Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by GreenGoat
Raw
Avatar of GreenGoat

GreenGoat Harmless Flower Person

Member Seen 12 mos ago

[Ranger]Ari Reina Caladis(Theresa)



Dying again didn't do much to dampen her gaming high, but the messages afterwards on her feed certainly did. It was as if her chest had clumped up and sank down to her sternum, weighing heavily inside her. What could she say? She had stared at the last words on the party chat for quite a while, before simply leaving the party. Taking off the gear off her head, she laid down on her bed, hugging her fluffy pillow as she stared at nothing in particular.

There was no frenzied study of anything tonight, no looking up things she can do and perhaps make in the game world just to stand out.

Just like that, she fell asleep, a dreamless black that carried her all the way till morning.

***


Morning came and go without much ado. The usual breakfast, some bread and a mug of hot Milo, in front of the tv. Nothing interesting on all of the 4 channels, but that was all the time. By the time Theresa cleaned up and cleaned out her home, she had nothing to do again in the afternoon. Save for reading her books again, or perhaps... going back into the game.

There was both apprehension and anticipation whenever she thought about going into the game again. Perhaps she wasn't really cut out for games like these. Taking in a deep breath, she started up the gear again.

At the very least, she owe that shopkeeper an apology. And she was going to earn at least enough to pay back her debt. She didn't have a debt to Far Tung at least, so hopefully he will just forget about her if she was to stop playing.

Feeling the familiar feeling of being someone else once again, Ari opened her eyes.

She wasn't looking forwards to apologizing to the merchant, especially now that she broke one of their wares without even paying for it. Afterwards at least, she was going to need some way to crank out that much money to cover her debt.
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Yankee
Raw
Avatar of Yankee

Yankee God of Typos

Member Seen 0-24 hrs ago

aмeιa
aмeѕ
aмeѕ

HP: 610/610 - MP: 610/610 - SP: 610/610
_________________ []
_________________
The very first thing Ames did when logging in for the day was to touch her hand against the Keystone in Nyu-Taro's plaza. She refreshed herself on which of the many prerequisites she'd been looking to clear were completed, and which still needed doing. She knew that spreading herself thin like this wasn't ... "optimal," as her friends put it. Pretty much everyone she talked to during her death lock out, besides the ones that repeated "as long as you're having fun who cares what happens," advised her to choose a path and stick with it. As well as to consider what the other fellows in her party were working towards. Well, that had proven a problem so far, but hey. Third time's the charm.

"Okay, Animist is done... Ascetic needs to find a spring or something... Kegare... Kegare?!"

Ames had started off muttering to herself, but her pitch increased with the discovery that Kegare's prerequisites still weren't completed. Seriously? Killing myself didn't count? I locked myself out for nothing?! The warrior stood there fuming for a few moments. She'd really thought she could make a couple shortcuts and get everything done, but that wasn't the case. She supposed she wasn't the first to think of these kinds of strategies, and the developers accounted for them. Oh well... at least my Sunday was pretty relaxing. Plus, after chatting with Sean and a couple of his friends, even she had it drilled into her thick head to get her act together and just choose one or two goals, rather than as many as possible.

...then again. Maybe she hadn't learned her lesson. That last requirement seemed pretty easy. She'd just keep an eye on it, sure that sooner or later it would be fulfilled.

It was a shame about Bard and Exorcist. Still the later intrigued her though, so perhaps she would pick up another class in the mean time and work towards it. "Keystone, can you tell me more about..." She asked after a few different classes, getting a little description of each. You could have a couple different low rank classes at once, right? Ames nodded to herself and placed her hand on the Keystone again, claiming the [Animist] class. Her new goal was to go find the spring and pick up Acestic, then bully Lew into introducing her at the temple to work on Exorcist.

"Okay!" Ames smiled to herself and left to go pawn a couple of items from the haul last time and meet up with the others.

"Hey!" Ames approached Raime, waving a hand in the air. Today when the warrior walked, there was no jingling to accompany her steps. The already worn bells she'd bought yesterday were pocketed, for use at another time. She sported a new class in addition to a spiffy new pair of bracelets that turned from deep purple to flaming red to warm yellow depending on the way you looked at them.

Once close enough, Ames fished a particular item out from the hammerspace of her pouch and presented it to their Scout. It was a fine quality bow.

"It's not a crossbow, but do you want this? We picked it up last time. If not I'll see if Ari wants it, I know she wants to be a ninja or something but ninjas can use bows... probably. Got a couple other things for people too."

Speaking of Ari, the cat girl must have logged in recently because Ames spotted her across the plaza. She waved her arms over head to catch Ari's attention, beckoning the girl over. She looked pretty down for some reason. In fact so did Raime. Curious, Ames checked the chat.

"...seriously." She sighed and sent a message to one of their resident troublemakers.

[Ames] to [Lugh Dysphoria]: (°ㅂ°╬) cut it out and come back!

It was looking to be another session with their party split apart, but if luck was with them maybe they could avoid that.

"What's on the agenda today anyway?" Ames asked the others, "Something going on in town about an invasion? I didn't really look that much into it, asked around about the Blooming Springs instead."
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Cu Chulainn
Raw
Avatar of Cu Chulainn

Cu Chulainn nuts

Member Seen 7 days ago


HP 575/575 SP 368/368 MP 410/410


Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. Lew could not believe how woefully inefficient yesterday has been. It was all thanks to a certain player... But he wasn't upset at them, in the end. Not directly, at least. Lew was upset at himself for playing to the weaker members of his group's whims and had resolved to become stronger in order to make up that deficit. Unlike his fellows, who had all surpassed him, Lew had spent the rest of his Sunday night becoming stronger mentally. He had obtained the necessary knowledge of all the paths that lay before him, and he knew just what he needed to accomplish exactly what he wanted. Whatever that path may be, however, he needed to be recognized by a clan. There was strength and resources to be obtained with larger numbers. Without sticking his nose too deep into this world's politics, there was one place he had to go to first, and then...

