Oscar 0 Posted February 23 #1 Share Posted February 23 (edited) Oscar truly had been sleeping on his quests. Once he had reached the Frontlines, they had never seemed to be necessary. But, it seemed Cardinal was feeling nostalgic and wanted to add some new prizes to quests he had already completed. So much the better, he needed to get out more. Between dealing the Tyson’s rehabilitation and Laughing Coffin, it was really difficult to get out and do much of anything to progress his character more. Where he had prided himself on being about as strong as he could be - unlocked most everything that he possibly could have - that clearly wasn’t the case anymore. But, he figured he shouldn’t go it alone. Best to bring a partner, kill two birds with one stone. Get someone on his contact list done while he did it. Otherwise, he’d just keep coming back. Even if it resulted in him having to do just one less run, it was worth it. Spoiler "Name: Oscar True Tier: 10 Level: 34 Paragon Level: 57 HP: 960/960 EN: 128/128 Stats: Damage: 29 Mitigation: 87 Accuracy: 5 Evasion: 1 Battle Healing: Loot Die: 8 Stealth Rating: -5 PHASEREC: 4 HLY: 16 BLI: 32/-20 Equipped Gear: Weapon/Armor/Trinket: - <<DIVINE RANCOR>> T4 KATANA - HOLY/HOLY/PHASE/BLIGHT Armor/Trinket: - <<TACTICAL UNDER ARMOR>> T4 HEAVY ARMOR//MIT/MIT/MIT/REC Shield/Armor/Trinket: - <<IVORY GOLD LEAF RING>> T1 TRINKET//ACC/ACC/EVA/EVA Combat Mastery: - Combat Mastery: Damage R3 Combat Shift: - AOE Shift Familiar Skill: - Custom Skill: - Skills: - Battle Healing R5 - Charge - Energist - Extended Weight Limit - Heavy Armor R5 - Katana R5 - Lock Picking R3 - Quick Change - Searching R5 Extra Skills: - Concentration - Forgotten King's Authority - Meditation - Parry - Survival Inactive Extra Skills: Addons: - Ferocity - Iron Skin - Precision - Reveal - Stamina Mods: - Impetus - Night Vision Inactive Mods: Battle Ready Inventory: - <<CRYSTAL OF DIVINE LIGHT>> ID: 236066 x - <<DARK SERAPHIM>> T4 HEAVY ARMOR - VAMP.D2/HOLY BLESSING 2 x - <<GLOVES OF CAERUS>> T1 LIGHT ARMOR//3 LD x - <<Kyūketsuki>> T4 KATANA//ABS.ACC/PHASE/VAMP2 x - <<RHINO'S HORN>> ID: 236068 x - <<SANCTITY'S RUIN>> T4 KATANA - FROSTBITE/BLEED/BLIGHT/BURN x - <<TELEPORTATION CRYSTAL>> x - <<TROLL'S BLOOD>> ID: 236067 x 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. - Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot - 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. - Master Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat - Master Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down) - Extended Workshop: +2 Crafting EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day - Ornate Fishing Pond: +2 Fishing EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to fishing attempts. - Dining Hall: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed. Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread. - 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: - Kumatetsu Wedding Ring: Crafting Profession: - Cooking[5280exp] R10 Gathering Profession: - Fishing[100exp] R2" Spoiler Accuracy Consumed Protein Consumed Gungnir Shard - MIT Feast Damage Consumed Spoiler Oscar | HP: 960/960 | EN: 128/128 | DMG: 29 | MIT:147 | ACC:5 | PHASE | EVA:1 | BH:53 | REC: 4 | HLY: 16 | BLI: 32/-20 | LD:8 | PROSP:4 Edited March 5 by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Abellio 0 Posted February 23 #2 Share Posted February 23 (edited) Quote From Oscar: Swashbuckling Buccaneer. Floor 16. Extra Skill on the table. Thought you might want to come along. Abellio had’t been expecting to get a message from Oscar this early in the morning. Indeed, they hadn’t spoken since their last meeting - when he saved him from the Forgotten Time King. When Abellio watched the man feed those “pranksters” to the Black Iron Dungeon. It was still terrifying, even now. But he understood the