Tuesday, February 10, 2009

So here I am, in Nevareth once again...

I was able to return to the world of Cabal Online last Sunday, since I wasn't able to buy Lineage 2 load and the nearest store was closed, permanently. I was playing at Ingen, one of the internet cafes in Kapasigan when it happened. By the time Crestfallen (yeah, the same Fighter in Fiesta Online), my Force Shielder in Saturn, set foot to Nevareth once more, I noticed that I was given some sort of gift as a sign of saying "Welcome back!". Do you want to know what I received during that time? Well, I checked out my Cabal Cash inventory and was shocked to receive various types of Blessing Beads,for free!

Yep, you got that right, Blessing Beads, which gives you additional EXP and Skill EXP depending on the type & duration. I got the yellow - colored ones, with durations for 5 hours and 1 day. I even became curious with the purple - colored bead, which was actually for pets, since it will grant the user's pet more EXP (Don't know if pets in Cabal really level up, though).

After my FS completed her latest quest in Green Despair (She's lvl 17 - 18 right now, few more levels to go before going to obtain Battle Aura, weheee!), I created my Force Archer (in the same server, of course) and accepted the invitation to join in the Rookie Guild. Starting anew as Westphalia (the name for my FA) was almost the same as my FS in earlier levels, except that she first appeared in Green Despair, the starting point for both Force Archers and Force Bladers (which I plan to create soon), and not in Bloody Ice, the "birthplace" for both Warriors and Force Shielders. I knew that both the FS ans the FA had the same equipment, and that was none other than Crystals. But of course, the method of summoning Astral weapons was quite different. If the FS has the Astral Shield, the FA has the Astral Bow. Cool, isn't it? Believe me, having a unique style of shooting something was fun, except when those PK - maniacs killed me just to have fun, If they would say "Yeheyy!!! I killed another player!", all I could say was "Ugh! No way! Puhlezze!".

But oh well, at least it's worth my 2 hours worth of playing time in my rented PC to return to Nevareth once again. Cabal will be my second option in case I wouldn't be able to buy L2 game time.

That's all for now... Cheerios! ^^

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Lost Freedom

Sorry for not being able to update my blog for weeks. I've been given limitations on using Internet right now, simply because I was caught watching something mature. I would rather not tell you the story, for I've been depressed for my whole vacation.

But anyway, I have plans that I must accomplish, just like the ff.:

- Leveling up my Paladin so that I couls be given access to Blazing Swamps, which is my next venue for the quest Supplier of Reagents.

- Promoting my elf to Silver Ranger ASAP, as well as my Artisan to Warsmith.

- Continuing my Cabal Online adventures as a Force Shielder (I've been in hiatus from Nevareth for months), and creating both a Force Archer and a Force Blader, maybe still in Saturn or starting anew in Mars (my older sister's Wizard lives there, believe me... -.-)

But thankfully, I've watched Code Geass to relieve the boredom of my vacation. I won't spoil the story if you didn't watch the show it, so you better start now.

That's all for now... ^^

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Against my own shadow, my dark side

Every person has a dark side, his or her shadow. It would always take over that person, playing with his or her weaknesses that would cause him or her failure. But if you were giving the task (or advice) to face that shadow and conquer it, would you do it?

That's what I realized during the time Crestfallen, my fighter in Fiesta, was tasked to enter the Shadow Dungeon as part of her promotion quest. After I gave the Shadow Key (the way to access the dungeon) to the Grand Master in the Forest of Haze, I was asked if I'm ready to enter, but before I said yes, I first stocked up on HP / SP stones as back-up.

By the time Crestfallen entered the Shadow Dungeon, she faced her first enemy: her own shadow, which had more HP & SP than her normal self. I tried to kill her shadow, but her normal self died, thus I failed accomplishing it. I knew I had to hurry up because the dungeon has a 20-minute time limit.

She was spawned back to Argos by the time she recovered from her death. I had her weapon upgraded to +3 by Smith Ironhand, and I even bought one Shield Defense buff scroll from one of the vendors near the Storage Keeper. Because of her death, I became more fearful, but I forced myself to calm down for the sake of regaining my composure and to remain focused. And so, she mounted onto her mover on her way back to the Forest of Haze, but in the middle of Pebble Beach, I dismounted her and created some HP & SP potions, just before I resumed her journey.

