[PP|F5] <<Bloodstained Land>>

[Shye 0]

It took at least a full 30 seconds of breathing techniques, but the girl finally got her breath stable again. When she remembered where she was, she very carefully peaked around the boulder she hid behind to make sure her tiny frame was as difficult to see as possible. She wouldn't be in the spot if she could escape the attacks of the Shark... The thought crossed her mind of how stupid is was for her to do what she just did. If that thing so much as breathed on her, she would die, for good. No second chances in the world. Her breathing was getting irregular again and she gave herself a slap on the face. Now's not the time to be having some anxiety issues Chelsea get a hold of yourself.

She continued to keep her eye on the battle while showing absolutely 0% of her tiny frame to anything. As long as she didn't do that again, she would be alright and Shield would kill it off, then maybe kill her for being a reckless idiot.

@Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Passive [+1 EN] Battle Healing [+92 HP] Holy Blessing [+48 HP] Cool Downs - Vengeful Riposte [3/3]

Action: None

[H:0] Shield - HP: 1769/1850 | EN: 174/176 | DMG: 2 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 169 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 99 | ENV: 18/4  

<< Land Shark the Terra Firma >> HP: 204/650 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 4

Attack vs. Shield - ID# 145730 results: Loot: 19 [Assault Mode] MOB: 6+1+4=11 - Hit! 250-169 = 81 dmg [THN: 99 dmg]

Abilities:

<< Assault Mode >> [LD 10+] ACC and EVA switch for ONLY his attack. MD 9 - strikes as with partial phase. MD 10 - strikes with full phase.
<< Move Swiftly >>  Concentration will not work on this boss. -1 penalty to ACC.
<< Hard-Scaled >> Paralysis and Freeze does not work on this boss.
<< Weak-Spots >> On a player’s roll of a natural 9-10, they will gain partial phase on their attack.

The battle was beginning to wind down now. The steady rhythm of defending from the sand shark's attacks were coming easier and easier. It was using its special attack pretty consistently, which was fine with Shield because it meant much more consistent hits, allowing him to do his work. It charged him again, and the Manticore Mask caught it in the ribs. With the power of his legs, Shield powered forward, taking it off of its balance and forcing it back several steps while driving in the damage of his defenses. Terra Firma was deep in the yellow now.

Best guess, he's got two good hits and a riposte in him before he goes down. This should be cake.

With one final shove, he pushed the land shark back and it toppled, melting into the sand just as it had before. He squared himself up behind his shield once again, clearing his mind and listening to the sounds of the shifting sand, trying to pinpoint his enemy."Not much longer now," he said under his breath. Of course anything was still possible, but the situation seemed well in hand.

Edited May 2, 2020 by Shield

[Shye 0]

Shye peaked further out of her cover as the battle moved past her vision, though she was sure to keep as hidden as she possibly could. Shield was insanely strong. He could throw that thing around like a ragdoll and continue to destroy it. The most amazing part was that he wasn't even using a weapon more of the time, just his aegis. The teenager stepped out further to watch him launch the shark onto its back. She was in awe of his strength and he said he does this quest regularly.

His health bar continued to stay at maximum even without her help. She felt so useless sitting off to the side and doing nothing, but she would be even more useless as a corpse. With a heavy sight, she restrained herself from jumping in to help the tank with healing and continued to watch as the the squishy little healer that she was.

@Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

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

Action: Parry - Vengeful Riposte [-4 EN]

[H:0] Shield - HP: 1850/1850 | EN: 170/176 | DMG: 2 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 169 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 99 | ENV: 18/4  

<< Land Shark the Terra Firma >> HP: 204/650 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 4

Attack vs. Shield - ID# 145731 results: Loot: 2 [No Proc] MOB: 4+1=5 - Miss

Abilities:

<< Assault Mode >> [LD 10+] ACC and EVA switch for ONLY his attack. MD 9 - strikes as with partial phase. MD 10 - strikes with full phase.
<< Move Swiftly >>  Concentration will not work on this boss. -1 penalty to ACC.
<< Hard-Scaled >> Paralysis and Freeze does not work on this boss.
<< Weak-Spots >> On a player’s roll of a natural 9-10, they will gain partial phase on their attack.

As the sand behind him shifted, Shield wheeled about on his heel, turning to face the bulky creature as it lumbered up out of the sand like it was wading out of a swimming pool. It had abandoned its speed, much to Shield's disappointment. He held up his blade to parry, but the land shark ignored it, instead practically laying itself on his shield. He rolled his eyes, watching as the monstrous claws skirted around the barrier's edges, failing to connect with his body or prick themselves on any of his defensive damage. This attack was a wash.

