Arabelle 0 Posted June 24, 2020 #41 Share Posted June 24, 2020 She noticed their linked hands. Their glances. What a cute couple. “That’s Oscar.” Bringing a gloved hand to her lips, she giggled softly at the man’s plight. Now wasn’t the time to call attention to their relationship status. “He’s a good cook, as far as I know. I’ve relied on his buffs a little too often.” Perhaps due to how much the wagon stood out did it draw a small gathering of interested players. He’d even run Crozeph out of his business. A marketing tactic, or something less complicated? “Oh, but if it’s any assurance, there might be some who’d still appreciate one of your drinks?” Her included. Arabelle communicated that with a kindly smile as she raised her hand in a small wave. She, for one, did not want to eat with her hands in this elegant kimono. “See you, then.” Crozeph left with a purpose. It appeared he wasn’t a simple plus one, and after a sincere “Yours suits you very well,” in response to Yuki’s compliment, she took that previous thought as a reminder to check on the reticent individual whom she'd brought with her today. Quite unexpectedly, the paladin’s introduction would reach her ears before she noticed their approaching presence. A light smile on her lips, the small purple-haired girl took a step to the side. The circle was open. “I didn’t expect you to come back empty-handed, Edel.” “I wouldn’t partake when I have nothing to contribute in return,” they reasoned. “Oh, sugar,” Arabelle sighed. “Not even one for me?” “Not unless you've conveniently lost your dislike for tacos.” Yuki’s pleasantries were returned, albeit with no introduction being given on their part. Hands folded over their kimono, Edel chose to remain where they had stopped earlier, and the empty spot was instead filled in by a familiar orange player. “Hello! It’s good to see you too, Mari,” she said, reciprocating the woman’s warm smile. Well, wasn’t someone comfortable? Unfortunately – and unlike what their attire would imply – Arabelle didn’t have enough time to stay and chat like a lady at an afternoon tea. There began the ushering; the aimless lot beginning to stream into the designated meeting hall at Crozeph’s and the island owner’s guidance. Noticing Yuki’s gesture to follow, the girl began to excuse herself. “Small world, hm? I’m sure we’ll have the opportunity to talk more in the future.” “You keep strange company,” Edel observed when the orange player was surely out of earshot. They inclined their head to the players lined up to enter the hall, apparently disinterested in following her any further. “…Someone you still need to speak to? I’ll be inside.” In a flutter of dark cloth, they’d headed in the opposite direction. NIGHT was here too, and she'd neatly isolated herself in a corner of the gathering. "Oh, no. Not this one," she responded to the other's inquiry. The swordswoman looked lovely, being dressed in something that wasn't her tracksuit for once, and based on her demeanor alone -- this occasion didn't seem like the sort of thing NIGHT would attend without any intention to participate in the raid itself. "...So you're that confident in your level already. --Well! For my part, I figured it's better to get a little intimidated now than in the next one." Tucking her hands behind her back, she thought to add a little more to that statement; it was no secret. "I'll be participating in the floor boss after this. Look forward to it." When the time came to enter the hall, their little group seemed to have dispersed. Yuki and Crozeph quite predictably sat together. NIGHT felt the entire weight of being a third wheel and took a table at the far end of the room. And as promised, she found Edel standing at a corner ("what, are you that uncomfortable?" ), and unless the mismatched pair wasn't prompted to do otherwise, she'd take the spot beside the blonde spectator. Link to post Share on other sites
Baldur 0 Posted June 24, 2020 Author #42 Share Posted June 24, 2020 (edited) Baldur waited until everyone had been seated. He took one of the handful of seats reserved at one end of the long hall for the guild masters. With Shield and Mari at his sides for this particular meeting, in lieu of the normal arrangement. They hadn't expected to ever have quite this many people in this room, but there was plenty of space for everyone. The shoji panel doors being open at both ends meant a nice breeze was able to flutter softly through the room. The room itself was somewhat narrow, only a few tatami mats wide, but it gave the feeling of intimacy without crowding the room. And without a single large table like you might find in western traditions with chairs taking up even more space, it let the crowd move through the room easily, find a comfortable space, and relax. Small tables had been placed throughout the room with matching cushions for anyone who had partaken of tacos, and the tea that would be served as well. The new faces brought Baldur hope, though it was tempered by absent ones. His eyes scanned over the faces there, both orange and green. New and old. Once everyone seemed settled, Baldur gave the room a seated bow. It was more formal than he had ever been, but he was trying to use this to communicate the sincerity of his words. "Thank you all for making the journey to my home, and to the guild hall of Jacob's Ladder. I know it is more than a bit inconvenient and out of the way to get here. I am also greatly flattered and honored by those of you who chose to wear clothing matching the style of my residence. It is not, nor shall it ever be, required now or in the future, but the gesture warms my heart. Thank you." Once he had said his words of gratitude, he stood up and addressed the room. "As you all know, the 25th floor has taken a much longer time to find the boss than usual. The entire floor was a maze filled with wandering monsters, and even just making progress was slow at best, and a test of endurance and energy management at the worst of times. It took all six of us, Zandra, Macradon, Hestia, Jonathan, Ariel, and myself working together and quite a bit of time to finally find the guardian." He took a moment and knelt down, taking his tea cup and standing once more, taking a slow sip. "What we encountered was unlike any labyrinth boss in the past. For the last several floors they have been getting more difficult and complicated. Coordination and energy management were key to the defeat of the last few. This boss, however..." Baldur hesitated for only the briefest of moments to find the words he had practiced in head, "was more like a floor boss. In fact... the labyrinth boss is the floor boss." He paused a moment, sure that his words would surprise some people, but pressed on before he could be interrupted. "This boss is a multi-phase form changing enemy. Instead of finding a guardian protecting the boss room, we found the boss room with a battle already in progress. The was a giant black dragon at war with Minotaurs armed with a ballista, and led by Orgoth, the giant minotaur of whom there is a statue in the settlement on floor 25. They managed to 'kill' the dragon" Baldur made air quotes around the word, "and in its death throes, it absorbed them and resurrected itself. Though this was more a cutscene for a boss fight than a mechanic. When we fought the dragon, it was a fairly standard fight, with the exception that we had to make use of the ballista in order to make it vulnerable when it began to fly. Once we killed the dragon, the body disappeared as usual." Taking another sip of his tea to wet an imaginarily dry throat, the gaijin continued. "We then fought the shadow's true form. It was protected by a magical shield that prevented us from doing damage to it until we ran through a series of skill checks. Periodically the Shadow would spawn waves of minions whose job were to debuff us, and make us more vulnerable to the shadow. He also seemed to only target those of us who had the "marked for death" debuff. While being slowed down by the shadowlings, we also had to activate four beacons of light placed there by Orgoth and his minotaurs in order to break the magic shield. Unfortunately, once the shield was broken, that seemed to unleash the shadow, and by unleash, I mean turn him into his floor boss form." He looked over the eyes in the room that were there, trying to gauge the reaction that his words were having. "We came as prepared as we possibly knew how to be, and this labyrinth boss fight took us to the edge. However, we also saw ways we could have fought better as well. This boss has five health bars. When we go into the boss room again, his first phase will start in possession of Orgoth's body. I expect the fight to be a combination of monster forms with different abilities, and other skill checks. Even without Orgoth's body, Shadow could hit like a train. In a single hit, he took out one third of my hit points, and I went in with almost maximum evasion as well." He took another sip, and then set down the empty tea glass. "It is obvious to me and those who were there, that this is not going to be your average floor boss fight. It is likely to be the hardest boss we have ever encountered before. In the past, we have been able to skate by on some people being prepared, and others not. In this fight, I worry that if we don't come prepared, and fully buffed, then there may potentially be casualties. For that reason, we have taken some steps." Baldur gestured to Raidou, the merchant's red jacket making it easy for Baldur to find him in the crowded room. "Jacob's Ladder commissioned from Raidou and his guild for 100 perfect quality group healing crystals. It is our intent to be able to provide stacks of healing crystals to everyone who shows up to fight the boss. With healing crystals, we can have every player there supplement the healing of their group and keep everyone in the green. I know other crafters as well have stepped up to help make other buffs available. Oscar" he indicated Mr Taco himself, "has worked tirelessly to prepare feasts for the frontlines. Jacob's Ladder will also be working closely with Zandra and the Aincrad Trading Post to help supplement crafters with resources necessarily to provide every buff needed to anyone who attends the boss battle. I will let the others elaborate on what they have available to the raid group." Slowly, Baldur lowered himself back down onto his knees to sit at his little dark wood, lacquered table. "I know this is something we can do, by working together and being prepared. The first order of business, however, is the same for this boss as for every other. Who here will step forward as a tank? For those who are new here, to be a tank, you need to be able to take the hits from the Shadow, as well as have some form of howl in order to maintain hate leads. I strongly recommend maximum mitigation and battle healing as minimums." An assumption on my part that Shadow will respect standard hate, but we need to prepare for what we can. "Any questions?" Edited June 24, 2020 by Baldur Link to post Share on other sites
