[E3][PP-F21] <<Nature's Treasure>> No Floor for Old Men

[Baldur 0]

"While I don't think she couldn't be convinced to play the role of healer in this boss fight, the role of whom she would play healer for is the next question. You or Calrex. And if she heals for Calrex, that would make Zandra your healer, and we would only have 2 groups for the floor 25 boss. Considering you are the most self sustaining tank, if we backed you up with consumables, then Hestia and Calrex could tank. If we could convince Cal to go full tank for this fight, we could probably pair him up with a lesser healer as well, or have Zandra follow his team. But that would also leave Hestia without a healer... it would at least give us 3 groups. I think the more likely combination would be to have Zandra player healer for Hestia and her squad, and take some of the younglings with them. Then we back up you and Cal with strong off tanks. Macradon for one, and use the switch mechanic if we need to pull someone back from the frontline while they recover."

Baldur realized he had neglected his line, and was a bit embarrassed by how much he had just gone into lecture mode on Shield.

Turning back to the fishing pond Baldur began to reel in his line, pulling up a small fish, but a bounty of those event eggs. The whole thing looked fairly ridiculous.

"If need be, I could be your off tank. I don't have any hate mechanics, but I did pick up the quick switch skill. I could get a sword with Taunt on it, or pick up <<Fighting Spirit>> for the battle if need be. I'm not built to be tanky, but I'm not a glass cannon like Beat is either. With my high evasion and not insignificant mitigation, I could probably survive a few rounds for you to be able to refresh." 

---

ID#139142

CD5 LD11+5=16

1 mat, +1 housing bonus, +8 eggs

Baldur's Haul:
Eggs: 58
T3 Mats: 23

Edited April 2, 2020 by Baldur

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 139152 results: Craft: 11 [3 Materials found] Loot: 5+8=13 [6 Eggs found]

Total Loot Count:

Eggs: 66
Col: 3,600
Materials: 23
Equipment: Perfect Armor/Shield [139076a]
Consumables: Rare [139076b][139076c]

Shield frowned. Although some of those options were preferable to others, he did not fully like any of them. They were either spread too thin or too few in general. His shoulders rose and fell with a heavy sigh. "At the moment, it's a lot of theory. I doubt anyone would abandon post if I showed up for a fight, but I'm sure some people present would be upset. We are in a situation where it's not entirely impossible that we could have a truly divided front lines, with people refusing to work with one another and refusing to follow the same strategy." His features were truly darkened as he sank back into thought. "And is there no word of up and comers? I know Cosi was planning to join us someday as a bruiser build..."  he searched his memory for healers who were training to get to the front, but came up empty.

He cast out his line to fill the silence. It had barely touched the water when once again it was swallowed up by a fish who then tried to drag it down into the depths. Shield dug in his heels and hauled back, but this one was not prepared to give any ground. He braced the end of his pole on his hip and reeled slowly, pulling back with the strength of his arms and then reeling in the slack as he returned back to neutral stance. Little by little, inch by inch, he brought his catch in until there was no longer any water to swim against. It was a sizeable fish, though the clutch of eggs in its belly was not the biggest haul Shield had seen. Still, he was not disappointed.

Edited April 2, 2020 by Shield

[Baldur 0]

As Baldur became more engaged in the conversation he was having with Shield, his pole dipped lower and lower, forgotten as the gaijin fisherman tried to genuflect with the pole in hand. Stirring the water with the line and scaring fish away from his lure and towards Shield's.

"Not unless you think we can try to dig Anemone back up again. I had a good feeling about that, and being able to have 2 sharpens did a lot for my ego when I have to race alongside Beat." Baldur smirked and then reeled in his line, before resetting it and throwing it back out there.

"It's been a long time since the last boss fight sign ups, and who knows where everyone is going to land. We're just not gonna know till the boss meeting, but even still..."

He cast his lure far out into the underground lake, the ripples in the water dancing in the light of the glowing crystals.

"We still just have the one healer, and the two self-healing tanks."

Baldur smirked again, "Here I am, already counting you in."

