[PP-F9] Through the Fire and Flames (Hirru, Jomei) <<Gatekeeper of Fire>>

[Baldur 0]

With all the time Baldur was spending on this floor, he would have to turn in his kimono for a yukata. He had forgotten how hot the floor was. It had been a long time since he had taken damage due to heat, but had forgotten that just because damage wasn't ticking down on his HP bar didn't mean that it wasn't uncomfortable. It reminded him of Kyoto in the middle of summer.

Still, this was the place he had asked to meet them. He checked the time and then pulled up the  message again, he was early but he wanted to make sure that he had given them the right time.

Quote

To: @Hirru @Jomei
Message: Hey, can you meet me on floor 9 at the teleport Plaza? I wanna discuss some plans with you, and I need your help.

Also, I hear there's a sword art you can learn from the old cerberus quest. If you do a special condition, it'll unlock a sword art that lets you inflict Burn. Interested? Let's meet at 12 noon.

It was just about time, so Baldur knew they would be here shortly, if they weren't already in one of the shops. He was half expecting to see Hirru walk down the street with some kind of tungsten fishing line catching spicy fish from the lava lakes.

Jomei and Baldur had talked a lot about leadership and the future but it had been a while. The gaijin samurai knew Hirru would show up, but he wasn't sure if Jomei would. The ginger was probably busy with his own tasks, but Baldur was glad when he saw Jomei tanking and leading a raid. He hadn't pictured Jomei as a tank, but he seemed to do good at it.

"Well, this is it. Let's see if we can't push the forward rather than just holding on and trying not to get left behind."

---

stats go here

Spoiler

Name: Baldur True Tier: 10 Level: 34 Paragon Level: 65 HP: 1137/1137 EN: 132/132 Stats: Damage: 23 Mitigation: 78 Accuracy: 7 Evasion: 3 Battle Healing: 55 Loot Die: 5 Stealth Rating: -2 AA KEEN: 1 REC: 8 FLN: 8 BLI: 32/-20 BRN: 56 FRZ: 64 Equipped Gear: Weapon/Armor/Trinket: - Etheral Tether - Zanshin AA/Keen/Freeze/Burn Armor/Trinket: - Jade Magatama - Acc/Acc/Eva/Recovery Shield/Armor/Trinket: - Monstsuki Haori - Mit/Mit/Eva/Recovery Combat Mastery: - Combat Mastery: Damage R3 Combat Shift: - TECH Shift Familiar Skill: - Custom Skill: - Skills: - Battle Healing R5 - Charge - Energist - Extended Weight Limit - Fighting Spirit - Katana R5 - Light Armor R5 - Quick Change - Searching R5 Extra Skills: - Concentration - Meditation - Forgotten King's Authority - Survival Inactive Extra Skills: - Parry Addons: - Ferocity - Precision - Resolve - Reveal - Stamina Mods: - Detect - Emergency Recovery - Meticulous Inactive Mods: Battle Ready Inventory: - Basic Teleport Crystal x7 - Group Heal Crystal x7 - Hypnosis x1 - Medium Vitality Snack x5 - Misperception x1 - Safeguard Potion x2 - Warden's Fury x1 - Zanshin or Muramasa x1 Housing Buffs: - Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat - 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. - Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot - Dining Room: Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed. Lesser Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread. - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. - Fishing Pond: +2 Fishing EXP per fishing attempt - 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. Guild Hall Buffs: Scents of the Wild Totem: Wedding Ring: Crafting Profession: - Appraising[exp] R5 Gathering Profession: - Fishing[exp] R1 Accuracy 2 / Evasion 1 Consumed [Gungnir's Shard] Field Rations 3 Consumed [Filled]

Quest Details go here

Spoiler

Floor 9
<<Gatekeeper of Fire>>
Party Limit: 4 | 20+ Posts
Prerequisite: Must have completed <<Guardian of Fire>>
Repeatable for standard thread rewards, and <<Cerberus Etching>>

Quest Rewards:

• 3500 Experience Points
• 7500 col
• Each player receives:
  • Cerberus Etching (Unique Material)
    • Removes one enhancement on a weapon and replaces it with Burn. (This effect cannot override the Burn enhancement cap. Consumed on use.)
• POTENTIAL REWARD | If Cerberus, Inferno's Rage, used Blazing Bite at least once during the quest
  • Unlock <<TECH-G>> collected sword art.

