A Simple Transaction I

OctarineShrike · May 21, 2020

Impressions/Reactions, Word Count once I Libreoffice yada yada yada.(Edit: 447 words)

Rihaku said:
Heart of the Matter

Best to cut to the heart of the problem and remove the wurm-beast. The sheer scale of its battle with the giant was sufficient to cause collateral damage for every minute that it proceeded unnecessarily. He took stock of the implements available to him as he prepared to move.

There was the Blade of the Tyrant's Forebear. It had broken alongside him in the process of delivering his final blow to the its first wielder's progeny. Had that been simple overexertion or evidence of a deeper connection? It hardly mattered now. When he'd abducted the Blade from the Tyrant's catacombs it had bonded to him fully, had leapt to his hand from the crypt, fierce and eager in its willingness to serve, the vigor of a weapon suffering dire neglect...

Don't have much to say at this point except that there's an unnecessary the before "its first wielder's progeny".

Rihaku said:
It had never betrayed him across years of insurgency. In time they had become a single being, their story a single legend, the hero true and Sword That Was Stolen, of disparate origin but as thick as thieves.

Isn't it sad, Catherine?

Rihaku said:
In truth it was inaccurate to think of them as separate entities. The sword was a part of him like his liver or heart, and just as essential to the hero's function. Before his infusion of Accursed power it had slumbered comatose, form and purpose shattered as he had been. All that remained of the bastard sword's blade was a jagged shard about a foot in length, but the Accursed's infusion of power had reached it as it had reached every other part of his self. The broken Blade had quickened once more, its mere presence imparting him with an echo of the Forebear's storied might, the power of Ruin suffusing his every strike.

Swords as internal organs. Beyond the obvious Shirou Emiya joke, that is the most metal thing I've heard in quite some time.

Rihaku said:
But that was not the only artifact touched by the Accursed's spark. There on his hand was the ring Hunger, a band of black mythril surmounted by crimson, the final memento of his journey and the only one stolen from the Tyrant's corpse. Rumor abounded that the ring was the source of the Tyrant's martial gift, but in his hands it had only been a powerless token. Now it had awakened, bound to him by Accursed investiture and fused indestructibly to his index finger.

It impelled him towards action, towards greatness, the fulfillment of his human potential; prodded him to embrace the joys and sorrows of life fearlessly and without regret. So too was the ability it imparted: the hero's capacity to advance via personal training would be greatly diminished, but any form of conflict or genuine endeavor would grant power tenfold.

I'm getting the impression the Ring makes its bearer more akin to Nasuverse Iskandar/Alexader/Rider. Not bad.

Rihaku said:
A shame his armor had been stolen from him in the hours leading up to his assassination. But the Forebear's Blade granted resilience enough.

He bounded forth, greenery whirling by as yards and miles disappeared beneath him, towards the city of white stone in which the colossi fought. The situation became clearer as he approached: the common folk of the city, better dressed and fed than those of the Tyrant's world, were fighting a desperate action against a horde of hyena beasts, which streamed like spilled blood from the dragon-jackal's wounds. The city was pervaded by them, creatures beyond number, and he drew his blade as he reached the walls, propelling himself with a crack of thunder through an open gate and into the fray.

One of the fight scene bits of BGM from Dies Irae just started playing in my head. Seems applicable to the speed, especially if you treat the Forbear's Blade as an Ahnenerbe analogue. All that's missing is a Briah chant.

Rihaku said:
Like a falling meteor he struck, the steady tide of beasts become a sea in tumult. The force of his impact rippled outwards, monsters hurled like stray droplets as the fight began in earnest.

There was no time to waste. He scythed though their ranks with brutal efficiency, carving a path to the progenitor dragon. Thirty stories it towered above them, blotting out sky and sun, its reddish-brown carapace mottled with scars. As creatures poured from a wound, the cut itself steadily shrank in size. Troubling.

It's like Kaiju Blue only worse. I guess its adversary isn't a robot built for punching things to death.

Rihaku said:
Nearly of a height with it was its opponent, a bio-mechanical giant armored in dark grey with accents of red. Hydraulics and ceramic plate spoke to a degree of sophistication that was absent from the city around them, but its overall appearance was disheveled, parts ill-fitting or in disrepair. Its head bore little resemblance to that of a human's; a fierce and angular thing with livid gold eyes, sporting an enormous maw filled with cruel, curving fangs.

But that was hardly its strangest feature. At the top of each arm where the shoulder would normally lie was another armored head, neckless as if in place of a pauldron, similar in structure down to the fanged maw. These had eyes of green; the rightmost face stared appraising down at him. As he watched, the giant attacked, pulling aside the dragon's arm to bite at its neck, shoulder-face tearing into the flesh of that arm as it came into range.

I dub thee... Cerebrusbot.

Rihaku said:
It was probably this thing that had sparked his feeling of affinity, this devourer with three heads. Indeed he felt no hostility from it, though it hardly seemed overly solicitous.

He had almost reached the place of their duel, its radius of devastation increasingly apparent, when he was stopped short by a bolt of phantasmal force.

That's certainly a twitchy and unfortunate greeting.

