I have a chapter almost done, but school has been sucking up all of my free time. I also have exams, but I promise that I have been working on it.
It's around 3/4ths of the way done, just need to finish it through once I feel confident in my Calculus skills (which might be today/tomorrow, depends on how fast I can finish this multi-variable problem).
Since holidays are coming up, I'll have loads of free time to dedicate towards this and hopefully it'll pick up speed again.
[][Messenger] Severa. You want to keep her updated on what you are doing, she told you a lot about what she did for her training and you want to return the favor.
[][Messenger] Noire. Your sister seemed nervous when you were leaving, so you want to alleviate her concerns for anything she may have.
[][Leonard Battle Action] Yes. You'll go after the bandits as intended.
-[][Leonard Battle Action] Engage using your thunder magic.
--[][Leonard Battle Action] If they close distance switch to bronze sword
[][Henry Battle Action] He fights the Sage, as intended.
After some thought, you sent off letters to Severa and Noire. They were the two you knew the most, and it would be awkward if you hadn't kept up with the things you were up to. Speaking of, there were far too many things that you wanted to write about. There was your first experience sailing on a ship, your first time setting up camp, your first spar with your father and how he basically dominated the whole fight, your father's lesson about how Dark Magic would have devastating and long-lasting harmful effects on a user when misused...
...Yeah. It would probablybe best to hold off on any details regarding the backlash of Dark Magic. Well, for now, that was.
The main point of these letters was to tell them about your experiences so they wouldn't be out of the loop. Although you would like to inform them about all the negative aspects of Dark Magic, attempting to cram every little detail about such a topic onto this piece of parchment would be a monumental task with the time you were given. Seriously, you could barely write more than a couple of paragraphs onto this damned thing.
Additionally, sending a letter with knowledge about that topic while you were overseas and on a reputably dangerous island within Plegian territory was likely to immediately spark panic within your best friend and sister—something you didn't want to burden them with.
Hmm... maybe you could set something up for the whole of the Future Children group when you and your father came back to Halidom Ylisstol? Having someone like Miriel or your father give a lecture on Dark Magic to the entirety of the rest of the children wouldn't be a bad idea. And although you, Laurent, and your sister likely wouldn't learn anything new, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad idea to get everyone together and start forming bonds along with informing them on an important—
Taking a deep breath, you shook your head free of those thoughts. Renewed with vigor and a sense of what you wanted to write down, the quill in your hand moved to write out the message you wanted to communicate.
Such things would be planned at a later date; you had letters to write and send! At the rate you were going at, the letters wouldn't be writing themselves, though you honestly wouldn't be surprised if such a spell existed or was invented for a similar purpose.
If it didn't, well... automatically written correspondences would certainly be something to look into.
Half an hour later, you sealed off the letters and handed them off to a crow you summoned. Your father said that they made messenger relay posts for his crows, so there wouldn't be any issues regarding the drop-off of these letters.
In a flurry of motion, the messenger crow plucked the rolled-up parchment out your hand. Not long afterwards, a small, dark blur flew off into the distance, contrasting the sunset descending upon the horizon.
Hopefully, you'd get some responses soon.
Messages sent! Expect some response letters around Update 12.
The desert wind whipped around the tent, lashing against the exterior with a force only known by nature itself.
"Do you understand the plan, Leonard? I'll go deal with the Sage while you will deal with the bandits around the sand dunes," said Henry. He flipped through his tome with a neutral expression, closed it shut with a loud snap, and then turned to you with a stern gaze.
You picked up your equipment, strapping on the sheathe of your bronze sword and tome to your hip. "Yes, father. I'll go and kill the bandits."
Saying the word "kill", let alone mouthing it, brought an unpleasant taste to your mouth. However, you couldn't deny the fact that you'd have to do so eventually. This world was not like your old one; the art of warfare, killing, assassination, and deception, dark rituals, and other things were far more prominent here.
Of course, there were certain laws against killing in the main capital, but out here? In the middle of Plegian territory; a graveyard no less? There was nothing to stop bandit raids from happening without intervention from the governing powers.
Not to mention the impending doom that would soon take place in the following years, what with the undead roaming the land to destroy all of humanity and having to kill them all again.
That aside, this would also prove to be a good test of your combat ability, as all you had done before were practice spars with some of the future children and your father. There was no better indicator of combat than a battle to the death, where only the survivors would remain standing.
As inhumane as that sounded, it was the unfortunate truth of this world that one had to deal with.
Your father smiled, an unknown emotion hidden within his eyes. "Good. I'll go out now and draw the Sage's attention. When I fire off my spell, that's your cue to go and deal with those ruffians," he pointed upwards and mouthed off a silent 'bang bang bang', "They shouldn't prove to be too much of an issue. Well, if you don't happen to caws a ruckus, that is."
Of course he would say something like that in a situation like this. Why didn't you expect that? Honestly, you weren't too used to his crow puns by now, despite how often he touted his own metaphorical bill.
Before you were even allowed to deliver a retort to that awful pun though, he disappeared from sight, walking out of the tent. His form faded into the raging sandstorm outside, the only indication of him there being the small flame within his outstretched palm.
"You know, it's rather rude of you to enter our camp uninvited. Especially during my son and I's wonderful vacation," your father ruefully said, expecting some sort of response.
