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shadowmaat · 4 years

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Not worth it

In this House we love and respect Commander Fox and want him to be happy. Unfortunately, he’s gonna get some whumping first.

Commander Fox leaned against the cave wall, trying to control his shivering as he took stock of his injuries. He had a blaster wound to the chest from the fight with the bounty hunters. Various scrapes and bruises, both from the fight and from falling off the cliff into the rapids. Bruised or broken ribs, probably also from the fall. A broken arm he thought might have been from the drop over the waterfall. Possible concussion as well, though he didn’t have a mirror- or lights- to check his pupils. Hypothermia, shock, exhaustion, cuts, bruising… wait, had he listed that yet?

His sigh turned into another coughing fit and it turned out there was a little more water left to try and expel. His head felt like tiny lightsabers were trying to punch their way out of his skull and coughing only made the pain in his chest worse. If he did have any broken ribs it probably wouldn’t be long before he had a punctured lung, too.

The worst part of it was that he knew no help was coming. He’d been sucked into some kind of kriffing underwater cave system and had barely managed to drag himself up into some little air pocket with a rocky outcropping before the last of his air gave out. Add hypocrisy to the list of injuries. Hyperbaric? Hypoxia, right. Low oxygen. And probably getting lower unless there was an outside source of air to this little hellhole.

He closed his eyes, thinking about how easy it would be to just fall asleep and stop worrying about the situation. Stop worrying about everything. Was the senator okay? There’d been a fight of some kind, hadn’t there? He remembered fighting… and falling. Right. Stuck in an underwater cave. He wasn’t sure how much time he’d wasted trying to recover his senses, but his waterlogged comm managed to spit out “retreat” amid the static before finally giving up, so someone was alive to escape. Just not him.

Maybe if his team had been with him they would at least have made a token effort to search for him- or his body- but he’d been escorting… someone. Some rude senator. Ruder than most. Trandoshan? Hated humans. Thought clones were animals. Lots of bragging about something. The details didn’t really matter. Brishkah had gambling debts and that meant bounty hunters. Fox had done his best. He and his brothers in the 481st.

Were his eyes closed? He blinked and found they were. Sloppy. There was only a faint glow from the walls to differentiate closed eyes vs. open, though he was beginning to wonder if that was just a hallucination. He’d read that people stuck in darkness for too long started to imagine things and he’d been down here for… Well, he’d been down here for a while.

His comm. His comm had died, but he knew the 481st had evacuated. No surprise. The senator’s life was more important than his own. That had been driven into him time and time again; the Guard was there to protect and serve and die, if necessary. Even if this particular senator was a racist scheming bastard who was involved in one of the “hunt clubs” that hunted sentients. Including clones. Brishka would be going home to his opulent apartment at 500 Republica and likely boasting about “winning” against the bounty hunters, even though Fox had done most of the fighting. Bastard.

Of course most people would say Fox was a bastard, too. He didn’t have a good reputation among the vode. Part of it was because he could be a hardass, but with the lives of every single senator, aide, staff member, and the thrice-damned Chancellor himself under his responsibility, he couldn’t afford to be slack. And they hated him for his “cushy” planetside job while they were out there risking their shebs on the front line. As if he’d had any say about his assignment. They accused him of being as stuck up as the people he was guarding. And of being a stickler for the rules. And of not having a sense of humor. Or a personality. It wasn’t worth defending himself since it only reinforced their beliefs.

Wait. His eyes were closed again. Or the phosphorescent whatever-it-was on the walls had faded. Maybe his hallucinations were abandoning him, too. It wasn’t a very noble end for the Commander of the Coruscant Guard. It hadn’t even been a blaster shot that took him down, he’d slipped on a damned submerged rock trying to get Brishkah to cover.

He thought he heard singing. Melodic. Gentle. It was probably a sign of something, but it was also nice to know his hallucinations hadn’t abandoned him after all. At least he wouldn’t die alone.

The glow was back, too, and getting brighter. Could phosphorescent moss sing?

The water, which had been an angry rumble since he’d pulled himself out, was disrupted by another sound he couldn’t place. The light was blinding, too, a green bar of it that hummed like a thing. He managed to turn his head- the grinding in his head was agony- and found himself staring into enormous glowing eyes and a mass of tentacles. Great. He was going to be eaten by a fish.

A warm chuckle startled him.

“Amphibian, not fish,” said a low, rich voice. “And I usually take my dates out to dinner first.”

The words didn’t make sense, but Fox figured he could worry about them later. The amphibian- the person- was pulling themselves out of the water onto the narrow shelf beside him. Male, he thought, though something felt off. The water dripping off them felt good against Fox’s hot skin (when had it gotten hot in here?). He could make out the faint shape of breasts, so maybe he was wrong. Or they were one of the myriad different nonbinaries.