Rihaku said:
"Another outlander! Can you help me evacuate these guys?" An inappropriately cheerful voice accosted him. The interloper was a woman in a finely-tailored dress, its gossamer material streaked with trails of blood and gore, though none of it appeared to be her own. Blue eyes, pale violet hair and distractingly beautiful, inhumanly so. The hackles of his suspicion rose. Some form of Fey? Her ears seemed normal enough, but that could be glamour.

Quite a way to be wrong genre savvy there.

Rihaku said:
She was leading a large convoy of civilians out from the epicenter, so likely not an enemy. Her bolts seemed to stun and disorient those beasts they struck. It could be a ruse, improbable as it seemed. He'd allow it, at least until the civilians crossed the boulevard, but would stay on guard.

"Fine," he assented. "Stay out of my way." 

"So grumpy," she huffed, arriving at his side. "Wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?"

"Maybe I'm always rude."

She laughed airily. "A handsome knight like you? I don't believe it!"

He sighed. "Is now the time for this?"

"When better? We could die at any moment, you know. What, afraid you can't keep up?"

Getting Han and Leia vibes. Or double Tsundere vibes. Or maybe Homestuck BlackRom/Spades/Kismessitude vibes here. This is not the time to be flirting black.

Rihaku said:
"Yes. So focus on the battle."

Glad to see the Hero has his priorities straight.

Rihaku said:
"Liar. You're even faster than me! So, where are you headed next? Going to attack that dragon? I could help..."

Finally the civilians were through. Tides of translucent force emanated from her, sweeping through the hyena-beasts emerging from the dragon. Where that magic passed, the creatures swayed and sat as if in a stupor.

Well that seems like it confirms the monsters are drones with a control system.

Rihaku said:
She seemed capable enough. "Yes. Come if you like."

"How forward! I knew you liked me after all."

"...Circle around to the far side. I'll hit it from the front."

"As if you'd get rid of me that easily! If you get me to the head, I can bypass its healing. Then you finish it off?"

He grunted in assent. "Can you survive a fall? I could throw you into range, then sprint up the tail."

"A delicate flower like me? I'm not so acrobatic. Carry me?" She batted her eyelashes.

And it's back to Han and Leia dialog, not sure how to precisely quantify the vibe I'm getting here. Han and Leia, double tsundere, blackflirting, etc.

Rihaku said:
"Fine. Climb on."

"I'd prefer a princess carry, but this is fine too." She kipped up and hugged his neck, crossing slender legs against his stomach. He did his best to ignore the prominent sensation of her chest against his back. Her skin was milk-pale, no sun exposure, hands free of callous. Likely a life spent indoors, with servants for menial work.

We're back in what I'd call blackflirting territory now. The thing the hero noticed most certainly makes his politics clear.

Rihaku said:
Yet her speed and precision were above the level of ordinary humans. A product of her magic alone, rather than experience? No. She was composed in battle, suggesting some level of familiarity. Perhaps that selfsame magic reverted any changes to her form.

Once she was secure, he sprang forward, leaping up to land on the dragon's tail. From what he could recall, he'd never actually slain a dragon before. That would have been a memory worth saving.

Plunging his blade into its side, he ran up its length, too quick for it to toss. Had its attention not been diverted by a renewed assault from its chief opponent, perhaps it could have dealt with him, but not in its current sorry state. Where his blade passed, flesh parted cleanly and sloughed to the side, up and across the whole of its spine until it came apart as if unzipped. The sorceress followed up with another wave of her magic, nullifying its regeneration.

Surprisingly I don't have much to say at the moment.

Rihaku said:
He attacked with savagery as they reached the head, blade-force projected into great thrusts and cleaving arcs to carve away at the dragon's skull. The sorceress shifted, holding her left arm against his collarbone to fire away with her outstretched right. Before long they had reached the brain. Crossed slashes cut it into quarters; a volley of bolts and it trembled, falling still.

Getting some pulp fantasy imagery here.

Rihaku said:
The ring Hunger pulsed on his finger, a warm flood of power radiating outwards into his body, and through him the Forebear's Blade. The spoils of victory, progression so rapid it felt unfair. He would have to get used to that.

A pity there aren't any metaphorical boonbucks to go with it. With Talon we could have gotten the full RPG experience right now.

Rihaku said:
"I hope this thing doesn't dissolve beneath us," he grumbled.

That seems like a smart concern.

Rihaku said:
"It won't. The flesh itself is nonmagical, it was only infused with magic. Mostly its nervous system, which distributed the power as it was needed." She leapt down to inspect its wounds. "What an interesting specimen! It's a shame biology's not my forte."

I'm not sure if ACU style quantum economy or the power distribution systems from X-Wing and Tie Fighter are more apt here.

Rihaku said:
"You're a scientist?"

"The very best!" She exclaimed, standing up to face him with a lecturing finger. "Lady Gisena Allria, Sorceress of Nullity and genius technologist, at your service!" 

*Cue cliched sunlight background effect*

Rihaku said:
"What do you think about that?" He pointed his chin at the humanoid abomination, which stared at them unblinkingly. Steam hissed out from a set of cylinders in its neck, a pillar of smoke to join the countless coiling upwards into the sky.

