[Elite Quest/Lavinia] Knowledge of Curses and Consecrations

[Tyonis]

The silver-furred Fox Tail Samurai was still relatively new to the game, but after grinding for so long on Windsor's low level mobs, Tyonis was already starting to feel the familiar burnout a gamer experienced after intense sessions of repetitive activity. He quickly realized his three-skill combo was devastatingly effective at this level. Even monsters six to seven levels higher than him didn't last for longer than a handful of turns. Sure, he would barely survive, but his success just highlighted the strengths of his build - kill it before it killed you. It wasn't perfect for multi-target tanking since he lacked an AoE threat generator, but it was optimal for single target tanking and level progression until he would be able to chain Ace Moves more effectively.

However Tyonis, like any gamer, played an MMO for entertainment. And slaughtering rabbits, boars, and slimes by the thousands was anything but. To remedy this, the Samurai decided to better immerse himself in the world. His Roleplaying Subclass was Exorcist, so he went to the most obvious place an Exorcist might go to find work: Westminster Abbey.

His assumption proved correct: there was a NPC - a Person of the Land, who frantically raved to one of the priests. Apparently, he was a Scholar who discovered a necromancer's grimoire while exploring the Londinium Underground. But the tome's curse revived the necromancer when he disturbed the its resting place. The Lander had already enlisted the aid of another Adventurer but decided it prudent to call for another. Specifically, an Exorcist. Despite his level and the public fact that the Londinium Underground's level range varied from 5-30, Tyonis readily agreed, hungry for any excuse to keep him from returning to Windsor Greatwood.

Steel-gray eyes drifted from the relieved Lander to a girl standing nearby. He gave her a quiet greeting in the form of a slight smile and a nod of his head. His attention was quickly occupied by the Lander when he started to highlight the key difference between the necromancer and its minions. Unlike most mindless undead, the mage retained some of its sentience, which probably meant a more complicated fight.

As the Lander finished, the Exorcist-to-be approached his would-be-partner. "Yo. Name's Tyonis, but you can call me Ty," he held his hand out to shake. In that moment, he realized this would be his first party-oriented activity in Elder Tale. "I guess I'll be your tank." He said, sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Normally Tyonis was far more confident about gaming even with their disparity in level and the supposed difficulty of the Quest. He was treating it as a game, but being a 'tank' now had a profound burden. Even if Adventurers were technically immortal, getting mauled to death still hurt. Before, he could joke off a raid wipe and try again.

Now, a wipe probably included getting himself and his partner eaten alive by a horde of undead. He closed his eyes and steeled himself.

(WC: 502)
Lavinia

[Lavinia]

Driving out the dark. Despite her level Lavinia wasn't new to this world, before her class change she was a level 30 summoner. Not expactly a high level, but she was competent in her skill and knowledge and that is what really matters. The big difference now, Lavinia can't fight on her own, she is mainly support now. This is why the quest she was assigned had a partner, a lower level one at that, but that shouldn't matter in this case. They were tasked with retreaving a special book, a tome of necromancy, not the most unusual item from a adventures perspective but can be a cause for concern for Landers. The only trouble the pair could have is dealing with the creatures attracted to the book, necromages and its followers. She had a plan for this, when didn't Lavinia have a plan though? Wearing her new outfit with the hood up and her new hair color, that she was rather fond of, she heard a voice call to her. It was her partner introducing himself, an older man a fox tail, and a samerui by the look of his outfit. Reaching up with her left hand Lavinia lowered her hood revealing her whole head to her partner. She smiled and reached out with the same hand shaking his hand, her right hand preoccupied holding her staff. "I'm Lavinia." she says softly releasing his hand. "and I your support." she continues in the same soft gentle tone of voice as her greeting. She wasn't really worried about this quest, it should be fine with the two of them since it wasn't rated very high, but who knows for sure. "So whats the plan?" she says louder than before, the confidence evident in her voice. She had a plan, but she'd discuss this with Tyonis in a bit or not at all, she'll have to wait and see. WORD COUNT:314 TAGS:Tyonis NOTES:...

[Tyonis]

'The soft quiet type or the brood calculating type?' Tyonis asked himself as Lavinia shook his hand.

Along with their exchange, he prompted her with a party invite. His lips curled into a slight smile when she accepted. He briefly wondered if there were First-Time achievements in the game. With a few waves of his finger, he accessed what he could of her character information. There wasn't much, as she kept most of it private save for what was absolutely required to show on the party menu: her Name and Main Class Level.

'A 10 Enchanter?' He thought shaking his head at their difference in level.

In most MMOs, if you were so far above the level requirement for the Quest or Dungeon, you could just muscle your way through content - at worst, monsters would do 1 damage. Elder Tale must be different, Tyonis assumed, more team-oriented considering how specialized each Main Class was. Or perhaps no one wanted to suffer death by ten-thousand pinpricks.

He tried to push the level disparity out of his mind. Samurai were renown worldwide for being able to solo content twenty levels above them. Sure, Tyonis lacked the versatility of those famous players due to the level gap, but he was just as determined as they. He needed to start somewhere, so why not now?

It was time to get over the constant fear of what failure might bring.

He smiled wider at Lavinia's confidence. Her voice carried the weight of experience despite her smaller frame. He had his own weight to pull and he wasn't about to get carried through this Quest.

"Well, for now, I only have one single-target threat generator with Bushido: Iaido and can immediately follow with some melee-burst from Sword Rain Flurry to secure a threat lead. If we are going to fight undead or spirits, I have a ranged knockback that can stun one while tanking another or use it to interrupt skills and spells." He sounded far more assertive and composed while discussing strategy. "If you can CC two or three more, we can clear rooms safely by focusing down one target at a time even if they chain aggro. I'm worried about the necromancer, though. I don't think I can Parry magic damage."

