[F19 | PP] A Rocky Start | <<Scent of the Wild: The Colossal Shadow>>

[Acanthus 0]

Scent of the Wild

Acanthus checked over her inventory one last time. Rope, pitons, climbing hooks. The boss fight today was going to be quite different that the others. Based on the information shared by players, it didn’t attack them directly. She’d have to climb the monster to attack its weak points. She thought back to her time climbing Mount Olympus, and how scared she had been of heights back then. No need to be scared of heights anymore; she’d conquered that fear. Along with many others.

It had been quite some time since she had seen Pinball. She wondered what he had been up to during their short break. Not that she would ask him, of course. They both kept to themselves—it was the sign of a good friendship. And she wasn’t keen to share any of her experience over the last few weeks anyways. Let’s just keep this mission quick and professional.

Whenever Pinball arrived, she would merely nod, signaling her readiness for the quest ahead.

Spoiler

 

Acanthus | Lvl 52 (33/19) HP: 760/760 | EN: 90/90 | DMG: 21 | MIT:54 | ACC:5 | BRN-IM  | VAMP-D: 42 | REC: 4 | BLD: 48  | PARA | LD:4                                                                                                                       

Equipped Gear:
Ajisai | A long cerulean blade. The pommel and hilt include subtle floral themes, evoking the remorse instilled by the sword’s name.
Enduring Thistle | This simple breastplate features delicate engravings and patterns of the eponymous wildflower, accentuated by soft hues of green and violet. It bestows the thistle’s qualities upon the wearer.
Vow of Return | I'll be home. Maybe not soon, but someday.

Combat Mastery:
  - Combat Mastery: Damage R3

Combat Shift:
  - TECH Shift

Skills:
  - Light Armor R5
  - Searching R4
  - Straight Sword R5

Extra Skills:
  - Assault Mode
  - Disguise
  - Forgotten King's Authority
  - Hiding R5
  - Parry
  - Photosynthesize
  - Survival

Addons:
  - Focus
  - Precision
  - Resolve

Mods:
  - Meticulous
  - Night Vision
  - Surpise Attack: Trickster
  - Tracking
  - Vengeful Riposte

Housing Buffs:
  - Basic Kitchen: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.
  - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
  - Attic (Bedroom): +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cannot boost a skill without ranks, or increase a skill past its maximum rank. Cannot boost a skill the user has not learned yet. Ranks obtained using this buff will make the mods of that rank available for purchase. Mods obtained this way are unusable if this buff is removed until the skill is returned to the appropriate rank by way of SP purchase.
  - Basement: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
  - Guest Room: Players can have one «Amenity» in a «Guest Room» and the «Amenity» cannot be recovered. Players are allowed to change which «Amenity» is in the «Guest Room». Multiple instances of the same «Amenity» do not stack. This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.
  - Greenhouse: +2 Gathering EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to gathering attempts.
  - Mega Slime Farm: +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post.

Crafting Profession:
 - Performer[2638exp] R5
Gathering Profession:
 - Forager[779exp] R5"      

 

                                                                                                                     

Edited March 21 by Acanthus

[Pinball 1]

Try as he might to forget them, her words from the last time they'd spoken rang in his ear when he saw her. 

I don't think that makes you a terrible person. He approached her quietly, as was his wont, and nodded in response. He began to walk, leading the way to the Colossus. Something was bugging him. He wasn't sure what. Pinball pulled the hood of his cloak up. They hadn't been walking for very long before Pinball broke the silence. 

"When we first began this questline," he ventured, "I was the most worried about this fight. I don't think there's any reason to now, though." 

He could tell by her gear. By the way she carried herself. Acanthus had grown quick. Maybe too quick. Something was wrong. He didn't know what. 

But he kept that thought to himself, too. Did that make him a terrible person? "Not very far. Shouldn't be much of a problem." 