"I'm going to join a clan, but I must consult the members of my faith, first." Lew spoke aloud to his companions while still in talking distance, his back turned away from them. There weren't much times when Lew spoke in such a dramatic rhetoric, but the times when he had weren't that pleasant. "Once that is complete, I plan to walk the bloodied path to earn recognition. In other words, I plan to PvP. Join me, or suffer in solidarity."

Lew then marched on to his temple, ignoring the pleas of his friends and the pings on his Discord. Between the Tato-Ie and the Mora-Sho, Lew cared about neither aside from the fact that they will both be more active in the war to come. Aware that the Shin-Yu would mostly remain a neutral entity with some ties to the San-Li, Lew desired to seek out any members from the other factions of the war to ask of their clan's stance, and how to gain membership and recognition from their leaders. Lew did not care about the clan his allies chose to pick or not, but this was not out of malice or a lack of cooperation. In the end, it was just a game, and from what Lew understands, all he's really doing is picking a color.
Hidden 3 yrs ago 3 yrs ago Post by Searat
Raw
Avatar of Searat

Searat The Aqueous Rodent

Member Seen 1 yr ago


HP: 320/320 | MP: 336/336 | SP: 682/682




Regardless of what information he had gathered from his passive eavesdropping, Raime couldn't ignore the red-headed warrior that wore a set of bangles that produced colorful flames continuously. It was undoubtedly cool looking but it didn't fit that well with her 'hooded knight' aesthetic, but that was just his personal opinion on the matter. It was around this time that he noticed that Lugh spawn in the plaza but kept his distance from them. He only kept within earshot and said his piece. Whatever happened to him yesterday with Ari must have been pretty bad if he was going full edgelord on them.

Raymond winced slightly at the dark-haired man's words but didn't make an attempt to stop him from leaving. "Be seeing you then and stay safe, yeah?" Only opting to wave him off as he disappeared in the sea of Immortals and Rien. He couldn't offer much help anyway to the younger man's venting other than letting him do so and wishing him the best. Unintentionally breaking the dour mood of the situation with a display of generosity and compassion, Ames fished something out of her pouch and offered it to the sitting scout. It was a rather nice looking weapon. A short bow to be specific. "Thank you, Ames. You are very kind. I'll be sure to buy a quiver of arrows to make use of it." Raime said as he put away his light crossbow and took the bow from Ames. Upon holding the bow, he felt an uncanny familiarity with it despite his inexperience with it in real life. His passive skill was likely taking effect as the bow felt like an extension of himself right off the bat without any prior use or practice.

His admiration of the bow was interrupted by the warrior asking for today's itinerary. "Preferably? We do some quests to get money and gain levels. This shouldn't be a problem considering the quest board has been overflowing with jobs as of late due to the threat of war coming to Horogi. People say that the Tato-le Clan will invade in a week's time and we'll be smackdab in the middle of the battlefield. So other than doing quests and leveling up, I suggest we all prepare for that war. Cause I can't be the only one who doesn't like the idea of being caught in that shitstorm with our pants down."









Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by OwO
Raw
Avatar of OwO

OwO what's this?

Member Seen 0-24 hrs ago

Lv. 29
HP: 253/506 SP: 450/450 MP: 30/30
(400) + 60 + 10% (400) + 50 + 0% (30) + 0 + 0%
STR – 156 (130) + 5 + 15% | AGI – 61 (50) + 5 + 10% | END – 63 (50) + 10 + 5% | DEX – 50 (50) | LUC – 39 (29) + 10


While her legs were still barren, Mags looked much more like a geared out fighter now. While not exactly geared out like a master brawler, it was a marked improvement from before when most of her items gave no stats. Not aesthetically, though. Mags was firmly in leveling gear territory now. As cool as the bangles were, they didn't exactly work incredibly well with her play style of throwing shit at people. 100 health was a lot to pay.

So she subsequently went to pay 253 HP at all times to wear a battle mask on top of her head. What did it give her? Stats at 5% SP a turn, something she didn't need unless she was in a fight. Well, if she ever needed to strength check something, she could just pummel her own face in until she got that juicy +40 STR.

Her time off the game wasn't exactly of note. For someone who spent most of her available free time on MMOs, her time off the game could only be one of two things: familial obligation or work. It was work this time and her work was boring.

She did end up checking the keystone again to see what prereqs she filled out. After all, she was getting close to 50 and she still hadn't decided on what class she wanted to take after that. Maybe she'd investigate what the coin was. Ask the shaolin or whatever they were renamed in this world. They'd probably have a decent idea on what a coin given out by a martial arts frog would be.

What she did notice, however, was that she died. She hadn't been locked out, so she thought. Mags only thought was that she had an ego death from something... Probably something she ate. Or smoked. Or attempted to boof. One of the three. Ames would probably want to know that she didn't have to kill herself, probably. She just had to... do one of those.

She eventually found the group and approached. Her entrance was compounded by the fact that she slapped Ames on the back and shouted out her discovery.

"Ay Ames! Ya didn't actually have to kill yourself! Smoking that ass hash gave us an ego death that counted." She was about as enthusiastic as someone who finally got back to gaming after working could be.

After looking around, she noticed two people weren't even close to the plaza.

"Did Lugh and Ari split the party again? Eh, doesn't matter. You and me. We're the only ones around here that aren't complete fools." She went to look at Raime. "Quote doesn't work if I count you. You are now legally a fool."

