drew their aggro, and the battle had begun.

Pheromones consumed. (+1 CD when taming familiar)
Familiar Sight used. (+2 LD when searching for familiar)
Spyglass used. (Reduces the number of posts needed to search for familiar by 5)
 

Spoiler

MISERY: HP: 80-4=76/80 | EN: 8-2=6/8 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 18 | THNS: 18 | BLD: 12 (8-10) | RGN: 10

MISERY used [x1] Basic Attack against Enlarged Bee 1, -2 EN FOR MISS

Enlarged Bee 1: HP: 40-18=22/40 | DMG: 12 | ID: 135975 | BD: 4, Miss | MD: 6, Hit for 12-18=1 DMG | THORNS INFLICT 18 DMG | REGEN ACTIVATED
Enlarged Bee 2: HP: 40/40 | DMG: 12 | ID: 135976 | BD: x | MD: 9, Crit for 13-18=1 DMG
Enlarged Bee 3: HP: 40/40 | DMG: 12 | ID: 135977 | BD: x | MD: 9, Crit for 13-18=1 DMG
Enlarged Bee 4: HP: 40-18=22/40 | DMG: 12 | ID: 135978 | BD: x | MD: 6, Hit for 12-18=1 DMG | THORNS INFLICT 18 DMG

 

[MISERY 1]

As usual, the damage inflicted by the mobs was minuscule. The damage they took back as a result of their insolence was far greater.

Perhaps it was time to test out the new scythe he had recently acquired. Yes, that sounded lovely.

The amalgamation of bones protruded suddenly from beyond the bloody veil, raking their blade across one of the bees' exoskeleton. MISERY wasn't quite sure how it was possible to made an insect "bleed," but he'd somehow managed it. Its HP ticked away, one painstaking value at a time. Enraged, it flew it and sank its stinger into the miserable concoction that shrouded the masked man, plunging the remainder of its health into oblivion.

The loot here was much better than it had been on the first floor, MISERY decided. He was fortunate that he'd decided to take the time to hunt here. Surely he'd walk away with some interesting artifacts as a result.
 

Spoiler

MISERY: HP: 76+10-2=78/80 | EN: 6+1-1=6/8 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 18 | THNS: 18 | BLD: 12 (8-10) | RGN: 10
Regen: 1/3

MISERY used [x1] Basic Attack against Enlarged Bee 1, -1 EN

Enlarged Bee 1: HP: 22-12-18=0/40 | DMG: 12 | ID: 135979 | BD: 8, Hit for 1 DMG | BLEED INFLICTED | BLEED INFLICTS 12 DMG | MD: 6, Hit for 12-18=1 DMG | THORNS INFLICT 18 DMG | REGEN REFRESHED | Enlarged Bee 1 defeated
Enlarged Bee 2: HP: 40/40 | DMG: 12 | ID: 135981 | BD: x | MD: 2, Miss
Enlarged Bee 3: HP: 40/40 | DMG: 12 | ID: 135982 | BD: x | MD: 1, Miss
Enlarged Bee 4: HP: 22/40 | DMG: 12 | ID: 135983 | BD: x | MD: 9, Crit for 13-18=1 DMG

Looting
Enlarged Bee 1
ID: 135980
LD: 12 | CD: 9
280 col
(2) T1 Materials
(1) T1 Rare Armor/Shield [ID: 135980]

 

[MISERY 1]

The mobs seemed more tenacious, too. There was never a moment that a member of the swarm wasn't buzzing in his ear, trying to sap away his health to no avail. It was equally as annoying as it was sad. What did they hope to accomplish against a being such as MISERY? If they had known what was best for them, they would be fleeing from him. 

But they were mobs. And they behaves as mobs would behave. Stupidly. Self destructively. There was less buzzing going about the interior of their skulls than there was emanating from their hideous wings. 

They knew not what the future held. How they and their brethren would inevitably bend to his whims. It was better that way, in the end. Why spoil it for them? They would come to understand the true nature of their reality, and their new master, in due time.

Another cleave from the scythe, and another bee was reduced to dangerously low health.
 