Requirements:

• Defeat 3 <<Infernal Hell Hounds>>
• Defeat <<Cerberus, Inferno’s Rage>>

Summary:

With the count of years behind the players stacking up higher and higher, so too are they encountering mutated versions of the more typical respawning bosses. First it was the Wasp Queen, then it was Avalanche, then Sand Shark. Now, it appears that even Cerberus has gotten one of Cardinal’s premium facelifts, reborn as <<Cerberus, Inferno’s Rage>>. While the previous iteration of this boss was aggressive, it is said that the new and improved version is on an unprecedented level of danger. Facing it is not an endeavor for the faint of heart.

That being said, the rewards for defeating this new and improved Cerberus are considered well worth the risks involved. It is said that overcoming Cerberus will grant one the means to make their weaponry truly extraordinary. What’s more, rumors have begun circulating that those who know how to properly manipulate the boss’ AI will walk away with an exclusive skill that can bolster their offensive power beyond typically thought possible.

Will you accept the challenge, and face off against Cerberus one more time?

Outline: 

Volcano's Effect: Due to the extreme heat, each player will suffer 30 unmitigatable damage on their posts while in combat during this thread. This effect can be ignored if the player has the <<Survival>> extra skill active, or the Fireproof or Flame Aura enhancements on worn equipment.

---

Enemies:

<<Infernal Hell Hound>>
These mobs will always travel in packs, working in teams to protect one another and their alpha. Though they won’t typically pick fights with those stronger than themselves (without good reason), they’ll descend upon those weaker with a tenacity and coordination unrivaled by other predators of the floor.

HP: 450/450 | DMG: 125 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2

Abilities:

• Burning Bite | On successful attacks, the player is afflicted with T4 Burn. (56 unmitigatable damage per turn for 2 turns.)
• Boiling Hide | On successful attacks against an Infernal Hell Hound, the player receives 25 thorns damage. Successful critical attacks against Infernal Hell Hounds increases damage received by the player to 40. This damage is negatable by Fireproof.
• Infernal Soul |Deals additional damage. (+25 minor crit | +50 major crit)

 

<<Cerberus, Inferno’s Rage>>
Alpha to its brethren, this boss commands a small army of less powerful hounds that will work to defend it until its last breath. Sporting three heads, adventurers have found this boss to be particularly difficult to kill. Not only are its stats high, but it will enthusiastically fight with all three heads at once, making it difficult to find safe openings with which to strike.

Cerberus, Inferno's Rage (Head #1) HP: 650/650 | DMG: 175 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2
Cerberus, Inferno's Rage (Head #2) HP: 650/650 | DMG: 175 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2
Cerberus, Inferno's Rage (Head #3) HP: 650/650 | DMG: 175 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2

Abilities:

• Bloodless | This boss is immune to all status ailments.
• Bringing Hell | This boss can attack once per turn for each head active.
• Limited Availability | Players can only target one head at a time. This also extends to AoE attacks.
• Burning Bite | On Cerberus' successful attacks, the player is afflicted with T4 Burn. (56 unmitigatable damage per turn for 2 turns.) This ailment is negatable by Fireproof.
• Boiling Hide | On successful attacks against Cerberus, the player receives 30 thorns damage. Successful critical attacks against Cerberus increases damage received by the player to 50. This damage is negatable by Fireproof.
• Infernal Punishment | On a critical attack, heads of Cerberus that have not yet attacked for that turn will gain additional damage and 50% Phase for their attack that turn. (+25 on minor crit | +75 on major crit)
• Blazing Bite | If all three heads are reduced to 150 HP or less without any having been destroyed, <<Cerberus, Inferno’s Rage>> will howl with all three heads, summoning 3 <<Infernal Hell Hounds>> to come to its aid as a Free Action. They attack immediately, as part of the same post. Damage from new applications of Burning Bite is now doubled. (112 unmitigatable damage per turn for 2 turns.)  
   

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Epilogue: 
If <<Cerberus, Inferno’s Rage>> did not use <<Blazing Bite>>:

  Reveal hidden contents

If <<Cerberus, Inferno’s Rage>> used <<Blazing Bite>>:

  Hide contents

Once the boss and its ilk are destroyed, the debilitating effects of the volcano will subside, and the roiling air will no longer harm the players. A panel appears, informing the players of the quest’s completion, along with an alert beneath the quest rewards that indicates the <<Blazing Bite>> skill has been unlocked in their skill tree.

