- Location
- Germany
Wow, you have an incredible update speed, and the writing quality is excellent!
Thanks for writing this interesting story.
Thanks for writing this interesting story.
Alphaleph
The Firstiest of First
- Location
- In my Lair, on my Hoard
Bard. 
gatewaewanderer
Wandering Fool
- Location
- East Coast, USA
Hmmm. Maybe some kind of combat crafter title? By that I mean a crafter willing and able to collect their own ingredients, though maybe not necessarily alone, and the crafting might just be an aspect of the title rather than the whole thing. Hmmm...
Puppeteer - A title that involves the titled crafting special construct minions (Puppets, ) that do the fighting for it.
Fleshcrafter - (was reading a dungeon story, idea is influenced from that, ) A title that involves the manipulation of flesh, whether it's own or that of others. Can technically heal others by manipulating their flesh or destroy them by again manipulating their flesh. Possibly able to make minions (flesh golems? ) and extremely likely to have a bad reputation, similar to Necromancers.
No more ideas right now, maybe have some more later.
Dungeon story I mentioned reading earlier is NSFW, but has a lot of creative ideas and a funny but black and sometimes crude sense of humor. It's a Royal Road Legends story called
It's a very trappy story, though quite in the manner normally meant when you say 'traps,' in fiction but it's got some of that too.
"Large chests are said to encompass all manner of hopes and dreams. Men covet them. Women envy them. But one fact holds true - everyone wants to get their hands on some big ones.
The same holds true for one intrepid adventurer - a strapping young lad by the name of Himmel. Armed with his grandfather's trusty longsword and the dream of being the strongest, he sets out on the journey of a lifetime! It is sure to be a long and dangerous road, fraught with danger! And it all starts with a simple test - reach Level 5 in the dungeon called the 'newbie zone' and earn the right to become a full-fledged adventurer!
However, such things get hopelessly derailed when his adolescent mind beholds an exposed chest for the first time. A fateful meeting that would inevitably lead his life in a direction he never even dreamed of!"
Actually found it through the "Writer's Pledge" list. Have most of those stories on my "to read list," this was just the first one I've read so far. Turned out to be very differet from what I thought it was, but I'm glad I stuck with it. The description above is... misleading though. You could say that's the story's very first trap...
Puppeteer - A title that involves the titled crafting special construct minions (Puppets, ) that do the fighting for it.
Fleshcrafter - (was reading a dungeon story, idea is influenced from that, ) A title that involves the manipulation of flesh, whether it's own or that of others. Can technically heal others by manipulating their flesh or destroy them by again manipulating their flesh. Possibly able to make minions (flesh golems? ) and extremely likely to have a bad reputation, similar to Necromancers.
No more ideas right now, maybe have some more later.
Dungeon story I mentioned reading earlier is NSFW, but has a lot of creative ideas and a funny but black and sometimes crude sense of humor. It's a Royal Road Legends story called
Everybody Loves Large Chests
"Large chests are said to encompass all manner of hopes and dreams. Men covet them. Women envy them. But one fact holds true - everyone wants to get their hands on some big ones.
The same holds true for one intrepid adventurer - a strapping young lad by the name of Himmel. Armed with his grandfather's trusty longsword and the dream of being the strongest, he sets out on the journey of a lifetime! It is sure to be a long and dangerous road, fraught with danger! And it all starts with a simple test - reach Level 5 in the dungeon called the 'newbie zone' and earn the right to become a full-fledged adventurer!
However, such things get hopelessly derailed when his adolescent mind beholds an exposed chest for the first time. A fateful meeting that would inevitably lead his life in a direction he never even dreamed of!"
Actually found it through the "Writer's Pledge" list. Have most of those stories on my "to read list," this was just the first one I've read so far. Turned out to be very differet from what I thought it was, but I'm glad I stuck with it. The description above is... misleading though. You could say that's the story's very first trap...
Samael is a monk who fights with faith, fist, and skin. He loves fighting and brawling, though he has slowly been becoming more disciplined about it. So some fun allies could be:
Iron Mauler: Slow, armor as slow and heavy as a tank, soaks every hit without dodging, beats enemies to death with massive strength. Someone who, without their tools, is as helpless as a snail outside their shell contrasts nicely to Samael.
Champion: Upgrade from Gladiator, which is an upgrade from Brawler. Fights in a showy, spectacular fashion, and is very good at using exotic weapons and killing unusual monsters. Shows a different route that Samael could have gone, a different person he could have been. Lacking discipline, but not lacking in power. Also writing showboats can be fun.
Promethean: Someone who has stolen power from the gods for their own use. Not very much of course, but enough to use 'holy' or 'demonic' magic without calling on any external entities. Would allow for interesting conversations about the gods and the church.
Iron Mauler: Slow, armor as slow and heavy as a tank, soaks every hit without dodging, beats enemies to death with massive strength. Someone who, without their tools, is as helpless as a snail outside their shell contrasts nicely to Samael.
Champion: Upgrade from Gladiator, which is an upgrade from Brawler. Fights in a showy, spectacular fashion, and is very good at using exotic weapons and killing unusual monsters. Shows a different route that Samael could have gone, a different person he could have been. Lacking discipline, but not lacking in power. Also writing showboats can be fun.
Promethean: Someone who has stolen power from the gods for their own use. Not very much of course, but enough to use 'holy' or 'demonic' magic without calling on any external entities. Would allow for interesting conversations about the gods and the church.
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Vaalintine
Wild Wondorous Wolfalope
So basically the Historian is high-end Utility/Support then. Makes sense.
Chapter 22
They spent the next few days getting the lay of the land so to speak. Samael first went to the church, which was a rather grand and imposing structure nestled securely in a nook of vines. Knuckles found the local bar and gathering point for the adventurers. Of particular interest was the information on the dungeon. There was a lot of it unfortunately.
Established dungeons were dungeons that had finished growing. Inverted dungeons were dungeons that built up instead of down. You would think this meant that the dungeon would be a know quality, but that was not the case. Established dungeons had identifiable inhabitants yes, but they also had basically setup an 'ecosystem' for lack of a better word.
It was easier to explain by using examples. The Bonepit had identifiable rooms and each room had 'inhabitants.' These rooms didn't interact much. You eventually got patrols, but that was it.
Thornvine's first floor was a massive maze of vines and thorns. It had wandering boars, hand sized winged people known as fairies, and several very large hunting cats as threats. Of them, the fairies were the only 'dungeon' inhabitant. As in they were the only ones that dissolved on death. None of the enemies were consistent, and the fairies were known to aid others if there were some nearby.
Thornvine also had a lot of nasty tricks. There were traps all over, a few poisonous areas, roaming boss monsters, and it 'enhanced' the current temperature somehow. Since it was currently fall and moving to winter, that meant a lot of ice, and howling winds that didn't bother the inhabitants.
It was not uncommon for people flush on success from their beginners dungeon to go right in and be crippled or die. The enemies weren't that much more deadly, but the change in behavior was enough to trip people up. Fortunately, once people figured out things the first floor was apparently a lucrative place to farm silvers.
In particular, there were two items. For one the boar meat was considered a hot commodity, and for two the fairies often tended 'Fairy Fruit', which was a fist sized blue fruit that was very sweet and could only grow in dungeons. Floors after that had more interesting things as well, if you could get there.
