A Race to the Finish

SirDarth managed a more successful overnight session, and got his pale blue horse into level 28 by morning. After coffee, however, he had to bow out, to allow RedRyder and Kaerella to head for Prokion Temple on Sarissa-4.

First however, after spending her skill points Kaerella had to suffer another 24 deaths in Maargadum Jail, to return to the start of level 27. Once that was done, the combat party team-up was made, Elizabeth's Enhancement obtained, and the necessary teleportations triggered.

The back room was free, so a straightforward hour and three-quarters of orc-bashing was achieved. RedRyder went up by 68.76%, and 563 guild points, while Kaerella added 35.20%, along with 98 guild points. They each got 353 shiny new skill points.

SirDarth had a further chance at pet-levelling over lunch, but afterwards it was time to get back to Kae and Red. Kae spent all her skill points, and then we had a bit of luck - someone in Randol was dropping items they no longer needed. I never like to leave stuff lying on the ground, so picked it all up - it was all healer stuff, and while the armour pieces were not plussed, the booty included both the freebie level 33 +10 healer weapons, the bow and the scepter, and a level 29 jungle bow +9, which Kaerella can use - it's a great improvement over the level 21 +4 bow she had been equipped with.

The back room at Prokion Temple was available, so that is where RedRyder and Kaerella spent the afternoon. Now that the orc axemen are blue-named, it wasn't worth Red equipping her dragon hatchling, so Kaerella was in charge of picking up the gold and other minor items dropped by the orcs. RedRyder went up by 84.54%, and 799 guild points, reaching level 34 fairly early on, while Kaerella added 49.20%, and 122 guild points. They each got 504 skill points.

Back in town, Kaerella was able to use that sp to get all but the final level of expert armoursmith, the first two levels of advanced alchemy, and both levels of basic mining - and there was just time before the food break to go down to Maargadum Jail again, and die 29 times, to get back to the start of level 27 again.

Kaerella did have a small outing last night after the blog "went to press", when I noticed from the web page that the "Monster Spawn Race" on Sarissa had just started. So, she logged in, and assisted in a small way at the north gate, managing not to get killed. She did manage to pick up just a few items when the rewards were spawned, but I think that the people at the west gate had won the race again.

After the Sunday early evening food break, with SirDarth taking the opportunity for a little more pet-levelling, I was thinking of having yet another Sarissa-5 session with RedRyder and Kaerella. If my Cariae cleric of that name seems to have been neglected since that server returned, it is because we are promised some rather large experience and skill exp boosts there - but not until Wednesday, after the next maintenance, so it isn't really worth playing over there until then. And it won't be worth starting my Auzura rogue Rage's campaign to add a few levels until after Cariae's "apology week", particularly as that will involve adding a cover to her armour, which will only last for a set period of time.

In the end I decided to leave SirDarth to his pet-levelling, and bring my Katar level 32 archer, Kaerella of course, out for a session. It seemed a good idea to add to her skill point stash a little, so, when I reached Prokion Temple, I headed for the "mirror" corridor room, with its level 25 orc fighters and single level 27 orc axeman. With the 50% experience freeze and the Elizabuff, and a solo party, each orc fighter yielded just 1198 experience, and 3300 skill exp, which seemed pretty useful to me.

Unusually for the "Mirror universe" I did have a few visitors, including a friendly Portuguese sorcerer called Phabio2, and the occasional knight or titan who seemed to feel it was a point of honour to "ks" a fighter or two on their way through. There hadn't been any "Sunday teatime" bonus, but by the time I had to relog for the Quiz, Kae had added just 10.34%, along with 70 guild points, and earned 292 skill points.

The Quiz was much as ever, on Tairen-2, though a lot of people got kicked for getting the number of eyes a Barren Eise has wrong. The doors had been left open, though, and many of them hurried back in. Kaerella and MistressDomino got through without any such excitements, and got their usual rewards - Kae traded her moonstones and heaven stones across to MD before logging out.

SirDarth went back to Merac and his bandits, and after a few tries, Kaerella on Katar was able to log back in and return to the same room in Prokion Temple, for a further 3.06% experience, 21 more guild points for Discipline, and another 85 skill points - taking her stash up to a nice round 14,000.

Kaerella was on the right subserver for the first "Race to the Finish" event, hosted by [GM]Kali, so moved across to Randol's north gate, and got ready. Unlike the JediMike races, this was a serious race, kind of. No mounts were allowed - which just meant that anyone with an expensive super haste potion was liable to win, especially if they had special extra-speedy boots. Or a night shadow would have been a strong contender, as they have a speed skill to make up for not being able to ride a horse.

Once Kali had persuaded everyone to dismount, and to get behind her, just about, the race began - and of course it was the "super haste" people who sped off first, I just used an ordinary 200 gold haste potion, so there was a crowd at the finish by the time I got there. Minutes later, we were racing back the way we had come - and then there was a third race, back to the west gate again. I was only just in time for the spawning of the hands of loot - apparently the winning three people did get special prizes, or have been promised some shortly.

I went along on Cariae too, which was the next server on the rotation, this time with my rogue Karella, and things were much the same. The supply of loot, given the number of people there, was not exactly generous, but hey, we didn't have to do much to earn it.

By the end of the evening, SirDarth had got his pale blue horse halfway through level 29...so it will still be a while before Sarissa's Kaerella is able to ride about on it.