(WC: 388)
Lavinia

[Lavinia]

Tanks first! <3 Lavinia looked into the fox tail Tyonis' brown eyes, the saying appearances can be deceiving rings even truer in this world. She thought she detected a hint of doubt on the mans face, this implies inexperience and worry to Lavinia, nothing to be concerned over though. She was experienced and had a general idea of what would lay ahead, after all, she had a plan. "I will take care of dangerous casters until the melee are finished off." she says softly continuing to give Tyonis her warm smile. She would do what she could to help ease him into what might be his first party oriented encounter. It can be quite intimidating, it was for her first time when she was a Summoner. "However, I can only keep one enemy locked down for more than a few seconds. So in the in between periods I will help offensively." she continued glancing over at the entrance to the underground where she presumed they would be heading. Reaching into her bag Lavinia pulls out three of her Medicinal Tablets and extends her closed hand to Tyonis. "Here, if you get low on health pop one of these into your mouth and you'll instantly be healed for 30 health." she says insistently, she partially wanted to get rid of them and partially wanted to make sure Tyonis survived. These tablets were the first item Lavinia had crafted, but because she quickly out leveled them they weren't much use to her now. Lavinia needed to take some time out and make better tablets and mana potions, those too, for herself and Kitty. At her level, she could make tablets that heal for much more, almost 9 times more, but they would take time and money to create. Her staff still in hand Lavinia looks at Tyonis' sword and dagger, odd choice for a tank. Firmly gripping her staff in her right hand she raises it off the ground slightly and then taps the ground with the tip of the staff. Keen Edge is activated the crystal orb on the staff glows for ten seconds as Lavinia closes her eyes focusing on the spell after ten seconds the spell is complete. Tyonis would now receive the Keen Edge buff on his interface. "If you'll examine your weapons, you'll notice they are shaper than normal now." she says looking down at Tyonis' weapons. The look she gave was slightly insisting he inspect them since Keen Edge would boost the physical damage of everyone in the party. She was now ready to go, they were buffed, he had some tablets to eat for healing if necessary, Lavinia was as prepared as she was going to be. "Well, I'm ready. Tanks first." she says with a amused grin as she waits for Tyonsi to take the lead. WORD COUNT:469 TAGS:Tyonis NOTES:...

[Tyonis]

Tyonis took the tablets with a broad smile. He was also a Pharmacist, so he recognized the value of the tablets. At his level, they would heal him to near full HP. Three tablets, timed properly, gave the Samurai three extra lives. He'd have to use them wisely and at the very last moment to maximize their effectiveness. The look in her eyes was warm and patient. For a moment, he felt his pride crumble. But intellectually, he knew she was doing her best to help acclimate to the stress of a party-oriented quest and ease his doubts. He swallowed his pride and pocketed the tablets with a nod.

He continued to listen as Lavinia explained the capabilities of her Class. Tyonis had some preliminary knowledge of the Enchanter Skill sets: they were primarily focused around field control. Good Enchanters made great analysts. It was a fact proven when Lavinia started highlighting her role in their two-man tag team.

"All right, I'll leave the casters to you then, Lavinia."

'Looks like I was wrong: she's the quiet, calculating type,' Tyonis amended with a slight chuckle as Lavinia's attention was drawn to his weaponry. Even now, he still clung to the Starter Equipment, since he did not know how to best obtain better gear. His musings were shattered when he felt a surge of power emanate from the Enchanter. Her staff tapped the ground and the crystal orb atop it illuminated the area around them. When the glow receded, Tyonis noticed that a new icon had appeared under his status effect listing.

"Keen Edge?" He echoed as Lavinia explained the spell. The Samurai unsheathed his longsword and examined the blade, turning it over with a few deft flicks of his wrist. It was indeed sharper. As if to emphasize the visible change, there was an increase to the sword's damage range and DPS rating. He swung it in the air a few times, to test if the spell had changed the weapon's weight or balance somehow. After a slices, he gave a grunt of approval and sheathed the blade.

"I'll stop dual-wielding for now," he suddenly declared. Although there was a slight increase in DPS output while he dual-wielded, it would not be worth the severe blow to his defensive stats and overall weapon control. When he was grinding on his own, Tyonis didn't really need high defenses since the goal was to farm the mobs as fast as possible. In a party-oriented environment, his primary role would be to tank not deal damage.

He took a deep, calming breath after being prompted to lead the way.

'The longest journey begins with but a single step,' with that in mind, Tyonis stepped forward into the depths of the London Underground, his fingers curled gently around the hilt of his sword.

---

The Landers directions proved accurate and it did not take the pair very long to reach the crypt. Just like he said, a pair of broken statues in the shape of decrepit gargoyles marked the entrance to the necromancer's tomb. The double doors of heavy stone were cracked slightly, the only mark of previous entry and exit. With a loud grunt, Tyonis pushed open one door and stared into the abyssal darkness. He squinted his eyes and could barely make out a pair of skeletons shuffling mindlessly back and forth, their rusted weapons gleaming in the dim light.

Tyonis licked his lips as adrenaline filled his body. It was a familiar sensation - the same one he felt whenever he clashed swords with someone in real life be it a simple sparing match or a tournament. The fight or flight instinct. The Samurai was unaware, but his expression had twisted into a sinister one filled with murderous intent. He drew his sword an inch out of the sheathe. The sound echoed against the stone walls, drawing the attention of the two Skeletal Swordsman. Their red, beady eyes grew focused as soon as they saw Tyonis.

'Auto-aggro,' he thought smugly. He kicked off his feet and closed the distance between him and the foremost skeleton, banishing all doubt from his mind - this was not the time and place for second-guessing.

His sword screeched like nails across a chalkboard as the Samurai drew and struck at the same time. The blade flew in a perfect arch that bisected the skeleton before it could even raise its weapon. Even as the Skeleton's HP began to drop, the tip of Tyonis' sword was already thrusting into the monster. This was the two-skill combo Tyonis perfected while slaughtering countless animals in Windsor Greatwood:

Bushido Iaido and Sword Rain Flurry.