The sense of affinity had grown with proximity, almost sharp now like an ache. He was certain. It was this thing - the monster itself, not any pilot or creature that resided within - that held that affinity to him, aligned across some inexpressible valence.

The cylinders take my vibe from Escaflowne to Evangelion. Now for voting option analysis I suppose.

---

Rihaku said:
[X] Luna Conquerer and [X] Cut Off the Head have won. With the abomination's help and Gisena's Nullity, the hero managed to slay the dragon and reap a bounty of strength.

Gisena Allria. She knows more than she lets on. Always suggesting, requesting or implying, never commanding directly. Does her power to nullify magic allow her to perceive the contours of the Tyrant's Doom? Instinct tells you that her powers could weaken your own, to a degree. Had she desired your death, she would have had numerous chances. That she hasn't taken one doesn't mean she's entirely trustworthy...

[ ] Trustworthy Enough - But the chance is low enough that you aren't terribly concerned. There are far more pressing matters in play. [Take 1 extra Selection below, +Gisena]

[ ] Keep Your Distance - You know too little at this juncture. Best to prepare countermeasures if you can. [Gain Null Resistance - Your magic can't be reduced below 30% by any source]

We may need the Gisena points if she becomes aware we took Decimator's Afflication voluntarily. Haven't read to the later options yet. On the other hand Null Resistance is tempting.

Rihaku said:
What did the murdered dragon yield? Choose 2, or 3 with Trustworthy Enough.

[ ] Sword That Was Stolen - Thick As Thieves - The Forebear's cunning and force of personality. Highly likely to cause mental contamination. Can be taken multiple times. [+Charisma, +Intelligence, +Heartlessness]

We should take this at least once. Ideally exactly once given we passed up Charisma for cutting off the head and more procs of this give heartlessness

Rihaku said:
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Echo of the Forebear - Cloud-shadow of the Forebear's might. Legendary strength and speed, and the resilience to exert them. Can be taken multiple times. [+Might, +Agility]

I see no pressing reason to take this at the moment.

Rihaku said:
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Fell-Handed Stroke - A devastating blow of unutterable magnificence from which no recovery is possible. A powerful, but draining strike that inflicts cursed wounds from which spirit and will leak as freely as blood. Resists healing.

This one seems like a maybe? Seems good for future assassination missions.

Rihaku said:
[ ] Hunger - Feast of Lives. The Ring Hunger brings unnatural vigor, staunching wounds and replenishing blood, but its true strength is evident only at the moment of triumph. Gain modest regeneration and improved health of the body. Briefly gain extreme regeneration upon defeating a non-trivial opponent. [2 picks]

*Your appetite quadruples and you become more carnivorous.

*So long as you feed this appetite well, reduce the Decimator's Affliction by .5% a year. Doesn't increase difficulty of future mitigations.

*Without a regular supply of animal-based foods, you will suffer increasing penalties to your bodily health, and increase the Decimator's Affliction by 2% a year.

*Healing's convenient to advance through battle. Life steal even more so!

From a Utilitarian Standpoint this has strong potential. Just wish we had Seals to improve our ability to get ahold of the meat but we can't have everything.

Rihaku said:
[ ] Hunger - Might's Repose. With every exertion comes a moment of repose; that is nature's proper order. Sleep and physical rest are not inconveniences to be pared away, but an inextricable part of life's rhythms. [2 picks]

*Like an Elder Wyrm of yore, the more you sleep, the more powerful you become.

*Sleeping at least 9 hours a day yields the following benefits: You become only stronger, wiser, and more glorious with age, never becoming infirm, as if the travails of aging themselves have an inverse effect on you. You gain a substantial bonus to physical attributes and a minor bonus to mental attributes for the day. You are immune to hostile effects that would tire or exhaust you or induce artificial sleep.

*You may sleep up to 90% of the time. When sleeping, you grow stronger with age at twice the normal rate.

*The strength of age is not the vigor of youth. It is stabler and more fearsome but less expressive, less joyful and innocent. It will not bring back what was lost, merely overwrite it with a power that in time will be far greater.

*Without extensive mitigation, those possessing the Affliction of Slumber cannot benefit from this.

Immortality option, has potential but I'm not sure whether or not I want this.

Rihaku said:
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Unshattered. Turn your afflictions into strength. Your body is maimed, your blade broken; that does not mean you yourself are less than whole. Let the Broken Blade be the new complete form of the Forebear's weapon, a symbol of his dynasty shattered by your hand. Let your wounds be the battle-standard, tapestry of the sacrifices your journey demanded of you, forevermore a reminder of victory's cost. [3 picks]

*Helps the hero move on psychologically without reducing the relevance of his companions' sacrifices or his drive for vengeance.

*Massively increases your power level to about three-fourths of the hero's apex. [+Rank]

*Not his power three-fourths of the way through his journey, but three-fourths of the total strength at his height (not accounting for sacrificial techniques). It could take years to reach this level again.

