[F09 | SP] The Coming Hellstorm | <<Field Boss: Phoenix>>

[Acanthus 0]

Of all the places the field boss could have been, it was floor nine. Of course it was floor nine. She had been here already to clear out Cerberus with Rencesvals and Ara. And by the end of the hot, miserable journey, she had hoped to never return. The problem was, the Phoenix here dropped an item that she desperately wanted. “Hellstorm” was a unique consumable that could add a sizable damage boost to her attacks. It would benefit her ability to churn through mobs, not to mention improve her odds in the upcoming field boss fight.

And while she hadn’t intended it, her stats perfectly lined up with hunting the poor bird down over, and over. She suddenly became grateful for what she had initially considered a poor roll on her armor. Fireproof was going to prove a serious benefit to mitigating any potential hiccups the Phoenix could toss her way.
 

Spoiler

 

TIER LOCK: 2

Acanthus | HP: 740/740 | EN: 90/90 | DMG: 15 | MIT:42 | ACC:5 | AA  | EVA:3 | BRN-IM  | VAMP-D: 41 | REC: 4 | LD:5

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket: 
  - botan.
Armor/Trinket: 
  - Enduring Thistle
Shield/Armor/Trinket: 
  - Evasive Charm

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 October 6 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

Barely into the grind, and there was one hiccup she hadn’t accounted for: someone was already fighting the field boss.

A young boy, slightly older than Koji, was going toe to toe with the fiery bird. He dipped around a slew of fireballs before leaping an unhuman height. He sliced quickly and tumbled away before the bird could even react. Acanthus waited for an opportunity to introduce herself.

“If you wait too long, you won’t get any rewards.” The boy panted as he pressed the attack. Acanthus didn’t realize she’d made enough noise to be noticed. “Go ahead and send me a party invite and we can knock this thing out together.” Acanthus watched the boy move like lightning, dodging every attack the boss had to offer. “I’ve never invited someone that wasn’t on my friends list. Do I just…”

She swore the boy rolled his eyes, but this far away, it was too hard to tell. “You can filter players by distance. Or you can search for my name.”

Spoiler

Post Action: TECH-A ->Phoenix (-16 EN)
234949 | BD 10. Major Critical! 17 * 16 = 272 - 50 = 222 damage. Stunned.

Monsters' Turn
Phoenix Stunned. No action taken.

Acanthus | HP: 740/740 | EN: 74/90 | DMG: 15 | MIT:42 | ACC:5 | AA  | EVA:3 | BRN-IM  | VAMP-D: 41 | REC: 4 | LD:5
<<Phoenix>> HP: 753/975 | MIT: 50 | DMG: 90 | ACC: 2 | [EVA: 2 Stun Imm. 0/3]

Abilities
Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats.

 

 

Edited October 6 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

Filtering through the players on this floor, she saw the nearest was a player named 3ulogy. Sending the invite, she saw the boy dodge a flurry of attacks while quickly accepting the invite. His health and stats appeared on her HUD. “Any day now,” the boy said kindly. “Not that I’m in any danger, but it’ll at least go faster with another warm body.”

I can be more than a warm body, she thought sourly. She stepped into aggro range of the boss, where it locked eyes with her and screeched. “Oh, and you might have your hands full dodging.”

“Wait, haven’t you been at it awhile? You should have built up quite a bit of hate.” Eulogy smirked. “Watch this,” and he vanished into seemingly thin air. “Very funny.” She had flashbacks to Pinball’s disappearance, but unlike last time, she remained unrattled. She had planned to solo the boss anyways, but she disliked that Eulogy hadn’t spoken up until after she’d joined the party. What if she’d been newer?

Spoiler

Recovery. 234955 | CD 2. +2 EN

Post Action: TECH-D ->Phoenix (-15 EN)
234956 | BD 6 + 6 - 2. Hit! Shatter applied. 15 * 16 = 240 - 30 = 210 damage.

Monsters' Turn
234956 | MD 1. Critical Miss.