Spoiler

MISERY: HP: 78+10-1=79/80 | EN: 6+1-1=6/8 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 18 | THNS: 18 | BLD: 12 (8-10) | RGN: 10
Regen: 1/3

MISERY used [x1] Basic Attack against Enlarged Bee 4, -1 EN

Enlarged Bee 2: HP: 40-18=22/40 | DMG: 12 | ID: 135991 | BD: x | MD: 8, Hit for 12-18=1 DMG | THORNS INFLICT 18 DMG | REGEN REFRESHED
Enlarged Bee 3: HP: 40/40 | DMG: 12 | ID: 135992 | BD: x | MD: 2, Miss
Enlarged Bee 4: HP: 22-2-12=8/40 | DMG: 12 | ID: 135993 | BD: 9, Crit for 2 DMG | BLEED INFLICTED | BLEED INFLICTS 12 DMG | MD: 1, Miss

 

[MISERY 1]

Bleed did the rest, leaving only two to stand in MISERY's path. The scythe founds its way into one of them and ripped its exoskeleton open with a red gash, allowing its contents to spill from the fresh wound and drain its health bar further. Judging by the amount of damage that had been inflicted so far, it seemed as though it would fall in similar fashion to the last. There was no reason to pay it any more mind. 

That left the final bee, which had managed to make it this far without losing a single molecule of its health. Curious that the others had fallen, yet this one had come away unscathed. There was no question that it, too, would meet its end - whether by reflected damage, bleed, or MISERY's own hand. One way or another, it was going down, and MISERY would be the one to reap the rewards.
 

Spoiler

MISERY: HP: 79+10=80/80 | EN: 6+1-1=6/8 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 18 | THNS: 18 | BLD: 12 (8-10) | RGN: 10
Regen: 1/3

MISERY used [x1] Basic Attack against Enlarged Bee 2, -1 EN

Enlarged Bee 2: HP: 22-2-12=8/40 | DMG: 12 | ID: 136000 | BD: 9, Crit for 2 DMG | BLEED INFLICTED | BLEED INFLICTS 12 DMG | MD: 5, Miss
Enlarged Bee 3: HP: 40/40 | DMG: 12 | ID: 136002 | BD: x | MD: 3, Miss
Enlarged Bee 4: HP: 8-12=0/40 | DMG: 12 | ID: x | BD: x | BLEED INFLICTS 12 DMG | Enlarged Bee 4 defeated

Looting
Enlarged Bee 4
ID: 136003
LD: 6 | CD: 7
240 Col
(2) T1 Materials
(1) T1 Rare Trinket [ID: 136003]

 

[MISERY 1]

Just as MISERY had suspected, bleed finished off the bee he had struck before, and the loot panel that followed soured his expression beneath the mask. Nothing but col? That couldn't be right. He'd so masterfully dispatched the creature that he'd expected something. An uncommon consumable at the least, though he knew he wouldn't use it. It felt like a slap in the face to get nothing more than near meaningless currency.

He'd been so distracted by this, in fact, that he hadn't even noticed the final remaining bee swooped in and dug its stinger into the veil protecting him. Foolish. It lost a sizable chunk of its HP as a result. MISERY dismissed the panel he'd been inspecting and slowly craned his head to look at the creature. He didn't bother saying anything, because he knew it was just a mob. But the icy stare of his steadfast eyes from beyond the mask would do all of the talking for him.

The bee was going to die.
 

Spoiler

MISERY: HP: 80-1=79/80 | EN: 6+1-2=5/8 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 18 | THNS: 18 | BLD: 12 (8-10) | RGN: 10
Regen: 2/3

MISERY used [x1] Basic Attack against Enlarged Bee 3, -2 EN FOR MISS

Enlarged Bee 2: HP: 8-12=0/40 | DMG: 12 | ID: x | BD: x | BLEED INFLICTS 12 DMG | Enlarged Bee 2 defeated
Enlarged Bee 3: HP: 40-18=22/40 | DMG: 12 | ID: 136083 | BD: 5, Miss | MD: 8, Hit for 12-18=1 DMG | THORNS INFLICT 18 DMG | REGEN REFRESHED

Looting
Enlarged Bee 2
ID: 136082
LD: 4 | CD: 10
280 col

 

[MISERY 1]

So he reached out with his bony scythe. Raked its blade against the creature, but failed to inflict the bleed damage he desired to. He'd mutter curses under his breath, but it wouldn't do him any good. It seemed the battle would wage on a little while longer.

Luckily, the bee didn't seem to have any apprehensions about diving stinger first into the same danger it had been in only moments before. Seemingly angered that MISERY had decided to attack it, it lashed out, taking almost twenty times the damage it inflicted back as thorns did the deed.

Too easy. MISERY had yet to encounter any mobs that made him feel even remotely threatened, despite the lack of any Sword Arts to back up his offensive pressure. If things were this easy in Aincrad, would he even ever have a need to acquire them? Only time would tell. In the meantime, he was content to watch his enemies suffer as they hit themselves to death.
 