Silence accompanied by the raging winds was all that followed, and your father let out an empty chuckle which resounded throughout the camp. Then, a sigh of annoyance left his lips as he raised his left arm into the air.
"I suppose that if you won't make this easy for me, then I will," your father, no, Henry stated with a no-nonsense tone.
The flame within your father's palm grew from something akin to a small ember to a pillar of flame encompassing his entire left hand. Extending outwards from his palm, an ever-expanding orange-red tower roared in the air and pierced through the clouds above, revealing the celestial body within the night sky. The nearby winds parted and cleared the dust from the surrounding area, the sandstorm now encapsulating the camp in a counter-clockwise motion instead of passing through it.
Following that, the Sage revealed themselves, phasing into existence from thin air. A figure with a hood over their head, a staff of some form in one hand, and a green tome that you couldn't identify. Their robe was a mixture of black, gold, and purple, with multiple layers covering their form.
Despite their face being heavily obscured by the darkness beneath their hood, the most disturbing thing, however, was the dark purple orbs that were visible through the eye holes. They scanned the area, stopping at Henry for a brief moment, before staring at you with mild interest.
Henry laughed as he said, "I never thought I'd have to exert that much magical energy again. Though when searching for assassins, there comes a need for such techniques," he gazed at the Sage, an aura of curiousity radiating off of him.
The Sage said nothing in response, the only indication of them being responsive a verdant green glow in their hands. With a whistle of air and a mere moment's notice, a dozen emerald crescents appeared around your father, all of them aiming at various locations of his body that would be fatal; if not killing blows.
However, instead of your father being mutilated in several places like you thought, his body morphed into a mass of cawing crows, avoiding the spell and reforming in a different location. The green moons fell onto the sand with a loud hum, several schisms taking form in the ground.
Reforming a distance away, Henry huffed. "Now now, we've just started this party. Let's not get ahead of ourselves for a moment. We should take our time and get to know each other a little bit," his eyes narrowed themselves together, a crazed smile growing with anticipation. "Also, it's been ages since I've studied a good cadaver."
As your father and the Sage began exchanging more spells—Henry letting out cackles of madness as he pivoted around the makeshift battlefield and casting the occasional Dark Magic spell with the Sage silently casting their own spells as a counter—you took that as your cue to stop spectating their fight and start focusing on the other problem: the bandits.
After all, only Naga knew that whatever fate you gave these bandits would be far more merciful than whatever your father would ever do to them.
The sandstorm raged on in the pitch black of the night, the howling of the winds the only sound clear to your ears. Peeking over the peak of the sand dune for a brief moment, you witnessed the two bandits conversing with one another, though you couldn't hear what they were discussing. Ducking your head back down after observing them for a moment or so, you began to plan your attack.
Firstly, their equipment. With regards to their weapons, one of them had a bronze ax with a torch while the other had an ax that you couldn't identify, at least without taking a close look at it. The sandstorm was obstructing your vision pretty well and the only reason you knew that the one ax was a bronze was due to the other man having strapped it into his back, making it clear to see.
In terms of armor, that was basically non-existent besides some furs and leather padding, though you didn't expect much considering they were, well, bandits. Not many bandits ran around with full metal-plating or chainmail, at least not run-of-the-mill ones. So with regards to that, melee and ranged combat wouldn't be too difficult in terms of landing killing blows.
Secondly, their position. They were pretty far down the dune and surrounded by many gravestones, meaning that you could take advantage of the range and terrain with your spells. However, the sandstorm was a double-edged sword. If they moved from their current position to another, more concealed one, it would be extremely difficult to prepare a counterattack. The thought to use the Corvus Tome hit your mind, but you weren't confident in your control and usage with Dark Magic yet. As such, for range you would use the Thunder tome instead.
There was also the thought of attempting to engage in direct swordplay, but with the obvious height disparity between yourself and the bandits alongside the devastating reach disadvantage you had, well...
That was just asking for you to be killed on the spot.
So, your plan would be simple, all things considered: kill the bandits with Thunder spells from atop the sand dune, taking advantage of the range you had. If something happened to where one of them managed to come close, you would engage with the bronze sword currently strapped to your hip.
Hopefully, however, it wouldn't come to that. The footwork movements that you ran through with Lucina were still foreign to memory. Furthermore, your technique and swordplay were overall awful compared to the average Ylissean soldier. Those cons aside, the visceral thought of stabbing someone and having blood spill all over you wasn't a pleasant one.
Then again, it wasn't as deep-seated as your fear of dying again.
That void of darkness was chilling, the memory of it alone bringing chills down your spine. Combined with that dreaded sense of nothingness, not to mention how your friends and family would cope with your death in the coming future...
Cutting yourself off from thinking about that any further, you went through the chant for the Thunder spell one last time in preparation for your surprise offensive maneuver. Two thunder-yellow rings surrounded your form, a golden glow illuminating the area in the dark of the night. With a deep breath, you focused on the task at hand.
Casting a spell required both a verbal or mental incantation along with a catalyst for the magic to be taken from, which in this case was the Thunder tome you were currently reading through. Although the game didn't necessarily explain how magic in this world worked, your father explained that Tomes and Staves acted as catalysts for spells, drawing magical energy within to perform the indicated magical effect.
In this case, the magical effect was summoning a manifestation of lightning from the heavens to strike a target.