Thornvine had ten floors. There were four bosses on floors three, six, and nine. The 'leading boss' on floor ten was a changing one based on the season. You could only fight him if you managed to beat two of the ninth floor bosses due to some sort of locking mechanism. Considering the dungeon was enormous, this took a very long time typically. Those who managed that were considered elite. Most people moved around to other veteran dungeons though. The time and effort required typically meant people wanted to take breaks and do other dungeons for a time.
For Samael all this information sort of changed his initial plans. He had thought to go into the dungeon with Knuckles and get his feet wet so to speak. Instead he was more inclined to get a guide of some sort first, just to be safe.
Fortunately Knuckles been one step ahead in this. He showed that when they met at the beginning of the day with another person. A woman with a wooden mask and long red plaited hair. The mask stood out the most, even if she was dressed in what amounted to breast bindings and tight shorts. It was a smooth thing that had vague colors that moved, swirled, brightened, and faded. The eyes were black and had a vaguely feminine tilt.
"I give my greetings. This one indicated you wished to brave the first floor?" The woman asked in slow deliberate words. There was a vague accent Samael couldn't place.
"Yes. You've been in before?" Samael grinned and nodded in greetings.
"I have. Only once. When my ally was crippled, and they blamed me." There was more than a little bitterness there.
"She's going to be south point." Knuckles chimed in here. "It's not uncommon for those to be blamed when injuries happen. Stupid, but happens. Just so you know, she's a Shaman. They don't tend to heal that well."
"My pact with water is not to heal. It is a…" The woman paused as she searched for the word. "Not nice spirit. It does not like to heal, so I must make do."
"Well it wasn't like we had healing anyway." Samael muttered and shrugged. "So, how do we do this?"
"Well, traditionally we declare to each other and say skills." The Thug chuckled. "Her skills are more in her pacts though, and those don't really get declared. Let's just with with classes." Following his own words, Knuckles began. "I am Knuckles, the Thug."
Very clearly and deliberately the woman spoke next. "I am Seonag the Shaman."
"I am Samael the Monk." Samael followed up last, a bit giddy that he could actually do this.
Seonag peered at him through the eyes of her mask for a long uncomfortable moment. "I do not know that title. You did two man dungeon with that?"
"Yes…?" Samael shifted uncomfortably, and rushed as he saw the woman start to rear back. "I mean I did two man Bonepit with Knuckles over here, but I was sort of going for this title then."
"Ah. Well, if you fail then I just leave your body on ground." Seonag stated casually.
Knuckles interjected before Samael could do more than bristle. "She's already taking a big risk with us. Getting a rear liner is the second hardest spot to fill. We can't be choosy."
"Tail is hard to find, but teeth typically harder. You can go far with teeth and tail. Wings are easy." Seonag agreed as she straightened out. "We going now?"
"Good a time as any." Knuckles muttered. "I need to get into my armor."
"I will." The next two words she spoke were in another language, and Seonag paused. "Ah, I do not know the words."
"Synchronize magic if probably what you're looking for." Knuckles held out his hand. "You too." He directed Samael.
Bemused now, Samael offered his hand. Seonag grabbed it with a casual gesture, and he felt something lurch inside himself as his magic was prodded harshly. The young man winced at the feeling and yanked his hand back.
Seonag tilted her masked face and Samael could swear she was amused. "You not done it before? It make my magic friendly to you. Syn-chro-nize magic means my magic knows you so I can make you better." The woman pulled out what looked to be a wooden stick decorated with strange symbols and wrapped with a few strings. "This my pact with fire." The stick started to dance with little fireflys.
Samael's eyes widened and he felt his blood race slightly. Suddenly his body felt better than it ever had been. More energetic and less tired. Then it was over, and he blinked a few times.
Seonag gave a little laugh. Knuckles grinned at Samael. "You don't find many shamans in Bonepit. They do some nice stuff."
"I can agree with that." The Monk nodded.
Established dungeons were dungeons that had finished growing. Inverted dungeons were dungeons that built up instead of down. You would think this meant that the dungeon would be a know quality, but that was not the case. Established dungeons had identifiable inhabitants yes, but they also had basically setup an 'ecosystem' for lack of a better word.
It was easier to explain by using examples. The Bonepit had identifiable rooms and each room had 'inhabitants.' These rooms didn't interact much. You eventually got patrols, but that was it.
Thornvine's first floor was a massive maze of vines and thorns. It had wandering boars, hand sized winged people known as fairies, and several very large hunting cats as threats. Of them, the fairies were the only 'dungeon' inhabitant. As in they were the only ones that dissolved on death. None of the enemies were consistent, and the fairies were known to aid others if there were some nearby.
Thornvine also had a lot of nasty tricks. There were traps all over, a few poisonous areas, roaming boss monsters, and it 'enhanced' the current temperature somehow. Since it was currently fall and moving to winter, that meant a lot of ice, and howling winds that didn't bother the inhabitants.
It was not uncommon for people flush on success from their beginners dungeon to go right in and be crippled or die. The enemies weren't that much more deadly, but the change in behavior was enough to trip people up. Fortunately, once people figured out things the first floor was apparently a lucrative place to farm silvers.
In particular, there were two items. For one the boar meat was considered a hot commodity, and for two the fairies often tended 'Fairy Fruit', which was a fist sized blue fruit that was very sweet and could only grow in dungeons. Floors after that had more interesting things as well, if you could get there.
Thornvine had ten floors. There were four bosses on floors three, six, and nine. The 'leading boss' on floor ten was a changing one based on the season. You could only fight him if you managed to beat two of the ninth floor bosses due to some sort of locking mechanism. Considering the dungeon was enormous, this took a very long time typically. Those who managed that were considered elite. Most people moved around to other veteran dungeons though. The time and effort required typically meant people wanted to take breaks and do other dungeons for a time.
For Samael all this information sort of changed his initial plans. He had thought to go into the dungeon with Knuckles and get his feet wet so to speak. Instead he was more inclined to get a guide of some sort first, just to be safe.
Fortunately Knuckles been one step ahead in this. He showed that when they met at the beginning of the day with another person. A woman with a wooden mask and long red plaited hair. The mask stood out the most, even if she was dressed in what amounted to breast bindings and tight shorts. It was a smooth thing that had vague colors that moved, swirled, brightened, and faded. The eyes were black and had a vaguely feminine tilt.
"I give my greetings. This one indicated you wished to brave the first floor?" The woman asked in slow deliberate words. There was a vague accent Samael couldn't place.
"Yes. You've been in before?" Samael grinned and nodded in greetings.
"I have. Only once. When my ally was crippled, and they blamed me." There was more than a little bitterness there.
"She's going to be south point." Knuckles chimed in here. "It's not uncommon for those to be blamed when injuries happen. Stupid, but happens. Just so you know, she's a Shaman. They don't tend to heal that well."
"My pact with water is not to heal. It is a…" The woman paused as she searched for the word. "Not nice spirit. It does not like to heal, so I must make do."
"Well it wasn't like we had healing anyway." Samael muttered and shrugged. "So, how do we do this?"