“I have oxygen stored in my sacs,” the apparition, the nautolan said. “I need you to exhale so I can fill your lungs for the trip back out. Can you do that for me, Commander?”

Fox blinked. What?

A cool hand brushed his temple and his eyes closed again. The touch felt good. No one ever touched him. He usually preferred it that way, but now. Now it felt soothing. The raw edges of his various pains felt blunted. There was something about this he should recognize. Something to do with the green bar of light hovering behind the nautolan.

“Breathe out for me, Fox,” the nautolan said.

Fox breathed out, only to gasp as soft, cool lips sealed over his own. His hand came up, tangling in the nautolan’s ahwey and he could feel air being pushed into his lungs. Fresh air. He sucked greedily, dizzy with the rush of oxygen to his blood. It didn’t feel like there was nearly enough before the nautolan was pulling back, pressing a finger to Fox’s lips.

“Hold it in for me,” the nautolan said. “And hold on tight. This might get a little bumpy.”

Tears stung his eyes as his lungs begged for more air and then the rest of his body was on fire as the nautolan scooped him into his arms, pressing Fox to his now-flat chest. But he did as ordered and held his breath as the light smacked into one of the nautolan’s hands and then they were diving into the frigid, churning water.

Fox tried to fight, tried to break free. No, not again, not like this, but the nautolan was holding him tight, dragging him down. The scream locked in his throat and despite the panic, the terror, the cold crushing depth of a river that wanted him dead, he felt reassurance. Comfort. And a voice/not-voice was singing against his ear.

There were bumps and jolts and a sense of speed and just as Fox was nearing the end of his ability to hold on, they broke the surface. He gasped, choking in great lungfuls of air, his limbs flailing as his rescuer dragged him towards the shore.

Jedi, he realized. It was a Jedi. The lightsaber. The calming presence. He went limp, too exhausted to do more than keep breathing in the sweet, blessed air.

“Still with me, Commander?” The Jedi asked.

Answering was too much effort. Darkness closed around him, welcoming him into its embrace.

Awareness seeped back in slowly. His head felt like it was being crushed in a vise. His skin tingled all over. He could hear an argument, or at least one side of it.

“I don’t care if it’s the High Chancellor, himself! We do not abandon our men on someone else’s order!”

The voice was angry and familiar. Bits of memory jumbled through Fox’s head. The attack. The senator snarling orders. His fall. The water. The cave. Darkness. And an unexpected rescue. He tried to take a deep breath, relishing the wealth of air, but his ribs seized, driving a spike of pain through him.

“Commander?”

A face swam into view, and wasn’t that a poor choice of words? Nautolan. Green skin. Red eyes. Naked. Or at least shirtless. The Jedi, right.

“Take it easy,” the Jedi said. “You got the hell beat out of you in that little misadventure and you have a couple of sprained ribs.”

A cool hand pressed against his chest. His bare chest. He twitched, flinching at the additional pain, and took better stock of his immediate condition.

His armor was gone. So were his blacks. He was wrapped in some kind of warm blanket that a horrified part of his mind suspected might be the Jedi’s robes. Heat was flooding into his chest, easing the pain, though he was fairly sure the heat in his face was unrelated to that.

“Wh-”

“Don’t try to talk yet.” The Jedi smiled. “Let me finish this call first.” He held up a holotransmitter.

The image was indistinct from this angle, but going by general shape he guessed it was General Vendix, who led the 481st.

“As you can see, Knight Vendix,” the Jedi said, “Commander Fox is very much alive. Although he wouldn’t have been for much longer if I hadn’t already been inbound to your camp.” He shook his head, his ahwey swaying around his bare shoulders. “I suggest you begin preparing your report for the Council. It’s sure to be enlightening. Fisto out.”

The holo switched off before the other Jedi could get in a word and the Jedi, General Fisto, turned his attention back to Fox.

“Now, where were we?”

It was High General Fisto, Fox belatedly remembered. On the Jedi Council. What was he doing out here saving a lowly Guard?

Oblivious to Fox’s lapse in attention, General Fisto held out a bottle of water. “You should try and drink some.”

Fox glared. “I… have had… enough w-water t-to last…” He broke off, coughing. Words were too hard right now.

General Fisto laughed, and the sound had no right to be that pleasing.

“I know how it seems, but trust me, despite the near-drowning, you’re dehydrated, and I’m limited in how much I can help until my medic Snap gets here.”

“You’ve done... more than enough, sir,” Fox said, dropping his gaze to the bottle. “Thanks.” He reached for the water only to find his arm didn’t want to respond.