*Power enough to bring ruin to high lords and kings with a single malediction, rout armies with a single strike, overwhelm and dismember horrid beasts out of myth. The cut of your blade is the end of sorcery; cities that oppose you are reduced to rubble, fortresses to ash. You outrace the thunderclap, or your words drown it out; stand against the flood or hurricane, and by majesty of spirit turn them away.

*Slows Accretion growth in the future as you cease to benefit from recovery boost. Further expends the To Shatter Heaven effect of the King's Scepter.

*You will remain forever maimed, and your blade forever broken, reducing its reach. In time you can develop capabilities to substitute for what you have lost.

*You're pretty sure the humanoid abomination is in a weakened state and its full power is vastly greater than even this.

Broken swords... I'm not sure what I think about this but that it reminds me of Dave Strider.

Shard · May 21, 2020

Thomasfoolery said:
I wonder how Gisena knew we were from another dimension, maybe her magic can tell our system isn't native to this one? The fact she can immediatly suss out the parameters of the curses is pretty impressive, though she was pretty casual in the face of the decimator revelation in this scenario. Maybe she got a dossier from the accursed.

It's also possible that we're rather obviously distinct enough to be called an outlander.

Orm Embar · May 21, 2020

[X] Trustworthy Enough
[X] Sword That Was Stolen - Thick As Thieves
[X] Hunger - Feast of Lives

Hello, Decimation mitigation! So nice to meet you, please do stay a while. Not only does this take a bite out of a Curse without impeding future efforts, it allows for dramatic reversals in future battles and synergizes with the existing effects, letting us feed off of victories. The consumption of meat's also a distinctive habit that'll contribute to our legend. It seems Accretion's not unlike being a Mage-Slayer, where quirks can be embraced for the sake of advancement.

Trustworthy Enough... it's not that I trust or like Gisena, it's that I trust the Accursed's assessment of our compatibility with her. Whatever her Nullity's letting her perceive, he sees further and this build can't afford Thick as Thieves without her! Speaking of which TaT is just - amazing. A charisma boost and an intelligence boost, under one banner? Why would we ever pick anything else? It's like being offered the holy grail, only it's also filled with ambrosia. The minor undercurrent of corruption doesn't even merit consideration.

Thomasfoolery · May 21, 2020

Unelemental said:
My sole worry is that we'll stumble onto something we can't beat even with our power. As evidenced by the Abomination, there are things in this world that exceed even the mighty power of Unshattered, but then we're not so stupid that we can't pick and choose our battles.

This is the main reason I'm not sold on it, the fact full power mecha beast still easily dwarfs it means we need to play the long game, so the question is if the higher starting point to multiply off is worth the lower multiplier.

Saidoro said:
We're also the only other human we've seen about so far with superpowers. And she has superhuman charisma. Could go either way, really.

That alone seems like a leap though, unless she's been here for a decent amount of time, which would be useful if so.

Rihaku · May 21, 2020

Wolfy said:
Hmm, are stats boosts additive or linear increase? I.e. if we pick three, are we getting three times +10 or three times *1.1.

Closer to the latter, but it's a small difference.

Fumbles said:
Straight to the point, no pun intended. The banter is starting off well, Hiro makes a good straight man, and Gisena is still charming. More later, gotta go to work.

[X] Trustworthy Enough
[X] Sword That Was Stolen - Thick As Thieves
[X] Hunger - Might's Repose

Thick as Thieves pick, nice! Good luck @ work

Saidoro said:
Well, feast of lives would result in thirteen times as much life force in our affected domain at the end of a fifty year rule, so that's a definite plus.

If you stayed in the same place or had no other mitigation options, yeah. But it's a great pick for mitigation regardless since it actually stacks with Gisena's mitigation. You'll be nearly a half-tier ahead of where you normally should for Decimator Mitigation!

Unelemental said:
Hmm, a non-trivial choice as always. Well, except for Gisena. She's currently our only ally, and she's even aware of the Tyrant's Doom to some extent and clever enough to work around it. Making nice and getting an additional pick for powers sounds good to me.

Don't underestimate the potential utility of retaining your magic even in the face of nullification! It's a far safer 'hedge' than any of the item options here, which all rely on magic to some degree.

Unelemental said:
Well, Thick as Thieves is out as a choice immediately. Mental contamination with the Hero's current barely healed mind and soul? No thanks.

Some of the Forebear's influence may be profitable for he who wishes to rule.

Thomasfoolery said:
I wonder how Gisena knew we were from another dimension, maybe her magic can tell our system isn't native to this one? The fact she can immediatly suss out the parameters of the curses is pretty impressive, though she was pretty casual in the face of the decimator revelation in this scenario. Maybe she got a dossier from the accursed.

So many unknowns... such a mysterious woman, this sorceress!

OctarineShrike · May 21, 2020

[X] Trustworthy Enough
[X] Sword That Was Stolen - Thick As Thieves
[X] Hunger - Feast of Lives

Maragas · May 21, 2020

[X] Trustworthy Enough
[X] Forebear's Blade - Unshattered

OctarineShrike · May 21, 2020

@Orm Embar I had a last minute clarification about the obvious joke being about Emiya Shirou that brings my reaction up to 447 words for the index.