"Well, traditionally we declare to each other and say skills." The Thug chuckled. "Her skills are more in her pacts though, and those don't really get declared. Let's just with with classes." Following his own words, Knuckles began. "I am Knuckles, the Thug."
Very clearly and deliberately the woman spoke next. "I am Seonag the Shaman."
"I am Samael the Monk." Samael followed up last, a bit giddy that he could actually do this.
Seonag peered at him through the eyes of her mask for a long uncomfortable moment. "I do not know that title. You did two man dungeon with that?"
"Yes…?" Samael shifted uncomfortably, and rushed as he saw the woman start to rear back. "I mean I did two man Bonepit with Knuckles over here, but I was sort of going for this title then."
"Ah. Well, if you fail then I just leave your body on ground." Seonag stated casually.
Knuckles interjected before Samael could do more than bristle. "She's already taking a big risk with us. Getting a rear liner is the second hardest spot to fill. We can't be choosy."
"Tail is hard to find, but teeth typically harder. You can go far with teeth and tail. Wings are easy." Seonag agreed as she straightened out. "We going now?"
"Good a time as any." Knuckles muttered. "I need to get into my armor."
"I will." The next two words she spoke were in another language, and Seonag paused. "Ah, I do not know the words."
"Synchronize magic if probably what you're looking for." Knuckles held out his hand. "You too." He directed Samael.
Bemused now, Samael offered his hand. Seonag grabbed it with a casual gesture, and he felt something lurch inside himself as his magic was prodded harshly. The young man winced at the feeling and yanked his hand back.
Seonag tilted her masked face and Samael could swear she was amused. "You not done it before? It make my magic friendly to you. Syn-chro-nize magic means my magic knows you so I can make you better." The woman pulled out what looked to be a wooden stick decorated with strange symbols and wrapped with a few strings. "This my pact with fire." The stick started to dance with little fireflys.
Samael's eyes widened and he felt his blood race slightly. Suddenly his body felt better than it ever had been. More energetic and less tired. Then it was over, and he blinked a few times.
Seonag gave a little laugh. Knuckles grinned at Samael. "You don't find many shamans in Bonepit. They do some nice stuff."
"I can agree with that." The Monk nodded.
Chapter 23
Knuckles probably drew the most stares as they were waiting to be let in the dungeon. Getting the full set of armor from the Bonepit was a serious undertaking apparently. Mostly because the typical four man group would split the heavy armor or sell it. The helmet especially.
Samael was perfectly alright with that to be honest. Less attention on him after all, though they didn't have to wait long thankfully. Apparently the waiting was mostly so that people didn't do something stupid at the entrance to the dungeon proper.
Thornvine's actual entrance was a bit beyond the wooden building that blocked it. It was a large archway of intertwined vines and thorns that lead into what appeared to be a multitude of vine tunnels. This was a sharp contrast to the Bonepit, and had both men pausing.
"Does not matter which one we take." The Shaman of their group stated. "We go, we fight once, and then we leave if team is bad."
"Point. And things change anyway." Samael nodded and picked a tunnel at random.
Knuckles led the way with his absurd shield and both people followed. The tunnels were irregular, moving this way and that, up and down, and widening and shortening at some unseen plan. Frankly it was a bit disorientating.
The tunnels split once and then twice before Seonag gave a sharp whistle. "Behind, sound!"
Knuckles immediately charged behind, raising his shield. Samael skipped to the position he typically took, just to the side of the shield.
"Eye on South. We're three now remember." Knuckles reminded Samael.
The Monk had to practically smack himself to remember what he had to do there. Skipping back a few paces he looked back to be certain he could keep Seonag in his line of sight. First priority was keeping the field between her and Knuckles clear.
Seonag didn't seem to notice the byplay. She tapped two of the sticks she had strapped to her belt with her empty hand, and then picked one off and held it. One of the sticks glowed with fireflies again. The other seemed to shimmer slightly.
Samael felt his body heat. His breath came easier and he felt lighter. The effect made him grin a bit, and he bounced on his heels as he felt the energy surge through his body.
Then the things Seonag had heard charged into the tunnel. Pigs. Almost two dozen of them poured from one of the side tunnels. Two of them were massive beasts almost as large as a man. Four were smaller. The rest were little piglets that might have been cute had they not immediately scattered into and around the tunnel and looked to be angling to bite. Both of the large ones immediately charged at Knuckles as the rest started to move in.
A frisson of almost visible fear swept the tunnel as Knuckles used his intimidation skill. The piglets started to squeal loudly and scattered. The larger ones paused mid charge.
A strange blue mist swept from Seonag's totem and into her other hand. She seemed to blow on it through her mask and it drifted to where the four smaller pigs had paused. The squealed with pain and tried to move, but were blocked by the larger parents in front.
Knuckles took the opening to slam his shield into one of the biggest pig's snout. It squealed and shook it's head. The other one moved to bite, and he smacked it with his mace. That one backed up in pain.
In the meantime, Samael was doing what his job had to be. The piglets were small but their teeth were still sharp. Too low to punch, he had to resort to stomping on their head or literally kicking them into the sidewalls. They were durable little pains though, and seemed to figure him for the best meal due to his actions.
Fortunately dealing with little knee high monsters wasn't that big a deal. Especially with the enhancements. Their teeth weren't even enough to break through his Iron Skin, though it was close.
Another intimidation hit the group. This time the pigs in back seemed to have had enough and turned around to flee with loud squeals. The piglets scattered again, and Samael smashed the ones he could.
One turned to bite Seonag. She didn't seem to notice as it gnawed on her leg. Little flecks of stone dropped to the ground as the piglet tried to draw blood, and Samael took care of the problem with a drop kick. The pig went flying and Seonag gave a nod as she continued to wave her free hand. The mist started to move closer.
The two larger pigs seemed to grow enraged at the actions and attempted to overcome Knuckles with sheer weight. One impacted the large shield and the Thug grunted as he staggered back, but kept on his feet. The other pushed through and charged at Seonag.
The Shaman backed away quickly with very real alarm. Samael moved to intercept it, slamming a fist into it's side. The sensation was practically like hitting a wall. The bone and fat of the pig was so thick that his strike had done almost nothing.
That was fine. Samael kicked out at a short and stubby leg, and the beast fumbled a moment. Ignoring the sharp pain from the attack, the young man continued to punch. Something cracked under one of his strikes, and the pig shifted to look at him.
Then that mist dropped down on it and Samael. For a moment, the young man panicked, but he didn't notice any pain. The pig certainly did. It's eyes started to water and there was a slight hissing sound. Immediately, it tried to move away, but Samael had decided it wasn't going anywhere. He slammed his foot down and into it's skull. Again it was like hitting a wall, but this sort of strike wasn't ignorable. The pig staggered.
A few strikes later it was mostly dropping to the ground and coughing up blood as it's insides were eaten away by the corrosive mists. Then it dropped to the ground.
Samael panted as he looked at the corpse. "Seriously? I could barely hurt them."
"Join the club." Knuckles muttered as he hefted his mace. It was dented, though the other pig's head was crushed.
"Big pigs have big armor. All fat and bone." Seonag stated. "Surprise to most. Why my water is useful." She wiggled the stick she had been carrying. "Inside less armored. Know how to clean?"
"Clean?" Samael asked as he looked at the dead bodies. How did you get something that large back?