However, things were never so simple. Without a verbal and/or mental incantation, the magical power within a magical tome and/or stave would have no proper form to mold into. Lacking a proper catalyst, such as a magical tome and/or stave with a compatible magical crystal, the incantation would have no magic to mold and shape to its whims.
A flash of yellow filled your vision, an orb followed by fizzles of crackling lightning forming before you. Magic sparks danced within the golden sphere in your palm in sync with your heartbeat, resonating out with a rhythmic hum.
Staring at the fruits of your labor thus far, all you could think of was what your father had told you earlier in the tent. You wouldn't let any of your loved ones experience the same fate that you had; never ending darkness, harrowing silence, unseen humanity.
Not if you had anything to say about it.
First Bandit Vs Leonard
Thunder Accuracy Roll: 2d50 = 42 + 39 = 81 + 10 (Dark Mage) + 3 (Warrior's Spirit [E]) = 94 = Successful Hit!
Success Threshold = ≤60
Double Attack Chance: 19 SPD (Leonard) vs 10 SPD (Bandit 1) = Leonard Double Strike. 43 x 2 = 86 DMG
Thunder Attack Damage: 30 (MAG) + 3 (Thunder Tome Might) + 10 (Dark Mage) - 0(RES) = -86 DMG < 25 HP = First Bandit dead
Second Bandit Vs Leonard
Hand Axe Accuracy Roll: 2d50 = 1 + 24 = 25. 80 (Hand Axe Accuracy) > 25 (Leonard Evasion) = Failed Dodge
Double Attack Chance: 10 (Bandit 2 SPD) < 19 (Leonard's SPD) = Bandit Double Strike Auto-Fail
Bandit Attack: 14 (STR) + 4 (MT) = 18 - 13 (Leonard's DEF). 17 (Leonard's HP) - 5 (Final DMG) = 12 HP
Result: Leonard is wounded and needs medical treatment.
Thunder Accuracy Roll: 2d50 = 42 + 39 = 81 + 10 (Dark Mage) + 3 (Warrior's Spirit[E]) = 94 = Successful Hit!
Success Threshold = ≤80
Double Attack Chance: 19 SPD (Leonard) vs 10 SPD (Bandit 2 SPD) = Leonard Double Strike. 43 x 2 = 86 DMG
Thunder Attack Damage: 30 (MAG) + 3 (Thunder Tome Might) + 10 (Dark Mage) - 0(RES) = -86 DMG < 25 HP = Second Bandit dead
Extending your palm over the peak of the sand dune and at the unaware bandits, the two rings floating around your body began to tremble with magical energy. The amber orb thrummed with power unknown to you until this very moment.
Then, it launched off towards the bandits, splitting into two smaller but equally deadly orbs of lightning.
They impacted the unassuming bandit holding the bronze ax with a hiss, the first orb paralyzing the man in place as he groaned in pain and the second one causing patches of charred skin to form. His struggles in vain died out as smoke rose from his body and he fell to the ground; limp and lifeless.
Before you even had the chance to think about how unexpectedly brutal and deadly that was, nevermind your apparently innate talent for magical assassination against the magically innate, a glint of light flickering off of something caught your eye.
Something that, upon swift realization, was approaching you very fast—
Barely pivoting to the side in time, a cry of agony exited your lips as the now identifiable Hand Ax embedded itself into your side. A foreign warmth exploded in your body as you were shakily brought down to a knee from the pain. Bringing your scarlet-covered hand to the embedded hand ax's handle, you slowly wrenched it out with a hiss, watching as a waterfall of red trickled out onto your previously unstained robe.
Despite the pounding in your ears, the sound of footsteps in the sand rang clear, alerting you. Turning to the side, the bandit popped his head upwards from the other side of the dune, his face red with rage. Spittle left his mouth as he snarled, "Yer gonna pay for killing Cyrus, you little Plegian rat!"
Regarding that with nothing more than an empty stare, two yellow rings buzzed around your form once more as you muttered, "If I had a nickle for everytime someone's called me a Plegian rat, I'd have two nickles. It isn't a lot, but it's still weird that it's happened twice."
By the time he fully clambered his way up, two yellow spheres crackled into reality from within your free palm. With fervor, they launched into the bandit's chest. The stench of burnt meat filled your nostrils as his body went slack and dropped dead. Crimson slowly seeping into the surrounding sand below and smoke rose into the air, filling your lungs with an unpleasant stench.
Checking to make sure that they were absolutely dead and not getting back up anytime soon, a sigh of relief and hesitant satisfaction that you didn't know you were holding left you. All the tension left your body and you went from a knee into a kneel, taking deep breaths to calm yourself. Tears threatened to escape your eyes as the reality of the situation hit you fully.
You just killed not one, but two people. Granted, these very two people were bandits who had came to your camp with the intent to murder you and your father, and had almost done the former if it weren't for you throwing your body to the side at the last moment, but that was besides the point. It was regrettable that you killed them in the first place, though with their attitude is was clear that they had left no other option open besides kill or be killed.
That didn't make it better by any means, though it wouldn't be prudent to dwell on such matters right now.
Brushing those thoughts aside, all the adrenaline left your body, a numb feeling in your shoulder a grave reminder that there was a glaring wound to be dealt with.
Even if you didn't have an immediately effective way to do so, you had to do something to lessen the bleeding and make sure an infection didn't form. There was nothing equivalent to antibiotic ointments on hand and the brews of Vulneraries were in the tent, which you were sure was still in the crossfire of the battle between your father and that Sage.
