YES!!! My Catherine's a Veteran!!!

Catherine gets recognized by a Master Wizard

Yes! I have my Catherine hit Veteran status! I am so happy for this moment!!! It took me a total of 12 hours just to complete this task (with the help of EXP Boosters, of course!). This my fourth character who has reach Veteran status. Looks like the trials and tribulations were well worth the effort in getting her in this position. Now, I'll tell you the story why I was driven to make her reach Veteran.

During the course I was leveling a lot of characters at Level 72, I was advised from DeSanggria to level my Catherine to level 100 so she can help the other low leveled ones to reach higher levels in no time. Also, a long maintenance was coming up and that drove me to reach my Catherine to level 100 before the maintenance occurred. Of course, that means traversing to maps other than the Rion Dungeon Hollow. So, I warmed up Catherine in the jungles of Ustiur and evetually ended up on the first floor of the Skullic Dungeon. Those dungeons are famed for their high respawn rate which allows fast EXP allocation. On that every day, I was also doing the laundry as well. So I sometime would encounter my family dead upon checking the progress of the laundry. I started around 10 AM on that day and I even got the EXP Booster and 2 pairs of Devil Wings. I was leveling up Alana (Catherine) and Shannon (Emilia the Sage) while they were accompanied by Sabrina (Scout).

It was a pretty hectic experience while the laundry was ongoing but I was finally alleviated of my laundry duties by 6PM. For four hours, I was able to hit the target: Catherine Level 100. I broadcasted my achievement and a few players noticed it and congratulated me. I made my way back to Auch, cleared my pockets (a bit), got a Veteran scroll and promoted Catherine to Veteran. Wow... I now have my very own Veteran Catherine! *sniff* *tears of joy rolling*

Of course, I did make my ETS reach 100 as well but I didn't bother to promote her for the meantime. Well, biggest thanks to my faction mates, DeSanggria and the people who congratulated me!

From this post, I will include something extra on certain post when I have a participant:

THE 20 QUESTION CHALLENGE
really fun if you ask me! :P

To start off, my dad got this neat toy from a friend from the U.S. (called a 20Q) and so far it has guessed 90% of what I have thought of. I decided to do this challnge onto RoseChavez, a fellow faction mate. I was going to relay the questions given by the toy and he just needed to answer Yes, No, Sometimes or Unknown. So here's what happened during that time:

Q1: Is it an Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Other or Unknown?
RoseChavez: Other

Q2: Do you hold when you use it?
RoseChavez: Yes

Q3: Is it used in travel?
RoseChavez: Yes

Q4: Does it come in a box?
RoseChavez: Yes

Q5: Does it use electricity?
RoseChavez: Yes

Q6: Is it used for communication?
RoseChavez: Yes

Q7: Can you read it?
RoseChavez: Yes

Q8: Can it fit in an envelope?
RoseChavez: Yes

Q9: Can it cheer you up?
RoseChavez: Yes

Q10: Is it flexible?
RoseChavez: Yes

Q11: Does it break if dropped?
RoseChavez: Yes

Q12: Is it made from paper?
RoseChavez: No

Q13: Is it a tool?
RoseChavez: Yes

Q14: Is it flat?
RoseChavez: Yes

Q15: Can you put something into it?
RoseChavez: Yes

Q16: Is it heavier than a pound of butter?
RoseChavez: Yes

Q17: Does it weigh more than a duck?
RoseChavez: No

Q18: Is it straight?
RoseChavez: Yes

Q19: Is it comforting?
RoseChavez: Yes

Q20: Does it involve contact with other humans?
RoseChavez: Yes

The toy thinks and guesses: "Is it everything?"
RoseChavez: No

Q21: Can it bend without breaking?
RoseChavez: No

Q22: Is it usually colorful?
RoseChavez: Yes

Q23: Do you carry it in your pocket?
RoseChavez: Yes

Q24: Would you pay to use it?
RoseChavez: Yes

Q25: Is it made of metal?
RoseChavez: Sometimes

The toy makes another guess: "Is it something?"
RoseChavez: No

RoseChavez wins the challenge and he gets a prize from me! I won't tell you what it was! :P Look forward for more 20 Question Challenges in future posts! :D You might get a prize from me if you win! Also, this means I must set some rules so that the game is fair, alright? :D

The Forgotten Territory Experience

I was really tempted to use my Forgotten Territory pass since it promises good EXP. The good EXP actually comes from the heavy spawn rate the occurs in these dungeons. My original plan was to just level up Jack and Diego but looks like I decided to use my Combat Manual - Expert item along as well. I activated the both of them at December 21, 2007, 9:43 PM, GMT +8.

I started off as Celso (Gracielo), Freyja (Brunie) and Joanne (Emilia). I was really surprised on how much monsters was in these dungeons and the rate they keep coming back. I went on for a semi-24-hour marathon to level up my other characters to 48. Celso and Freyja were able to reach the goal. After that, I switched Celso and Freyja for Iqbal (Najib Sharif) and Alana (Catherine). Alana's dolls had no problem in wiping out the the room clean without the danger of dying! It got really late, so I had to get some sleep.