"I will do it. Watch entrance. Little pigs can be taken whole. Stick in sack." The Shaman set down her large bag of holding and then pulled out a large knife.
Samael turned a little green as the woman began to cut into the large pig. Well, he supposed that was one way of doing it. The way the guts spilled wasn't exactly pleasant, and fleetingly he wished he was still dealing with skeletons. Then he shook his head and turned towards the dead piglets.
"I wonder how tasty these are?" He held up one of them with a frown.
"Little pigs best!" Seonag called out.
"Just so you know, I'm getting the fruit when we get back." Knuckles stated quietly as watched the entrances.
Samael was perfectly alright with that to be honest. Less attention on him after all, though they didn't have to wait long thankfully. Apparently the waiting was mostly so that people didn't do something stupid at the entrance to the dungeon proper.
Thornvine's actual entrance was a bit beyond the wooden building that blocked it. It was a large archway of intertwined vines and thorns that lead into what appeared to be a multitude of vine tunnels. This was a sharp contrast to the Bonepit, and had both men pausing.
"Does not matter which one we take." The Shaman of their group stated. "We go, we fight once, and then we leave if team is bad."
"Point. And things change anyway." Samael nodded and picked a tunnel at random.
Knuckles led the way with his absurd shield and both people followed. The tunnels were irregular, moving this way and that, up and down, and widening and shortening at some unseen plan. Frankly it was a bit disorientating.
The tunnels split once and then twice before Seonag gave a sharp whistle. "Behind, sound!"
Knuckles immediately charged behind, raising his shield. Samael skipped to the position he typically took, just to the side of the shield.
"Eye on South. We're three now remember." Knuckles reminded Samael.
The Monk had to practically smack himself to remember what he had to do there. Skipping back a few paces he looked back to be certain he could keep Seonag in his line of sight. First priority was keeping the field between her and Knuckles clear.
Seonag didn't seem to notice the byplay. She tapped two of the sticks she had strapped to her belt with her empty hand, and then picked one off and held it. One of the sticks glowed with fireflies again. The other seemed to shimmer slightly.
Samael felt his body heat. His breath came easier and he felt lighter. The effect made him grin a bit, and he bounced on his heels as he felt the energy surge through his body.
Then the things Seonag had heard charged into the tunnel. Pigs. Almost two dozen of them poured from one of the side tunnels. Two of them were massive beasts almost as large as a man. Four were smaller. The rest were little piglets that might have been cute had they not immediately scattered into and around the tunnel and looked to be angling to bite. Both of the large ones immediately charged at Knuckles as the rest started to move in.
A frisson of almost visible fear swept the tunnel as Knuckles used his intimidation skill. The piglets started to squeal loudly and scattered. The larger ones paused mid charge.
A strange blue mist swept from Seonag's totem and into her other hand. She seemed to blow on it through her mask and it drifted to where the four smaller pigs had paused. The squealed with pain and tried to move, but were blocked by the larger parents in front.
Knuckles took the opening to slam his shield into one of the biggest pig's snout. It squealed and shook it's head. The other one moved to bite, and he smacked it with his mace. That one backed up in pain.
In the meantime, Samael was doing what his job had to be. The piglets were small but their teeth were still sharp. Too low to punch, he had to resort to stomping on their head or literally kicking them into the sidewalls. They were durable little pains though, and seemed to figure him for the best meal due to his actions.
Fortunately dealing with little knee high monsters wasn't that big a deal. Especially with the enhancements. Their teeth weren't even enough to break through his Iron Skin, though it was close.
Another intimidation hit the group. This time the pigs in back seemed to have had enough and turned around to flee with loud squeals. The piglets scattered again, and Samael smashed the ones he could.
One turned to bite Seonag. She didn't seem to notice as it gnawed on her leg. Little flecks of stone dropped to the ground as the piglet tried to draw blood, and Samael took care of the problem with a drop kick. The pig went flying and Seonag gave a nod as she continued to wave her free hand. The mist started to move closer.
The two larger pigs seemed to grow enraged at the actions and attempted to overcome Knuckles with sheer weight. One impacted the large shield and the Thug grunted as he staggered back, but kept on his feet. The other pushed through and charged at Seonag.
The Shaman backed away quickly with very real alarm. Samael moved to intercept it, slamming a fist into it's side. The sensation was practically like hitting a wall. The bone and fat of the pig was so thick that his strike had done almost nothing.
That was fine. Samael kicked out at a short and stubby leg, and the beast fumbled a moment. Ignoring the sharp pain from the attack, the young man continued to punch. Something cracked under one of his strikes, and the pig shifted to look at him.
Then that mist dropped down on it and Samael. For a moment, the young man panicked, but he didn't notice any pain. The pig certainly did. It's eyes started to water and there was a slight hissing sound. Immediately, it tried to move away, but Samael had decided it wasn't going anywhere. He slammed his foot down and into it's skull. Again it was like hitting a wall, but this sort of strike wasn't ignorable. The pig staggered.
A few strikes later it was mostly dropping to the ground and coughing up blood as it's insides were eaten away by the corrosive mists. Then it dropped to the ground.
Samael panted as he looked at the corpse. "Seriously? I could barely hurt them."
"Join the club." Knuckles muttered as he hefted his mace. It was dented, though the other pig's head was crushed.
"Big pigs have big armor. All fat and bone." Seonag stated. "Surprise to most. Why my water is useful." She wiggled the stick she had been carrying. "Inside less armored. Know how to clean?"
"Clean?" Samael asked as he looked at the dead bodies. How did you get something that large back?
"I will do it. Watch entrance. Little pigs can be taken whole. Stick in sack." The Shaman set down her large bag of holding and then pulled out a large knife.
Samael turned a little green as the woman began to cut into the large pig. Well, he supposed that was one way of doing it. The way the guts spilled wasn't exactly pleasant, and fleetingly he wished he was still dealing with skeletons. Then he shook his head and turned towards the dead piglets.
"I wonder how tasty these are?" He held up one of them with a frown.
"Little pigs best!" Seonag called out.
"Just so you know, I'm getting the fruit when we get back." Knuckles stated quietly as watched the entrances.
Chapter 24
Jessy coughed and sputtered as the wave of water crashed into her face. Then spat out the water that had gotten into her mouth. Sure she was soaked anyway, but the water from the wave tasted nasty.
"Keep them off me!" The Priest shrieked as another toad tried to jump at her.
"What do you think I'm doing?!" Jessy ignored the toad that had just splashed her and shot a magic missile at the one after her companion. It exploded in a shower of gore.
"Getting humped!" The Priest shot back, and Jessy scowled as the toad next to her jumped like a miniature missile and bounced off her mage armor. It splashed into the water again, and Jessy felt her mana fluctuate some at the impact. She scowled at it and finally shot it was a missile as well.
"Little help please?" Their pointman asked calmly as the crocodile he was fighting struggled with the shield in it's mouth. He had managed to wedge it such that it wasn't able to bite down, but the way it was shaking him around did not look pleasant.
"Invigorate!" The Priest cast, and a wave of relief washed over Jessy. She sighed as her mana recovered a bit and she looked around the swamp they were in.
"Where's Gerry!?" Jessy called out as she tried to peer through the rain.
