Chapter 49: Doubler Canyon Revisited
QJ did a quick check on Briar Rose; according to Aji, the dark elf craftsmen were several days ahead of schedule. Although tempted to check in on Ugly Kate and Fat Alice, he refrained from entering the mini-casino. The Silverleaf women were tasked with learning something completely foreign to them; they didn't need him poking around.
After reviewing their strategy for Doubler, QJ sent everyone the promised raid packet.
[OP: QJ] Lunch at the Songbird; who's in?
[OP: Lotte] Me!
[OP: Sato] Me too. I'm 32!
[OP: Breeze] Guess I'll join you guys since I'm in the '32' club.
[OP: Ringo] Count me in.
Lunchtime at the Songbird often brought crowds that strung out hundreds of meters, but once the closed sign came on, those immediately dispersed. QJ's entrance was greeted by the steady tap of a hammer. Ren was standing on top of one of the booths, driving a brass nail into the wood paneling.
"Need help?" QJ spied a large picture frame upside down on the table. "Hanging up a picture of your favorite brother?"
Ren gestured toward the obscured frame. "Take a look." She took a moment to tighten the red handkerchief that held her pale hair out of her blue eyes.
QJ turned the frame over, smiling widely at what he found. "Who's idea was this?"
"The Songbirds mostly." Ren smiled mysteriously. "Hand it to me, QJ."
QJ nodded and handed the empty picture frame to his sister. The bottom of the picture bore a gold plaque that read, [Reserved, One Problem].
Ren hung the picture, then accepted a hand down from her brother as they examined her handiwork. "After the raid today, you can snap a nice picture for it."
Within a few minutes, members of OP started to arrive. One by one, they joined QJ, who had taken a seat at the booth where the frame hung.
Ren walked in from the kitchen area, a small notebook in hand. "What can I get you, folks?" Her blue eyes sparkled as she leaned in to hug her younger brother. "Of course, no one pays when they are with this guy."
"Cheeseburgers all around, Ren. Do you need a hand?" QJ noticed no one was on stage, and since the minimal staffing was three, that meant there were two people in the back.
Ren shook her head. "Pops and Lark are playing cards in the kitchen." She brought her wrist hud and snapped a screenshot of the booth members. With a flick of her wrist and the photo was transferred to the empty frame. "Make sure to get a better one after the raid."
"Hmm?" Ringo was the first to glance at the wall. A wide grin instantly flashed on her face. "We have a reserved booth?"
Sato frowned at his companions; somehow, Lotte and Breeze had enough time to 'rabbit ear' him. "My parents are going to love this!"
QJ waited until Ren left before speaking. "Take a look at the walls, outside of the Songbird booth; there aren't any other reserved seatings."
Lotte nudged QJ with an elbow. "Was this your doing?"
QJ shook his head. "No. Apparently, it was Nightingale's call. She called OP 'Legends in the making.'"
Right at that moment, Ringo's wrist hud buzzed. "Excuse me," she slid out of the booth and walked away before answering it."
Breeze's dark eyes stared at the framed picture. "Look at us... On the wall at the Songbird. I'm going to take a screenshot of it and send it to everyone I know."
By the time Ringo finished with her call, Ren and Lark had returned with lunch. QJ seemed deep in thought; his brows furrowed while the others started eating.
"Bruh... I'm so glad you're playing GnG." Sato stated while dipping a handful of fries into a bowl of ketchup. "We'd still be in 1st-year classes right now; instead, we are in the thick of it, on the eve of taking on Doubler Canyon!"
Breeze nodded in agreement. "I tell my older sister about you guys all the time; she's totally crushing on QJ."
QJ laughed at the comment, mostly because Breeze wiggled her eyebrows, exactly like his dad would have done. "You guys give me too much credit. Even without me, this class has more talent than the rest of the years combined."
Surprisingly, Ringo nodded in agreement. "I read about each of you, weeks before you started at GnG." Her blue focused on QJ. "You are right; it was only a matter of time before your group was successful. However, I doubt anyone else would have bet me a field trip on the first day of class."
"Or come up with a strategy where a bunch of noobs would beat Doubler Canyon," Lotte added.