Spoiler

MISERY: HP: 79+10-1=79/80 | EN: 5+1-1=5/8 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 18 | THNS: 18 | BLD: 12 (8-10) | RGN: 10
Regen: 1/3

MISERY used [x1] Basic Attack against Enlarged Bee 3, -1 EN

Enlarged Bee 3: HP: 22-1-18=3/40 | DMG: 12 | ID: 136098 | BD: 7, Hit for 1 DMG | MD: 6, Hit for 12-18=1 DMG | THORNS INFLICT 18 DMG | REGEN REFRESHED

 

[MISERY 1]

He lashed out. Hit. Didn't inflict bleed.

Curses.

He'd even managed to stun it to the extent that it didn't want to fight back. That meant no thorns, either.

Whatever.

Patience was key. He'd learned that with the last batch of mobs he'd faced. Whether or not things happened quickly was of no consequence, so long as they got done. And by the time MISERY was through, this bee would be done. Of that, he would make sure.

He was rambling a bit. Internally, not externally. There's only so many things someone can think while locked in combat with a bee. And with each blow they exchanged, he felt compelled to think a certain number of words. It was almost as though it was some sort of rule he had to follow. Not that there were rules on what someone should think, or how much, of course. That would just be silly.

Yet, here he was.
 

Spoiler

MISERY: HP: 79+10=80/80 | EN: 5+1-1=5/8 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 18 | THNS: 18 | BLD: 12 (8-10) | RGN: 10
Regen: 1/3

MISERY used [x1] Basic Attack against Enlarged Bee 3, -1 EN

Enlarged Bee 3: HP: 3-1=2/40 | DMG: 12 | ID: 136106 | BD: 7, Hit for 1 DMG | MD: 5, Miss

 

[MISERY 1]

Another hit, but no bleed proc. Though, it seemed as though his adversary was faring better in the critical hit department. It sank its stinger into him, but took no damage from thorns. How unfair was it that the bee could land a crit, but he could not?

Things weren't so bad, though. It had been reduced to the tiniest sliver of health imaginable. One more hit would do the trick for sure. Then he could move onward and forget about this horrible blunder.

That was the hope, anyways. One could never be too sure what lurked around the corner.

He was confident, though, that these larger bees were hiding something. Something he was after. Something that would make his life moving forward far easier than it was now. Or, at least, that was supposed to be the point of them. Again, there were many uncertainties in Aincrad, and nothing was set in stone.
 

Spoiler

MISERY: HP: 80-1=79/80 | EN: 5+1-1=5/8 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 18 | THNS: 18 | BLD: 12 (8-10) | RGN: 10
Regen: 2/3

MISERY used [x1] Basic Attack against Enlarged Bee 3, -1 EN

Enlarged Bee 3: HP: 2-1=1/40 | DMG: 12 | ID: 136117 | BD: 6, Hit for 1 DMG | MD: 10, Crit for 14-18=1 DMG | REGEN REFRESHED

 

[MISERY 1]

Finally. It was over. The over sized bee had been defeated. And it seemed as though it had dropped a weapon of some sort. Which was interesting, and quite convenient. Perhaps something with a unique enhancement? A quick trip to a merchant would reveal the details, along with the details of the armor he'd picked up earlier. If a trinket could bear a unique enhancement, certainly one of these could.

With the enlarged bees dispatched, MISERY was emboldened to venture deeper into the forest. There was something he was looking for there. Something that he'd longed to find. He could have chosen any familiar in all the floors of Aincrad. The ones that were available, anyways. But he knew exactly what he was looking for, and it was here on the second floor. There was absolutely no reason to venture to a higher floor for something that wouldn't serve him as well. This was what he wanted, and this was what he was going to have.
 

Spoiler

MISERY: HP: 79+10=80/80 | EN: 5+1-1=5/8 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 18 | THNS: 18 | BLD: 12 (8-10) | RGN: 10
Regen: 1/3

MISERY used [x1] Basic Attack against Enlarged Bee 3, -1 EN

Enlarged Bee 3: HP: 1-1=0/40 | DMG: 12 | ID: 136118 | BD: 8, Hit for 1 DMG | Enlarged Bee 3 defeated

Looting
Enlarged Bee 3
ID: 136119
LD: 11 | CD: 6
200 col
(2) T1 Materials
(1) T1 Rare Weapon
(1) T1 Uncommon Consumable

 

[MISERY 1]

But there was something else that he needed to do, first. He stopped before he got too far, remembering that there was something else he'd acquired for this very excursion. A shop owner by the name of Bahr had been kind enough to provide MISERY with a luck enhancing light armor known as the Gloves of Caerus - though, MISERY suspected that Bahr still had no idea they were missing yet. How foolish he had been to leave his shop open and unattended like that. Hopefully this would serve as a lesson.