The crocodile went limp the second the girl asked as Gerry appeared out of the shadows with his dagger embedded in it's head. Jessy sighed in relief and Jack scowled as he tried to extract his shield from the thing's mouth. He didn't seem to have much luck.
"I'll skin it." Gerry stated with a grin as he helped Jack by pulling back at the mouth.
"I hate this dungeon." Jessy stated dully as she looked up at the sky. "Why is it even called one if it's out in the open?!"
"To be really fair, open dungeons have floors too. They just sort of spread wide and like to have no ceiling." Gerry interjected as he pulled out a few knives and began to skin the crocodile.
"You did want to do summoning dear. This is your own fault." The Priest stated casually as she daintily stepped around the more solid areas and began to pick at the toads with a tool. "Not that I blame you, the one you can get from here is simply lovely."
"Still hate it, and the rain." Jessy muttered sullenly and picked at her waterlogged robes.
The men studiously avoided commenting, but the Priest laughed. "Oh hun, you're going to give in at some point."
"I don't want to hear it from someone dressed in a pair of cups and cloth." Jessy stated flatly.
"Yet I'm the one almost dry in the downpour." The Priest sighed and brushed out her hair as she continued to pick parts out of the toads they had been fighting. Seriously Priests had cheating defensive spells, her hair looked practically dry. "Seriously though, you don't need armor. You need something that is light and breaths because you're going to keep getting into areas like these. You're actually actively hindering yourself with something heavy. Men get armor, women get whatever we like because magic is the best."
"Can we change the subject please?" Jessy muttered sullenly. She knew it was a pet peeve of hers, but dammit she wasn't going to change it. At least she wasn't cold. Mage armor helped with that, if not the water all over.
"Well, we're almost where the clan records state the boss typically hangs out." Jack commented. "Remember, you need to do the magic thing fast after it dies."
"Yes, otherwise we'll have to come out again." The Priest stated dryly. "Much as I enjoy our clan's outings, I'd have to hurt someone if I had to come out here again."
Jessy flushed a bit, though the rain made it hard to tell. "Sorry."
"Dear, it's not your fault. It's just this level of fighting is a bit boring." The Priest shrugged casually with a small grin. "That Captain of yours burned a pretty favor to have me help though, so let's get moving and make this as painless as we can get it."
"Right, done!" Gerry stated as he finished skinning the animal.
With that, all four of them continued onto the swamp. This particular dungeon was an Open Veteran dungeon called Swampville. Frankly it was one of the less popular ones. It rained frequently there, and it was hellish in the winter. It did have a very big draw to fame though. One of it's intro bosses was highly sought after by summoners.
Jessy saw why the second they entered it's territory. A still pool miraculously free of the rain. The second they entered the area, it flowed upwards in a reverse rainfall and formed a bubble around them. The boss was briefly visible in the water before it sank deeper, and all four of them waded further in in formation.
Imagine a cross between a very colorful fish and and aquatic snake. Add streaming fins and a long flowing colorful tail, and you got what the boss looked like. It was an actually lovely and graceful creature.
That was partly why it was favored of course. The rest of it was quickly evident as it swam up the side of the bubble and to the top to start shooting short sharp shots of water at them.
"Hope you remember the spell!" Jack called out to Jessy as he held his shield above his head. One of the shots glanced off the shield and nearly took him off his feet.
"Shield." The Priest intoned, and magic flared around them. "Invigorate." More magic.
Gerry had disappeared into the shadows again, and Jessy inhaled deeply as she focused on the image. This was a popular mage spell for a variety of reasons. Chief among them, annoyances like this. She aimed her staff at the ground and ignored the way the water glanced off the shielding spells. Those wouldn't last long.
Find an area beneath the target. Channel the magic quickly, it wouldn't last more than an instant. Focus on the image. "Earthbound."
The boss and the water around it was pulled out it's perch above them all. It slammed into the water with a splash, and Jack was on it in an instant. He slammmed his shield into the creature, and then used his other weapon. A hook with a chain dug into the creature's body and he grabbed onto the chain with a smooth motion.
Gerald appeared then, stabbing deep. The boss reacted in rage and the water around it exploded in a wash of power. Both men were thrown back crying out in pain.
"Gotta watch that." The Priest stated calmly as she glanced at the men. "Cure. Cure." Both got to their feet uninjured.
"Magic Missle!" Jessy shot out the spell with a bit of rage in her heart. It zoomed into the rapidly submerging creature and drew out a wash of blood.
Jack dove into the water and grabbed at the trailing chain. He pulled hard, and the boss reared up as it was pulled back for an instant. Gerry followed up and threw a dagger at it's eyes. The thing seemed to struggle a bit more, and then started to go limp.
"Now girl. Bind it before it's gone." The Priest orders.
Jessy gulped and ran as the boss started to dissolve. She could feel the magic starting to coalesce. This wasn't an end boss so it wouldn't do a full heal, but it's 'domain' was going to 'pop' anyway. She just needed to bind that power and form into an image.
Her own mana lashed out into the area around the bosses' body. She focused hard on the surging power, and then grabbed mentally. She had been training for this for awhile, but the panic and possibility of messing up was still there.
Fortunately despite it needing a very delicate timing, it wasn't particularly hard. Her grip held as the boss's magic started to surge and buck. Then disappeared, leaving a solid image in her mind, and a small amount of power.
All she had to do now was pour her own power into that image and make the image hers. She did so, and then directed the forming construct into the real world.
A small copy of the boss floated serenely next to her in a bubble as the rain started to fall down again. She gave it a mental nudge and it shifted the rain so that it couldn't hit her.
"Looks good." The Priest nodded. "So, declare yourself."
"I am Jessy the Summoner." The girl stated happy as her new summon did a small backflip in it's bubble, fins trailing beautifully.
"Keep them off me!" The Priest shrieked as another toad tried to jump at her.
"What do you think I'm doing?!" Jessy ignored the toad that had just splashed her and shot a magic missile at the one after her companion. It exploded in a shower of gore.
"Getting humped!" The Priest shot back, and Jessy scowled as the toad next to her jumped like a miniature missile and bounced off her mage armor. It splashed into the water again, and Jessy felt her mana fluctuate some at the impact. She scowled at it and finally shot it was a missile as well.
"Little help please?" Their pointman asked calmly as the crocodile he was fighting struggled with the shield in it's mouth. He had managed to wedge it such that it wasn't able to bite down, but the way it was shaking him around did not look pleasant.
"Invigorate!" The Priest cast, and a wave of relief washed over Jessy. She sighed as her mana recovered a bit and she looked around the swamp they were in.
"Where's Gerry!?" Jessy called out as she tried to peer through the rain.
The crocodile went limp the second the girl asked as Gerry appeared out of the shadows with his dagger embedded in it's head. Jessy sighed in relief and Jack scowled as he tried to extract his shield from the thing's mouth. He didn't seem to have much luck.
"I'll skin it." Gerry stated with a grin as he helped Jack by pulling back at the mouth.
"I hate this dungeon." Jessy stated dully as she looked up at the sky. "Why is it even called one if it's out in the open?!"
"To be really fair, open dungeons have floors too. They just sort of spread wide and like to have no ceiling." Gerry interjected as he pulled out a few knives and began to skin the crocodile.