QJ held up a hand to stop further conversation. "I accept your praise and thank you for the support."
Sato had his hud open and was going through the loot table for Doubler Canyon. "How come this looks different than ours?"
"Because it is," Ringo replied. "Doing Doubler Canyon with an all-Striker force cuts the loot by 90 percent. It also disabled anything higher than rare drops."
"Huh?" Sato glanced at QJ. "Did you know that?"
QJ nodded. "Think about it. Drops from raids can be sold for real coins. If you allowed All-Striker team full drops, then they wouldn't bother working for guilds. I don't necessarily agree with the practice, but it's how Exodus keep Strikers from branching out on their own."
"Speaking of," Lotte said, "I don't remember seeing any drops."
"There were two drops; both were sold at Exodus auction with the proceeds going to the Academy," Ringo answered. "This time, the loot will be ours."
QJ raised his glass. "Salute!"
"Salute!" five glasses clinked over the table.
"No more worrying about Doubler Canyon." Ringo finished the rest of her beer and pushed her empty plate away. "Unwind a bit; take the night off." She stood up, stretching her lean frame. "Get some rest. I've got a good feeling about tomorrow."
"You do good work." QJ was propped up on his elbows using a dremel tool to carve grooves into the ceramic tile lining the pool. He wore safety goggles and orange earplugs, working alongside Suzi, one of Lotte's younger sisters. She was similarly garbed and volunteered to help draw lines.
Suzi nodded in agreement. Both she and Taylor volunteered to draw lines on the tile. It wasn't complicated; a mohawked girl put down a laser grid while the twins traced it. Lotte was carving a parallel line on the other side of the pool. "Sometimes I wish I had a brother."
QJ noticed that the twin lowered her voice. He glanced behind them where Sara and Sasha were playing dominoes with Ren. After discovering the backyard was mapped, they showed up for 'moral' support. "Same here."
Sara perked her head up from the game. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"
QJ rolled his eyes at the dark elf. "It means you shouldn't eavesdrop. A younger brother wouldn't be so nosey." He paused for a moment, then turned off his dremel. "Holy crap... I have an idea."
Tal looked up from the kitchen island when QJ barged in from the backyard. "Something up?"
QJ nodded. "Where's dad?"
"Up here!" Quinn answered from the railing. "Let me guess... Doubler Canyon advice?"
QJ nodded. "Yep." He climbed the stairs two at a time and then entered his room. By the time his dad joined him, the desk's hud displayed a Doubler Canyon map. "You said once that you tried lining the leaves of Doubler with traps?"
QJ nodded. "The theory was good, but all the traps were sprung before the first sub-boss died."
"Right... What about pet classes?"
Quinn tapped his chin. "They won't be allowed in the instance unless they meet the level requirements, and you can only use them for buffing."
QJ frowned at the answer. "Why?"
"They are unsummoned when the first sub-boss is attacked," Quinn answered.
"What if my spider pet put down a web."
"You are talking about Cleo?" Of course, Quinn knew all of the details of QJ's character since they regularly discussed the different strategies involved in fighting with companions. "Are her webs persistent?"
QJ nodded. "Just like Anya's."
Quinn considered the possibilities. "Webbing that causes a complete stop? That means you wouldn't have to use [Clubfoot], which has a three-second activation. That's going to save some time. Plus, the shooters are targetting stationary objects, so their dps will skyrocket." The elder Quinn whistled softly.
"Instead of focusing solely on the leaves, with webbing, they could shift to the sub-bosses without worrying about runaway spawns." QJ glanced at his dad. "What do you think?"
"I think you could threaten our [Snakeyes] record." Quinn ruffled his son's hair. "That damn record has stood long enough! You can't afford to be the director here; they'll need your dps."
QJ fist-bumped his dad. "No worries. We'll give it a go."
QJ had no interest in logging in; instead, he played cards with his father while Tal and Naomi took turns supervising the pool enhancements. Finally, after a few hours, he called it a night and turned in early.
At 0700, a motivated and freshly showered QJ logged into Exodus from his VR chamber. A quick glance at the guild roster showed him that nearly everyone was online, despite the raid being an hour away.
[OP: QJ] I need the shooters and Ringo to meet me at the Songbird.
