F18/PP He Be Lurkin' <<Just for the Halbut>>

[Oscar 0]

<<Just for the Halibut>>

For the next step in their fishy adventure, Oscar and Freyd traveled down to Floor 18. Oscar found it rather odd that of all the quests he'd done involving fish and the like, his Fishing skill - the skill that he had picked up for the third time specifically to get one in particular done - played no part in actually fishing them up. Apparently, the Salamander was some sort of demonic summoning tool that called the King of Lakes from a realm beyond our own. So much the better because there wasn't a man alive who wanted to fight that fucker more than once. At least, he hoped someone like that didn't exist. They would have to be incredibly deranged - perhaps criminally so - in order to take any pleasure in fighting that particular creature. "Alright Freyd. Apparently the quest giver is somewhere around here. You cool to keep moving or do you need to dry off first?"

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

Spoiler

Oscar - Lvl 69
1410 HP
138 Energy
7 Accuracy (+1 Mod, +3 Gear +2 Food +1 AbsAcc)
5 Evasion (+1 Mod, +2 Gear +2 Food)
26 Base Damage - (1 Base +7 Skill +1 Ferocity +9 Familiar +1 Athletics +1 Totem +6 Consumables)
76 Mitigation (-30 Food)
Abs Acc
Bleed

Equipment
Tesseleth’s Fury [Tier 3 Demonic Two-Handed Battleaxe] | Fallen, Fallen, Burn, Burn
Money Shot [Tier 3 Perfect Two-Handed Battleaxe] | Absolute Accuracy, ACC, Bleed
Tactical Outfitting Mk.III [Tier 3 Demonic Light Armor] | Vampiric (Defensive), Para Immune, Rec, Rec
Mythril Greaves [Tier 3 Perfect Heavy Armor] |  +81 MIT
Gloves of Caerus [Tier 1 Perfect Light Armor] | +3 Loot Die
Ivory Gold Leaf Ring [Tier 1 Demonic Trinket] | ACC, ACC, EVA, EVA

Familiar
Leeroy & Jenkins - Familiar: +9 DMG

Battle Ready Inventory
Teleportation Crystal
Empty Inventory Slot |
Empty Inventory Slot |
Empty Inventory Slot |
Empty Inventory Slot |
Empty Inventory Slot |

Buffs
Well-Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat.
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 slot.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight: Expertise - Rank 5 Searching
Squeaky Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25%

Skills
2HBA - Rank 5: +8 Damage
Light Armor - Rank 5: +25 Damage Mitigation
Battle Healing - Rank 5: Recover 5% of Max HP every round while in combat
Searching - Rank 5: +5 LD, +5 Stealth Detection
Concentration: +1 to your BD (3 turn cooldown)
Survival: Heal 15*Tier HP when out of battle
Parry: 2-turn CD, 5 EN Half damage of next attack and remove Stun/Paralysis effects
First Aid: Rank 4: Restore 16% of target’s max health [Cost: 4% of healing done]
Fishing - Use a Post Action to attempt to Fish, results determined by CD roll.

Skill Mods
Ferocity: +1 Base Damage
Athletics: +1 Base Damage, Max HP by 10*tier
Precision: +1 ACC
Justified Riposte:  Successful Parries Stun Opponent, 3 Turn CD
Finesse Rank 3: -3 EN on 2HBA Sword Arts
Sprint & Acrobatics: +1 EVA

Consumables
Kumatetsu Statue [+1 DMG]
Azrael's Sports Drink [+3 DMG]
Imagine if Azrael Was a Hot Dog [+3 DMG, -30 MIT - Filling]
Focused Dog [+2 ACC]
Evasion Dog [+2 EVA]

[Freyd 0]

"I'm good to go."  Freyd's tone was neutral and game face was fully back to that which Oscar had encountered back on the ninth floor, even was water dripped off the tip of his soggy cowl and wide puddles pooled in his footsteps.  His vacation was over, it seemed, and he was already back at work scouring his constantly streaming sources for useful information.  He pointed to a nearby run-down shack.  'Shack' may have been glamourizing it a bit.  It was three planks tied at the top by some kind of seaweed, decorated by assorted shells and a barely recognizable rain barrel.