"You did want to do summoning dear. This is your own fault." The Priest stated casually as she daintily stepped around the more solid areas and began to pick at the toads with a tool. "Not that I blame you, the one you can get from here is simply lovely."
"Still hate it, and the rain." Jessy muttered sullenly and picked at her waterlogged robes.
The men studiously avoided commenting, but the Priest laughed. "Oh hun, you're going to give in at some point."
"I don't want to hear it from someone dressed in a pair of cups and cloth." Jessy stated flatly.
"Yet I'm the one almost dry in the downpour." The Priest sighed and brushed out her hair as she continued to pick parts out of the toads they had been fighting. Seriously Priests had cheating defensive spells, her hair looked practically dry. "Seriously though, you don't need armor. You need something that is light and breaths because you're going to keep getting into areas like these. You're actually actively hindering yourself with something heavy. Men get armor, women get whatever we like because magic is the best."
"Can we change the subject please?" Jessy muttered sullenly. She knew it was a pet peeve of hers, but dammit she wasn't going to change it. At least she wasn't cold. Mage armor helped with that, if not the water all over.
"Well, we're almost where the clan records state the boss typically hangs out." Jack commented. "Remember, you need to do the magic thing fast after it dies."
"Yes, otherwise we'll have to come out again." The Priest stated dryly. "Much as I enjoy our clan's outings, I'd have to hurt someone if I had to come out here again."
Jessy flushed a bit, though the rain made it hard to tell. "Sorry."
"Dear, it's not your fault. It's just this level of fighting is a bit boring." The Priest shrugged casually with a small grin. "That Captain of yours burned a pretty favor to have me help though, so let's get moving and make this as painless as we can get it."
"Right, done!" Gerry stated as he finished skinning the animal.
With that, all four of them continued onto the swamp. This particular dungeon was an Open Veteran dungeon called Swampville. Frankly it was one of the less popular ones. It rained frequently there, and it was hellish in the winter. It did have a very big draw to fame though. One of it's intro bosses was highly sought after by summoners.
Jessy saw why the second they entered it's territory. A still pool miraculously free of the rain. The second they entered the area, it flowed upwards in a reverse rainfall and formed a bubble around them. The boss was briefly visible in the water before it sank deeper, and all four of them waded further in in formation.
Imagine a cross between a very colorful fish and and aquatic snake. Add streaming fins and a long flowing colorful tail, and you got what the boss looked like. It was an actually lovely and graceful creature.
That was partly why it was favored of course. The rest of it was quickly evident as it swam up the side of the bubble and to the top to start shooting short sharp shots of water at them.
"Hope you remember the spell!" Jack called out to Jessy as he held his shield above his head. One of the shots glanced off the shield and nearly took him off his feet.
"Shield." The Priest intoned, and magic flared around them. "Invigorate." More magic.
Gerry had disappeared into the shadows again, and Jessy inhaled deeply as she focused on the image. This was a popular mage spell for a variety of reasons. Chief among them, annoyances like this. She aimed her staff at the ground and ignored the way the water glanced off the shielding spells. Those wouldn't last long.
Find an area beneath the target. Channel the magic quickly, it wouldn't last more than an instant. Focus on the image. "Earthbound."
The boss and the water around it was pulled out it's perch above them all. It slammed into the water with a splash, and Jack was on it in an instant. He slammmed his shield into the creature, and then used his other weapon. A hook with a chain dug into the creature's body and he grabbed onto the chain with a smooth motion.
Gerald appeared then, stabbing deep. The boss reacted in rage and the water around it exploded in a wash of power. Both men were thrown back crying out in pain.
"Gotta watch that." The Priest stated calmly as she glanced at the men. "Cure. Cure." Both got to their feet uninjured.
"Magic Missle!" Jessy shot out the spell with a bit of rage in her heart. It zoomed into the rapidly submerging creature and drew out a wash of blood.
Jack dove into the water and grabbed at the trailing chain. He pulled hard, and the boss reared up as it was pulled back for an instant. Gerry followed up and threw a dagger at it's eyes. The thing seemed to struggle a bit more, and then started to go limp.
"Now girl. Bind it before it's gone." The Priest orders.
Jessy gulped and ran as the boss started to dissolve. She could feel the magic starting to coalesce. This wasn't an end boss so it wouldn't do a full heal, but it's 'domain' was going to 'pop' anyway. She just needed to bind that power and form into an image.
Her own mana lashed out into the area around the bosses' body. She focused hard on the surging power, and then grabbed mentally. She had been training for this for awhile, but the panic and possibility of messing up was still there.
Fortunately despite it needing a very delicate timing, it wasn't particularly hard. Her grip held as the boss's magic started to surge and buck. Then disappeared, leaving a solid image in her mind, and a small amount of power.
All she had to do now was pour her own power into that image and make the image hers. She did so, and then directed the forming construct into the real world.
A small copy of the boss floated serenely next to her in a bubble as the rain started to fall down again. She gave it a mental nudge and it shifted the rain so that it couldn't hit her.
"Looks good." The Priest nodded. "So, declare yourself."
"I am Jessy the Summoner." The girl stated happy as her new summon did a small backflip in it's bubble, fins trailing beautifully.
Accident actually. Bolding doesn't come through when I copy it over. It's there now.
Oh, before I forget. Did I have Jessy harp a bit too much about the clothing thing? It's not something I wanted to overdo, but it's supposed to be a bit of a 'setting thing' so to speak. Magic substitutes for armor, so you get clothing that would seem out of context for people risking their lives.
Also, it's apparently going to be a quirk of hers now. That was a bit of an accident, but I sorta like it.
Also, it's apparently going to be a quirk of hers now. That was a bit of an accident, but I sorta like it.
Dragonskyt
Ashen one, hearest thou my voice, still?
- Location
- Kiln of the First Flame
Dunno. It seems that a lot of woman whom got the looks, they don't mind flaunting it. In fantasy and in the real world.
Don't forget that people who are Sparked will look a lot more handsome.
In no small part that's because they are encouraged to do so in a rather pervasive cultural manner. Women who are not good looking get treated with a lot less respect.
Not, admittedly, that a good looking woman in sexier clothing necessarily get more respect, but at least they get away with more and more freebies. Which means that it's advantageous to dress in a sexier manner if you can get away with it. That enchantments woven into the clothing does not depend on the amount of cloth involved and has an effectively arbitrary protective value compared to the amount of cloth involved also removes practical demands on coverage.
GiftOfLove
From the Heart
You can look good without showing a lot of skin, but that doesn't mean it's not more convenient to move around in less. Fleet feet save lives.
- Location
- Earth
I'd say it's fine now. Each time it's been brought up as part of her integration to a new group of people. Her 'weird' clothing choices are one of the most obvious things for people who don't know anything about her to ask about. Especially if you change her emotions over time as the repetition of the topic keeps intruding on her life, I'd say letting me characters comment on it if fine. If it keeps being brought up after she settles into a consistent group, then that's overdoing it.
- Location
- Elsewhere
Have to have something to talk about.
It would be amusing if she becomes so determined to maintain her modesty that she ends up using an illusion or develops a variant of mage armor to be opaque.
"I am impressed you can wear a robe like that and still keep it looking good in knee-deep water."