Ripping off parts of your now crimson cloak into thick strips of cloth, you wrapped them around the still bleeding wound, if only to lessen the amount of viscous crimson that was dripping down and onto the sand. Tying the rest of the make-shift wrapping into a knot, you stood up with a huff and began to head back to the camp. Along with that, you left the remnants of your first battle behind.
After this whole thing was over, you'd come back and deal with the bodies. Hopefully, everything was under control when you came back.
...Maybe your father knew a spell or hex in his arsenal that would help with the bleeding?
As a result of being victorious in this fight, you have been rewarded: +2 SPD, +2 DEF, and +2 LCK. + 15 points for Magical Weapon Proficiency - Thunder. Raised from Novice 5/30 to Novice 20/30. Thunder Tome durability dropped from 40/40 to 38/40.
Henry Vs Sage
Henry Battle Roll: 2d50 = 53 + 15 (Hex) + 10 (Anathema) + 21 (Tomebreaker) = 99
Sage Battle Roll: 2d50 = 55 - 22 (Tomebreaker) = 23 Henry defeats and captures the Sage.
When you madr yyour way back to the camp, you came back to the sight of your father flipping through his spellbook, seated… atop of the Sage? A murderous grin adorned his ashen-covered face, the black and gold linen cloak around his form reduced to nothing but tatters of its former glorious visage. The book he was reading pulsated with a lavender hue, his eyes sharp and filled with a sense of hunger.
Speaking of the Sage, they were to be bound in place - if the dark chains wrapping around their body was anything to go by - but they weren't uncomfortable in the position. They were motionless, the only indication of them gazing around the camp with seeming indifference.
Hexes of various inscriptions were etched all around their body, vibrating with dark energy. The fact that they were also aware of what was going on didn't help ease your concerns much, though with them bound in place with your father's magic you weren't all too worried about what they would do at the moment.
"Oh, Leonard! You're back! So, how did your first battle go? I'm dying to know all of the nitty gritty of your first bat..." His words died out as he noticed the wound on your shoulder, the ecstatic slasher grin of a madman replaced with the concerned look of a parent.
Opening your mouth, you awkwardly began, "Do you, uh, have anything to—"
"Stay here and keep watch on our little friend here. I'll go and prepare my clotting hex. It won't be as effective as being healed by a healing staff, but it'll do for quick, little fixes," he said, bolting off of his alive and bound seat.
"...stop the bleeding," you finished lamely.
He rushed into the tent, a breath of relief leaving your lips. At this point, you would take anything to stop the numb, throbbing sensation coming from your shoulder.
The sorcerer hurriedly exited the folds of the tent, a flask filled with a mysterious blue concoction in one hand and a weathered book in the other. Your father handed over the flask with a smile, opened the book, and flipped through various pages of it with hurriedness you've never seen before.
With a soothing tone, he explained, "Alright Leonard, I need you to sit down and relax. I know that our guest might be stewing some concern in that little headspace of yours, but I need you to be as relaxed as possible while I apply the hex. After that, you can have a sip of the Elixir and it should fix you up in a jiffy."
Ignoring that atrocity of a meat pun he made, you followed his instructions and sat cross-legged in the sand, only mildly concerned by his wording. He unwrapped the cloth you hastily swathed over the wound and stopped flipping through pages, holding a brush in hand.
"Hold still, okay? This might feel… a bit uncomfortable," he warned with a grimace, the brush glowing an eerie purple hue.
As you opened your mouth to ask what he meant by 'a tad uncomfortable', the feeling was immediate.
It felt like your skin was being slashed into a thousand times over by that hand ax, but all you felt was the full effect of the pain before the wounded skin, tendons, and flesh magically sewed themselves shut. Damn did your father severely downplay how much this would hurt.
Still, you followed his orders and stayed immobile as your father did his work, humming a tune while performing brush strokes. The teeth in your mouth grinded against each other, a testament to the sheer suffering the procedure was.
A few moments later and he was done, standing up with an expression of satisfaction. Gazing downward, you noticed that instead of seeing a large gash covered in blood, a dark purple circle was etched where your wound was.
A sigh of relief left your lips, your party concern alleviated. Moving to take a swig of the Elixir, you were interrupted by getting caught in a bear hug from Henry.
"Oh, my little lion has grown up so much! I remember when you were just a little baby in my arms. and look at you now! Gah, the others were right. Children do grow up so fast," your father cooed, his thin arms holding you in a death grip.
"Father, please, not in front of the Sage," you pleaded, struggling to escape his hug of death, "Also, I still need to take a sip of the Elixir."
Suddenly reminded of the fact that a guest was in your presence and watching the both of you along with the fact that you still weren't fully recovered, Henry let you free and coughed into his fist with a sheepish yet meaningful smile.
With your arms free, you uncorked the flask and down a sip of the Elixir, the mysterious yet savory flavor of the brew reinvigorating your body and causing all of the strain in your body disappear.
"Right, speaking of the Sage. I tried to interrogate them earlier, but they're the quiet type," he sighed, gliding across the sand to the bound Sage like a ghost, "It's so boring when they don't say anything. Even more so when they don't have any reactions to give." His words resounded throughout the camp, his tone playful. Gods, it was moments like this where you were briefly reminded that your father was no ordinary man, let alone no ordinary madman. His eyes shone in the dark, the moonlight gleaming off his icy blue eyes as he muttered, "Ah, it's no matter. They all break at some point. It's just a matter of time...."