"YOU!"  Freyd yelled, causing a scrawny old man to jump out of the barrel.  A long scraggly grey beard and equally impressive eyebrows hid most of his face.  He was nothing but twiggy arms and legs otherwise, and both were glad that the length of his beard concealed whether he was actually wearing any clothing.

"Pole.  Now.  Quest accepted."   He punched at the screen, which materialized in the same instant that his finger met to confirm it.  The bewildered quest giver reached beneath his beard and pulled forth the most magnificent fishing rod ever seen this side of floor twenty two, presenting it like some sort of ceremonial flag.  Freyd grabbed it and kept walking, another appearing in the man's hand for Oscar.

"Try not to think about where he keeps it.  It's better that way."

 

Freyd consumes: Cotton Candy Puffs (ACC 2) [166159]; Armageddon Juice (DMG 3) [166211]; Red Velvet Meringue (EVA 2) [165669]; Pure Unadulterated Rage (MIT 3) [166212]; Assortment of Fuzzy-Looking Meatballs (Protein 2 + Filled)

@Oscar

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:1190/1190 | EN:116/116 | DMG:25 | MIT:84 | EVA:4 | ACC:6 | KEEN:1 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | BH:47

Spoiler

Name: Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows
Level: 58
HP: 1190/1190
EN: 116/116

Stats:
Damage: 19 +3 +3
Mitigation: 84 - 40 + 45
Evasion: 2 +2
Accuracy: 4 +2
BH:47
KEEN:1
HLY:6
FLN:6

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Samael's Pride (T3-2HSS, ACC 1, HOLY 1, FLN 1)
Armor: Skirmisher's Garb [T3 LA, MIT 2, EVA 1]
Misc: Assassin's Cowl (T2-Trinket, ACC 2, KEEN 1)

Skills:
2H Straight Sword [Rank 5]
Light Armor [Rank 5]
Searching [Rank 3]
Battle Healing [Rank 4]
Parry [Obtained]

Extra Skills:
Disguise
Familiar Mastery: Fighter 3
Survival
Meditation

Mods:
Precision
Finesse - Rank 3
LA Athletics
Ferocity
LA Sprint and Acrobatics

Battle Ready Inventory:
Starter Healing Potion (50 hp)*3
Teleport Crystals*2
Crystal of Support (30*tier) hp to party*1
Missing You*2
Concentrated Joy (T3 Vitality 2)*1

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (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.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll

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: n/a

Wedding Ring: n/a

 

[Oscar 0]

Oscar accepted the fishing rod as he chuckled softly at Freyd's joke. He seemed to be in a rush. But, frankly, if Oscar had to squelch around in wet clothes while staring down the barrel of another aquatic fight, he would be feeling the heat as well. Especially given that their prior engagement hadn't gone entirely to plan. That being said, Oscar was the first to cast his line out into the water. Moments passed before he felt a tug on his line. With a mighty pull, Oscar pulled a strange-looking fish out of the water. It flopped about on the land helplessly. It wasn't their actual target, but it was certainly forward progress. Oscar couldn't complain about that. He gestured down to the suffocating water-dweller with his eyes. He almost felt bad for the thing. Certainly Freyd would be able to put it out of its misery, leaving Oscar freed up to pull another fish from the depths. If not, Oscar would have to wonder whether the man's previous feats of badassery were flukes or if they applied solely to dragons.

Spoiler

ID: 169042 CD: 6+1 Fossil Fish Found

Oscar - HP: 1410/1410 | EN: 138/138 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 5 | MIT: 76 | ABS.ACC | BLD | BH: 71 | LD: 5
Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows -  HP:1190/1190 | EN:116/116 | DMG:25 | MIT:84 | EVA:4 | ACC:6 | KEEN:1 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | BH:47

Fossil Fish - HP: 250/250 | DMG: 100 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 50

[Freyd 0]

Freyd summoned Samael's Pride, the tarnished silver blade sinking silently into the sickly thing's flesh as he stabbed firmly into it, causing the beast to burst into a cloud of shattered crystalline lights.  He stuck the weapon into the sand and picked up his own rod, getting ready to cast it in case Oscar failed at his next attempt.