Rihaku · May 21, 2020

Orm Embar said:
Trustworthy Enough... it's not that I trust or like Gisena, it's that I trust the Accursed's assessment of our compatibility with her.

B-baka!

Whatever her Nullity's letting her perceive, he sees further. This build can't afford Thick as Thieves without her! Speaking of which TaT is just - amazing. A charisma boost and an intelligence boost, under one banner? Why would we ever pick anything else? It's like being offered the holy grail, only it's also filled with ambrosia. The minor undercurrent of corruption doesn't even merit consideration.

Indeed, Thick as Thieves is amazing! Certainly worth the cost. You should take it three times!

i'm not kidding

Though, that would kind of give you a bit of a Nameless (probably closer to Liefang) vibe. But not so much that it'd be overpowering, unless you care about becoming more ruthless!

Thomasfoolery said:
This is the main reason I'm not sold on it, the fact full power mecha beast still easily dwarfs it means we need to play the long game, so the question is if the higher starting point to multiply off is worth the lower multiplier.

Hm... it's a long game for sure.

Maragas said:
[X] Trustworthy Enough
[X] Forebear's Blade - Unshattered

Unshattered is surprisingly popular. Interesting!

Wolfy · May 21, 2020

Alright, i'll do some notes as I muse about Might's Repose

Immortality:

Gives us immortality, which we need to get some point with Indenture
In particular, it works via reverse aging, so if we can't sleep for ten years for some reason, we can get those years back in future

Stats:

We get boost to both our combat stats, mental stats and immunity to exhaustion type attacks. Pretty good deal all around
We might stack this with Echo or the mental one
While we can't lifesteal, higher stats do ensure that you can win battle with less damage
However, take note that we need to sleep first! So for at least nine hours we won't have these buffs

Slumber comparison:

This is not Slumber, so we don't actually lose anything if we have to wake up, we just don't get buffs
This is not Slumber, so we don't need to have all hours of sleep in continuum. We can sleep hour here or there
Actually, this needs some clarification. Rihaku, do we get the buff after sleeping 9 hours in the new day, or if we have slept 9 hours in last 24h? I'm assuming later
This is not Slumber, so we can use various time dilatation options to mess with it
In theory, you could go to super fast dimension and spend million years sleeping, although Decimator is an obvious issue here

Training:

Like, 9 hours is just an hour more than we'd sleep anyway, so it's not hard to get.
And even if we do have to fight for a whole day for some reason, we are just losing "moderate" buff
Needless to say, this exists to replace standard training that is weaker due to Hunger
Which was a weakness of Hunger; you rarely can just fight all the time, so we can get some power this way too
I guess we could do whole legend of Sleeper thing to empower this ability even more? Dunno

Napkin math:

Assuming 24h is standard time unit, and taking double power while sleeping in account, we will earn 33 units of advancement if we sleep nine hours
24 units would be amount of advancement if we didn't sleep the whole day. 33 is increase of approximately 40%
Conversely, maximum going would be around 45 units, if we slept maximum 90% of hours. That's only 33% increase from nine hours tho

I think this is enough for now. Sorry for being unorganized guys. What's your thoughts about this ability?

E: Alright, that's a bit more readable.

Orm Embar · May 21, 2020

Conjured Blade said:
@Orm Embar I had a last minute clarification about the obvious joke being about Emiya Shirou that brings my reaction up to 447 words for the index.

Thanks for the heads-up, adjusting.

Rihaku said:
Some of the Forebear's influence may be profitable for he who wishes to rule.

It's not really a matter of wishes, is it? Having passed up on more conventional heroism, we'd do well to take charisma when offered, no mattered the form in these early days where the protagonist's character is still in flux enough for them to be offered. Competence upgrades are basically impossible to come by, and if the Forebear's anything like the Tyrant he was extremely successful. Also, raw force of personality may help deal with... Gisena. I'd almost forgotten how annoying she was.

Rihaku said:
Indeed, Thick as Thieves is amazing! Certainly worth the cost. You should take it three times!

i'm not kidding

Though, that would kind of give you a bit of a Nameless (probably closer to Liefang) vibe. But not so much that it'd be overpowering, unless you care about becoming more ruthless!

Feature, not a bug! Jokes aside, I did consider the triple Thick as Thieves build before deciding it'd be hard to sell to the thread. This gives us a solid boost with little in the way of contamination. Plus, with Feast of Lives we can get more upgrades down the line, it's an effective stamina boost in major battles. Diving into the thick of the fray and staying there's what this build is best at.

Now if only we could figure out how to carry lots of meat with us at all times... Sealing would've been great for this, and I bet the Talon would've taken requests into consideration like any good chef.

ReaderOfFate · May 21, 2020

Wolfy said:
What's your thoughts about this ability?

My thoughts that it would be disgustingly broken if we had like Avolen's Lunar Sarcophagus and didn't have Decimator, tbh.