He stepped in, pushing Terra Firma back. The unnatural 'shark' stumbled and turned, diving back into the sand again. "You're gonna have to do way better than that if we want to end this any time soon," he grumbled, fruitlessly taunting the non-sentient attacker. "I can't kill you if all you do is flail around uselessly like that. Come on! Go all out! Make your attacks count!"

Edited May 2, 2020 by Shield

[Shye 0]

Shye watch him stop another attack completely in it's tracks. Could anything really put Shield down? He seemed invincible in this context but maybe he was just way too strong for it. Could she ever be strong like that? Well, not like how Shield is strong but of like in general a really strong player. Their HP wasn't budging right now, this could drag out a little bit longer than she had hoped for it to, but at least she was surviving up to this point. Not to give herself any credit at all, since she was an idiot that just walked directly into combat like a brain dead idiot.

Well, since it wasn't going to be going anywhere soon, the healer decided to take a seat on her knees in the sand. She peered over the rock to make sure that Shield was still doing fine. Yep, he wouldn't be needing her help for this. It felt kind of dirty to have him do all the work and her get the benefits for it, even if he was the one who brought her along.

@Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Passive [+1 EN] Battle Healing [+92 HP] Holy Blessing [+48 HP] Cool Downs - Parry [0/2] Vengeful Riposte [0/3]

Action: None

[H:0] Shield - HP: 1849/1850 | EN: 171/176 | DMG: 2 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 169 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 99 | ENV: 18/4  

<< Land Shark the Terra Firma >> HP: 55/650 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 4

Attack vs. Shield - ID# 145738 results: Loot: 4 [No Proc] MOB: 7+1=8 - Hit! 250/2-169 = 1 dmg [THN: 99 dmg, Riposte 250/2-75=50 dmg]

Abilities:

<< Assault Mode >> [LD 10+] ACC and EVA switch for ONLY his attack. MD 9 - strikes as with partial phase. MD 10 - strikes with full phase.
<< Move Swiftly >>  Concentration will not work on this boss. -1 penalty to ACC.
<< Hard-Scaled >> Paralysis and Freeze does not work on this boss.
<< Weak-Spots >> On a player’s roll of a natural 9-10, they will gain partial phase on their attack.

Shield began pacing around the battlefield, keeping his footsteps as light as he could. The land shark was on its last legs, and it would only take a few more hits to end the fight, but none of that was really on him. He could only deal damage if the shark was succeeding. He paused, listening carefully. His ears pricked up, something to his left catching their attention. He pivoted on the spot, holding out his sword as a defensive barrier. Terra Firma was on all fours, pulling its bulk up out of the sand and hurling itself towards him.

It was not, however, using its full assault. It collapsed clumsily onto Shield's sword and stumbled back, crying out angrily as it swung its claws in all direction. "Look, I'm not happy with how long this is taking either! Can you focus up and get good already?" He kicked out at the sand shark, to which it hissed and dove into the sand, sinking into the surface and vanishing once again. "I swear, if he misses again..."

Edited May 2, 2020 by Shield

[Shye 0]

One more attack and the beast would be quelled. Shye watched from her safe position, taking a moment to look around and ensure that there was nothing in the area that threatened her. The coast was clear so far, so the redhead turned her attention to the fight in front of her again. The bosses health had reached the red bar, which meant that it was low enough to finish off. It seemed like Shield was ready to have this fight over, but Chelsea wasn't ready to get the bark of his words when he came over to tell her what a stupid thing she just did. Even a feeble little healer can be threatened without even taking an attack on an enemy. She understood that more than ever, now.

The teenager dipped back behind the rock. Resting her back against the stone slab as she really wondered if she was cut out for this kind of thing. It was dangerous and she lacked the knowledge to take this world on and come out on top in almost any case. Her breathing got slightly uneven again, trying her best not to have another episode.

@Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Passive [+1 EN] Battle Healing [+92 HP] Holy Blessing [+48 HP] Cool Downs - Parry [1/2] Vengeful Riposte [1/3]

Action: None

[H:0] Shield - HP: 1850/1850 | EN: 172/176 | DMG: 2 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 169 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 99 | ENV: 18/4  

<< Land Shark the Terra Firma >> HP: 55/650 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 4

Attack vs. Shield - ID# 145925 results: Loot: 7 [No Proc] MOB: 4+1=5 - Miss

Abilities:

<< Assault Mode >> [LD 10+] ACC and EVA switch for ONLY his attack. MD 9 - strikes as with partial phase. MD 10 - strikes with full phase.
<< Move Swiftly >>  Concentration will not work on this boss. -1 penalty to ACC.
<< Hard-Scaled >> Paralysis and Freeze does not work on this boss.
<< Weak-Spots >> On a player’s roll of a natural 9-10, they will gain partial phase on their attack.

The desert was still but for the stirring of the wind and Shield, slowly rotating in the midst of the open stretch of sand where the land shark seemed most keen to make its attacks. He waited, and he turned to face the other direction, and he waited some more. Finally, from behind him, there came a sound of shifting sand, and an angry grunting and snarling. He turned, and sure enough, there was Terra Firma, seemingly caught in the sand like someone who had caught their feet when trying to step out of their pants.

He sighed. "Okay, so apparently Assault Mode isn't active this time. But you can still do it! I'm right here! Come and hit me! Come on!" He threw his arms out open, inviting the attack. However, as the land shark freed its feet from the unstable sand, it tripped, its claw just missing Shield. "Well, this is disappointing." He shook his head, slapping the land shark on the top of the head with the flat of his blade. "Next time, big guy..."

Edited May 3, 2020 by Shield

[Shye 0]

The wind picked up a little, sending some sand particles into the teenagers eyes. It brought her back to reality for a moment. Shield was still in combat it seemed, judging from his health bar not being completely full. It ticked back up to full for a moment, but she could hear him yelling at the monster to give its all against him again. All she did was sit here and wait for the battle to end. It would be nice to level up since she is such a low level right now and it's the entire reason she can't do anything. As she got stronger, she wouldn't have to worry so much about anything else, right? She'll be tough like Shield and able to keep people around her, that need her, alive.

The redhead peered over the rock once more, to check on her fearless companion. Still the monster was one hit from being vanquished. She wondered what he was going to say to her when he came back around, or even what she was going to say to him rather than just 'sorry'.

@Shield

[Shield 0]

Quote

Passive [+1 EN] Battle Healing [+92 HP] Cool Downs - Parry [2/2] Vengeful Riposte [2/3]

Action: None

[H:0] Shield - HP: 1769/1850 | EN: 173/176 | DMG: 2 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 169 | BH:92 | HB: 48 | THN: 99 | ENV: 18/4  

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

Attack vs. Shield - ID# 145938 results: Loot: 8 [No Proc] MOB: 6+1=7 Hit! 250-169 = 81 dmg [THN: 99 dmg]

Abilities:

<< Assault Mode >> [LD 10+] ACC and EVA switch for ONLY his attack. MD 9 - strikes as with partial phase. MD 10 - strikes with full phase.
<< Move Swiftly >>  Concentration will not work on this boss. -1 penalty to ACC.
<< Hard-Scaled >> Paralysis and Freeze does not work on this boss.
<< Weak-Spots >> On a player’s roll of a natural 9-10, they will gain partial phase on their attack.

Whether by Shield's spurring or by sheer luck, Terra Firma took one last swipe at the exasperated tank. The creature's claws found purchase on Shield's jaw, and the beast immediately froze, and then burst, its glowing blue polygon shards evaporating into the air as they exploded outward. Shield sighed and sheathed his sword. He relaxed his battle stance, returning once again to his full height and checking the window that appeared before him. Indeed, the requirements for the quest had changed, and he as able to receive the fabled Terra Firm a scale despite having completed the quest previously multiple times.

"You can come out now," he called out to Shye. "The danger has passed." He took one more deep breath before turning in the directions where the less experienced player had hidden herself. "Are you okay?" Not too long ago, she had seemed frantic trying to get away from the fray. Hopefully she would have had time to calm down by now.

Edited May 3, 2020 by Shield

[Shye 0]

A moment of paused silence filled the wind before Chelsea found the courage to stand up. Sand shifted behinds the rock as the girl peeked around the solid stone to make sure that the threat had indeed been vanquished. Once she had determined it was safe enough, she finally stepped around the rock and had trouble looking up at Shield. The mistake she made was still fresh in her mind and her heart was even still pounding from the fear.

