[F08-PP] Sundown Showdown <<The Monkey King>>

[NIGHT 0]

<<The Monkey King>>

NIGHT hated the Monkey King. She'd gone through this once before, but she would repeat herself nonetheless. Journey to the West felt nothing more than a Chinese tale of make-believe Dungeons and Dragons antics, where the main character in question was an overpowered ape demon with too many perks and not enough flaws. Travelling in a troupe of similarly questionable figures (save for the monk, that acted very much like a damsel in distress too frequently to be believed to be of any use), his top-dog status often resulted in Sun Wukong coming out on top and saving the day for almost. Every. Single. Time.

So it was of great pleasure she would be able to face it again, though she doubted she would be of much use to the fight. Not in the way she would be useless, no -- but in the same way the beast was liken to toy around, so was NIGHT today in the exact same fashion.

@Zajcica @Crozeph

	NIGHT   | HP: 1265/1265 | EN: 122/122   | ACC: 2 | DMG: 20 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 54 | LD: 3   | HM: 6 | LM: 2   | Stealth Detection: 3 | Stealth Rating: 7
Using Spyglass. -5 to posts required before starting to look for a dungeon.
[Examine] [Equipment] Sleek Shift -- [ Mitigation I | +27 MIT. ] -- [ Heavy Momentum II | +6 DMG on an unsuccessful attack. Buff is removed on a successful attack. ] Second Wind -- [ Mitigation I | +27 MIT. ] -- [ Light Momentum II | +2 ACC on an unsuccessful attack. Buff is removed on a successful attack. ] Silver Crescent Necklace -- [ Accuracy II | +2 ACC ] -- [ Evasion II | +2 EVA ] [Battle-Ready Inventory] [T1E3] Teleport Crystal (1) | Instant | TELEPORT [T3E0] Blank Dungeon Map (1) Spyglass (1) | -5 POSTS TO DUNGEON FIND (2/3) Skills Skills Mod Count: 7/8 Two-Handed Straight Sword | Passive | RANK 5/5 > Ferocity, Precision, Finesse Heavy Armor | Passive | RANK 3/5  > Athletics Searching | Passive | RANK 3/5 Hiding | Passive | RANK 4+1/5 > Blindside, Vanish, Surprise Attack: Trickster Extended Mod Limit | Passive | RANK 3/3  [Extra] Survival | Passive  Concentration | Active -- CD: 3 Familiar Mastery: Fighter | Passive | RANK 3/3 Consumed Buffs Spoiler Kumatetsu Statue | +1 DMG Misc. Buffs Spoiler Dimensional Backpack, Item Stash | +2 Battle-Ready Inventory Slots. Well Rested | -1 EN for the first three expenditures of each combat.  Relaxed | +(5 * Tier) HP per out-of-combat post. Full energy restoration occurs after two turns out of combat. Squeaky Clean | -25% DoT damage taken from the first DoT applied to this player in a thread. Skylight: Hiding | +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cooldown of 30 days to reassign. Multipurpose | +1 LD/Prosperity/Stealth/Detection to one post per thread. Can be applied after a roll. Filling | +1 T1 slot to a food consumed by this player in a thread. Can exceed Cook enhancement caps. Col Deposit | +5% col from loot-minimum mobs, +10% col from treasure chests.

[♫]

[Zajcica 0]

The Monkey King was another quest that Yuki had somehow missed while leveling up. It annoyed her that she passed up so many opportunities to gain such easy experience so early on. If she had down them while she was leveling, she would have been Tier 3 much more quickly and likely would have had a better vote among the consensus of front liners when she proposed to be a tank for them. That, however, was the reason that she, along side two others, were working their ways up the level ladder right now.

"This should be an easy boss compared to the other's I've fought. I've tanked Ugzeke, Blood Bane and Absolute Zero, so I'm hardly scared of some over grown monkey." Yuki mentions as the trio of players make their way through the forest of floor eight. "Let's just kill this thing so I can get my experience and move on to the next one."