2d50 = 36 + 43 = 79
Encounter = [1 Sage Risen] Formed and [7 Barbarian Risen] Resurrected
As your father continued his long-winded tangent, you noticed that the Sage's body began to shake with unholy energy. In mere moments, the chains that bound them in place vibrated with an intense aura and shattered into pieces. They stood up, brushed the dust off of their robe, and then began walking towards your father.
"This night is the night of the solstice, the night of darkness which encompasses the desire of our lord. In the shadows, our god lingers, forever watching as he awaits his return to this mortal plane," their voice was far deeper than you had thought it to be, thundering throughout the camp, "He breathes upon us! His will imbues us with the power to destroy all that oppose him through the mind and soul!"
Their purple eyes shone with vitriol and delight, a crimson aura surrounding their figure. Looking back at your father, he had stopped his rambling and opted to watch the Sage with a look of morbid curiosity.
The Sage regarded the two of you with a stare of madness, nodded to themselves, and then reached for their boot. Steel glinted against the moonlight and your mind went into overdrive as they unsheathed a jagged dagger, trying to figure out what they were going to do.
"What lives must die. For all of humanity shall be reborn anew under our lord's glory! In the name of our Fell Dragon God, Grima!" they declared, a grim smile taking place.
Then, without hesitation, they plunged the dagger into their own chest. As the metal pierced their skin, a spine-chilling shriek bellowed from the Sage.
You rushed to your father's side with a terrified expression, firmly gripping the Thunder tome in your hand. Although his own expression didn't change much from before this insanity began, he had his own tome out. Your heart pounded in your chest, blood rushing through your veins as you tried to comprehend just what the hell was going on.
The shriek lasted far longer than it really should have. At first, you thought it was just echoing throughout your ears, but then the shriek morphed into a shrill cry.
The Sage was covered in blood, the dagger still embedded in their body. Their hood had been torn off during whatever the hell they had done earlier, revealing an unpleasant face with ruby red eyes glowing in the dark of the night. The robe around their form clung to their pale, decaying skin, jaw unhinged in a way that wasn't humanly possible.
Their body moved with the grace of a toddler learning how to walk. Convulsing with jerky, stiff movements too abnormal to be considered human. As they stepped forward and raised their staff into the air, your heart dropped down to your stomach as the gravity of the situation hit fully.
The staff within the Sage's grasp began to glow an unholy royal purple, the ground around you shaking with dark energy. The tremors raised dust around the camp. Vision was obscured once more as the earth seemingly unfolded on itself.
They weren't a Sage anymore, for a Risen stood in their place; and they were here to eliminate the both of you at any cost.
Your father stepped forward, a fascinated gaze in his eyes as he stared down the quickly approaching Risen. "How interesting. The Sage managed to sacrifice their own humanity in exchange for some power, but at the drawback of attaining a seemingly undead state. I was researching necromancy before, but never have I seen something as advanced as this..."
Staying silent, plans began to brew within your mind. Surprise attacks would be ineffective; there were hardly any places to hide around in the camp that wasn't already fairly obvious. Magic would be a good option, but you didn't know if any of them had any ranged weapons as that one Barbarian did before—
"Leonard," Henry began, interrupting your brainstorming, "I'll go play with the Sage and the group that's formed around it, while you stay here and deal with the group that's heading from the outside to the camp.
After some very brief deliberation between yourself and your father:
[][Risen Ambush] You agree with your father's plan. You'll stay behind and deal with the invading group from within the camp while Henry deals with the Sage's group.
- [][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Thunder Tome to kill the invading Risen.
- [][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Flux Tome to kill the invading Risen.
- [][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Nosferatu Tome to kill the invading Risen.
- [][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Ruin Tome to kill the invading Risen.
- [][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Corvus Tome to kill the invading Risen.
- [][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Bronze Sword to kill the invading Risen.
- [][Risen Ambush] Write-in
[][Risen Ambush] You have something else in mind.
- [][Risen Ambush] Write-in
When constructing a battle plan vote, please take these factors into consideration:
Battlefield Effects
You are currently within a Desert battlefield. Sneak attacks are granted a +20 instead of a +10. Wind Magic attacks are granted an additional +15. Cavalry units have their SPD cut in half.
You are currently within a Graveyard battlefield. Risen and Dark Magic attack rolls are granted +10.
Stats Sheet
Class: Dark Mage - As a child born from a union of two more-than-exceptional dark mages, your dark magic is extremely potent and your potential for dark magic is ever-expanding. You are able to use both anima and dark magic, but your dark magic will always be stronger than anima magic. You are also able to promote into the Sorcerer or Dark Knight class when you are experienced enough and/or when you are ready to do so. +15 to all dice rolls relating to dark magic and +10 to all dice rolls relating to anima magic, but -10 to all social rolls with people who are aware that you are a Dark Mage. HP(Health): 17 STR(Strength): 14 MAG(Magic): 30 SKL(Skill): 18 SPD(Speed): 22 LCK(Luck): 12 DEF(Defense): 15 RES(Resistance): 20 Note: Green is indicative of your boon stat, while red is your flawed stat.