Acanthus | HP: 740/740 | EN: 61/90 | DMG: 15 | MIT:42 | ACC:5 | AA  | EVA:3 | BRN-IM  | VAMP-D: 41 | REC: 4 | LD:5
<<Phoenix>> HP: 543/975 | MIT: 50 30 | DMG: 90 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 [Stun Imm. 2/3] [Shatter(x1) 1/3]

Abilities
Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats.

 

Edited October 6 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

Dodging past the volcanic vents, Acanthus closed in for a strike. She readied her blade, began to swing, when she felt something disconcerting. Someone was using her shoulders to launch themselves? Looking up, she saw Eulogy high in the air, knives whirling. “On it!” he cried, taking a sizeable chunk out of the boss’ health bar.

“Hey!” Acanthus yelled. The more she worked with this boy, the more annoyed she got. “I had a perfectly good attack lined up!”

“Sorry!” he shouted back. “I saw an opening. The damage is done either way, so what’s the problem?” The problem is that I don’t like not knowing what’s going on. It was one thing to provide backup to a team; it was another thing to be a stranger’s literal springboard. But she could save those comments for after combat. She realized that in this moment, she needed to lock in and kill this big bird.

Spoiler

Recovery. 234957 | CD 8. +6 EN

Post Action: TECH-D ->Phoenix (-15 EN)
234958 | BD 9. Minor Critical! Shatter applied. 16 * 16 = 256 - 10 = 246 damage.

Monsters' Turn
234958 | MD 2 + 2 - 3. Miss.

Acanthus | HP: 740/740 | EN: 48/90 | DMG: 15 | MIT:42 | ACC:5 | AA  | EVA:3 | BRN-IM  | VAMP-D: 41 | REC: 4 | LD:5
<<Phoenix>> HP: 297/975 | MIT: 50 30 10 | DMG: 90 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 [Stun Imm. 1/3] [Shatter(x2) 2/3]

Abilities
Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats

 

Edited October 8 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

Acanthus backed up from the Phoenix as its wings began to glow. “Watch out,” she warned Eulogy, “I think it’s about to activate an ability.” Stepped back cautiously. The Phoenix stretched out its wings with a loud caw, causing the ground to erupt. There was nothing either one of them could do to avoid the brunt of the attack. Even with her fireproof armor, she felt the heat bubbling up around her. Eulogy must be feeling like he was cooked alive.

When the fires dimmed down, she looked for Eulogy. He appeared to be cracking a few crystals. Some of hers, actually. She recognized the ending motif from March to the Dawn, one of her higher-level healing crystals. “That sucked, but honestly I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner,” he coughed, mouthful of soot. “Now that’s out of the way, let's kill this stupid bird.” Acanthus found herself on the same page as this boy, for once.

Spoiler

Recovery. 234957 | CD 8. +6 EN

Post Action: TECH-D ->Phoenix (-15 EN)
234958 | BD 9. Minor Critical! Shatter applied. 16 * 16 = 256 = 256 damage.

Monsters' Turn
234958 | MD 9. Minor Critical! 91 - 42 = 49 damage.
Inferno | 150 damage. Burn applied (ignored because of Fireproof)

Acanthus | HP: 541/740 | EN: 39/90 | DMG: 15 | MIT:42 | ACC:5 | AA  | EVA:3 | BRN-IM  | VAMP-D: 41 | REC: 4 | LD:5
<<Phoenix>> HP: 287/975 | MIT: 50 30 10 0 | DMG: 90 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 [Stun Imm. 3/3] [Shatter(x3) 3/3]

Abilities
Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats

 

Edited October 8 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

“On your left!” came Eulogy’s cry. She made space for him; this time, he had left an opening for her. Intended or not, she couldn’t say, but an opening of any kind was good enough for her.

She scored a few choice hits before she was forced to roll out of the way. Eulogy had been right; she was so busy tanking the fight that she was having a hard time getting any decent strikes in. Thankfully, Eulogy was doing his share of the work. The two of them worked as one; Acanthus took the heat while Eulogy dealt out the pain. Once she got the hang of it, she rather enjoyed the field boss fight. She still felt confident in her ability to solo it, but it never hurt to have backup. She looked at the boy as he vanished into the shadows again. It was a popular playstyle—at least for the people she knew.

