Lokk, Stock and Barrel

Lokk has seen better days, but it's also seen far worse. While getting the fields surrounding the shattered town up and running had been a priority to prevent the floor from deteriorating, the fact is that it'd simply be inhumane to expect farmers and workmen to live in literal shacks and ruined buildings. So, soon after the farms were complete, it was time to get slowly the town itself back online.

At this point, Lokk is still little more than an outpost. The ruins serve as a skeleton of something more to come- stone bones that have been rebuilt and restored to functionality to allow adventurers and landers both some measure of shelter and comfort. Though there's still quite a bit more work to do before even this step is done.

Today, Prophylaxis is actually getting his hands dirty. He's not above doing so, not when he's already in an area for other business anyway. With medicine delivery and medical services rendered, the doctor has spent time producing fresh earth and is now putting himself to work digging up a foundation for a new home.

That point in Physical is not just for show, after all.

Of course, that also means he's relatively easy to find if someone were to stop by-- or if anyone wanted to lend a hand.

    Lending a hand is exactly what brings Setsuna to the 12th floor, totally not because he secretly hoped to run into the boss to try and solo it or anything. This is also why he brought a small army of monsters, again not intending to track down the boss monster and solo it. Still even if he was going to do that he was still passing through town though he can't help but stare at some of the ruins which is how he spots the doctor.

     Sitting atop a large dire wolf, with the cerberus and skeleton knight flanking him on each side, he speaks up, "So if you had to guess, if one was looking for a boss monster on this floor, where would one start? Just hypothetically speaking of course."

The one good thing about doing hard labor in Lokk is that the wasteland is actually pretty chilly. It's not like there's a hot sun beating down from overhead or anything, and once you get yourself a nice ditch, the cold wind stops being as much of an issue.

...Not that Prophylaxis minds the cold much, these days. But still.

A voice he hadn't heard in quite some time sounds from above his ditch and the doctor pauses to squint up at Setsuna and his menagerie. "Well, I haven't seen you in a little bit. I see you've expanded the company a little bit."

He shoves his spade into the ground tip-first so it rests against the earth wall and hoists himself up out of his hole. "Hypothetically, I would advise bringing a party along at the very least. Or a teleportation item so that you can escape in case of an emergency. But if you're looking for the boss, I believe the arena is to the southeast, across the lake."

    "I have teleportation items in spades." Setsuna comments before looking to the southeast and then back to Prophylaxis, "It has been a while. A lot longer then I think I realized in fact. " For a moment aSetsuna stares out in the direction of the arena before looking back at Prophylaxis. "So I don't suppose you want to come try to duo the boss. We can do it I promise." Setsuna seems rather confident in their capability.

     "I have it all planned out, you drop evvery heal you have without stopping and then I just don't let the boss touch me. " Setsuna grins as he slides off the dire wolf and looks at the shovel, "Or you could stay here and play in the dirt. I mean either or."

"Oh, well then you'll probably be fine," Prophylaxis says with a shrug. "Unless the boss has an anti-teleportation field or something like that, but the chances of that happening are relatively slim." Of course, that's still a possibility. And... "...I'm actually particularly concerned about this one, to be honest," he says with a huff, dusting his hands off against his pants. "Whatever tore Lokk and the rest of the floor apart, it might still be here. And if that's the case, it might actually be the boss. If it is, it could be a bit more difficult than some of the others."

But does he want to duo it? Prophylaxis gives Setsuna a look.

"I won't tell you not to go scouting. Information is valuable. But I'd be setting a bad example if I went off without a decent chance of making any good mechanics prog. Can't you peek at the boss with those oracle powers of yours first?"

    Setsuna tilts his head back and forth thinking for a moment and raises his hand before tilting it side to side, " I can't see the now, and I can only see that which I am there for. I can't even tell you what you are going to have for breakfast tomorrow without you inviting me to breakfast and making it there myself. I think there are other oracles who can see the now whereever though. That's just not me. "

     Setsuna frowns a little more at the mention of anti-teleportation, "I'm not scared of death, but not quite sure what it means for them." He gestures at the monsters. " Never died with one of them in tow. As for the anti whatever fields, yeah I feel like that is a new mechanic that has started to pop up more." Setsuna thinks back to the Thor king and shakes his head of the memory. "Anti-magic fields are the worse. Given that old Hippotamus in thor kingdom can make one hasn't made me happy either."