***

Pinball: 860/860 HP | 122/122 EN | DMG: 20 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 4 | BH: 37 | LD: 6

Spoiler

Level: 33 (Paragon Level 47)
Health: 860 | Energy: 122
DMG: 20  | ACC: 2  | EVA: 4  | BH: 37 | LD: 6 
Shift: Tech

Skills:

Combat Skills:
► Battle Healing [22/30]
► Energist [8/8]
► Combat Mastery: Damage [13/13]

Weapon Skills:
► Thrown Weapons [30/30] 
    Add Ons: 
►Focus 
►Precision 
►Stamina 

Utility Skills:
► Quick Change [8/8] 
► Searching: [22/30] -> (Skylight: R5) 

Extra Skills:
► Disguise
► Survival
► Forgotten King’s Authority 
► Hiding [30/30]

Familiar Skill: 
► Rending Familiar [10/10]

Armor Skills:
► Unhindered 

Modifiers:
► Sneak Attack: Trickster 
► Vanish 
► Tracking
► Untraceable

Miscellaneous: 
► +1 LD to Looting, Searching for/Opening Treasure Chests (Paragon) 
► Earn Col Equivalent to 15% of player’s EXP earned in a thread (Paragon) 

Inventory:
»[Equipped] [Demonic] Hellfire: Burn, Blight, Static, Bleed
»[Equipped] [Perfect] Black Cloak: +3 EVA 
»[Equipped] [Perfect] black mamba.: +3 Sneaky

Battle Ready: 
» [Soundtrack] Sound of the Wild {Instant Incarcerate} 
» [Soundtrack] In memoriam miserae {Instant Perpetuate} 
» [2x] Lacrimosa - HP Recovery III Crystal {Instant}
» [Demonic TW] Cold Fervor: +2 Freeze, Phase
» [Demonic TW] Astral Blade: Holy, Fallen, Phase, Damage
» [Perfect Trinket] Warrior’s Focus: +3 ACC 
» [1x] Teleportation Crystal 

Housing Buffs: 
Squeaky Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
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 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.
Relaxed: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Item Stash: +1 BR Slot 
Skylight (Searching): +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cannot boost a skill without ranks, or increase a skill past its maximum rank. Cannot boost a skill the user has not learned yet. Ranks obtained using this buff will make the mods of that rank available for purchase. Mods obtained this way are unusable if this buff is removed until the skill is returned to the appropriate rank by way of SP purchase.
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt

 

Edited October 6, 2024 by Pinball

[Acanthus 0]

“No reason to worry at all,” she confirmed. Back when she started this quest with Pinball, the thought of scaling a mountainous monster and risking unavoidable damage—setting aside the fear of falling itself—might have driven her back inside for another year.

Acanthus did her best to avoid conversation. She could have sworn Pinball gave her an odd look while she wasn’t paying attention. Odd looks meant odd questions, or unwanted conversation, and she didn’t want to repeat her previous weird, mushy remarks. Even though part of her thought about Pinball as a good friend, she recognized that in reality he was nothing more than an ally of convenience. Little had transpired to indicate they were any more than professional contacts—her comments on the fishing trip had only succeeded in making him uncomfortable. She wouldn’t repeat that mistake.

You’re just projecting. Nothing has really changed since we went fishing. And yet… the silence they shared on the fishing trip felt calm, like watching a placid lake. This silence felt more like a stagnant puddle of rainwater.

All of these thoughts are just your anxiety talking. She tried to drown it out with aimless conversation. “The colossus shouldn’t be too hard to find.” Acanthus spoke idly as she observed the horizon. “It is a walking mountain, after all.”
 

Post Action: Locate Colossus
235068 | LD 3. Failure.

Edited October 8, 2024 by Acanthus

[Pinball 1]

"Right," he agreed. A giant, walking mountain. Pinball scanned the horizon. Was that it, in the distance? He couldn't tell. He certainly couldn't hear it yet; which was another thing to expect of something of its sheer size. It was kind of funny, and mostly annoying, that the most giant foe they'd have to face so far was also hidden, just like the others. "A walking mountain." 

He kept his thoughts to himself. There was a part of him that, surprisingly, felt like he needed to tell her about the things he'd done in the past. He wasn't sure why he felt this desire (there it was again, that weird feeling that something was wrong) but it ate at him. They kept walking. There was still no Colossus in sight. Maybe they just needed to get a little further into the wilds first. 

