Eco Warrior: Death by Pudding

The other day I was hanging around the Bastok markets taking teleport requests and waiting for a PTY invite when I notice Jprimal announcing he's looking for people to do the Eco Warrior quest so I send him a tell and join. There were almost 2 whole PTY's in an alliance, and many of the members were laughably clueless! Where's the Gusgen mines? How much longer? Can we leave yet? How'd you roll dice? What's a telepoint? I can't afford to rent a chocobo....these were all tell tale signs of doom that I got to read for aprox an hour and a half while sitting around in Bastok. Some PT members had been waiting for over 2 hrs to begin the quest!Finally we all get our chocobos (because teleporting to DEM is too easy ) and set out for the Gusgen mines in the Konschat Highlands. The alliance, now 3 full PTY's strong stopped on the bridge to N. Gustaberg and we took some pics, unforunately I couldn't get a wide angle shot but there were 18 mounted chocobos on the bridge

Basically the Eco Warrior quest is a 3 part quest, there's one in Bastok, San d'Oria, and Windurst and you earn 5k gill, 1k experience and a page from the Dragon Chronicals. For the Bastok E.W. quest we need to meet up with a Galka named Deega, a member of V.E.R.M.I.N, he'll ask if you want some sort of oil applied that will limit you to level 20. Since I'm now level 42 I had to go and buy back all my level 20 equip & a level 20 staff otherwise I'd be fighting in my jammies I don't think Jprimal was up to the task of leading 18 screaming children....how many times did I see "should I apply the ointment now?" and "how much longer?" or "Don't touch the ???" or "what's taking so long?". I just sat there and waited, and waited.....and waited for the better part of another hour! Finally the 18 of us lathered up and headed into the mines.....if you've ever seen a Capital One credit card commercial that's what we were like! Total chaos and confusion running around in the mines, stragglers getting attacked by mobs while others frantically tried to stay with the group because they didn't have the map.

After much craziness we make it to an open area with an overturned mine cart, if you target the mine cart the ??? appear "don't touch the ???" unbelievably no one activated the ??? which releases the NM we volunteered to exterminate. Just when things were looking up Jprimal, leader of 18 rag tag adventurers goes AFK and the troops staged a mutiny after waiting hours, the slim oil was wearing off and soon we would have to start all over again. So a few (most) threatened to activate the ??? and release the NM (notorious monster)....someone did and it was a total bloodbath! HP meters drained like someone poured draino in them! I gave up on saving others and tried to make my escape but the NM Pudding wasn't about to let anyone escape.....we were all doomed.