[PP - F22] <<Bloodstained Land>> Burying the Hatchet - Again

[Shield 0]

"I suppose there is always the chance that someone is lying," Shield said with a shrug. "It was a long time ago, and I had pressing matters that I needed to attend to. Holding a grudge over an item at this point wouldn't do anyone any good. I think getting in a quick quest is always a good idea." He accepted the party invite and left a few extra Col on the table for the server. "It seems like out business here is finished at any rate." He gestured for Zandra to lead the way, and they made their way out of town.

[[Thread Moved to 5th Floor]]

The sands were as unpleasant as ever, though Shield was bothered by it less than he might once have been. The heat was strong, but his Survival skill made it much more tolerable. "No need to worry about me," he said, matter of factly. "As soon as you see the land shark, you just wail on him as freely as you like. Shouldn't be hard to draw his attention." Up ahead, he saw the sandstone spire that rose up out of the desert. This was the landmark that he recalled form before as a sure sign that they were drawing near to where Terra Firma liked to patrol. "I think we're getting close." He unslung the Manticore Mask from his back and fixed it onto his shield arm. 

Edited September 20, 2020 by Shield

[Zandra 0]

Zandra nodded. ‘’Mhm, I think you are correct in that.’’ She said as she as well left some coins. She wouldn’t really miss them anyway. After that she followed Shield out thru the front door.

As they pressed thru the desert, Zandra kept an eye on the surrondings, waiting for any sign of the enemy. Thou there was not a single sign yet. ‘’Zita.’’ She said and looked on the eagle that sat on her shoulder and nodded. The eagle looked back at her and a few seconds later she opened her wings went into the sky. There she quickly rose until she started to circle around them, like a vulture. But instead of them, she was looking for any mob nearby, and would alert them if she spotted anything. ‘’There, she will keep an eye on the surrondings and alert us if she spots anything.’’ Zandra sai while looking at Shield and giving a nod to her familiar. ‘’And yeah, this boss was pretty easy last time we fougth it. Don’t think it will be any trouble this time either.’’ She said with a grin.

Edited September 26, 2020 by Zandra

[Shield 0]

Quote

[Pre-Combat]

[H:0] Shield: HP: 1850/1850 | EN: 176/176 | DMG: 2 | ACC: -1 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 181 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 15
[H:0] Zandra

<<Terra Firma >> HP: 650/650 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 4

 Abilities:

Spoiler

<< Assault Mode >> [LD 10+] ACC and EVA switch for his attack only. Partial phase BD 9+, full phase BD 10.
<< Move Swiftly >> : The skill Concentration will not work on this boss, and players will suffer a -1 penalty to ACC.
<< Hard-Scaled >> : Paralysis and Freeze does not work on this boss.
<< Weak-Spots >> : [BD 9+] Players gain partial phase on their attack.

As the two seasoned front-liners approached the spire, the sand began to shift. A rumbling could faintly be detected through the ground, causing the dunes to begin leveling themselves out, sand sliding down from the peaks to begin filling the valleys. There was a new peak present, however. A moving mound surged through the sands, gnarled fins protruding from the surface as an unmistakable calling card of the infamous Sand Shark. "Looks like our company is arriving right on time," he said, tightening his grip on Manticore Mask. "How many attacks do you suppose it will take you this time?"

Despite the reputation that this particular field boss had for being tricky to handle, there was not an ounce of tension in the air. Shield had seen Zandra on the battlefield more than enough times to suspect that she might have any trouble handling the DPS, and Shield had yet to meet a respawning enemy that he couldn't handle with a proper DPS on board. It was refreshing to have good synergy, even when the two of them would have easily been able to handle the fight alone. "Ladies first," he said, nodding towards the approaching mound and drawing out his blade.

[Zandra 0]

Spoiler

ID: 168704
BD: 2+3-1-4=0 Miss!
MD: 1 Miss!

[H:0] Shield: HP: 1850/1850 | EN: 176/176 | DMG: 2 | ACC: -1 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 181 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 15
[H:0] Zandra: HP: 1805/1805 | EN: 190/191 | DMG: 19 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 125 | BH:90 | BRN: 36(9-10) | THN: 30 | BLGT: 72(9-10) | BLD: 36(9-10)

<<Terra Firma >> HP: 650/650 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 4

 Abilities:

Spoiler

<< Assault Mode >> [LD 10+] ACC and EVA switch for his attack only. Partial phase BD 9+, full phase BD 10.
<< Move Swiftly >> : The skill Concentration will not work on this boss, and players will suffer a -1 penalty to ACC.
<< Hard-Scaled >> : Paralysis and Freeze does not work on this boss.
<< Weak-Spots >> : [BD 9+] Players gain partial phase on their attack.