On her docket was asking the monks about the coin and figuring out what to do about the conflict. The latter she'd do with the group. The former she'd do alone.
1x Like Like
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Psyker Landshark
Raw
Avatar of Psyker Landshark

Psyker Landshark return to monke

Member Seen 2 hrs ago

Amulak al Acturus (Stanislaw)
HP:1000/1000 MP:1200/1200 SP: 180/180





Yesterday had been a nice, productive day in the cyberworld. Today was looking promising already in an entirely different virtual arena. Stanislaw grinned to himself as the markets closed for the day with his investment portfolio on the rise. Perfect. Even if it just held steady from here on, those would be some juicy dividends paid out this year.

But now with money-making done for the day, he could stop getting that bread and...get that other bread. Whatever. Metaphors were bullshit anyways. Downing the last of his coffee, Stanislaw leaned back in his office chair and put his FDD on, ready for a nice, productive evening of grinding.

___

Amulak took some time before meeting up with the others to catch up on current events. Hoooo, boy. War, huh? Just by bias for necromancers alone, he was inclined towards the Mora-Sho. But the others might not be so willing to join up with a losing cause. If they wanted to join up at all. Hell, he wasn't quite sure if he wanted to, either. His level was still low, and his gear wasn't great. He'd be nothing but fodder for any high-level players that decided they wanted a piece of the action. Still, best to discuss it with the others first and see where they stood.

___

Great, Lew was being...Lew again. Amulak simply rolled his eyes as the roleplaying weeb dramatically marched off to do whatever the fuck, and turned to the rest of the group gathered at the plaza.

"Okay, Lew is being very cringe again. So his opinion on what we do not count, yes?" He then turned to Mags, having caught her statement. "Oi, I am fool now? Mags, this hurts deep. You injure my poor heart more than years of Starcraft do." Amulak grinned, clearly not serious.

"In any case, big question: war coming, what we want to do? I like necromancer, so I like Mora-Sho. However, I do not like being low level in PvP because players who have been playing longer than a week will kill us very hard. Likely best for everyone involved if we just try to grind levels and milk money out of war. Fence-sitting for levels and profit, yes?"
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Shovel
Raw
Avatar of Shovel

Shovel A Shovel is typing!

Member Seen 3 days ago

Klein

HP 400/400 SP 300/300 MP 0/0




Klein can't move.

He can't dodge. He can't hide.

He can't even force quit.

Watching as the goblins pin him down with arrow, Klein couldn't help but to cringe at his situation. He should have been able to respond to that, but all Klein was able to do was watching himself slowly devour by the green goblins. These goblins were barely level 1 or 2 judging from their gears. Their heights equivalent to an eight or nine years old child, barely reaching his kneecaps. And that what's make its so embarrassing.

He spent four hours... He spend another twenty minutes to drag this tree. He spend all his money for the hatchet.

He wanted to cry for god sake. Like would someone just killed him already?

"What the actual fuck?" Klein shouted from the top of his lungs to no avail. And despite all his resistance, if he even manage to move at that point, Klein felt his gears being taken down as the goblins sliced his ankles for easier access... These gremlins, with their filthy fingernails... Their laughs and the way they speaks... Was so infuriating for Klein that in his attempt to hide from such embarrassment, he opened the option menu and turn off the main voice. This was super ineffective.

He watched these things slices his throat twice, felt the pain of having open wounds being applied for his passive to pop off, only for his throat to be slit 4 more times.

Finally, with a frustrated sigh, he welcomed the black screen. His head shaking from side to side, trying to process what the actual fuck just happened as he disappear into

You've died. Respawn in 23:59:48.




It took Klein the next day to finally calm down after spamming the report button and venting his frustration up with almost any social platforms known to men. But, the snooping around also brought his attention to the next event.

"A Guild war huh?" Klein mumbled to himself before logging on to Discord to see if anyone is willing to do some duo grinding with him. He had wasted so many times. With his normal grind, Klein should have been at least level 30 by now. Yet, here he is...



"I mean, if I have to consider...I think I will have to go with the Tanto here. They clearly have the advantage in smithing. And their lore clearly giving hints about them as some kind of conquerer. Maybe they can provide me with free gears..." Klein said, motioning his hands up and down against his barren body, equip with nothing but sticks and stones hang to the side he pick up from the river outside.

"But that is like 4 months away? I think I can get at least max level if we grind like 3 hours everyday." Klein suggest. Heck, if things goes smooth and they consistently fight against higher level enemies, they maybe even get a second class.
Hidden 3 yrs ago 3 yrs ago Post by ERode
Raw
GM
Avatar of ERode

ERode Odd One Out

Member Seen 15 min ago

With the few minutes he had before the others logged in, Raime’s attempts at spying didn’t gain him any new information but did give him a general clue as to the opinion of the players around the Keystone. The general opinion seemed to be split between two factors: whether to support the pre-battle efforts only, or to participate in the main battle itself as well. The Tato-Ie’s call for mercenaries to protect their home city seemed unattractive for most players; though it offered good pay for potentially little work, no one was particularly interested in doing guard work. After all, if you’re just standing there, you’re not earning EXP. And if it turns out that the Ryoku-Jo were set on invading after all, the battle would be brutal, tougher than what any player low-leveled enough to be unaffiliated with any clan could hope to really survive. There was the Flamebringer Princess to fear, sure, but for large-scale conflicts, the Ryoku-Jo clan also held the loyalty of the wide-spread annihilation specialist, the Hero of Hell.