“You’re still exhausted, Commander.” General Fisto moved closer, cradling the back of Fox’s head in one hand as he lifted it to help him sip. “And in addition to everything else, your body is essentially one giant bruise right now. If you need anything, just let me know.”

Fox managed a sip, and hated how good it tasted. He took another, using it as an excuse not to answer right away.

Taking his silence for consent, General Fisto continued. “I want to offer you my deepest apologies, Commander,” he said. “You shouldn’t have been left behind. Vendix is newly Knighted, but that’s no excuse for what happened.” His eyes narrowed and for a moment it almost looked to Fox as if the spots on his ahwey pulsed darker.

“It’s... alright, sir, I understand.” He paused, taking a cautious breath. “I take it S-Senator Brishkah... got away safely?”

General Fisto snorted, helping him to take another sip.

“If by getting away safely you mean that he screamed orders at Commander Bell to save him and then ordered General Vendix to exit the system and both of them actually obeyed, then yes.”

When Fox refused another sip, General Fisto carefully lowered his head back onto a surprisingly soft surface. It’s the rest of his kriffing clothes, isn’t it? He banished the thought immediately, but not before feeling a flash of heat ghost through him.

“Don’t worry about it, Gen-neral Fisto,” he said, struggling to get rid of the broken sound of his sentences. “That’s just how it is. ‘M not sure why you bothered to come and get me, b-but I... appreciate it.” Even if others won’t, he didn’t add. He offered the Jedi a tight smile, but judging by his expression it didn’t land right.

“Every life is important, Fox. Even yours.” Smiling, General Fisto’s fingers began working their way through Fox’s hair. “You should value yourself as much as I do. You’re doing an incredible job with the Guard.”

Fox’s mind spun. What would a member of the Jedi High Council know about him? Sure, he’d worked with some of the Jedi before, but not Fisto.

“All those reports you copy over to us? We do read them, you know.”

General Fisto shifted, adjusting the robe around Fox. There was a campfire, too, and his blacks and armor were arranged around it, probably drying. Maybe that explained the warmth he felt as well.

“You have a sharp mind for detail,” General Fisto said. “And a sharper wit when you get frustrated.” Now he was full-on grinning. “When this is all over, perhaps we can have dinner on Coruscant some night to discuss it.”

Fox was saved from answering by the sound of running feet and a shout of “General!”

“Snap!” General Fisto stood. “Just the man I wanted to see. Or the other man, anyway,” he added, glancing down at Fox. “Let’s see if we can get the good Commander here patched up in time for the fireworks show that’s sure to take place when the Council hears what General Vendix did.”

“Yessir.” Snap was already kneeling beside Fox, his kit open. “I’ll make sure the popcorn is ready, too. Here, Commander, I’ll give you something for the pain.”

Something pressed against his neck and Fox could feel the pain getting distant and fuzzy. It left him feeling exhausted, and as General Fisto and Snap discussed his various injuries, what should be treated now, and what could wait til they were back on the ship, he decided that he’d earned a nap. The General’s offer was still weighing heavily on his mind as he drifted off, but for once he decided that maybe, despite everything, something was going right for a change.

#jedimindfic #commander fox #kit fisto

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kelena-liz · 6 years

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Winning the Enchanting Game In Black Desert Online