 

Zandra nodded with a smile in reply to Shield’s comment that the boss didn’t let them wait for him. Or her. That was a thing with many of the bosses actually, if they was male or female. Well, not that it really mattered that much, they would still be killed by her axe. She was all for gender equality. Wouldn’t hesitate to hit a mob just because it is one or the other sex. ‘’How many attacks you wonder huh?’’ she said as he asked how many attacks it would take to bring the terra firma down. ‘’Hmm, with this axe, I will probably need two hits on it.’’ Her eyes went to the enemy. ‘’Well, if I can get the attacks to hit its supposed target.’’ She added as she concentrated on it. She grit her teeths but it seemed her concentration skill wouldn’t activate. ‘’Damnit, my Concentration skill wont work. Guess I have to take it without it.’’ She said and exploded forward, her charge skill leaving a big sand cloud behind her as she flew thru the air. She had hoped to land the first strike, since that would made it so much easier to land the next strike as well. But no, all her axe striked was sand. ‘’Goddanmnit!’’ she cursed to herself as she dodged out of the way for its counterattack.

 @Shield

Edited September 21, 2020 by Zandra

[Shield 0]

Quote

Action: Focused Howl > Terra Firma [-4 EN]

[H:6] Shield: HP: 1703/1850 | EN: 172/176 | DMG: 2 | ACC: -1 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 181 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 69 | ENV: 18
[H:0] Zandra: HP: 1805/1805 | EN: 190/191 | DMG: 19 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 125 | BH:90 | BRN: 36(9-10) | THN: 30 | BLGT: 72(9-10) | BLD: 36(9-10)

<<Terra Firma >> HP: 650/650 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 4 [ENV 18 dmg - 4/4]

 ID# 168710 results: Loot: 19 [Assault Mode Proc] MOB: 9+1+4=14 - Hit! - Partial Phase - 250+1-103=147 dmg [ENV Proc]

 Abilities:

Spoiler

<< Assault Mode >> [LD 10+] ACC and EVA switch for his attack only. Partial phase BD 9+, full phase BD 10.
<< Move Swiftly >> : The skill Concentration will not work on this boss, and players will suffer a -1 penalty to ACC.
<< Hard-Scaled >> : Paralysis and Freeze does not work on this boss.
<< Weak-Spots >> : [BD 9+] Players gain partial phase on their attack.

The first exchange was a wash, Zandra's target having dodged aside. It was far more agile than its bulky appearance made it seem. This was something Shield knew all too well, but it always seemed so unnatural even when expected. As the land shark avoided the attack, Shield could see its focus land on the powerful woman directly before it. It leaped, and with a quick and timely breath of air, Shield sent out a focused jet of sound and air, knocking the creature off-course.

"EYES ON THE PRIZE, SHARKY BOY! DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE AX MAIDEN OVER THERE! YOU COME HERE AND THROW YOURSELF AT THE OL' BRICK WALL OVER HERE!"

His distraction had done the trick. It kipped back onto its hind legs and sprang forward, or that was what it seemed to be doing. In essence, it wound up and practically vanished. Only a single, sand-toned streak was visible between where it stood and where it collided with the Manticore Mask. The shield held, but the impact was potent, sending shockwaves through Shield's body. However, his defenses bit back, triggering Envenom on the monster. "Nice try," he murmured to it sarcastically.

Edited September 21, 2020 by Shield

[Zandra 0]

Zandra’s axe had landed far away from the mob. She cursed herself that she had already forgotten the agility of the Terra Firma. She grit her teeths. ‘’I should have buffed up with some accuracy food for this one.’’ She mumbled to herself. That was when she saw the big monster slam into Shield. Zandra almost had to take a step back from the shockwave that was sent over the area from the heavy impact. For a second she got blinded by the blowing sand, thou her survival skill kicked in and she quickly regained her focus. Yes, this was her moment. The Terra Firma was basically locked in place as it competed against Shield who got push forward or stand still the longest.