"It is a concern, especially given how many of us in the Emblem are so reliant on magic to do much of anything," Prophylaxis frowns. He goes to rub his chin, but thinks better of it because of just how grimy his hands still are. "Mm. If they're anything like Landers... Then death might be more permanent for them than it is for us. Not that we should simply go forth and embrace our own deaths or anything. I don't want anyone forgetting what they're fighting for. Or losing themselves to The World."

That is the most important thing. If they forget why it is they fight... Then there won't even be a reason /to/ go back, will there?

"It's terrible, if you ask me. The ones who are the most driven to return home are also the ones who are at risk of losing the most," Prophylaxis shakes his head slowly. "You should take care of yourself more, Setsuna. I understand getting impatient and wanting to push, but the last thing I want is people getting themselves killed. I can heal your body, but not your mind."

Though-- Potimas being able to create anti-magic fields /is/ a concern. The doctor frowns as he considers the possibility. "...It's a shame you all didn't finish him him then. But I understand that he's somewhat more slippery than that."

    Setsuna shakes his head, " He had a damn robot of himself, I do agree it's unfortunate but I didn't see that in my box of fantasy ceral last time I looked. " Sometimes this game didn't feel exactly like a game. " Also yeah, I suggested it in my report but we need as many as possible able to fight in both environments, whether that is in an anti magic field or something where physical attacks won't work." Setsuna contemplates his own techniques for a moment having only recently even begun to have non magical defensive options. " It's not as easy as it sounds though. "

Robots in a fantasy world ARE extremely weird, that is true. But they've certainly seen their fair share of them in the tower, haven't they? Prophylaxis' brow creases contemplatively. "You've definitely got a point with that. I've actually considered picking up a few new tricks myself. Maybe after we're done with this rebuild..."

It won't be long now. Just a bit more effort and the beginnings of Lokk's rebirth will be complete.

"Definitely hard trying to build an... entire alternative moveset, though. Swapping from mage to healer and back is already hard enough when I'm juggling raid calls." Prophylaxis shrugs. "It'd be nice if we could find an anti-anti-magic field or something."

    Setsuna nods his head, " DPS role tends to be easier switching as needed. You could probably stand to pick up some way of healing without magic though, and maybe a defense or two without it as well. Ever considered good ole alchemy?" The thought of an anti-anti-magic field leaves him a shrug though, "Would probably need some form of hacking or system protection that was suited for it. I don't think anything I have access to could counter such a field, neither could anything we had with us that day which was data drain. At the same time it would also be nice if someone could create such a field then we'd be able to practice countering it."

"I actually do have non-magical in-combat healing," Prophylaxis says with a huff, EVEN THOUGH TECHNICALLY IT'S BROKEN RIGHT NOW. "/And/ non-magical debuffs. Though you're probably right about defenses. I've been relying quite a bit on my access to System Protection to shore up my lacking defense, but I'm supposed to be a squishy caster, so..."

(Not that it's much of an excuse when he's about as hard to kill as some tanks these days. Damn barrier magic.)

"But if Data Drain couldn't turn it off, then that's a concern. Or maybe it was just the wrong type of Power? If it's an effect bound to an object, then Data Drain may not be the best choice." Hacking is another story, however.

    "Are robots object or living beings? " Setsuna tosses out there as he considers his own question before shaking his head. "Either way any crazy trick they throw at us out of the tower I suspect the tower to throw at us 100 more times. So preperation to be able to handle such things is probably smart. " Taking another moment or so as he considers his own lacking of offensive capabilities. "Anyways I am going to go southeast I suppose and see what I can see. You sure you don't want to come along?"

"Uhhh good point, I think they don't count as 'alive' but they definitely count as monsters, so... Constructs should be data drainable?" Why didn't it work, then...? Weird. "That's probably true. Tell you what, I'll come along and give you some company but I don't think it's a good plan to head in without a party big enough to at least get some decent prog. We can at least scope it out and see what the arena's like and if the boss is even there. Sound good?"