Spoiler

Recovery. 234965 | CD 5. +2 EN

Post Action: TECH-D ->Phoenix (-15 EN)
234966 | BD 5 + 6 - 2. Hit! Shatter refreshed. 15 * 16 = 240 damage.

Monsters' Turn
234966 | MD 6 + 2 - 3. Miss.

Acanthus | HP: 541/740 | EN: 26/90 | DMG: 15 | MIT:42 | ACC:5 | AA  | EVA:3 | BRN-IM  | VAMP-D: 41 | REC: 4 | LD:5
<<Phoenix>> HP: 47/975 | MIT: 50 30 10 0 | DMG: 90 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 [Shatter(x3) 0/3]

Abilities
Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats

 

Edited October 8 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

With a few practiced swings, Acanthus had knocked the bird out of the sky. “Eulogy, it’s yours!”

“Got it!” He rushed past Acanthus, knives at the ready. He punctured the Phoenix precisely, causing its to lose its remaining HP. “Gotta watch out,” he said. “Now it’s time for round two.” Acanthus had read up on the Phoenix. The first time she killed it, the Phoenix would regenerate and gain an attack boost. She wasn’t too worried; given the respawn health, she would be able to make short work of it.

Sure enough, the bird disintegrated into a pile of ashes with a theatrical caw. But rather than dissipating into blue shards, the pile erupted into a massive conflagration that blasted them with a wave of warm air. Then from the ashes, a smaller, brighter Phoenix arose. “It’ll hit harder, so watch yourself.” Even though the boy was younger, he seemed like he was talking down to her.

Spoiler

Recovery. 234967 | CD 8. +6 EN

Post Action: ST-I ->Phoenix (-12 EN)
234968 | BD 7 + 6 - 2. Hit! Shatter refreshed. 15 * 12 = 180 damage. Phoenix killed. Revived using Ashborn.

Monsters' Turn
234968 | MD 3 + 2 - 3. Miss.

Acanthus | HP: 541/740 | EN: 20/90 | DMG: 15 | MIT:42 | ACC:5 | AA  | EVA:3 | BRN-IM  | VAMP-D: 41 | REC: 4 | LD:5
<<Phoenix>> HP: 225/975 | MIT: 50 30 10 0 | DMG: 110 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 [Shatter(x3) 1/3]

Abilities
Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats

 

Edited October 8 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

“One last hit is all it needs to go down. You want to do the honors?” Acanthus shrugged. At least he trusted her to do something. “I’ll draw its attention. Once I attack, you should have the opening you need.” Eulogy dipped back into the shadows as Acanthus bided her time. The bird turned its gaze to her. It spit fire and raked the air with its talons, but Acanthus was too quick, thanks to Nymoria’s charm.

She wove under and around the attacks, letting the smaller strikes bounce off her armor. Eulogy seemed to be taking his time. “Any day now,” she said sarcastically. “Not that I’m in any danger, but it’ll at least go faster with another warm body.” The darkness laughed, then Eulogy appeared suddenly, leaping for the bird’s back. “Now!” he yelled, and Acanthus charged without a second thought. Eulogy’s strike had distracted the bird, and it hovered just low enough for a killing blow.

Spoiler

Recovery. 234969 | CD 8. +6 EN

Post Action: TECH-A ->Phoenix (-16 EN)
234968 | BD 9. Minor Critical! 15 * 16 = 240 damage. Phoenix killed.

Acanthus | HP: 541/740 | EN: 10/90 | DMG: 15 | MIT:42 | ACC:5 | AA  | EVA:3 | BRN-IM  | VAMP-D: 41 | REC: 4 | LD:5
<<Phoenix>> HP: 0/975 | MIT: 50 30 10 0 | DMG: 110 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 [Shatter(x3) 2/3]

Abilities
Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats

 

Edited October 8 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

The bird slowly faded away. Acanthus pocketed the rewards. One down, one to go. With the fight done, she turned to get a better look at the boy.