"You've seemed different of late," he stated bluntly.  "I'd grown accustomed to a higher state of sarcasm and ennui from you, topped with a hefty dose of jokes."  His eyes were focused on the rod, but he watched his companion from their edges.  Oscar's mood had been uncharacteristically dour of late, and he meant to learn why.  The Lurker and its sickly cousins were hardly a match for them, but other things were looming on the horizon, like the floor boss fight.  Oscar would need to be focused and ready for the task.  He hadn't even received an invitation to the front lines, but fully intended to join them when the time came.  Did they even send invitations for such things? 

Something tugged on Oscar's line again.

Spoiler

Oscar - HP: 1410/1410 | EN: 138/138 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 5 | MIT: 76 | ABS.ACC | BLD | BH: 71 | LD: 5
Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows -  HP:1190/1190 | EN:108/116 | DMG:25 | MIT:84 | EVA:4 | ACC:6 | KEEN:1 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | BH:47

Calamitous Tragedy (x12): 12 EN - (Rested, Finesse 3) = 8 EN

BD: 9 (Crit +1, Holy 6).  Freyd deals (33*12 = 396 - 50 = 346) damage to fossil fish #1.  Killed.

Fossil Fish - HP: 250/250 | DMG: 100 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 50  (250 - 346)

 

[Oscar 0]

Trusting in Freyd's ability to kill a helpless fish, Oscar cast his line back into the water. A tug on his line. Oscar pulled, but he could tell from the weight that he didn't manage to catch anything noteworthy. A waterlogged boot rose from the depths. Oscar plucked it from his line and tossed it away with a sigh. It was a this point, Freyd spoke. Expecting some quick quip about his fishing skills, Oscar was taken off guard when the man had cut straight to the quick. Freyd certainly wasn't one to mince words and Oscar could respect that. The giant let out a sigh, shoulders pitching forward. There was a certain exasperation rolling about in his head, striking sensitive mental spots like lightning. "I'm hoping it's just paranoia. Some of those Sundered Spire bosses are still out there, probably planning something. I just can't shake this sense of dread. Like there's something coming."

Spoiler

ID: 169044 CD4+1, nothing found.

Oscar - HP: 1410/1410 | EN: 138/138 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 5 | MIT: 76 | ABS.ACC | BLD | BH: 71 | LD: 5
Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows -  HP:1190/1190 | EN:108/116 | DMG:25 | MIT:84 | EVA:4 | ACC:6 | KEEN:1 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | BH:47

[Freyd 0]

The Whisper in Shadows casually cast his line, the metaphor practically brow beating them both with its obviousness.

"I've had the same concern, and haven't stopped my efforts to hunt down their leadership.  There are too many unanswered questions, and Skalaugh was too much of a goon to have orchestrated all the logistics that were required to pull off that stunt at the Lake of Reflections."  He turned the reel slowly, with careful and deliberate pacing.  One didn't snare prey by rushing in or splashing needlessly about the ambush site.  Something took the bait and snagged his line, trying to rip the rod from his hands.  Moments later, another sickly fossil fish was flopping angrily on the shore.  Freyd waited for Oscar to do the honours so that he might cut his hook free.

"You're on the front lines, right?  How do you sign up for that shit?  Something tells me it's about time I put on my big-boy pants."

Spoiler

ID: 169044 CD9+1, Fossil fish found.

Oscar - HP: 1410/1410 | EN: 138/138 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 5 | MIT: 76 | ABS.ACC | BLD | BH: 71 | LD: 5
Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows -  HP:1190/1190 | EN:109/116 | DMG:25 | MIT:84 | EVA:4 | ACC:6 | KEEN:1 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | BH:47

 

[Oscar 0]

"My concern isn't with Sundered Spire at this point," Oscar said. "It's more with some cloak and dagger shit I was dealing with before the concept of sentient mobs came across my desk." Oscar spun his axe over the back of his hand, smiting the helpless fish with more unholy fury than might have been necessary. "Sentient mobs being a useful distraction for my problems to get even more out of control, of course." Oscar restrained himself from breathing an audible sigh of relief as Freyd changed the subject. Oscar didn't really make a conscious decision to join the Frontlines. It was just something that sort of happened - a natural consequence of getting to a high enough level. "I don't know man. Can you really say I'm a Frontliner if I've never set foot inside a Raid?" He shrugged. Was the mere intent enough? "I've been tight with a few Frontliners from my first day taking the game seriously. Macradon made my first weapon for me. Of course, he'd sworn off the Frontlines back then. I suppose the pressure is on now that we're a quarter of the way through."