man’s reasons. And he understood what the man was about. Even if he didn’t agree with it. He didn’t know what possessed the man to take a sudden interest in him, but he was certainly not about to pass up an opportunity for another - essentially free - Extra Skill. Abellio opened his menu and type up a response as he was getting ready. He didn’t even have a weapon, he realized. Hadn’t had the chance to go get one made yet. Spoiler "Name: Abellio True Tier: 2 Level: 11 Paragon Level: 0 HP: 220/220 EN: 40/40 Stats: Damage: 11 Mitigation: 58 Battle Healing: 2 Stealth Rating: -5 Equipped Gear: Weapon/Armor/Trinket: - Armor/Trinket: - <<Spiked Pauldrons>> 2 THRNS Shield/Armor/Trinket: - <<Chainmail>> 3 MIT Combat Mastery: - Combat Mastery: Damage R3 Combat Shift: - Familiar Skill: - Custom Skill: - Skills: - Battle Healing R1 - Heavy Armor R5 - Straight Sword R2 Extra Skills: Inactive Extra Skills: Addons: Mods: Inactive Mods: Battle Ready Inventory: Housing Buffs: - Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down) - Basic Workshop: +2 EXP per crafting attempt - 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 - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. - Slime Farm: +5% 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: Gathering Profession: " Used: Gungnir's Shard - MIT Feast Slime Farm Used +5% EXP Yui's Grace [2/5] used 200*Tier Exp to thread Abellio | HP: 220/220 | EN: 40/40 | DMG: 11 | MIT:88 | THORNS:18 | BH:2 Edited March 5 by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Oscar 0 Posted February 23 Author #3 Share Posted February 23 (edited) Quote From: Abellio On my way! You do know that I don't have a weapon right? Oscar exhaled a slight laugh. Of course he didn't. It didn't matter too much. If memory served, it wasn't like a Level 10 Player was going to do much in this quest. He might make an adequate meatshield, but that was probably about the extent of it. Though, Oscar wasn't certain if Abellio was quite ready to be tanking much of anything either. He was throwing the young man to the sharks, literally and figuratively. But before he could question it much further, the quest NPC started yapping in his ear. Oscar let him get a few words out before delivering a sharp slap across the face. "Skip," he said. And so he did, like a good little bundle of binary. Cardinal might have succeeded in making him care about a quest he had already done, but it certainly wasn't about to make him care about what a fucking NPC had to say. Edited March 5 by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Abellio 0 Posted February 23 #4 Share Posted February 23 (edited) Abellio arrived at the spot just in time to witness Oscar slap the ever-loving shit out of the NPC. He heard Oscar's command and watched as the NPC snapped to attention. In that same moment, the quest window propagated upon the screen. It prompted the two of them to accept, which they quickly did. Oscar turned on his heels and ran smack dab into Abellio, not realizing he was there for a moment. "Ah, damn dude. I know the air's thin up there, but shit," Abellio protested as he staggered backwards. He feigned being upset for a moment as he rubbed his forehead. Then that smile returned to his features. He let out a pleased chuckle and shook his head. "Sorry man, couldn't resist. We all set?" Abellio didn't know much about Quests or Questing or anything of the sort. His tumultuous start had bypassed those simple lessons. Maybe he should go back and do the tutorial to figure these things out. Would be better than relying on Oscar to drag him through every single quest by his pants. Edited March 5 by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Oscar 0 Posted February 23 Author #5 Share Posted February 23 (edited) "Oh fuck off, dude," Oscar said with a half smile. "You're not that much shorter than