Spoiler

Name: Zajčica
Level: 54
HP: 1170/1170
EN: 108/108

Stats:
Damage: 4
Mitigation: 166
Accuracy: 2
BH: 58
BLD: 36
H.M.: 2
REC: 1
THRNS: 54+20
TAUNT

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Durandal (T3/Perfect/OHSS): ACC II; BLD I
Armor: Charlemagne Rouge (T3/Perfect/Heavy): Heavy Momentum II, Rec I
Misc: Casa di Logistilla (T3/Perfect/Shield): Thorns II; Taunt

Skills:
One-Handed Straight Sword [Rank 2]
Heavy Armor [Rank 5]
Fighting Spirit [Obtained]
Block [Rank 5]
Battle Healing [Rank 5]
Parry [Obtained]

Extra Skills:
Concentration
Familiar Mastery: Defender

Mods:
Athletics
Stonewall
Shield Bash

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleportation Crystal*1
Immolation+2*6
Ration+2*7
Fiery Dragon Roll(MIT III)*3

Housing Buffs:
Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
Squeaky Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Tasty: Turn 2 identical food items into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Angler: +1 material gained when fishing
Advanced Training: +2 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:
Tanos Statue: +15 Mitigation for a thread.

Wedding Ring:

 

[Crozeph 0]

A monkey, similar to the story of Sun Wukong "the asshole monkey" he muttered to himself. Crozeph didn't like the story, he has heard of it and saw different movies and played a game where it was a playable character and they all depict that monkey in one way, to be an asshole. He would've loved it if that creature acted like Yagyu Munenori, now that's a figure Crozeph wanted to be but he could only dream of reaching that kind of level in terms of swordsmanship.

As Yuki began talking about how easy it would be for her these boss are, Crozeph placed his hand on her head and messed it up, he did it gently or Yuki might smack him with her shield "I love it when you act like that, I can only imagine what you would do once you're in the boss fight" he said before laughing and messing her hair. He was slowly accepting it along with the pain and he'd accept more if it was for the sake of Yuki.

	Crozeph [Level 40]   | HP: 820/820 | EN: 80/80   | ACC: 4 | DMG: 15 | EVA: 1 | MIT: 48   | FREEZE +1 | RECOVERY +2 |
** Rank 2 Merchant - The Night's Watch ** WARNING: Mitigation cannot fall below 0!
Hide contents [Equipment] Lamina De Skadi [T2 Rare] -- Freeze +1 - Natural critical attack rolls of 9-10 (1 slot) or natural successful attack rolls of 8-10 (2 slots) remove the enemy’s action on their next turn. Frozen opponents lose any evasion properties. Striking a frozen enemy before the effect ends will end Freeze and deal an extra (12 * Tier) unmitigatable damage. [Must hit to activate the status condition.] -- ACC +2 -- A katana with a black hilt and an azure blade like a clear,  blue, lake water. The name translates into "Blade of Skadi" a goddess who also represented hunting and winter, signifying its use as for hunting or attacking foes by freezing them. When equipped, the user 's breath will be like one who is breathing in a cold place and the freeze effect is seen as some kind of water splashing that freezes upon contact with the target. Cloak of the Oath -- MIT +2  -- EVA +1 -- A black haori who belonged to a vice-president of the Shinsengumi. Enables the wearer to withstand attacks and also evade it. Caster's Mystic Code -- Recovery +2 -- ACC +1 -- A platinum band for the wrist with runic inscriptions worn by a Babylonian king who had access to magecraft. This item gives a boost on accuracy and ability to restore energy to cast more spells just like how the previous owner wanted it to work, it glows a vibrant blue when it activates through the lettering. [Battle-Ready Inventory]   x3 T2 Perfect Fiery Dragon Roll [MIT] x3 T2 Rare Udon Bowl +2 ACC x3 T2 Rare Mochi +2 LD x3 T2 Rare Ramen Bowl +2 EVA    Dimensional Backpack Skills   Hide contents Mod Count: 3/5 Katana | Passive | RANK 5/5 > Finesse R3 > Precision  Light Armor | Passive | RANK 3/5  > Athletics Battle Healing | Passive | RANK 2/5 >  Curved Sword | Passive | RANK 1/5 >  First-Aid | Active | RANK 2/5 >  Extended Weight Limit | Passive | RANK 0 >  [Extra] Survival | Passive  Meditation | Active I +10 EN Familiar Mastery: Fighter | Passive | RANK 3/3 Misc. Buffs   Hide contents  Relaxed | Passive | House buff >