‘’Keep him in place!’’ Zandra screamed as she as fast she could charged up Explode catapult, at the same time she started to run towards the couple. ‘’Come oooon, faster!’’ she said thru closed teeths to her axe. She had placed herself within range. ‘’Faster!’’ she said again. One second later she felt it. The sword art contected. A milli second later she activated it. The axe flew thru the air and slammed into the beast, taking away some of its health. But this was just the beginning.

Spoiler

ID: 169247 BD: 8+3-4=7 Hit! 19x14=266-75=191 DMG

[H:6] Shield: HP: 1703/1850 | EN: 172/176 | DMG: 2 | ACC: -1 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 181 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 69 | ENV: 18
[H:0] Zandra: HP: 1805/1805 | EN: 190/191 | DMG: 19 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 125 | BH:90 | BRN: 36(9-10) | THN: 30 | BLGT: 72(9-10) | BLD: 36(9-10)

<<Terra Firma >> HP: 459/650 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 4 [ENV 18 dmg - 4/4]

 

Edited September 27, 2020 by Zandra

[Shield 0]

Quote

Passive [+1 EN] Battle Healing [+92 HP] Holy Blessing [+48 HP]

Action: Sharpness > Zandra [-11 EN]

[H:6] Shield: HP: 1774/1850 | EN: 162/176 | DMG: 2 | ACC: -1 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 181 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 69 | ENV: 18
[H:0] Zandra: HP: 1805/1805 | EN: 190/191 | DMG: 19+3 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 125 | BH:90 | BRN: 36(9-10) | THN: 30 | BLGT: 72(9-10) | BLD: 36(9-10)

<<Terra Firma >> HP: 372/650 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 4 [ENV 18 dmg - 3/4]

ID# 169997 results: Loot: 10 - [Assault Mode Proc] MOB: 6+4+1=11 - Hit! 250-181=69 dmg [THN - 69 dmg]

Spoiler

<< Assault Mode >> [LD 10+] ACC and EVA switch for his attack only. Partial phase BD 9+, full phase BD 10.
<< Move Swiftly >> : The skill Concentration will not work on this boss, and players will suffer a -1 penalty to ACC.
<< Hard-Scaled >> : Paralysis and Freeze does not work on this boss.
<< Weak-Spots >> : [BD 9+] Players gain partial phase on their attack.

 

Shield gave a nod to Zandra's request, stepping forward and locking his leg around Terra Firma's own. He felt the impact of the axe maiden's attack and released the monster, leaping back and swinging his sword through the air. An orb of pale red light burst from the tip, arcing through the air towards his tentative ally. As the energy found its target, it added an additional boost on top of the woman's already intimidating damage.

"Stay sharp!" he quipped. As he did so, he allowed his eyes to flicker to Zandra, and by the time they were back on his target, it had already closed most of the distance. It was fast, but all he needed was to adjust his pose slightly and his shoulder caught the attacker in the chest. The jaws of the land shark had latched onto his opposing arm, and although the attack had been swift, it did not have the deadly accuracy of the first. As his own health inched down, so too did Terra Firma's, and it continued to do so as Shield's venom spread.

"Keep the pressure on! He's already losing composure!"

Edited October 3, 2020 by Shield

[Zandra 0]

Spoiler

Action: Explode catapult
ID: 170004 BD: 4-4+3=4

[H:6] Shield: HP: 1774/1850 | EN: 162/176 | DMG: 2 | ACC: -1 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 181 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 69 | ENV: 18
[H:0] Zandra: HP: 1805/1805 | EN: 190/191 | DMG: 19+3 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 125 | BH:90 | BRN: 36(9-10) | THN: 30 | BLGT: 72(9-10) | BLD: 36(9-10)

<<Terra Firma >> HP: 372/650 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 4 [ENV 18 dmg - 3/4]

ID# 169997 results: Loot: 10 - [Assault Mode Proc] MOB: 6+4+1=11 - Hit! 250-181=69 dmg [THN - 69 dmg]

Spoiler

<< Assault Mode >> [LD 10+] ACC and EVA switch for his attack only. Partial phase BD 9+, full phase BD 10.
<< Move Swiftly >> : The skill Concentration will not work on this boss, and players will suffer a -1 penalty to ACC.
<< Hard-Scaled >> : Paralysis and Freeze does not work on this boss.
<< Weak-Spots >> : [BD 9+] Players gain partial phase on their attack.