Compared to those two, as well as the main force of steampunk samurai Riens that the Ryoku-Ko trained, it was a much better prospect to work as escorts for merchant caravans headed to the Mora-Sho or Tato-Ie city-states instead. Perhaps bandits and monsters may pop up, but such encounters were more in the vein of what newcomer Immortals were accustomed to. It was even more lucrative to join the Mora-Sho as mercenaries, leeching EXP from a theater and fulfilling requirements for classes without really risking the chance of getting absolutely BTFO’d by Superiors. Many were doubting, really, that the Tato-Ie clan planned to go with a full-on invasion, despite what they claimed. It was more likely a show of strength, to convince with the promise of more military force that it would be better for the Mora-Sho clan to become vassals, rather than for the city-state to be seized by force.

Or well, maybe that was just the thoughts of an opinionated Immortal that Raime had eavesdropped on.

Ames’s quest for the location of the Blooming Springs was much more straightforward, answers gained just by asking a stranger a random question. Despite being along the Pearl Bloom River, the Springs was a proper geothermal spring atop of a hill that the river below snaked around. Though it had once been treated as a pilgrimage site, there was a small village around it now, and the spring was its main attraction: for the low, low price of 800 rishi, you could enjoy an open-air bath in mineral-rich waters that would do anything from improve your skin to give you better luck with your love life. Seemed like a popular spot for couples, and they rented out robes for those more shy about bathing outdoors in the nude. Though you could walk and kill monsters along the way, rickshaw drivers could take you along properly paved roads too, delivering you to the onsen town in just ten minutes…so long as you paid a fee, of course.

As for what the group would do though…well, some more conversation and information-gathering may give them a more unified goal. If not, there was always the trusty option of splitting up to pursue individual desires once more.
@Shovel@Searat@Psyker Landshark@OwO@Yankee

It was sorta funny that Ari was better at dodging her friends than dodging death. Though Ames had caught a glimpse of her, all it took was a few steps back into the crowds of Immortals, and then a burst of speed, to disappear from the red-headed warrior’s sight. Maybe there would be a future where she could party happily with her online friends…but maybe, considering her current achievements, that would only be possible in VR Minecraft. And only Raime would really play such a boomer game when Cacophony Concord was an option.

Before Ari could tunnel too far into her thoughts, however, she realized that someone was standing in front of her.

A tall woman with flowing, purple hair and a pale complexion beamed down on her. Her white swallowtail suit, an anachronism in the pseudo-Asian nation of Horogi, was embroidered with silver threads, depicting motifs of the moon and swallows, and her bold eyebrows framed her hawk-like red eyes. One hand was placed on her hip, while the other held a business card out for Ari to take. “You’re the sewer diver, aren’tcha?” she asked, a bright smile on her face. “Zhi-Toren Dani, on-field contributor to Cacophony Concord Connect, Horogi division. I’m sure you’ve heard of us before. Let’s have a chat, eh? Over…hm, pancakes and tea?”
@Greengoat

Nyu-Taro’s neutrality was founded in the fact that all five clans had influence and power here and kept each other in check for the sake of ensuring that there was no unbalanced distribution of Immortals. As such, it was a simple task for Lugh to find the recruiting offices of each clan. They were all lined up, conveniently enough, just a couple blocks west of the Keystone plaza, with plenty of posters and Rien workers advertising the benefits that came with joining any respective clan. The Ryoku-Jo, with their recent victory in the Rinkan Annihilation Tournament, of course advertised themselves as the strongest clan in Horogi, backed up by foreign powers and wielding the hammer of progress, but others weren’t far off either. Certainly, conflicts between the clans and their city-states could get intensely violent at times, but here…it almost felt like Clubs Day in university, where people tried to pull in new members with the promise of incentives or exultations of past achievements.

As for the application themselves, however, it seemed to be a relatively simple process. You would file the paperwork necessary to join the clan as a low-ranking member, and from there own a sigil that marked you as a member of that clan. With that sigil, one could travel to any village, town, or city affiliated with the clan in question, and be treated in accordance to your rank, as well as gain access to employment specific to those regions. There would be reparations made if an Immortal wished to leave a clan though, with the reparations growing greater and greater depending on the rank that you were within the clan. Improving your standing within the clan could be done fairly steadily, of course, just by doing quests and participating in clan-level conflicts. Joining guilds becomes a clan-specific affair, however, and for those who are still not certain about whether they wanted to stick with the clan or not, it was always possible to simply refuse an improvement in their ranks.

Recognition from the clan heads, as well as the upper-level Riens who do the administrative and real political work of running the city-state and vassal states, however, is a different aspect altogether. Though Immortals are able to gain fame and wealth through combat or production, the nature of ‘ranking up’ is automated or delegated to lesser officials. Only exceptional cases, such as the Superiors, would actively be in contact with the clan head and their family. Thankfully, for those who wish to become Samurai, the recognition of lesser houses are often enough. It’s rare that Immortals with the class of ‘Samurai’ hold vows of devotion to specific Rien nobility, after all.

Interestingly enough, the system of ‘ranks’ and ‘reparations’ does not exist for the Gakui-Re Clan. Whether it’s due to the freedom they espouse or to the lack of a proper city-state to call their own, joining and leaving the clan seems to be the simplest, and conversely the most problematic. Without rules established, who knows how traitors would be treated, especially when those you’ve left are just as Immortal as you?

Needless to say, it’s advised to leave one’s clan on amiable terms whenever possible.
@Cu Chulainn
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by GreenGoat
Raw
Avatar of GreenGoat

GreenGoat Harmless Flower Person

Member Seen 12 mos ago

[Ranger]Ari Reina Caladis(Theresa)



"Geh!"

Her surprise was almost immediately drowned by embarrassment after the woman spoke. Sewer diver? Ari sniffed at herself, wondering if the benefits of being Immortal doesn't extend to not having to take a bath. Would she need to go to the toilet if she were to stay in the game longer than a day?

