An adventurer's journal.

A new harness

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Tue, 31 May 2005 10:15:00 +0000

Have you ever been this close to drooling because a certain armor looks really yummy? I can't really say the Rapparee Harness is something I'd want to eat, but i sure want one. Renomus had asked me the day before if I wanted to go to Phomiuna Aqueducts and look for the Job Specific Equipment you can get from there. Or rather, an artifact which in turn can become a JSE.

I didn't get to go with Renomus yesterday, but I asked him again today if he wanted to go. He was itching to go get his own JSE done, so we agreed to meet in Jeuno. I had already visited Bastok and talked with Brygid the Stylist in hopes of her telling me about the latest "fashion". After talking to her wearing a Wool Gambison and a Carapace Subligar, she told me to go get a Gemini Subligar.

After gathering a group, we went to the Tavnazian Safehold which holds the entrance to the aquaducts. Inside we fought many a battle in hopes of getting everyone a subligar, but we died several times (because we were unlucky and there was too few of us). I was the only one being able to use the spell Reraise because I was the only White Mage in the group. That ment a lot of time spent on raising everyone because I don't have much MP in a level 40 capped place (I really hate that curse.. I hope I can manage to get rid of it some day), and being weakened doesn't really help much.

I also got kind of frustrated when everyone lotted on everything from Beastmen's Seals to cloths and ingots. Whenever they lotted on something they shouldn't lot on, I lot as well as my way of showing my dissapproval. I only accept lotting if it's a rare and/or exclusive item that is used in a given quest or on a mission. Since we were looking for subligars I didn't mind that they lot on them, but I did have a problem with lotting on smaller things which we would have shared equally anyway.

I felt really bad for Renomus who died several times. A white mage hates seeing their friends die in battle, but I tried to have Renomus raised first. He did a very good job inside the aquaducts, and it was fun being able to do something together with Renomus where we were equals for once. It's hard not to think of Renomus as someone who is superior to me in every way. I'm not really looking forward to asking for help to defeat Death from Above in Temple of Uggalepih. I hate asking my friends for such favors.

I also want to thank Rengai for helping me craft the Carapace Subligar earlier today. It looked really nice, although it didn't look that nice on me. Even the Harness I got as a reward for this run looks silly on me - I look skinny and it shows too much skin. ~~(yes, I know I'm silly)~~ (^^;)

Not quite there

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Sun, 29 May 2005 06:55:00 +0000

I didn't feel very good about not finding any chests or coffers on my last run to Castle Oztroja, so I decided that I'd give it another try. After about 30 minutes of looking I gave up and took a 10 minute break to write in my diary, sitting by the altar on the top floor.

On the way down again I found a coffer, and inside there was a shiney 11,040 gil. Not really an Electrum Hairpin but it makes up for the time I spent. (^^ )

Ending the day

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Sun, 29 May 2005 06:37:00 +0000

I didn't have to use my Purrrfect Dodge once today and I got so many things done. It made me kind of bored, so I thought: what better way to end the day than good death?

So here I present to you, a good death. (^^ )

No hairpin

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Sun, 29 May 2005 06:28:00 +0000

I went to Castle Oztroja today to explore the tower further. Renomus had asked me if I look for the chest since he wanted an Electrum Hairpin that is hidden in one of the chests inside the place.

I didn't find the chest, although I found a treasure coffer earlier today. It was gone when I came back though. (TT )

Since no one was running through the brass door I had to force my way through. The yagudos guarding it are easy prey on me, so I was able to take them on one by one. (^^ )

The longest journey

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Sat, 28 May 2005 21:38:00 +0000

Today I went out on my longest journey so far. My destination was Uleguerand Range in hopes of finding the beautiful Chamneat Spring. Only equipped with a Warp Cudgel, some Silent Oils and Tonko: Ichi I set out on what would become a trip I will never forget.

The place is located in the far northern part of the Valdeaunla region. The place is covered with snow - pretty much like the rest of the region. Once I entered the Uleguerand through Xarcabard I came across a vide variety of monsters. Hares, raptors, bats, worms and Buffalos. A bomb was staring blank in my direction, but I wasn't really any scared since I had both Sneak and Invisible up. If something was to go wrong I had Utsusemi and Purrrfect Dodge ready just in case.