 

As Shield help on to the Terra Firma, making sure it wouldn’t move and make her land another miss, Zandra as quick as she could, took another hard and steady grip of her axe. She focused on the beast and started to charge up Explode catapult. That was when she felt a strange feeling. A feeling she had never felt before. She looked at the edge of the axe and then she understood. Shield had used his sharpness mod on her. A smile on her face. ‘’Thanks mate!’’ she said loud enough for Shield to hear. Then she charged against the boss and activated her sword art. But nope, it didn’t wanted to land on its target. Just when she got close, in some way even thou Shield held it in place, it made a gust of sand striking Zandra in the face. It didn’t damaged her, but it was just enough to distract her and make her axe strike the ground instead of the mob. ‘’F***!!!’’

Edited October 4, 2020 by Zandra

[Shield 0]

Quote

Passive [+1 EN] Battle Healing [+92 HP] Holy Blessing [+48 HP] - Cool Downs - Sharpness [0/1]

Action: None

[H:6] Shield: HP: 1774/1850 | EN: 163/176 | DMG: 2 | ACC: -1 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 181 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 69 | ENV: 18
[H:1] Zandra: HP: 1805/1805 | EN: 190/191 | DMG: 19+3 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 125 | BH:90 | BRN: 36(9-10) | THN: 30 | BLGT: 72(9-10) | BLD: 36(9-10)

<<Terra Firma >> HP: 285/650 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 4 [ENV 18 dmg - 2/4]

ID# 170354 results: Loot: 14 [Assault Mode Proc] MOB: 7+4+1=12 - Hit! 250-181=69 dmg [THN - 69 dmg]

Spoiler

<< Assault Mode >> [LD 10+] ACC and EVA switch for his attack only. Partial phase BD 9+, full phase BD 10.
<< Move Swiftly >> : The skill Concentration will not work on this boss, and players will suffer a -1 penalty to ACC.
<< Hard-Scaled >> : Paralysis and Freeze does not work on this boss.
<< Weak-Spots >> : [BD 9+] Players gain partial phase on their attack.

Zandra's axe fell heavily against the hot sands of the desert, and with that, Terra Firma was gone again. Shield knew not to sit still too long or he would be an easy target from an unprotected angle. He leaped forward, diving onto the ground and tucking into a roll. As he did so, his hand closed around the handle of Zandra's weapon. As he came out of his roll, he spun back towards the battlefield, hefting the weapon and hurling it to Zandra's weapon hand. Before he had finished the arc of his throw, he felt the impact.

From his right, Terra Firma had landed a heavy slam against his shield. The impact rang through the bones of his arm, but he did not surrender any ground, though his throw was hampered slightly. The weapon instead landed just at Zandra's feet, the axe head burying itself part way into the sand a foot from where she stood. The land shark, however, was slightly worse for wear, his health continuing to decline slowly.

"You'll find your opening!" he called out to the axe wielder.

Edited October 4, 2020 by Shield

[Zandra 0]

Spoiler

ID: 170533 BD: 5+3-4=4 Miss

[H:6] Shield: HP: 1774/1850 | EN: 163/176 | DMG: 2 | ACC: -1 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 181 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 69 | ENV: 18
[H:1] Zandra: HP: 1805/1805 | EN: 190/191 | DMG: 19+3 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 125 | BH:90 | BRN: 36(9-10) | THN: 30 | BLGT: 72(9-10) | BLD: 36(9-10)

<<Terra Firma >> HP: 285/650 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 4 [ENV 18 dmg - 2/4]

Spoiler

<< Assault Mode >> [LD 10+] ACC and EVA switch for his attack only. Partial phase BD 9+, full phase BD 10.
<< Move Swiftly >> : The skill Concentration will not work on this boss, and players will suffer a -1 penalty to ACC.
<< Hard-Scaled >> : Paralysis and Freeze does not work on this boss.
<< Weak-Spots >> : [BD 9+] Players gain partial phase on their attack.

 

What the heck was going on? Why couldn’t she land a hit on this damn thing? She really did missed her Teseleth’s fury right now. The insane amount of damage it dealt when that black smoke filled her whole being and flowed into the enemy, dealing devastating damage. She sighed. But nope, those days were gone. That axe was in better hands with Oscar. Since Zandra was aiming to go the support player path, the fury did better in the hands of someone that went for damage. And except herself, there wasn’t many other two handed axe wielders out there that she knew about.

She awoke from her thoughts from a donk was herd infront of her. It was her axe that had been thrown and landed infront of her. Right, there was a battle infront of her right now. This beast needed to meet its end. So Zandra did a dodgeroll forward and in one consistent movement she grabbed her axe, started charging up the Explode catapult, rushed towards the Terra Firma, and activated the catapult in one smooth move. And…

…missed! The berserk healer’s breathing got heavier and her face started to match colour with her crimson eyes. Again? ‘’Im sorry Shield. I don’t know what is wrong, feels like something is different with this axe.’’ She said in emberresment from all the misses.

Edited October 14, 2020 by Zandra

[Shield 0]

Quote

Passive [+1 EN] Battle Healing [+92 HP] Holy Blessing [+48 HP] - Cool Downs - Sharpness [0/1]

Action: Sharpness > Zandra [-11 EN]

[H:6] Shield: HP: 1781/1850 | EN: 153/176 | DMG: 2 | ACC: -1 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 181 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 69 | ENV: 18
[H:1] Zandra: HP: 1805/1805 | EN: 190/191 | DMG: 19+3 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 125 | BH:90 | BRN: 36(9-10) | THN: 30 | BLGT: 72(9-10) | BLD: 36(9-10)

<<Terra Firma >> HP: 186/650 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 4 [ENV 18 dmg - 2/4]

 ID# 172483 results: Loot: 2 MOB: 8+1=9 - Hit! 250-181=69 dmg [THN - 99 dmg]

Spoiler

<< Assault Mode >> [LD 10+] ACC and EVA switch for his attack only. Partial phase BD 9+, full phase BD 10.
<< Move Swiftly >> : The skill Concentration will not work on this boss, and players will suffer a -1 penalty to ACC.
<< Hard-Scaled >> : Paralysis and Freeze does not work on this boss.
<< Weak-Spots >> : [BD 9+] Players gain partial phase on their attack.

The battle was on its ear. At this point, Shield had managed to deal more damage on the mythical sand shark than he had any other time before. With possible exception of his fight with Pinball, but that time was intentional. He shook his head, dismissing her concerns. "We're both tough enough to solo this fight. Some bad luck happens to the best of us. Best to get it out of you now than in a boss fight, right?"

In all honesty, Shield had spent so much time letting enemies throw themselves onto his thorns that it was no big deal to him. Still, it was likely a point of pride to her, having been such a heavy hitter for so long on the front lines, missing a non-floor boss so many times was likely a huge blow to her ego. He didn't want to wound her further by trying to offer her advice. Being told by a tank how to DPS was not likely to feel good. If anything all he could do was continue to do his own job. He charged up another ball of energy, tossed it to Zandra, and turned back to the mob.

His eyes stayed on Terra Firma for once. It seemed to have exhausted its speed burst, at least for the time being. It charged him down, but its attack was easy to track this time, and he took the bite on the face of his shield, which meant that it did next to nothing to him, but plenty of damage to the enemy himself.

Edited October 14, 2020 by Shield

[Zandra 0]

Spoiler

Action: Explode catapult

ID: 172752 BD: 10 Crit! 19+3+2=24x14=336-125=221 Blight triggered! Burn triggered! Bleed triggered!

[H:6] Shield: HP: 1781/1850 | EN: 153/176 | DMG: 2 | ACC: -1 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 181 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 69 | ENV: 18
[H:1] Zandra: HP: 1805/1805 | EN: 190/191 | DMG: 19+3 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 125 | BH:90 | BRN: 36(9-10) | THN: 30 | BLGT: 72(9-10) | BLD: 36(9-10)

<<Terra Firma >> HP: 0/650 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 4 [ENV 18 dmg - 2/4][BLGT 72 dmg - 1/2][BLD 36 dmg - 1/2][BRN 36 dmg - 1/2]

Spoiler

<< Assault Mode >> [LD 10+] ACC and EVA switch for his attack only. Partial phase BD 9+, full phase BD 10.
<< Move Swiftly >> : The skill Concentration will not work on this boss, and players will suffer a -1 penalty to ACC.
<< Hard-Scaled >> : Paralysis and Freeze does not work on this boss.
<< Weak-Spots >> : [BD 9+] Players gain partial phase on their attack.