OctarineShrike · May 21, 2020

Wolfy said:
Alright, i'll do some notes as I muse about Might's Repose

Gives us immortality, which we need to get some point with Indenture

In particular, it works via reverse aging, so if we can't sleep for ten years for some reason, we can get those years back in future

We get boost to both our combat stats, mental stats and immunity to exhaustion type attacks. Pretty good deal all around

We might stack this with Echo or the mental one

While we can't lifesteal, higher stats do ensure that you can win battle with less damage

However, take note that we need to sleep first! So for at least nine hours we won't have these buffs

This is not Slumber, so we don't actually lose anything if we have to wake up, we just don't get buffs

This is not Slumber, so we don't need to have all hours of sleep in continuum. We can sleep hour here or there

Actually, this needs some clarification. Rihaku, do we get the buff after sleeping 9 hours in the new day, or if we have slept 9 hours in last 24h? I'm assuming later

This is not Slumber, so we can use various time dilatation options to mess with it

In theory, you could go to super fast dimension and spend million years sleeping, although Decimator is an obvious issue here

Like, 9 hours is just an hour more than we'd sleep anyway, so it's not hard to get.

And even if we do have to fight for a whole day for some reason, we are just losing "moderate" buff

Needless to say, this exists to replace standard training that is weaker due to Hunger

Which was a weakness of Hunger; you rarely can just fight all the time, so we can get some power this way too

I guess we could do whole legend of Sleeper thing to empower this ability even more? Dunno

Assuming 24h is standard time unit, and taking double power while sleeping in account, we will earn 33 units of advancement if we sleep nine hours

24 units would be amount of advancement if we didn't sleep the whole day. 33 is increase of approximately 40%

Conversely, maximum going would be around 45 units, if we slept maximum 90% of hours. That's only 33% increase from nine hours tho

I think this is enough for now. Sorry for being unorganized guys. What's your thoughts about this ability?

In the absence of Decimator's Afflication I'd be taking it.

Rihaku · May 21, 2020

Unelemental said:
I don't think I would pick Might's Repose either, despite it being an easy immortality and growth option, as while we only have the option thanks to not taking Affliction of Slumber, it takes up too much time. Well, might still be worth it since it can probably be combined with time manipulation unlike Slumber. Hmm, that would be a really potent combination, but we don't have time manipulation at the moment, and neither does our companion.

Might's Repose also makes time dilation considerably more useful for you, since you only receive marginal benefits from personal training! Still have to deal with Decimator's Affliction of course. On the other hand, the rate at which reverse aging improves your stats is fairly modest. Nonetheless it's an additional form of progression, and one that deals with the pesky matter of age.

I also wouldn't count out the attribute boosts! This is a way to slightly improve intelligence and charisma without personality modifiers besides having to sleep a lot! And the physical buffs are relevant too.

Thick as Thieves does grant a larger boost than Repose, however.

BunnyLord · May 21, 2020

[] Trustworthy Enough
[] Sword That Was Stolen - Thick As Thieves
[] Sword That Was Stolen - Thick As Thieves
[] Sword That Was Stolen - Thick As Thieves

Not sure why the most optimal build hasn't been crafted yet.

MaouShoujoElla · May 21, 2020

[X] Trustworthy Enough
[X] Sword That Was Stolen - Thick As Thieves
[X] Hunger - Might's Repose

ReaderOfFate · May 21, 2020

Rihaku said:
Thick as Thieves does grant a larger boost than Repose, however.

A larger immediate boost, yeah. How long would it take Repose to outscale Thick as Thieves, btw? My guess that it would take a long time, considering that Might's Repose primarily boosts physical stats, and only gives a minor bonus to mental ones, while Thick As Thieves gives a static boost straight to Mental. That being said, as you wrote it gives that bonus to mental without personality corruption, which is especially useful considering how much his self was shattered.

More relevantly though, how long would it take for Repose to outscale that physical buff one?

Talace · May 21, 2020

[X] Trustworthy Enough
[X] Sword That Was Stolen - Thick As Thieves
[X] Sword That Was Stolen - Thick As Thieves
[X] Sword That Was Stolen - Thick As Thieves

but of course we are playing for maximum heartlessness

Wolfy · May 21, 2020

ReaderOfFate said:
A larger immediate boost, yeah. How long would it take Repose to outscale Thick as Thieves, btw? My guess that it would take a long time, considering that Might's Repose primarily boosts physical stats, and only gives a minor bonus to mental ones, while Thick As Thieves gives a static boost straight to Mental.

More relevantly though, how long would it take for Repose to outscale that physical buff one?

Might's Repose grants "immediate" boosts to our mental stats after our first sleep. It also gives us "significant" physically stat buff.

Rihaku, how does Repose counts sleep for the buff? Do we need to give nine hours of sleep in last 24h, or nine hours of sleep in current day?

Unelemental · May 21, 2020

BunnyLord said:
[] Trustworthy Enough
[] Sword That Was Stolen - Thick As Thieves
[] Sword That Was Stolen - Thick As Thieves
[] Sword That Was Stolen - Thick As Thieves

Not sure why the most optimal build hasn't been crafted yet.

That's because we're waiting for the hidden best option to reveal itself.

