Patience is Key

Ape and I met for dinner and the Y last night, but I left while she was still in her dance class. So naturally, I logged in to FFXI. I was hoping to find Aleu and help her with her keys and just maybe, log out around 10 or 10:30.

I made it in around 8:30, and she was ready to go. When I asked who needed key help, she enthusiastically replied, “Me me me” and Ali and Enzio asked for help too. Since that couple only needed the Palborough Chest Key and Aleu needed all three, I figured we’d start there so Ali and Enzio could cut out once the keys had dropped.

I made my way to Jeuno via Ibwam and after changing jobs to WHM (so-o-o refreshing) I went to track down Aleu after sending the invite. That’s when Lordbrax PMed me to ask if I was in a party. I told him I was helping shell-mates with keys and he wanted to know if it was Coffer keys we were after. Nope, just Kazham Airship Pass items. Even so, he *still* wanted in. I had already tele’d Aleu out to Holla to meet the others and he said he could get a tele. So we waited, for like 2 minutes, and *poof* he appears.

We tele to Dem and start the ride when I realize Brax is headed to Gusgen Mines. I asked him if that led to Palborough but he didn’t answer at first. So we zone in (waste of choco fees ><) and start walking in. At the first intersection, I clear the room by casting Diaga to get the skeles’ attention and waste all 5 with Banishga II. This earned me a few oohs and ahhs from my mage buddies.

Brax appeared not far from us, just to the east and we ran to meet him. Going through the zone landed us in Oldton Movalpolis. We had one problem – Enzio hadn’t registered whatever expansion includes Oldton and couldn’t zone in. So he and Ali agreed to meet us after traveling the normal choco route.

I wanted to go with them. I really didn’t want to trek through this area to reach Palborough – the mobs here would eat my Brigader friends for lunch, and use me as the dessert. Turns out, that wasn’t the plan. I learned a new super-great shortcut: Gusgen > Oldton > Escape > N. Gustaberg. In like 5 minutes. And near both the Pal Mines entrance and Bastok. In the wise words of Frank Barone: “HOLY CRAP!”

Once we zoned into Pal Mines, I figured I’d be doing the fighting and they’d hang back since they were around the low 20’s, but it would turn out that even at that level they can handle their business fine. We eventually split up with Brax taking the southwest pocket of key mobs while Aleu and I went for the southeast. Eventually, one dropped and Aleu lotted and received her prize. We kept killing anyway because that one drop (even with Brax’s TH2) took forever.

By the time the second had dropped Ali and Enzio had made it in. As keys dropped, they lotted and eventually all three Brigaders had the Pal Chest Key. Aleu and I met up with Brax, Escaped, and then I went back in to collect Enzio and Ali. Once all 5 of us were together, they said their thanks and took off. Brax, Aleu and I then teled to Mea to hunt the Giddeus key. I chose this leg specifically because I knew I was going to have to bail soon – it was already after 10, and Ape was back.

After a long choco ride to Giddeus and the inevitable hole / ledge confusion reaching the area far south with the high-level birds we needed, we finally got Aleu’s second key. I think Brax had to make two runs to reach the mobs while Aleu and I had to do it three times. I had it right the first time, until I stepped over a one-way ledge… The second time I forgot which way I was headed altogether - /sigh

This one key took about an hour to get, so once we were Escaped and back on the Saruta plains, I had to bail. Aleu was super happy and thankful and I paid my respects to Brax for his spontaneous offer of aid. I even tried to pay him, for the help but especially for the Gustaberg shortcut. After recently learning of the Altep > Korroloka shortcut, I may need to look into all the ways Escape can help me get around.

As I was checking out, he and Aleu continued on - I'll have to see if they got the final key. Nice guy that Brax!