He stowed away Ordmordeo in his inventory, and equipped the gloves. It sounds like a strange thing to say, but he could feel that he became luckier the moment that he put them on. It was as though everything breathed a freshness that he hadn't known he was going without. A confidence that things would play out in his favor, no matter the odds. It was an intriguing and beguiling feeling all in one. What would happen if he fought mobs with something like this? He supposed he would find out when this was all over.

Ordmordeo [T1 2HBA] (Bleed | Bleed) removed from equipped list.
Gloves of Caerus [T1 LA] (LD | LD | LD) equipped.

Spoiler

MISERY: HP: 80/80 | EN: 5+1=6/8 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 18 | THNS: 18 | RGN: 10 | LD: 3

 

[MISERY 1]

Something told MISERY that putting the gloves on was a good call. Because as he maneuvered through the brush, he came upon it. A bees nest. Yes, a bees nest. It may have seemed unorthodox to seek out bees as one's familiar, but to MISERY, it made perfect sense. He'd hear rumors that insects could be tamed in small flocks, considering they were much smaller than the average familiar. It was a gamble that he had been willing to bank on, and now he just had to hope that it all panned out.

They buzzed and swarmed and oscillated to and fro. It seemed that, thus far, they had not become aware of his presence. Or, they had, but simply ignored him in lieu of their duties. They had a queen to satisfy. But what if MISERY were to take its place? The honey he'd collected from the NPC would provide the answer to that question, as well as many others, before too long.
 

Spoiler

Searching for Familiar.
ID: 136120
LD: 11+3+2=16
Familiar found.

 

[MISERY 1]

Though he had produced the sweet, viscous nectar, the bees still eluded him. Perhaps he'd done something wrong? Procured the wrong item? Failed to garner enough "luck?" The endless possibilities of potential failures stitched together into a mismatched mosaic that blanketed his mind. There were too many "what ifs." Too many variables. It was difficult to discern what exactly it was that was getting in his way at this point.

So he stepped closer, into the fray. The bees now buzzed all around him, filling his ears with a sickening cacophony. They all moved in unison, guided by one another in a synchronized dance. Still, they paid him no heed. Perhaps it was due to how mob-like he appeared, and the orange cursor he sported. They may have legitimately perceived him as a monster. In a way, that was perfect. It would make commanding them all the easier if they knew to bow to his might.
 

Spoiler

Taming Familiar.
ID: 136121
CD: 3+1=4
Failed to tame Familiar.

 

[MISERY 1]

The continued to buzz around him, ignoring his presence, even as he neared their hive and a bony tendril snakes its way from beyond the bloody veil and cradled their honeycombed home. What was it about these creatures that he was failing to understand? He would rather they turn hostile toward him and kill themselves against his thorns than to simply be ignored by them. He'd come this far, and fought off their wretched guards. Did he not deserve some form of recourse?

No. It was damaging to think that way. He was not entitled to their fealty, no matter how much he wished he was. He would need to earn it. Prove to their collective, one way or another, that he was their rightful king. Force them to bow down to him rather than their matriarch. There had to be a way, and it didn't just include the food he had brought for them. And why would they seek it, anyway? They had their own source of honey to glean energy from.
 

Spoiler

Taming Familiar.
ID: 136122
CD: 4+1=5
Failed to tame Familiar.

 

[MISERY 1]

Still he waited. Still nothing happened. He knew that there was a time limit to how long one could attempt to tame a familiar. Had he passed that limit already? It was difficult to say. He'd been there no less than fifteen minutes already, and he seemed no closer to unearthing the solution to the mystery than when he'd arrived. It truly did seem as though he might have to leave and venture on to the next colony of bees in the hopes that they may be more receptive to his influence.

He would give it a bit more time, though. Endure the buzzing for a bit longer. Get a feel for how they moved, behaved, and responded to stimuli. At the very least, they didn't seem to mind having him around. He could use that to his advantage on the next hive, if it came to that.

Five more minutes. Then he would move on. He would give them at least that long to decide if they had come to terms with their new ruler. If not, it was unlikely that they would, and he would turn his attention elsewhere. It was the sensible thing to do.
 

Spoiler

Taming Familiar.
ID: 136123
CD: 2+1=3
Failed to tame Familiar.

 

[MISERY 1]

At long last, it seemed that something was happening. An inordinately large bee emerged from the honeycombed cocoon, buzzed nimbly into his palm, and began feasting on the honey. Clearly, this was the queen.