[NIGHT 0]

Maybe NIGHT should just change her title to The Third Wheel. It felt fitting right about now, watching Crow dote on his loved one as she stared at them, completely uninvolved and a handful of feet away. Even calling out to them to lead them out towards the boss was a worrying event in itself. Was she interrupting something important if she just asked them to follow when they were busy being cute by themselves? Kind of like playing an adult amongst two excited kids -- and NIGHT was not entirely fond of having to look after people.

So, in silence, she hoped that they would notice when she slipped out towards their hunt's location. It was less awkward for the woman that way, and she would get a head start on the boss if they hadn't been aware. Maybe by the time they caught up to her, she would've already torn it apart.

 

Just kidding. Her build wasn't primed for that today.

@Zajcica

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki pulled her blade from her hilt and activated her parry. While it was active, any attack that would subject damage to her would cause the system to move her body on its own and parry the damage away. A true tanking skill at it's finest. Once she had probably waited way too long to get a hold of. Her blade lit up with a yellow resonance as it was ready to protect her from any harm.

"Don't mess my hair up like that." Yuki pouts was she tries to fix her long pink locks. It always too forever to get it just right in the morning. Changing out of clothes was so easy, but when it came to hair, she still had to keep it well done. They soon approached the Monkey King's lair or whatever you call it. "Crow, why don't you make the first attack. Don't worry, I wont let it hurt you."

[Crozeph 0]

• ID: 155735
• BD: 4 + 4 = 8 success
• Crozeph dealt 15 x 15 San Ge = 225 - 50 MIT = 175 damage to Monkey King
• CD: 10 [Recovery] proc +4 EN

Spoiler

Stats

• Crozeph: HP: 820/820 I EN: 80/80 I DMG: 15 I MIT: 48 I ACC: 4 I EVA: 1 I FRZ: 1 I REC: 2
• Night
• Yuki

Monkey King: HP: 75/250 I DMG: 240 I MIT: 50

On MD rolls of 9 or 10, the Monkey King will Pick up a tree or large rock and throw it at the party, hitting and stunning them all for 120 damage.

 

"Oh" his reaction was quite surprising as Yuki told him to start the battle, he wasn't sure if he heard it right. Crozeph then looked at the direction where the Monkey King might be and then looked back at Yuki "aren't you or Night suppose to start the..." Night was nowhere around "ah she disappeared again." Crozeph sighed and moved forward and unsheathed his katana, ready to unleash a sword art if it appears. As he stood still he began to make weird monkey sounds as if he was calling out to the king. It sounded so weird that if a person had his or her eyes closed it would sound like a monkey mixed with the sound the king of pop music makes. 

It was effective though. The Monkey King appeared and towered over Crozeph, intimidating him with its size. Crozeph looked at the creature and made a deadpan face "you thought it was a monkey but it was I..." he lowered his head and planted one foot forward and then attacked. Multi-hits on a single large target, Crozeph's specialty. The Monkey King inched back at the sudden attack and growled, it was so different from the monkey sounds Crozeph made earlier.

Edited June 27, 2020 by Crozeph

[NIGHT 0]

One way or another, they had managed to make it to the Monkey King's domain. And when Crow initiated the fight, beckoning the boss monster to their side, NIGHT nearly lost it, looking upon the field before them in abject bemusement and horror all at once.

Was Crow imitating a monkey's calls? In the most deadpanned manner he could?

How had he not made his living as a comedian on the first floor just yet?