The boy was already staring at her with some kind of fascination. Acanthus frowned; what exactly was he staring at? “Sorry.” He must have noticed her look of confusion. “I had you mixed up with a person I ran into a while back.”

“Not to worry. I’ve been told I have a familiar face.” Eulogy stuck his hand out. It seemed professional, out of character for a boy his age. “It’s nice to meet you, Acanthus. I’m Eulogy.” Now that she had a good look at the boy, she realized he had a familiar face as well. He reminded her of Koji, though Eulogy was noticeably older, with a gaunt look, tall, spindly frame, and piercing blue eyes.

“You ready to start looking for the boss again? I know a repeat field boss fighter when I see one.”

Field Boss Cooldown Begun [15] [10] [1/5]
Spyglass used. <<Tracking>> used.

[Acanthus 0]

“Good eye. I’m looking to do a few runs. I’ve got the tracking skill and a spyglass, so it shouldn’t take us very long at all.” Eulogy appeared satisfied. “Same here; we can use your spyglass if you’d like. I actually forgot mine. There’s a good incline up to a high point. We can use the spyglass up there and shave some time off our search.”

Eulogy led the way. “High point” didn’t do the climb justice; Acanthus was panting for air about halfway up the path. The further they went, the rockier it got. “Sorry,” Eulogy said sheepishly. “It’s a little easier when you’re just wearing cloth armor. Good thing you’re not wearing heavy though, huh?”

“I’ve had worse. I had to climb the mountain to the monastery in this, and that involved some rock climbing. That was not a fun time.” Eulogy chuckled. “I bet. I remember doing that when I first started out. I thought I was going to pass out from the heights.”

Field Boss Cooldown Begun [15] [10] [2/5]
Spyglass used. <<Tracking>> used.

[Acanthus 0]

Eulogy clambered up to the summit and offered Acanthus a hand. She took it instinctively, letting him hoist her up onto the last ledge.

As much as she hated this floor, she had to admit the view was breathtaking. The Volcanic Flatlands seemed so small from up here. She could see all the way to the edges of the floor, as well as the volcanos that jutted up, constantly erupting and shifting the landscape with magma flows. Eulogy took a deep breath, then exhaled. “I love this floor. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something satisfying about all of it; the heat, the constant change, the mountains so high that you can never find your way out. It’s exciting.”

“If you say so.” Eulogy took another long breath. “Why don’t you pop out the spyglass? The Phoenix usually spawns at one of the active volcanoes. I’ve seen it respawn just as soon as the last one was slain, so we could probably get the drop on it before anyone else.”

Field Boss Cooldown Begun [15] [10] [3/5]
Spyglass used. <<Tracking>> used.

[Acanthus 0]

Acanthus surveyed the landscape through her telescope. “Before anyone else? Are you saying this field boss is popular?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Lots of people hunt this boss. Eighty phase damage isn’t anything to laugh at. It makes burning through low-level monsters a breeze, and lets you land attacks on bosses with high mitigation.”

“Phase… I’ve heard that term used before. That means it ignores mitigation, right?”

“Yea. How have you made it this long in the game without learning the lingo?” Acanthus frowned. “Not really familiar with video games. And I spent a fair amount of time on the first floor. I know the game’s been going on awhile, but I’m relatively new.” Eulogy didn’t seem to have a response to that.

“Hold on, I see something.” She focused on a distant mountain. The top of the mountain began to crack as magma seeped out of the crevices. As the cracks widened, the top of the mountain exploded, and a new Phoenix took flight. “That was pretty fast. Let’s get moving.”

Field Boss Cooldown Begun [15] [10] [4/5]
Spyglass used. <<Tracking>> used.

[Acanthus 0]

They hustled down the mountain together. Eulogy was at a near-sprint at times. The boy seemed like he’d rather die than slow down for a second. Thankfully, Acanthus had the energy to keep up.

At the base of the mountain, the Phoenix somehow seemed farther away. Maybe it was the plumes of flame that burst from the ground, diverting her attention. She was yet again thankful for the fireproof armor.