Abilities
Personal: ????? ?? ? ???? - ??? Class Abilities - Anathema (+10 to all close-range attack accuracy rolls) and Hex (+10 to all close-mid range attack accuracy rolls)
Inventory
Weapons and Tomes
New Bronze Short-Sword - This sword was gifted to you by Lucina after you accepted her deal to be taught swordsmanship. This is a very sharp sword. Even after barely touching the tip of your finger with it, you can see droplets of blood exiting the small yet extremely precise cut. Weapon Proficiency Requirement - Sword: Novice Weapon Uses - 50 Might (MT) - 3 Gain an additional +3 MT to your first ten melee attacks. Any and all attack rolls after that will reduce the additional MT to +1.
Murder of Crows - A custom spell created by Henry's father, from his knowledge.
Through exploration, you have figured out that you can currently create two permanent crows to send messages, with ten temporary crows being the current maximum.
You are able to combine or imbue these crows with certain spells, such as:
Thunder spells, which turns the crows into an electrical bomb. The strength and effects of the explosion may vary, depending on the type of Thunder Spell used.
Dark Magic (specifically Flux spell) turns the crows into a madness-inducing bomb. The strength and effects of the explosion may vary, depending on the type of Dark Magic spell or tome used
Weapon Proficiency Requirement - Novice with three different dark magic tomes/spells. Weapon Rarity - Unique Weapon Uses - Infinite Might (MT) - 12 (without spell combinations; base spell)
Thunder Tome - Temporarily borrowed from your father. The basic and easiest to cast of all thunder spells. When cast, a small but damaging thunderbolt appears. Weapon Proficiency Requirement - Novice Weapon Rarity - Uncommon Weapon Uses - 38 Might (MT) - 3 (without MAG bonuses)
Flux Tome - A copy you gained from your father after completing your training. The basic and easiest to cast Dark Magic spell. A simple projectile that can cause mental effects. Weapon Proficiency Requirement - Flux Tomes: Novice Weapon Rarity - Uncommon Weapon Uses - 45 Might (MT) - 5 (without MAG bonuses)
Nosferatu Tome - A copy you gained from your father after completing your training. The second easiest spell to cast, albeit more complex. Allows the user to drain and heal from half of the damage done to an enemy. Weapon Proficiency Requirement - Nosferatu Tome: Novice Weapon Rarity - Rare Weapon Uses - 20 Might (MT) - 7 (without MAG bonuses)
Ruin Tome - A copy you gained from your father after completing your training. One of the harder and more complex spells, but easier to hit and attack with. If you roll ≥50 on a 5d20 you will crit. Rolls the 5d20 instead of the usual 2d50 when using this spell. Weapon Proficiency Requirement - Dark Magic: Novice Weapon Rarity - Rare Weapon Uses - 20 Might (MT) - 4 (12 when critting but without MAG bonuses)
Traits
Psychologist and Psychiatrist(B) - You are able to calm yourself and others in very tense situations, along with being able to determine people's emotions and analyze problems easily. Gain +10 to all social rolls.
Reincarnate - You have experienced another life, a multitude of other experiences, and even death itself. You are more mature than other children, even more so than some adults! +3 to all social and event dice rolls.
Walking Battery - You are able to input and output mana out of your body to perform spells in a matter of moments, unseen in most mages. +10 to all MAG attacks and +10 to RES regarding enemy magic attacks.
Due to this trait, you are unable to perform and will always fail sneak attacks on any enemies who are magically inclined.
Warrior's Spirit(E) - For some reason or another, you will always be confident in a battle. Even in a tense and devastating confrontation, you will be confident in yourself. With this trait, gain +3 to all battle rolls.
Where Am I, Again? - You, after being an idiot and not following the sensible adult, got lost in a forest and have realized how bad your sense of direction is. Seriously, your directional skills are terrible. Due to this trait, you are more likely to get lost when exploring or wandering by yourself, more so than any of the other Future Children.
Due to this skill, you shall get a malus of -30 for all exploration actions.
Henry's Stats
HP
STR
MAG
SKL
SPD
LCK
DEF
RES
42
32
49
40
44
40
41
40
Weapons:
Traits
Battle Frenzy - Gained during his time at the institution he was abandoned at. When one releases all sanity, pain and emotions are nothing but a mere annoyance on the body they use. Grants +25 to all combat rolls, but applies a malus of -20 to all social rolls while active. Animal Whisperer - Like a sort of honey or scent, Henry can attract and gain allies through animals. Allows temporary recruitment of animals when engaging in a Forest or Plains battlefield.
Proficiencies and Skills
Dark Magic - Master
Hexes and Curses - Master
Anima Magic - Expert
Abilities
Personal: Amoral Fighter - When Henry lands an attack, roll 1d6 to see if Henry can attack again. If 3 or 6 are rolled Henry will perform another attack roll, but with half as much of his accuracy as before. This process will repeat until either Henry misses or the enemy is defeated. Class Abilities - Anathema (+10 to all close-range attack accuracy rolls) and Hex (+10 to all close-mid range attack accuracy rolls), Tomebreaker (Adds half of the base attack accuracy and avoid dice roll to the sum of the dice roll), Despoil (Obtain a Bullion when this character defeats an enemy) and Gamble (-5 to Attack Accuracy rolls, but +10 to critical hit chance rolls)
Abilities that are italicized are only obtainable through promoting or reclassing into another class.