She wasn't sure if it was out of sheer second-hand embarrassment for either herself or the king of beasts that her sword lit up in white for. One sunder put the emerging primate out of its misery -- in a similar manner, she'd squandered her appetite for jokes in the swift act of that blow, watching the fading remains of the monkey king catch the breeze and disappear before her.

"So much for that boss. See you, space cowboy..."

@Zajcica

Spoiler

ID: 155745 | BD: 8 (6, +2)
<<Galaxy Destroyer>> vs Monkey King.
20 * 13 = 260 DMG | 260 - 50 = 210 DMG

Monkey King | HP: -135/250 (-210) | DMG: 240 | MIT: 50

[1] NIGHT | HP: 1265/1265 | EN: 113/122 (-9) | DMG: 20 | MIT: 54 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 | LD: 3 | HM: 6 | LM: 2
[0] Zajcica | HP: 1170/1170 | EN: 108/108 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 166 | ACC: 2 | EVA: -1 | BH: 58 | BLD: 36 | H.M.: 2 | REC: 1 | THRNS: 74 | TAUNT
[1] Crozeph | HP: 820/820 | EN: 80/80 | DMG: 15 | MIT: 48 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 1 | FRZ: 9-10 | REC: 2

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki hadn't even moved from her spot. Night did way too much damage for her to even take a step towards the fight. Trying to hold back chuckling at Crozeph's attempts to taunt the boss out of his layer, Yuki simply walked up to her partners and looked at both of them.

"Yeah, he never stood chance, never really knew it was only you that killed him. Right between the eyes." Yuki said as she watched the data disperse back into the Cardinal system. "Well, what do we do next? I didn't think it would die that quickly, but you two do way too much damage." The tank complained. She wasn't going to hold a grudge on it though, as long as she got the experience for it in the end. That was all that mattered.

"Well, do we go make to my place for dinner again?" She could think of something else to cook.

[Crozeph 0]

Crozeph scratched his chin with his index finger "I wasn't expecting my katana to cut through him either" he told Yuki. Crozeph thought if his taunt was good enough but then only an idiot would attempt to gather hate while having a squishy build like him. As of now, his build was already set up to rely on others soon enough he'll be using buffs as much as he wants. The quest was indeed over rather too quickly. His damage was also improved along with his health points. He wasn't sure how to handle any more skills, it was limited and the only thought that comes to mind was having debuff consumables.

"Can we have stew today?" he asked Yuki. The steak was top notch for him but he was missing the taste of a certain food, beef stew. It didn't matter though if it was beef or not as long as its stew Crozeph will surely like it.

[NIGHT 0]

To NIGHT, the damage had been expected. What bewildered her more was the immediate dismissal of Crow's show of humor with his squeaking chimpanzee noises, her gaze darting between the couple in genuine confusion. Was this how their dynamic was like? How odd and strange. The player shook her head to rid the thoughts, before returning to the conversation at hand.

Another home cooked meal would be nice.

"Food's fine and dandy," NIGHT mentioned, sheathing her blade, "and if you'll have me, I'll tag along. --Though, I think I'll be dipping up to a higher floor first. There's something upstairs that caught my attention. Walk you two back to town? I'll see you at the estate when I'm done."

She'd pace her way over with her squad to the teleporter. During the time, NIGHT busied herself with the interface and her mail archives. Her observations had netted her only a number of quests she was interested in clearing, and that count was dwindling rather fast. There had to be a better way to gain some experience quickly...

... Right?

@Zajcica

[Zajcica 0]

Once they had reached the teleporter, Yuki stopped before Night left and pulled an item out of her inventory. A blue card that was meant as key to her home.

"Night wait." The girl said as she took a marker out of her inventory and started to scribble on the back. It had Night's name written in such clean penmanship, you could mistake the cook for a doctor. A doodle of a crescent moon dotted the 'i' of the name. When she was done, she offered it over to Night. "The doors to my estate are almost always locked. Use this to gain access to it. Please don't give it to anyone else, and don't lose it. Since my home is outside the safe zone, I need to make sure I don't get attacked while I'm sleeping."