Spoiler

Oscar - HP: 1410/1410 | EN: 126/138 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 5 | MIT: 76 | ABS.ACC | BLD | BH: 71 | LD: 5
Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows -  HP:1190/1190 | EN:109/116 | DMG:25 | MIT:84 | EVA:4 | ACC:6 | KEEN:1 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | BH:47

Explode Catapult[x14] -12 EN 

Fossil Fish - HP: 0/250 | DMG: 100 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 50 | ID: 169151 | BD: 7, Deal 314 DMG

[Freyd 0]

"Artful dodge."  Freyd was well aware that Oscar hadn't truly answered his first question, but thought it best not to push.  The man seemed unusually stressed and he really didn't know him all that well.  "Let me know if you need a hand with whatever that might be.  You came through at Cratered Lake.  I'd like to return the favour."  He left it at that, re-casting his line and dragging another fossil fish out of the murk a few seconds later.  Could he actually have gotten the hang of this fishing business so easily?  More likely, the RNG was luring him into a false sense of ease and security before it started screwing with him.

"I'm surprised to hear that you haven't been in on the raids, especially given what I've seen of your combat skill."   Freyd turned and looked Oscar over, and replied with complete disregard for his own strangeness.  "You're a bit of an odd one, aren't you?"

Spoiler

ID: 169151 CD6+1, Fossil fish found.

Oscar - HP: 1410/1410 | EN: 126/138 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 5 | MIT: 76 | ABS.ACC | BLD | BH: 71 | LD: 5
Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows -  HP:1190/1190 | EN:109/116 | DMG:25 | MIT:84 | EVA:4 | ACC:6 | KEEN:1 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | BH:47

Fossil Fish 3 - HP: 250/250 | DMG: 100 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 50

 

[Oscar 0]

Oscar chuckled. "I don't have an Evasion build for nothing." A deft swipe shattered the Fossil Fish, bringing them one step closer to their goal. Though there was no sign of the big boy, Oscar was content to sharpen his blade against the fish scales for the time being. Hard to have an anxiety attack when you're fighting a boss. That being said, he didn't know whether remaining silent on the subject. If someone was going to gun for Freyd, maybe he should know about it. Then again, you'd have to be a fucking idiot to swing into Firm Anima. Oscar was one thing - his Guild was rather dysfunctional and he'd not heard from over half of the members in quite some time. For all intents and purposes, he was on his own. At least Freyd had the benefit of having an entire guild backing him. An entire guild that he doubted Tyson had the balls to step to.

"You're a bit of an odd one, aren't you?"

"Hi pot, I'm kettle," Oscar replied.

Spoiler

Oscar - HP: 1410/1410 | EN: 115/138 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 5 | MIT: 76 | ABS.ACC | BLD | BH: 71 | LD: 5
Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows -  HP:1190/1190 | EN:116/116 | DMG:25 | MIT:84 | EVA:4 | ACC:6 | KEEN:1 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | BH:47

Explode Catapult[x14] -12 EN

Fossil Fish 3 - HP: 0/250 | DMG: 100 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 50 | ID: 169155 | BD: 1+7-2, Deal 314 DMG

[Freyd 0]

"Hi pot, I'm kettle," Oscar replied.

"Cheap," Freyd mocked.  "You can do better than that."  Timely as ever, he yanked up another fossil fish, except that this one had an even bigger cling-on nibbling onto its backside.  Both came slamming down onto the beach between he and Oscar.  "Uh... how about we finish that other chat in a minute.  I think we just found what we were looking for: a big, honkin' pile of scaled-up SP!"  

Tossing the rod aside, Freyd reefed on his blade, the other fossil fish having inconveniently landed on it and pinned it under its dead weight.  "Every fucking time..."  Bracing his booted foot on the ghastly creature's side, he pulled with all of his might.  The thing happened to flail at the exact same moment, sending Freyd and his weapon flying backwards as the expected resistance vanished.  Skidding to a stop on the sandy shore, Freyd was just glad that he hadn't picked up the fishing skill and would never have to do this again... probably.

Spoiler

ID: 169160 CD11+1, Fossil fish 4 & Lurker found.