Itzal 0 Posted June 24, 2020 #43 Share Posted June 24, 2020 Everyone had finally moved into the room, and wherever Zandra chose to sit, Itzal would position himself against the wall and lean against it. At this point he wasn't activating the hide skill anymore, as there was no point to it now. He was just there, and he did in fact plan on giving his input when the meeting called for it. There was the usual chit chat as players continued to file in, everyone trying to find a seat. However it didn't seem like anyone was going to have much more time to talk, as he could see Baldur getting ready to start the meeting in a more official manner. Just before he did, Aldion, his black raven, flew in from the door behind him and landed on his shoulder. The raven, as agreed upon, said nothing nor made any noise, but he did bob his head twice. Twice meant no, once meant yes, meaning there wasn't any unwanted individuals lurking around the area. He nodded to Aldion before turning his attention to Baldur as the man spoke. He started by thanking everyone for coming, and further thanked those who chose to wear the traditional clothing of the structure's culture. 'Sorry Baldur, but even if I wasn't acting as Are in this situation, I don't think I'd wear those clothings anyhow...' Not only was the clothing just not his style, but he'd likely feel a little goofy wearing them too. He'd just stick to his traditional black armor or trenchcoat outfit if they hadn't been burned up... Sorry about that Ariel, but he was leaving the past behind him. Finally he brought up the labyrinth, and how it took way longer than it should have. The gist of what this chunk of his speech was essentially stated that the boss was going to be nothing like the previous bosses. Meaning that Kayaba was just going to make these bosses harder and harder until they met their match. Or so it may seem to others. To Itzal he wondered if Kayaba just wanted the bosses to be a genuine challenge, posing an actual threat. Enough so to take it very seriously, not that many of these players already were. However he had not expected Baldur to state that the labyrinth boss was in fact the actual boss. Eyes narrowing out of curiosity, and his finger tapping quietly against his arm, he thought about what was said. Labyrinth bosses hadn't been around that long actually, so not much was known about them. The last labyrinth guardian gave insight as to how the boss would behave, what it's abilities might be, and how to prepare for that. But for the guardian to actually BE the boss? That was definitely a step in the other direction. The frontliners could have easily been killed had they not been careful. He continued to state how the boss was a multi-phase form boss. Been there done that, each form has a different ability, tactic and attacks. He then described a cut-scene the game provided, likely to scare the players or hint at how to fight it. Which it turns out the ladder was the correct as the players had to use the tools the minotaurs were using. According to the samurai, the fight was likely to start out like your average boss fight, and at phase two it summoned minions to debuff the players so that it could kill them. This was a new mechanic, but doable if they had the right strategy. Especially if they could direct the debuffs to players who had high hate. There were also pillars that had to be broken which reminded him of the previous boss fight, which started the third phase where it released it's true form, aka the floor boss. To this, the cloaked rogue didn't really have much of a reaction. He was too busy processing the information. Itzal wasn't sure if they'd have to fight the 'labyrinth guardian' phase all over again, or if they'd just have to fight the floor boss half, but they should prepare for a long fight either way. He may have to replace his two excess skills ahead of schedule after all... They'd definitely be needing accuracy debuffs against the boss according to Baldur, which should greatly reduce it's damage output. Unless it was somehow immune to it. But the third of his hit points concept was not a pleasant one to think about at all. Itzal wondered if he should keep his surprise attack mod or switch it out with vanish... Safety or damage was what that choice came down to. Afterwards he talked about how they needed to be fully buffed and work together. That was an understatement obviously, but he hoped that the more trouble maker players would take this seriously too, and that everyone would just drop the hatchet for this one fight. When he asked if there were any questions, Itzal waited a moment before he spoke up. "Kindly clarify for me, what it is you mean by 'skill checks'. Do you refer to the boss's abilities? Skills players will need to use frequently? Or skills the boss affects with one of it's own abilities?" @Baldur Link to post Share on other sites
Zajcica 0 Posted June 24, 2020 #44 Share Posted June 24, 2020 The light expression Yuki wore was quickly diminished with the mention of buying howl. Yuki had not bought howl yet. In fact, she had actively avoided buying the skill in order to take a more proactive role as a tank. She could see the flaws with what her build brought, but this was not a time to be picky about what she wanted. Honestly, she had only come to this meeting in order to listen and spend more time with Crozeph to meet more of his guild members. However, they had barely gotten through the meeting start and she was wanting to offer help. She was probably one of the weakest Third Tier players in this room, but she felt capable. Trying to force herself to stay seated didn't help either. She rose to her feet, making sure to keep the integrity of her beautiful kimono in place and looked over every familiar face that she knew was going to oppose her, then looked at Baldur. "Pardon my rookie eagerness, but I wish to offer myself as shield to the front liners." She started, surveying the expressions of many who would judge her what she she was about to say. "I have freshly reached Tier three, only just gaining my 50th level just a few days ago, however, I can say with certainty that I can tank well enough to be an asset." Saying that wouldn't be enough, she needed to sell her skills here or she would just look like an eager rookie who thought they could just jump in a front line fight and win by the power of friendship alone. "I have maxed not only my Heavy Armor skill, my Battle Healing skill, and my block skills, but I am also just a few SP shy of acquiring Howl and Parry. I lack any kind of damage, I will admit, but I hope that my skills will be enough to help keep people alive and that's all I want. I plead you and the other front liners to let me join the battle." With her query put to rest, she too rested on the tatami mat. She watched the faces of some people who would disapprove of her trying to do this. Namely she looked to the most obvious people: @Mari, @Shield, @NIGHT, and most importantly @Crozeph. The lot of them would probably be the most worried about her, having known personally how reckless she can be. This was for all the money though. Yuki wouldn't fuck around here. She would, however, wait for @Baldur's response first. Link to post Share on other sites
Pinball 1 Posted June 25, 2020 #45 Share Posted June 25, 2020 He saw him across the way. The edgy swordsman that'd arrested him that Christmas. It felt almost like year ago, now, but that hatred burned his chest just the same. It was a familiar fire, something that rose in his throat and stayed there, leaving his eyes locked onto the man's back as he shot volley after volley of quiet insults at him. His heart was racing, his hands starting to shake, and all Pinball could think about was how easily the other frontliners accepted him. Granted, they'd also let Pinball in, too, but why hadn't they even questioned them? Nobody batted an eye at an orange cursor, less so at the dark and gloomy mask worn by someone who liked to masquerade as some fucked up police officer; and a bad one, at that. Whatever, he told himself, it's fine. If they were fine with it, he could try to keep that anger under wraps. But no matter how hard he tried to listen to the meeting, he couldn't keep his mind off him. Part of him wanted to stand up and just rip the mask off, just to look him in the eye and see who it was that ruined that night for him. He wanted to see the face of the man that kept him locked up in a room for weeks, stationing some poor girl outside his door who he could've easily killed if he'd felt the need to. And his voice. God, it took everything he had in him. Link to post Share on other sites