[] Plan Actually Yong Liefang
-[] Trustworthy Enough
-[] Sword That Was Stolen - Thick As Thieves
-[] Sword That Was Stolen - Thick As Thieves
-[] Sword That Was Stolen - Thick As Thieves
-[] Sword That Was Stolen - Thick As Thieves

cheesyme · May 21, 2020

[X] Trustworthy Enough
[X] Sword That Was Stolen - Thick As Thieves
[X] Hunger - Might's Repose

No way I could vote for any other combination. Might's Repose is both a growth booster, and a guaranteed immortality, which considering we'll be in this world for quite possibly the next couple thousand years is rather important. Trustworthy Enough both gains us a companion who we might get to mitigate our curses and an extra option. Meanwhile, both the described bonuses, and by Word of Rihaku its mental effects will be helpful to actually ruling/conquering, which is exactly what we're supposed to be doing. Rule 90% of the human Sphere for 50 Contiguous Years, remember? Additionally, with our base stats, Gisena, and the quick boost just from sleeping a mere 1 hour more than normal, we shouldn't need another direct combat boost quite yet, nor in the longer run due to the growth from Might's Repose.

Crimson Moon · May 21, 2020

Alright, I already like Gisena. And this world's mechas seem to have taken a page out of the goddamn EVA Series, which doesn't fill me with confidence. I fully expect some dark secret behind their power source or method of construction.

Hopefully the Vengeful One (calling him MC is not pretentious enough

) won't have to find out by literally dismantling it on the spot. That would be awkward.

Rihaku said:
[ ] Keep Your Distance - You know too little at this juncture. Best to prepare countermeasures if you can. [Gain Null Resistance - Your magic can't be reduced below 30% by any source]

Your loved ones died, you were betrayed and then a random dude who you instantly dislike offers you a Pact with the Devil. Honestly, I wouldn't blame someone for developing a certain paranoid streak. Keeping your eyes open is better than keeping them closed forever. Developing Anti-Magic is interesting, since all of the Vengeful One's powerset revolves around Accretion magic.

It's also the beginning of every edgelord ever, a match made in Heaven after Vendetta!

Rihaku said:
[ ] Trustworthy Enough - But the chance is low enough that you aren't terribly concerned. There are far more pressing matters in play. [Take 1 extra Selection below, +Gisena]

On the other hand, dropping nearby a mysterious, friendly woman obviously not of this land after said Devil Pact cannot be a coincidence. It's almost like she was supposed to be there to help the Vengeful One, so a bit of trust wouldn't be amiss. Besides, he could use a hand - no matter where his Quest for Vengeance will lead him to. Perhaps most importantly, it avoids the classic Edgy Loner clichè and it's the only way to get Unshattered.

Plus, if he decided to pursue the death of the true masterminds behind his suffering, would he really turn help down just to spare his own feelings? That seems rather weak-willed.

Rihaku said:
[ ] Sword That Was Stolen - Thick As Thieves - The Forebear's cunning and force of personality. Highly likely to cause mental contamination. Can be taken multiple times. [+Charisma, +Intelligence, +Heartlessness]

Well, at least we have a first-hand account of the possible contamination of Accretion. As someone who appreciates utilitarian mindsets, I can't say that ruthlessness is such a bad bargain...but I have the feeling that there will be more baggage to it. Unsaid and very unpleasant.

As it is, not a very tempting offer. Had we taken Seven Seals, I'm sure that Intelligence would have been required to get better at it, but Accretion leaves us the freedom to focus on a lesser number of stats. Likely a recurring choice even in future, so it's not a terrible loss to pass this.

Rihaku said:
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Echo of the Forebear - Cloud-shadow of the Forebear's might. Legendary strength and speed, and the resilience to exert them. Can be taken multiple times. [+Might, +Agility]

The angry, dumb brother of Thick as Thieves. Thankfully this doesn't seem to come with negative side-effects, but given the burst of power granted by King's Scepter, I don't believe that we are in a dire need of HUGE GAINS. That said, since our legend is bound to grow around bloody deeds, it's not a terrible idea to consider investment in Muscle Wizardry.

Rihaku said:
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Fell-Handed Stroke - A devastating blow of unutterable magnificence from which no recovery is possible. A powerful, but draining strike that inflicts cursed wounds from which spirit and will leak as freely as blood. Resists healing.

Every Hero needs a Special Attack, possibly unnecessarily flashy. Of course, the sword of the Evil Overlord Empowered by Another Ambiguous Monster has a Special Technique more fitting a Villain than a Hero.

There is potential in this. A single great strike could breach defenses normally far too strong for the Vengeful One, the anti-spiritual property means that foes with no physical corpus won't be safe from it and counters regenrative factors. Certainly a worthy choice, as long as the strain is reduced through other means.

Keeling over because too much energy was spent would be embarassing.

Rihaku said:
[ ] Hunger - Feast of Lives

It is said that we are what we eat. The Vengeful One is a human, so it stands to reason that he would eat humans. And monsters. And possibly everything that isn't a random shmuck.

Improved resilience, active regeneration (increased after a battle against relevant foes) and Curse Mitigations aren't bad perks; side-effects are pretty manageable if we don't dwell too much on the same planet for too much and have shenanigan potential. Curse Mitigation feels a bit wasted however, since one of the greatest appeals of Gisena was her Mitigation potential.