Baldur | HP: 1137/1137 | EN: 132/132 | DMG: 23 | MIT:78 | ACC:7 | AA | KEEN: 1 | F-SPIRIT | EVA:3 | BH:55 | REC: 8 | FLN: 8 | BLI: 32/-20 | BRN: 56 | FRZ: 64 | LD:5

Edited January 4 by Baldur

[Hirru 0]

A message?  Hirru wanted to take care of issues pertaining to the new floor, and figured that this was one of those requests.  He had been wanting to become more active with the supply gathering on the front, but things seemed to take a turn with the 29th floors particular quirk.  If no one was constantly at their ramshackle base that they were still working on, then the mobs would easily swarm the main town.  They had much to deal with, so any time way would have to be good for..

"Oh.. Baldur."

The hunter didn't think twice from there.  He saw the 9th floor, and he was already on his way out towards the teleporter, disregarding the pings coming from the constantly active search skill.

"Don't succumb to the madness out there!"

-------------------------

The heat was always something that he had to learn to tank.  If he was to keep both of his healing and buffing capabilities, the extra skill <<Survival>> was no longer an option to use without excessive time being used to switch them out.  No, he was okay with the burning, as long as he had a fireproof amulet on him.  Though, willingness to wear one is another thing.  Coming out of the teleporter in Yogan Village, he would make a quick scan to find the familiar sound in the group.  Not many people come to this floor much without survival, but it's such an easy skill to get.  Still, not many people care about an ACTIVE VOLCANO with ever changing routes.

Approaching his old friend, the fully armored hunter would keep his helm off for ventilations sake.

"Baldur, I know the burning sword art is worth it, but.."

Hirru shook his head before smirking at the samurai.

"..just good to see you active out here."

Hirru stats

Spoiler

Hirru | HP: 1000/1000 | EN: 112/112 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 127 | BH: 50 | HLY BLS: 40 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 36

Hirru Lvl 34 (PL 67)
True LVL: 101
True Tier: 11

Paladin's Oath ..................... // +4% Holy Blessing / +20% Life Mending
Light's Embrace .................... // +8 Recovery / 36 Thorns
Favor of the Golden Dragon ......... // +3 Loot Die
Blades Cloak ....................... // Vanity
Lun'Rael's Insignia ................ // Unique Vanity | Floor 23 Raid Unique
Fates Armament (Shield) ............ // Unique Vanity | Floor 26 Raid Unique
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]
<March unto the Dawn> x5 ........... // +15% ST Insta-Heal
<Dear My Friend> x5 ................ // +15% ST Insta-Heal
<Mass HP Recovery Crystal> x5 ...... // +10% AOE Insta-Heal
<Blessing of the Wood> x3 .......... // 250 Damage Reduction Barrier (party)
<Glowstone> ........................ // Negate Darkness/dim light debuff

Skills

Heavy Armor ........................ // Rank 5: +40 MIT
Battle Healing ..................... // Rank 5: +5% HP each turn
Search ............................. // Rank 5: +5 Loot Die / +5 Stealth Detection
Quick Change ....................... // Rank 0: Change items in B.R.I to equipment (Free Act)
Combat Mastery: MIT ................ // Rank 3: +72 MIT

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
Inspirational Speech ............... // -1 Cooldown -> Party / -10 EN
Press The Attack ................... // +(Target Tier) 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
Ambition Scales .................... // +1 EXP per crafting attempt (Appraiser)
Practiced Angler ................... // +2 EXP & +1 LD & CD to fishing attempts
Amphitrite's Net ................... // +1 CD to fishing attempts

 

[Jomei 0]

  

Jomei the emerald duelist

Spoiler notes Level: 34 | Paragon: 77 | Tier: 4(12)  Jomei | HP: 980/980 | EN: 136/136 | DMG: 21 | MIT: 44| ACC:3 | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:54 | HB: 43 | VAMP-D: 108 | BLI: 32/-20  | LD:1        Equipment: Vicious Mockery : ACC II | Taunt | Blight  Fencer's Regalia - Trepidation: Vamp D II | HB | MIT  Token of Serenity: HB| EVA III   equipped Vicious Mockery Fencer's Regalia - Trepidation Token of Serenity battle-ready inventory Bizarre Antidote Smores EVA II Bingsu MIT III Teleportation Crystal Creme Brule ACC II skills Spoiler Skills Rapier R5 | TECH Spec. Combat Mastery DMG R3 Cloth Armor R5 Charge B Healing R5 Energist MA R2 Howl Fighting Spirit Quick Change Extra: Concentration Survival   Parry Forgotten King's Authority Assault Mode  Lady Luck Meditation Mods Athletics Emergency Recovery Vengeful Riposte Justified Riposte Addons Stamina  Focus Precision Nimble Focused Howl data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== buffs Spoiler Housing Buffs Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat     Squeaky Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)     Tasty: Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps.  Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll Item Stash: +1 BRI slot Advanced Training: +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. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

Leaves like burning embers danced along the branches of the trees as a cold breeze crossed the twenty eighth floor. Even a floor locked in eternal autumn couldn’t escape at least an inkling of winter’s chill. The folks in Glyndebourne didn’t seem to mind much, adding a heavier coat or scarf to their everyday attire and going about their daily business. Jomei did not mind it much either, in fact he preferred it. Never did too well in the heat, and the sun was an ever imposing danger to his ginger skin - at least in the real world. But while he didn’t have to worry about sunburn in Aincrad, the heat that some of these floors lived in was unlike any he could even imagine. He could almost feel sweat forming on his forehead just thinking about it. 

The bite of cold that hit his lungs as he inhaled brought him back to reality. As his breath slowly exhaled, creating a soft mist that swirled before his person for just a moment, he looked out over the pond he sat at. One leg dangling off of the wooden dock, the sole of his boot gliding just above the surface of the water. He had left the bustle - and painful memories - of that Taft townhouse behind for this. He no longer saw players and townsfolk passing by outside his windows, down a narrow corridor of a block densely packed with shops and homes. The constant boot falls and hooves clicking against the cobblestone road. It never bothered him, but the near silence he was now greeted with in the morning was a breath of fresh air, both literally and figuratively. 

Would it be a lonely life? Possibly. But he was starting to feel convinced that maybe that was the role he was meant to play.. And he was starting to feel okay with that. 

Coincidentally, as that thought crossed his mind, the chime of tiny bells broke the silence. Shifting his gaze to the menus that he opened by habit. A message from Baldur? Unexpected. But welcome.

| can you meet me on floor 9 |

Wasn’t that one with rivers of lava, volcanos, and heat? His shoulders dropped slightly with a sigh, but nonetheless he was happy to see Baldur reached out to him. Hirru as well, it seemed. Seemed as though he wanted to go questing with the two of them. Wouldn’t be the first time he went out hunting with Hirru, but it would be with the gaijin samurai.

Quote

To: Baldur, Hirru

Absolutely, be there soon.

He kept the message short and sweet before popping up from his seat. Retrieving a lighter set of his combat attire from a dresser in the house, he followed the path back to Glyndebourne proper so he could quickly warp to the ninth floor. 

It was not hard to spot the two, already sharing a conversation just off to the side from where Jomei appeared. 

“Hope I didn’t keep you two waiting long.” He would greet them with a smile and wave. 
“It's good to see you both again so soon. So, what’s this about a new sword art?”
 

[Baldur 0]

"Thanks Hirru, It feels good to be back out as well... though maybe not on this floor specifically."

The gaijin samurai smiled at his old friend and gave him a slight bow of respect and welcome when the Jade Hunter appeared in the town square. A short moment later and the Emerald Duelist appeared. Baldur had surrounded himself with green today, it seems.

"Thanks for coming too Jomei. I've recently respec'ed. Actually based on the last boss fight. I was unsatisfied with how things were going, and so I'm trying something a little more my style. To that end, I found out there's a technical style sword art that lets you inflict burn whenever you want. That would have been very handy in the last floor boss fight, so I'm going around trying to collect them all."

He gestured with his head and began to lead them in the direction of the quest.

"Apparently if you get Cerberus low, but don't kill him, he'll summon another round of adds. If you do that before you kill him, you get rewarded with this sword art. I figured it might be something you guys were interested in, and I wanted to get you both together to talk about some other things too."

Slowly they struck out from town and headed towards the entrance to the old lava tunnels that had once been part of the fight with the Hydra. Once they were inside, it would get incredibly hot and the hell hounds would start to attack. But with the ground they had, it should be pretty easy to smite them.

"Have you guys fought much together outside of the boss fight? I know Hirru and I go way, way back, but I don't know that I remember questing with you Jomei. Boss fights yes, but other than that?"

[Hirru 0]

Not too long would they be joined by the third member of their party, Jomei.  It had been a while since they last interacted, but it was quite the fruitful one.  At least, the hunter thought it would be, if not for the things that they saw, and still see now.  His thoughts would go to the book, and the things that have happened since.  There have been many times that Hirru has been having to let his story rest, but each time there was someone that wished to hear it.  Baldur knew..

"Actually, we had one instance some time ago.  It was slightly after the 26th floor, if I remember right?  Asked Jomei to help with a dungeon, since I can't do any combat anymore."

He nodded to the shield tethered to the leather binding on his back.  Ever since he became a more supportive role in the front lines, he found that yearned for the action more than ever.  Wanting to help with the combat more than just sitting aside and keeping his partners health and energy up.  Though, as time went on, many have talked him through the feelings.  Showing him that what he does is just as important.  That what he can do, only amplifies the capabilities of the front.  Not just in buffs, nor in health.  The strange intricacies that his build had become made him into something that has pushed through each obstacle in their path.

"Still can't, but that's the trade of things."

He would say before pulling out a Gungnir shard.  It's form would blossom like a flower before a rather odd dish of slightly salty dry fish would appear.

"Eat up!  No matter where we are, you can't skip buffs.  Full mitigation, so take it as is."

Hirru would say as he would take a overly salted fish and rip into it.  As he did so, the two would notice that something was going on with Hirru's health, but it wasn't really noticeable.  It wouldn't be from the food, but the heat for the floor.  A sliver gone, but back within a microsecond.

Hirru uses and gives:

• Gungnir Shard [T4 MIT III FEAST] 5/6  https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/8406-found-item-recognition-hirru/?do=findComment&comment=644334

New stats

Hirru | HP: 1000/1000 | EN: 112/112 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 187 | BH: 50 | HLY BLS: 40 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 36

[Jomei 0]

"Huh, that's a neat little easter egg" Jomei would comment on the hoops they would need to jump through to unlock this additional skill. "I suppose not too many would know to do that, mostly everyone wants to just barge in, kill the damned thing and leave." Stretching his neck for a moment, he would recall the last time he was on this floor. "I take it we need to take on the beefed up version, yeah? Lessa and I were here not too long ago to fight the other Cerberus... but that fight would be too easy for the three of us for there to be a reward like that." 

Wouldn't make a difference, he had complete faith in their skills.

"Aye, yeah. I remember." Jomei would nod when Hirru mentioned the time the two worked together last. "Fought off some... amalgamation of fog, if I remember... Made a good team, knew you had my back the whole time." He would tap Hirru atop his shoulder with a gentle fist. “We’ll have to do it again sometime.”  Turning his attention to Baldur, Jomei would shrug his shoulders. "But Baldur, I think you're right. Can't remember any times we went out on a quest together.. believe the idea floated, but never executed. Glad we're finally changing that. When I had the guild around, Holy Dragon Alliance, those were really the only people I'd see. Occasionally, someone else, but for the most part it was them. Never got the opportunity to actually chat with many of the other frontliners outside of the boss raids because of it. Call me one track minded, I guess." the last words a breathy chuckle. "Really want to work on changing that, before I end up locking myself down somewhere else." 

Drenched in sweat, Jomei held a shred of regret as the group entered the tunnels. The heat was immense, even for a continent made up entirely of volcanoes. Blinking away the burning in his eyes, he would raise an arm to partially shield his eyes.. Though not sure what much good that would do. “I’m gonna need a long, cold shower after this.. Christ..” he would curse under his breath. “How do people enjoy this?” complaints spilling out of his mouth. “Don’t mind me” he would sigh, “I’m just not built for anything over 60 degrees.”

Jomei receives and consumes |

• Gungnir Shard [T4 MIT III FEAST] 4/6  https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/8406-found-item-recognition-hirru/?do=findComment&comment=644334 -> From Hirru

New Stats //
Jomei | HP: 980/980 | EN: 136/136 | DMG: 21 | MIT: 104 | ACC:3 | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:54 | HB: 43 | VAMP-D: 108 | BLI: 32/-20  | LD:1