tricolor_mina 0 Posted June 25, 2020 #46 Share Posted June 25, 2020 "This isn't the time or the place. Everyone's focus should be on staying alive. Even if you aren't in the raid, doesn't mean that the rest of them aren't. Baldur is leading this meeting and doesn't have the time to listen intently. Please save it." Violet found herself getting dragged off a few moments later, a look of confusion crossing her face as Jon pulled her away from the main group. Mari's words rang out in her ears, reminding her that this was a serious event. Reminding her that everyone's lives were at stake here. She fell silent as Jon seemed to turn to the girl briefly, and seemed to silently thank her for intervening. A brief pang of hurt hit her though, before they went too far, Baldur's voice seemed to ring out to her. "perhaps after the meeting, I'm sure we could all use something to raise our spirits." She felt the tension fade from herself, and she moved forward with Jon, a relieved look on her face. After the two had traveled a small ways away, Jon would eventually turn to her, a rather stressed look on his face. "I'm sorry. I know you want to tell him. But today... today we make a plan to keep the most people alive as possible. Any distractions could mean the loss of anyone's lives. Let's go, if you really want me to change than we have to find someplace for me to do it at." Violet tilted her head down, wincing slightly at his reprimand for bringing it up now. "This will not be the first, or last time I have, or will have attended something like this, Jon." she said quietly, gripping her left arm tightly with her right hand. "If you try to treat me like a damn child, you'll be getting my foot in your face, y'hear?!" She waited patiently outside of the room with her head tilted towards the wall after he exited the room to get changed. When he finally came back out, they started making their way back to the main room, and Violet's eyes lit up when she noticed the taco wagon. She missed having Mexican food, since she frequented restaurants like that almost every other day in the real world. "Maa, jon. why don't you go on ahead while I get us some food?" she said, a faint smile on her face as she walked over to the cart, purchasing a few burrito wraps, and a taco bowl. She absolutely adored it when she had the opportunity to have some, so she certainly wasn't going to pass that up right now. She made her way over to the actual meeting room, and would sit down off to the side, waiting for him, listening to the meeting with narrowed eyes. 'This fight certainly won't be pretty for them, thats for sure.' she thought, scowling at the thought of the floor boss somehow flaunting its presence before the actual boss fight. 'And something doesn't sit well with me about the floor boss showing its face already... that looks like a bad omen if I'm honest..' Link to post Share on other sites
Bahr 0 Posted June 25, 2020 #47 Share Posted June 25, 2020 Shadows, magic shields, and ads, oh my. "I've got a question," Bahr piped up, cutting through the silence that seemed to manifest after each member of the meeting had taken their turns pitching in inquiries and volunteering as tribute to the proverbial Erebus of Sword Art Online. It was only after the silence returned, and Bahr felt all eyes on him, that he realized what he'd done. He was sitting in the middle of a Floor Boss meeting, the exact sort of environment he'd been striving toward for the past year. He'd expected to find himself right in his element, but as the collective gaze of the strangers weighed on him, he found his voice caught in his throat. He was nervous. Get it together. "You describe the creature as being one of darkness; a 'Shadow,' if you will," he continued, noticing it was easier to find his stride once he'd found the footing on his point. "To complete the Labyrinth Guardian fight, you needed to activate beacons of light. Whether we expect that to be a mechanic in the actual Floor Boss fight or not, it seems that illuminating the arena contributed to the initial skirmish's completion on a macro perspective, if I'm understanding correctly." Bahr's eyes scanned the room as people contemplated where he was going with this. A few people were nodding, either to signify that they were following along or had already reached the same conclusion as he. Affirmed by their mannerisms, he pressed on. "Being that that's the case, don't you think that skills such as Night Vision, or items such as Glow Stones may come in handy? Clearly they won't do as much for us as a 'beacon of light,' but if we have any reason at all to believe that we might end up fighting in the dark, I'd think it would pay to come prepared." As the rest of the Frontliners mulled over his contention, another thought occurred to Bahr, and he barreled ahead to get it out before the meeting got away from him and he lost his opportunity to contribute meaningfully. "Moreover, it sounds to me like this 'Orgoth' might serve as a useful ally. This 'Shadow' is an entity that can freely transition from inhabiting one mob to another, right? I think it might be worth brainstorming ideas for how to get the entity out of Orgoth without killing him, so we can use him to combat the Shadow. Based on what we know so far, do we think that might be possible?" His points laid out, Bahr leaned back in his seat and waited for someone else to chip in. He'd had the floor for long enough, and didn't want to monopolize what little time they had any further. Link to post Share on other sites
Shield 0 Posted June 25, 2020 #48 Share Posted June 25, 2020 No sooner had @Zajcica opened her mouth did Shield open his own. He had kept mostly silent, watching the comings and goings so far and nodding to acknowledge those who he knew and assessing those who he did not. "Absolutely not," he said with a stern finality. "Tier three is the bare minimum to participate in a boss battle, let alone tank in a boss battle, let alone tank in THIS boss battle." His arms were crossed over his chest as he stared Yuki down. He knew full well how stubborn she could be, but he was not going to have her throwing herself into such a foolhardy position so early on in her tanking career. "I respect the progress you have made, but you haven't seen some of the fights that the front lines can throw at you. Twice now at least we have faced enemies that sent the front lines scattering in all directions, so when Baldur impresses upon us the complexity and risk involved in this particular fight, you need to give him the deference he is owed. I am happy to have you off-tank for a party, but you need to be paired with a tank who has proven their mettle on the lines." "Please do not mistake me," he continued, his tone softening, though his intensity not relenting one bit. "I always appreciate any time a player offers their services to aid the front lines, and one day you will likely be exactly the kind of tank we need around which to build a raid party." He sighed, a slight edge returning to his voice. "But this is not the fight for you to be thrown into the deep end." Yuki had seen the extent to which Shield was capable of being stern, but there was a ferocity behind his gaze now that he had now shown her before. "Sit down." With that, he stood, addressing glancing over the crowd of gathered players. "I do not know many of you, so it's best I introduce myself. I am Shield, and although I share leadership with Baldur and Mari, on paper I am the guild leader of Jacob's Ladder." He inclined his head, bowing in proper greeting to those assembled. "I am glad to see so many new faces here. I offer myself to tank, and to supplement support to those who need it. If anyone is in need of Sharpness or extra energy, I'm your man." Introductions and offer aside, he turned his attention to the question that @Bahr had asked. "While I was not present for the labyrinth boss battle, if it's deemed appropriate to have extra sources of light, I am more than happy to provide a handful or two of Glow Stones to be distributed among parties." Link to post Share on other sites
Calrex 0 Posted June 25, 2020 #49 Share Posted June 25, 2020 As the meeting was underway, Calrex was holding a kettle of prepared tea, the cast iron piece still hot from being freshly taken off of the stovetop. Setting it onto a tray with a grouping of teacups, he gave a small sigh to himself, "Wonder if they already started with the discussions. There was already a good amount of people gathered from what I saw, so I wouldn't be surprised if the pillars decided to get started." Escorting @Cordelia over to the kitchen in order to assist preparing drinks had taken a bit longer than he had expected. It was at the end of a decent length hallway, one that was farther from the meeting room than what the bluenette remembered from the last time he was here, "I'm still working on knowing this place like the back of my hand, but I guess having just woken up my brain wasn't exactly at 100%." Glancing over at the trays set up on the preparation table, it seems like it was possible for the two of them to bring all of the drinks over. In the real world, the balancing necessary would probably be a bit more difficult, but from what he could guess the game system assisted them to some level. As long as their avatars were in contact with the tray, they had a lot more control over it. "Think we've got enough for the people present so far?" Looking down the Ultramarine Knight gave a small tug on his cloak, keeping it from sliding further forwards or backwards than necessary. Link to post Share on other sites
Crozeph 0 Posted June 25, 2020 #50 Share Posted June 25, 2020 (edited) Am I doing fine? am I... A tap on his shoulder snapped him back to the current situation. His aloof nature or whatever it as called is not a secret Mari and with that, he gave a weak smile as a reply to her. Soon after Yuki was on his side again and told him that he did a good job. He followed behind her inside the meeting room and saw that everyone was already seated. Crozeph could feel the air grow heavy with all the faces he is now seeing, the taco wagon wasn't even enough to distract him from it. Yes, months of isolation and this was the underlying effect. He brushed his fringes to cover his eyes a bit more. The azure eyes that seem to glimmer the more it was bathed in light. He sat in a seiza beside Yuki and held her hand too, he felt more comfortable now. This is his return to the frontlines and even if it's just a meeting he could feel that everyone was aiming to clear the floor and they won't be holding back in doing so. and then Baldur spoke and laid down the information... That's where things began to go downhill inside Crozeph's mind. As much as he wanted to return again, all the information being imparted was giving him a feeling that he never wanted to feel, it was anger and fear. He was just an average guy who tried to co-exist with players with little to no attention gained which he liked but hearing a floor boss made him angry "Azide..." he muttered. It was anger to the ones hindering them from getting out of the game, the ones taking the lives