me." A lie. Oscar stood almost a full head taller than most Players. Abellio wasn't short by any stretch of the imagination, but Oscar still towered over him. He chuckled and beckoned for Abellio to follow. Ill Man's Cove was clearly marked in their interfaces. It would have been a straight shot if not for the fact that Abellio was still so low-level that he aggroed pretty much everything in his general area. It was rough going, having to carve through every NPC and monster. And even if Abellio had a weapon, he wouldn't have been of much use. Oscar could tell, simply from raw stats, that the man had invested into Armor Skills first. It wasn't a bad idea, but it allowed him to do less than nothing in combat. As they arrived at the Cove, Oscar went straight to work. Outside the entrance, there was a quarter of Deckhands. For NPCs that Oscar made incredibly light work of. Spoiler Post Action -> AOE-I vs Deckhands 1-4 Swift Action -> Quick Change Divine Rancor -> Kyuketsuki Oscar | HP: 960/960 | EN: 110/128 [-18] | DMG: 29 | MIT:147 | ACC:5 | PHASE | EVA:1 | BH:53 | REC: 4 | AA | V.OFF: 144 | LD:8 | PROSP:4 Pirate Deckhand #1 - HP: 0/250 | DMG: 85 | MIT: 40 | ID: 241599 | BD: 6, hit | Deal 395 DMG Pirate Deckhand #2 - HP: 0/250 | DMG: 85 | MIT: 40 | ID: 241600 | BD: 6, hit | Deal 395 DMG Pirate Deckhand #3 - HP: 0/250 | DMG: 85 | MIT: 40 | ID: 241601 | BD: 6, hit | Deal 395 DMG Pirate Deckhand #4 - HP: 0/250 | DMG: 85 | MIT: 40 | ID: 241602 | BD: 6, hit | Deal 395 DMG Edited March 5 by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Abellio 0 Posted February 23 #6 Share Posted February 23 (edited) It was miniboss time. Though Abellio wasn't prepared for the massive swarm that came with them. The two important-looking pirates hung back, which Abellio was thankful for. He had all that he could say grace over trying to keep the minions at bay. And he failed, tremendously. Especially when one landed a lucky stunning blow that stopped him dead in his tracks. Thankfully, if they weren't getting lucky with their hits, they didn't do a whole hell of a lot of damage. Armor Skills, all day, every day. He had never felt more vindicated in his choices. Even if he couldn't move, he was certain Oscar had this well-handled. "I'm just gonna," he struggled against his invisible bonds as he spoke. Sure he had Forgotten King's Authority, but he would rather save it for a real emergency. His HP was still in the green, and green meant go. "Keep em busy for you man. Fuck 'em up." Spoiler Oscar | HP: 960/960 | EN: 110/128 [-18] | DMG: 29 | MIT:147 | ACC:5 | PHASE | EVA:1 | BH:53 | REC: 4 | AA | V.OFF: 144 | LD:8 | PROSP:4 [STUNNED]Abellio | HP: 174/220 | EN: 40/40 | DMG: 11 | MIT:88 | THORNS:18 | BH:2 Boatswain Amir - HP: 700/700 | DMG: 125 | MIT: 100 | EVA: 2 Boatswain Jessamine - HP: 550/550 | DMG: 200 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 2 Pirate Deckhand #5 - HP: 250/250 | DMG: 85 | MIT: 40 | ID: 241606 | BD: 4, Miss Pirate Deckhand #6 - HP: 232/250 | DMG: 85 | MIT: 40 | ID: 241607 | BD: 6, Deal 1 DMG, Take 18 Thorns Pirate Deckhand #7 - HP: 232/250 | DMG: 85 | MIT: 40 | ID: 241608 | BD: 8, Deal 45 DMG, Take 18 Thorns Pirate Deckhand #8 - HP: 250/250 | DMG: 85 | MIT: 40 | ID: 241609 | BD: 5, miss Edited March 5 by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Oscar 0 Posted February 23 Author #7 Share Posted February 23 (edited) Maybe Oscar had been wrong. Abellio was being an excellent meat shield. He was able to keep the minions busy, which allowed Oscar the freedom to choose his angle of attack. And choose he did. Targeting both of the minibosses - alongside two of the minions - Oscar kept up his combo from before. One of the boatswains exploded into shards immediately. The other was a touch more durable, but it wasn't anything that Oscar couldn't deal with next round. The unfortunate