***

Locate Colossus: ID#235069 LD: 6+6= 12 (Failure)

Edited October 9, 2024 by Pinball

[Acanthus 0]

The pair continued their search without any luck. “It’s not even that big of a floor,” Acanthus complained. “Maybe the creature is smaller than the guide suggested?” It hadn’t been wrong before, but there was a first time for everything. “Or it still needs time to spawn in. Perhaps rendering a creature that big poses issues for Cardinal.” Not that she knew the first thing about computers; she was just filling the silence with something, anything that was shallow enough to ignore.

“Let me know if you have any big orders for my shop soon. I recently made it to maximum rank as a performer, and I have plenty of materials for crafting. I’ll actually be going on a trip to the thirteenth floor soon to… to kill some stuff. I should have plenty of materials for healing crystals. Or another soundtrack. Whatever you need from me.” She silently begged Cardinal to spawn in the monster sooner rather than later.
 

Post Action: Locate Colossus
235162 | LD 4 + 5. Failure.

Edited October 10, 2024 by Acanthus

[Pinball 1]

Pinball stayed quiet for a while as they walk. It was an uncomfortable silence. Thankfully Acanthus filled it. First she complained about Colossus; the supposedly massive mob was still nowhere to be seen. Were they even on the correct floor? 

And secondly she told him to let her know if he planned on punching through any big orders to her shop. He watched her as she spoke. He returned his eyes to the task at hand. He took a moment to respond. 

"Alright," he said, "if you're sure. Figured you'd be busy, still." There was more to it than that, sure. There was a reason he never talked to her, except for outside of the quests, and it wasn't because he didn't enjoy her company. It was more the opposite. And he had been ignoring the elephant in the room for too long. 

BOOM. 

"Hey. There it is." 

BOOM. The ground shook violently with every step it took. Ahead, giant and alone, walked the Colossus.

*** 

Post Action: Locate Colossus
235497 | LD: 11+6= 17 (Success!) 

Edited October 12, 2024 by Pinball

[Acanthus 0]

Oh thank Kayaba.

Acanthus dug through her inventory as she walked, looking for the rope and pitons. The game would probably assist her in freehanding it, but she liked the feeling of extra security, whether it actually made a difference or not. She’d been able to shake most of her strange little “real life” rituals, but something about heights made her act irrationally. She planned to stamp that out as soon as she could.

“I’ll take the left hand. That leaves the right hand, chest, and head. Your call on what to take next.” Looping the rope around some crags on the mountainous feet, she secured the knot and began scaling. “This thing looks pretty big. It may take a while to bring it down. And…”

C’mon, say something. You know it’s weird. He knows it’s weird. And he knows you know it’s weird. So just say something to let him know you’re still friends.

“Don’t die.”
-----

Post Action: Climb the Colossus (1/2)

[Pinball 1]

"Uh, yeah. You too." Don't die? What? 

Pinball grit his teeth and started free climbing while Acanthus got her gear situated. It was the fastest way out of the conversation if not the easiest. The Colossus had fairly obvious hand and footholds, and sometimes even rocky platforms in odd, disjointed parts of its body. He made quick progress, and only stopped for a moment to admire the scenery before setting his eyes on the right hand. He figured if Acanthus was going for the left, he'd go for the right, and then they could meet in the middle and work their way up. He shook his head. How much HP was this thing going to have? He understood it was sort of an introductory questline, but Pinball had never hunted anything anywhere near this size before. When he began climbing again, that became even more clear. Its stony form seemed to extend for miles. A trick of the eye, surely, but a disheartening one nonetheless. 

He tried to keep an eye on Acanthus, but he figured she'd probably be fine. She had all that gear. If anybody was going to fall, it was far more likely to be him. 

*** 

POST ACTION: CLIMB THE COLOSSUS [1/2] 

[Acanthus 0]

Don’t die.