"I...I apologize for worrying you. I did something absolutely reckless and it frightened me out of my skin. I promise I won't do anything like that ever again." Her words came out on the spot, in fact, it was kind of like she had rehearsed apologizing before. Like she already knew what she had to say. She had indeed apologized to many people, especially in Japan thanks to her lackluster knowledge on the culture.

@Shield

[Shield 0]

Shield motioned for her to follow, making his way back towards the settlement of Forteliza. He gave it a few moments of consideration, picking out the words carefully for the thought he wanted to communicate. "I don't want you to walk away from this feeling like being in combat was what led you to that fear. The real issue is that there wasn't a real game plan for you being in combat ahead of time, so once you were there, you didn't know what to do." His heavy boots left large tracks in the sand which collapsed slowly from a lack of moisture to hold their shape. "I've seen battles on the front lines where players ignored their party leaders and did whatever they wanted, and it left the front lines unorganized and impotent."

They crested the dune and began venturing down the valley between it and the next. "My advice to you," he said, holding up a relaxed hand, palm up as if holding out the option to inspect. "Know who is calling the shots before you go into a fight. In general, you want that person to be the one controlling the flow of the battle - usually the tank. Your tank is the backbone of the party, and their style of tanking will often determine how supporters do their support and how the DPS manage their attacks. If the tank can't stay ahead of the DPS on pulling mobs, then they're putting themselves in a position that they're no longer protected."

"Back there," he said, slowly, picking exactly how to phrase his point. "You likely would have been fine. I don't think Terra Firma would have attacked you, but he also wasn't going to let you escape without really trying."

[Shye 0]

"I'm sorry." Were the first words to come from her. She followed beside the tank looking at her feet, watching the sand behind them get scarred from their footsteps then heal again when the sand fell back in. "I realized after the decision of rushing into battle that I didn't listen to you at all. I was trying to be more courageous, but I guess I should save it for something that won't end my existence in a single stroke. It's a rough life to live in this game..."

The girl was having a hard time making eye contact again. That was pretty much a norm for her anyway, but she couldn't seem to stop looking at the sand under her feet for anything. Her thoughts were everywhere right now, breathing was irregular once more. Anxiety attacks were awful, so she did her best to keep her mind off what just happened as to not have another attack right in front of Shield.

@Shield

[Shield 0]

"Courage..." Shield said, chewing a little on the inside of his cheek. "Courage is a word that people throw around. A lot of people think that being courageous means that you're not afraid. In my mind, that's not what courage and bravery are. That's what you might call 'fearlessness,' as in you're without fear." They began up the slope of the next dune again. "In SAO, I think that being fearless in difficult battles is... for lack of better words... stupid." He let out a little puff of air through his nose in mock amusement. "SAO isn't safe. There's danger. When a player is in a tough fight, they absolutely should be afraid." He held up his open palm again. "Fear is the body's natural response to danger for a reason. It keeps you alive. trying to be fearless is reckless, and it often puts people in danger."

"Bravery," he went on, "is being afraid but being able to face your fears. Courage, I think at least, is the ability to be afraid but not let the fear rule you. It's your ability to make good decisions with a level head, despite danger. What happened before wasn't really any of those things. It... seemed to be well intentioned, but misguided."

[Shye 0]

Her face became as deep red as her hair when Shield explained what he thought it meant to be courageous. Honestly, yeah, what she did was absolutely stupid. It wasn't courage or bravery at all, and that really only made her feel worse about what she did. Holding back tears, the girl tried to come up with a valid respond. "I..." She started off, looking in Shield's direction. "I need a lot of work. Thank you for bringing me along, this was helpful."

Her mind continued to stop and go. Shield was strong and experienced, he knew what he was saying. Mari was also a pretty strong person in her own right, not like Shield, but similar. She wondered... "Hey, Shield? Do you think that someone as timid and weak as me can be strong?" She asked, looking back to the sand. "I'm still not sure if someone like me can achieve that mantle..."

@Shield

[Shield 0]

"Strength in this game comes from two things," he said, regarding her question. "The first is strategy and planning. You have to have a good concept for what you want to be, because otherwise it's easy to get caught up trying to be too many things and not really excelling at any of them." He gestured behind them wit his thumb. "For example, I could have built myself to do more damage, but that would take focus away from my defenses," he explained. The wind picked up as they climbed the next dune, having less and less shelter the closer to the top. He raised his voice slightly to compensate. "He could have wailed on me all day and never gotten me anywhere close to the yellow, and that's by design."