circumstance was that he couldn't target all of the deckhands in one go. So Abellio, stunned as he was, had to suffer through another barrage of attacks. But he took it all in stride, still maintaining his HP above 50 percent, well into the green. A far cry to the showing he'd had with the Forgotten Time King. It was good that he was more comfortable in the thick of things. It demonstrated that his first outing was just a simple mistake. Spoiler Post Action: AOE-II vs Amir, Jessamine, Deckhand #5 & #6 Free Action -> Rhino's Horn +3 to DMG Oscar | HP: 959/960 | EN: 93/128 [+4 -21] | DMG: 29 | MIT:147 | ACC:5 | PHASE | EVA:1 | BH:53 | REC: 4 | AA | V.OFF: 144 | LD:8 | PROSP:4 [STUNNED]Abellio | HP: 133/220 | EN: 40/40 | DMG: 11 | MIT:88 | THORNS:18 | BH:2 Boatswain Amir - HP: 224/700 [-476] | DMG: 125 | MIT: 100 | EVA: 2 | ID: 241610 | BD: 8+6-2, Hit | Deal 476 DMG Boatswain Jessamine - HP: 0/550 | DMG: 200 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 2 | ID: 241611 | BD: 10, Greater Critical | Deal 587 DMG Pirate Deckhand #5 - HP: 0/250 | DMG: 85 | MIT: 40 | 241612 | BD: 3+6, hit | Deal 576 DMG Pirate Deckhand #6 - HP: 0/250 | DMG: 85 | MIT: 40 | ID: 241613 | BD: 6+6, hit | Deal 576 DMG Pirate Deckhand #7 - HP: 232/250 | DMG: 85 | MIT: 40 | ID: 241608 | BD: 8, Deal 45 DMG, Take 18 Thorns Pirate Deckhand #8 - HP: 250/250 | DMG: 85 | MIT: 40 | ID: 241609 | BD: 5, miss Amir vs Oscar - ID: 241614 | BD: 8-1. hit | Deal 1 DMG Deckhand 7 vs Abellio - ID: 241615 | BD: 7, CD: 12, hit+proc | Deal 41 DMG Deckahnd 8 vs Abellio - ID: 241616 | BD: 1, miss Edited March 5 by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Abellio 0 Posted February 24 #8 Share Posted February 24 (edited) If this was what tanking was like, Abellio didn't like it. It was stressful, watching blades enter and exit his body. It didn't matter what his HP said. Abellio didn't know how Oscar did it. Maybe he was just weird but having a front-row seat to someone stabbing you over and over again just messed with your head. It wasn't cool. It wasn't fun. Still, even Abellio could tell that he was being useful. If the mobs were all busy attacking him, it would be like shooting fish in a barrel for Oscar. Abellio held onto that fact. He was being useful. Being stabbed and sliced as he was helped. And that was, perhaps, more important than the trauma of being assaulted with blades. He wasn't cowering. He was in the fight. He was making a difference. And really, that was all he sought to do. Abellio just had to get used to it. Maybe Oscar had some tips. Edited March 5 by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Oscar 0 Posted February 24 Author #9 Share Posted February 24 (edited) "It feels real, but it isn't Abellio," Oscar said as he recovered from his previous attack. He could tell, even if he was barely focused on the fiery-haired man that this first instance of actually tanking was doing a number on him. "It's still just a game. There's barely any feedback when they hit you right?" Oscar wheeled around, throwing himself into the throng of enemies with another powerful AOE strike. "Trust me, if you were actually being stabbed, you wouldn't just be standing there." He followed through, carving through the remaining pirates and reducing them all to glass-like crystalline shards. "Take a breath. Remember that," Oscar continued. "You need to learn to disconnect the actual attacks from what you think they should be doing. The only thing that matters here is your health bar. If that's not dropping, you're fine. Even if you have a knife in your gut." Spoiler Post Action: AOE-I vs Amir, Deckhand #7 & #8 Oscar | HP: 960/960 | EN: 79/128 [+4 -18] | DMG: 29 | MIT:147 | ACC:5 | PHASE | EVA:1 | BH:53 | REC: 4 | AA | V.OFF: 144 | LD:8 | PROSP:4 [STUNNED]Abellio | HP: 133/220 | EN: 40/40 | DMG: 11 | MIT:88 | THORNS:18 | BH:2 