Thankfully, I didn't have to get another Shadow Key in order to enter the Shaow Dungeon again, for I just to talk to that NPC again for her second attempt there. Buffed with Vitality & Shield Defense, she went in to the dungeon again. Just like in her first attempt, she faced her own shadow first. I dealt damage over her, and I was able to survive her attacks, but she ran away after I took out a chunk of her life, thus I have to follow her there.

Along the way, I had to kill Joker Kebings first, for they disturbed her normal self. She found herself in another room after the gate was opened after killing all of them. Then I had to kill all of those Raging Skeletons & even their Archer counterparts in order for another gate to open. I killed another set of those Joker Kebings again by the time the gate was opened, and so the room became pitch black. But thankfully, there was a blue way of light that led her to the path to the final room, since her shadow told her to follow that light in order to face her again.

By the time Crestfallen reached the ending point, the light went back on, and she was already in the final room. Just before her shadow appeared, she had to deal with those Sparrow Rogue mobs, including the archer & even that giant (I hope I said those names right). Alas, her shadow appared, and I had to kill her again. Adding insult to the injury was when the other mobs began to disturb her. My hands trembled as I spammed my skills (Too bad they have cooldown, though) and my HP/SP stones & pots for the sake of defeating it. But in the end, her shadow was finally killed, suceeding the dungeon, and I breathed a sigh of relief as she was teleported back near the NPC in the Forest of Haze.

She obtained the Sign of Promotion after she successfully accomplished the dungeon. And when I gave it to the NPC, I was given the option to choose the starting weapon for her new job. Since I wanted Crestfallen to become a tank, I chose the Roumen Sword (the one-handed sword type) as her reward, aside from fame. I couldn't help but to shout in jubilation as she was successfully promoted to being a Clever Fighter. There, promotion quest finally accomplished! Wohoo!!

With that experience, I can say that one must not be afraid to face his or her own fears. With faith, perseverance, and even with a little luck & inspiration, he or she will get over it, and that person's goal will become true in the end as a sign of accomplishment.

More Fiesta chit-chat to come soon. Later days!! ^^

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Twilight + Fiesta Online + my clan alterations

Yesterday, I just watched Twilight together with some of my classmates in Megamall, and I'm impressed on how the story was presented. I noticed that there were some slight changes in the plot of the movie, for there might be some scenes coming from the book that were not supposed to be viewed. Despite not being able to watch the first parts, I was able to get the perspective of the movie.

For those of you who haven't watched the movie, it's actually based on the novel of the same title, authored by Stephenie Meyer. It's about a human named Isabella Swan who met a strange being, a vampire, by the name of Edward Cullen. As she discovers his identity and his connection with the vampires, she begins to accept him, and most of all, they have developed a relationship. I won't spoil the details on how all these happened, so you better watch the movie, or better yet, read the novel.

Last Wednesday night, I have tried a new online game called Fiesta Online. I first heard of it when I saw the poster on the internet cafe which is also the place for me to buy L2 load. I got the installer free with my December - January issue of GAME! magazine (I'm subscribed to the magazine, by the way). Eager to try it out, I deleted PW first, then I installed Fiesta onto my PC. I even registered for a MYGAME account (MYGAME's the local publisher of the game, the ones also responsible for bringing Special Force Online to the Philipines) so that I counld try it. Good thing the game's free to play, so I don't have to worry about buying load for it.

By the time the update's finished, I logged in and created a character. I named my toon Crestfallen (same as my Force Shielder in Cabal), for I chose to be a Fighter. Fighters can opt to be damage - dealers because of their two - handed weapons, or tankers because of the usual one-handed sword + shield combination. I decided to choose the latter path. By the time my toon was in Argos (the starting point), of course, I followed the tutorial quest, so that I'll get used to the game. Afterwards, I have to talk to NPCs who have quests available at ceratin levels. Yeah, you got that right, the quest system there is indeed similar to Cabal, with items, exp. points & even fame as reward. But still, I have to do these quests one step at a time, although it's better to combine one quest with another with a similar purpose.