I started running northeast, trying to walk all the way around the map. There are several tunnels you can run through, some of the having a weird artifact called Eternal Ice - whatever that means. I guess it's a block of ice that won't melt regardless of the temperature. There seemed to be like zillion Brontotaurs, a taurus variant, in this place. I almost ran right into, thanking myself for being overly cautious. These monsters have something called True Sight which means that they can see through any kind of trick to hide yourself. Sneak, invisible, hide, tonko.. you name it.

I ran through this place two and a half time, sliding down the mountain twice. That was really fun, but I missed the platform I was hoping to reach, so I was unable to get to the spring. I did however run into Jormungand, a dragon that makes Guivre look like a little kitten. Funny how a little trip like this can change your view on the world. (^^;)

On my second attempt to get to the platform I also ended up inside Bearclaw Pinnacle but had to exit again because of a giant cyclone that was in my way.

I spent two hours in here, running around exploring the place. I got to see a few nice places, although I never made it to my destination that is said to be the most beautiful place in all of Vana'diel. I got to play hide and seek with the taurus - an experience that was really exciting. There is nothing more exciting than knowing that even the smallest mistake can get you killed. Having your life on the line can be a lot of fun. I got to see more of a place I've only been to once before. I got to see the monsters that live here, but never got the chance to fight anything - I probably would have died anyway. (^^;)

Daybreak Gambler

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Sat, 28 May 2005 18:58:00 +0000

After coming back from Ifrit's Cauldron I decided that it would be a good idea to get the map for King Ranperre's Tomb since I'm going to spend some time there anyway.

The remains of Dragon King, one of the heirs of the San d'Orian throne, is said to be inside this enormous network of catacombs. The catacombs are filled with bats, scorpions and various other not-so-nice creatures now, so one better be careful before wandering into this place. A map would be even better.

After spending some time on researching where one could get the map, I ended up in San d'Oria (the natural place one might think). I ran around looking for people who might have an idea of where to obtain such an item. Aurege seemed to be the person I was looking for, but he was too busy to help me out. It would seem that one of his coworkers seems to be missing. Varchet seems to have a thing for gambling, so I had to look for some greedy looking person looking for people to steal money from.

I found him standing near the fountain outside the Residential Area in Southern San d'Oria. He asked me if I would make a bet, so I gave him 5 gil thinking maybe I'd get a quick gil or two. We rolled our dices and ‹meow›, I won! He looked at me and sighed dejectedly saying that he'd return to Aurege and do his job.

Ifrit's Cauldron

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Sat, 28 May 2005 18:39:00 +0000

So, what's the most scary place you can possibly come across I thought to myself this morning. Ifrit's Cauldron would sure have to be the most nasty place you can walk into if you aren't careful.

Ifrit's Cauldron is the name of the lava-filled crated located in the Elshimo Uplands region. The place is mostly inhabited by bombs, bats and wasps in addition to a few wyverns.

Once I had entered I couldn't help but cough. The volcanic gasses that fills the area makes it hard to breath, and there is a lot of steam so it can be hard to see too at times. Anyone thinking that you can just sneak through this place better be careful because of monsters being aggressive to the use of magic.

Finding the coffer here wouldn't be easy, and having no map of the area didn't really make things any easier. I had heard some gossip among the mithran citizens of Kazham that the map of the area has been locked inside a coffer in hope of keeping people outside the area. And you know me, I'm always up for a challange. I think I spent about 10 minutes inside the cauldron before I found the coffer - a little too easy if you ask me - and after a few attempts i managed to pick the lock on the coffer. A shiney new map was mine.

I grinned to myself over my little personal victory when I noticed this beastmaster resting not too far away from me. I ran over to him and tried comforting him. A bomb had blown up on both him and his pet leaving the poor beastmaster at low health. I thought the least I could do was give him a Navarin in hopes of boosting his vitality. A big smile appeared on his face.. it looked like he really appreciated the little gift and we waved farewell to each other as I was warping back to Windurst.

A new hat

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Sat, 28 May 2005 14:05:00 +0000

After hours of tedious fighting inside King Ranperre's Tomb I finally reached level 54 and I'm now able to use my Rogue's Bonnet.

It's nice getting to use artifact equipment, especially the Thief set since it looks really nice. I hope to reach 56 in a few days.

The couple

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Thu, 26 May 2005 20:44:00 +0000

You got plenty of time to flirt with your beloved while waiting for the airship to arrive. Here's a picture of me and Zelthas enjoying the view from the airship's deck.