Despite all that practice and Lavinia's damage buff, the Skeleton Swordsman refused to break, its HP steadied at 35%. Tyonis suppressed a curse as he Parried the Skeleton's retaliatory strike. His Starter Longsword howled in protest when it clashed against the other blade as if on the verge of breaking. The level difference was just too high for him to simply two-shot these mobs. Even his gear threatened to snap with each blow.

Through his peripheral vision, the Samurai noticed the second Skeleton had finally begun to move. But Tyonis was utterly defenseless while stuck in the Parry's animation lock. He grit his teeth as the other monster lifted its blade. He wasn't sure how much his Starter Plate Armor would mitigate against a Quest mob several levels above its rating. He tightly clenched one eye shut and braced himself for the pain..!

(WC: 884)
HP: 100%
MP: 90%
Status Effects: Keen Edge (50m)
Skills Used: Bushido: Iaido, Sword Rain Flurry (9s), Parry (4.7s).

[Lavinia]

To battle! Lavinia was glad Tyonis took the tablets, she considered giving him the other three but decided against it. With no healer she may need them for herself. "I have three more, but I'm going to hold onto them. I may need them." she says really starting to wish she made more now, the thought made her laugh in her head "Unprepared... Again...". Smiling as Tyonis tested his now buffed sword Lavinia thought it was a good time to sneakily check his skills. Looking at him she activated Evaluate and her eyes flickered white for a second as the spell cast. Now having access to Tyonis' skill list she would be able to give better direction in the fights ahead if it was needed. When Tyonis states he wouldn't be duel wielding she nodded, it was a good idea. The lose of a little damage output wouldn't offset the lower defensive value it had. "Here we go." Lavinia thought as Tyonis and herself begin to head to the tomb. She'd never here before, and as a result Lavinia looked around curiously as she walked with the samurai. She wanted to take in every inch of the place, but every few steps she would still glance forward looking for threats like a wall that she's about to run into. She actually did that once, it was rather embarrassing and she learned from that mistake real quick. As she watched Tyonis push the heavy looking door open Lavinia thought about making a joke about him needing her help, but she decided against it feeling it might be inappropriate. As expected right inside the tombs entrance were some minions, two skeletons, targeting one Lavinia activates Evaluate again gaining information on them. "Auto attacks, no special skills and a small weakness to light elemental attacks." she says to Tyonis right before he charges in to engage. Taking her left arm Lavinia extends it toward the second skeleton, before it aggroed to Tyonis she began casting Astral Hypno and good thing she did. Precasting is a wonderful thing, right as the spell landed the skeleton was about to hit Tyonis with an attack. But instead of landing the attack the skeletons arms limply fell to its side and it's eyes dimmed considerably. The pair would have to be careful, one false move and the skeleton would wake up early. Now that the skeleton was taken care of for the next ten seconds Lavinia could help with offense. Because of Tyonis' position Lavinia had to take several steps her right before she had a clear shot at the skeleton. Taking her staff Lavinia raised it taking aim at the skeleton, who by know has less than half of its health left. The crystal on the tip of the staff glows a faint purple for half a second then releases a purple orb that flies toward the skeleton, if Pulse Bullet lands dealing low damage. That was all Lavinia could safely do for another three seconds, she hoped Tyonis could finish off the first skeleton before it had a chance to attack again. WORD COUNT:515 TAGS:Tyonis NOTES:...

[Tyonis]

Power perceived is power achieved!

-Tyonis [Samurai]

Tyonis let out a relaxing breath as he felt a rush of mana sweep over him and wrap around the second Skeletal Swordsman. Intellectually, he knew what crowd control was but this was his first timing seeing it up close and personal. He threw a thankful smirk at Lavinia, doing his best to project an air of confidence despite his blunder only a few moments before. He would have to trust his partner, Tyonis came to realize. Being in a party with her meant more than he ever thought possible: he placed his life in her hands and she in his. The Samurai steeled his resolve just as a blast of purple light slammed into the weaker Skeleton. Enchanters weren't well known for their DPS output - Pulse Bullet reduced the Skeleton's HP by a mere 20%, settling at 15%. But the Skeleton's attack pattern was thrown off thanks to the strike.

His composure restored, Tyonis took full advantage of the Skeleton's pause and spun as fast as he could, grabbing the hilt of his sword with both hands, he swung in a wide, horizontal arc. The Samurai's longsword sliced through the air and cleaved the Skeleton in half. As it evaporated into pyreflies and gold, Tyonis gave Lavinia a sheepish grin then turned his attention to the remaining monster. He waited a few more moments, letting all of his Skills reset.

He sheathed his sword and leaned forward, getting into as perfect a stance as possible to deliver maximum damage to the prone Skeleton. Just before he struck, he shot his partner a confirming nod and lashed out with his sword. Now that he had proper time to aim and prepare, his initial strike sliced through several key points on the Skeleton's structure - a critical hit. As it was recovering from Astral Hypno, the Samurai unleashed a set of six well-aimed thrusts into its skull.

The familiar Bushido: Iaido and Sword Rain Flurry combo brought the Skeleton down to to 15%HP, but this time, Tyonis betrayed no apprehension.

Like before, he Parried the Skeleton's counterattack with all his might, his sword screeching in agony.

"Finish it, Lavinia!" He shouted as both he and the Skeleton were both blown away from each other by the force of their respective strikes, giving the Enchanter a clear field of fire.

Level: 8 HP:100% MP:80%

Status Effects: Keen Edge (49m)

Skills Used: Bushido: Iaido, Sword Rain Flurry (8.9s), Parry (4.8s)

Word Count: 368

Notes: ...