"Um, yeah, I'm just that good."
"...wait, is that an illusion?"
"What? No! Nope, not at all. Definitely not an illusion."
"Ha! Little Miss I-Wouldn't-be-Caught-Dead-in-That is wearing illusionary clothing?" :lol
"Okay, so it's an illusion, but it works! Now everybody is happy, you don't have to worry about me getting tired out in too much cloth, I don't have to prance around in stripper-wear."
"Huh, stripper-wear... what are you wearing under that illusion?"
"Well, be prepared. This next boss has a Dispel power."
"...crap."
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Spectrum
Tell me a secret~
- Location
- Behind you~
Binged through this over the past couple days. Pretty great start so far, interesting setting, characters who I don't hate, and potential to go anywhere. Watched with great interest.
Given the offbeat class combo they're dealing with, I'd probably lean towards another weirdo who has problems fitting in.
Peltast would have a limited combination of ranged DPS and mobility/skirmishing while managing to still not die in melee if it comes to it. SOL if they run out of javs midfight or the terrain isn't favorable.
Blood Mage could be looked at askance as well, a little creepy akin to necromancers. I would imagine they can do various kinds of magical damage (directly controlling blood like an elementalist or blood curse type effects? bad against golems/undead, really good against the living?) while potentially helping to cover for the Shaman's healing with either drain tanking or some off-healing in some fashion on their own.
Fusilier if there's the usual schizo-tech/just verging on tech advancing kind of situation in play. A very new title also and a little unreliable due to the guns themselves not being really quite there yet. Probably forced still to melee/fix bayonets more than he or she would like.
A bit? Given the repeated explanations, I think she's gone too myopic about it. There's a wide range in between giant poofy all-concealing robes and effective fetish-wear that she doesn't seem to want to land in. I can recognize that there's something to be said for modesty and sticking to your principles and maybe even be very shy or body conscious or whathaveyou, but those tend to need to get thrown to the wayside in a hurry when in dangerous occupations for the eminently practical. So, is she good enough for it not to matter, has she not really hit the deep end yet, is she being babied by her friends/guild? Has she just not really looked at all the options out there/found a good example to look up to/needs to forge her own path (leather wearing caster)?
If you're still taking suggestions...
Given the offbeat class combo they're dealing with, I'd probably lean towards another weirdo who has problems fitting in.
Peltast would have a limited combination of ranged DPS and mobility/skirmishing while managing to still not die in melee if it comes to it. SOL if they run out of javs midfight or the terrain isn't favorable.
Blood Mage could be looked at askance as well, a little creepy akin to necromancers. I would imagine they can do various kinds of magical damage (directly controlling blood like an elementalist or blood curse type effects? bad against golems/undead, really good against the living?) while potentially helping to cover for the Shaman's healing with either drain tanking or some off-healing in some fashion on their own.
Fusilier if there's the usual schizo-tech/just verging on tech advancing kind of situation in play. A very new title also and a little unreliable due to the guns themselves not being really quite there yet. Probably forced still to melee/fix bayonets more than he or she would like.
Alphaleph
The Firstiest of First
I don't think Seonag's sticking permanently. The team's composition seems to going be Samael, Knuckles, Jessy, the last guy.
Chapter 25
Traditions were interesting. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Samael was still trying to decide if the one he had been caught in was good or bad. It was a bit up in the air. On one hand, he was getting free food. On the other hand, he was sort of being forced to attend a party. Oh he could leave at any time, but it would be a bad idea. He just needed to avoid the alcohol.
The tradition had started as something simple apparently. New adventurers had often commemorated their first veteran victory by roasting one of the pigs they had caught. Then they had paid for it for their friends. It had evolved and changed into clans getting into the action for recruiting purposes. Now, it was an actual party when a team managed to do a 'successful run.' Which involved no one dying and a decent threshold of money gotten.
Since Samael and his allies had literally filled up their bags of holding, they had been very successful. Therefore, the party had been rather large and most of the local clans had sent higher ranking members to look in on them.
At the very least the piglets looked delicious. A full dozen of them had been gutted, cleaned, and cooked for them. Admittedly there were several with broken bones on most of them, but the cooks were experienced in dealing with that. The smell of honey glazed pork had filled the room and made more than a few people salivate.
"So, what's next?" Samael asked casually as he reclined against his chair.
"Well, first we eat. Then we see about the recruitment pitches." Knuckles muttered and grabbed a slice off the piglet.
"Avoid that one." Seonag pointed towards one of the bored looking women at a table near the corner of the inn. She was dressed in a ragged looking pair of furs, and had feathers in her red hair. "She is from my place, and they not fond of men."
"Amazonia right?" Samael asked curiously. "I know there's something about men with them, but I'm not sure what."
"Men are not allowed to rule. There are more rules, but they are not as en-forced. Sort of like what is done with your non-power women." Seonag explained slowly and then pulled off her mask, revealing a pale and freckled face. She wrinkled her nose and then grabbed some pig for herself. "Also my former sisters went to that clan."
Samael frowned at the explanation as he tried to parse it, but eventually dismissed the implications. So far as he knew, the women could sort of rule. He was sure there had been a queen at some point, and princesses did have some power, but he didn't know the details. History outside of adventuring wasn't his strong point at all.
"Meh, sounds like they're a bunch o' dicks then." Knuckles frowned after he spoke and chewed slowly on his meal. "Or would that be a bunch of cunts?"
Seonag laughed lowly. "I do not know the words, so I cannot say what I care to, but I can accept those labels."
Samael shrugged and chewed on his meal. Then grabbed some of the juice. The sweetness was a bit off putting, but it was non-alcoholic, so that was enough for him.
For a moment there was mostly eating and drinking as people wandered around and talked. Then a familiar woman bounced into one of the empty seats at the table.
"Hi!" Sherry grinned as she sat, and a blue fairy swooped in to land on her shoulder. "So, nice showing you three. Been awhile since a newbie team managed a smooth clear like that." She glanced over the people at the table. "With three too. You're going to get so many recruitment offers."
"Like yours?" Knuckles' voice had a hint of a rumble.
"Oh yes. Full offer from the Wild-makers. We're sort of top dog around here, so I get the first chance." Sherry's grin widened.
In the meantime, Samael was edging a bit away from the fairy. The ones in the dungeon had been green and hadn't glowed, but he really hadn't liked them. Getting needle spears aimed at your eyes was fairly horrific.
Sherry of course noticed it and couldn't seem to help her giggle. "Aww, don't worry. The blue ones are actually relatively friendly for dungeon monsters. They won't attack you if you don't attack them." The woman sobered. "Actually, since you're doing so well, piece of advice? If you see a lot of these little darlings, you're in a safe zone. There are ones on floors four and seven."
Safe zones were places where the dungeon allowed for a 'truce' so to speak. So long as there was no violence, there was no danger. It was actually good knowledge.
"So, Wild-makers?" Knuckles dragged the conversation on track.
"I'd be able to induct you in as junior members. We're primarily setup on this area." Sherry wiggled her finger in a circle to indicate the town in question. "We also handle most of the nearby dungeons and do monthly elite raids. You're a shoe in for those if you want after you hit the boss. Killer dungeons aren't for the faint of heart."
"Killer dungeons?" Samael asked.