"Is...is that what my reputation is?"

Sorry but I'm busy, was what she wanted to say. But she wasn't really in any hurry to meet that merchant again. At the very least, she could just listen to what this person was going to say, instead of just rudely brushing them off.

"I've got time. I've never heard of your company though."

At least, she assumed it was a company, considering how they dressed and the way they said division. Foreign clothing were often traded after all, and sometimes were seen as a sign of wealth. It certainly stands out among the masses here.
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Searat
Raw
Avatar of Searat

Searat The Aqueous Rodent

Member Seen 1 yr ago


HP: 320/320 | MP: 336/336 | SP: 682/682




The scout goodnaturedly rolled his eyes at Mags' comment while listening in on the suggestions regarding their plan of action before the war between the two clans began. "True. We ought to reach our respective class' level cap before we do anything else. Farm or buy better equipment in the process. As far as I know, we still haven't finished the Thunderstruck Grove quests. So I suggest we do so by day's end. I suggest we all go for a quick supply run and then get going." If there were no questions or objections on the matter, Raime would go exchange his 14 silver into Rishi. Before finding an apothecary and sell all his collected herbs save for the Pearl Clovers. Then finally buying the following items:
  • a quiver of standard arrows
  • 5 common offensive consumables
  • 5 common defensive consumables and
  • 10 common support consumables.

While doing this, the talk of Ryoku-Jo's steampunk samurais lingered in the scout's head. He was hoping to hold off making ties and bonds to groups before he reached Alderamin for the purpose of his mech piloting dreams...but the mental image of himself in a badass exo-suit kept worming into his thoughts. Tempting him immensely. As if that was not enough temptation, he also overheard that those steampunk samurais wielded chainswords. Access to genuine honest to God semi-modern technology.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Raime decided this was a crucial part of his dream. Joining Ryoku-Jo will be an integral part of his path to mech-piloting.









Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Cu Chulainn
Raw
Avatar of Cu Chulainn

Cu Chulainn nuts

Member Seen 7 days ago


HP 575/575 SP 368/368 MP 410/410


Lew considered his choices for a moment, staring at each of the recruitment offices. He was about to make a choice that would kickstart his career in a certain direction. While he initially considered contacting his friends for advice, he knew that he could switch out at a later date if they all wished to form a guild. Sure, it would not be an easy endeavor, but the possibility was still open. And after all, Lew still could not bear to face them. He's tired of teaching noobs how to play, and if they won't get their composition in order, he will not adventure with them for the time being.

As far as Lew's class prospects were concerned, following the route of a warrior-priest was still on his agenda, with plans to become an Exorcist and a Kekkaishi soon after. The ability to disable and contain monster girls for his viewing pleasure was far too tempting to pass off. However, it seemed as if Lew required a proper martial class to allow him to reach his goal effectively. As much as he had gotten used to Warrior's attack patterns, he was not a fan of the inefficiency that Power Attack introduced into his tactics. Perhaps if there was an easily accessible way for him to charge it faster or allow him to perform other actions whilst charging it, he would reconsider retaining it. For now, however, he would instead seek out a different class that would allow him to do what he wished.

There were two paths in mind for Lew. One was the path of the Sohei, a path that would allow him to more easily make up for the Exorcist's apparent SP deficit. While it wasn't quite suited for tanking, that seemed to not matter given the new shape his party was taking. The only issue was he would need to become a Monk first, which would likely slow down his progression. In that same vein, perhaps a Monk would give him a new baseline class to get used to? And he didn't have a cool katana yet as well, so perhaps unarmed combat would be a suitable alternative for a swordless wanderer like himself.

The second option was one that was much faster, and more complementary to his stats. By becoming a Samurai, Lew would more easily keep his main tank strat while also controlling the field more easily. The Samurai also seemed to encourage using a variety of different weapons, something Lew was interested in given the potential synergies between the class's branches and his nuclei. Blades, bows, and perhaps spears would serve as a proper triad of weapons to cycle through to fit a variety of situations. More importantly, the Samurai and the Kekkaishi seemed to synergize surprisingly well in theory. Create barriers around the field to tunnel lesser enemies in, then utilize the Samurai's kiai to keep them pinned. A tempting proposition to be sure.

Whatever his choice may be, it was clear to Lew that there was one clan that would allow him to meet his prerequisites. For both Samurai and Sohei, recognition from an influential Rien was required. Seeing as Lew had already built himself a reputation in the Shin-Yu Temple, the best choice would be for him to join the clan that respected the religious rites of Horogi the most. A clan that respects both spiritualism and martial arts, so that Lew may continue to grow stronger.

Lew had made his way to the San-Li recruitment office, eager to raise his standing, his power. To become stronger not out of ambition, but out of a single-minded thirst to look at monster girls.
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Yankee
Raw
Avatar of Yankee

Yankee God of Typos

Member Seen 0-24 hrs ago

aмeιa
aмeѕ
aмeѕ

HP: 610/610 - MP: 610/610 - SP: 610/610
_________________ []
_________________
Well it seemed luck was not on their side today. Ari had run away and Lew had, effectively, also run away. At least Magpie, who Ames had initially pegged as one to go and do their own thing and the consequences be damned, was still around. The warrior stumbled forward slightly at the girl's heavy greeting, but she did give her a grin in return, even if it was tinted by annoyance at the whole killing herself thing be brought up again.

"Yeah, thanks," she sighed, but she was over it now. Mostly. Mags' words helped, because it was true that just the two of them had gotten a lot done the other day. Add Amulak joining them later and they'd made a pretty good team. Now today they had four, still plenty even without Lew and Ari.

