29 August, 2010

Husan: My Inability to Bilocate...

Things have changed a bit for me with my career, and so I've been away from Vana'diel for much of the weeks since my last entry. I've been spending small chunks of time handling small tasks, errands, and picking up the odd level here or there. It's disappointing to suddenly become less available to my 'shellmates, but this is how it goes sometimes...

Well, let's open with some odds and ends: my Tetra Master Fortunes have been mixed. The high point was probably Friday, but on the other hand, today's was totally contradictory: in effect, 'don't be deceptive, but don't tell the truth either'. I also took the Personality Test and got Beatrix; I guess that must be a good thing, right?


So my grouping was beginning to wind down, as I was approaching the point when I'd have to make the journey to unlock the Dancer Job, I just needed a few more levels so that the troupe leader Laila [Imagine my surprise when I learned that!] would talk to me about it. So we wrapped up business in Qufim and grouped for a while in Korroloka Tunnel.


Before too long is was time to head to Jeuno, but I did a little soloing on the way. These guys hit pretty hard!


Finally prepared to make the run of my life, I arrived in Upper Jeuno and spoke with Laila. Ye gods, we even have the same hairstyle...

(TへT )


She requested that I go make a fool out of myself in San d'Oria to prove how bad I was...


I was booed off the stage, but from what I hear, that's how it goes for all Dancers. So I returned to Laila defeated, only for her to send me to the past! I was supposed to enter one of those dreadful Maws and find some shiny stone which was valuable to her...

Since I can't take screenshots during the cutscenes, I can only describe the experience as both frightening and surreal. I was tossed on the grounds of some palatial mansion floating in an aurora-filled vortex, but I didn't have long to absorb the scenery. Seconds later, I was attacked by some pokemon-esque female cousin of Cait Sith! I fell over the edge and into the darkness. Then I awoke in a warzone filled with soldiers and beasts whose toughness was beyond my comprehension. After being shown the door [literally], I started running and only stopped to avoid drawing the ire of the many, many monsters I saw on the way. I was so close to death so many times, I didn't even stop to enjoy the new zones though which I had to travel. There was definitely no time for screenshots!

Miraculously, I survived and made it all the way to a lake that Goblins like to build their vacation homes around, took a few tender steps to the waters edge, and found what I was looking for. Apparently, someone was waiting for me, someone I wouldn't meet again until much later...

But that was it! One Scroll of Instant Warp and fifty paces later, and the Dancer Job was mine! My first major step on my path to glory...

It was back to soloing now, this time in Sarutabaruta to stock up on Yagudo Necklaces while I made my way up to level 12. To date, I've handed in 48.



Dancer progress was interrupted when I was invited to join a party to earn Rank 3 with my home Nation! Switching back to Monk, we made our way to San d'Oria's Chateau d'Oraguille. After getting our assignment, it was time to cross Ronfaure into the Ghelsba region and find the Dread Dragon! This looks a bit intimidating...


...this moreso...

 
...but this was a pretty scary fight! There were one or two close calls, but we all made it thanks to good preparation, teamwork, and a little luck!


Afterwards, we had a bit of running to do to get back to San d'Oria, then it was a long ride back to Windurst to continue my Dancer training.


It didn't take long before I was ready to head back to Valkurm, so I decided to take the ferry, which was a nice, if unexpectedly long, experience. There were some surprises along the way, too.



Grouping in Valkurm isn't always easy. Some days, there just seem to be way too many Dancers for the number of parties available. Luckily for me, I was at a level that I could go back to some previously explored areas to take down some Notorious Monsters. It took some time, in one case more than two hours, to get the lottery spawns to occur, but I got my hands on an Optical Earring and an Enchanting Ribbon, which will help with my Curing Waltzes. While I was waiting for those spawns, I also stocked up on several stack of materials and made an extra 25000 gil, so I picked up some more Dancer-appropriate gear in a Bird Whistle and two Hope Rings. It worked out pretty well if I do say so myself.


That pretty much brings us to the present. I got in a couple good Valkurm parties with my shellmates this weekend, which is now the only time that I can stick around in Vana'diel long enough for parties. Hopefully I can solo enough levels during the week to be able to head back to Qufim, where I hear that Dancers have a lot of problems...