of players and one of them was his former guild leader whom he respected. It would be foolish for me to think I could... Fear, he felt it too and right now not just for him but for Yuki too, call him a coward if they want but he knew what battle to fight. They are fighting to make their way out of the game not to gain the highest scores or kills. He held her hand as Baldur continued to talk, listening closely to all the information that they have gathered. Five health bars, debuff, a shadow, they even had to do skill checks. Every info screams of "you'll all die here now" for Crozeph. "I'm not letting Yuki join this fight," he thought. He had doubts about whether to join the fight or not but after Baldur said all that they know, it solidified his choice, he and Yuki won't be joining. Another player then began asking the important questions and another question followed by suggestions was made by a guy named Bahr or so he heard them call him by that name. The meeting was starting to look like floor boss meeting now but then... What are you doing Yuki? his thoughts began to scream inside his head. His fiance or soon to be fiance stood up and began to utter words that are to be expected. It's true that Yuki was a lot stronger now, she even surpassed him so fast Crozeph might still be eating dust behind her. He looked at her as she let his hand go and began offering her skills to join the battle. She told them of her armor and mitigation but Crozeph didn't want to hear any of that bu*****t. If the game could materialize blood his would be boiling at the moment. This is why he hates himself when angry, he could smell danger coming for those he holds dear and he can smell it on Yuki and it's making him angry. Yuki continued talking while Crozeph is now glaring at her, his azure eyes starting to look like he'd waste a roll of duct tape on her mouth just to keep her from saying any more of it. As she sat down again, he was still glaring at her and as he was about to unload his anger, another voice did it for him. Shield began to state the obvious, though he still provided her an option to pair up with another tank that has more experience in the frontlines. He then held her hand again and looked down on the floor, if someone has to stop her it would be someone who was much more capable than him. His glare faded and turned into a weary look. He wanted to thank Shield for what he did even if it sounded stern it was what he wanted to say but Shield said it better. Crozeph would only cause a fight with her, plus it will look like he's holding her back. He placed a hand on Yuki's head and tried to smile "I'm going to get some tacos for us and some tea and also..." he whispered at her "...I'm not letting you join this battle just like Shield." He stood up and made his way to the wagon and began making tacos for the two of them and then he walked to the kitchen. Seeing Calrex and Cordelia preparing the tea made him remember again that he was supposed to prepare some for their guest. He quickly looked for another tray and place the two tacos he made and joined him and Cordelia "let me help, I can carry some so we won't have a tray with too many cups" he told them. @Zajcica @Calrex @Cordelia Edited June 25, 2020 by Crozeph Link to post Share on other sites
Baldur 0 Posted June 25, 2020 Author #51 Share Posted June 25, 2020 The first voice that spoke up was the player who made Baldur's blood boil, and Baldur was not someone used to being infuriated. But obscuring ones identity in such a place, and under such circumstances was the height of rudeness and contempt and it made Baldur see red for a moment. However, he had been prepared for this. Not this specific situation, but for a situation like this. Ever since the previous meeting had seen him and Hestia is a shouting match that ended with people walking away. Instead, Baldur took a deep breath, steeled himself, and then addressed the rude player. This was not his meeting, even if it was in his home. This meeting belong to every living person on Aincrad, and he owed it to the people they were trying to help to not let something like Baldur's personal feelings about someone get in the way. @Itzal "Kindly clarify for me, what it is you mean by 'skill checks'. Do you refer to the boss's abilities? Skills players will need to use frequently? Or skills the boss affects with one of it's own abilities?" "By skill check, I mean challenges created to make us jump through hoops and impede progress. We had to spend time juggling aggro on the shadowling, culling their numbers, and trying to ignite the torches, while trying to tank the Shadow. Igniting the torch was a skill check, because how fast we went determined how long the fight would drag on against a monster with a shield that didn't allow us to damage it until we had lit the beacons." @Zajcica @Shield @Crozeph Then Yuki stood up and offered to tank. Baldur didn't know her well, but he swelled with pride at her statement. A new tank coming to the frontlines was a moment of celebration. He opened his mouth to speak, but Shield cut him off, and did so in a way that caused Baldur to show surprise visibly on his face. Everything Shield said was prudent and correct, but the Paragon of Tanks came down on the girl in a way he had never seen before. They must have a close relationship if he feels so invested in her. Still, Baldur felt the need to... formalize what Shield had said. "Thank you, Yuki, for volunteering. We have been burdened by a lack of tanks and healers in the last several fights, and knowing that you are ready to prove yourself as a tank is a blessing to everyone in this room. Shield is correct, however, in that having a large enough pool of hit points and energy are also something that need to be considered. This boss was capable of delivering powerful attacks that put even our strongest in the danger zone. However, I don't think now is the time to discuss the minutia of builds. Meet with us after the formal meeting is complete, and we can help you and any other volunteers for main tanks or off tanks work out the details." He gave her a forlorn smile. He hated to see her energy tempered like that, but this would be a terrible fight for someone unprepared to cut their teeth on. Baldur eyes then turned to address the crowd at large. "Forgive me if I am repeating basic information, but as we have several new faces, I don't know what everyone is aware of. When Shield speaks of Off-Tanks, he's speaking of someone who can switch with the tank if they need to tap out and recover some hit points, and also someone who is capable of dealing with adds - that is to say additional non-boss monsters in the fight. Considering the number of Shadowspawn that he was able to summon, add management is potentially a very real part of this fight, and having off tanks who are capable of doing this is also important. For this reason alone, I have also picked up <<Fighting Spirit>> which is a skill that Macradon used to great effect in the labyrinth fight. I intend to make myself available as an off tank as well, if required." @Bahr "I've got a question." It was a voice Baldur didn't yet recognized, but could already tell it would be one that he would learn quickly. "You describe the creature as being one of darkness; a 'Shadow,' if you will, to complete the Labyrinth Guardian fight, you needed to activate beacons of light. Whether we expect that to be a mechanic in the actual Floor Boss fight or not, it seems that illuminating the arena contributed to the initial skirmish's completion on a macro perspective, if I'm understanding correctly. Being that that's the case, don't you think that skills such as Night Vision, or items such as Glow Stones may come in handy? Clearly they won't do as much for us as a 'beacon of light,' but if we have any reason at all to believe that we might end up fighting in the dark, I'd think it would pay to come prepared." "Moreover, it sounds to me like this 'Orgoth' might serve as a useful ally. This 'Shadow' is an entity that can freely transition from inhabiting one mob to another, right? I think it might be worth brainstorming ideas for how to get the entity out of Orgoth without killing him, so we can use him to combat the Shadow. Based on what we know so far, do we think that might be possible?" Baldur nodded at the man, as if to reaffirm that they were good points he had brought up. "Thank you, yes. You've brought up a good point I forgot to mention. Darkness did play a large part of the encounter. We were at a severe disadvantage when it came to trying to hit anything in there, especially when trying to use AoE so extensively. I'm saying that I had a hard time hitting things." The words would really only be useful for people who were familiar with him, but hopefully the impression would land on the others who knew him only by reputation as well. "I would recommend that those who have spare inventory bring a few extra glow stones, specifically anyone who deals damage as a 1 handed weapon user. However, we did get a dropped item from the labyrinth boss. I and the others have special glow stones that are capable of activating from our battle ready inventory, instead of needing to be equipped. As long as one of these are in each party, we should be okay. However, it may be possible that they have other uses in the fight as well, so if you have a spare slot, it may be worth filling with one." "While I was not present for the labyrinth boss battle, if it's deemed appropriate to have extra sources of light, I am more than happy to provide a handful or two of Glow Stones to be distributed among parties." Baldur nodded and smiled at Shield as he offered more light sources. "Excellent." The gaijin samurai then turned to address the rest of Bahr's question. "As for Orgoth... that is an excellent point. If we could expel the shadow from him and gain him as an ally, that would be extremely useful. That's an exceptionally insightful observation I never would have considered. We haven't really come across possession or allies in boss battles before, but this is a unique fight. I have no idea how we could do this, but this is a clear example of a skill check we should expect in this fight. Skill checks, such as this one potentially, will attempt to reduce our action economy. The more people we have lighting beacons, the less people we have keeping shadowling numbers in check, as I said earlier. I don't know that we'll have an idea on how to address this until we engage in the fight, but who knows, maybe feeding him a glow stone will help." Baldur said with a smirk. He didn't expect it work, he had meant it as a more flippant remark to illustrate how odd these things could be. At that point, Shield stood up and introduced himself to those gathered here and offered to tank. Baldur hadn't thought to introduce himself, or the guild, or the other pillars. But that could also wait until the end. "Do we have any more questions or tank volunteers?" 