Oscar - HP: 1410/1410 | EN: 115/138 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 5 | MIT: 76 | ABS.ACC | BLD | BH: 71 | LD: 5
Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows -  HP:1190/1190 | EN:116/116 | DMG:25 | MIT:84 | EVA:4 | ACC:6 | KEEN:1 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | BH:47

Fossil Fish 4 - HP: 0/250 | DMG: 100 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 50

The Lurker - HP: 500/500| DMG: 250 | ACC: 2 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 150 (Crit 9: +50 dmg | Crit 10: +100dmg)

 

[Oscar 0]

"You can do better than that."

"Yeah, probably," Oscar responded. "But I didn't feel like it."

Before he and Freyd could continue their verbal joust, the tip of his companion's fishing rod took a massive dip. Freyd made an off-handed comment about a big pile of SP just as the gargantuan creature landed on the beach. For starters, it was about twice the size of the King of Lakes. Although, it didn't have those absolutely creepy nubby legs and a weird fish-stache to make it that much more nightmare inducing. Indeed, it just looked like a giant angler fish. Oscar, for his part, was happy that something was acting normal around here. He dashed forward, cleaving the creatures down with an Explode Catapult. Well, one of them. One of the benefits to being an absolute unit is that it takes a ton to actually kill you. Oscar stepped back and shrugged. Freyd could stun it, but frankly he'd probably get the damn thing so low, why would anyone bother?

Spoiler

[1]Oscar - HP: 1410/1410 | EN: 101/138 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 5 | MIT: 76 | ABS.ACC | BLD | BH: 71 | LD: 5
[0]Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows -  HP:1190/1190 | EN:116/116 | DMG:25 | MIT:84 | EVA:4 | ACC:6 | KEEN:1 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | BH:47

Explode Catapult[x14] -15 EN

The Lurker - HP: 286/500 | DMG: 250 | ACC: 2 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 150 (Crit 9: +50 dmg | Crit 10: +100dmg) | ID: 169226 | BD: 4+7+1, Deal 214 DMG
Fossil Fish 4 - HP: 0/250 | DMG: 100 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 50 | ID: 169227 | BD: 9, Deal 328 DMG

[Freyd 0]

Watching the last fossil explode into bits of dead-fish-scented motes Freyd also saw the Lurker's health bar take a significant dip.  Weighing his options, he took a chance, and the RNG decided to screw him - hard.  Plunging his sword deep into the thing's gills to prevent it from fleeing into the water seemed to make it really mad.  Its lidless, iri-free eye just glared at him, as if it somehow had an eyebrow to raise and say to him 'Oh, no you didn't!'  The entire massive tub of scales and cartilage then flopped viciously onto its side, steamrolling Freyd into the sand in the process.  Adding insult to injury, it then proceeded to thrash wildly on top of him, like some bizarre angler's nightmare version of whack-a-mole.  Oscar saw Freyd try to rise several times, only to get pounded deeper and deeper into the face of the beach.  All that was missing was a set of circling Tweety-birds around the man's head to complete the scene.

Spoiler

[1]Oscar - HP: 1410/1410 | EN: 101/138 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 5 | MIT: 76 | ABS.ACC | BLD | BH: 71 | LD: 5
[1]Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows -  HP:924/1190 | EN:107/116 | DMG:25 | MIT:84 | EVA:4 | ACC:6 | KEEN:1 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | BH:47

Galaxy Destroyer (x13) = 13 EN - (Rested, Finesse 3) = 9 EN

ID 169228 BD: 8 + 4 +1 = 12 (hit, +6 Fallen).  Freyd deals (31*13 = 403 - 150 = 253) damage to The Lurker.  Keen triggers.

ID 169229 MD: 10 (Crit +100).  The Lurker deals (350 - 84 = 266) damage to Freyd.

The Lurker - HP: 33/500 | DMG: 250 | ACC: 2 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 150 (Crit 9: +50 dmg | Crit 10: +100dmg) (286 - 253)

 

[Oscar 0]

Oscar could have helped out. Probably should have helped out. The fish was absolutely destroyed his questing buddy. But, then again, Freyd was 0-2 for fish-based quests right now. He had no idea whether he'd finished Moretsuna or not, but after this little outing he had to see it if he hadn't. While it would have been so easy for Oscar to simply flick his wrist and shatter the titanic fish with his axe, Oscar decided not to do it. Not immediately anyway.