A few minutes later, the six of them were seated in the 'OP' booth. QJ took a few minutes to outline his plan and then opened the floor to questions.
Chainy was the first. "The webbing is persistent?"
QJ nodded. "Until we exit the instance and it resets. It will stay."
"Does it act like a root or a snare?" Ringo asked.
"They won't make it more than a few meters before being completely immobilized," QJ answered. "The four of you should be able to hit a lot of headshots."
Dunnie smiled at his fellow marksmen. "Do I hear a challenge?"
"Sure," QJ replied. "Whichever one of you lands the most headshots will receive a sniper rifle from OP's gunsmith. Although you may want to wait until I get a little better."
Chainy nodded. "I'm in."
"I'll try to call the leaf spawns but slam the sub-bosses until I do." QJ glanced at Ringo. "Anything else? Sorry for the last-minute changes."
Ringo shook her head. "No problem, it's only a minor change."
An hour later, the members of OP started appearing in the Doubler Canyon instance.
[OP: QJ] No one goes near the first sub-boss yet. We're going to lay some webbing to help our cause. So get into your positions and wait.
QJ held out his hand and summoned Cleo. The Spider/Bee/Human hybrid hovered before him a moment later. Instantly feeling of warmth washed over him. "I need your help with something, Cleo."
Cleo's gold hands clapped excitedly. "Of course! How can I help you? Are we fighting something?"
QJ nodded. "We are, but I can't use you for that. So instead, I'd like you to lay some webbing down for me."
Cleo sighed heavily. "Fine. Show me what you want?"
QJ walked down the SW leaf with Cleo hovering beside him. "The mobs spawn here and then run the length of this canyon to the sub-boss at the center."
"I'll put down a triple layer of webbing. Will thirty meters be enough?" Cleo asked.
QJ nodded. "That's plenty. Get all four leaves while I brief the group."
[OP: QJ] Listen up, switching to our raid channel. Let's focus now; we can chat later.
[Raid: QJ] Here's the Raid brief. Everyone should know it by now. These are your groups.
[Doubler Canyon Raid]
[Shooters] Clear your leaf first! Then target the bosses.
Chainy (Rider) NE
Maric (Rider) NW
Dunnie (Rider) SE
Junzo (Rider) SW
[Tank Group] Breeze will be the MT with Lil Jack in reserve.
Breeze (Chero) Main Tank
Lil Jack (Cav) Alt Tank
Bungee (Chero)
Knotty (Cav)
Ty Level (Cav)
[Healers] Medics will begin a healing rotation. Shammys will focus on slowing and [Parasite].
Leeta (Medic)
Travoli (Medic)
Niche (Medic)
Shonie (Shammy)
Shell (Shammy)
Rox (Shammy)
[DPS] DPS will assist the MT
Riker (Tracker)
Dusk (Tracker)
Wisk (Tracker)
Mika (Brave)
Solo(Brave)
(Ringo) (Slinger)
Lotte (Slinger)
Drax (Slinger)
Potshot (Slinger)
Sato (Scout)
Plush (Scout)
Luca (Gambler)
Nightrain (Gambler)
Nexxus (Raider)
Bolo (Raider)
QJ took a long breath and climbed up the steep slope close to the SE leaf, high enough to oversee the leaves and the sub-bosses. The minutes seemed to drag by as Cleo moved from one leaf to the next. It seemed much longer, but the reality was only about 15 minutes. Inconsequential since the timer started when someone attacked the first sub-boss.
"Thanks, Cleo." QJ patted her head, careful not to touch her antennae. "Buff, please."
Cleo smiled and was immediately encompassed by a golden light.
*Cleo has cast Arachni Predator*
All Allies receive + 40 ATK, 30 percent Haste.
[Raid: QJ] Someone hit us with [Raider's Way].
*Nexxus has cast [Raider's Way]*
All Allies receive +30 ATK (Stackable)
QJ took a moment to adjust the setting on his raid hud; instead of receiving all the scrolling damage reports, he highlighted the medics, Breeze and Shonie, so he'd receive healing, debuff, and taunting reports.
[Raid: QJ] Shonie, you are on debuff duty. All group leaders report in.