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Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0 Posted June 25, 2020 #52 Share Posted June 25, 2020 Pre-meeting start, mostly concerns @Raidou @Assassin @Oscar. Spoiler "You shouldn't pay them any mind!" Ariel chimed, gently stroking the girl's head behind the ear. She rose to her feet, after crouching to get more to her level and pointed towards the impromptu food stand. "Let's have something to eat before we get inside!" she added, having Sin raise and taking the two of them next to the mexican food stand. As much as out of place it looked initially, the blonde was glad this cook decided to set shop here and it would show on her expression as she adressed . The scent of grilled meat had caught her attention for a while now and seeing how the cloaked figure decided to stop hiding, she could pursue this new craving that she had. "Hola! I'd like some tamales and a couple of tacos, por favor!" she ordered, correctly punctuating the accents on her order as she mixed in foreign words. Her fluent spanish may have been rusty after all these years inside but she perfectly remembered the names of some of her favorite dishes, that once in a while, her father would cook. She gave Raidou enough time to order something for himself while handing one of the tacos to Assassin. Having the same intent as Raidou a little earlier, get the girl's mind off things by stuffing her with food (geez grandma). With now plenty of food one of her hands, she eyed the alchemist beside her: "You can't plan or fight on an empty stomach! Let's get inside now." was her sudden explanation for her actions; even though nobody asked for one. At the meeting, for everyone: Noticing that Baldur was about to start the meeting, the three followed after the sea of people and remained outside the meeting room, near the opened shoji panel doors. This way they were still able to see inside and were within earshot all while the three kept their distance; the blonde knowing that both Raidou, Assassin and maybe herself too, prefered it that way. She listened with closed eyes, leaning against the wall as she sat down. She vividly recalled the events from the scouting expedition, as their host presented their findings to the rest. Sometimes Ariel would nod in agreement, other times furrow her brows. Near the end, despite not knowing much about the guild, she had to give them credit for reaching out to the rest of the guilds and help prepare the raid members with buffs and whatnot. "Umu!" she interjected under her breath when he mentioned that they'll need to work together, the scouts themselves having to constantly communicate throughout their fights, using each of their strengths for the right purpose. Then a topic that interested her was put in the forefront... tanks. The scouts have relied on Hestia to be their tank but she couldn't keep that role up 'til the end. She had allocated a lot of time to this subject and had something to say in regards to it. She opened her eyes and was about to stand up when she heard a familiar voice take the spotlight after Baldur finished and opened the meeting to questions. She couldn't believe it, it was not too long ago that she had bumped into Yuki and ended up doing the quest together. Ariel distinctly remember the tank saying that she would skip this boss fight. Luckily Shield was quick to intervene and shut her down, as much as she enjoyed teasing him and not show it in his presence... she had respect for the established tank. He had his priorities and goals set since she first meet him a lifetime ago and held a important position after achieving them. While his words were harsh, they were what she needed to hear. Soon the blonde would add something more. "Shield is right, Yuki-chan! This won't be like the quest against the wolf cubs in the forest." she said out loud, making sure everyone heard her. "This boss is serious trouble, we labored until the end to light the beacons, thinking it would have an effect and in the end it only made it stronger. So strong in fact that the 24th floor is now in perpetual darkness, after we cleared it." She eyed Baldur for a moment, mentally apologizing: "We fled, ran away with teleport crystals! after with but a snap of its fingers destroyed the four pillars we labored so much to light up." her memory fresh, marked by a simple line that she couldn't get out of her head. "It asked us after 'Did you think a giant flashlight would be my kryptonite?' I couldn't believe my ears. Then with a snap of his fingers, he reduced all of our health bars by at least half, his adds exploding and dealing damage." she took a break, visibly frustrated as she was trying to recollect key details. "Baldur-dono, I know that you probably deemed this aspect unrelated to the meeting but I think they need to know how lucky us scouts are to be here today. To leave that room alive. I was left with less than 150 points of health, after taking a direct hit from the boss before his final attack." she stopped and took a deep breath, realizing that she was rambling on like a old soldier talking about war. Closing her eyes, she finally added: "I also believe that a pair of tanks is a must have for every party in this raid and would like to volunteer as main tank or off tank, if the first position is filled. I am a damage dealer at core but with 'Quick Swap' and some minor changes I can confidently say that I can fill both those roles." With those final words, she made a curt bow towards the crowd and returned to the more private area where Raidou and Sin were. "I'm such an idiot..." she muttered with a long sigh, that only the two would be able to hear. Link to post Share on other sites
Cordelia 0 Posted June 25, 2020 #53 Share Posted June 25, 2020 "O-oh. I knew that!" she exclaimed, her face flushing a bright red as she halted abruptly in her steps. "'Course, I knew that," she mumbled sheepishly, turning to follow after him. Good lord this estate his huge. It might even be bigger than Oscar's - that might just be because everything is separated so much though... "Alright, where does Baldur keep his tea leaves... or is he a person who uses teabags?" Cordelia sighed, shuffling through the kitchen to try to find a jar or bag of herbs. "I don't suppose you know where it is? You do live here after all," she asked, looking over her shoulder at the bluenette. She wasn't sure if Calrex struck her as a tea person or not, but if he was living with Baldur, he must've at least drank it before, right? She opened a random cabinet. "Oh nevermind, I found some," she exclaimed, pulling out a transparent jar almost filled to the brim with dried leaves. "Yeesh, he must restock this thing regularly," Cordelia commented, shaking around the jar a few times before she set it down on the counter. "Alright, where does he keep his kettle..." Crouching down, she checked the lower cabinets. Bingo! She heaved the kettle on to the stove with her flimsy noodle arms and flicked it on. "So," she sniffed, waiting for the water to start boiling. "Weather's... nice?" She let out an awkward cough before turning back to the kettle. Several silent minutes ticked by. Several awkward minutes. Soon, the kettle started to whistle, and Cordelia took that as the water being ready. Quickly, she did whatever she needed to prepare the tea (bear with me, its almost 12 am and im tired) and poured it into several ceramic cups. "That... that should be enough people right? I don't think there could be that much people..." Cordelia deadpanned, setting the cups on top of two serving trays. "I- here. You take this one." Cordelia pointed at the tray next to hers. "Just give one to everyone... and if there's any extra ones- uh, chug it down." She tilted her head as Crozeph popped into the kitchen. "Oh. hey. Yeah, we'd love some help!" Cordelia flashed him a grateful grin before placing a few cups on to a seperate tray. "That should be enough." She clapped her hands together before picking up the tray. @Crozeph @Calrex By the time she had gotten to the room, it seemed the meeting had already started. Already, it felt like there was tension in the air. Seriously? It's only been like, five minutes! Yeesh, what happen while I was gone? Almost awkwardly, Cordelia placed down a ceramic cup on each of the player's little cute wooden table things before placing the final one on her tray on her own little cute wooden table thing, which happened to be situated near/or next to wherever the hell Oscar was. Her hands wrapped around each other in front of her as Baldur went on to explain what exactly happened and what might or will happen. Minotaurs? Shadows? Light... beacons? It was definitely something she had never heard of being in a boss fight before. After Baldur had finished, several other players in the room chimed in with ideas and questions of their own. The one that caught her attention the most seemed to be a player completely unknown to her, shrouded in a dark hood and smoke. Perhaps a vanity effect? Seemed edgy. Very edgy. [cutting this off bc i dont want it to be too long. will chime in next post <3] Link to post Share on other sites