As they came to the top of the ridge, Shield could finally catch a glimpse of Forteliza. The desert town stood out like a limestone jumble midst the otherwise expansive wasteland. "The other part that matters is tenacity," he continued, starting down the slope again, only to have the town sink behind the dune ahead of them. "You can have the best plan in the world, but if you never deliver on it, you won't get anywhere with it. Plain and simple. It is in that regard that being timid can be a hamper, but it doesn't have to be if you don't let it."

[Shye 0]

Shye listened carefully again. Strategy and Tenacity? If she was asked the same question, she might have given completely different answers. She looked relieved as the safe zone came back into view. A small vacation would be in order after this, probably at least a day away from questing or even going away from the safe zone.

"Strategy and Tenacity." She only continued to have more and more questions with each answer she got from Shield. She wondered if he was willing to mentor her on these things. "Hey, Shield. I don't think I have those things yet, and honestly I don't think I could ever really achieve them, but if there's one thing I know, it's that I'm determined. Will you please help me get stronger? I don't want to- I mean, I won't die in this stupid digital words! In order to keep that promise to myself, I need to learn more. You know a lot about the game and I really need the help."

@Shield

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Searching for Chest - ID# 146069 results: Loot: 11+5=16 [Chest found]

"Not only do I not mind helping," Shield said, giving a little sideways smile, "but I've already begun forming a guild to do just that. We need good players on the front lines, but it helps to have some assistance getting there. It's being founded off of a dojo that a friend of mine... started..."

His eyes traced the lines of the ridges that topped each of the nearby dunes. In this spot, there seemed to be something markedly off about them. Perhaps it was his familiarity with the area, having wandered the desert before, but all of the dunes seemed very squared up in their formation. At the center, in the valley between all of them, the sand seemed to come to a very sharp downward angle, as though forming a funnel down into the earth. He stepped closer, inspecting the area. He pressed his hand into the sand and moved some of it aside, clearing away the spot until he came down to a flat bit of sandstone with a hand-sized plate in the center. He pressed it in, and sand began spilling downward, widening as though a trap door were opening just to his right. In the gap that formed, a stone dais rose up, on the center of which sat a sarcophagus-like chest. "Well, look at this," he marveled, giving a little satisfied smile. "Didn't even have my loot finding gear on."

Edited May 4, 2020 by Shield

[Shye 0]

"Can I join?!" The girl replied almost instantly with starry eyes. This was exactly what she needed to get better! Mentors and teacher could help her at a moments notice! She was interrupted by Shield. He reached down and somehow managed to get a chest to magically rise up from the sand. An actual chest? She hadn't yet seen one beyond what was in the manual booklet she had collected from one of the info brokers. Speaking of which, she materialized that exact item and read out the information on chests once she located it within the table of contents and turned to the page.

"Treasure chests can be found by players outside of safe zones and inside of dungeons and labyrinths. They contain a myriad of items including the following: Col, Materials, and Unidentified Items like Weapons, Armor, Shields and Consumables. Be careful!! Traps could also be mimics and attack players! Be ready for a fight just in case! Whoa, so I guess that's a pretty cool find then. Are you going to open it up right now?"

@Shield

[Shield 0]

Spoiler

Opening Chest - ID# 146090 results: Loot: 1+7=8 [375 Col, 3 T1 materials, 2 rare T1 consumables]

"I wouldn't have told you about it if I hadn't planned to have you at least apply," he said, fishing a ring of golden keys from the back of his belt and holding one of them up to the lock. It vanished with a tinkling of thin metal and the lid popped open. The insides were paltry to say the least, so much so that Shield couldn't even deduct the cost of the key from the loot. He sighed, sending the rest over to Shye.

"Don't think of the loot here as a bribe. If anything consider it a burden that I am now saddling you with." He straightened up and held out a finger to get Shye's attention. "When I first began climbing in levels, another player did essentially the same thing for me, giving me and my friend all of the loot from an adventure and boosting us up several levels all in one go. Now, you're on the hook to do the same for someone else someday." He turned towards Forteliza and began walking once again. "It doesn't need to be soon, but someday, you'll be helping another lower leveled player. You're to give them the spoils from your quest, and without question. It will be far more valuable to them." With that, Shield made his way to the top of the next dune and gestured for Shye to follow, and he made his way back to civilization.

[QUEST REWARDS]

[Shield]

3 SP
Terra Firma Scale

[Shye]

6 SP
6,175 Col
3 T1 Materials
Rare T1 Consumables
[146090a] [146090b]
Sandstone Armor Potion x 2