---

ID#139227 CD: 2 LD: 15 wah wah

Baldur's Haul:
Eggs: 58
T3 Mats: 23

Edited April 2, 2020 by Baldur

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 139248 results: Craft: 1 [0 Materials found]

Total Loot Count:

Eggs: 66
Col: 3,600
Materials: 23
Equipment: Perfect Armor/Shield [139076a]
Consumables: Rare [139076b][139076c]

Shield gave a noncommittal shrug. It was not that he did not want to commit to an answer. In his mind, in many ways, he already had. The thought still stuck in his craw in an unpleasant manner. A long time ago, he had accepted that he would do everything he could to get back to the real world as quickly as possible, but the prospects of following that ambition were becoming increasingly unpleasant, and not for the reason he might have anticipated. "Who knew that players would be the ones contributing most seriously to our opposition?" He  reeled in an empty line and cast it out once again.

"Whether or not I rejoin the front... I need to be doing something productive," he said, sighing with a note of finality. "Even if all that is is training new tanks and supports. I could be happy with that, I think. Hell, even Cosi I was mentoring him, wherever he ended up. That bruiser build was an experiment, seeing what we could do to maximize both offense and defense to get the best combination of both. I was really hoping to keep him as an off tank at least, throw him into the deep end a little with a good healer behind him, be ready to switch him out..." Shield sighed again, his hook coming back once again without a catch.

Edited April 2, 2020 by Shield

[Baldur 0]

"I know what you mean. I think I met him once, at an event. That's pretty much what my build is, though mine comes from the trauma of being both heavy armor and light armor and seeing people die. So now I go with something in the middle. I've been tempted to go more glass cannon like Beat, but this is not the boss floor to try that out on."

"Whatever it is we're fighting on this floor, I think it's going to be different from normal. The entire 25th floor was different from normal. It had Calrex, Hestia, Jon, and Zandra stopped in their tracks until Ariel and I came along and worked them free."

Baldur remembered all of the undead that seemed to come in a never ending wave, when he felt a tug at his pole, and finally reeled in a nice haul.

"Finally." Baldur said with a bit of a sigh. He still had a long way to go before they reached the required bounty for the event.

"You know... if you're itching to get back into the saddle.. we can always go find some monsters to kill." Baldur gave Shield a sly smirk, trying to tease and tempt the tank.

---

ID#139250 CD: 8 LD: 3+5=8 Materials +2, Eggs +4, Housing Bonus +1 material

Baldur's Haul:
Eggs: 62
T3 Mats: 26

Edited April 2, 2020 by Baldur

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 139251 results: Craft: 2 [0 Materials found]

Total Loot Count:

Eggs: 66
Col: 3,600
Materials: 23
Equipment: Perfect Armor/Shield [139076a]
Consumables: Rare [139076b][139076c]

Shield shook his head, giving his typical wry half-smile. "Don't threaten me with a good time," he said, his eyes watching his bobber once again, which was currently not moving in any capacity aside from its namesake motion. "I do hear that the dungeon maps from this event are something special. If I grind enough to buy a few on top of the item modifiers, you're top of my list of people with whom to run through one."

Shield was vaguely aware of the defense that Baldur had at his disposal, but he had never considered the samurai a bruiser. Part of that was likely his reliance on light armor. He had gone the other direction influencing Cosi, instead recommending a two handed weapon and heavy armor. This made Shield all the more disappointed that he would not likely get to see the two builds side by side for comparison of best outcome.

"The front lines chew through far too many players..." he sighed, letting his hands go partially slack as he turned his eyes towards the starry, gem-encrusted ceiling above. "Either from death or from the grind and the stress driving people away... Kayaba was a sick bastard to design it this way, that's for sure. So much risk. So much pressure..."

Edited April 2, 2020 by Shield

[Baldur 0]

"Yea, they sure can. And then when everything is going great, and we let down our guard, that's when someone dies." Baldur felt like he had something on his line, so he snapped it back to hook the fish, but there was less resistance than he expected and when he finished reeling in, he found only a string of eggs for the event.

Oh well, that's what I'm really here for anyways.

"That's why I normally don't hold it against players, or myself, when a leave of absence comes upon us. But at this point, it's been a long time since we had someone new join the front. I have my newest kohai, Cordelia-chan, and her boyfriend, Oscar-kun. I think they're both promising, but I haven't heard of anyone else. I think we'll eventually get Lessa back to the frontlines, but probably not in time for this one. Not unless things go really wrong anyways."

Baldur threw out his line again.

"I would consider killing to have you, Beat, and Anemone back together as a group we could pull into the frontlines."