It has wonderful synergy with Echo of Forebear. Become a true murder-blender which seeks the thril of the battle and heals wounds from the massacres he wreaks.

Rihaku said:
[ ] Hunger - Might's Repose

Now this is interesting.

The Vengeful One is superhuman already, but devoting a few hours of sleep in order to improve himself isn't a bad tradeoff at all. The physical enhancements are great for incoming battles and dealing with his disabilities, while the mental boosts can help when it comes to trickier opponents or rulership (if we are inclined that way). It's implied that it will take quite some time to get to the apex of the Vengeful One's power, but then he could surpass himself. It will likely turn him more morose and/or melancholic.

Direct synergy with Echo Forebear and to a lesser extent Thick as Thieves. However, I think the real synergy is with Fell-Handed Stroke - sleeping as much as possible before confonting a big threat and then unleashing all the accumulated strength into a single strike.

Rihaku said:
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Unshattered.

Damn if this is expensive. But damn if it is good.

We have a better mental balance of the Vengeful One, who can continue on his Quest with far less risks of developing unhealthy obsessions or losing oneself. This is great especially if we consider the possible influence of Thick as Thieves.

An immediate increase to 3/4 of his prime strength, which is a big fucking deal given that this guy went against a Tyrant capable of pulling the strings of Fate. He got fucked along the way but this amount of power? Tasty. The Rank increase will affect our Curses too unfortunately, but again - we picked Gisena for a reason.

Slower Accretion and the loss of To Shatter Heaven hurt...but we must remember that Hunger was chosen. While our potential of growth outside of combat, we still have a great multiplier when it comes to actual battles, and such an enormous boost in power allows us to seek more of them with less direct risks. And I would like to note that if one of these Mecha is stronger than Unshattered, the slain Dragon at his full health was about its level, if not more. We might not have a Mecha to help next time.

Forever maimed isn't a big issue. Gatsu was able to get a cannon-arm in a medieval world, I'm sure the Vengeful One can find a badass Mecha prothesis!

[X] Trustworthy Enough
[X] Forebear's Blade - Unshattered.

[P.S. Total Word Count of 1020]

Orm Embar · May 21, 2020

Talace said:
but of course we are playing for maximum heartlessness

I salute your audacity, sir. Bear the torch of the optimal build boldly!

Hm, does Might's Repose restore the lost vigor of our youth? Might be a hidden benefit... but still, it's a bit of a perverse incentive. We got all of this from one battle, one in which we didn't even have to truly push ourselves. A lot of that's because of Gisena and the mech's help, but it goes to show just how impressive Hunger is. Getting benefits from sleeping is nice. Being an active Progression-type Cursebearer is far better; I'd rather snag immortality somewhere else.

DkArthas · May 21, 2020

I don't think we should try to optimize ourself to rule at this second. No amount of charisma will help when we simply lack the strength to impose our will. What's more important is taking advantage of the options we choose, which means getting better at murdering shit and using it to improve our reputation and abilities through the combined effect of Progression + Hunger.

For that we need an offensive ability that allows us a way to face and murderize the monsters.

Rihaku · May 21, 2020

Wolfy said:
While we can't lifesteal, higher stats do ensure that you can win battle with less damage

And win tougher battles overall!

Wolfy said:
Conversely, maximum going would be around 45 units, if we slept maximum 90% of hours. That's only 33% increase from nine hours tho

Yup. But what else would you do with the time? Socialize like some pleb!?

Orm Embar said:
Feature, not a bug! Jokes aside, I did consider the triple Thick as Thieves build before deciding it'd be hard to sell to the thread.

You never know until you try!

seriously

Become the crappy Master of Circumstance! You know you want to.

Orm Embar said:
It's not really a matter of wishes, is it? Having passed up on more conventional heroism, we'd do well to take charisma when offered, no mattered the form in these early days where the protagonist's character is still in flux enough for them to be offered. Competence upgrades are basically impossible to come by, and if the Forebear's anything like the Tyrant he was extremely successful.

Many would argue he was more successful by far! He didn't die to a hero, after all.

Orm Embar said:
Also, raw force of personality may help deal with... Gisena.

The hero's doing better than most. At least he's not simpin'. Perhaps a bit paranoid, but that's quite justifiable under the circumstances!

Wolfy said:
Might's Repose grants "immediate" boosts to our mental stats after our first sleep. It also gives us "significant" physically stat buff.

Rihaku, how does Repose counts sleep for the buff? Do we need to give nine hours of sleep in last 24h, or nine hours of sleep in current day?

Sleeping for at least 9 hours grants the buff for about 15 hours.

Crimson Moon said:
Alright, I already like Gisena.

Those dang feminine wiles!

Crimson Moon said:
And this world's mechas seem to have taken a page out of the goddamn EVA Series, which doesn't fill me with confidence. I fully expect some dark secret behind their power source or method of construction.

That's to be expected! The thing has three heads which are mostly mouth! You ever see a good guy with a mech like that!? Evil color scheme too...

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