[VulpesMundi]

It seemed like a typical night, nothing particularly out of the ordinary. I was chatting on the computer with my friends while surfing the 'net, like usual. My most respected and trusted PSO friend, Wyatt, and I decided it was time to go online and play. We chose to use Saria (Wyatt's Redria FOmarl) and StarrLight (my Viridia HUnewearl). Upon reaching the lobby of the same server we use day in and day out, I made the Very Hard team for us to play on. After our usual session of shooting the bull and getting randomly disconnected (screwy US servers), we were finally ready to go.

The Ruins called our names like a song on the breeze, so we went there first, expecting nothing but to gain experience and find the usual items like DB's, Varistas, and CoLs. Just a few rooms in we had noticed something peculiar. It seemed that we were getting an unusually high amount of ?SPECIAL WEAPONs. Granted they turned out to be the expected regulars, it was still odd how many of them we were getting. Wyatt jokingly noted it was a good omen. I just laughed. And we pressed on.

About two-thirds of the way through Ruins 1 we were bombarded by an assortment of critters bent on turning us into ground chuck. StarrLight's multi-affinity Flowen's Sword cut deep into the hides of the nasties while Saria's techs blasted and froze critters left and right. In the midst of all the chaos I picked up a ?SPECIAL WEAPON gun, but it would have to wait until the final foe was felled. Finally, after minutes of fierce battle, we were victorious. It was time to breathe and examine the spoils we had grabbed, though we expected more of the same ol'.

Opening up the item menu I began looking through the goods, examining the requirements and changes in defense and luck to see what I had found. The first thing I noticed was that the ?SPECIAL WEAPON gun I picked up had an ATA requirement of 130, which I'd never seen before. Thoughts of "Kewl! I just found something I don't have!" instantly sprung into my head. But the question was what could it be? Oh the possibilities. It couldn't have been a handgun, the ATA requirement was too high. Ditto with a machinegun and a shotgun. The requirement seemed around the area to possibly be a rifle, but I noticed I could equip it though I wasn't a ranger. I was baffled. Maybe it was something really special, like a Supressed Gun or even a Holy Ray (I haven't a clue what their requirements are).

Oh the suspense was killing me. I couldn't wait any longer. I had to equip it and find out. So I pressed the magic red A button on my controller. *insert snazzy dazzle sound effect* And there it was. I could do naught but stare in awe as StarrLight held aloft the crossbow shape of the infamous SPREAD NEEDLE. Wyatt seemed equally taken aback, as all he could say for a moment was "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" over and over again. At this point I pressed the R-trigger to look at the stats. Lo and behold there was 40% Native and -10% A.Beast. Holy cow! Was this real? I could NOT get this thing to the tekker fast enough. This had to be a dream, right? Surely! But it was real. Indeed it was real. The tekker confirmed this. I was elated. A few retries of the tekker's opinion of the weapon and I managed to get the stats to a solid 50% Native while eradicating the negative to A.Beast. YES! SW33T! Not only did I find one of the more sought-after weapons, I found one with a high affinity. Imagine it. A legit Spread Needle with stats. Oh how the fortunes did smile on me.

Now reassured of my love for the game, Wyatt and I pressed onward. Weilding the effective Spread Needle in StarrLight's capable hands, we quickly made short work of anything in our path and blazed through the Ruins in record time. Even Falz didn't stand a chance, though the Spread Needle was only used for the first two phases of the battle. A good ol' Varista with a hefty dark affinity helped make short work of the third and fourth phases of the final battle.

At this point I should have called it a night and gone to sleep, but I was simply too wound up to do any such thing. Instead we decided to tackle the forest to see how effective the Spread Needle would be. Wyatt brought in another of his characters, Seraphina (Bluefull HUnewearl), and I graciously lent him the crossbow for the duration of the romp. As friends, there's no question of the integrity of our trust. And it makes me happy being able to make a friend happy.