Boatswain Amir - HP: 0/700 [-335] | DMG: 125 | MIT: 100 | EVA: 2 | ID: 241617 | BD: 2+6-2, Hit | Deal 335 DMG Pirate Deckhand #7 - HP: 0/250 | DMG: 85 | MIT: 40 | ID: 241618 | BD: 10+6, major crit | Deal 425 DMG Pirate Deckhand #8 - HP: 0/250 | DMG: 85 | MIT: 40 | ID: 241619 | BD: 6+6, hit | Deal 395 DMG Edited March 5 by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Abellio 0 Posted February 24 #10 Share Posted February 24 (edited) Abellio nodded at Oscar's words of wisdom. it was true. Even though he had a knife in his gut, he hardly felt it. Abellio pulled the blade out of his abdomen and let it clatter to the ground. They had some breathing room now. Abellio decided to look around. It didn't take long before he noticed some shinies on the ground. Upon interacting with one of them, it began to glow with a bright light. Abellio averted his eyes as he felt the item morph in his hands. He felt a handle and his fingers wrapped around it. When the light subsided, he saw that he had his very first weapon. The <<Blade of the Seas>> was, unfortunately, quest exclusive. He would enjoy it while it lasted. Even though he was pretty certain that he wouldn't be able to put it to much use at all. He was still a bit too weak to do any real damage at all. Spoiler ID: 241620 | LD: 3 - KEEN ID: 241621 | LD: 9 - PARALYZE ID: 241622 | LD: 19 - ACCURACY Final Product: <<Blade of the Seas>> Keen/Para/Acc Blade of the Seas equipped Edited March 6 by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Oscar 0 Posted February 24 Author #11 Share Posted February 24 (edited) Oscar followed suit and claimed his own weapon of the seas. Oscar pulled the blade from the radiance, giving it a few swings to test its weight. He held it in front of his face, frowning when he realized that it didn't hold a candle to any single one of the blades in his collection. But, given what he had heard from the Info Brokers, Oscar was required to use it at least for a little while. But he didn't have to like it. He reckoned all that he needed to do was tag the boss with the weapon a couple times and switch back to his good shit. By all reports, all that needed to happen was to see the boss actually use the Extra Skill. Once that happened, Oscar was free to tap dance on his corpse like he always did. It was just about getting to that point. Just a little suffering before the main event. Spoiler ID: 241623 - LD: 4 TAUNT ID: 241624 - LD: 11 PARALYZE ID: 241625 - LD: 4 KEEN Final Product: Katana of the Seas - Taunt/Para/Keen Edited March 6 by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Abellio 0 Posted February 24 #12 Share Posted February 24 (edited) Abellio wanted to put Oscar's words into practice. Once they had their special shiny weapons, Abellio wasted no time engaging the boss. He was rather hoping that he wouldn't hit, but beginner's luck, unfortunately, made his blade strike true. It was okay. Oscar could follow up and take the boss of his hands. The two of them could tango while Abellio hung back. Still, it was nerve-wracking to have the boss's attention right now. The pirate's beady eyes bored holes into his avatar. He was licking his chops at the opportunity to ruin Abellio's day. And Abellio didn't doubt his ability to do it. All he could do was hope that Oscar would land a hit. That, and keep himself from looking absolutely terrified while he waited. "Think you could take him off my hands," Abellio asked nervously. "He's looking at me like I'm a cabin boy and he hasn't seen land in months." Spoiler Post Action -> Basic Attack vs Burlock ID: 241626 | BD: 7+1-2, hit | Deal 1 DMG Oscar | HP: 960/960 | EN: 87/128 | DMG: 29 | MIT:147 | ACC:5 | EVA:1 | BH:53 | REC: 4 | LD:8 | PROSP:4 | TAUNT | KEEN | PARA Abellio | HP: 133/220 | EN: 40/40 | DMG: 11 | MIT:88 | THORNS:18 | BH:2 | Keen | Para | ACC: 1 [Ab1, Os0]Burlock, the