---

139273 CD: 3 LD: 8+5= 13 Materials +0, Eggs + 6

Baldur's Haul:
Eggs: 68
T3 Mats: 26

Edited April 2, 2020 by Baldur

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 139274 results: Craft: 9 [3 Materials found] Loot: 10+8=18 [8 Eggs found]

Total Loot Count:

Eggs: 74
Col: 3,600
Materials: 23
Equipment: Perfect Armor/Shield [139076a]
Consumables: Rare [139076b][139076c]

"Kill, eh? I don't think an orange cursor would suit you," Shield quipped at him, his lips twisting slightly with his jab. "I appreciate the sentiment, and don't think I'm not thinking about it," he said, reeling in his line the rest of the way. "I just am not at a point where I want to make anyone promises yet. It would be unkind of me to give you the convenient answer and then not deliver." His reel sang as he threw out his line once again. His dark eyes, finding their match in the depths of the water, scanned the surface, looking for signs of life as to where he might continue casting.

Apparently, he had chosen wisely, because it was not long before he got another bite. Pulling back, it was evident that this fish had some power in its flanks and tail, and for a moment, Shield wondered if it was going to be a stalemate, but soon enough, he was able to use his footing to his advantage. He dug in and lifted with his legs, heaving his arms up and back over his puoldroned shoulder to bring in the taut line and then reeled in the slack as he let his arms come back down. The fish did not give up without a fight, but eventually, Shield was able to coax it out of the water, noting its size and the full clutch of foiled eggs in its translucent, gummy belly. "Candy themed fish. What a concept for such a deadly game. Sometimes it's cute, but sometimes it feels like we're being mocked a little."

Edited April 2, 2020 by Shield

[Baldur 0]

Baldur was watching Shield for a minute when his friend started fighting the pole for his life, reeling in something huge, but not heavy like a chest, when suddenly Baldur's pole was almost snatched from his hand. He was not doing a great job at paying attention to what he was doing, but then Baldur was always a one task at a time kind of guy, but especially if there was good conversation to be had. The two of them were quiet as they fought their fish, and not for the first time Baldur wondered how something so small could put up so much effort to fight them. Were they really that strong in the water?

"I appreciate that, even if I already have you listed as going in my head." he said with a smirk as he tugged this way and that with the pole.

Finally the fish came free, laden with all the good stuff, and apparently the most eggs you could get.

"Well, even if you don't, I do like the idea of trying to help raise up some new-comers. Teach them the ways of the Jedi." Baldur smiled slightly, "There are a lot of lost people out there who need a hand. It's been very satisfying to work with these young boys and girls, and help them figure themselves out. And if I can do that while teaching them how to better survive in this world, and contribute to the frontline, then that seems all the better to me."

---

ID#139277 CD: 10 LD: 18 Materials +3, +1 Housing Bonus, +8 Eggs

Baldur's Haul:
Eggs: 76
T3 Mats: 30

Edited April 2, 2020 by Baldur

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 139279 results: Craft: 5 [1 Material found] Loot: 9+8=17 [8 Eggs found]

Total Loot Count:

Eggs: 82
Col: 3,600
Materials: 24
Equipment: Perfect Armor/Shield [139076a]
Consumables: Rare [139076b][139076c]

At the mention of children, Shield's face visibly and noticeably fell into a scowl. "It's contemptible..." he growled, leaping past an array of emotion straight to a tempered fury. "Kayaba knew there would be children... it's a video game. Of course there are going to be children... and he still..." Shield realized very suddenly how much he had failed to contain himself and reeled it back, both literally and figuratively, clearing his throat and pulling in his line to cast it back out again. "I didn't realize you meant actual young players. I took what you meant more figuratively, like low level players. That... is a very important job. I'm glad someone is handling it." His jaw was still tense. He tried his best to loosen it subtly.

"Have you... have you thought about how they'll never really age in here?" he finally said, his voice no longer angry or terse. There was almost a defeat in his tone. As if somehow, a part of that battle was already lost. "The NERV Gear read sensory data to know body dimensions when players first logged in. But since then, it hasn't recalibrated. We can't move our bodies so... even as they're growing up, they'll never..." Shield fell silent again, and not a moment too soon. His pole jerked slightly in his hand, and he came back to himself, reeling in a much smaller catch than the last, though just as bountifully laden with eggs.

Edited April 2, 2020 by Shield

[Baldur 0]

Baldur was more than a little shocked at Shield's reaction. He had thought what he said would be uplifting, and not drag this torrent of emotion out of Shield. He was stunned, but then was brought out of his revere by a strong tug at his line. He hooked the fish and then began to reel in his best bounty yet.