Eulogy didn’t seem to need any fireproof armor. He danced lightly around the geysers, in a pattern so rehearsed it seemed like he’d memorized the floor. He moved with a quickness and confidence that impressed Acanthus. Eulogy was a player that seemed at home in a video game setting. No doubt he had taken to the game; Acanthus wished she could have done the same.

Within a few minutes, she could hear the sound of the Phoenix’s beating wings. Eulogy must have as well; he pulled his knives out, bracing for action. “Round two.” He vanished back into the shadows.

Field Boss Cooldown Begun [15] [10] [5/5]
Spyglass used. <<Tracking>> used.

[Acanthus 0]

There was the Phoenix, flapping above the ground in perfect condition. It was like they had never even started the fight in the first place. “Same plan as last time?”

“Seems to be the case.” Acanthus drew her sword. “You don’t seem like the type of build that can take a few hits. The shadows laughed. “You might be surprised, Acanthus. I’m capable of taking out the boss on my own.” Acanthus rolled her eyes. “Enough posturing. I’d like to make this fight quick, if you don’t mind.

In response, Eulogy emerged from the shadows, slicing through the Phoenix’s underbelly. As it dipped, Acanthus rushed in to follow up with her sword. As it prepared to unleash another inferno, she charged her stunning sword art. With a few neat strikes, she paralyzed the bird, caused it to fall to the ground. Eulogy took advantage of its weakness, closing in to deal more damage.

Spoiler

 

Post Action: TECH-A ->Phoenix (-16 EN)
235177 | BD 9. Major Critical! 16 * 16 = 256 - 50 = 206 damage. Stunned.

Monsters' Turn
Phoenix Stunned. No action taken.

Acanthus | HP: 740/740 | EN: 74/90 | DMG: 15 | MIT:42 | ACC:5 | AA  | EVA:3 | BRN-IM  | VAMP-D: 41 | REC: 4 | LD:5
<<Phoenix>> HP: 769/975 | MIT: 50 | DMG: 90 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 [Stun Imm. 0/3]

Abilities
Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats.

 

 

Edited October 10 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

With a powerful flap of its wings, the Phoenix took flight again. Eulogy was thrown back by the gust, but caught himself, narrowly avoiding a scorch from the nearest geyser.

Acanthus thought to try something new. Using her newfound skill, she began a sword art. One she had practiced, but not unleashed in battle yet. botan shimmered with a silvery glow, and Acanthus unleashed the blade with a yell. Connecting firmly with one of the creature’s wings, the bird screeched in pain. Her follow through also left her prepared for any counterstrikes.

“Nice!” Eulogy whispered from nearby. “I guess you’ve got the counter ability down, huh?” Eulogy really did seem to know everything about the game. “It’s also a really good skill for duels. Players can deal a ton of damage, and parry helps mitigate that.”

“I didn’t take you for a duelist, Eulogy.” She saw a faint outline shake its head. “Not me. Just some friends that I have. But trust me, they really know their stuff.”

Spoiler

Recovery. 235179 | CD 6. +2 EN

Post Action: TECH-C ->Phoenix (-15 EN)
235178 | BD 7 + 6 - 2. Hit! 15 * 16 = 240 - 50 = 190 damage. [Counter] Applied.

Monsters' Turn
235178 | MD 2 + 2 - 3. Miss.

Acanthus | HP: 740/740 | EN: 61/90 | DMG: 15 | MIT:42 | ACC:5 | AA  | EVA:3 | BRN-IM  | VAMP-D: 41 | REC: 4 | LD:5 [Parry 1/3]
<<Phoenix>> HP: 579/975 | MIT: 50 | DMG: 90 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 [Stun Imm. 0/3]

Abilities
Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats.

 

 

Edited October 10 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

“A friend, huh? What’s his name?”

“I’m not sure, actually. We go by real names, and I don’t pay attention to his user name. It’s really long and complicated.”