After we annihilated the dragon, a small discussion of shop specials ensued. This led to Wyatt bringing in another of his characters, Pharaoh (Greennill HUcast), so he could get him to at least level 41 (the point at which shop specials begin to randomly appear). I once again lent him the Spread Needle and we practically flew through the Mines. By the time Vol Opt was nothing more than a pile of rubble, Pharaoh had reached level 43. More than plenty. And so Wyatt created a team for us and we went in, seeking out the Justy?23ST sold by the shop. And thus I wound up with two special items that I didn't previously have.

To make a long story short: I love the feeling I get inside, the feeling I'm still glowing with, when I've finally found something I've been searching long and arduously for. It's an intense emotional power that description fails to really explain. It's a natural high, and something I wouldn't trade for anything. I feel sorry for the cheaters/dupers/sharkers/etc. who will never truly know this wonderful feeling of accomplishment. They honestly don't know what they're missing.

I hope everyone who truly loves PSO has felt or will feel as I do today. God I love this game.

[GhoStar]

You don't read something like that everyday. In terms of how well written it was.

I suppose the only other thing left to say is... Lucky you.

[Castelak]

hehe i got a spread needle too very recently (yesterday), i knew something was up when i found 3 kaladgolgs in forest.. so i ran to ruins and right in ruins 2.... i found my spread! What a great day huh? Mine doesnt have good %s tho but whoooo cares

[zanza]

*sniff-sniff*
NOW THAT WAS A VERY WELL WRITTEN PIECE! YOU EVER THINK ABOUT JOURNALISM?
ANYWAY, I APPLAUD YOU IN YOUR VICTORY.
THAT'S WHAT HALF OF THIS GAME IS ABOUT!
(THE OTHER HALF IS MEETING/INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE.)
I REMEMBER FINDING MY FIRST UBER RARE (SOUL BANISH) AND MY MOUTH JUST DROPPED
WITH A VERY SILENT "HELL YEAH!"
I LOVE THIS GAME TOO. BUT I'LL LOVE IT MORE WHEN THE PKING IS GONE.

[wyatt]

Awesome. I bet I felt better about you finding that Needle than a duper does when he actually gets one. It's good to see someone lay out the gratification of playing pure. The most important reason for playing legit, I couldn't explain scientifically. Either they grasp it or not. I agree though bud, Viridia seems to rule. At least as far as the ID's of the characters we have. And we have all but, what, Yellowboze? No, we did have that, just erased the character. Becasue we got jack. Hmmpff. Well, I'll see you later. Good job by the way. Non-fiction is a thinking mans read. Not easy to do well.

[Deathkiller]

I have an equally interesting story to tell, but im not quite shure It can compare...

Well I was just walking trhogh the ruins 3 when i came upon a large group of enemies, much like with you, my party of 3 unremembered European guys was with me and they werte getting specials right and left, Oh shure, a Dbs saber here, a Vise Mech gun over there, nothing TOO special, but thats when i picked up an unknown item that seemed to stand out in one of the back rooms (i have been there time and time again yet have never recieved the same result) and low and behold, this item had an incrediply high power requirment, being a ranger with GOD POWER i happily equiped it and to my suprise...

It was a heaven's punnisher

Don't ask me how, i dont really know, i just took it to the tekker and got at least 60% stats on EVERYTHING... after a few haggling rounds, heh, and that was pretty much my story, i kept using grinders on it till it was a +15, (btw this was my second spread needle, and it was LEGIT, the first spread needle i got from a ranger who really seemed to like striking people with lightening an dmaking theire mag photon energy build up on its own >_> and he gave me a heavens punnisher +15 for... you ready for this? 1 MESETA... I gave him 2 parasite armors anyway just in case he was joking, but he dropped it the second the meseta hit the ground, which was quite odd...)

EITHER WAY

now ive got a spare incase i should have my first one stolen by a FRENCH guy, much like my oragito... ho humm.... only problem i has is i have to wait 100 beats to use it!