Acanthus choked on a dry laugh, halfway up the Colossus. Don’t die?! What kind of encouragement was that?? If anything, she was the one that was going to die here. Pinball glided up the side of the mountain with minimal effort. Acanthus, on the other hand, was struggling from crevice to crevice. Trying to grasp the next sharp outcrop, her hand slipped on the hold, slicing it open. Acanthus sucked air through her teeth as she dangled four stories from the ground. It just looks far, she told herself. The guide says the first fall won’t kill you. Incredulous, she glanced down to check the distance and nearly lost her grip. There was no way that drop wouldn’t kill anyone. In real life, falling from this height would have guaranteed a closed casket funeral. She let the pain of her open palm focus her. You deserved that, she scolded. You got distracted. You got busy thinking about Pinball, and his business, and for what? Let him live his life. After this quest, he’s going to forget you, and all the stupid things you told him, like “don’t die.” And then you can move on and forget the stupid things you said.

Her weight shifted as the Colossus stepped forward. Drawn out of her thoughts, she saw a mass of rock rushing towards her. The thing’s hand was about to be directly underneath her. Do it. Drop. Either you end up useful or dead. She briefly exhaled, and released the rock.

Air screamed past her ears, and Acanthus forced her eyes open in the stinging wind. There was still nothing underneath her. She had miscalculated the hand’s movement. I guess I’ll get to see just how real the game is, she lamented. If it’s as real as I think, then… I’m sorry, Pinball.

A rough stop interrupted her momentum—she had worried so quickly, and for nothing. The hand had appeared at the very last moment, and she tumbled into the open palm. Gripping the thumb as tightly as she could with her off hand, she drew her sword with the other. The game wasn’t giving her any time to see her worries through, but perhaps that was for the best. She made a note to address her pessimism later. It was starting to become a problem.

-----

Post Action: Climb the Colossus (2/2)

[Pinball 1]

He kept climbing. There was no point in dawdling. The sights were nice, yes, but they weren't worth lingering for. He grabbed the next handhold and continued up the Colossus. Pinball wasn't particularly fond of this boss design, but he could acknowledge the fact that it broke the mold. That was something, at least, as it served to break up the monotony of your typical fetch and kill quests. 

Pinball's cloaked whipped in the wind. He swung from its torso to its arm, and found himself dangling in a way he wasn't completely comfortable with. It didn't last long, though, and he was able to dig his boots into the stone giant's rocky surface once more. He began to descend. The weak point wasn't far now. Easy does it. He slowed down, timing his descent with the backswings of its arms as the creature lumbered endlessly onwards. He flipped a dagger into his palm, and continued to climb with just one hand free. 

*** 

Climbing {2/2} 

[Acanthus 0]

Wind rushed past Acanthus as the Colossus picked up speed. She dug her heels into the few crevices of the things hand, fumbling with her blade. Any second now, her hold was going to give. She didn’t have time to use her climbing gear to dig back into the walking mountain, so it was just going to have to be a bold offensive and a prayer to Cardinal. The first fall won’t kill me. The first fall won’t kill me.

She hurriedly surveyed the hand for the so called weak spot. Maybe she had to slice off a finger, or there would be a hold hidden inconspicuously on the hand. If Koji were here… She dug back in her memories for some kind of help.

Spoiler

Bright lights and laser sounds from Koji’s room distracted Haru from her evening routine of checking on the plants. Gingerly, she knocked on the ajar door. “Hey, big sis. Come on in.”

“How did you know it was me?”

“Easy, dad doesn’t knock. He just comes in.”

Haru slid through the doorway. Koji’s back was turned to her, his eyes glued to the ancient CRT TV in front of him. On the screen, a spaceship flew over blocky brown hills, blasting vague shapes and diving through rings of silver and gold. Haru sat on the bed and watched for a little bit, before asking, “why do you play all these old games? Don’t you have a brand-new gaming computer?”

“Yea.” Koji remained fascinated by the shapes on the TV. “Something about the classics gets me.”

“The classics? Koji, Nintendo 64 came out… god, was it really almost twenty years ago?”

“Yup.” He played quietly while Acanthus briefly struggled with the inexorable passage of time.

A new monster popped up on the screen. A large monkey’s face flanked by two massive hands laughed at Koji’s puny spaceship. Haru found herself inadvertently drawn in.

“It’s massive! Shoot it in the face! Hurry!” Koji just laughed. “Sis, I know you don’t play games, but c’mon. I have to hit the eyes first.”

“How do you know that?” Koji just shrugged. “It’s common sense. If you ever have to take down something bigger than you, go for eyes and hands. It’s always eyes and hands.”