I logged in again right after waking up the next morning. This time, I leveled up Jacki (Adelina) and Lauryn (Grace). It was kind of tricky to grind in these dungeons because sometimes to you can't keep up with the spawn rate! My advice is that you bring a character who is capable of hitting more than one target and/or has skills that targets a good number of mobs. After that, I decided to grind Clint (Jack) and Cletus (Diego). Oh boy, it was tricky using their skills but a faction mate taught me how to utilize them for 1-spot grinding. Since the Forgotten Territory Dungeons have high mob spawns, there would be no problem in staying one spot while the structures did their job without ever having to relocate. I am thankful to have them at least reach level 16 (and above) in their skills. Now, I know what it's like to build a "fortress" with cannons and rotating blades to attack the monsters while using fences to lure them to their demise! I couldn't get them to level 48 since I was pretty worried about the supply of Soul Potions and Toolset Boxes. I ended up leveling them up to 36. My last attempt to "powerlevel" was Alphonse (Panfilo) and Syeri (Idge). I thought I couldn't make it by 9:43 PM to reach level 48 but looks like I did the (almost) impossible! I decided to hang a little longer in the Forgotten Territory Dungeon until I was booted out! Well, thanks for the fun time at FT! :D

Hmmm... It seems I'm breaking some promises here. Well, I gotta admit I got hooked into the game ever since Bahia Island's implemented. I'll list down here on what I should write next:

• Bahia Island experiences
• New characters (yes, I expanded my barracks), their names of origin and family photos
  
• Finished Claude and Najib Sharif's quests
• Reaching Level 64 (main team)
• Christmas Event
• A Granado Espada UI Skin I'm making
  
• Round up of 2007

Well, I hope I can keep my word. Oh yeah, I got a job as a call center agent as well! It means that my time playing in Granado Espada is severely affected but I need to work if I want them premium goods! That's life, guys. A guy needs to be able to stand in his own two feet soon. Thanks for reading and I'll get back on these topics (and I promise pictures!)

Time for some pics!

I have some new shots of my family at Auch. Of course, my latest addition would be Catherine!

Go ahead and click on the picture to access the album at my Multiply site. These were taken from my cousin's PC!

Well, I'm back here at my home. Looks like I got a lot of catching up to now. For an update, my main team are now at the level cap of 61. I'm also trying to level up my Catherine (Alana) in order to use her as the "powerleveling trainer" for my characters below 48. That means my Catherine should reach level 48 sooner or later.

Remember about the proposed stance I made for the next "Melee Elemental?" Here's a (poorly done) stance window I made with some photo engineering...

Image of proposed stance for the next "Melee Elemental"

Don't use this as proof of an upcoming or existing character, please. I don't like to start wild speculations.

This is all I have to say for now. Quest updates next time (I promise!). One more pic:

Don't you just miss the Escudo Pecher?

My thanks to those who helped get me a Catherine

I couldn't have finished my Catherine Quest without the help of three families namely Fiksdotter, xxxKENSHINSxxx and Mitzu.

Fiksdotter was kind enough to donate a set of parts in exchange for one Strange Clock I had. Since I'm kinda far away from getting Viki, I figure it would help my high-leveled friend in his quest to get a share of Viki. It was also the first time I met him in-game, although I met him at the Bloggers' Meeting. Plus, I was lucky to get a pelvis from a monster at the Reception Hall!

Beating up Victor was a challenge but a faction mate gave me a tip and it did help me win! I was able to get the Blue Otite Key for me to enter the Grand Library. After activating Kamen the Butler, I was able to meet Dr. Torsche (with a little surprise welcome). I eventually ended up at the point where I needed the necessary parts to get Catherine's card. That's where I started getting errr... impatient because I wanted my finish this quest. xxxKENSHINSxxx, a faction mate, heard my plea and gave me a left-arm for free. When I checked the parts, I was still missing a part: "Catherine's Left-hand."

This really ticked me off but I had no choice but to check the marketplace. They were selling it for 2.5 Million Vis! That is equal to the Vis I have in my pocket. I decided to broadcast a cheaper offer of 2 Million Vis, as the advice from a faction mate. Although I started a joke about Catherine's parts, I eventually got my desired offer from a family named Mitzu. Well, better than grinding endless at the mansion (not to mention spending 500,000 more or I'm dead broke!).

I had to be careful in making the decision because I wanted to get the Summoner Catherine. Dr. Torsche was surprised when I wanted to put a Refined Quartz as her heart. He eventually agreed and Catherine was revived, as the Marionette Summoner! I named her Alana, which is a feminine form of Alan. It's a name I tend to use when I play a female persona at times (and maybe from a female character from an old PlayStation video game called "Fighting Force"). I wanted to name her Alodia but that's crossing the line of fanboyism (I admit being a fanboy to Ms. Alodia).

Want a guide on the quest? Check this thread at Granado Espada International Fansite.