Made by Zirnitra of Elder Tale

[Lavinia]

Forward and onward! Lavinia couldn't do much else as she has slept the skeleton and used pulse bullet, now she has to wait for pulse bullet to come off of its three second cooldown. She watched as Tyonis gave her a smile and returned his smile in kind with one of her own. She realized that Tyonis didn't know her and trust isn't exactly given at the start without just cause. But faith is important, probably more so than trust in your party members. If you don't have faith in your party you will under preform, one must be careful however, some players aren't as skilled as others and expectations may be set to high, its a double edged sword that can pay off greatly or get you killed. She watched Tyonis sheath his sword and her head tilted to the left in curiosity and puzzlement, it was when he took his stance that she realized what he was planning. He was going to attack the skeleton right when Astral Hypno's effect wore off, keeping the skeleton away from her and probably dealing most of its health in damage. She was correct, Tyonis' two skill combo dealt critical damage to the remaining skeleton reducing its health to 15%. Watching the two get blown back Lavinia sees her chance before Tyonis says it. Raising her staff and aiming the crystal toward the skeleton the tip glows purple as Lavinia casts Pulse Bullet. The purple orb flys from the tip of her staff and smashes into the skeleton dealing the remainder of its 15% health in damage. As the skeleton dissipates into data Lavinia lets out a sigh of relief. Letting the bottom of her staff rest on the ground Lavinia looks at Tyonis. "You alright?" she asks with concern as she walks closer to Tyonis lifting her staff and setting it down to match her steps. The question wasn't about his health or his mana, she can see that through the party list. She was concerned about he is handling all this mentally. Going from the real world playing the game sitting behind a computer to a real experience like this can be troublesome. His health was still full, but his mana was a little low, hers was about the same so using Mana Channeling wouldn't help. So all there was to do was to continue forward. WORD COUNT:393 TAGS:Tyonis NOTES:...

[Tyonis]

Power perceived is power achieved!

-Tyonis [Samurai]

As the Skeletal Swordsmen evaporated into motes of light and falling gold, the Samurai pulled himself to his full height. With a spiral flourish of his blade, he sheathed it over his shoulder with an audible click, as if to accentuate the battle's end. In response to her query, Tyonis offered a broad grin. This Quest would be tough, no doubt, but together, they might actually pull it off. Lavinia's Astral Hypno would be the deciding factor in most of their fights. As the tank and DPS, it would be on Tyonis' shoulders to slay each monster within Astral Hypno's duration, lest he be quickly overwhelmed. He could count on a 3 second burst in the form of Pulse Bullet to help with the cleanup, but the Samurai far outpaced his partner when it came to raw damage. With his role in the party solidified, Tyonis mulled over how to best approach it. The real question was: should he dual-wield for that extra boost in DPS?

His musings were shattered when two faint, blue flames appeared where the Skeletal Soldiers once stood. The Scholar NPC who gave them the quest had warned the pair about the Curse of Flawed Resurrection. Monsters would endlessly revive as long as the necromancer existed. There was a temporary solution: exorcise the spirits of recently slain monsters.

Tyonis closed his eyes and held out a hand at the azure flames, which began to throb with unlife. He would only have a few seconds. His fingers flayed out and white sparks of foreign magic pulsed between them. The Exorcist had no idea how to actually play his RP Subclass, so he did what any true gamer immersed in occult culture would.

Improvise with Biblical alliterations and references to the 72 Demons from the Lesser Key of Solomon.

"The starting penalty is Seven.
Seven Cardinal Sins to match the hubris of man.
Begone! Begone! Begone! Begone! Begone! Begone! Begone!
In the name of the Supreme Ultimate, I command thee, depart!
I, Master of the Lemegeton Ars Goetia, the Incarnation Swear:
I am embodiment of All Good in the World.
Thus my hands vanquish All Evil in the World.
Shadow of the Moon as it waxes and wanes,
Stirs the beating of your heart.
Fear not. For salvation is at hand."

Tyonis opened his eyes. They were glowing white with holy radiance.

"Be crushed."

The Exorcist clenched his fist, snuffing out the blue flames, sealing himself and Lavinia in darkness once more.

Level: 8 HP:100% MP:82%

Status Effects: Keen Edge (47m)

Skills Used: None

Word Count: 412

Notes:

Made by Zirnitra of Elder Tale

[Lavinia]

Adding green to the dark... Lavinia caught sight of the faint blue flames right around the same time Tyonis did. Taking a step back she readies herself for another bout of combat but then she see's Tyonis doing something strange. However, she does not let her guard down as she watchs Tyonis begin to chant some religious chant that she knows nothing about. Lavinia was never one to study the religions of the world, had no interest, didn't beleive in it. This was probably her weak point in the wealth of knowledge shes gained during her time in this world. She understood game mechanics, not how some divine being could influence the world just because someone asked for help. As she watched Tyonis complete the spell and the blue flame fade away she looked ahead, their path was pitch black. She could see a faint outline of a stair well near the back of the structure, she had something to help for this. Reaching into her inventory she pulls out two small blue vials, for those in the know, these wonderous little vials are potions of nighteye, a great asset in such places. Taking one in her left hand, extends the same arm out to Tyonis intending on giving him the potion. "They're Night vision potions." she says thinking Tyonis might not recognize the actual name, despite being a pharmacist himself. Taking her own she tilts her head back and downs the potion in one go. In a short moment her eyes begain to glow a faint green and her own vision resembled that of someone looking through a pair of night vision goggles from the real world. But that wasn't the only change, looking over at Tyonis instead of seeing what one would normally see, you would see his body heat. This took some getting used to as Lavinia looked around blinking, she turned back the way they came, the bright light hurting her eyes and causing her to sheild them with her forearm. However, coming from the staircase one can hear a strange clanking from within the darkness. It sounded like rattling chains or... someone being chained to a wall. The thought caused a shiver to run up Lavinia's spine, it didn't help that the place was rather spooky. "Do you hear that, maybe more skeletons?" she asks looking from the stairwell into Tyonis' eyes. WORD COUNT:392 TAGS:Tyonis NOTES:Feel free to decide what we're hearing, hope this is what you were talking about. :)

[Tyonis]

Power perceived is power achieved!

