It was Monday morning I was working out of the Salvage division. My partner is Tiwaz, I'm Gertarh's Revenge and I carry a dagger.

So when Aarondar started telling Jack that they could probably go get the scalpel blade my ears perked up. Oh a lovely new dagger and a new quest. Checking my supplies I quickly restocked, purchased a life foci and made a beeline for the mansion. Recently promoted to level 110 and capable of self buffing 6's if I could stay alive this would be a cake walk.

By the time I arrived and buffed Geraden had joined the fellowship and buffing. Decades ago in another time Geraden and Jack with the help of a few friends had tried this quest with Jack managing to get separated from the group and ultimately dying before getting into the portal to the habitat cache.

So they buffed with their 7s and me any my 6s our departure was momentarily delayed as I waited to grab a few Gems of Stillness and a Healer's Heart. Incase the Olthoi swarms were untouchable by my lewt dagger skills, I could at least heal the damaged and infirmed. When all was ready, Jack used his habitat gem and summoned our transportation.

Our arrival went unnoticed as it was back in a corner up o­n a ramp ledge. But as we made our way down into the room and turned right into the area the nest was alerted to our arrival. At first it was just workers and soldiers and a few nobles in the outer corridors. At the center Virindi Executors and Observers along with a golden mutated Olthoi were waiting for us. With some fast and furious killing suddenly a white portal appeared and we left.

Only to be greeted by more Virindi o­n a mesh grating floor and four ramps down. The arrival party was cleared and as I turned to survive the ramps, wham 41 slash damage immediately followed by a toasty return to the Cragstone Lifestone. Suckered punched from below. *&%$&%, which later turned into #%^#$$^^^^%$$ when I discovered exactly how close I was to the goal. So I recalled to the mansion to quietly sit as they all got their rewards and either assembled the blade [jack] or destroyed the pieces in the attempt [dar and G, seems even with a 350 skill assembly isn't a sure thing].

After they returned, and Geraden had departed to his Dork Time haunts to kill wee babies, Jack and Dar were discussing how easy the quest was. So I asked if we three could complete it - assuming the V didn't sucker punch me again. They agreed it would be easy so I asked Tiwaz for a set of 7s for insurance and Ag Nar used his gem to summon us the dungeon portal.

A few stabs, pokes and an arrow or two later we are back in the main room - first dungeon is kind of circular with the dreaded Virindi perched upstairs firing down at us. So carefully stepping back out of their line of fire we started wasting O's and V's that ventured down, but no portal. Another wave and no portal. Hmmmm Jack and Dar's first set of buffs were getting low so we shagged it back to the arrival ledge and rebuffed.

We returned to the dungeon's center and commenced liberating bugs and Virindi from their mortal coils and after a few waves the correct V appeared, died and opened the portal to the habitat for us. Knowing my magicD was a easy pray to hidden V I quickly stepped off the mesh grill o­nto o­ne of the down ramps where I at least couldn't be sucker punched during or after the fray.

With a heal or two this time I managed to survive the arrival greeting and we walked down the ramp to see the habitat cache and its guardian mutated Olthoi. It was dispatched, I picked the cache with my lewt base 280 skill and got my scalpel parts. If you are lucky enough to assemble o­ne, it does 6-12 slashing damage.

GR