Hello Snoll

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Thu, 26 May 2005 19:13:00 +0000

Once I got out of Fei'Yin I started looking for other nearby ruins I haven't had the chance to explore yet. Pso'Xja seemed like the purrrfect place.

There seems to be several entrances to the ruins in Beaucedine Glacier, so after taking care of a Giant - that had decided he'd tease me by throwing stones at me - I went inside the ruins.

Pso'Xja is unlike any other ruins. It has a special aura telling you that this place is to be feared. I ran into Snolls, Cryptonberries, Lizards and Elementals, all of which was ready to kill me if they had noticed me. I explored the place for a few hours before I decided that I'd be a lot better off just warping back to Windurst instead of playing with death like this. I will remember Pso'Xja as a confusing but really nice place though. (^^ )

The shiney belt

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Thu, 26 May 2005 18:54:00 +0000

I woke up early this morning and got out of my little house, ran into the streets and thought to myself - what a wonderful day? I had gotten myself a Life Belt the day before, so I decided to ask the townspeople where I could find such an item. I was told Fei'Yin was the place I was looking for, so I decided that I'd give the place a visit.

Thanks to the outpost teleportating services I managed to get there in only a few minutes. Upon entering the tower I started sneaking around, looking carefully around each corner. Getting noticed by the monsters inside could prove fatal, so stealth was of great importance.

It didn't take long before I found a chest hidden far inside the tower. I tried picking it with a few Living Keys, and I was succesful on the third attempt. And I couldn't believe my luck today - I got a Life Belt. (oO )

Close call

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:52:00 +0000

You don't get to shake paws with Guivre too often, but I was unlucky today and ran into him. I was running around inside Kuftal Tunnel trying to find the coffer while my party was forming. I had failed to find the chest in Fei'Yin a little earlier, so I had hoped I would find the coffer now.

I was getting a little impatient so I used Flee and ran like the wind inside the tunnel when I suddenly ran stright into Guivre. He was very happy to see me this morning since he was getting kind of hungry (you know, dragons eat a lot after all), and here I am - the purrrfect meal, eh? Well, even though he hit me 26 times, I only got damaged once thanks to my Purrrfect Dodge. Don't get me wrong though, that one hit is deadly enough - 568 damage. (›‹ )

The Federation Aketon

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Tue, 24 May 2005 10:53:00 +0000

I've been wanting to get myself a Federation Aketon for some time now and I spent about hours browsing the Jeuno bazaars in hopes of finding someone selling one. A friend told me that he had found a bazaar carrying a Kingdom Aketon for 400,000 G, so I asked the merchant if I could buy it for 375,000 G. I was really happy when she told me that she accepted my offer.

Kind of strange though how silly it looks on me. Since I'm a Windurstian I decided that I should try doing a few shouts in Jeuno and after about 10 minutes I found someone who was willing to trade my Kingdom into a Federation Aketon.

Now both me and Zelthas have a Federation Aketon, though I think the Republic Aketon looks a little better on me.

You can run, but you can't hide

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Tue, 24 May 2005 10:47:00 +0000

Skilling up is an important part of one's job. I've been wanting to go level Thief again but I haven't been able to because of my lack of skill in Marksmanship.

It's been awhile since I've used my crossbow the last time, so I was very anxious when I took it out of my safe inside my house. Moogle stared at the me and asked me if I really wanted to do this. I guess he was kind of worried, and to be honest, I was worried too. Equipped as a ranger I decided that I'd go to Western Altepa Desert in an attempt to level my marksmanship.

My destination was Rabao where I would perform the final preparations. I had spent countless hours in Jeuno earlier that day to find bolts of various sorts. Bloody and Holy bolts was of particular interest. I took a few steps outside Rabao and started scanning the area for worms. Worms are an easy target for rangers since we can take them out without being worried about getting hit. Well, I wish that was how it worked though. Worms has a particular interest for Stonega II, a spell that will penetrate even the strongest Utsusemi defense, so I was very careful about my target's moves. The Anticans around me wasn't too happy about seeing me and started chasing me over and over again. I just grinned at them and thought: "You can run, but you can't hide" to myself. I pointed my crossbow at them and fired a paralyzing shot at him. Shadowbind can help you get away in a bad situation. It can also help your mages cast a few enfeebling spells on the target before he arrives at the camp.