Yuki then waved and yelled at the teleporter, with crows hand in hers. "Floor 22: Coral!" With a flash of light, the couple was gone.

[Crozeph 0]

"Did she forget her wallet or something?" Crozeph asked Yuki as they entered her home. Crozeph held her hand and kissed her on the forehead, someone might arrive, he had to be careful at least. "Remember when I asked for stew?" he asked her another question while changing his clothes to a white, long-sleeved formal shirt and black pants before lying down on the floor like a caterpillar. "When I first met you I asked if you could cook stew for me, I got free food because I was the first customer"  he was smiling as he told her the story of how they first met.

"I'm sure Night will like it too, you make the best food around here" he tried to turn the kotatsu on so that it would be warm. Those were good memories of them, it always reminded him of how Yuki told him that rations aren't gonna help him. "Do you need my help? want me to chop things for the stew?" he kept on talking,  his eyes felt heavy now but he did his best to stay awake until they have eaten.

[NIGHT 0]

| FLOOR 24 # its just NIGHT who does this though

For what it was worth, the twenty-fourth was far too pretty to stave off coming to see it once in a while. Stepping off the teleporter, she finally brought out two key items she'd stored in her pockets as of recent. In one hand, there was a spyglass readied for use -- in the other, a map, just in case she found something of veritable interest.

Most likely not. But it never hurt to try. Especially since dungeons like these managed to net players some bonus experience for tackling them. They could pose her an interesting challenge and act as a nice bout to boost their leveling process. There were so many secrets on the twenty-fourth itself; hidden teleports and the ocean in between long stretches of boardwalk might just be the tip of the ice berg. What about the mountains on the edge of the floor itself?

NIGHT sent off a message to Yuki, just in case the food was done earlier than she'd expected to be gone for, before setting out on a lone expedition of her own.

@Zajcica

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki sighed in relief as the two of them entered her- or, actually is was more like their home at this point. Crozeph has spent more time here than at Baldur's estate now. He could see why he liked it there, not to mention those two being really good friends. She was glad that he liked being with her, but she was a little upset that she might pull him away from others.

"I'll make you stew. Make sure you stay awake long enough to eat it, it'll take a little longer than a steak, after all." Yuki said donning her kimono and heading into the kitchen to get started. "I appreciate the offer of help Crowy, but I really do enjoy cooking. My mom taught me so much about it and its the only past time I have besides tanking right now."

A ping of her messages sounded just as she dropped the meat cuts into the stew. She checked to see that was Night, just to check and see when the food is ready. She'll let her know when it's almost done that way she has time to get here before it sits for too long.

[Crozeph 0]

Crozeph bolted upright when Yuki told him to stay awake until the stew is ready. He was already starting to doze off and if he did so Yuki will snap at him. For a long time he had been a person who liked naps, sleep is when someone has a proper home, well he does have one now. The room he has in Baldur's estate was enough for the two of them but Crozeph didn't want her to leave a house she built or spent for herself. After all, he's the one who doesn't have a house of his own. Hopping from Baldur's estate, to Mari's cozy cottage or cabin, and to Yuki's Manor, he was basically living like a cat.

"It's really amazing what great things people can do doing what they love, you're mother must be a really great person to share her recipes with you," he told her. His thoughts shifted to when his stepmother would give him a disgusted look if she sees him in the kitchen and how she loathed his presence in their own house but here he is now, a girl cooking for him and a friend. "Do I even have a past time?" he asked himself all of a sudden.

[NIGHT 0]

--Nothing. Sometimes the truth hurts the most.

NIGHT took her time on her stroll back towards Paraneze, slightly peeved at the outcome of her journey. If anything, it did give the player the rush of endorphins she welcomed whenever she went around inspecting any nooks and crannies out in the field. For a locale such as the twenty-fourth, she hadn't visited it enough times to have rifled through the entire floor yet, despite the fact that its space had to have been limited according to the floor map. With half of it an ocean, unless she was willing to dive into the water, she would probably clear the landmasses given enough time.