[Raid: Ringo] DPS ready!
[Raid: Leeta] Heals ready!
[Raid: Shonie] Slows ready!
[Raid: Chainy] Shooters ready!
[Raid: Breeze] Bad Ass Tank... Ready!
[Raid: QJ] Shonie, slow the target! Breeze, get ready to jump in!
*Shonie has cast Wild Wind*
A Notorious Outlaw has been slowed by 40 percent.
*Breeze has activated Blood Feud.*
A Notorious Outlaw has taunted.
QJ spotted movement in the NE leaf.
[Raid: QJ: Leaf Spawns!]
[Aimed Shot]
(Headshot Bonus)
QJ has hit the target for 18,566 damage.
Fire scorches your target for 3,713 damage.
*Breeze has activated Turoc Mach'tu*
A Notorious Out has been hit for 2,322 damage.
*Leeta has activated Hotpack*
(Critical Heal)
Breeze has been healed for 27,888 hp.
[Aimed Shot]
(Headshot Bonus)
QJ has hit the target for 15,777 damage.
Fire scorches your target for 3,155 damage.
Everyone in the raid knew precisely when the leaves were cleared; the Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse sent the sub-bosses' health plummeting with their first volley.
[Raid: QJ] Leaf respawn!
[Raid: Breeze] Bleed Dot!
[Raid: Travoli] On it!
*Breeze has activated Hatchet Haven*
A Notorious Outlaw has been hit for 1,888 damage, 938 damage, and 1,298 damage.
*Travoli has applied First Aid*
Breeze has been healed for 5,587 hp and is no longer bleeding.
*Niche has activated Hotpack*
Breeze has been healed for 14,538 hp.
[Aimed Shot]
(Headshot Bonus)(Critical Hit)
QJ has hit the target for 28,954 damage.
Fire scorches your target for 5,790 damage.
[A Notorious Outlaw has been slain.]
The following two sub-bosses went down fast. The added dps from the four marksmen lightened the load on the medics. However, the first Boss put OP on their heels.
[Bloodthirsty Bill has appeared.]
A tall man doused in blood and wielding hatchets in either hand kicked Breeze, sending her flying into the dps group.
*Breeze has been stunned*
*Shonie has cast Wild Wind*
Bloodthirsty Bill has been slowed by 40 percent.
Immediately, the Boss turned his attention to Shonie, but a heavily armored axe wielder cut him off before he could reach her.
*Lil Jack has activated Battlecry*
Bloodthirsty Bill has been taunted.
[Raid: QJ] Leaf Respawn! Breeze, get ready; back to you after Bill is dead.
[Raid: Breeze] Understood! This guy is hitting really hard!
*Leeta has activated Hotpack*
(Critical Heal)
Lil Jack has been healed for 30,228 hp.
QJ immediately noticed two things, their backup tank's hp was spiking like the EKG of a fat man on a treadmill, and the Boss's defenses were feeble.
[Raid: QJ] All Gamblers, spam [Full-House] until Bill dies!
*Luca reveals her cards, [Full-House].
Lil Jack has recovered five percent of his total health (2,231 hp).
*Nightrain reveals his cards, [Full-House].
Lil Jack has recovered eight percent of his total health (3,570).
[Aimed Shot]
(Headshot Bonus)
QJ has hit the target for 33,821 damage.
Fire scorches your target for 6,764 damage.
[Raid: Lil Jack] Poisoned!
[Raid: Travoli] On it!
*Travoli has applied Cleanse*
Lil Jack is no longer poisoned!
*Niche has activated Hotpack*
Lil Jack has been healed for 17,212 hp.
*Luca reveals her cards, [Full-House].
Lil Jack has recovered seven percent of his total health (3,124 hp).
*Nightrain reveals his cards, [Full-House]. (Aces and Kings!)
Lil Jack has recovered ten percent of his total health (4,463 hp).
[Bloodthirsty Bill has been slain.]
[Raid: QJ] First Boss is down! 90 seconds until the second round starts. Get Ready, Breeze.
The following two rounds progressed smoothly; the sub-bosses went down quickly, and the bosses died tragically under the overwhelming dps of OP.