-Tyonis [Samurai]

Tyonis took a potion, raising it in gratitude before downing it in one go. It took awhile to adjust to the sudden green tint. He blinked several dozen times and let his gaze roam up and down the room before focusing on the spiral staircase leading deeper into the tomb where the sounds were echoing from.

"Thanks for the potions. I should really take the time to level up my Crafting Subclass. After this is all over, would you mind teaching me a bit? Haven't tried it yet." He smiled, still on a high over their recent victory. This is just the first of many, Tyonis thought, allowing his chest to swell with a bit of pride. He quickly reigned it in, however. It wouldn't do to be intoxicated with hubris. He would never forgive himself if his pride got Lavinia wounded. Or worse.

He shook his head and restored his composure, turning his full attention to the task at hand.

"Mm. There might be more of them, but these skeletons didn't have chains. Maybe it's something else?" He pondered aloud as he led the way down.
It seemed the tomb was a fairly simple dungeon. The realistic, rotting stench and the intensity of combat made him forget that this was modeled for new players. There wouldn't be any extremely difficult puzzles or mechanics to deal with. At least, he hoped that was the case.

The tunnels eventually led them to the source of the rattling chains: a trio of Level 13 Shambling Zombies.

Tyonis turned to Lavinia. "What's deal with them? Think you can glean anything about them?"

Level: 8 HP:100% MP:100%

Status Effects: Night Vision (??)

Skills Used: None

Word Count: 269

Notes: ...

Made by Zirnitra of Elder Tale

[Lavinia]

OMG, Zombie Apocalypse! Lavinia smiled as Tyonis took her potion and downed it in one go, looking at him through the effect was rather weird. It made it difficult to make out the details of his face and other such things. Lavinia listened to Tyonis proposal, she could teach him how to make potions, show him the Pharmacy shop the shopkeeper would love a new student after all. Then she thought of something, her house will be finished in about a week, it'll have a room dedicated to just pharmacy and her trade. "In about a week, I should have a perfect spot for you to learn how to make whatever you need." she says smiling at Tyonis. In about a week Lavinia's personal house will be finished and Lavinia will move into the house full time, doing the majority of her crafting there. "I'll have a house just off the beach of the Thames Coastline, shouldn't be to hard to find, look for the house built on a waterfall." she said smiling, welcoming Tyonis to come visit anytime, as long as she was home of course. The thought of inviting a guy to her home, while they were alone made her blush a little bit. While Tyonis was handsome, he was a bit old for Lavinia's taste or so she thought guessing his age since he hasn't actually told her. "You'll be welcome to stop by anytime when its done." she says smiling at him, but then she navigates through her interface and targets Tyonis for a friend request "Encase you can't find it." she says tilting her head to the side slightly as she waits to see if Tyonis would accept her friend request or not. Following Tyonis down the dark staircase now made easily passable thanks to her potions as they get closer the clanking of chains becomes louder and louder. She wondered what kind of horrible looking creature could make such a creepy noise, horrible creature was right the three zombie looking creatures stand in front of them. Lavinia was familiar with the zombie apocalypse from the books she's read back in the real world and wondered if these shared any characteristics. Hearing Tyonis' question, Lavinia raises an eyebrow at him and then looks back at the zombies tilting her head slightly. Casting Evaluate on the lead one reveals the wealth of information on their statistics. Lavinia reads the information aloud from her interface in a clear systematic tone, "Level 13 Shambling Zombie, Type: Undead, Rank: Normal, Weakness: Light magic, Skills: Bound Guilt and Breath of the fallen" looking from the zombies to Tyonis with a bit of regret visible on her face. "I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with those skills, but I don't like the sound of them." she says looking at the zombies. Lavinia gave them a moment of thought as she pondered what the two skills could do. "Maybe, some sort of bind, like the ones I have and maybe a poison? I can't say for sure until we find out the hard way." she says raising her staff preparing for the pull "Ready when you are." she says looking at the zombie on the left that will be her first target. WORD COUNT:536 TAGS:Tyonis NOTES:...

[Tyonis]

Power perceived is power achieved!

-Tyonis [Samurai]

Tyonis was earnestly warmed by Lavinia's words. They had only just met, and she was kind enough to help him level up a Crafting Subclass, which, in most other MMORPGs was a tedious task even at the best of times. Like many players, Tyonis disliked Crafting, but maybe some pretty company would remedy that affliction. With a broad smile, he happily accepted her Friend Quest, watching her name flash into his Interface. He wouldn't admit it, but Lavinia's name was one of the first to join that list.

After Lavinia briefed him on the monster's abilities, Tyonis drew his Starter Longsword an inch from his sheathe to prep his battojutsu. Since they were weak to Light elemental damage, he'd have to use Holy Banishment every single time it came off cooldown in order to deal optimal DPS. Against three level 13 mobs, it would be a race against time: kill them before his HP vanished.

The two skills, Bound Guilt and Breath of the Fallen both sounded quite painful. His experience as an endgame raid leader told him most 'breath' attacks were frontal, conal AoEs, adapted from stereotypical, fire-breathing dragons. He'd have to position the monsters to face away from the Enchanter. Bound Guilt was, like Lavinia assumed, undoubtedly a form of CC. If it operated like Lavinia's it meant it would only effect his movement and not his ability to attack.

So then, his task as a tank would be to agro all of them, position them properly, and maintain threat before any of them could bind him. With only four attack-oriented Skills and no gap-closer for instantaneous movement, it would be quite a challenge.
Tyonis licked his lips.

"Let's go, Lavi," he called, deciding on a nickname for her.