For a moment, the woman stopped, looking over the boardwalk to consider a dip into the sea. Maybe she'd have more luck looking for missed items and secrets there? But she tucked away the notion of going swimming this day -- she didn't want to return to Yuki's soaking wet and ruin her tatami mats.

Yuki might kill her for that.

@Zajcica

Spoiler

ID: 156038 | LD: 13 (10, +3) | kek no dungeon found

[Zajcica 0]

The stew was taking it's sweet time, which was on of the reason's Yuki normally elected to forgo it. Crozeph, however, wanted to eat stew, so that's what he would get. She herself was never too picky about what foods to eat since she enjoyed cooking. Stew went good with stuff like buttered bread, and Yuki loved that shit.

"My parents helped me with too much in life. They helped me discover things about myself I would have never thought about without their help. I've learned so much from them both and my sister. A good family makes life rather easy, I guess. Just like being here with you, Crow." The paladin flashed him a smile. "You make things in this world less of a hell for me, and so does Night."

The mention of her name reminded the pinkette to send her friend a message. 

Quote

To Night:

Hey, food's almost ready. Better get here quick before it sits for too long.

Yuki.

 

[Crozeph 0]

Crozeph smiled, he wasn't sure what to reply to Yuki, if anything, it was her who made his life less of a hell for him. "Must be nice to have a good family" he uttered as he lied down again, keeping his eyes wide open so he wouldn't fall asleep. His family was something that he doesn't want to talk about, his father was the remaining family he has and he wanted to meet him once they get out of the game, he wanted to introduce Yuki to him. His stepmother? he was sure she'd hate him or them both. Her paranoia of him being the firstborn was too much for her and with one of his brother now dead in the game, she'll surely hate him more "as long as she doesn't badmouth Yuki I'm fine with it" he thought. 

He could smell the stew, it was something he missed and he wanted to eat already. "Night must've taken the scenic route, or maybe she saw another monkey..." he then thought about another name "the monkey queen!" he told her "how defensive are your stats now? I'm guessing you're already strong enough to take on meaner swings."

[NIGHT 0]

| Floor 22

She'd arrived at Yuki's front door just in time to hear Crow explode about a Monkey Queen.

In all honesty, that was at least a smart extrapolation. If it wasn't for the context of the Journey to the West, NIGHT would've handed it to him.

"I'm back," she announced, finally noticing the little prompt about her messages. Looks like she'd been punctual, and NIGHT wouldn't have it any other way. The stew was starting to fill the house with a pleasant scent, and to its calling NIGHT made her way to the kitchen. If Yuki didn't need her help with the food, at least she would want to wash her hands. Hygiene was important, even if it wasn't necessary in Aincrad. I mean, have you seen her sword? Blight could kill a man.

She'd notice Crow splayed out across the floor once again, and shot him a confused look, though ultimately said nothing. At least it wasn't bad for his back, she guessed?

@Zajcica

[Zajcica 0]

The paladin finished the food just as Night walked through the door. She smiled as the girl as she came towards the kitchen. "Perfect timing Night, I just finished. Grab yourself a bowl and some bread." Yuki said as she made her own food along with Crozeph's delivered them both to the kotatsu table. Yuki brought him a bigger serving than her own along with slice of bread that was already buttered up.

Through the rest of the dinner, the group would talk about what quests they were planning to take next. Yuki was ready to be apart of the front lines and if she didn't think that she capable enough, she would continue to grow stronger until they were forced to let her come with them. The front is desperate for tanks, with people going as far to switch their builds just to have the numbers they need. She was more than ready for this.

Spoiler

Rewards:

SP: 1 page; 1 event | Yuki, Crow: 3 quest;
Col: 133 per player
<<Monkey Agility>> A strange potion which boosts the users evasion by 1. Lasts for one thread. Takes a post action to apply.