 

So, four attacks, one hit. What the hell was wrong with her? Well yes, this piece of shit mob had very high evasion, and reduced her own accuracy a lot. But still, she shouldn’t have missed this much. She gritted her teeths and her eyes burned as she looked at the beetle like creature. She felt the feeling that was Shield sharpening her weapon. It felt, wonderful, and it increased her will to damage, wound, destroy and kill this being that was standing in their way to make progress in the death game. She looked at Shield. ‘’Yeah I know. But you know who I am. You know my title? I need to be better than the best of us. Ive lost so many friends because of different reasons. Being a good fighter is all I have left. If I cant fight, I might as well step down.’’ She replied to Shield. Her eyes got shiny for a moment before she blinked it off. ‘’Not now Sandra. Focus. You still have an enemy to kill.’’ She mumbled to herself before her focus turned back to the enemy.

The axe started to shine as she rushed forward again. ‘’DDIEEEE!!!’’ she screamed as she released her Explode catapult on the Terra Firma. The two bladed weapon cleaved thru its armor, leaving a big, red slice. Followed by another strike from the opposite side. Its health started to drop down as the boss mob bursted out into flames. Blood started to drip from the wound. A few moments later, it exploded and left the two players in a sea of blue and white crystals. Infront of her, the reward screen popped up. A single item, no col and materials. Well, that item was the reason they came here, so not strange. ‘’Heh, downside of being high level I guess.’’ She said with a smile and accepted the scale.

 @Shield

Edited October 17, 2020 by Zandra

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

 

Post action: Swapping Gear

-Stinging Nettle [-54 THN, -18 ENV]
+Seeking Aura [+3 LD]

 

Shield let out a sigh, relieved that the evasive foe had finally run out of luck. "There we go," he said, affirming his belief that it was a matter of 'when' not 'if' she would get in that hit. "About time we got that settled," he said, dismissing his rewards screen and opening a menu of his own. The spines disappeared from his armor, and to replace them, a small, silver hoop earring appeared hooked through his earlobe. "Since the other rewards for this quest are so paltry, what do you say we hop up a few floors and grab a chest to make the venture more worthwhile for everyone?"

There had been something that caught his ear before. Something in the way Zandra had pronounced her name as she spoke to herself, but he figured she had probably just slurred a letter or two in frustration or gotten sand in her mouth. As they began to march back to civilization out of the desert wastelands, the incident had been forgotten altogether. "It's probably a good thing we both ended up with a scale. In the long run, we're going to need every buff we can get for the next floor. The front lines are a mess, so we can't necessarily trust everyone to work together, as much as I would like. Still, I'll try to remain at least hopefully optimistic."

[Zandra 0]

As the enemy boss died, Zandra listened to Shield. She nodded in reply to his comment about that they needed every buff they could get. ‘’That is true indeed. This floor boss will probably be our hardest challenge so far. Well, after the challenge to keep everyone to fight together more then against each other.’’ She paused for a few seconds. ‘’Well Shield.’’ She started seriously. ‘’I hope you now know that you can trust me. I will follow you into battle. I know you are a tank, and damn though one as well, but if you ever are in danger, I will help you in any way I can. The past is the past, I cant change that. But I wont let the excitement I feel in battle take control of me in serious battles, like the upcoming one on floor 25.’’ She finished with another nod and a friendly and serious smile.

 

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Relocating to floor 24

Searching for Chest - ID# 176187 results: Loot: 5+9=14 - Using Multipurpose Housing Bonus - +1=15 - Chest found!

Shield nodded solemnly to Zandra's words. Regardless of her past, she seemed to take the current threat seriously at the very least. Shield was less worried about her now than he was the damage that a quarter-way boss would deal. He had crunched some numbers and knew that he would be able to get his mitigation up near the 300 mark. That was enough to more than halve the damage from any prior boss - at least that he could recall. There were still a lot of mysteries that were yet to be solved though, and there were any number of answers. "What's in front of us is what's in front of us. All we can do is work to prepare of it and engage it when the time is upon us."

The journey back to the settlement was an uneventful one, as were most treks through the dessert. Once they were back and had made use of the teleporter therein, they found themselves on the twenty fourth floor. While they could have gone up one more, that floor was not one for idle loot gathering. Stepping outside of the main settlement, Shield set about searching for a chest. It was difficult going, but eventually, having to do a double take, he spotted a familiar outline in a shadowy nook in the side of a wall of stone debris. "Perhaps it was worth the trip after all."