That's also where my toon learned to pick out mushrooms & flowers, open clams, chop wood & gather herbs for certain ingredients needed for potions, buff scrolls & even enchantment stones (aside from killing mobs, of course). The Alchemy system is when you'll create potions & stones, as well as to assemble & decompose items (You can choose only 2 production skills, though). My fighter had learned potion production for my pots, as well as stones needed to refine items (believe me, refining items is still risky, as always). I even learned how to use a pickaxe as well for mining ores, as well as to use the mount to reach my destination faster.

As for my skills, I bought skill scrolls from the skill master when I reached the skill requirements. Good thing there's also Skill Empowerment designed to enhance your skills, like adding damage, increasing buff effectiveness & even decreasing cooldown time. Up to now, I still have to get used to that system.

Overall, it's indeed a great experience, although there are lags that would ruin the gaming fun (believe me, it still exists... ><). If you want to meet me in - game, whisper Crestfallen, and I'll try to help you in everything I can.


From fiesta online pics


As for my L2 life, I noticed some changes in my clan, HeavensOracle. My clanmate Hellborne replaced Iriss as the leader of the 2nd order, as the latter will join another clan. Even my clan leader, EvaRavenspell, had her Warsmith, MayaRavenspell, replace her main avatar as the new clan leader. But still, it didn't dampen my interest with the clan, as I made friends with one of the new members, beautyheal, a Bishop from Malaysia.

Well, that's all for my chit-chat. Later days... ^^


Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Finally free from the torment...

I just got the result of my recent stool test after having treatement for my diarrhea for a week. Some time after my class got dismissed, I waited at the Alfonso Clinic for the result. It really took me about two hours before I finally got the result, and it was good news: the amoeba was no longer existent.

Also, I had another check-up with the doctor, and because I was finally recovered from my illness, I'm allowed to eat everything I want again. Wohoo! But still, I have to be moderate from eating too much fatty foods & even instant noodles... ><

Because of that experience, I'm no longer complaining about what I'm supposed to eat, since I almost lost my appetite because of the menu limit. I'll finally live as my normal self again.

Cherrios! ^^

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Soon to be fully recovered + new messenger

I have recovered from my fever, and my excretion became normal again, but I still have to resume my treatment until I become fully recovered from my illness. I just have to avoid eating fatty & oily foods to avoid the excretion to soften until I became normal. I'll go back to the doctor on Sunday to check on the result of my theraphy.

I just downloaded the new Windows Live Messenger last Tuesday, and I could say that it looked & acted better than my old Windows Messenger. Good thing that it also allowed me to add any friend who has a Yahoo e-mail address. Most of us are using Yahoo because of its reliability, and it was a relief that I'll soon chat with my classmates with this new messenger. Chatting was perhaps one of my ways to relieve boredom, because I had to confine myself in my room at home.

Anyway, wish me luck on my recovery! ^^

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

A desperate struggle

I won't be able to attend classes starting today because of my illness. I have fever as well as diarrhea. This morning, my aunt sent me to the emergency room of the Medical City to check on my current condition. There, one of the doctors took a blood sample from me, and believe me, the prick of the syringe needle really hurts. The mark is still seen on the elbow up to now.

Then, I have to go to the CR to prepare my stool sample to see if there's infection in my stomach. But unfortunately, my aunt wasn't able to get it right, so I had to eat crackers to resume the excretion. By the time I checked the result of my CBC test, I found out that I had a slight excess in white blood cells. I knew that if it's too much, I would suffer from leukemia.

My aunt was able to get my stool sample by the time we reached home, and she went to Alfonso Clinic to have it tested. I ate rice porridge & bannana for lunch. I also had to take Biogesic every 4 hours for my fever as well as antibiotics for my LBM and Hydrite (capsule dissolved in water) to null dehydration. We went to Alfonso again this afternoon, and I was shocked by the result of the stool test: it contains amoeba & blood.