Acanthus was suspicious—she hadn’t met anyone that went by their real name. But she also felt like she was prying an awful lot into this stranger’s life. Best to simply leave it be. She dashed underneath the bird, withstanding the awful heat long enough to land a few hits on the boss. Eulogy followed up with a sword art of his own. They were making much better time on this run. “Give it a little longer, and I think it’ll be ready to rebirth again. We’ve been lucky that it hasn’t used inferno again.” Acanthus couldn’t resist flaunting her armor. “It doesn’t make much difference to me. Not to mention that if you get hit by the blast, you’ll buy a few more performance crystals from me.” Eulogy appeared surprised. “No way. You run A Familiar Tune?” Acanthus nodded proudly.

Spoiler

Recovery. 235180| CD 4. +2 EN

Post Action: TECH-D ->Phoenix (-2 EN)
235181| BD 1 + 6 - 2. Miss.

Monsters' Turn
235181 | MD 1. Critical Miss.

Acanthus | HP: 740/740 | EN: 61/90 | DMG: 15 | MIT:42 | ACC:5 | AA  | EVA:3 | BRN-IM  | VAMP-D: 41 | REC: 4 | LD:5 [Parry 1/3]
<<Phoenix>> HP: 579/975 | MIT: 50 | DMG: 90 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 [Stun Imm. 0/3]

Abilities
Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats.

 

 

Edited October 10 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

Acanthus pulled her blade back, focusing to fill it with a reddish, copper glow. “Shatter, nice.” The disembodied voice commented. “For someone who doesn’t know anything about the game, you’ve really got quite a collection of sword arts. Hey, you’re on floor nine. Have you gotten burn yet?” Acanthus wasn’t sure what to make of Eulogy. She felt like everything he said was somehow a backhanded compliment. “Not yet. I have plans later this today to meet a blacksmith from the first floor to complete the first leg of the quest, but that’s it.”

“It’s a pretty great sword art. Got it sometime last year.” He channeled fire into his blades as if to make a point. The attack didn’t seem to have any greater effect on the bird that was made of fire.

Acanthus tore through the bird’s right wing, causing it to hover lower and lose mitigation. Every strike put her closer to the second Hellstorm.

Spoiler

Recovery. 235182 | CD 2. +2 EN

Post Action: TECH-D ->Phoenix (-15 EN)
235183 | BD 3 + 6 - 2. Hit! Shatter Applied. 15 * 16 = 240 - 30 = 210 damage.

Monsters' Turn
235183 | MD 1. Critical Miss.

Acanthus | HP: 740/740 | EN: 48/90 | DMG: 15 | MIT:42 | ACC:5 | AA  | EVA:3 | BRN-IM  | VAMP-D: 41 | REC: 4 | LD:5
<<Phoenix>> HP: 369/975 | MIT: 50 | DMG: 90 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 [Stun Imm. 3/3] [Shatter (x1) 0/3]

Abilities
Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats.

 

Edited October 10 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

Acanthus needed to keep the pressure on in order to stack the mitigation debuffs. She charged up another shattering art, doing her best to circle around the beast while it looked for Eulogy. Unfortunately, Eulogy had a similar idea. As she charged into battle, she stumbled over something invisible and shouted. Eulogy appeared, taking a tumble into the cracked stony ground. “Hey!”

“Hey yourself!” she shouted. “I was making that attack just fine without you!”

“You were supposed to stay in front! Why’d you decided to get fancy?!” Acanthus was annoyed. The two solo players worked to untangle themselves as the Phoenix tried to take advantage of their inertness. It circled around as well… and screeched as its wing clipped on a taller rock. It slammed into the ground, tumbling spectacularly. The failure caused Eulogy and Acanthus to both laugh, and the tension in the air dissipated. “Alright, I’ll call my moves better.”

“And I’ll pay closer attention.”

Spoiler

Recovery. 235184 | CD 11. +6 EN

Post Action: TECH-D ->Phoenix (-2 EN)
235185 | BD 1 + 6 - 2. Miss.

Monsters' Turn
235185 | MD 1. Critical Miss.