"I- uh... I meant both. Everyone is a young person in here to me, except for maybe you and Beat. I still call anyone 25 or younger kids but... now that you mention it, it's only something that's recently come to mind. I've been feeling so old lately I almost considered putting some grey at my temples, to really sell that mentor, sensei look."

Baldur collected his materials and the eggs, and then got ready to cast out again.

"But yea, I never even thought about the fact that their bodies wouldn't grow with them. I worked with Lessa for a while, teaching children who were stuck in the game, and wanted a bit more normalcy. I taught math, she did social studies. Just anything to try and give them a sense of... not purpose... but... the way life used to be."

Baldur hesitated. That had obviously triggered something in Shield. Maybe he didn't come in here alone with just him and Beat?

But he held himself back from asking anything further and tried to wrack his brain for how to steer the conversation back to more pleasant topics.

---

ID#139286 CD12 LD11+5=16 Materials +4, Eggs +8, Housing Bonus +1 Mat

Baldur's Haul:
Eggs: 84
T3 Mats: 35

Edited April 2, 2020 by Baldur

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 139292 results: Craft: 4 [0 Materials found] Loot: 5+8=13 [6 Eggs found]

Total Loot Count:

Eggs: 88
Col: 3,600
Materials: 24
Equipment: Perfect Armor/Shield [139076a]
Consumables: Rare [139076b][139076c]

Shield took a long moment to reset his bait, making sure it was on properly before casting out again into the dark lake before them. "Sorry, I don't know where that came from," he said, physically shaking off the moment from before. "I think too much time alone with my thoughts in isolation. As great as Beat and Calypso are, I suppose a man needs more than two points of contact with the world around him to keep his head on straight. Maybe it really is just time to be around other players again, no matter what capacity that is in."

Again, his bobber vanished, but his eyes were in front of him this time, in the moment once again, and his arms were braced for the fight. There wouldn't be one this time, however, and his line dragged through the water with only the slightest passive resistance. As his baited hook emerged from the water, it brought with it another mesh bag filled with fake easter basket grass and more of the event's tokens - the chocolate eggs. "Do we know if players have tried actually eating these? I'm sure it wouldn't do anything, but if a few are left over after we trade in, it might be worth a try just to see."

Edited April 3, 2020 by Shield

[Baldur 0]

"It's okay." Baldur said when Shield tried to apologize, "Your anger is totally justified and warranted. It just isn't something that I have specifically thought about before."

Then Shield seemed to recenter himself and change the topic.

"You know, we'll have to try and eat one. Can't be worse than some of the other foods they have in here. Granted they do a great job with the taste engine in general, but some things... well lets just say some things are better off having not been coded into the game."

He gave a slight chuckle as he finally reeled back in his line, empty of anything, and then cast it back out. Did this pond actually have a stock limit? Had he and Shield over-fished here? Was that even possible? There were so many things Baldur didn't know yet about fishing.

@Shield

---

ID#139295 CD: 1 LD: 9 wah wahh

Baldur's Haul:
Eggs: 84
T3 Mats: 35

Edited April 3, 2020 by Baldur

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 139297 results: Craft: 6 [1 Material found] Loot: 2+8=10 [Using Versatile housing bonus] 10+1=11 [6 Eggs found]

Total Loot Count:

Eggs: 94
Col: 3,600
Materials: 24
Equipment: Perfect Armor/Shield [139076a]
Consumables: Rare [139076b][139076c]

"Perhaps so," Shield said, his face gaining a sour expression as he recalled some of the stat boosting items he had scarfed in order to gain statistical advantages in the past. "Then again, there are some players who have done some amazing things with flavor synthesis. A woman at the last Christmas fair that I attended had a full array of flavors simulating seasonings from the real world. I bought up half of her supply as a Christmas present for Beat," he gave an amused little half chuckle before casting his line back out into the water. "I've never been the type to create. I'm better just managing existing resources. Maybe that's part of why I overestimated myself creating our guild."

Shield's memories drifted through his mind's eye, dining with Baldur to first discuss their little brain child, and then seeing it fall apart again when they all went their separate ways. The memories sat in him like a weight. "I take it your new guild has replaced those old ambitions to build an assault team. But I suppose that is rightly so, given the state of the front lines. We couldn't unite everyone behind a common cause back then. I suppose the next best thing is to help foster the next generation of front liners, much like the Ascendants intended to do." Something began nibbling at the end of his line, and he reeled it in with little effort, though once again, the clutch of eggs inside of the translucent gummy candy body of the fish was disproportionately large.

