James Bond, WHM

/sigh. I killed another one… But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Tonight at 7pm was supposed to be another 5-2 run, for Diosa and Puma this time. I had to go home at lunchtime to pick Matt up (home sleeping) and logged in to run supplies. I got an update screen instead. So, looking at the 1:30 estimate, I wonder what will happen to our 7pm start time.

. . .

After eating dinner and helping Ape with some stuff I log in promptly at 7, and half the shell is missing. While I wait I give farming a shot but get interrupted by Puma seeking a Raise in Valkurm. Since I really hadn’t gotten to the farm, I bailed on the Ruins, teled out and began the choco ride to Puma’s position.

When I arrived, the party (led by Pshoww?) was waiting and resting. I raised him and they started up again, with me PLing. They were very appreciative and did a nice job with holding vokes. Puma had said he wanted 400 xp to get his level back and I figured, 5-6 pulls and I can go back to farming. 10 later he still hasn’t dinged. This is about the time it dawns on me he’s not IN the party. I’ve been PLing the wrong target! ><

I came to this realization about a minute before he got popped by a gob link. So I tell the party I have to leave and that I wished them well and appreciated their fine efforts. Now focused on Puma, he gets his level back with 5 direct pulls on gobs and bats.

I was going to head to Qufim to help Lust with the Kazham Airship Pass quest but couldn’t – first because of the delay PLing Puma back to 20 and then because of Fhox’s summons.

At around 9, Fhox makes it in and asks if we’re ready. I warp to Jeuno and wait at the guide stone with him and Diosa. Puma is getting ready and Fhox is seeking additional firepower for the other two slots. I asked Diosa how Darksanzo took back to back deaths and she reamed him for overpulling and not waiting for mage MP. Unfortunately Diosa DCes at about 9:15 and doesn’t return. Fhox comments that she’s been having some personal problems and I told him I hoped it was nothing too bad because I hate seeing people hurt. He agreed.

At 9:30 he scuttled the mission and the two of us set out to beastman strongholds to recover crystal shards as part of the Crystal War Revisited! Event – reward is red-tinted shades with daylight Acc+, night Acc-. As it turns out, one shard gets you the normal pair, 20 gets a HQ version. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to do much with Fhox because the most you can get is 4 or 6, depending on stronghold and only if you kill a NM. Otherwise it’s one at a time.

I don’t think I’ll worry about the HQ but I did pick up my base reward. Aer looks way too much like Trinity from the Matrix, and upon getting his pair, Fhox spontaneously said as much. It’s too bad the shades and Coven Hat use the same slot… I also used this time to tele out to Xarcabard for the last open supply run, bringing my total to 8 OP routes opened.

Ape had been fussing at me about how long I was on so I finally went AFK around 9:50 and hung out with her until almost 11:00.

On returning I went back to Valkurm to PL Chucho. I don’t recall if I checked to see if Lust was still on, but when I left at 9, he had just joined an XP party. I need to look for him again tonight.

So, back in Valk I find Chucho and he’s already briefed the party. This group, led by Faline, did a great job with vokes and making sure I was good on MP. They pulled mostly pugs, gobs and snips at 19-20 levels, but the kills came super fast and they must have been getting some chains. Chucho complained about the XP but I mentioned that XP per kill isn’t the end-all of leveling. I wonder if people get tired of me saying that?

Chucho did ask what he should do while I Pled. I suggested skilling Divine with Banishes and looking into Enhance and weapon skillups.

Other than Kiliwag, their DRG tank, there wasn’t much damage to worry about other than on gob hunter ambushes. So imagine my surprise when Chucho, my LS mate, dies standing behind me. As with Darksanzo, I didn’t see the attacks, but this time the erstwhile corpse was behind me and wasn’t appearing in my target sweep. He never called for help and I really don’t know what he could have done to get that much hate. I suspect he got picked off by a gob, but I never found out for sure.

While I was recharging, I expressed sorrow and personal aggravation at losing yet another charge. He told me it was cool to which I replied, “No, not really…” I almost made a crack about not wanting to meet the WHM that takes deaths casually, but I realized in time HE was a WHM and held my tongue.

It wasn’t much longer that I bade farewell to the group (at the pre-scheduled time of 12:30) and complimented them on their excellent work. Their replacement PL (D-something) was asking about {Ninja} {Provoke} which was answered by {No thanks!} I wonder if he was asking who the tank was, not asking for voking.

So yet another day ends in Vana’diel and I add another notch to my Lost Adventurers belt. Off to make those tweaks to the PL guide, for real this time!