But thankfully, I was given another set of treatements. I had to take medicine designed to kill amoeba, and I still need to continue to drink Biogesic to lower my temperature. Believe me, I had to get lots of rest and eat just enough to recover my strength.

I'm so disconsolate about my condition right now, and I hope that someday, I would recover from this desperate struggle, so that I'll go back to school on Monday.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Weird tagline + Another promotion

My pally just saw a weird tagline from that Dark Elf while I was waiting for my clanmate to give me accessories in MRT. It really reminds of that show in Bubble Gang on GMA 7 wherein there is that spoiled brat and her housemaid. Here's the screenshot:


From Lineage 2 pics


By the way, my former Warder just graduated last Saturday from the HeavensOracle academy. It really took me a long time to finish the job change quest (Certified Soul Breaker), with hunting for wyrm hearts as the most difficult part. But then, she wasn't instantly leveled up to 40, so after I finished the quest, I filled up all of her remaining experience in the Field of Whispers in Heine Territory. And so, voila! I went back to Giran so that she will have the promotion.

From Lineage 2 pics


Immediately after this, I used some of my remaining Dimensional Diamonds to purchase a SOE to her home town, the Kamael Village at the Isle of Souls. There, I bought all the Battle Manuals of her Soul Breaker skills from Trader Milfia. I had to freight all my uneccessary stuff to my Dwarven Artisan, so that I'll have space to put almost all of her manuals in her WH, but I left those required for her lvl 40 - 43 skills in her inventory. Excited about these new skills, I tried them near the Malle Lizardmen Barracks, and believe me, I'm impressed.

Yesterday, after I used my future Silver Ranger for a few hours, I used my fresh Soul Breaker again, since my prince ArkAngle will give me C-grade equipment in Rune Township. How kind of him! He gave me a normal Theca set as congratulatory gift.

From Lineage 2 pics

And so, he told me that I had to give my Paladin's Samurai Long Sword to her. I'm really reluctant at first, but he said that he'll give me a B-grade weapon for her by the time I come back. And so, I followed him. I'm really impressed at the result of weapon conversion, from SLS, into an Admiral's Estoc. (Never mind about the bottom, I was so in the hurry during the time I took it.)

From Lineage 2 pics


And also, about the Alchemist event, my pally current has 3 transmutation circles in her recipe book. It's really hard for my toons to get the chest keys needed to open these chests near the NPC. I have to use all of the mats harvested by them to create Philosopher's Stones. So far, I got Greater Healing potions as reward.

That's all & thank you... ^^

Monday, November 10, 2008

Castle Siege: My first experience

My paladin was finally back in HeavensOracle, but this time she's included in the 2nd Order: OrderofHeaven. I asked my clanmates if it was necessary for me to join the castle siege, and EvaRavenspell, my clan leader, replied that it would be nice for me to participate, although it's not much of an obligation. Although hesitant at first, I decided to join in to give myself a try. Here's what happened during the first two days of my castle siege participation:

Last Saturday night, Eva sent us a letter that we're going to help DesertWolf in capturing Aden Castle. Believe me, Aden was the only castle left unnoticed in the past sieges, and it was the first time for me to discover that a clan was intrepid enough to capture it. We met at the gate infront of the castle in order to prepare ourselves. The signal was finally given that we should run towards the right side, and woosh, here we go, we ran as fast as we could. But then, I noticed that HO was not alone in helping. Among those that joined the fray include Infinity, SignumVires, Yakuza and others.

From Lineage 2 pics


At first, I started going towards the inner castle after the walls were demolished by those Swoop & Wild Hog cannons. But then, I noticed how difficult it was to get in. Imagine a middle-level character trying to storm in together with those high-level soldiers... My HP almost got depleted because of one of the castle guards, but good thing one of my partymates (Ichiee was the party leader during that time) warned me to go back outside before it’s too late. It was because we’re tasked to watch over the flags posted outside the castle and wipe out every enemy that has the intention of wiping them out. We waited until DW succeeded in engraving the seal in the castle, and so we ran out of the castle in order to reach Gludio.