Sage Risen
HP
STR
MAG
SKL
SPD
LCK
DEF
RES
48
30
37+2+5=44
27
32
3
20
20
Sage Abilities:Magic+2 (MAG +2), Focus (Critical Hit Chance +10 when alone), Tomefaire (MAG+5 when equipped with a Tome), and Rally Magic+ (Magic +4 to all allies when attacking as a group) Weapons: Elwind (Might 4), Arcfire (Might 8), Arcthunder (Might 10), Risen Resurrection Stave (Might ?)
Barbarian Risen
HP
STR
MAG
SKL
SPD
LCK
DEF
RES
23
15
0
5
9
0
4
0
Barbarian Abilities:Gamble (-5 to attack accuracy rolls, but +10 to critical hit chance rolls) Weapons: Bronze Ax (Might 4) and/or Hand Ax (Might 3)
Votes for update 11.3:
Risen Ambush
Voting will close in Dec 17, 2020 at 12:00 AM. Note from QM:
If you saw this Quest appear on your notification feed. you likely have two questions on your mind. One: What the hell is this Quest? It's been more than a year since the last update. Two: Why is this Quest being updated now?
I don't really like to reveal a lot about myself online, so I'll keep this somewhat brief. My personal issues have always been my greatest foe, and to the best of my efforts, they won out. A mix of anxiety and depression forced me to second guess everything I wrote. I truly did not want to just stop what I had written right there, but at the time it felt like the only option I really had with everything going on.
However, I have grown from what I was before. Along with that growth came a hatred of leaving things that I have vested effort into unfinished, so this Quest will keep going on until the very end. I plan to do updates once or twice a week (Wednesdays and/or Weekends), though with my exams around the corner that might change. Holidays will definitely open up more time for me to write though.
It has been quite a long time, so I don't mind if you stop following the Quest due to it being far too long for it to interest you like it did before. Truthfully, this is far longer for me to keep track of it (if I were a quester participating in this quest).
Regardless, I hope you enjoy the continuation of Breaking Destiny and have a great day, making sure to be safe in these turbulent times that we're in right now. As always, if you happen to spot any errors/mistakes, be sure to point them out to me so I can fix them asap and make the reading process as enjoyable as possible.
EDIT: 10/7/22, fixed tense issues, added more meat to the bones of the story, etc
Is protecting the camp really that useful?
We have provisions I would guess but we can always salvage them as the Risen aren't intelligent enough to make use of them(as far as I remember) ,aren't they like mindless beings like zombies?
Will think my vote for a bit but delighted the QM has come back with renewed energy and writing ambition,best character development one could hope for.
We can really say that Leonard is a year older even if there was no time skip around.
We have provisions I would guess but we can always salvage them as the Risen aren't intelligent enough to make use of them(as far as I remember) ,aren't they like mindless beings like zombies?
Gah, knew I was forgetting something. "Protecting the camp" should be "dealing with the invading group from within the camp instead". It's always these last-minute things that I end up missing Thanks for spotting that, fixed it.
And yeah, most Risen are basically mindless. They're driven by aggression, 'living' (heh) to fight and exterminate humans, nothing more.
Edit: There's the Deadlords who're a bit of an exception to this rule (in terms of being mostly mindless, as they're capable of fluent speech), but they're a huge outlier in comparison to the average Risen.
[][Risen Ambush] You agree with your father's plan. You'll stay behind and defend the camp from the invading group while Henry deals with the Sage's group.
- [][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Flux Tome to kill the invading Risen.
-- [][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Nosferatu Tome when you are hurt.
It's less that we need to defend the camp and more it's a defensible position that won't worsen our position and make things harder for Henry. Oooor i can be ninja'ed above. Btw, do we need to vote to activate the thunder armor or is it automatically?
I actually forgot all about this quest, but it is good to see it back again. Either way, I'm happy that you could get over your personal obstacles and gain the mental fortitude and the tenacity to continue.
[x][Risen Ambush] You agree with your father's plan. You'll stay behind and defend the camp from the invading group while Henry deals with the Sage's group.
- [x][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Flux Tome to kill the invading Risen.
-- [x][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Nosferatu Tome when you are hurt.
[x][Risen Ambush] You agree with your father's plan. You'll stay behind and defend the camp from the invading group while Henry deals with the Sage's group.
- [x][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Flux Tome to kill the invading Risen.
-- [x][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Nosferatu Tome when you are hurt.
[x][Risen Ambush] You agree with your father's plan. You'll stay behind and defend the camp from the invading group while Henry deals with the Sage's group. -- [x][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Thunder tome to kill the Invading Risen. - [x][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Ruin Tome if you feel cornered.
Playing it safe with the most familiar book of spells while also exploring new fields,in case of really bad rolls trying the Ruin Tome as a last resort could bring as much doom as rewards.
My only hesitation is leaving Henry alone to deal with the Sage,yes he is a war veteran with outstanding ability towards offensive magic but the feeling that he may underestimate one of this foes and meet his original destiny on the timeline is a fear that will always be present when we don't fight by his side.
Wasn't it as much as a defensive spell as an offensive one?
Kinda like the best defense ends up being the ultimate attack.
I believe the use we can give it is extensive but wouldn't it consume too much mana?Or Leonard being a walking battery softens any debuff a excessive use of a powerful spell could have?
I mean this battle could be resolved quickly but how much would the use of the Thunder Armour weaken Leonard's mana reserves?