Make that five, as Klein appeared shortly after to give his opinion about the coming war. "It's not four months, it's like in a week," Ames corrected, although she paused just after speaking, gears clearly turning in her head. "Um, a week in-game time, I think?

Anyway, I agree with all of you. Definitely don't wanna get caught in the middle and griefed."
If Ames looked a little proud of herself about using some terminology she'd recently picked up, well, who could say. "I'm good with doing quests and leveling up. For the clans or whatever... to be honest I don't know that much info about them, only basic stuff. I kind of like Mora-Sho too, they're like underdogs, even if necromancers are kind of creepy... no offense," she smiled at Amulak.

"But! For now, grinding. I wanna work towards another class connected to that temple, but no rush. Also, since one of the other requirements I'm looking to do is go to the Blooming Springs, maybe we could head there are at the end of the night? It's a hot spring, might be nice to end on a relaxing note like that."

She hoped they agreed to that plan, it sounded like a fun time and a good note to end on if they were going to be busy fighting stuff all day first. "Oh, yeah. Here are the extra items from last time if anyone is interested in these too." Ames presented the helm and wig to those that hadn't been with them, and as usual they'd be pawned if no one wanted them.
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by OwO
Raw
Avatar of OwO

OwO what's this?

Member Seen 0-24 hrs ago

Lv. 40
HP: 253/506 SP: 450/450 MP: 30/30
(400) + 60 + 10% (400) + 50 + 0% (30) + 0 + 0%
STR – 156 (130) + 5 + 15% | AGI – 61 (50) + 5 + 10% | END – 63 (50) + 10 + 5% | DEX – 50 (50) | LUC – 39 (29) + 10


"My docket is pretty firmly in the follow-others camp." Really, Mags was the type of person to march to her own drum. However, she was also someone who enjoyed playing with friends. Until the next oddity caught her eye, she'd continue helping her friends. Well, as much help as she could be. After all, someone who started street fights to min-max and cheese class requirements was someone a little too driven. "If we have some downtime, I'm going to ask some monks about a coin."

"Bet we end up killing Lugh in this event."
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Shovel
Raw
Avatar of Shovel

Shovel A Shovel is typing!

Member Seen 3 days ago

Klein

HP 400/400 SP 300/300 MP 0/0




Wait. So it's not four months, but a week? And not even a real life week, it is like 3 days? Amazed by the statement of his comrades, the switch in Klein's brain just went from "for fun" to "try hard." Initially, his purpose playing this game was to kickstart another series of walkthrough on his stream. Those with the "Max Title visiting the Starter Spawn" usually gain a lot of viewership. But more importantly is that there is an event happening soon.

"Wait. We are wasting precious time then. Like I don't know about you guys but I'm fulling intend to gain second class in two days... So, we are heading to Spring Blossom yes?" Klein urged, eagerly to just head out and get xp. He could spend sometimes later to find items. Now, getting second class is top priority.

Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by ERode
Raw
GM
Avatar of ERode

ERode Odd One Out

Member Seen 15 min ago

Some quick shopping and selling later, and Raime made 300 rishi off the thirty herbs he sold. It turned out that the herbs he picked during his quick stint of gathering three in-game days ago weren’t actually all that valuable. They went for 10 rishi a pop, and while such an exchange rate may be enough for a street urchin to make a living, it certainly wasn’t enough to fuel the violent obsessions of an Immortal adventurer. An unknown number of indistinct consumables with vaguely uncertain effects was easy enough to pick up in the area, however. Though the Keystone Plaza itself was largely bereft of vendors, surrounding areas had plenty of merchants plying simple gears and good for the monster slayers that so often congregate here.

No one else was particularly interested in shopping though, not with a large-scale battle on the horizon. Though Ames appeared ambivalent, Klein had glorious plans of power-farming while Amulak was looking at the possibility of his top-pick clan being straight-up wiped out within just a week, and with that, the party of five strode off northwards, into the Thunderstruck Grove once more. Some of them were stronger than before, while others were simply better-equipped, but they all had one goal as they stepped into the confounding mists of these godless lands.

Kill shit and get swole.

And as if reading their intent, the mists parted with their own answer to the party’s bloodlust. Five oni, paler-skinned than the ones that Ames and Magpie encountered, were crouched over a bus-sized phantasmal bull, tearing into the dead creature hungrily. Wounds, wounds that would have been fatal on a normal human being, could clearly be seen on the burly monsters, but they kept eating regardless, cracking ribs and slurping up organs ravenously.

None of them seemed to have any weapons nearby, and the party had the advantage of surprise…

…but maybe it was time for another dance-off?
@Shovel@Searat@Psyker Landshark@OwO@Yankee

“Don’t worry,” Zhi-Toren laughed, taking Ari by the wrist. “Your escapades aren’t exactly well-known, and that’s why I’m here!” With that, the woman pulled Ari off into the side-streets of Nyu-Taro, her grip gentle yet inescapable. The two crossed through various little shops and restaurants, the density of individuals on the road thinning out as they travelled further and further into the more residential-esque areas of the city-state, before they finally stopped in front of one particular shop.

In bold, Western-style font, a sign read ‘Estelle Café’, featuring a steel-and-glass storefront that looked like a modern anachronism beside the more traditional storefronts around it. The building was three stories tall, enough so to stand above the neighbouring buildings as well, and the doorman, dressed in what looked to be a mascot cow, made a vaguely friendly, vaguely disgusting ‘moo’ as they energetically opened the door. The interior of Estelle Café was similarly anachronistic, brightly lit with popped plants, framed paintings of various desserts, and multi-colored floor tiles that clicked satisfyingly when you stepped over them.

“Two milk teas and your fruit parfait pancake tower,” the suited woman called out to the cashier. “With sugar on the side! Extra tapioca too!”