The Samurai spared her one last glance, popping one of her pills into his mouth. With a final, confident wink, he charged forward, pouring as much speed into his legs as he could. But rather than approach head-on, he came at an angle to align all of the zombies in a neat row and to turn their mouths away from the Enchanter when they agroed him at ten meters.

As he expected, their bodies began glowing purple, the only sign they were casting a spell. Because he lacked the Scholar's special modifications to the HUD, Tyonis wasn't sure whether or not it would be Breath of the Fallen or Bound Guilt. The former he could deal with, but the latter would destroy his strategy before he even engaged them.

With one hand still wrapped around the hilt of his longsword, Tyonis brought his other hand up, fingers flayed out, palm glowing white.

"Holy Banishment!"

A magic bullet of white light slammed into the closest zombie, interrupting its cast and knocking it back into the other two, stunning all of them momentarily. They all fell to the ground like a set of bowling pins, hence why he chose to alter his approach.

Empowered by Bushido: Iaido, his sword exploded out of its sheathe, slicing deeply into the shoulder of the first zombie while it was still recovering from the knockdown. A great gust of wind burst from Tyonis' whole body as he activated Ace Move: Bushi Chousen, the Samurai's iconic AoE taunt.

"To you filth bound in chains of madness,
I declare thus: your doom rests with my sword!"

The zombies all howled in unison as they shambled toward the Samurai. Even as the gale died down, Tyonis' blade was a blur of motion as he thrust several times into first zombie's chest with Sword Rain Flurry, chipping away at the monster's HP.

He managed to get a single step to the right just before six ethereal chains rose from the ground and rooted his feet and legs in place. Unable to maneuver, the Samurai was forced to block and parry what he could as the trio of undead scratched, bit, kicked, and punched. His HP was steadily decreasing, but at that rate, it would hold for at least another minute.

Then, all the zombies leaned back at the same time, as if to take a colossal gasp of air.

"Oh shi-"

Tyonis shielded his face with his arm as three waves of purple miasma slammed into his body at near-point blank. His HP instantly dropped to 15% with a stacking poison buff that ticked 1.5% every two seconds. His Detox passive reduced the duration to only 10 seconds, but with his HP so low, it wouldn't matter if the zombies could beat him to death. He was briefly thankful for the rush of adreneline that often accompanied a battle to the death; the poison filling his body only burned peripherally.

The Samurai grit his teeth as hard as he could, shattering the pill he put in his mouth prior to the start of the fight. He swallowed the foul tasting medicine just as the poison debuff wore off at 4.6%.

Like Lavinia said, his HP went from near empty to full in a flash.

"Die!" Tyonis cried out as he blasted one of the third zombie away with Holy Banishment as soon as it came off cooldown and unleashed Sword Rain Flurry on the monster with the lowest HP. Even after all that foresight, the best Tyonis could do against a quest monster 5 levels higher than him was bring it down to 35%HP. With two additional monsters flanking him, this was going to be a very close fight.

Level: 8 HP:95% MP:78%

Status Effects: Night Vision (??), Keen Edge (35m)

Skills Used: Holy Banishment(8s), Sword Rain Flurry (9.6s)

Word Count: 912

Notes: The party engages three Shambling Zombies!

Shambling Zombie #1: 35%HP

Shambling Zombie #2: 70%%

Shambling Zombie #3: 100%

Made by Zirnitra of Elder Tale

[Lavinia]

Take the red pill! Lavinia gave Tyonis a warm smile as his name appeared on her friends list, she was collecting quite a list of friends. The thought having so many good people on her friends list made her happy. When she first joined Elder Tale, she was a nobody and a no nothing, now shes developing a network of friends and a wealth of knowledge that rivals the library in Lodunium and she wasn't even done yet. Tyonis' nickname for Lavinia wasn't an unfamiliar one, her dear friend Kitty was the original giver of it and Lavinia was not expecting Tyonis to adopt it so quickly or at all. It caught her off guard causing her to blush as she watched him take one of her pills and a wink that makes her blush even more. "Stop it, focus!" she told herself as she watched Tyonis charge into combat. As Tyonis pulled the group Lavinia raised her palm to the Skeleton on the left as it glowed the Skeleton on the right hunches over and was put to sleep thanks to "Astral Hyno". Next she raised her staff at the Skeleton on the far right, the crystal on the end of the staff glows a second as Lavinia casts "Astral Bind". The Skeleton on the right becomes wrapped in glowing purple chains binding it to the ground unable to move and the rest would be left to Tyonis for a brief moment. As Lavinia watched Tyonis execute his attacks she watched him get bound in place by the chains with the feeling that this wont end well. Even with the two other Skeletons disabled for a moment, Tyonis being bound and the Skeleton still not revealing its last skill made Lavinia wished she had a shield of some kind to protect him. She was right, watching as the Skeleton glow purple and take in a breath she knew it was coming, their breath attack. Lavinia watched in dread as Tyonis was engulfed in the purple miasma myst and his health drop severely. "Use the pill!" she screamed in her head as she watched Tyonis come close to death and thankfully he did. Recovering from the fear of Tyonis almost dying Lavinia raised her palm up toward the Skeleton and fired a "Pulse Bullet" straight at its head, dropping its health to almost nothing, a single auto attack should be enough to finish it at this point. This was all Lavinia could do for another three seconds. Astral Bind would expire in roughly ten and Astral Hypno in fifteen. Lavinia couldn't wait to unlock more skills. WORD COUNT:432 TAGS:Tyonis NOTES:...

[Tyonis]

Power perceived is power achieved!

-Tyonis [Samurai]

The samurai allowed himself a long breath of respite as his partner took complete control of the battlefield, as befitting her Class. With Lavinia's timely use of Astral Hypo and Astral Bind, the fight became much more manageable. As soon as Tyonis' Holy Banishment knocked back one of the zombies, Astral Bind kept it rooted to the ground, away from the samurai and the enchanter. Astral Hypo kept the second zombie from inflicting any further damage. Finally, her Pulse Bullet brought the first zombie down to a sliver of HP. With contemptuous ease, Tyonis beheaded the monster, sending its skull flying into the darkness while the rest of its body collapsed at his feet like a puppet with its strings cut.