Quartermaster | HP: 999/1000 | DMG: 175 | MIT: 80 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 Edited March 6 by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Oscar 0 Posted February 24 Author #13 Share Posted February 24 (edited) "Yeah sure," Oscar replied as he casually swung his weapon at the boss. More specifically, as he casually swung and missed his attack on the boss. "Or not..." Well this wasn't good. Abellio was at the top of the Hate Chart, which meant that... "Oh no," Oscar said mournfully. Burlock reared back and drove his cutlass into Abellio's chest. Much to his credit, Abellio took it like a champ. Not a flash of fear or a surge of panic. Though, this was one of those times to worry about it. Oscar quickly grabbed his Teleportation Crystal from his inventory and handed it off to Abellio. "Time to go," Oscar said. "This dude's got a damage-over-time and if you don't get back to a Safe Zone now, you're gonna die. Move along, Abellio. Pretty sure you'll still get the clear when I fuck this guy up. No time to waste, dude. Seriously." Spoiler Post Action -> Basic Attack vs Burlock ID: 241627 | BD: 2+5-2, miss Swift Action -> Pass Teleport Crystal to Abellio Oscar | HP: 960/960 | EN: 87/128 | DMG: 29 | MIT:147 | ACC:5 | EVA:1 | BH:53 | REC: 4 | LD:8 | PROSP:4 | TAUNT | KEEN | PARA Abellio | HP: 46/220 | EN: 40/40 | DMG: 11 | MIT:88 | THORNS:18 | BH:2 | Keen | Para | ACC: 1 [Ab1, Os0]Burlock, the Quartermaster | HP: 999/1000 | DMG: 175 | MIT: 80 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 [Lady Luck Active]Burlock attack vs Abellio | ID: 241628 | LD: 15, +3 ACC BD: 7-1, Deal 87 DMG CD: 12, Poisoned Edited March 6 by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Abellio 0 Posted February 24 #14 Share Posted February 24 (edited) He was fine, right? Even though he'd just taken a ton of damage, his health was still technically in the yellow. For about a second. White noise distorted his vision as the poison effect took hold. His vision turned red, as if someone had just dropped a bloody filter over his eyes. He first looked up to his health bar, then to the crystal in his hands. Abellio held it up to the sky and called out. "VENROUGH!" The Crystal shattered and Abellio was enshrouded in a white light. His surroundings twisted and then eventually faded to the light, whisking him away from the cove and the boss and the fight to the safety of Floor 16's Main Settlement. Just in the nick of time too as the poison effect was just about to tick down again. The damage would have reduced his health to zero, putting an abrupt end to his quest in the game. But, thanks to being in a Safe Zone, the damage was nullified. He slumped against a wall, letting out a loud sigh of relief. "Shit that was way too close." Spoiler Post Action -> Use Teleport Crystal Abellio has left combat and is currently in safe zone, no further damage can be incurred Oscar | HP: 960/960 | EN: 87/128 | DMG: 29 | MIT:147 | ACC:5 | EVA:1 | BH:53 | REC: 4 | LD:8 | PROSP:4 | TAUNT | KEEN | PARA Abellio | HP: 16/220 | EN: 40/40 | DMG: 11 | MIT:88 | THORNS:18 | BH:2 | Keen | Para | ACC: 1 [Ab1, Os0]Burlock, the Quartermaster | HP: 999/1000 | DMG: 175 | MIT: 80 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 Edited March 6 by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Oscar 0 Posted February 24 Author #15 Share Posted February 24 (edited) Oscar exhaled a heavy sigh as Abellio disappeared. That was way too fucking close for comfort. And it ticked him off. Oscar wouldn't say that he and Abellio were super close. More of a mentor/mentee relationship. Or a Carry/Noob situation. Either way you sliced it, Oscar felt a certain sense of responsibility for getting the dude home alive. And Burlock had made the mistake of putting that whole arrangement in jeopardy. Oscar tossed away his