Edited April 3, 2020 by Shield

[Baldur 0]

"It hasn't replaced them, but it does have me torn. I still want our old guild, but I don't see how to bring it into fruition. My new pseudo guild would be an actual guild, but still could have members that were in other guilds. My newest kohai, Cordelia-chan, belongs to a guild, but she's one of my students."

A thought suddenly occurred to Baldur.

"As is Jonathan now."

He knew Shield and the former tank, now katana user, had a lot of history. He also knew that Shield didn't bear ill will towards the man whose role he had... usurped. That wasn't the case, but that was how Jonathan had taken it.

"He became lost, and I found him trying to vent emotions he didn't know how to handle. He's done really well with the katana, and with my lessons. I am trying to help him find his... musha shugyo. His... quest for self improvement. That seems to be what I do the most of now."

Baldur reeled in his line again, getting a pleasant haul. This was being more bountiful than he had eggespected.

"But that doesn't mean we can't do both either. My way of the sword will teach people to use their skills for the frontline. But unless we have a healer, we're just a collection of more damage dealers, and that's the one thing the frontline doesn't necessarily need. But it does need people who can work together. People who understand. People with self control. And that's where my Shugyosha would come into play."

---

ID#139298 CD7 LD6+5=11 Materials +2, +1 Housing Bonus, Eggs +6

Baldur's Haul:
Eggs: 90
T3 Mats: 38

Edited April 4, 2020 by Baldur

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 139332 results: Craft: 7 [2 Materials found] Loot: 19+8=27 [8 Eggs found]

Total Loot Count:

Eggs: 102
Col: 3,600
Materials: 26
Equipment: Perfect Armor/Shield [139076a]
Consumables: Rare [139076b][139076c]

Shield was surprised, but pleasantly so, to hear Jonathan's name mentioned as being one of Baldur's students. His feelings on the matter of his former 'senpai' were complicated and nuanced, as were the twisting knots in his stomach at the memories of how things had ended. "He was... so angry. All the time," Shield said, his dark eyes descending to the floor as he shook his head. "And nothing I said could reach him. I don't know if he hated me, but he resented me. It was very sad to watch..." He took a slow breath in and out, lifting his eyes back up to the lake. "I am grateful that he's getting some good guidance. He was never a bad kid from what I could tell, but he was still just a kid, trying to shoulder far more responsibility than someone his age should ever be expected to handle. He was trying to do everything, and I think it broke him when he had competition."

The sound of his reel brought him back to the cavern from his memories, and he stopped the crank as it spun in its socket, winding it back to bring in his catch. The fish itself was nothing to write home about, but he was very satisfied with the clutch of eggs inside of it. He was well on his way to his goal. "The way I see it, there's no reason we can't accomplish both goals. The guild we designed was flexible in design, and allowed for cooperation with existing organizations, serving more as a means of coordinating efforts than anything. If your duties consisted of training while others focused more on managing the resources that came from other sources... who's to say we can't make both dreams come true?" 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2020 by Shield

[Baldur 0]

"He's still a bit lost, but I hope to help him find a way to channel those emotions. Before this time, I just don't think he was ready. My... philosophy won't reach everyone, but it seems to reach those who seek redemption. Thus the name of the dojo and its students. I can teach someone to fight easily, but to teach someone how to be a person is a much different journey. As the old proverb illustrates, you can't fill a cup with wisdom if it's already full. Only when the student is ready to have their cup filled, can you pour experience and wisdom and temperance into them. By giving Jonathan a way to channel all of the emotions inside of him a healthy way, hopefully he can find some balance."

Baldur, his monologue complete, began to real in another impressive haul.

"I see what you mean. I've got the whisper of the idea, but I think I still need help forming the idea. And even if that were the case, I would still need enough people to actually form it, and be worth having formed it. But at least we'd have a place to give people a home."

I've still gotta finish building my home, before I can think about expanding a guild headquarters.

The pauper gaijin fisherman had a long journey ahead of him, and in a death game where time was of the essence.

"I do like the idea, and you have always made a hell of a quartermaster." 

---

ID#139384 CD: 11 LD: 19
+4 Materials, +1 Housing Bonus, +8 Eggs

Baldur's Haul:
Eggs: 98
T3 Mats: 43

Edited April 4, 2020 by Baldur

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 139422 results: Craft: 3 [0 Materials found] Loot: 10+8=18 [8 Eggs found]

Total Loot Count:

Eggs: 110
Col: 3,600
Materials: 26
Equipment: Perfect Armor/Shield [139076a]
Consumables: Rare [139076b][139076c]

Shield laughed a little at the matter of money being what stood in their way. "I don't think we need to worry about that," Shield said with a little smirk. "You don't get to be the top merchant in Aincrad without accruing some resources. Ironically though, it was not from the profession itself. It was actually from this that I made my biggest gains." He held up his fishing rod. "Most players don't want to take the time to properly gather materials, and with the mechanics for identification not requiring any material contributions anymore, I just started... selling them. Lower tiered materials are easy enough to come by on the market, but the good stuff takes work. So when the big tycoons come through and need to do their crafting..." Shield pointed to himself with his thumb. "I ended up selling them mountains of ores and leather for mountains of Col. I hadn't really said anything to anyone, but... I've already done some investing in real estate. Some of those investments are complicated to access right now, but when we decide it's time, we will have a headquarters."

With that, Shield felt a nibble. He pulled, but the line moved freely. As he reeled it in, he saw ripples cast out from behind it, so he was clearly dragging something through the water, but it was also clearly not alive. When it arrived, as one might predict, it was yet another mesh bag full of Easter grass and candy eggs. "Well, I mean... I guess this is why we're here, right? Not for the fish or the chests."

Edited April 5, 2020 by Shield

[Baldur 0]

Baldur had to admit he was a little in awe of Shield's buisness acumen. Baldur had long, long ago realized that he was never going to make much money being a merchant, but Shield had used other opportunities to rake in a fortune. He knew that the player had a massive estate somewhere, but Baldur hadn't yet managed to finish his. He still needed to gather more col, and clear out the plateau he had in mind. Originally, he had wanted to wait for Japanese themed floor, but with the 25th floor boss looking like he was going to need every edge he could get, he finally settled for floor 24. It was a pretty enough floor, and the strange, impossible plateaus were something that was so striking Baldur couldn't help himself but put a house atop one.

"Well.. I guess that's one less thing to worry about. But still, we need to find a core group of players. You and I would only make up half. I'm reasonably certain I could convince Calrex to be a warm body, but not enough to be a core member. If we're gonna do this, we need to have a solid foundation. Even including Beat, I would put him in the same category as Calrex."

Baldur let out a sigh, but then suddenly got a nibble on his line that caused him to fight for it, and another eggcelent haul.

"I just don't know who else I could call in and rely on. Macradon is still a member of the Knights of the Blood Oath. Perhaps that means I start with the dojo, and see what walks in."

---

ID#139576 CD9 LD19+5, Materials +3, +1 Housing Bonus, +8 eggs

Baldur's Haul:
Eggs: 106
T3 Mats: 47

Edited April 5, 2020 by Baldur

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

ID# 139577 results: Craft: 6 [2 Materials found] Loot: 12+8=20 [8 Eggs found]

Total Loot Count:

Eggs: 118
Col: 3,600
Materials: 28
Equipment: Perfect Armor/Shield [139076a]
Consumables: Rare [139076b][139076c]

"We have always been in an odd position member wise," Shield said, the corner of his lips curling in an almost apologetic half-smile. "Although having Zandra join as not only a static member, but also a healer, would be wonderful..."  He scratched his neck. "...as much respect as I have of her from a power standpoint, getting her to commit would be tricky, and her tempestuous nature is hard to account for." He wound up and cast a little deeper into the lake, hunching forward so he was bent over his pole in contemplation.

"There is a move that is both more risky and more stable for its own specific reasons," Shield proffered. "We could recruit a low-level healer. Now this would have its risks due to a lack of experience on the lines, but at the same time, we would be incentivizing a player to truly invest and rise through the ranks and we would be including a voice in decisions of someone who is not an elite - a voice of the underdog, so to speak." 

Shield's pole bowed, and he began to reel once more, this time fighting a much weaker fish than many of the previous examples. "There may even be said for giving our guild a power structure where there is a balance between top level players and low level players, perhaps a 2:1 ratio of low to high, where higher leveled players have twice the voting power individually, but the lower players are still able to balance out their votes on split issues..." He pulled his fish out of the water, noting the considerable stash of eggs in its belly before sending it into his inventory.

Edited April 5, 2020 by Shield