I got skill level 150 in the end and I'm looking forward to getting back to my Thief. I even got level 15 Bard the other day which made me happy although it means that I can't level it any further before I get a few more items. Mary's Horn and the Monster Signa would be of tremendous help. (^^ )

Beasts

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Tue, 24 May 2005 10:44:00 +0000

Vana'diel is inhabited by many monsters, some more fearsome than others. I would say Guivre is one of the scariest beasts I know of (well, other than those inside Promyvion that is).

I stumbled into a dead body while I was running around inside Kuftal Tunnel. I knew immediatly what that meant and cast Tonko: Ichi on myself, only to meet up with Guivre himself in only a few seconds later. Only a few seconds of hessitation would have proved fatal, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for the other party there who had lost one of their dear to a monster like that.

Monsters like Serket makes me shiver in fear when I hear it's name. I saw him for the first time only a few days ago and he was enormous. I hadn't cast Stoneskin on myself, so I got wounded by his deadly attacks. I made sure both Reraise II and Stoneskin was up before I once again entered the battlefield. A large group of people had gathered to get to see the monster, some of the even died.

These two experiences made me remember how important being prepared can be. You can die in an instant if you aren't prepared for the worst.

Something amazing

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Thu, 19 May 2005 21:32:00 +0000

There are times when things doesn't go your way. There are times when you hate yourself, and others. And there are times when you loose all motivation to go on. At times like that there is really nice to have someone that cares and comforts you. I was feeling really depressed today when Zelthas asked me if I could come see him in Ru'Lude Gardens. I thought that it would be nice to get something else to think about, so I went to the place he had asked me to meet him at being very curious as to what he had in mind. And believe me, I had no idea - no, I couldn't even imagine that something so wonderful would happen to me.

At the balcony above the gardens kneeled to me:

I've been waiting to do this for a while now...
Kimiko, my one true love~
Will you marry me? ^^

He caught me completely off guard. I have dreamed of something like this and I was speachless for a second. I didn't know what to say and do. I blushed, I was overjoyed.. I hit 7th heaven. "Yes, I would love to ^^" was my answer. He even gave me a ring - a Leather ring which he had the engraved with the words: "With love - Zelthas".

This is the best thing that has ever happened to me. A moment I will never forget. To see someone you love fall down on his knees and propose to you does something to you. I love Zelthas with all my heart, and always will. I was so excited, so happy that he would do something like that for little me. I can't help but cry tears of joy when I think about it. This really ment a lot to me.

We sat down and talked for awhile, embracing each other and watching the sun rise. It was nice just sitting there, looking at each other - smiling. This is love. (^^ )

On a sidenote, I've been wanting to give Zelthas something special. I'm almost halfway to that goal now, and I really hope he'll enjoy the item I want to make him. Now I feel even more motivated to complete this gift I'm knitting. (^^ )

New places along the way

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Thu, 19 May 2005 17:24:00 +0000

Not many people takes the time to visit Yhoator Jungle after they are finished partying there. The jungle is a really nice place to get your tan if you remember to bring your tan lotion along. The jungle has a lot more to offer than goblins. Beautiful locations, ruins to explore and monsters to stalk.

I took these three pictures while on my way to the Den of Rancor.

Waiting

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Thu, 19 May 2005 17:16:00 +0000

So, here I'm sitting in Selbina writing in my diary. Lonely as ever, only being comforted by my cat Kira. Awww, she's such a little cutie. I wish Zelthas was by my side right now, I miss him whenever he's not around. *sigh*

I was able to pick up a few new items when I was back in Windurst. My new Harp +1 and the Zealot's Mitts should be purrrfect for my Bard.

Noble's Crown

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Wed, 18 May 2005 08:14:00 +0000

I'll be honest and say that the Healer's Cap isn't really my favorite piece of equipment. After browsing through the auction house I came over the Noble's Crown. The Noble's set is one of my goals and I was shocked when I noticed that I could almost wear the crown and that it was only 93,000 G.

I was a level 65 White Mage when I bought the crown, and a few hours later my friend Orangeknight asked me if we should try to put together a party and try to level a little. Leveling White Mage is only fun if you get to play together with people you like, so I told him that I wanted to go with him. We were unable to find a party, so I decided that I could just as well just go get some sleep.

After about 2 hours of sleep I get dressed and run into the streets and meet up with Orangeknight for another attempt. About 5 minutes later someone asks me if I would like to join their party. I told them that I'd love to, but that Orangeknight is also looking for a party. Yay, the luck had turned since we both got into the party - or so I thought. It didn't take long till we realized that this party wasn't really going to work out as we had hoped.

