[PP-F24] The Face on The Milk Carton (Baldur/JL)

[Jomei 0]

 

  

Jomei the emerald duelist

Spoiler notes Level: 32 | Paragon: 64 | Tier: 4(10)  Jomei: 880/880 HP | 126/126 EN | DMG 23 | MIT 44 | EVA 3 | ACC 4 | BH 48 | HLY BLS 19 | BLD 48 | FLN 8 | AA | LD 1 | F.Sprt. equipped Nihilim's Wrath  Vestige of St. Patrick Alatreon's Will battle-ready inventory // skills Spoiler Skills Saber R5 | TECH Spec. Combat Mastery DMG R3 Cloth Armor R5 Charge B Healing R5 Energist Fighting Spirit MA R2 Extra: Concentration (x) Survival (x) Meditation (x) Parry (x) Forgotten King's Authority Hiding R.4 Mods Athletics (x) Vanish (x) Addons Stamina (x) Ferocity (x) Precision (x) Nimble (x) data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== buffs Spoiler Housing Buffs:  Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat     Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)     Dining Room: Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. Living Room: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

Emerald eyes gazed out across the vast, ocean-covered floor. The sun's light, still peeking out from under the cover of the floor above, glittered against the gently rolling water like bouncing crystals of white. Each deep inhale he took through his nose brought with it a whiff of the briny ocean water. He found it pleasant, adding an extra layer to the serenity of his walk across one of the length bridges that stretched between two of the neighboring islands. 

The last time he had made his presence on the twenty fourth floor was for Baldur's Tournament; two days filled with excitement and camaraderie. Now that he knew exactly where the man had lived, the samurai's floating island was really the only reason Jomei had to visit this floor.. despite the peace he felt as he looked out across the sea. 

With his destination the same as before, Jomei continued his slow stride towards Baldur's abode, with hands shoved into the pockets of his trousers, and signature green cloak trailing behind him, mimicking the motion of the blue waves with each step. There was.. a lot on Jomei's mind, to say in the least. Lessa was always there to lend an ear, of course, but the man knew that she had her own demons to fight. He just didn''t want to add another thing onto her plate. Especially one of this caliber. Baldur, on the other hand, was one of the wisest men he knew, and Jomei felt he was an appropriate candidate to ask for advice with this issue. The issue of disappearing players. 

As the ginger began to cross the final bridge that lead to the island where Takumi's boat would ferry players through the portal to Baldur's island, Jomei saw another in his path. A disgruntled looking woman, half sitting on the handrail of the bridge with her arms crossed about her chest. Her eyes remained trained on the path to Baldur's island, turning to look at Jomei as he approached. A curious character, he thought to himself as he looked at the woman with a cocked brow, though her business was not his own, and Jomei proceeded to continue past her.

"Hey." she called out to him. Guess her business was becoming his now after all. "Are you heading to that island?"  

"I am." Jomei said with a nod as he turned to face the woman once more, "Do you have business with Baldur?" 

"Baldur?" she asked with a tilt of her head, "Nah, I'm supposed to be meeting with Takumi. Should have been here about ten minutes ago.. He had some Gleaming Scales he was supposed to trade me. Tried sending him a message, but he never got back to me" 

Gleaming scales? Jomei thought to himself. Those were rather rare items.. how did Takumi come to possess them. From the short meeting he had with the ferry man, he didn't seem the type to just skip out on an agreed meeting. And missed messages? This was starting to sound all too familiar to him.

"I'm heading over there now.. if I see him, I'll send him your way." 

Jomei had a bad feeling about this. 

[Baldur 0]

The day before:

A hustle filled the large open square in front of the Dreamer's Temple, the guild hall of Jacob's Ladder. People were rushing about, gathering supplied, both food their own crafters had made, as well as those that he and Shield arranged to be bought from Firm Anima and other associated crafting guilds. They had a large storehouse of them, but constantly needed to be restocked. Part of their role with the guild was to hand out supplies to those who showed up at boss fights unprepared. It meant the divesting of tons of resources for which the guild rarely saw returned or compensation, but they were not in this for profit or compensation.

"That's the last of the crafters and crates that were down at the docks, Baldur-sama." Takumi called out to the gaijin samurai. "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave." He bowed to the man in a blue and white haori, and then departed back through the gates.

He's a good kid. Baldur said with an inward smile. Takumi was always helping them out. He was still young yet, and not interested in risking his life in a battle to the death with floor bosses, but he wanted to contribute to the front in any way he could. So Baldur gave him training to defend himself, and continue him along the path of self improvement, as well as letting him contribute as much as he could. His income helped to fund a fair bit of what they did here, as he loved to be on the water, he could often be found fishing from his boat while waiting for anyone who needed to come or go from the island.

"Make sure we've got camping supplied and non-buff food as well. We don't want to burn the valuable stuff just because we're hungry, but we want to make sure everyone has enough to eat their fill while we're out there."

It had been time enough. They had cleared the previous floor, and now needed to focus their sight ever upwards.

The Day of:

After arriving at the settlement of Ronbaru, they had traveled east, into what was known as the territory of Srona.  While each of the settlements were mostly known for their variety of luminous stones, Srona had another defining feature... the forest. It was the crafting hub of the floor, and seemed the best secondary base camp for their expedition. While the floors themselves were not terribly large, the mountain nature of floor 27 was going to make the exploration a bear. The massive towers that normally gave a hint for where players could start looking for the labyrinth entrance were obscured by mountains and the darkness of the floor. It's beauty was a double edged sword.

Their camp, however, was a simple things. A few pack animals had been rented to help expand the inventory of those in the group with the tremendous amount of logistical gear needed for a group this size. Typically a player could carry enough to be self sufficient on a floor on their own for days, but with a diverse party of this size, they had to take into account things like multiple meals, privacy, and due to the... uncomfortable nature of sleeping in mountainous terrain, bedding. The magical nature of their inventory certainly made backpacking through the mountains easier than Baldur had ever found in real life, but even their inventory wasn't infinite. Plus, managing buffs out in the field when you didn't have the housing effect was important as well. Once they started finding dungeons, they would be cut off from the world, unable to direct message anyone until they were out.

They had spent the day exploring the glowing, gravity defying forests of the Srona area. Being that it was the first day out, they have done any real exploring, but they were nearing what Baldur thought to be the base of the first of the large support columns of the tower. Though the labyrinth entrance was rarely at the base of them, there were often dungeons nearby, and it wasn't uncommon that underground caves would be where they would find the labyrinth entrance.

The fire burned at the center of their camp, a handful of tents set up in a circle around it. There were no safe zones around here, but a bit of scouting by Hirru had shown that there didn't appear to be any monsters that spawned here during the day. At least, that's what the clock on Baldur's HUD said, since the sun never rose on this floor.

"Good job finding this spot, @Hirru" The Jade Hunter had been able to find them a nice little shelter in the rough landscape, where the floating trees, clinging to levitating rocks, broke the worst of the wind. They may not get chills in Aincrad, but it was no less uncomfortable to fall asleep. Sleeping in the field of the floors was not unknown to Baldur, but he rarely was in a place where it wasn't worth his time to just teleport home with a crystal and sleep in his own bed.

@Snow, dutiful as ever, had leapt to the task of cooking them something good for dinner. Her specialty was Sushi, almost as if Baldur had recruited her for that specialty alone, but she was adept at just about everything she put her mind to. The gaijin samurai hadn't even been the one to recruit her... yet as if she had some kind of power over him, she pressed @Calrex into being her cooking assistant. He did notice a few blushes here and there on her part when she glanced at him.

@Crozeph... Baldur gave out a bit of a sigh and tapped the top of the barrel that contained their rice, causing it to fall onto Crow's head.

"Crow, get out of the rice until after Snow has had a chance to cook it." He really is like a trash panda without Yuki around.

Baldur glanced over at @Cordelia. It was good to see her getting out and about again. She had been depressed for a while and not wanting to leave the island much, but she had talked with a few people at the Valentines Day tournament and she seemed to be coming out of her funk, and had even helped him with some of the students at the dojo. He thought she and Taukumi had even gotten a bit of a budding friendship, though it seemed mostly to be Cord giving him playful teasing and him trying, and failing, to one up her.

He wasn't sure yet if @Zajcica would catch up with them or not. He had sent her a message, but they had spent a better part of this afternoon traversing a field dungeon, unable to receive messages, and having to fight off evil, red eyed monkeys from their pack animals. The larger, more fiercesome <<Wood Elementals>> were a bit easier to avoid, or at least to target since they didn't move in packs and generally didn't attack immediately. The worst had been when they tried to make a fire at the first campground. It had cause several of the creatures to attack them at the same time, as if burning wood was an offense to them.

"Remember everyone, the real work starts tomorrow. So we need to make sure we have a good rest tonight. Even with the biggest system boosted search scores, it doesn't help if you can't keep your eyes open." Baldur smirked, his steel blue eyes looking over the faces of his guild, of his family. With a few exceptions he would have loved to add to the mix, this dysfunctional group of players were the ones he most wanted to spend time with. A pang of guilt gnawed at him though. The guild had been formed with four pillars, with the hope that together they could provide the guidance and leadership demanded not just by the frontline, but to be what those gathered here deserved. Mari had succumbed to her depression and hidden away in her cabin again, and Oikawa seemed to disappear, only checking in now and then. Shield, stalwart as ever, took a little too much to his role as quartermaster. It least Baldur to Captain the ship, and he felt he was not worthy of it. They needed more, someone to help push them forward, another leader. But whom?

"We've only been here during the 'day' in game time, so remember that spawn rates can change in the night, and I don't know how this floor works well enough yet." His inactivity was leading to his ignorance, but they were in this together, and others had expertise Baldur lacked.

He peaked over at Snow and Cal, "So, what's for dinner tonight?"

Spoiler

» Baldur, The Gaijin Samurai 

» Base Stats

• Base HP: 920
• Base EN: 126 (includes 20 for Energist)
• Base MIT: 78
• Base ACC: 5 (includes AA and does not automatically miss on 1s)
• Base DMG: 23 
• Base EVA: 2
• Battle Heal: 46 HP
• Keen: +1
• Recovery: +4 EN

» Items Equipped:

• Warden's Fury - Absolute Accuracy/2 Paralyze
• Muramasa - Absolute Accuracy/Fallen/Blight/Burn
• Ethereal Tether - Zanshin - Absolute Accuracy/Keen/Freeze/Burn
• Montsuki haori - 48 DMG MIT/+1 EVASION/+4 EN RECOVERY
• Emerald Matagama | Perfect | +3 Accuracy
• Hammerspace Backpack (HB) +1 BR item (allows stacks up to 7)

» Battle-Ready Inventory:

• Medium Damage Potion ^x7 | Rare T2 Item | +2 Damage
• Basic Teleportation Crystal ^x1 | Good Item | Teleports player to the Town of Beginnings
• Max Mass HP Recovery Crystal ^x7 | Perfect T2 Item | +30*Target Tier (30/60/90)
• Max T2 HP Recovery Crystal II ^x4 | Perfect T2 Item | +180 HP
• Safeguard Potion ^x3 | Perfect Tier 1 | Safeguard
• HB: Max Vitality Snack ^x2 | Rare Tier 2 | Grants +12 Energy
• EWL: Medium Antidote Potion ^x1 | Rare Tier 2 | Immune to negative status effects for 2 turns
• EWL: Muramasa or Warden's Fury
• EWL:
• SC: Emerald Teardrop - +2 ACC/+1 EVASION
   

» Skills:

• One Hand Curved Sword | Rank 1/5 | 
• Katana | Rank 5/5 | 
• Battle Healing | Rank 5/5 | 
• Light Armor | Rank 5/5 | 
• Charge | Purchased | 
• Quick Change | Purchased
• Extended Weight Limit | Purchased
• Energist | Purchased
• Combat Shift | ST Specialist
• Searching| Rank 3/5

» Extra Skills:

• Concentration | Equipped
• Survival | Un-equipped
• Meditation | Equipped
• Parry | Equipped
• Forgotten King's Authority | Equipped
• Shatter | Not Yet Unlocked

» Mods:

• Meticulous: Equipped
• Emergency Recovery: Equipped
• [Mod Slot Empty
• [Mod Slot Empty]
• [Mod Slot Empty]
• ADD-ON Ferocity: Equipped
• ADD-ON Stamina: Equipped
• ADD-ON: Precision: Equipped
• ADD-ON: Resolve: Equipped

» Housing Bonuses:

• Rested: -1 EN on first 2 uses
• Tasty: Turns 2 food into feast for 4
• Advanced Training: +2 SP to a thread 1/month
• Filling: Add 1 extra tier 1 slot to food
• Item Stash: +1 BR item slot
• Relaxed: OOC regen 5*tier, recover EN out of combat after 2 turns in lieu of 3
• Angler: +1 Mat when fishing

 

Edited April 22, 2022 by Baldur
Stats

[Hirru 0]

The day before: 

There was a great feeling of urgency.  Everyone was scrambling around, mostly plowing into Hirru's room, which also doubled as the storage for most of the equipment for the dojo.  Hirru was sure that the guild kept the treasury separate from the dojo, but what the hell did he know.  Waking from another nightmare of drowning once more, the hunter found that a few of the students were trying to find some things for the trip of their sensei.  He grumbled as he pulled his clothes on.  This time, he would apply his proper paladin set, as they were about to head out to the new floor.  He set up his raid gear to the up most perfection.  There was no way he was going to let everyone go below 60% health.  He didn't have to waste his energy for anything above that.

Stepping out onto the outer decks, Hirru made his way over to Baldur.

"I'm always ready to scout ahead, Bal.  Just let me know when we're heading out."

The night before:

It took quite a bit of prior trips to understand the layout of the 27th floor, and the woodlands of Srona were a bit of an easier start to deal with than the other three regions.  The land was spacious between the multitude of trees and various small shops that some of the NPC's would settle upon.  This land, which was known for its crafting lifestyle, had some of the most peaceful of mobs.  Although, not really peaceful, as they were more secretive.  The Wood Elementals that roamed this area, didn't really seem to fight anyone, as long as the trees were not disturbed.  If one was to get too close to a protected piece of flora, it was then that it's respective elemental would attack.  So far, all the other elementals would still attack the player, if they were seen for only a second.  Well, except for the Water Elementals of the Ronbaru area, as long as it wasn't raining.  

Finding this place was simple, but making sure of the attention drawn from the large group of players that Baldur was sure to draw would be an issue too.  They would all have to know the issues of the mobs and how best to deal with them.  Though, there probably won't be much issue at all, then.  Baldur and Calrex were veteran front liners, and could take warnings and advice fairly well, just as much as they give them.  Cro, on the other hand.  Hirru knew that he would be a constant aggressor of the elementals, if he learns of the fruit bearing trees that reside deeper within the forests.

Finally, taking care to get some more research out of the area, Hirru was certain upon the spot they would use for their base of operations.  There would be much more scouting to do later, but for now, they would be settling down here for a few nights.

"Hopefully, it won't take too long."

Present Day:

Guiding them all through the land was simple, but they were all now here.  Most of the current members of Jacob's Ladder, that he knew of, were here.  The next floor's scouting procedure would start tomorrow, as soon as they all got some rest.  Which meant that Hirru would have to start preparations to leave once more.  He had his own scouting to do.

Hirru Stats

Spoiler

Hirru | HP: 920/920 | EN: 104/104 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 122 | BH: 46 | HLY BLS: 36 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 36

Hirru Lvl 32 (PL 58)

920 HP (+220 PL)
104 Energy (+22 PL)
1 Base Damage
5% Battle Healing
8 Recovery
122 Mitigation
32 Thorns
4% Holy Blessing
20% Life Mend

Equipment

Paladin's Oath ..................... // +4% Holy Blessing / +20% Life Mending
Light's Embrace .................... // +8 Recovery / 32 Thorns
Bulwark ............................ // +72 Mitigation
Blades Cloak ....................... // Vanity
Lun'Rael's Insignia ................ // Unique Vanity |
Fates Armament (Shield) ............ // Unique Vanity | 
Dimensional Backpack ............... // +1 B.R.I Slot

Battle Ready Inventory

<Teleportation Crystal> x5 ......... // Teleport to a town / out of a dungeon [Uses 2 posts: 1 for use, next to teleport]
<Favor of the Golden Dragon> ....... // +3 Loot Die
<Betrayal of the Fallen Knight> .... // +12 Damage
<Mass HP Recovery Crystal> x5 ...... // +10% AOE Heal
<Empty>
<Empty>

Skills

Heavy Armor ........................ // Rank 5: +35 MIT
Battle Healing ..................... // Rank 5: +5% HP each turn
Search ............................. // Rank 5: +5 Loot Die / +5 Stealth Detection
Quick Change ....................... // Rank 0: Switch equipment as free action / 5 turn cooldown

Extra Skills (Max 4)

First Aid .......................... // Rank 5: +20% ST-H / -15 EN
Leadership ......................... // Rank 5: Command the Front w/ Buffs

Skill Mods / Addons (Max 5 Mods)

Iron Skin (Add on) ................. // +15 Mit / +60 HP
Field Medic (Add on) ............... // +25% AOE-H / -15 EN / 3 turn Cooldown
Hyperactive (Add on) ............... // +3 EN Regen for 3 turns / -5 EN / 3 turn Cooldown
Reveal (Add on)..................... // +2 to Dungeon, Labyrinth searches / Post 10 searches / 3 turn Labyrinth Cooldown

Barrier ............................ // -15% Dmg shield AOE / -15 EN / 2 turn Cooldown
Energize ........................... // +8 EN ST / -10 EN
Steadfast .......................... // +1 ACC AOE, -1 ACC self / -6 EN / 3 turn Cooldown
Press The Attack ................... // +(Target Tier) Dmg, -(Cumulative)Dmg / -10 En / 5 turn Cooldown
Detect ............................. // +1 to Labyrinth searches | +2 Stealth Detect

Housing Buffs

Rested ............................. // -1 EN for 2 uses
Relaxed ............................ // OOC HP regen 5*tier Rec EN after 2 turns
Filling ............................ // Increase food by +1 T1 slot
Multipurpose ....................... // +1 LD, Stealth, Dection, or Prosperity to 1 post
Practiced Angler ................... // +2 EXP & +1 LD & CD to attempts

 

Edited April 21, 2022 by Hirru

[Calrex 0]

The Day Before

"Well, things really flew by didn't they?"

The Ultramarine Knight couldn't even fully recall the conclusion of the last raid, and now Jacob's Ladder was preparing for scouting the next floor. He wasn't sure if things were moving faster than before, or if maybe he had just grown accustomed to the slower pace that happened in the recent floor progressions. It had certainly bee some time since the frontliners had blazed through the floors at an accelerated pace, but after the events of the past things had slowed significantly, but now it might be a sign they were gaining momentum again.

Ruffling the front part of his hair to get it out of his eyes, Calrex gave a small sigh before getting out of bed, turning back and gazing at the redhead who was still asleep. A slow blink was followed by a warm smile before he placed a hand on Teayre's shoulder, letting her know he was heading out.

Opening the door of the Amethyst Boutique, his eyes took in the blacked out sky of the thirteenth floor before giving a small sigh. Closing the door behind him, the bluenette made his way to the main teleportation circle.

It was not much longer that he arrived at Baldur's estate, seeing the hustle and bustle of the preparations already in progress. Giving a shrug of his shoulder, he made his way over, approaching one of the people carrying supplies, ready to lend his help.

Present Day

"How...uh...thick do I make these slices?"

A bead of sweat formed on the side of the bluenette's head as he held a knife in his main hand, currently resting sideways as he started at the block of SAO's equivalent to tuna in front of him. He couldn't recall how far they had come in their trip, but somehow @Snowhad convinced him to be her assistant for preparing the guild's meal. While he was unsure how wise the request was, it seemed to be the only role that needed someone to fill in the meantime as the others were busy with other tasks around the scouting camp, "...I guess thinner is probably better in this case. It's supposed to almost melt in the mouth right?"

