[F04] <<Absolute Zero>>

[Cardinal 0]

Floor 4
<<Absolute Zero>>
Party Limit: 4 | 20+ Posts
Repeatable for standard thread rewards, plus attempts at unlocking the <<Frozen Hide>> extra skill.

Quest Rewards:

• 1,500 Experience Points
• 2,500 col
• Each player receives:
  • Zero Degree Icicle
    • T2 Rare Weapon of Choice | Freeze | Accuracy I
• POTENTIAL REWARD | If completed without any party member including <<Survival>> in their extra skill slots
  • Unlock <<Frozen Hide>> Extra Skill

Requirements:

• Speak with Alexander at White Rabbit Tavern.
• Defeat Absolute Zero.

Summary:

The defeat of the Mortha the Magnificent, Twentieth Floor Boss, sent a ripple through the whole of Aincrad. Mobs began changing, and even earlier floors became far more treacherous than they had originally been. It wasn't long before quest mobs were also affected. Absolute Zero is the first of a series of mutated beasts, amalgamated with their environments into fearsome creatures capable on inconceivable feats. It will emerge from beneath a sheet of frozen ice blanketing a smooth lake on the fourth floor at random, taking the place of its counterpart - Avalanche. 

This change hasn't gone unnoticed. The locals are increasingly worried that, at some point, Absolute Zero may become uncontainable and make its way into Snowfrost. Were that to happen, the NPCs of the floor would be no match. They were hardly able to ward off Avalanche, once before, so how would they handle a monster like Absolute Zero?

A respected resident of the town has been tasked with seeking the help of player(s) whenever Absolute Zero is known to have re-spawned. Alexander, barkeep and proprietor of the White Rabbit Tavern, has assumed this mantle of responsibility. His business sees regular traffic from all manner of players, and he frequently has the opportunity to fill their ears with whispers of adventure, treasure, and glory. While he can usually guide the players into making a voluntary decision to confront Absolute Zero through subliminal dialogue routes, sometimes he will opt for a more direct approach for those he perceives as more dense. 

Outline: 

Absolute Zero is a respawning quest boss, and a mutated version of Avalanche. It is bigger, stronger, and more durable. Players who speak to Alexander at the White Rabbit Tavern may notice him hinting that Absolute Zero has been spotted again, and that this is worrisome to the residents of Snowfrost. If the Player(s) don't immediately catch on, a panel that populates with the quest acceptance will certain send the proper message.
 

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NPCs:

<<Alexander>>
Alexander is a rare breed among NPCs. He is polite, clever, and most importantly - adaptable. With advanced AI that sets him apart from the other residents of Snowfrost, Alexander can seem, at time, indistinguishable from an actual human player. That being said, there are time when his dialogue routines will fail him. When this happens, he will improvise and seldom makes the same mistake twice. With years of interactions with players piling up behind him, his arsenal of dialog options ensures that no two encounters with Alexander will ever be truly alike.

Though not particularly thrilled with having been tasked as the town's quest lackey, he recognizes it as an inevitability. After the Players arrived on the fourth floor and his behavior started changing he too began noticing the limitations of his peers. He has, to at least some peripheral degree, become aware that the players are an entity far more advanced than himself and the other NPCs, and is unafraid to use this to his advantage. Even though he seems clued in to the fact that he's likely not "real," he does not desire death more than any other mortal.

When explaining the situation to the player(s), he will first try subtly alluding to the fact that the residents of Snowfrost could use some help. He will gradually become more heavy-handed with his hints, before finally relenting and asking for help straightforwardly if he must. However, he will often make remarks about how he hadn't imagined "real players" could be so dense as to ignore his hints, which he considers obvious.

 

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Enemies:

<<Absolute Zero>>
Absolute Zero is a fearsome beast that has been terrorizing the residents of the fourth floor. Leagues beyond the power of its lesser cousin, Avalanche, the NPCs of the floor cannot hope to thwart its efforts to flatten their towns should it ever choose to do so. Players are advised not to take this boss lightly - it will prove dangerous to the unprepared traveler.

HP: 1000/1000 | DMG: 200 | MIT: 200 | ACC: 3 | EVA: -2 | Freeze (8-10)
(+50 DMG on natural 9, +100 DMG on natural 10)
This boss uses its own BD roll when attacking.

Abilities:

• Grand Slam | On a natural CD of 12, this boss will raise its arm and crash it against the ice of the lake, sending a ripple through toward all of the players, dealing 200 mitigatable damage and Freezing everyone in place. This attack automatically hits.
• Zero-Degree Weather | This boss changes the weather of the area into a blisteringly cold blizzard, lowering the EVA of all Players by -2. This effect can be ignored with the <<Survival>> skill.
• Frozen Hide | If this boss is faced without Survival, the Player(s) will find it biting cold to the touch. It will gain 50 mitigation against attacks made by players without <<Survival>>, and deal 50 Frost Thorns damage on successful attacks - regardless of critical status.
   

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Epilogue: 

For Players who used <<Survival>> during the fight:

Spoiler

The storm ceases, and peace returns to the glossy surface of the lake. A panel spontaneously appears before the player(s) heralding the quest’s completion, listing the quest rewards and experience gained. 

For Players who did not use <<Survival>> during the fight:

Spoiler

The storm ceases, and peace returns to the glossy surface of the lake. A panel spontaneously appears before the player(s) heralding the quest’s completion, along with an alert beneath the quest rewards that indicates the <<Frozen Hide>> skill has been unlocked in their skill tree.