Ever wary, Tyonis waited until the last possible moment for Astral Bind to wear off before lunging forward with Bushido: Iaido, bisecting the second zombie from head to toe. Taking up a fencer's stance, he unleashed a barrage of powerful thrusts at the monster's head with Sword Rain Flurry. As the monster reared back and gripped the heavy chains binding its arms, Tyonis swung hard from the opposite side to slam the flat of his blade against the oncoming chains in a fierce, one-handed Parry.

With his free hand, Tyonis blasted the zombie away with Holy Banishment, sending it hurtling into the walls. Instead of moving to finish the weakened monster, Tyonis spun on his heel to address to the one still slept.

"Lavi, finish the other one for me," he quipped with a smirk as he approached the third and final zombie.

Level: 8 HP: 88% MP: 60%

Status Effects: Night Vision(??), Keen Edge(34m)

Skills Used: Bushido: Iaido, Sword Rain Flurry (7.5s), Parry (3.5s), Holy Banishment (9.8s)

Word Count: 264

Notes:
Shambling Zombie #1: 0%
Shambling Zombie #2: 5%, Knockdown
Shambling Zombie #3: 100%, Slept

Made by Zirnitra of Elder Tale

[Lavinia]

who you gonna call?! Ghostbusters! Lavinia watched Tyonis unleash a fury of skills against the skeletons with astonishment. It was quit the show how spectacular and flashy the melee classes were, at least in comparison to the casters. As Tyonis killed the first zombie, Lavinia felt relieved that the fight was under her control and coming to a close. If it wasn't for Lavinia, this set of skeletons could have been a much bigger problem for the pair, it probably would have killed Tyonis without a healer. She gave a sigh as Tyonis unleashed onto the second skeleton lowering it's health to nothing but a sliver. Watching as Tyonis knocked the skeleton back he asked Lavinia to finish it for him. She smiled and rolled her eyes at him "What do I look like, your maid." she replies raising her hand taking aim at the skeleton. Her hand glows a purple aura for half a second and then the purple orb from "Pulse Bullet" flys off killing the second skeleton. After a brief moment Lavinia once again takes aim firing a second "Pulse Bullet" at the final skeleton, damaging it slightly. That's when Lavinia noticed the moaning, a quiet and subtle moan of anguish. While Tyonis is still locked in the fight with the final skeleton Lavinia looks around and sees nothing. The moans get louder briefly then become softer, as if they are moving, but it sounds like the moan is coming from the wall. "Now what?" she asks no one in particular just what is coming. That's when they strike, two "Level 8 Anguished Phantom" phase through the wall to attack Lavinia. Unless Tyonis manages to intercept such a quick and unexpected attack the first phantom will fly towards the enchantress but turn at the last second and use "Phantom's cry" stunning her for two seconds before phasing back through the wall. The second, almost instantly after the first follows up with a attack of its own called "Phantom's Claw" that just grazes her left cheek taking away an eighth of her health, leaving her with a weak poison debuff and three nasty looking cuts on her face. Lavinia let's out a soft grunt as the claws of the creature grazes her face. Finally able to move she raised her staff to defend herself with as she slowly backs up toward Tyonis as the blood from the injury starts to run down her cheek. WORD COUNT:401 TAGS:Tyonis NOTES:Wrote this in my phone so please expect mistakes. I'll send you the new monster info when I see you on skype later.

[Tyonis]

Power perceived is power achieved!

-Tyonis [Samurai]

Tyonis' attention is drawn away from the remaining zombie as he hears a skull-shattering cry echo through the catacomb. He curses at the sight of two more monsters, Anguished Phantoms, and his eyes go wide as they assault Lavinia. In a fit of rage, he starts to run toward her, his expression feral. How dare these bastards slip past his guard. As a tank, it was embarrassing. As a party member, it was intolerable. The samurai made it halfway to the enchanter when he fell, face first, into the ground, his feet bound in place by a pair of ghostly chains.

"You piece of shi-"

He got no further, forced to block the zombie's heavy, overhead clubbing. He managed to pull himself to his feet, even as the undead clipped away at his HP, his sword swinging frantically in order to kill the monster faster and address the newest threats.

"Lavinia! Get as close as you can to me!" He shouted, desperate to get within striking range of the two phantoms. If he could just land a single hit on any of them, it would be enough to draw them off of the enchanter, whose health dwindled by an entire eighth per attack.

Level: 8 HP: 65% MP: 65%

Status Effects: Night Vision(??), Keen Edge(34m)

Skills Used: None

Word Count: 203

Notes:
Shambling Zombie #3: 45%

Made by Zirnitra of Elder Tale

[Lavinia]

Definitely call the Ghostbusters... Backing up so her back is against's Tyonis's Lavinia looks over her shoulder at the zombie and then around and doesn't see any of these new enemy's. They'll have to wait, Lavinia spins around extends her arm over Tyonis' shoulder and aims at the zombie, her palm glows for a second as she casts "Pulse Bullet" and launches the orb at the Skeleton. The rest would be up to Tyonis, the phantoms will attack soon and Lavinia would have to be ready to defend herself. Turning back around Lavinia raises her staff to prepare to defend herself from these phantoms that can seemingly phase through walls. "I can't seem to target them long enough to get a Evaluate off." she says sternly, between the stun and the follow up attack Lavinia only had any opportunity to just take the hit. The side of her face burned as the poison worked her way into her system and slowly her whole body acked with the poison. It was moments like this that made Lavinia wish she didn't switch to enchanter. As a summoner, her fairy summon would be able to remove this poison instantly, but that is no more so she'll have to tough it out. That's when the moans continue "Here they come!" Lavinia says raising her staff to whack the first phantom that came in range. Here they came, fast and quick they phased through the wall both heading straight for Lavinia, but she was ready. Taking her staff she raised it and swung it hard at the first Phantom dealing a small amount of damage. Thankfully this interrupted its attack pattern and it quickly disengaged and phased back through the wall. The second following up, it rushed in and stuns her with that dreaded stun attack. This however gave a opportunity for Tyonis to land a attack if hes quick enough, the phantom had to stop moving to cast the attack. WORD COUNT:322 TAGS:Tyonis NOTES:...