As he heard @Baldurpop in and ask about who was on the menu, Calrex turned slightly so that the western samurai was now in his vision, "Uh...well...there's definitely tuna tataki. I haven't had a chance to look at what else is being made right now, heh."

Stats:

Spoiler

Base Stats

Calrex | HP: 940/940 | EN: 128/128 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 78 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 4 | BH: 49 | KEEN: 1 | L.M.: 1 | TAUNT

Levels:

Level: 32

Paragon: 68

Equipped Gear:

Grand Blade IV (T4): +1 Keen / +2 Accuracy

Grand Chariot Revamp (T4): +1 Light Momentum / +48 Mitigation

Rebellion of Sapphire (T1 Demonic): +3 Evasion | +1 Taunt

Familiar:

Roc: Grappling Familiar

Battle Ready:

x5 Mass Healing Crystal - Heal 10% HP for self + party

x1 Crimson Citrine Spiderlily (T4): +2 Bleed / +1 Paralyze

x1 Basic Teleportation Crystal (T1): Upon use, teleport to the nearest town next turn

x5 Safeguard Potion (T1): First Attack Negated

(Dimensional Backpack) -

(Dimensional Pouch) - 

Skills & Mods:

Straight Sword [Rank 5]: Stamina Addon / Ferocity Addon / Precision Addon / Resolve Addon / TECH Specialist

Light Armor [Rank 5]: Meticulous Mod

Charge

Energist

Battle Healing [Rank 5]: Emergency Recovery Mod

Parry: Vengeful Riposte Mod

Extended Weight Limit

Quick Change

Survival

Disguise

Meditation

Combat Mastery (Damage) [Rank 3]

 

[Jomei 0]

"Hm..." Jomei hummed to himself curiously, his expression hardened with both concern and intrigue as he approached the small dock he had last visited when attending Baldur's tournament. There, affixed to a post with a rope, was the small row boat that served as the only form of transpiration between the mainland and the isolated island with its driver nowhere in sight. The nail of his thumb gently raked at the skin of his lower lip as he pondered the situation, emerald orbs trailing from the empty vessel to the nearly floating island off in the distance. Perhaps Baldur, or any of the other inhabitants of the guild hall, would have better insight into Takumi's whereabouts.

The small, wooden boat adjusted to the ginger's weight as he slowly stepped foot into the boat, one foot at a time. Gently rocking back and forth in the water, Jomei took pulled the boat free of its loose bindings, and took hold of the oar to propel the boat forward. If the situation were not seemingly dire, he would have been more excited to be piloting the small boat across the channel to the island. Rowing a boat was never something he had the pleasure of doing, though the mechanics of it seemed simple enough that he could pick it up after watching others do it in the past. He may have steered off of the path a couple of times, almost sending himself into a circle... but a few redirections and he was back on course. 

Finally through the glowing symbol that served as an offshore portal, the boat -- with Jomei in it -- slowly came to a rest on the other side, in the small body of water where the receiving dock to Baldur's island sat. Tying up the boat once more, the ginger stepped off onto the island. "Hello?" he called out, "Baldur? ... Calrex? ... Anyone home?" The island wasn't ginormous, but definitely large enough where his voice wouldn't travel the entire length. He also could not help but keep his voice a notch lower than shouting, as to not disturb the serene atmosphere that seemed to circulate the guild hall at all times. 

It didn't take long for him to conclude that no one was around.. which could mean two things: Takumi was safe, traveling with Baldur and the group.. of they had no idea that their guild mate was missing. Pulling up a quick message, Jomei contacted Baldur.
 

Quote

To: @Baldur
From: Jomei

Hey Baldur, hope I'm not disturbing you.
I tried coming to talk to you in person, but looks like none of you are home.
Did Takumi go with you? I met with someone who said they were waiting on him.. but he never arrived. 

There have been a lot of kidnappings as of recent, and I don't want to expect the worst but...