Sherry's face went serious and she glanced over the people at the table. "Casualty figures. I'd like not to get into it specifically, but the spikes are when you just start, when you hit veteran, and Elite runs into a dungeon. This is supposed to be a party for you, so let's drop that part."
Samael glanced at Knuckles who gave a shrug. Seonag didn't appear to be paying much attention herself really.
"Moving on! We can arrange housing and have a few people who are expert crafters. Equipment is at a discount, and our dues are typically two silver a month." Sherry shrugged apologetically as she spoke and glanced at the men. "That's for juniors with no other skills but diving."
Considering that they had made roughly two silvers a piece from just this one run, that wasn't that burdensome. Well, assuming you did frequent dungeon delving.
"It's tempting." Knuckles stated. "What are the party rules like?"
Sherry nodded with a grin. "Now there, you're golden. Well that is if your little Shaman wants to join up too." She tilted her head at Seonag. "We tend to be witch heavy, and they're best as East and West. Occasionally you get one who finds a familiar good for point, but that's not our strength."
"I can not make any commitments at the moment." Seonag stated calmly as she looked at the other woman. "I must commune with the spirits and judge if this is a proper path for me."
For the first time Sherry looked almost displeased. "No offense to you, but I've found dealing with spirits rather painful. At least the local ones."
" Poisonous and flighty here. Nearby dungeons they like blood always. I understand these things, but they give me guidance." Seonag stated.
"Keep us in mind then!" Sherry's smile returned
With that the woman got to her feet, and Samael braced himself for the next few groups. It ended up being a fairly long night. At least he got an idea of all the clans in the area.
The tradition had started as something simple apparently. New adventurers had often commemorated their first veteran victory by roasting one of the pigs they had caught. Then they had paid for it for their friends. It had evolved and changed into clans getting into the action for recruiting purposes. Now, it was an actual party when a team managed to do a 'successful run.' Which involved no one dying and a decent threshold of money gotten.
Since Samael and his allies had literally filled up their bags of holding, they had been very successful. Therefore, the party had been rather large and most of the local clans had sent higher ranking members to look in on them.
At the very least the piglets looked delicious. A full dozen of them had been gutted, cleaned, and cooked for them. Admittedly there were several with broken bones on most of them, but the cooks were experienced in dealing with that. The smell of honey glazed pork had filled the room and made more than a few people salivate.
"So, what's next?" Samael asked casually as he reclined against his chair.
"Well, first we eat. Then we see about the recruitment pitches." Knuckles muttered and grabbed a slice off the piglet.
"Avoid that one." Seonag pointed towards one of the bored looking women at a table near the corner of the inn. She was dressed in a ragged looking pair of furs, and had feathers in her red hair. "She is from my place, and they not fond of men."
"Amazonia right?" Samael asked curiously. "I know there's something about men with them, but I'm not sure what."
"Men are not allowed to rule. There are more rules, but they are not as en-forced. Sort of like what is done with your non-power women." Seonag explained slowly and then pulled off her mask, revealing a pale and freckled face. She wrinkled her nose and then grabbed some pig for herself. "Also my former sisters went to that clan."
Samael frowned at the explanation as he tried to parse it, but eventually dismissed the implications. So far as he knew, the women could sort of rule. He was sure there had been a queen at some point, and princesses did have some power, but he didn't know the details. History outside of adventuring wasn't his strong point at all.
"Meh, sounds like they're a bunch o' dicks then." Knuckles frowned after he spoke and chewed slowly on his meal. "Or would that be a bunch of cunts?"
Seonag laughed lowly. "I do not know the words, so I cannot say what I care to, but I can accept those labels."
Samael shrugged and chewed on his meal. Then grabbed some of the juice. The sweetness was a bit off putting, but it was non-alcoholic, so that was enough for him.
For a moment there was mostly eating and drinking as people wandered around and talked. Then a familiar woman bounced into one of the empty seats at the table.
"Hi!" Sherry grinned as she sat, and a blue fairy swooped in to land on her shoulder. "So, nice showing you three. Been awhile since a newbie team managed a smooth clear like that." She glanced over the people at the table. "With three too. You're going to get so many recruitment offers."
"Like yours?" Knuckles' voice had a hint of a rumble.
"Oh yes. Full offer from the Wild-makers. We're sort of top dog around here, so I get the first chance." Sherry's grin widened.
In the meantime, Samael was edging a bit away from the fairy. The ones in the dungeon had been green and hadn't glowed, but he really hadn't liked them. Getting needle spears aimed at your eyes was fairly horrific.
Sherry of course noticed it and couldn't seem to help her giggle. "Aww, don't worry. The blue ones are actually relatively friendly for dungeon monsters. They won't attack you if you don't attack them." The woman sobered. "Actually, since you're doing so well, piece of advice? If you see a lot of these little darlings, you're in a safe zone. There are ones on floors four and seven."
Safe zones were places where the dungeon allowed for a 'truce' so to speak. So long as there was no violence, there was no danger. It was actually good knowledge.
"So, Wild-makers?" Knuckles dragged the conversation on track.
"I'd be able to induct you in as junior members. We're primarily setup on this area." Sherry wiggled her finger in a circle to indicate the town in question. "We also handle most of the nearby dungeons and do monthly elite raids. You're a shoe in for those if you want after you hit the boss. Killer dungeons aren't for the faint of heart."
"Killer dungeons?" Samael asked.
Sherry's face went serious and she glanced over the people at the table. "Casualty figures. I'd like not to get into it specifically, but the spikes are when you just start, when you hit veteran, and Elite runs into a dungeon. This is supposed to be a party for you, so let's drop that part."
Samael glanced at Knuckles who gave a shrug. Seonag didn't appear to be paying much attention herself really.
"Moving on! We can arrange housing and have a few people who are expert crafters. Equipment is at a discount, and our dues are typically two silver a month." Sherry shrugged apologetically as she spoke and glanced at the men. "That's for juniors with no other skills but diving."
Considering that they had made roughly two silvers a piece from just this one run, that wasn't that burdensome. Well, assuming you did frequent dungeon delving.
"It's tempting." Knuckles stated. "What are the party rules like?"
Sherry nodded with a grin. "Now there, you're golden. Well that is if your little Shaman wants to join up too." She tilted her head at Seonag. "We tend to be witch heavy, and they're best as East and West. Occasionally you get one who finds a familiar good for point, but that's not our strength."
"I can not make any commitments at the moment." Seonag stated calmly as she looked at the other woman. "I must commune with the spirits and judge if this is a proper path for me."
For the first time Sherry looked almost displeased. "No offense to you, but I've found dealing with spirits rather painful. At least the local ones."
" Poisonous and flighty here. Nearby dungeons they like blood always. I understand these things, but they give me guidance." Seonag stated.
"Keep us in mind then!" Sherry's smile returned
With that the woman got to her feet, and Samael braced himself for the next few groups. It ended up being a fairly long night. At least he got an idea of all the clans in the area.
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Spectrum
Tell me a secret~
- Location
- Behind you~
Could be? It does seem like they're set up to converge, but I suppose that depends on whether Summoner slots back into South instead of West like how a Mage apparently starts as, using trad assignments, given comments up-thread.
Better do more research than just that before joining. ;X