Acanthus | HP: 740/740 | EN: 52/90 | DMG: 15 | MIT:42 | ACC:5 | AA  | EVA:3 | BRN-IM  | VAMP-D: 41 | REC: 4 | LD:5
<<Phoenix>> HP: 369/975 | MIT: 50 | DMG: 90 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 [Stun Imm. 3/3] [Shatter (x1) 1/3]

Abilities
Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats.

 

Edited October 10 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

The Phoenix had recovered, but Eulogy and Acanthus had readied themselves as well. Fanning out, they took turns distracting the field boss from one another. Acanthus noted with some appreciation that Eulogy was dipping into the shadows less and less frequently. And she was getting better about calling her attacks. Once they had found their rhythm, the two actually worked pretty well together.

Acanthus called out her shatter as she moved in from the front. With a downward slash, she tore through the Phoenix’s mitigation. Eulogy appeared from the side, blades crackling with a dark energy she hadn’t seen before. It reminded her of Freyd’s attack on floor five. Giving Eulogy a wide berth to work his daggers, she admired his ferocity. The Phoenix was many times greater than his size, but that didn’t seem to phase Eulogy. If anything, his attacks were more fierce as he tried to make up for the size difference.

Spoiler

Recovery. 235186 | CD 11. +6 EN

Post Action: TECH-D ->Phoenix (-15 EN)
235187 | BD 2 + 6 - 2. Hit! 15 * 16 = 240 - 10 = 230 damage.

Monsters' Turn
235185 | MD 1. Critical Miss.

Acanthus | HP: 740/740 | EN: 43/90 | DMG: 15 | MIT:42 | ACC:5 | AA  | EVA:3 | BRN-IM  | VAMP-D: 41 | REC: 4 | LD:5
<<Phoenix>> HP: 139/975 | MIT: 50 | DMG: 90 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 [Stun Imm. 3/3] [Shatter (x2) 2/3]

Abilities
Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats.

 

 

Edited October 10 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

The Phoenix was nearly down. At this point, they had settled into an easy pattern of attacks. The field boss was now more of a backdrop to their conversation than it was an actual threat.

“The shop you have is pretty neat. Although your selection is a little limited.” Acanthus deflated. “I suppose you’re right. I had a few larger custom orders that kept me busy. I’m working on getting my stock back up soon.” Eulogy moved in and attack the Phoenix, swords glowing. “If you’d like something ordered en masse, I could prioritize your requests.”

“No need,” Eulogy said. “I’ll just find another performer. I think there’s a few new ones on the first floor I might have to check out.” The comment slightly hurt. “I didn’t mean to upset you with my comments about you getting hurt. I was trying to be lightly humorous.”

“What? No, that’s not it, I—” He rolled out of the way of a spitting fireball; it melted the rock behind him. “I just mean I want to support all the shops.” Judging from the weird look on his face, it wasn’t the full story.

Spoiler

Recovery. 235190 | CD 2. +2 EN

Post Action: TECH-A ->Phoenix (-16 EN)
235191 | BD 3 + 6 - 2. Hit! 15 * 16 = 240 - 10 = 240 damage. Killed. Inferno respawns Phoenix.

Monsters' Turn
Stunned. No action taken.

Acanthus | HP: 740/740 | EN: 30/90 | DMG: 15 | MIT:42 | ACC:5 | AA  | EVA:3 | BRN-IM  | VAMP-D: 41 | REC: 4 | LD:5
<<Phoenix>> HP: 225/975 | MIT: 50 | DMG: 90 110 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 [Stun Imm. 3/3] [Shatter (x2) 3/3]

Abilities
Ashborn | Upon dropping to 0 HP, the Phoenix’ health will go back to 225, and its DMG will be boosted to 110. This can only happen once per battle.
Inferno| On an MD 9-10, the Phoenix will rain fire onto its opponents, hitting the Player with the highest hate for 150 mitigatable DMG and applying T2 Burn to the entire party.
Tier Lock | For the duration of the fight, all of the participants’ stats that scale with Tier are calculated as though they’re Tier 2. [DMG/MIT/BLEED enhancements etc.] This skill only locks downward. Those at Tier 1 will still have T1 stats.

 

Edited October 10 by Acanthus