Raidou 1 Posted June 25, 2020 #54 Share Posted June 25, 2020 (edited) Spoiler He did not have the stomach to eat anything despite how exquisite the food smelled, so despite Ariel's words he abstains from the meal as to not have any ammunition lining the walls for he was already nervous and needed no fuel to the fire. He heard discussions in silence between @Baldur and @Bahr drawn patterns of contention between parties from the likes of @Itzal, he could feel the stagnancy in the air between words spoken, and frankly, it was difficult for him to keep his stance as simply a listener. Ariel had spoken her piece and from the information, she had told him upon passing a glimmering stone, she had provided and that was spoken sufficiently fueled what he was going to say. His heart was racing in his chest, pushing it further to somewhere in the pit of his stomach in silence he wanders into the center. Feeling like a sheep with the eyes of wolves preying down on him. He spoke... "I have been in battles time and time again, to those I have met among you, Most we had not left on good terms." the words were broken at first but they began to take shape, become more solid after each letter. "I am not going to pretend this would be easy, nor will I fain some knowledge I know about what exactly you faced within the depths of floor 25. Your creature was daunting and seemingly overpowering you despite the best of efforts." a look to @Zandra "I know all to well how things can fall apart when mechanics change. The most you can do in these situations is to prepare for everything. You should assume anything is possible, that anything that can happen will and build a plan around that fact alone." He paused for a moment, with his chest on fire threatening for his ribcage to shatter but it did not show in an outward appearance. "I can attest to seeing @Zajcica face foes much larger than herself, acting in tandem with a damage dealer greater than I anticipated being necessary with no issue. But I would also digress to information that had also been brought to my attention after a discussion one of my own, along with a discussion with @Shield. Now is not the time for tests of capability or leaving things to chance. Everything needs to be mapped to paper, down to the last decimal you need to be sure you're doing the best to mitigate losses. Draw your teams with this in mind and use everything at your disposal." Another pause with an adjusts of his glasses. "Anything you need I will gladly offer, I would give you the world if it meant giving you lot even the slightest edge on the battlefield. This is not a testament to some feeling to try and put myself on some pedestal but I don't need to see a single name on that monument. If you need a tank, I would die protecting those who I am charged but I will not pretend I am the best candidate for a single party. But I would stand with you, and fulfill the role needed." Edited June 25, 2020 by Raidou Link to post Share on other sites
Mari 1 Posted June 25, 2020 #55 Share Posted June 25, 2020 (edited) With pleasantries out of the way, Mari Shield and Baldur finished ushering everyone into the guild meeting hall Shoji doors and tatami mats surrounded the large gathering. Mari drew in a deep breath. Despite Japan not being her home. The smell of these things, it reminded her of it. Gave her a sense of familiarity. The place was unlike other meeting halls, instead of one big table, each player had their own smaller table and cushion to sit on. It felt more homely that way. Less crowded. Less sterile. Along one of the walls, sat four tables, this is where the Pillars would sit. Baldur took his seat, and Shield on one side of him - Mari sat beside Baldur and glanced at the empty seat beside her. Oikawa was still missing. Still... now was not the time to worry about that. Once Baldur addressed the room Mari took her chance to interject. Standing to address everyone. "Most of you know me, for those that don't. I'm Mari. A fellow leader of Jacobs ladder. I'll be dealing damage; but am also offering materials and col to those who need it." She paused. Should she address the issues at hand? Her orange cursor? Her spotted past? "I Understand that some of you may...have their reservations about me, and I respect that. I am willing to do whats best to have a clean run of the boss. To get everyone else one step closer to going home. If anyone has concerns I'm willing to discuss them at length after the meeting." She was rambling, wasn't she? Mari bit her tongue and promptly sat down. Addressing the few issues that had already arisen. "Yuki ...." Mari began as she stared at @Zajcica with a sympathetic gaze. "I admire your willingness to come into this battle. However; I'm concerned about-" Mari was interrupted by Shield. Although he voiced what she had wanted to say. Mari added to that. "But you're reckless, and whilst that may have improved somewhat I worry that you don't quite understand the gravity of this. You came into this meeting with the goal to sit in and listen, with no intention to join this frontline battle right?" Mari asked. Showing that she had been listening to the conversations that were happening around her during her time greeting everyone. "I'd be more willing to have you with the fight if others can testify that you've grown more." Mari knew her words were harsh, they always were with Yuki. But Yuki had been close to death multiple times. IF she continued that way in the boss battle - it'd end badly. Mari listened to Bahr, and his suggestions with interest; if she were being honest - she admired his suggestions. It's a shame he was wanting her imprisoned. If not for that maybe they'd have gotten along. "Mmm....but don't lights make shadows...bigger....?" Mari said thoughtfully. "We'd need a heck of a lotta glowstones to alleviate that. Again, I'm willing to help on that front, along with Shield." Mari was thankful that @Ariel - The Crowned Lionhad given more information in regards to the boss; it affirmed her offhanded comment about lights and shadows. "I remember the last floor raid I was in....the Orochi - I begged everyone to have a source of light, or Night VIsion. However when the battle came, only one had listened... I'd hope we don't have a repeat of that." Her comment did little to add to the conversation and she wished she had kept that to herself. SHe didn't mean to complain. Mari cleared her throat, shifting her train of thought. "We should look at numbers and groups We need to figure out groups. How many will be in each group. If we take on Ariels suggestion we would want two tanks in a group - I'd also say that ideally we'd want two damage dealers - and two support players. Giving us 6 players to a group...." Mari tapped her fingers against the table. "And... what of the chance that hate mechanics won't work against the boss? We gotta consider these things too. From what we've heard - people could be 'marked for death' So we need support ready to help those players who may be marked again." Mari felt like she was adding very little to the conversation. She had lead meetings like this before - had information and knowledge and experience, but she had been away from the meetings for such a long time...that she was doubting herself. She could feel wary eyes on her. And part of her questioned if she should even be here. Mari wanted a distraction. And as if on cue; Mari received a message from Oikawa. Quote Hey Snowflower, I'm not gonna make it, try not to be too sad. Give the others my apologies . Mari frowned. She stared at the message as Baldur addressed the room. Try not to be too sad? The hell was his problem? Mari pursed her lips and nudged Baldur once he sat back down. "Hey, @Baldur Oikawa isn't coming." Mari whispered in a dejected tone. "I'm not sure what's going on with him lately....I'm...worried." Mari shifted her eyes away as she closed up her HUD. She'd have to reply to Oikawa later. Edited June 25, 2020 by Mari Link to post Share on other sites
Itzal 0 Posted June 25, 2020 #56 Share Posted June 25, 2020 "By skill check, I mean challenges created to make us jump through hoops and impede progress. We had to spend time juggling aggro on the shadowling, culling their numbers, and trying to ignite the torches, while trying to tank the Shadow. Igniting the torch was a skill check, because how fast we went determined how long the fight would drag on against a monster with a shield that didn't allow us to damage it until we had lit the beacons." Itzal could see the hatred the samurai felt for Itzal in those eyes. He had absolutely no idea why he would hate Itzal, perhaps it was his bout with Hestia the last meeting. But he wasn't about to let players waltz into the frontlines thinking that it was going to be a breeze. Hestia wanted everyone to think the frontlines were immortal, impenetrable, but they HAD to know that their lives were on the line. To not warn them of that was to let them be cocky, reckless, unprepared, and above all: It meant that their lives were in your hands. Itzal would NOT let that happen, not then, not now, not ever. He was done being a passerby, he was going to be confident, confrontational, and direct from now on. To keep everyone safe. This is what he'd do. At any rate, Baldur's words made sense, though he was still confused as to why he used the words skill check. He nodded to acknowledge that he understood what was being said however, and left it at that. @Baldur "Pardon my rookie eagerness, but I wish to offer myself as shield to the front liners." She started, surveying the expressions of many who would judge her what she she was about to say. "I have freshly reached Tier three, only just gaining my 50th level just a few days ago, however, I can say with certainty that I can tank well enough to be an asset." "I have maxed not only my Heavy Armor skill, my Battle Healing skill, and my block skills, but I am also just a few SP shy of acquiring Howl and Parry. I lack any kind of damage, I will admit, but I hope that my skills will be enough to help keep people alive and that's all I want. I plead you and the other front liners to let me join the battle." And this was exactly what Itzal was trying to prevent the last meeting around. Players wanting to prove themselves, or players who were desperate to aid the frontlines in some manner jumping too hard at the chance to do so. Itzal was about to lecture her himself, when Shield stepped in and firmly put out her hope of doing so, quickly followed by others who affirmed his statement. His former guild member... Shield and Itzal had some disagreements, but on the whole they worked well together in the past, and he was glad that the tank was here for this battle. If the man looked