He was too busy laughing his ass off at Freyd getting his ass kicked by a land-locked fish.

"You can do better than that!" Oscar guffawed. He bent forward, holding his side as a raucous fit of laughter rocked him to his very core. No matter what Freyd did to try and extricate himself from under the fish's taint, he was just immediately slapped across the face with a fin or slammed back into the ground by several tons of unprepared sushi. Oscar would be worried for the man if the fish was doing any sort of real damage to him. Instead, Freyd was simply harmlessly trapped up under the fish, his body being used to create a deeper and deeper crater with every thrash.

Finally, Oscar took pity on him, stepped forward, and brought down the hammer on The Lurker. It was mid-jump when Oscar's blade caught it. It shattered like glass and floated off harmlessly on the breeze. Oscar looked down into the bottom of the crater - which at this point was several meters deep - and examined the situation. "I might have my own share of troubles, but at least I've never got my ass beat by a fish on dry land. Thanks for putting things in perspective buddy." Then, he hooked his axe into the earth and used it to descend some distance down into the crater. He then reached his hand down for Freyd to grab whenever his vision returned.

Spoiler

[1]Oscar - HP: 1410/1410 | EN: 89/138 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 5 | MIT: 76 | ABS.ACC | BLD | BH: 71 | LD: 5
[1]Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows -  HP:924/1190 | EN:107/116 | DMG:25 | MIT:84 | EVA:4 | ACC:6 | KEEN:1 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | BH:47

Explode Catapult [x14] -13 EN

The Lurker - HP: 0/500 | DMG: 250 | ACC: 2 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 150 (Crit 9: +50 dmg | Crit 10: +100dmg) | ID: 169230 | BD: 2+7+1, Deal 214 DMG

[Freyd 0]

"Seriously?!  When did I become Deadpool?"  His face was smooshed awkwardly and impossibly between his shoulder and left foot.  "This sort of shit happens to me ALL the time."  As he spoke, Freyd was busy trying to figure out how to extricate himself from the perfectly form-fitting imprint that the Lurker had gleefully created for him.  It took a bit of doing, and a few unnatural joint positions, but he eventually peeled himself out.  Oscar was still laughing his ass off. 

Ass.

Still, it was a welcome change in his companion's dour demeanor.  "I'm so glad I could help with your therapy!"  He had sand in his mouth, and busied himself trying to spit it out.  "Thank goodness the smell vanishes when they die.  I am NEVER learning the fishing skill! EVER!"  As Freyd turned to brush the sand off of himself, Oscar noticed a certain flatness to his profile, as if the system had interpreted the damage as equivalent to steamrolling his avatar into a player pancake. Freyd seemed oblivious to his re-inflation, thanks to the pain suppressors.  He twisted and stretched his arms, as if loosening after a full body compression treatment, which was essentially what he'd just received.

[Oscar 0]

It took all of Oscar's willpower not to burst out laughing before he got Freyd back topside. Once he had, he completely doubled over. "That fish Looney Tunes'd you!" It was almost unbearable. Tears were streaking out of his eyes. His chest was on fire. Something, something laugh until it hurts. Finally, after damn-near an eternity, Oscar got over himself. He was breathing heavily as he rose to his full height. "Oh that was amazing. Let's get back and turn this quest in Sylvester," Oscar said with a grin. "Kind of a shame we can't keep the fishing rod. That bonus to fishing is pretty nice. All of your problems with fishing bosses would just go up in smoke." He admired the fishing rod for a bit before finally putting it away. They wouldn't need fishing rods where they were going. Oscar especially. He was finally ready to get rid of this blasted 10-SP sink for good. It had brought him nothing but woe. And that was on a good day. The bad days were when it did absolutely nothing for him.

[Freyd 0]

Freyd affixed a goofy grin to his face made up of a mixture of humility, embarrassment, and satisfaction at having finally managed to break his companion's glum mood.  

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.  I recall watching you face-plant after being punted out of a rowboat not so long ago."  He laughed along with Oscar, accepting the absurdity of it all for what it was.

"Come on.  Let's go turn these things in before it respawns as a crystal-encrusted event boss or something.  You can also finish telling me about that pre-Sundered-Spire 'cloak and dagger' shit you were dealing with."  He pointed to his rather stereotypically clandestine apparel, which certainly made him fit the bill, despite being covered in sand, shells and other assorted watery flotsam.  Freyd knew full well that Oscar didn't want to talk about it, and was making it abundantly clear that he wouldn't either.  Despite their odd pairing, there was a strange kinship between the two of them.  Perhaps it was their age.  They were both old men by the standards of the game.  That altered your perspective on things.

[Oscar 0]

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.  I recall watching you face-plant after being punted out of a rowboat not so long ago." 

"Yeah and then I followed that up by throwing an oar sheer across the lake and hitting that fucker in the eye. I recall that saved you from being turned into the King's dinner," Oscar corrected. It didn't take long at all for Freyd to circle back to his prior situation. Oscar let out a frustrated sigh. "I'd really prefer if you stayed out of it," Oscar said with some degree of finality. "It's some real life stuff that's followed me into the game. It would be best if you didn't get yourself involved. For you, your Guild, and anyone else that you might be connected to you. This guy doesn't pull any punches. He ordered my info broker killed and almost succeeded." If Bahr and he had been even a moment later, Conciliator would have been food for the denizens of Floor 25. "It was pure happenstance that I was able to stop him. I'm not sure I'll be so lucky next time."

[Freyd 0]

It went against his instinct to do so, but he would respect Oscar's wishes, for now.  He'd given him enough to go on, anyway, should he ever change his mind.  There were only so many names in the broker network, and Freyd had other resources he could tap, if necessary.  His tone altered to match Oscar's.  This had suddenly become a business discussion, and he was accustomed to the fast pace of such changes.

"Fair enough.  If that's what you want.  Just keep me in mind if you need a hand in the future.  The things you describe area rarely resolve themselves cleanly.  I'm been tagged as a janitor on more than a few occasions."

With that, his clothing flickered and came back into focus free of sand and other detritus.  

"I'll be hunting for the Spire again soon enough.  I can keep you posted, if you want."  His hands were back in his pockets, sauntering along next to the much taller man, content to drift back into his shadow, if it so pleased.

[Oscar 0]

"There's a sort of tactical advantage for going it alone," Oscar said. "It's like I'm playing a game of chess against an invisible opponent who's got three queens on the board. His pieces are invisible too. I'm not certain what move is the right one. So the best thing to do here is to keep my important pieces behind my pawns. In other words, let him continue to fuck with me until I find out where his traps are. I'd very much rather not use the people I care about as bait - which is my only other option." Oscar shrugged. "We've established that I can take a hit really well. But I'll tell ya what. If my gut feeling is right and this escalates, I'm gonna read you in. Something tells me that I'm gonna need a non-descript operator with questionable morals if I want to have a snowball's chance in Hell of not watching this guy kill all my friends." He chuckled as he clapped Freyd on the back. They'd arrived at the quest giver. Oscar returned the fishing rod and gave his companion a parting wave. "Next time, I'll tell you about Pinball. Later."

[Freyd 0]

He listened in silence as Oscar described what he was trying so hard not to describe.  If his chess analogy held, he was making a bad play.  In chess, a single move can remove a piece.  By limiting himself to a single 'queen' - the imagery was amusing - he ran the risk of losing the entire game with a single misstep.  It was ultimately his call.

"Yep.  That's me.  Non-descript operator with questionable morals - always here to help."  Freyd rolled his eyes beneath his hood.  It was a useful pretense, until it led to moments like this.  Whatever.  It still suited his purposes, and probably wasn't actually that far off the mark.  Now he was just fooling himself.  It was bang on the mark, and he knew it.  And yet, whenever the time came for Oscar's call, he would answer it.  That's what a janitor does: clean up other people's messes.  Funny how there was no such piece in chess.  Maybe it was just invisible?  

Yes.  He liked that thought: the invisible chess piece.

***

Thread Summary:

Oscar receives: 5 SP (1 page +1 event +3 quest), 2,700 col, and <<Gleaming Fish Scale>> [Tier 2 Perfect Trinket]: A Small Scale that is encaplused by a small glass orb filled with water, to keep the scale from drying out. The orb is attatched to a string to be worn around the neck (+1 LD, +2 Prosperity)

Freyd receives: 5 SP (1 page +1 event +3 quest), 2,700 col.