shitty weapon, using Quick Change to call Divine Rancor back to his hand. Lady Luck was the skill name. He'd seen it. He'd clocked it. And now it was just time to kill this mother fucker. He threw himself at the boss, slicing through its frame and calling down a pillar of light from the heavens for good measure. There was a grim satisfaction in watching the boss's health bar tank so heavily from his attack. If only he could just end the fight now and be done with it. As bad as it was to say, the only interesting part of this quest was trying to keep Abellio alive. Spoiler Post Action - AOE-I vs Burlock Free Action - Quick Change Katana of the Seas -> Divine Rancor Oscar | HP: 960/960 | EN: 73/128 [+4 -18] | DMG: 29 | MIT:147 | ACC:5 | EVA:1 | BH:53 | REC: 4 | LD:8 | PROSP:4 | PHASE | HLY: 16 | BLI: 36/-20 ID: 241629 | BD: 9, minor critical | Deal 660 DMG [36 Blight 1/2]Burlock, the Quartermaster | HP: 303/1000 | DMG: 175 | MIT: 60 [-20] | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 [Lady Luck Active]Burlock Attack vs Oscar | ID: 241630 | LD: 4 +100 DMG BD: 4+2-1, miss Edited March 6 by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Oscar 0 Posted February 24 Author #16 Share Posted February 24 (edited) A swing and a miss. Oscar really needed to focus up. But, there wasn't really any hurry. Abellio was safely out of danger and every second he spent here was more time for the poison to wear off and the man's health to refill. Burlock wasn't having much luck either. It was poetic, though. Watching the Blight slowly drain the boss's health bar was cathartic. Ironic. A small dose of revenge for the jump scare both Abellio and Oscar had to suffer through. Oscar took a beat, watching the boss for a time. This was why he didn't take NPCs seriously anymore. They weren't emotive. Blank facsimiles of humanity. There was nothing behind those eyes. No thought. Just ones and zeroes that constituted the avatar before him. Oscar didn't relish watching anyone die - not even the Player Killers that plagued the game. But at least their deaths meant something. At least they could speak and could think and could understand they were about to die. Spoiler Post Action -> AOE-II vs Burlock Oscar | HP: 960/960 | EN: 75/128 [+4 -2] | DMG: 29 | MIT:147 | ACC:5 | EVA:1 | BH:53 | REC: 4 | LD:8 | PROSP:4 | PHASE | HLY: 16 | BLI: 36/-20 ID: 241631 | BD: 1, miss [36 Blight 2/2]Burlock, the Quartermaster | HP: 267/1000 | DMG: 175 | MIT: 60 [-20] | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 [Lady Luck Active]Burlock Attack vs Oscar | ID: 241632 | LD: 4 +100 DMG BD: 3+2-1, miss Edited March 6 by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Oscar 0 Posted February 24 Author #17 Share Posted February 24 (edited) Burlock did none of that. He followed his programming. Sneering and snarling and pretending to be what the System thought that a pirate should be. They had reached the uncanny valley. The point where things became too human that it was easy to sense that something was wrong. The reactions were hollow, if there even was one. Even as Oscar plunged his blade into the Quartermaster's chest. Even as he ripped it out and delivered another slice from shoulder to hip. Even as he relieved the NPC of its own head. No reaction. Nothing except for the wild death throes that were again, just programming. Though it was almost funny - in a grim sort of way - to watch the pirate flail and flounder without a head on his shoulders. But, like his Deckhands and his Boatswains, so too was Burlock reduced to a shower of glass. Oscar allowed his sword to disappear and turned on his heels. It was less interesting than he remembered it being. Though screaming in on a flaming pirate ship was a hard event to beat. Spoiler Post Action -> AOE-II vs Burlock Free Action -> Concentration Oscar | HP: 960/960 | EN: 57/128 [+4 -22] | DMG: 29 | MIT:147 | ACC:5 | EVA:1 | BH:53 | REC: 4 | LD:8 | PROSP:4 | PHASE | HLY: 16 | BLI: 36/-20 ID: 241633 | BD: 4+5, hit | Deal 442 DMG Burlock, the Quartermaster | HP: 0/1000 | DMG: 175 | MIT: 60 [-20] | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 Edited March 6 by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Abellio 0 Posted February 24 #18 Share Posted February 24 (edited) After waiting for the poison icon to disappear off of his HUD, Abellio decided to head back to the quest guy to finish up. He was pretty sure that Oscar would be finishing up and heading back there too. Either way, it was probably a good idea to wait there anyway. He had to be careful. Even though the quest guy wasn't very far away, he was still outside of the safe zone and still very, very close to death. He gave the mobs a wide berth, having parsed out - more or less - their aggression ranges. It was a meandering path but finally, he made it. Oscar was nowhere to be seen, but somehow Abellio felt that the man wouldn't be far behind. He'd seen Oscar fight. The Forgotten Time King was on a different level than Burlock, after all. There was no way that Oscar didn't make short work of the pirate guy. Edited March 6 by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Oscar 0 Posted February 24 Author #19 Share Posted February 24 (edited) Oscar made his way back to the quest giver after handling Burlock. Much to his relief, Abellio was waiting for him. "You got fucked up dude," Oscar said with a wave. "But that was some damn fine tanking. Up until the end. Where you almost died." Oscar smiled at Abellio, beginning the end dialogue with the pirate. Again, Oscar kept his NPC hand strong and skipped the dialogue with a sharp slap across the face. The Pirate, skipping his dialogue, simply disappeared and left Oscar and Abellio with their rewards. Oscar beckoned for Abellio to follow, calling his weapon back to his hand to escort the man back to the Safe Zone. "We run into these issue when we're starting out. I don't think anyone has avoided a brush with death like that on their way to the Frontlines. Mine was the Monkey King." They continued the rest of the way in silence until they reached the entrance to the settlement. "But you'll quickly find that your stats outpace theirs. It's just growing pains." Edited March 6 by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Abellio 0 Posted February 24 #20 Share Posted February 24 (edited) Abellio thought it was funny how Oscar manhandled the NPC. He was a no-nonsense sort, it seemed. At least as far as it went with NPCs. He had a sharp tongue when it came to bullying Abellio. But he didn't mind. He could already see himself growing leaps and bounds in just two quests. And he had to wonder whether the improvement was simply because of the EXP or if it was because of Oscar's sage counsel. The man was clearly very good. And Abellio wasn't the type to argue with an expert. Outside of the man's extracurriculars, he seemed to be pretty willing to help out newbies. Something that Abellio was certain that he would never be able to repay. But he'd try. He was just stubborn like that. "Good to know I'm not completely useless," Abellio said. There was a hint of pride in his voice. "But I suppose I should work on getting my weapon situation sorted out." Thread Summary Oscar - 2304 EXP, 10,845 Col, 2 Pirate's Treasure, <<Lady Luck>> Extra Skill Abellio - 3,208 EXP, 10,500 Col, <<Lady Luck>> Extra Skill Oscar | [Word Count: 3292/10 = 329.2] * [True Tier: 10] * [Group Factor: 0.7] = 2304 EXP, Laurel Wreath: 345 col Abellio | [Word Count: 3292/10 = 329.2] * [True Tier: 2] * [Group Factor: 0.7]* [Exp Bonus: 0.5] = 691 EXP Pirates Treasure -> Oscar Both Oscar and Abellio unlock <<Lady Luck>> Edited March 6 by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts