A Choice of Import
Rihaku
The Internet
A Choice of Import
After a long slumber, the Apocryphal Curse arises in glory once more! What shall be its fated challenge for our unworthy hero!?
You're here to cause interesting times and chew bubblegum, and after several embarrassingly longfailures misadventures you are finally out of bubblegum. Choose two with weakened impact (20% additional effective mitigation for the first, and 10% for the second, how disappointing!), or one as-written. Be careful not to spread your power among too many sources and dilute the IMPACT of your glorious, terror-resounding return!
[ ] Two - Feint with the jab, then catch 'em with the right hook!
[ ] One - You've got some power stored up, despite that buzzkill of a Nullity Sorceress. Land a real haymaker.
---
[ ] Wait and Hope - The Apocryphal Curse shall merely bide its time, waiting and hoping for a perfect opportunity to introduce delicious complication! A perfectly cute and prudent decision. Patience is a virtue for a reason, you know! Fighting, Apocryphal~ !
*Dramatically increases the power of the next Apocryphal Curse-induced Event!
*Biding your time results in extra power, but an anticlimactic return, how boring...
*Let the Hero stew in fear of your dreadful contingencies, mwa ha ha!
*The Hero has advanced beyond many of the simpler challenges you can muster right now. Best to strike during a better opportunity! Delightful pandemonium may only be a star in your eye, but properly nurtured it can spawn unending havoc.
*That said, the ones below still present some opportunities of not-insignificant promise!
[ ] Republic Kill-Joys - The Elixir Sovereignty attracts all manner of wandering adventurer and aspirant petitioner seeking relief and regeneration at its famously potent healing springs. Among them, this Republic Kill-Team, armed to the teeth with devastating battle-augs and equipped with top-of-the-line Republic military Armor Prototypes! Embrace the power of L.U.L. and show these imperialbootlickers traitors that only the Free(tm) know truly how to party!
*Itchy trigger finger. Wouldn't the Sovereignty love to get their hands on the equipment these boys & girls are packing?
*Thus, righteous paranoia and relaxation are the order of the day! And there's that mage they're trying to smuggle out...
*Add a Tyrannical hero with no inclination to obey Republic authority into the mix and ka-blam! A sure-fire recipe!
*It'll be interesting to see how they fare against the Surges of the itinerant band, even more so when the high schoolers join the fray!
*A marvelous free-for-all of rollicking Free(tm)-spirited destruction!
*Our hero might be able to claim one of those top-grade Armor Prototypes with the help of his Sorceress friend! Artifice, how gross!!
[ ] Prestige Classing - Looks like poor Bearic has fallen behind! Still two weeks 'till he hits level cap and our hero is almost stronger than even that! Well, that simply won't do, looks like our friend Bearic needs an extra leg up. Something to really fire up his mettle and make him an opponent worthy of our dastardly Ring-Lord! You call it cheating, he calls it haxx; bust out your best Santa cosplay, 'cause Christmas is comin' early and Apocryphal Claus is going to be very, very nice to one particularlyundeserving gamer. Cheer up Ber, your System may not be up to the task, but you've a far greater friend in your corner and she's coming through in the clutch! Avenge Seralize and all the others, and take back the title of Blue Swordsman from that one-eyed brooding hack!
*Conservation of antagonists, an important skill to learn for any budding Curse!
*Wouldn't you like to see Berreach massively exceed his full potential? No matter who's defeated, the winner's going to get an absolute truckload of Experience...
*He still won't attack until he hits level cap. What a fruitfully assiduous boy! Could take a bit.
*Oooh, we just can't wait to see his disgustingly overpowered new capabilities brought to light! Make it a showdown worthy of the ages!
*With how fast 'Lord Hunger' grows, it might be possible for him to still outscale Ber after all this, if he steers his build optimally...
*Pfhaha. Like that's going to happen.
[ ] Keepin' it Simple - Yyyuup, we're just going to dump the perfect buffing-type Surgecrafter into the Rotbeast's clutches and have it roll on out! With its Rank and general parameters substantially increased, its mountain-range sized bulk will finally achieve full mobility and rain destruction as a walking charnel tide upon the poor Sovereignty! Let's show this Hero who's boss (hint: it's not him!!).
*KAIJU. GUD.
*Another boring Kaiju event... surely you can do better than this, Apocryphal... ! But even if you can't, we all still love you!
*Work down that ablative population, baby!
*This'll totally screw up his Rank-gaining ways...
*...As long as he doesn't save them.
*But if he does, maybe you can spin him as an enemy of the Empire!
*You're a genius! There's no way to lose.
*Will probably offer him a lot of "picks" if he does win. Like, three or four. Yuck.
[ ] Lucent Thorn - The deadly A-class blade which hunts Ring and wielder alike has set its eyes on Miss Gisena Allria, wielder of the Azure! Lest the horrors of unbound Artifice be loosed upon the universe again, Justice Blade Lucent Thorn is here to punish you in the name of the True Moonlight! Will the evil Sorceress-Queen Gisena finally be felled? Or will her contract with the devastating handsome and also evil Ring-Lord Hunger allow her to cling to unseemly life!? Find outnext time in several dozen more episodes!
*Lucent Thorn has its own agenda and sees fit to chart its own course, defying recommendations despite your nigh-omniscience and sound judgement! Hmph!!
*It's also slow af. Gotta work its way from wielder to wielder alllllll the way across the Voyaging Realm...
*But once this good boy finds aFairbright worthy champion, ohhh boy. You won't be ready. The world won't be ready. And Hunger's body certainly won't be ready! Unless he works on the Praxis a lot...
*Strength matters not! The nigh-limitless power of Hope, Love, and Determination shall strike down the cruel Rings, implements of naked Power made manifest, right where they stand! This time, a two-for-one special...
*In Realm Voyaging, 5-pick fight runs at you! Let's hope our hero doesn't just outpace this one, though it can tangle in the Human Sphere if it has to!
[ ] Ring War - That's a nice Ring you got there. Would be a shame if someone... ruled it.
*Have Asterios experience a truly massive and unjustifiable breakthrough, starting the contest of Primacy!
*Our Hero must war, lest he bow to the new king among Rings!
*Force him into the Human Sphere where all manner of complication awaits!!
*Especially the thing with Letrizia's - oops, can't think about that.
*Requires [ ] One. There can only be one Ruling Ring.
And that's a wrap! Remember, your goal isn't to kill him directly, though a tragic (or unexpected!) death is quite fine. But rather it's to make him say, your most favorite and dearly-desired phrase, Fuck these so-called interesting times!
---
If you enjoyed the chapter, consider subscribing on Patreon! Subscribers receive a ton of patron-exclusive content, including early updates, Blurb Library, Discord roles, and bonus chapters. A huge thanks to existing subscribers, the amount of support has been truly amazing! Even more content is coming to Patreon subscribers soon! Most likely a Blurb Library update, though this one may be a little bit special...
If you'd like to discuss the quest in real-time or just chat with the questers, you're welcome to join us on the Discord! We encourage substantive posts still to be made in the thread, and shitposting to bemostly made within Discord.
After a long slumber, the Apocryphal Curse arises in glory once more! What shall be its fated challenge for our unworthy hero!?
You're here to cause interesting times and chew bubblegum, and after several embarrassingly long
[ ] Two - Feint with the jab, then catch 'em with the right hook!
[ ] One - You've got some power stored up, despite that buzzkill of a Nullity Sorceress. Land a real haymaker.
---
[ ] Wait and Hope - The Apocryphal Curse shall merely bide its time, waiting and hoping for a perfect opportunity to introduce delicious complication! A perfectly cute and prudent decision. Patience is a virtue for a reason, you know! Fighting, Apocryphal~ !
*Dramatically increases the power of the next Apocryphal Curse-induced Event!
*Biding your time results in extra power, but an anticlimactic return, how boring...
*Let the Hero stew in fear of your dreadful contingencies, mwa ha ha!
*The Hero has advanced beyond many of the simpler challenges you can muster right now. Best to strike during a better opportunity! Delightful pandemonium may only be a star in your eye, but properly nurtured it can spawn unending havoc.
*That said, the ones below still present some opportunities of not-insignificant promise!
[ ] Republic Kill-Joys - The Elixir Sovereignty attracts all manner of wandering adventurer and aspirant petitioner seeking relief and regeneration at its famously potent healing springs. Among them, this Republic Kill-Team, armed to the teeth with devastating battle-augs and equipped with top-of-the-line Republic military Armor Prototypes! Embrace the power of L.U.L. and show these imperial
*Itchy trigger finger. Wouldn't the Sovereignty love to get their hands on the equipment these boys & girls are packing?
*Thus, righteous paranoia and relaxation are the order of the day! And there's that mage they're trying to smuggle out...