Edited October 30, 2020 by Shield

[Zandra 0]

It felt like her and Shield had the past behind them, and it would probably take some time before they being all buddy with eachother, but Zandra was relatively sure that what walked infront of her, was not an enemy. And for the moment, that was good enough. As they walked in silence, Zandra a bit behind Shield, she started to mumble to herself. ‘’This is a great start. I will clean my name, and this is a big step towards that. Just you wait everyone out there, I will make you accept me who I am. One day, you will understand why I didn’t pushed Ariel away, like all of you did. One day, I will be a part of the frontlines, a part of frontlines that will stand strong, and defeat any enemy that will stay in our way.’’

While Zandra was talking to herself, she saw that Shield had been much more productive, and he had found a chest. ‘’Oh fancy. Well, let’s see what is in the chest? Some shinies?’’

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Opening Chest - ID# 176188 results: Loot: 12+7=19

[16-20] = 3,600 Col, 8 T3 materials, perfect T3 armor/shield, 2 rare T3 consumables

Perfect T3 Armor: [176188a]
Rare T3 Consumables: [176188b] [176188c]

Shield jogged over to the spot, retrieving one of many golden keys that he had stashed in his inventory. He knelt beside the chest and held out the key, watching as it disintegrated. A small trail of gold dust drifted downward from where it vanished, and with a soft click, the chest opened. Its lid inched open a little ways and a display window sprang to life, displaying the contents before his eyes.

"Well, I've certainly found worse hauls. A piece of armor, Col, crafting materials, and a few consumables that may or may not be of any use." He gave a short nod, accepting the items and sending Zandra a cut of the findings, though keeping a fair amount to cover the costs of his key and the investment he had made in his chest specialty. "Probably would have to do a bit more hunting before loot drops in the area would refresh to allow for more chests. Probably best to make do with what we've found."

He straightened up, dusted off, and turned back to Zandra. "Always worth looking around, I say."

Edited October 30, 2020 by Shield

[Zandra 0]

‘’There is something that is different thou between us. But I guess it is quite hard to farm mobs as a tank.’’ Zandra lifted her two handed battle axe, looked at it and shoke her head. ‘’When needing col, materials or items, I usually head out alone. And it is in those battles I don’t hold back. I may be a bit reckless sometimes, but it will only kill me in those situation, no one else will get hurt. And I do like this axe. But, I don’t know if you feel it with armor pieces, but this axe doesn’t quite have the same feel as Teseleths fury. There is days I regret and passed it down to Oscar. But he will get it to better use then me. Specially since Im going for the support road now. And as a support, you don’t need a high damage weapon.’’ She shrugged. ‘’Weeelll, anyway. Thanks for this little quest and talk. I guess I will see you at the floor boss fight?’’

[Shield 0]

"It is a very different thing, yes," Shield said, giving a nod of acknowledgement. "Especially now, where the need to make myself as sustainable as possible is paramount. I have to rely entirely on either thorns or companions to deal damage, and there are diminishing returns when levels are gained as far as defense. However, the monsters do not have diminishing returns with their power and stamina." He looked down at his hand, remembering how numerous the near-miss count had become in recent months. "At a certain point, every player will find themselves outmatched by monsters if they level up too far. With tanks, you just have to take the punishment for more rounds than a DPS."

Zandra offered her well wishes and a parting word, to which he nodded once again and set out for home. This was it. In the home stretch for the fight. There was a mad dash of preparations still to make, but for the most part his grinding and his questing were behind him. He'd see what there was still to see on the other side of floor twenty five.

Let's hope we're all taking this as seriously as the serious front-liners. There are so many inexperience players joining us. I don't know how to feel comfortable with all of it, but we're going to have to try.

[Zandra 0]

As Zandra left the frontline tank behind, she swiped in the air infront of her and opened up her inventory. She thougth to herself for awhile. ‘’Hmm, Ive been having this one with me for a long time by now. Will this be the last fight I will have it? Shall I really use it now?’’ she said to herself as she walked thru the frontdoor to her estate. She walked thru a corridor, up some stairs and then took the third door on the right. She scratched her neck. ‘’I have always been one of those that thinking I mayt have a better use of it in the future. But then…’’ she looked at the golden egg that also was in the inventory.’’…it would end up as the egg.’’ She shrugged. ‘’Well, it didn’t mattered, this have been a good days work, but now it was time for some well earned rest.

‘’ZZZzzz…’’

Rewards:

Both:
3SP(2 pages+1 event)

Zandra:
200col

Shield:
Terra Firma scale
3,800col
8 t3 materiasl
Perfect t3 armor/shield
2x Rare t3 consumable