“Haiyo!” was the energetic response.

Zhi-Toren brought Ari up to the third floor of the building, where the windows shed unobstructed light and the tables were wholly empty. She sat down at one of the tables, elbows leaning against the clouded-glass surface, and said, “Anyhow, surprised you don't know anything about CCC, but hey, no biggie. We're a wiki, really. Gather up info in-game. Sell what's important and publish what's not, both online and in-game. Pretty profitable, really. But that's a lot about me, and I'm really rather interested in you. You’ve been heading into the sewers, Ari. You’ve also been dying in the sewers. Brought yourself a friend the second time, and they died too. Why is that?”
@Greengoat

A Rien (at least, they dressed like a Rien) stood behind the counter of the San-Li recruitment office. Like many others, there was no door for Lugh to pull, push, or slide open, and it was immediately obvious what the clan had to offer. Stunning vistas of rivers and waterfalls, glorious karsts shrouded in cloud, and port cities extending towards a shimmering ocean, the natural beauty of the San-Li clan’s territory made it look almost like a vacation dream spot. Of course, natural beauty was present in the wall-scrolls of the individuals present as well. Depicted in minimalist silhouettes were individuals known as ‘The Art’, ‘Ancestral Kensei’, and ‘Honored One’, the Superiors known collectively as the Three Peaks of the San-Li. Of course, Lugh wouldn’t have any real inkling of a clue as to who they were, but certainly, it seemed as if they were prominent individuals to show up as advertisement in the recruiting offices. The Ryoku-Jo and the Tato-Ie did something similar, after all, and if nothing else, the Flamebringer Princess had been instantly recognizable to Lugh as he passed by.

The Mora-Sho had been the outlier then, seeming to advertise their ruling family instead of any powerful Immortals in their ranks.

As Lugh approached, the Rien straightened her back and put on a smile. “Welcome to the San-Li clan registration office,” she said, pulling a strand of hair away from her glasses. “Do you have any questions, or would you like to register immediately, sir? The current situation has caused some transportation issues recently, but we’ll still be able to arrange for transport to the closest San-Li-affiliated station within the hour.”

It was almost unnervingly modern, the way she spoke. But perhaps this was just put in here to simplify the process for players? After all, while Lugh was the only Immortal here present at the moment, there were still at least a hundred other Immortals milling about in the area.
@Cu Chulainn
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by GreenGoat
Raw
Avatar of GreenGoat

GreenGoat Harmless Flower Person

Member Seen 12 mos ago

[Ranger]Ari Reina Caladis(Theresa)



There was but mild curiosity when she was dragged away by Zhi-Toren, but it slowly turned to dread as the areas around her changed more and more into what seemed to be homes. Places where people live in, and maintain a semblance of normalcy compared to the organized chaos that was the areas of the town she had been to. Worse, she was brought to a rather respectable looking shop that wouldn't look out of place in a big mall.

Was her tail dusty? Did she even comb her hair? The rough paths she had went through did no service to her clothing, but it was alright as long as she was in the town with the other Immortals who wore more outlandish garbs with various signs of travel and weather on them. Here she felt like she should be in at least a modest sundress, or a decent jeans and vest combo.

Her tail twitched erratically as she sat down at the table, more nervous than anything now, though her ears did twitch slightly on hearing what Zhi ordered.

"Ah, about that... I..." Ari scratched her head at the question. "The first was me underestimating the area, and the second, was being caught wholly off guard by the place. Ah... I've still not entered the palace yet. With such an important looking bell on it, I think there'd be an awesome event if I rang it a few times."
Hidden 3 yrs ago 3 yrs ago Post by OwO
Raw
Avatar of OwO

OwO what's this?

Member Seen 0-24 hrs ago

Lv. 40
HP: 253/506 SP: 450/450 MP: 30/30
(400) + 60 + 10% (400) + 50 + 0% (30) + 0 + 0%
STR – 156 (130) + 5 + 15% | AGI – 61 (50) + 5 + 10% | END – 63 (50) + 10 + 5% | DEX – 50 (50) | LUC – 39 (29) + 10


Now back in the Thunderstruck Grove, Mags--alongside a light party this time around--managed to find herself in a familiar scene. Momentarily hidden from a pack of oni who had completed a hunt. Instantly, she began to whisper orders to the others. Not out of leadership, however. More out of a general malice towards the concept of organization.

"Klein," she began as she turned to him, "86 on my lead and pop 'em." She turned to the remaining two IRL-men in the party."Raime, approach and take the juicers. Amulak, don't let Raime take the juicers."

Finally, she turned to Ames: "After all we've been though, am I really going to attack these oni?" Before Ames (or any of the party, really) could respond, Mags was already charging the oni by herself. She had a basic idea in her mind of the impending fight. She'd punch the shit out of one of them. That was her true master plan.

Choosing the closest one, Mags went for a flurry of blows. Well, it was the Power Hour and she unloaded every bit of her SP into the attack. Every single ounce. All 100% for 20 punches. She could probably generate enough SP afterwards so it wasn't a horrible idea. Probably.
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Searat
Raw
Avatar of Searat

Searat The Aqueous Rodent

Member Seen 1 yr ago


HP: 320/320 | MP: 336/336 | SP: 682/682




Raime was a little disheartened by how few supplies he was able to purchase. At least the apothecary was kind enough to explain that the herbs he had harvested were pretty common and didn't fetch a high price. Regardless, his pocket was considerably lighter now and he had fourteen vials of instant-healing juice. Now he can finally actually play the role of support aside from being the ranged physical DPS. Good thing too, as the rest didn't need to shop for supplies as he did and were ready to go back to the grove.