[Tyonis]

Power perceived is power achieved!

-Tyonis [Samurai]

Tyonis shot Lavinia a confident smirk over his shoulder as she pressed her back against his. His blade traced the enchanter's Pulse Bullet, erasing what HP the zombie had left. As soon as its bar vanished, the samurai spun to his partner's defense, not bothering to watch the monster's body explode into motes of light. His blade intercepted the second wraith's attack and he followed through the Parry with a series of devestating thrusts. But he grit his teeth as the phantom dematerialized just as his final thrust pierced through its hood. Unlike the other Undead, these wraiths had high attack power, but low HP and defense; one Sword Rain Flurry eradicated over 80% of its HP. Tyonis swiped futilely at the incorporeal monster as it slinked through the floor.

Tyonis held his blade aloft as he stood before Lavinia, his steel-grey eyes focused hard on the walls around. His AoE taunt would come off cooldown shortly, meaning they would have to endure one more exchange before he could secure threat on both monsters. One was already set to attack him thanks to his attacks. The other, however, was agroed to the Enchanter because of her previous auto-attack. The main problem were the stuns. It appeared the wraiths were using a basic hit-and-run strategy to whittle down the party's HP. If the two failed to counter that mechanic properly, they would be stun-locked to death. But, thankfully, Lavinia's auto-attack threw off one of the monster's attack patterns and forced it to disengage so that the phantoms cooldowns would not be simultaneous. After a moment of deliberation, Tyonis came up with a strategy.

"Lav, the one agroed to me will stun me then attack. While it stuns me, I want you to finish it off with a Pulse Bullet. If the one attacking you emerges and stuns you, I will attack it with Sword Rain Flurry and rip agro off you."

Level: 8 HP: 65% MP: 65%

Status Effects: Night Vision(??), Keen Edge(34m)

Skills Used: Parry, Sword Rain Flurry

Word Count: 320

Notes:
Shambling Zombie #3: 0%
Anguished Phantom #1: 20%
Anguished Phantom #2 100%

Made by Zirnitra of Elder Tale

[Lavinia]

WTB dispels! Lavinia nodded in acknowledgement to Tyonis' plan, it was solid enough with what they had at their disposal. Pressing her back against Tyonis', feeling his armor against her skin and through her own cloth armor she waited. The two phantoms should now be out of sync, thanks to Lavinia's weak attack, or at least the pair hoped. The poison coursing through Lavinia's veins burned, as it ticked away at her now roughly three quarters full health. The poison made it difficult to focus for the enchantress, ever since that day in the Greatwoods way back when Lavinia had hated being poisoned with a burning passion, how ironic. The was eerily quiet as the pair waited, and waited but no attack came. This was strange, normally monsters would constantly attack, but these monsters were also deploying a different kind of attack strategy. "What are they waiting for? They must know they have us against the ropes and will kill us if we don't pull this off. Think..." still no attack, that's when like a light switch it clicked. "They're regrouping... They'll try to attack at the same time." she says shifting her stance slightly, the quiet tomb echoing the movement making it seem much louder than it actually is. The phantoms must have been ready, because the haunting moans continued, louder and louder as they got closer. "Which way will they come from? Which... Wa... Focus!" she shakes her head, trying to clear it, stupid poison. Here they came, dashing from behind the wall on the opposite side of each other, trapping the pair in a pincer attack. "Wait... Waaaaaait... Now!""Now!" she exclaims pushing against Tyonis' left shoulder with her right a faction of a second before she moves, giving him some sort of indication which way she's going. Swapped places with Tyonis, Lavinia was now facing the phantom who was aggroed to him, perfect. Raising her hand outward toward the blasted creature, Lavinia extends her palm outward and her hand glows purple as she activates "Pulse Bullet", as the orb flies off Lavinia starts her next step in her plan. Not looking to see if her attack even lands, Lavinia immediately spins around and takes aim once again. Aiming over Tyonis' shoulder at the remaining phantom she knew exactly what needed to be done. The phantom would stun Tyonis, that is unavoidable, what she could do is keep the phantom in the open. Her open plan once again glows pink this time as Lavinia activates "Astral Bind" hoping to snare the phantom. If it handed it would give the stones Tyonis enough time to time to recover and then counter attack, Lavinia had never hoped so much in her life for one of her plans to work out. After the battle with the dreaded phantoms ends, or so the pair thinks. Lavinia reaches up and ever so gently touches the wound in her cheek, wincing and inspecting her fingers blood from the injury coats her finger tips. Lavinia sighs a irritated sigh of relief "If either of us were alone, we'd be dead. What a nasty pair of monsters..." Lavinia says to Tyonis still under the effect of the poison, as she digs in her bag looking to retrieve one of her health tablets. Just as Lavinia was about to pop the pill into her mouth the poison effect wears off, triggering it's secondary effect. If Lavinia wasn't an idiot she would have realized that the name of the poison debuff implied this would happen. The instant the poison effect vanishes from her another takes it's place. Lavinia feels the effect of this 3 minute duration debuff immediately, the whole room starts to spin making Lavinia incredibly dizzy, forcing the enchantress onto her hands and knees. As she falls she managed to call out for Tyonis before catching herself with her hands and eventually collapsing to the floor unconscious. WORD COUNT:650 TAGS:Tyonis NOTES:...