his way, he would see Itzal nod to his old friend in gratitude. @Shield the next person to speak up was a player Itzal had not met before. There were several players he hadn't met of course, and while he'd like to do introductions, he knew it would likely just piss people off that he was asking for their information but wouldn't give his identity... To be fair, he did research on everyone because of this, but he really didn't like it. It felt like an invasion of privacy, so whenever he looked up on them he did his best to only gather vital information he would need, such on past criminal actions, recent activity, etc. Trying to avoid the personal data if at all possible. "You describe the creature as being one of darkness; a 'Shadow,' if you will, To complete the Labyrinth Guardian fight, you needed to activate beacons of light. Whether we expect that to be a mechanic in the actual Floor Boss fight or not, it seems that illuminating the arena contributed to the initial skirmish's completion on a macro perspective, if I'm understanding correctly. Being that that's the case, don't you think that skills such as Night Vision, or items such as Glow Stones may come in handy? Clearly they won't do as much for us as a 'beacon of light,' but if we have any reason at all to believe that we might end up fighting in the dark, I'd think it would pay to come prepared." Itzal hadn't thought about that. Mainly because he already had night vision, but it was basically a useless mod due to it being.... Well useless as far as quests and floors went. All it did was remove an inconvenience, that was about it. Nothing more than that. He'd never actually needed it up till now. Of course he wasn't going to be the one to ask everyone if they had the mod either. He was willing to bet that only he and maybe one or two other players had it. "Moreover, it sounds to me like this 'Orgoth' might serve as a useful ally. This 'Shadow' is an entity that can freely transition from inhabiting one mob to another, right? I think it might be worth brainstorming ideas for how to get the entity out of Orgoth without killing him, so we can use him to combat the Shadow. Based on what we know so far, do we think that might be possible?" To this, Itzal physically shifted his posture, a physical sign of his surprise as he hadn't thought of this possibility. If the chance did exist, he didn't see how it would be possible. If anything it would likely be tied to an element existing within the environment, or an item the players would have access to. But seeing as how Itzal wasn't there he didn't know what was available. "Thank you, yes. You've brought up a good point I forgot to mention. Darkness did play a large part of the encounter. We were at a severe disadvantage when it came to trying to hit anything in there, especially when trying to use AoE so extensively. I'm saying that I had a hard time hitting things." The words would really only be useful for people who were familiar with him, but hopefully the impression would land on the others who knew him only by reputation as well. I would recommend that those who have spare inventory bring a few extra glow stones, specifically anyone who deals damage as a 1 handed weapon user. However, we did get a dropped item from the labyrinth boss. I and the others have special glow stones that are capable of activating from our battle ready inventory, instead of needing to be equipped. As long as one of these are in each party, we should be okay. However, it may be possible that they have other uses in the fight as well, so if you have a spare slot, it may be worth filling with one." Itzal didn't bother telling them that he had the night vision mod, since he'd just tell them when they offered him a crystal. 'Feed the guy a glowstone?' Itzal wasn't about to say that was a terrible idea, but if turning the lights on made the boss even STRONGER, it might not be a wise decision. However before he could continue his thoughts any further, Ariel spoke up. "This boss is serious trouble, we labored until the end to light the beacons, thinking it would have an effect and in the end it only made it stronger. So strong in fact that the 24th floor is now in perpetual darkness, after we cleared it. We fled, ran away with teleport crystals! after with but a snap of its fingers destroyed the four pillars we labored so much to light up. It asked us after 'Did you think a giant flashlight would be my kryptonite?' I couldn't believe my ears. Then with a snap of his fingers, he reduced all of our health bars by at least half, his adds exploding and dealing damage. Baldur-dono, I know that you probably deemed this aspect unrelated to the meeting but I think they need to know how lucky us scouts are to be here today. To leave that room alive. I was left with less than 150 points of health, after taking a direct hit from the boss before his final attack. I also believe that a pair of tanks is a must have for every party in this raid and would like to volunteer as main tank or off tank, if the first position is filled. I am a damage dealer at core but with 'Quick Swap' and some minor changes I can confidently say that I can fill both those roles." If anything, Itzal's main reaction to her speech was surprise, and smiling afterwards as what she said only further confirmed his guess on the kind of person she was. As always though, it was her personality he couldn't really handle, not her motives or heart. This plus her high level and strong gear made her a very welcome addition to the frontliners group. Even Aldion, Itzal's new raven familiar, cawed in agreement with @Ariel - The Crowned Lion. Link to post Share on other sites
NIGHT 0 Posted June 25, 2020 #57 Share Posted June 25, 2020 What kind of company were the front liners keeping? Some random dude in black spoke up from the shadows -- a true edge lord, that one. Almost sent NIGHT over the table in shock. She let out an irritated hiss as she gripped a fist together, fingers tapping out the notes in the interface off to the side. Something along the lines of 'keep an eye out for that dark hooded guy' and 'I hope they never do it again'. The moment that Yuki managed to speak up, NIGHT felt a wave of relief wash over her. It had been coupled with a moment of concern, mostly on the announced revelation to the group that she had only recently reached the third tier. Then she recalled a couple of members of the Tarot present meeting her standards -- Cordelia, Lessa and herself for examples -- and her worries started to simmer in turn. Yuki would be fine. -- At least, she would be if people didn't start to hammer her down about it. But NIGHT would be reticent to mull over the teeth grinding and fidgeting she was forced to perform, as she found herself stuck listening to objections against her friend. If anything, she took to acknowledging the members of Jacob's Ladder having an absolutely difficult standard to meet up against. If Yuki wasn't cut for the job, then pray tell, who else in the room would be? Her attention was much better stolen by Bahr's queries, coupled with some of Mari's comments. For one, the idea that Shadow could switch between different creatures was something that bothered NIGHT to no end. And turning Orgoth into an ally sounded nice, but... "... Do you think it might be possible for it to possess a player?" Her eyes shifted over to Bahr, a pained expression smeared across her face. "Just as easily as it could get in Orgoth, surely it would be able to do so with one of us, perhaps?" Her attention switched over to Baldur, with a tilt of her head to match with her curiosity. "Do we know how powerful this minotaur is? If he stands stronger than each of us combined, this may not be an issue-- it's likely that Shadow wouldn't dare possess a vessel that's weaker than the one it resides in at the moment. Plus, converting them to our side would be a welcome factor in the fight. ...Still, this is Cardinal we're talking about. It would give me some peace of mind to know there is no spark that may initiate player infighting." "Additionally, in the worst case scenario, I need to trust our leaders to be capable of ordering a death sentence to an abled player should the need to do so arise." "Furthermore," NIGHT continued, glancing towards her notes, "I would like to lend support to some of Mari's words. 'Lights make shadows bigger,' wasn't that what you'd said?" The woman paused to receive her associate's confirmation before continuing to speak. "It's possible that we'll need to find a way to prevent it from casting its darkness around, though I'm not too sure how. The other possibility is to allow Shadow to spread itself thin as much as possible, and pick a battle with it at the height of its power. To be honest, I don't like either of those speculations, but they might be good scenarios to be considered..." With her thoughts out of the way, the woman finally allowed herself to let out a sigh. Before she returned to her furious typing, it dawned on her to remember her manners. "NIGHT, by the way. New tier 3 alongside Yuki. Please continue." @Baldur @Bahr @Mari @Zajcica # for reading/referencing. to baldur specifically, requesting clarification on both points. Link to post Share on other sites