Enchanting gear is at the core of Black Desert Online. Learning how to maximize your chances of success, and minimize the chances of being left with unusable gear, will make the game more enjoyable for you and everyone else as well. With the addition of Blacksmith books, it's easy to create a strategy to "win" at the enchanting game now. It does require a bit of money, and patience, but it can reward you well. The key to winning at enchanting is to build yourself large stockpiles of blackstones, both weapon and armor, but moreso armor, because that's how you will build failstacks. So the first step in this process is identifying how to build reserves of blackstones reliably and quickly. The easiest way to do this is to do your daily Serendia boss scrolls. You can do them once a week. If you are level 56 and 150/150/200 or so in stats, you can solo any of the bosses, once you learn their moves, and, of course, it goes better and faster with friends and guildmates if you can get them to join in. Your goal here is not boss gear, though if that drops, that is great. No, what you want from these scrolls are blackstones and hunter seals. Hunter seals can be exchanged, in Trent and Tarif, for armor blackstones, weapon blackstones, and reform stones. Two hunter seals are an armor blackstone. Three hunter seals are a weapon blackstone. Let's ignore the reform stones for now, ok? By doing your boss scrolls weekly, you can collect enough seals to accumulate 40-70 armor blackstones per week, depending on RNG. Within a month's time you should have 200-400 armor blackstones set aside. Don't stop here, because you'll want more. Just keep collecting seals and blackstones. With Ronin and Narc Brishka scrolls in Kamasylvia, I can get enough seals to collect 100-200 blackstones per week. I normally keep at least a backlog of 1000 armor stones around and at least 500 weapon stones. Often I have more. Build that reserve up! That's your basis for winning the enchant game! After you have more than 300 armor blackstones, take 250 or so plus about 30 million silver (maybe 40) in gold bars and go to Velia. The blacksmith in Velia, Trana Underfoe, sells Reblath armor for very cheap prices. Deposit your gold bars into cash in your account so you can spend as needed. The remarkable thing about Reblath is that it is hard to enchant, almost boss hard, and definitely harder than greens. So buy any Reblath armor piece. I use gloves. And start enchanting. At first it will enchant pretty easily, but around +11 or +12, you'll start to build fail stacks. Once you get a failstack to +18 to +20, stop. Talk to Tranan, and and buy the cheapest Blacksmith book, that can extract any failstack up to +20. These cost 1 million silver, but trust me, they are worth it. Extract that stack (reducing stack count to zero), and then start enchanting again. Buy Reblath armor to repair whenever durability runs out. Do not bother to repair damage, just durability. Keep this up, extracting failstacks until you are out of stones, out of cash, or the item hits +15. Some people advocate creating a negative karma alt to live in Velia, to take your +15 gear, wear that one thing, then get killed by a guard, to break it back down to +14. I don't bother. I recover the blackstones and start immediately on another piece. That's a little less efficient, but I have so many blackstones coming in that I really don't care. How you handle it is up to you, and creating a negative karma alt is definitely a little more efficient if you want to bother with that. At the end of this process, you will have several +18 to +20 fail stacks. You can use these to take any weapon or armor item to +13,+14, +15, PRI, or DUO. As you do so, occasionally one item might be stubborn. If your DUO stack goes beyond about +28, extract it and save it. It has now become a TRI starter stack. Set that aside, load another DUO stack, and keep on going. I like to have 2-3 DUO stacks to take any item to DUO from PRI. I figure on average, I'll get one of those as a TRI stack every second or third armor or weapon item I am enchanting. When doing TRI enchants, I want one each TRI stack for any item I am trying to enchant to TRI. I also want 5-7 DUO stacks to recover DUO if it gets lost due to a failed TRI attempt. If TRI fails, immediately extract the stack, load a DUO stack, and get DUO back. Then reload the TRI stack, and proceed. If any TRI stack goes above +44, STOP, and extract that stack. This is now a TET starter stack. If you run out of DUO stacks, STOP, and do not try anything further until you can rebuild your supply of fail stacks. In other words, if your last DUO stack gets DUO back and now you have no more, do not try that TRI stack again. Wait so that you won't have to play with a PRI enchant weapon or armor piece. To attempt TET, you want one TET starter stack for an ALT character, because if it goes about +50 you can't extract it. You also want 5-7 TRI recovery stacks, and 20-25 DUO recovery stacks. The ALT character will be the one doing TET attempts. When they fail, place the item in storage, log over to your main character who has the Advice of Valks fail stacks stored, and recover the TRI level however many stacks it takes. Then swap back to the ALT, and attempt TET again. Rinse and repeat until you succeed. Stop if you run out of TRI or DUO recovery stacks to minimize your damage. Now in addition to all of this, if you are doing boss armor or boss weapons, you will also need to save memory fragments. These come from a different type of scroll, but these scrolls are assembled from pieces that drop around the world. The most popular but least efficient memory frag scrolls come from Ancient Relics. Ancient Relics can also be fished up with AFK fishing, which is why they are popular. Forbidden books create the scrolls for the Mediah level memory frag bosses, and "Scroll Written in an Ancient Language", which drops in Valencia, create the Valencia scrolls. Valencia scrolls give the most memory fragments, typically 6-12 per scrolls, averaging 7 or so. Forbidden book scrolls seem to average about 4-5 per scroll. Ancient Relic scrolls seem to drop 3-8, averaging close to 3 maybe 4 relics per scroll. There are also RNG mem frag drops as trash during these fights as well, so doing them with other people can slightly enhance your total number of memory fragments gained. If you have questions, please ask! I am always willing to update this with suggestions and other ideas! As with anything in BDO, it takes time, patience, and perseverance. With a little planning, you can minimize the frustration and pain of doing upgrades. I hope this shows you how to win at the BDO enchanting game. It can take a month or so to get firmly grounded, but once you are, you are on your way to winning the enchant game.

************* Update! **************** As an update to this, you can now “cleanse” +15 items down to +14 for 100,000 silver at a nearby priest.

In addition, I recommend stopping at +16 fail stacks on Reblath and extracting it then. A +16 fail stack is precisely what you get if you take that Reblath piece from 100 durability down to 20 durability and do not succeed on any attempts. A +16 FS is adequate for starting DUO attempts.

#black desert online #enchanting

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