Admittedly, navigating the area the second time was less difficult than that of yesterday's journey. They even managed to spot five pale heavily damaged onis distracted by their gorging on the animal carcass. Mags whispered orders and bolted off without a second notice. "...just call me out if you need quick healing." The scout said to the rest of the party before following their foolhardy leader headlong into the fight.

Engaging the oni and activating [Zoned In], the scout turned human rocket took advantage of the surprise attack and slowed perception of time by taking potshots at the unsuspecting five's knee joints with his newly acquired bow, aiming to harm and disable their movements to further give the melee-oriented characters advantage.









Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Psyker Landshark
Raw
Avatar of Psyker Landshark

Psyker Landshark return to monke

Member Seen 2 hrs ago

Amulak al Acturus (Stanislaw)
HP:1000/1000 MP:1440/1440 SP: 216/216





As much as Amulak would have liked to test out his new Nuclei, he'd sort of forgotten to bring it up with the rest of his friends. Considering Weishaupt needed a "willing" host, he would've had to explain the creepy burrowing centipede first and that it needed to go inside them for full effect. An awkward conversation that'd be best put off for when they weren't in the field.

Mags whispered orders to them, but considering the contradictory nature of what she'd said to both him and Raime, he was just going to blow it off as a joke and do his own thing. Five more levels to go until he could start pumping Necromancer. Oh, was he motivated to waste these Oni.

It was in the interest of convenience that he decided to just go apeshit with the AoE spells from the start. Screw it. He had more MP than ever, and enough regen to sustain it for a while.

"Give me XP stupid fucks I want to summon skeletons," Amulak chanted ten words, conjuring a Mana Boosted Arcane Vortex smack dab in the middle of the crowd of five Oni.

(-120 MP)
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by ERode
Raw
GM
Avatar of ERode

ERode Odd One Out

Member Seen 15 min ago

Swift as a raging fire, Magpie launched herself across the grove, fists up as the warmth in her stomach surged out to the rest of her body. In an instant, her fists were aglow with white light and she unleashed a flurry of blows so swift that even Raime, with his buff activated, could only see the afterimages of her swinging fists. Before any of the oni could turn around, twenty scorchmarks emerged on the back of the biggest of them, pulverizing flesh and crushing organs. Like smacking a tank of water that was already leaking, Magpie pounded more blood out of the fresh wounds of the oni. Viscous, black blood splattered out with a decaying stench that caused her nose to wrinkle, so potent the pungency was. But Magpie was already in it!

It was showtime, baby!

With a gurgling roar, the oni whipped around, his mouth still coated with gore, his eyes white with death-promising bloodlust. Both arms reached out in a bear hug, but before they could wrap around Magpie’s back, the creature was suddenly jerked backwards, hands clapping around her shoulders instead. Tendrils of magical power snagged onto his ruined flesh, intensifying as time continued to pass, and his companions howled as well. Amulak’s Arcane Vortex, centered on the group, clumped them up briefly. Their rotten flesh sheared away from the pale blue energy that wrapped around them, and their proximity enabled Raime’s rapid-firing. The Scout’s Dewsilk Shortbow practically sang underneath his fingers, arrows embedding themselves into the knees of a couple of the creatures. He could tell, however. Without any special skills to circumvent the issue, his paltry strength alone was what powered his attacks, and just like against the centipede woman, Raime’s arrows didn’t drive themselves nearly as deeply as he may have wished.

And though Amulak’s Arcane Vortex continued to shred at their bodies, these were no emaciated ghouls within some lightless tunnels. These were monoliths of physical might made flesh, and as loosened skin was torn off from their body, they advanced regardless. Two of them rushed past Magpie, hurtling towards the rest of the group like a pair of rampaging bulls, their tongues lolling out. In mere moments, they’d close in on the backline of Raime and Amulak, unless Klein or Ames tried to intercept. But how on earth did you intercept two semi-trucks? The ones in the back weren’t pausing either. With ferocious effort, the one grappling Magpie drew his head back and then slammed it into the brawler’s own. Once, twice! Skull cracked against skull, the monster’s forehead against the cursed material of her battlemask. It shook her thoughts clear outta her head, if she had any to begin with, and she received 73 damage from those devastating strikes. And through her dizzying vision, she could see that one of the remaining oni had buried their hands into the base of the creature they’ve killed. With sinew-popping effort, the bull’s corpse began to inch off the ground…but to what end?

More immediate, though, was the threat that the last oni provided.

His milky eyes locked onto Amulak, that dark-cloaked mage, and he punched.

At this range, it was physically impossible for a melee attack to hit him. But then, the fist got closer. And closer. And CLOSER.

The oni had punched with his arm so hard that his arm had torn off from his shoulder, and flew at Amulak like a ballista bolt. What the fuck was wrong with these monsters?
@Shovel@Searat@Psyker Landshark@OwO@Yankee

Zhi-Toren listened intently, nodding a couple times as Ari recounted the difficulties accompanied with sewers. It made sense, after all, for a level 1 newbie to fall prey to even the slimes the city employed in their sewers. It made even more sense, for someone with such little game sense, to then imagine that the sewers, rather than being an integral part of Nyu-Taro’s infrastructure, was actually a proper dungeon for adventurers to grind in. That didn’t answer, however, why the one that came with her had perished as well, and when Ari brought up subjects such as a palace?

The purple-haired woman raised a hand, one eyebrow raised inquisitively.

“You’re talking about a palace? A bell? Apologies, Ari, but could you back up a bit?” Zhi-Toren slipped out a small crystal from her pockets, and placed it on the table. “What happened, exactly? Could you run me through how you got to the place with the palace from the place you entered the sewers?”
@Greengoat
↑ Top
© 2007-2024
BBCode Cheatsheet