But the monster's face backed up far enough that the eyes were tiny pinpricks. “Looks like you’ll have to aim for the hands.”

“Patience, big sis. You can’t just shoot the hands. There’s a weak point. See?”

 

Acanthus’ eyes flashed open. Square in the center of the palms was a small bump of slightly discolored rock. It appeared lighter and looser than the rest of the hand. A weak spot. “Thanks, Koji.” She gripped the blade with one hand, and drove it down into the discolored rock. It didn’t feel like she was stabbing rock at all; it felt more like she had just stabbed through a large amount of flesh. The mountain shuddered, then shook, then thundered in anger. Acanthus prepared to hang on for dear life.
 

Spoiler

Acanthus | Lvl 52 (33/19) HP: 760/760 | EN: 75/90 | DMG: 21 | MIT:54 | ACC:5 | BRN-IM  | VAMP-D: 42 | REC: 4 | BLD: 48  | PARA | LD:4

<<Colossus>> HP: 1119/1400 | MIT: 75 55 | EVA: -2 [(1) Shatter [1/3]

Post Action: TECH-D -> Colossus (-15 (16 - 1) EN)
240081 | BD 3 + 5 + 2 | Hit! Shatter applied. -20 MIT. 16 * 21 = 336 - 55 = 281 damage.

 

Edited March 21 by Acanthus
LMAO I accidently a huge spoiler in the Koji plotline

[Pinball 1]

Somehow, Colossus' rocky form shuddered violently. Pinball grit his teeth and dug his toes into a foothold, holding tight. Acanthus must have struck a weak spot. That meant that he was slacking. Pinball slipped down a bit, risking a rather nasty fall in the process. There wasn't much time left to waste. He saw it, glowing beneath the beast's concrete exterior -- a dull red glow, like a beating heart caged in stone flesh. He wondered only briefly if every weak spot looked like that, and then fixed his attention to the task at hand. He didn't dare lower himself further. Holding on as tight as he could with just one arm and one leg, Pinball hurled the dagger into the chink in its armor with a deadly precision. Again, it shuddered. Pinball held tight, and, again risking his own health, began to climb again. It was obvious that they were making good progress with just their two strikes. The problem was getting to the spots where they could even hurt it. 

*** 

Spoiler

Acanthus | Lvl 52 (33/19) HP: 760/760 | EN: 75/90 | DMG: 21 | MIT:54 | ACC:5 | BRN-IM  | VAMP-D: 42 | REC: 4 | BLD: 48  | PARA | LD:4
Pinball: 860/860 HP | 109/122 EN | DMG: 20 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 4 | BH: 37 | LD: 6 | BLD: 48 | BLI: 32/-20 | BRN: 56 | STC: 40

<<Colossus>> HP: 834/1400 | MIT: 35 | EVA: -2 | Shatter [2/3]

Post Action: TECH-D -> Colossus {Well Rested} (-13 EN)
ID#240119 BD: 7 (Hit) - 20*16= 320-35= 285 DMG

 

Edited March 20 by Pinball

[Acanthus 0]

Smack

Spoiler

Colossus Rolls LD for [Shake]
243491 | LD 17 (I am so sorry)

Recovery. 243492 | CD 10 | +8 EN

Post Action: Rocky Mountain Breakdown (Hanging On)
243493 | LD 20 | Stayed on colossus.

Acanthus | Lvl 52 (33/19) HP: 760/760 | EN: 83/90 | DMG: 21 | MIT:54 | ACC:5 | BRN-IM  | VAMP-D: 42 | REC: 4 | BLD: 48  | PARA | LD:4

<<Colossus>> HP: 1119/1400 | MIT: 75 55 | EVA: -2 [(1) Shatter [1/3]

Shake | Players have to grip onto the creature, rolling an LD as a Post Action to see how strong their grip is on the creature. The next post, <<Colossus>> will roll his own LD. If his LD is greater than the player, the player is thrown off, dealing 100 unmitiged damage to the player. They will then have to restart their climb to the next Weak Point. [Note: LD equipment and consumables can come into effect when rolling, The only +LD skills that apply are Nimble and Unhindered]

 

 

Edited March 21 by Acanthus