Calrex 0 Posted June 25, 2020 #58 Share Posted June 25, 2020 With @Crozeph's appearance to give assistance, Calrex gave a nod of appreciation to the young man, "Sure thing. It might make things a little bit easier to distribute as a result." The silence on the walk back to the meeting room only seemed to accentuate the amount of tension from the serious conversations being had inside. It was something that the bluenette had grown accustomed to at this point, and if he was being honest, he was only surprised that it took this long to get to this level of heaviness. He gave a small smirk before following @Cordelia inside, continuing where she had left off in terms of distributing the cups around the room, taking his own before moving to a spot a bit more off to the side. While the Ultramarine Knight had been a regular attendee to these meetings, he never was one to really feel a need to be at the center of the discussion. He found his place on the side, listening and observing, pointing out things that may have bee missed. One of those points seemingly came to light a minute after he took a seat, forcing him to raise his hand to call @Baldur and the room's attention, "Apologies for the interjection. If you're not familiar with who I am, I'm Calrex, member of Jacob's Ladder, and a regular frontliner tank/off-tank since the eleventh floor boss fight. To add a bit late to this strategy for Orgoth, I would agree that gaining a temporary ally for this fight would prove useful, going from what's been said so far. However, I wouldn't bank too hard on that idea. There has in fact been at least one time to my memory of a similar concept being thrown around for the floor raids. I'm not sure who here was around for the floor thirteen boss boss fight, but Leothiel, an angel that was captured during a quest before the battle against the floor boss Avarious, was strongly hinted at to have been capable of being turned back. Unfortunately, that didn't turn out to be the case, as the Leothiel merely served as a damage sponge for the floor boss. There is the chance that the Cardinal system did decide to go with some way of removing the possession, but going from past knowledge we can't be fully sure that will be what happens." Link to post Share on other sites
Cordelia 0 Posted June 25, 2020 #59 Share Posted June 25, 2020 "With all due respect, Shield and Mari, I think this is Yuki's decision to make. If she's that determined to fight on the frontlines, let her. I really do get why you're against the idea, but like Baldur said; this might be the hardest boss fight the players have ever experienced and we're going to need all the hands we can get." She sighed, deciding to end it there and respecting Baldur's wishes. @Shield @Mari @Zajcica Cordelia nodded her head along to the rest of the points made but the one that spiked her interest the most was the idea of somehow releasing Orgoth from The Shadow and gaining him as an ally. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the wooden table before speaking out. "What happened to the rest of the minotaurs? We know what happened to Orgoth but after he was possessed by The Shadow, what happened to the rest of his fighting force?" she asked, tilting her head. "If we were to go into this fight with the remaining members of his army, - however many that may be - we may have a higher chance of succeeding as well as less casualties." She looked over to Baldur and anyone else who spoke up that was in the scouting team. "I don't remember hearing anything about the rest of the minotaurs in your statements, so I just wanted to get that out there before we talked more about Orgoth." @Baldur She leaned back in her seat before taking a sip of her tea, listening more to what the other players had to say about the idea of releasing Orgoth from The Shadow. "The idea of Shadow taking over a player as a host doesn't sound too far fetched," she murmured in agreement to NIGHT, scratching her chin as she thought for a few seconds. "However, I think that killing off said host would have to be a last resort. From what the scouting team has said, this thing sounds like a cunning creature. For all we know, that could be exactly what it's planning. So unless we're absolutely sure that killing off one of our own would lead to the defeat of The Shadow, I say we keep brainstorming ideas on how to free Orgoth - since that is most likely how we would free players if The Shadow were to ever possess one." Cordelia shrugged, sipping on her tea again. "However, that's only if this thing actually has the capability to possess anything else." @NIGHT Link to post Share on other sites
Hidden 1 Posted June 25, 2020 #60 Share Posted June 25, 2020 Hidden nonchalantly sat atop a rock in a cave on the twenty-first floor. It seemed to be one of her favorite pastimes. Sitting on rocks... in dark caves. 'God I'm alone...' she would think distastefully. 'Speaking of alone...' she opened her menu and flipped her menu to look at the location of her only friend that rested their. Assassin. She frowned as the entire area surrounding the girl's location was blue. 'It must be bugged or something...' She clicked to see the location in detail finding that Assassin was on the twenty-fourth and sure enough was randomly in the middle of the ocean. Abruptly standing up in a panicked manner. 'WHY ARE YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF AN OCEAN!' It was a waste of an item but she pulled out a teleport crystal and quickly whisked herself away to the twenty-fourth floor. At full speed, she ripped through the trees until she reached the edge of the water where Ayame was currently in the middle of. Breathing heavily, her eyes scanned the area. Her eyes caught a figure standing on a dock next to a small boat. 'Perfect. That's pretty convenient.' She reached to her belt pulling another small vial from it. It was a white liquid that she dubbed her "Elucia potion". It was a temporary potion lasting 4 hours that changed her appearance slightly. Gulping the potion down, she watched as her visible strand of hair became pure white. She threw off the shroud to her armor, wearing just the standard black clothing. Racing up to the dock, she would control her breathing before gazing down at the young boy who was surprised to see her randomly run at him full speed. He looked about ten and had long brown hair that fell down almost like a mop. 'What is this kid doing?' she asked herself. Her eyes peered down at the boat and she refocused on her mission. "Give me the boat kid." She demanded from him. "This boat is owned by Jacob's Ladder I can't give it to you. I can give you a r-" Hidden's eyes darkened. "Can it Mop Boy." She placed a kick into the boy's chest sending him flying into the water. there was no way a ten year old was going to stop her from fishing Ayame out of the middle of the ocean. Hopping into the boat, she began to paddle her way forward. It seemed rather easy. The boat seemed to just be pulled forward by the water. She watched her map carefully, tracking Ayame's location. She seemed to be directly where a large gate stood atop the water. 'Is she underwater? Did she stumble across some underwater breathing item?' Leaping from the boat into the water, she dove into the water directly under where the gate stood majestically. Holding her breath, she would watch as meter gauging her oxygen began to slowly tick down. Swimming down, she would search the depths for the little girl. 'Where the hell is she? She's right here!' She did as much searching as she could before she was forced to surface for air. As she did, she found herself on the other side of the gate. The scenery had changed drastically. She wasn't too far from a random shore where a gorgeous japanese styled house stood. She paddled for the shore as fast as the game would take her, pulling herself up onto the dock. "Looks... Looks like I owe that kid another boat. Kinda just left it there..." Coughing up some water she had accidentally swallowed, she would look to the place she had washed up. 'What is going on here?' Activating the Hiding skill, she would creep forward searching through the area until she spotted a player. In fact... several players. 'The frontliners? Is that who those people are? And are they all wearing kimonos?' A caw caught her attention and she looked up to see a bird that was perched staring at her with an intense look. She waved her hand. "Shoo shoo" she would whisper to the small black raven. She opened her inventory, finding the kimono within its depths. 'I won't stick out as much if I wear this right?' Equipping the item, she would stop hiding and begin to enter the building where the large amount of players. She arrived and a familiar voice was the first she heard. "Pardon my rookie eagerness, but I wish to offer myself as shield to the front liners." Her face filled with a blank expression. 'She is always looking to get into trouble isn't she?' She listened from the back as several players reprimanded her. She couldn't put any names with the voices. A familiar black haired player pushed past her on his way to the kitchen as he did she fell on him with a disappointed glare. ( @Crozeph ) She let him walk past and made her way into the crowd of players, making her presence known. Mari said that friends backed eachother at one point right? This is how you did it right? "Yuki is more than capable of handling anything that is dished out to her. I've seen it myself. What she lacks in level she more than makes up for in stubbornness and an attitude that can't be killed or put down." Her eyes met those of @Shield's with a burning fury. "With a weeks time and a few buffs I have no doubt she could handle anything thrown her way. And besides, this wreck of a collaboration of players could use as many players as it can scrape together. Her main use is as a tank, opening up spots for other players to be more effective." She gave a small smirk and then coldly finished. "And besides, I doubt she'll do anything stupid such as I don't know... help a floor boss?" Her words were a dagger that struck mercilessly at all of those who attended the Floor 23 boss fight. She cocked her head with a small smile, circling around the group until she stood next to @Assassin and @Ariel - The Crowned Lion. 'So this is where she was. Damn map didn't show her location correctly while she was in this Japanese wonderland.' "You had me worried there for a bit Ayame." She patted the small girl on the head before turning her gaze back on the frontliners as if daring them to speak. For the information that she heard, it seemed the boss was something related to shadow. 'How does this impact the hiding skill I wonder? If he is all the shadows, is there really any hiding? And if he is immune to light, I wonder if the holy enhancement would heal him or something like that. If that really is the case, then my entire build is null and void against a boss like this. In fact, several players would be ruined in terms of damage. I doubt it could possess players, but if it could that could be a problem. Most of the people here would be against attacking their fellow friends. I don't care for too many of the players gathered here. They are all simply means to an end.' Link to post Share on other sites
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