I believe the use we can give it is extensive but wouldn't it consume too much mana?Or Leonard being a walking battery softens any debuff a excessive use of a powerful spell could have?
Thunder Armor - A spell that you discovered through experimentation. By pouring magical energy throughout your body instead of a proper catalyst and performing the incantation for the Thunder tome, you are able to temporarily boost your physical strength, agility, and lightning spell damage on the battlefield for a short duration. While this spell is active, you have double SPD and STR stats. In addition, gain +10 to all Thunder tome-related rolls for the duration that Thunder Armor is active. Due to high amounts of magical energy usage, this spell can only be activated once per battle and lasts for a duration of two battle actions.
Current DC = ≥55
The IC reason for Leonard not being able to use Thunder Armor for an extensive period of time would be that while, yes, he has very large magical energy reserves, he doesn't know how to control how much mana he outputs to perform the spell.
Basically, he uses far too much mana than what should be used when performing the spell, but he doesn't know that because he hasn't trained it further than what he's done before.
The point of using Nosferatu when we are hurt is because it heals us, not because it's a better spell, but now i'm tempted to continue with our line of thunder mastery... (swiftblade ftw)
Ok, wow, that spell will be awesome once we are able to use it reliably, but for now it's a really bad idea. Does it consume an action to use?
Added it into the character sheet (under Leonard's Inventory, at the very bottom):
The IC reason for Leonard not being able to use Thunder Armor for an extensive period of time would be that while, yes, he has very large magical energy reserves, he doesn't know how to control how much mana he outputs to perform the spell.
Basically, he uses far too much mana than what should be used when performing the spell, but he doesn't know that because he hasn't trained it further than what he's done before.
If you want, however, you can incorporate it alongside the Thunder spell. i.e. something like this: {Example Battle Action} You'll use your Thunder Tome boosted by your Thunder Armor spell to kill the invading Risen.
[x][Risen Ambush] You agree with your father's plan. You'll stay behind and defend the camp from the invading group while Henry deals with the Sage's group. - [x][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Thunder tome to kill the Invading Risen
-- [x][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Nosferatu Tome when you are hurt.
[X][Risen Ambush] You agree with your father's plan. You'll stay behind and deal with the invading group from within the camp while Henry deals with the Sage's group.
- [X][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Thunder Tome to kill the invading Risen.
-- [X][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Nosferatu Tome when you are hurt.
It's good to see this again. We could use this situation to try to provide some "future" knowledge. Outside of the Deadlords, there are other speaking Risen as well. I remember that the boss when you recruit Morgan and I think Tiki as well speak. We could potentially throw in that they are trying to kill Chrom, want the Fire Emblem, work for Validar etc. Though I doubt our ability to lie convincingly.
[x][Risen Ambush] You agree with your father's plan. You'll stay behind and defend the camp from the invading group while Henry deals with the Sage's group. - [x][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Thunder tome to kill the Invading Risen
-- [x][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Nosferatu Tome when you are hurt.
Well, the path to swiftblade is clear ^^, now we need a Fire Blade spell and a Wind Boots one to be a full time gish. Btw, what happens if we don't reach the spell dc for thunder armor? Doesn't work if fail is low/Miscast if fail is high/shit happens if crit fail? Also, when defending are we considered to be using a tome or a sword? How much of a bonus is the wpn triangle here?
Edit: Also, how would it work to use murder of crows? Would we charge up several atacks to then unleash one by one?
Btw, what happens if we don't reach the spell dc for thunder armor? Doesn't work if fail is low/Miscast if fail is high/shit happens if crit fail? Also, when defending are we considered to be using a tome or a sword? How much of a bonus is the wpn triangle here?
To answer your questions in order:
- If you fail the DC for Thunder Armor, you'll basically just fail to cast it on yourself and then go to use the other spell listed in the plan.
- The spell won't work if the DC is 54 or below, so you won't get any of the benefits if it happens to roll a total equalling any of those numbers (1-54). However, you do still get EXP for attempting to use the skill, although it won't be as much as if you were to successfully casting it.
- Generally, it depends on what you're getting attacked by and what the weapon you last used to attack was. In this update's case, Leonard attacked back with the Thunder tome because it was the last weapon he used and because he was attacked by a ranged weapon (Hand Ax). Circumstances may vary, of course, but that's what I'll be basing on what weapon gets used.
- The weapon triangle will prove to be pretty huge in the quest, at least in terms of the boost it provides. Of course, the boost and the debuff it provides depends on your Weapon Rank compared to the enemies' (which I'll be sure to balance out, in terms of game mechanics).
[x][Risen Ambush] You agree with your father's plan. You'll stay behind and defend the camp from the invading group while Henry deals with the Sage's group.
- [x][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Flux Tome to kill the invading Risen.
-- [x][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Nosferatu Tome when you are hurt.
HELL YES! I love this quest and am glad to see it back.
Now, I think we're in a risky enough area that we should switch to dark magic given we are expressly stronger with that type of magic than with lightning. Also armor is a bit too sketch at the moment.
The crows are tempting but reliability should come before experimentation.
[x][Risen Ambush] You agree with your father's plan. You'll stay behind and defend the camp from the invading group while Henry deals with the Sage's group. - [x][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Thunder tome to kill the Invading Risen
-- [x][Risen Ambush] You'll use your Nosferatu Tome when you are hurt.
Thanks for spotting that, fixed it.