Since teleporting to towns was restricted during the siege, we had to go there the hard way: porting to Giran harbor first, then running towards the spot near Dion town so that we could SOE there, then porting to Cruma Marshlands, and finally, running and swimming to Gludio. I stayed in the town for safety, since Endless and the other clans are struggling to get Gludio Castle. I felt so tired and so I took a nap, and when I woke up, I was shocked that the siege has finally ended. Really tedious, but good thing I remained alive during its whole duration.

But it’s much worse yesterday, when we’re going to help our ally (again), but this time, in defending Giran castle. We met near the gatekeeper, then ran towards the castle. I knew it’s still too early, but being punctual was important. And so, we waited until the signal was rung. Again, as mentioned before, we also have allies in defending, and included there were AbyssalHeroes, Hybrid, etc.

From Lineage 2 pics


We’re supposed to check the sides, as well as the front, for both Endless and Justice, since they’re our main targets. The worst thing that happened to me was when I suffered from too much lag, and I got disconnected. Arrrrghh!!!! I was back to town when I logged in again and as a desperate way, suggested by my prince, I used my event points in riding the Wyvern. I got disconnected (AGAIN!) while I was on my way, and so I tried again the 2nd time. Thankfully, I arrived at the castle safely and dismounted it.

I continued with my usual task of watching over at the sides and at the front for any enemy presence, and indeed, it became really intense, as our comrades scrambled at all sides in order to kill them. By 6:00 p.m., the siege was supposed to be over, but only Rune Castle finished it on time. I was so bored, so I SOE’d back to Giran, then ported backed to Aden Town and continued my level grind in Aden Cemetery until my paladin reached level 52 (I halted when she’s 51 because of the siege). Believe me, I was shocked when my clanmate rhea19 told us via clan chat that the clash was still ongoing. But I’m so weary to go back, and my prepaid usage time was about to get expired. So I just SOE’d back to Aden and went to the Warrior Guild to learn new skills, and alas, my time was already up.

Overall, my first two days for castle siege experience was not that bad. It’s really tiring, but still it’s worth the trouble. I really can’t wait to equip that Zubei Heavy Armor set my prince gave me before the siege started. Whoopdedoo!

And so that closes my talk for now… ^^

Sunday, November 2, 2008

And so the sem break ends...

Today's the last day of my semestral break, and I'm going back to school tomorrow. But just before I prepare, let me share to you my L2 life so far:

My paladin has already reached level 50 due to leveling up in the Sea of Spores (I was doing the Dig up the Sea of Spores quest during that time) & the Forest of Evil, located between the Ivory Tower and the Tower of Insolence. It's also the second time of joining the Seven Signs, and I'm fighting for the Lords of Dawn again, but this time, it's for the Seal of Avarice. During her stay in the Catacomb of the Apostate, aside from killing those mobs for quest scrolls for the Yoke of the Past quest, there was one party who was found dead because of being owned by them. Here's the screenshot:


From Lineage 2 pics


To relieve from boredom, I chatted with my prince ArkAngle about random stuff, including the party there. Believe me, I was flabbergasted by the time he said to me that these party members are using bot 24/7. At least being kissed on the floor would teach them a lesson.

About my alternate toons, my Warder has 5 more levels to go before she'll become a Soul Breaker, and my Elven archer has already reached level 28. My greatest accomplishment I got so far was when my Dwarf was promoted to Artisan. Here's the proof:



From Lineage 2 pics


And so I tried vending via private creation using the two recipes: the SSD recipe that Alcarcalimo's Dwarf, FlintForger, gave to me and even the SpSD recipe that my main has picked up somewhere. But then again, no one dared to give materials for me to craft. Oh well, at least that's one of the pains of a vender. As for her combat abilities, I chose both blunt-type & polearms as her weapons, for I have to be flexible depending on the situation that I have to face, either in solo or in a party.

Oh, and one more thing. During the period of raising & smashing pumpkins, I received lots of potions, some enchant scrolls & even A-grade crystals as rewards. As for the point zone event, I received a Black Feather Mask for my Paladin, a Monocle for my Warder, and even some fireworks, too

Well, that's all for now! Doodlez! ^^