We were fighting inside Boyahda Tree and the Thief never let me and Orangeknight try to regain a little MP. The paladin had problems keeping the hate and her spells got interrupted all the time. In addition, the crawlers we were fighting was spitting silk and poison on us so I didn't really get much time to do other things like cast support spells.

Did you know that by casting Barwatera and Barpoisonra you will reduce both the damage taken by the poison attack and the chance of it sticking all together?

I did get my level and I even learned the spell Regen III which is going to be one of my favorite spells. 20 HP recovered per 3 seconds is really helpful. Now that I'm level 66 I can wear the crown and cast the Regen III spell. I just hope I'll get level 70 soon. I really want Raise III.

The gifts

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Tue, 17 May 2005 14:24:00 +0000

So, anyone curious as to what I gave Zelthas for his birthday? (^^ )

Snow Lily - it smells wonderful!
6 Boiled Crab - I made them myself, but the crystals wouldn't carve my name on them. (TT )
Fire Staff - The last staff he wanted for his staff collection.

So, nothing fancy, but I found something cute, something useful and something he wanted. Not a bad deal, eh?

The snow lily is kind of rare since it was just recently discovered and not many people have been able to get their hands on them. They smells really nice, and I thought that it would make a cute gift for my sugarrr~. The boiled crab is the least thing every paladin should be eating. It boosts your defenses and vitality, so I hope Zelthas will like them.

Zelthas has been trying to collect all the level 51 staves around and with this Fire Staff his collection is complete. I wonder if he'll be able to use them all though. (^^ )

Haunted

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Tue, 17 May 2005 14:17:00 +0000

I guess this is my lucky day. After helping Obsidian get his Exoray Mold for his In Defiant Challenge (limit 1) quest, I decided to go back and look for the coffer inside Crawler's Nest.

Someone in my linkshell had already found the coffer, so I knew where to find it. I ran with all my might there, and when I finally got there I was overjoyed to see that it was still untouched. I tried picklocking the coffer, only to get poisoned by the trapped coffer. Awww, bummer I thought to myself.

So, what is a girl to do? Just stand there looking silly? Nah, you try again. (^^ ) I decided to try the Kuftal Tunnel, so I paid a White Mage to teleport me to Eastern Altepa Desert. I found the coffer 2 minutes after entering the tunnel, but it was heavily guarded by Haunts there. Oh well, I thought to myself. I tried picking the coffer once the haunts were out of range, but now a Mimic decided to slap me in the face. The Haunts wasn't exactly were happy about seeing me there and decided to teach me a little lesson.

Random thought - Noises

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Mon, 16 May 2005 09:52:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered why a warrior can use a Warcry to boost both himself and his friend's morale even though he is silenced? According to my mithran dictionary:

war cry (noun)
a call made to rally soldiers for battle or to gather together participants in a campaign.

So, if that Antica somehow managed to get you silenced, why can you still cry out for help? Not to mention "Call for help". You can't use ninjitsu or any magic either.. that's okay I guess.

The strangest part of the effect silence is bards not being able to play an instrument. I understand that they can't use their voices, but why can't they play that flute or harp?

Happy birthday Zelthas!

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Sat, 14 May 2005 19:54:00 +0000

Happy birthday Zelthas! My dear fiance is 18 years old today and I hope he'll have a great day together with his friends.

So, what is a girl to give her fiance on a day like this? A flower, some chocolate? Nah, that won't do. I'll try to find something cute, yet helpful. (^^ )

Singing

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Sat, 14 May 2005 14:05:00 +0000

I wrote about how I want to bring light into other people's lives through singing. Renomus has started leveling his Summoner and he invited me to join his party in Valkurm Dunes. Singing for others are really nice, but I'm not really good at it. I really hope I can learn more about this profession, because it is a fun way to play together with other people.

'em bones

noreply@blogger.com (Kimiko the Furball) — Sat, 14 May 2005 14:00:00 +0000

I'm not really that fond of wasteland areas, but I think Buburimu Peninsula might be a exception. Although most of the place doesn't look very nice, the coast line is really worth visiting.

I ran around in Buburimu logging, but had to give up because of all the competition. I stumbled over this landmark though. Monsters lurk near these, so I think I was right about running away as fast as possible.