MISERY slowly drew his hand back and beneath the bloody veil. He then peered around, taking note of the way the behavior of the bees changed. To his delight, they did not seem hostile. In fact, they seemed pensive. As though waiting for their orders. MISERY rose one hand, and as though on cue, all of the bees in the area followed his lead and raised with it. As he lowered this hand, so too did the bees hover downward.

Perfect. He had acquired their queen, hidden her, and now the rest followed his lead. He had taken her place as their new god, and they buzzed to the whim of his direction. He willed them to come to him, and just like the obedient little insects they were, they obliged. The lot of them filed in under his blood-like cloak, hiding themselves within it as though it were their new hive.

Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
 

Spoiler

Taming Familiar.
ID: 136124
CD: 9+1=10
Familiar tamed.

 

[MISERY 1]

Now that he'd gotten what he had come for, it was time to depart. Night would soon fall upon the second floor, and when it did, MISERY hoped to be gone. Though he knew he could handle any mobs that spawned here during the day, he wasn't so foolish as to believe that the cretins that came together once the sun went down were even in the same ballpark. He could take them, if he had to. But he didn't want to. They weren't even close to worth the effort.

For now he would turn and begin making his way back to town. With any luck, he wouldn't run into anything that impede his progress in returning home. Not that it was much of a "home," per se. Living in his shop was better than living on the street, but only marginally. He'd forgone the comforts that would have made for comfortable living in lieu of a space that he deemed more functional.
 

Spoiler

Searching for materials.
ID: 136135
LD: 3+3=6
Material search failed.

 

[MISERY 1]

So far, so good. Nothing stood in his path. And to accompany the inordinate lack of mobs was an eerie silence that seemed to pervade the entire floor. Almost as though an omen for something else. Bigger, scarier. MISERY knew that that wasn't the case. After all, they were almost on the base floor of Aincrad. And, funny enough, people had been traversing these lands for quite some time. If there was some hidden, unknown gigantic beast, wouldn't someone have found it by now?

What were the chances that MISERY would be the first? Unlikely, he wagered.

But it was a death game. And there were unknowns. So many unknowns. It was the very reason he had scoured the shops, acquired the gear, and ventured into the woods to acquire the bees the way he had. What purpose would he have for them, if not to provide an additional layer of security for himself. To round out his build? What a silly notion. His build would be fine no matter how he chose to construct it.
 

Spoiler

Searching for materials.
ID: 136136
LD: 8+3=11
Material search failed.

 

[MISERY 1]

Finally, he had made his way out of the woods. To his surprise, he found that the darkness that had permeated the grove was not an illusion cast by the foliage hovering overhead. It was indeed starting to get late, and the sky had been painted red by the fading sun. He didn't have much longer before it had fully submerged itself below the horizon. Luckily, he didn't have much further to go before he was safe, anyways.

He walked along, pace no more brisk than it had been on his way to the forest, taking care to avoid the packs of mobs that scurried about the mountainous plains. One wrong step could have him trapped in one place for far longer than he intended, and he didn't need or want that. He'd gotten what he had come for, and there was no reason to linger longer than absolutely necessary.
 

Spoiler

Searching for materials.
ID: 136137
LD: 9+3=12
Material search failed.

 

[MISERY 1]

He was almost back to town, when the NPC gypsy who'd given him the honey emerged from the shadows. How she'd gotten there, or how long she'd been waiting for MISERY to arrive, he knew not. All he knew was that he was unsettled by her abrupt appearance, however ironic it was that he was usually the one doing that sort of thing.

"I take it your venture went well, then?" she inquired, old voice snapping and crackling as though spurs had attached themselves to her raspy vocal chords.

"Indeed. Here, you may have your honey back. They'll be able to produce plenty on their own," MISERY replied. Before he could produce the viscous nectar, she held up a hand.

"There's no need for that," she interjected. "Let them use it as a food source until they've made some more of their own. Tell me, are you planning on letting them buzz around that strange cloak of yours as a home?"

"Yes," was the flat reply. "I see no reason as to why not. I may be mildly uncomfortable, but I will always be able to keep them close."

[MISERY 1]

"You're a strange one," the woman mused. "Never before have I seen someone take a bee as their familiar, much less allow it to live inside of their clothes."

"It is a small price to pay," MISERY replied, a hint of amusement riding along the tone of his heavily modulated voice. "They need me, as much as I need them. I may not be the caring sort, but if these bees are to be the tireless soldiers I demand, they deserve at least that much."

"I see." The woman shifted uncomfortably. "So what are your plans now?"

"Nice try," came MISERY's response. "You won't be getting any information out of me. That sort of thing is for me to know, and the rest of Aincrad to find out."

"You aim to make waves, then."

"Old hag," MISERY replied, craning his head to peer directly at her through his mask. "I am the wave."