[Raid: QJ] Energy levels?
*****Author's Note********
Medics in GnG have an energy bar that works precisely the same way Mana does for their cleric counterparts in other games.
***************
[Raid: Leeta] 23 percent, two hypos left.
[Raid: Travoli] 29 percent, one hypo left.
[Raid: Nexxus] 19 percent, one hypo left.
QJ did the math in his head; each round consumed about thirty percent of energy from an average medic. During the 90-second resets, they were able to recoup a few percent. Depending on the medics' base energy, a hypo or hypodermic could restore about ten percent.
[Raid: QJ] Ten seconds, scan the leaves. Let's start the last round!
Ten seconds went by, then twelve, then thirteen. QJ checked the timer on his hud. "No sub-boss?"
A movement on the SW slope caught QJ's eyes; immediately, he sprinted down the hill toward the crowded center where the dps were stationed.
[Raid: QJ] MAKE WAY! MAKE WAY!
A stealthed figure, ten meters below Junzo, stalked the OP Rider. QJ cleared the crowd, shoving anyone not fast enough to dodge him.
*Lasso*
Stealthy Ray has been roped and is closing in on your position.
*Kneecap*
Stealthy Ray has been slowed by forty percent.
QJ sprinted away from the shadowy figure. He was a tall, thin man cloaked in shadows; even after his stealth dropped, his outline remained blurred.
[Raid: QJ] Incoming!
QJ ran right past Breeze, skidding to a stop with his six-shooter leveled.
*Breeze has activated Blood Feud.*
[Stealthy Ray has resisted taunt.]
Stealthy Ray ignored Breeze and charged QJ.
*Feign Death*
QJ has died and lost all agro.
[Raid: Breeze] Give me a moment to establish agro! Wait on slow!
*Breeze has activated Turoc Mach'tu*
Stealthy Ray has been hit for 2,820 damage.
QJ regained his feet and moved back to his previous position.
[Raid: QJ] Double leaf spawns!
*Breeze has activated Blood Feud.*
Stealthy Ray has been taunted.
[Raid: Breeze] I got him; cut loose.
*Shonie has cast Wild Wind*
Stealthy Ray has been slowed by 40 percent.
[Aimed Shot]
(Headshot Bonus)
QJ has hit the target for 25,121 damage.
Fire scorches your target for 5,024 damage.
The next sub-bosses offered no real resistance. After the death of the last sub-boss, it became apparent that OP was pushing hard after the oldest Raid record in Exodus.
[Dangerous Ivan, the Doubler Canyon Killer, has spawned]
QJ spotted multiple spawns in the leaves.
[Raid: QJ] Ignore the leaves! The raid ends when Ivan dies!
*Shonie has cast Wild Wind*
A Notorious Outlaw has been slowed by 40 percent.
*Breeze has activated Blood Feud.*
A Notorious Outlaw has taunted.
*Niche has activated Hotpack*
Breeze has been healed for 16,939 hp.
[Aimed Shot]
(Headshot Bonus)(Critical Hit)
QJ has hit the target for 38,151 damage.
Fire scorches your target for 7,630 damage.
*Travoli has activated Hotpack*
Breeze has been healed for 15,232 hp.
[Raid: Niche] Energy at zero!
[Raid: Travoli] Same!
[Raid: QJ] Death line! Breeze, Lil Jack, Bungee, Knotty, and Ty!
[Raid: Breeze] Bleed dot and poisoned!
*Leeta has applied Cleanse*
Breeze is no longer poisoned!
*Leeta has applied First Aid*
Breeze has been healed for 9,181 hp and is no longer bleeding.
[Aimed Shot]
(Headshot Bonus)
QJ has hit the target for 28,333 damage.
Fire scorches your target for 5,666 damage.
*Leeta has activated Hotpack*
(Critical Heal)
Breeze has been healed for 44,211 hp.
*Breeze has activated Hatchet Haven*
Dangerous Ivan has been hit for 2,822 damage, 968 damage, and 1,495 damage.
[The Doubler Canyon King has been slain]
[Exodus System Message] One Problem has cleared Doubler Canyon in 59 minutes, 44 seconds: Rank 1.
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