*Add a Tyrannical hero with no inclination to obey Republic authority into the mix and ka-blam! A sure-fire recipe!
*It'll be interesting to see how they fare against the Surges of the itinerant band, even more so when the high schoolers join the fray!
*A marvelous free-for-all of rollicking Free(tm)-spirited destruction!
*Our hero might be able to claim one of those top-grade Armor Prototypes with the help of his Sorceress friend! Artifice, how gross!!
[ ] Prestige Classing - Looks like poor Bearic has fallen behind! Still two weeks 'till he hits level cap and our hero is almost stronger than even that! Well, that simply won't do, looks like our friend Bearic needs an extra leg up. Something to really fire up his mettle and make him an opponent worthy of our dastardly Ring-Lord! You call it cheating, he calls it haxx; bust out your best Santa cosplay, 'cause Christmas is comin' early and Apocryphal Claus is going to be very, very nice to one particularly
*Conservation of antagonists, an important skill to learn for any budding Curse!
*Wouldn't you like to see Ber
*He still won't attack until he hits level cap. What a fruitfully assiduous boy! Could take a bit.
*Oooh, we just can't wait to see his disgustingly overpowered new capabilities brought to light! Make it a showdown worthy of the ages!
*With how fast 'Lord Hunger' grows, it might be possible for him to still outscale Ber after all this, if he steers his build optimally...
*Pfhaha. Like that's going to happen.
[ ] Keepin' it Simple - Yyyuup, we're just going to dump the perfect buffing-type Surgecrafter into the Rotbeast's clutches and have it roll on out! With its Rank and general parameters substantially increased, its mountain-range sized bulk will finally achieve full mobility and rain destruction as a walking charnel tide upon the poor Sovereignty! Let's show this Hero who's boss (hint: it's not him!!).
*KAIJU. GUD.
*Another boring Kaiju event... surely you can do better than this, Apocryphal... ! But even if you can't, we all still love you!
*Work down that ablative population, baby!
*This'll totally screw up his Rank-gaining ways...
*...As long as he doesn't save them.
*But if he does, maybe you can spin him as an enemy of the Empire!
*You're a genius! There's no way to lose.
*Will probably offer him a lot of "picks" if he does win. Like, three or four. Yuck.
[ ] Lucent Thorn - The deadly A-class blade which hunts Ring and wielder alike has set its eyes on Miss Gisena Allria, wielder of the Azure! Lest the horrors of unbound Artifice be loosed upon the universe again, Justice Blade Lucent Thorn is here to punish you in the name of the True Moonlight! Will the evil Sorceress-Queen Gisena finally be felled? Or will her contract with the devastating handsome and also evil Ring-Lord Hunger allow her to cling to unseemly life!? Find out
*Lucent Thorn has its own agenda and sees fit to chart its own course, defying recommendations despite your nigh-omniscience and sound judgement! Hmph!!
*It's also slow af. Gotta work its way from wielder to wielder alllllll the way across the Voyaging Realm...
*But once this good boy finds a
*Strength matters not! The nigh-limitless power of Hope, Love, and Determination shall strike down the cruel Rings, implements of naked Power made manifest, right where they stand! This time, a two-for-one special...
*In Realm Voyaging, 5-pick fight runs at you! Let's hope our hero doesn't just outpace this one, though it can tangle in the Human Sphere if it has to!
[ ] Ring War - That's a nice Ring you got there. Would be a shame if someone... ruled it.
*Have Asterios experience a truly massive and unjustifiable breakthrough, starting the contest of Primacy!
*Our Hero must war, lest he bow to the new king among Rings!
*Force him into the Human Sphere where all manner of complication awaits!!
*Especially the thing with Letrizia's - oops, can't think about that.
*Requires [ ] One. There can only be one Ruling Ring.
And that's a wrap! Remember, your goal isn't to kill him directly, though a tragic (or unexpected!) death is quite fine. But rather it's to make him say, your most favorite and dearly-desired phrase, Fuck these so-called interesting times!
---
If you enjoyed the chapter, consider subscribing on Patreon! Subscribers receive a ton of patron-exclusive content, including early updates, Blurb Library, Discord roles, and bonus chapters. A huge thanks to existing subscribers, the amount of support has been truly amazing! Even more content is coming to Patreon subscribers soon! Most likely a Blurb Library update, though this one may be a little bit special...
If you'd like to discuss the quest in real-time or just chat with the questers, you're welcome to join us on the Discord! We encourage substantive posts still to be made in the thread, and shitposting to be