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Re:Birth, A MMO Story
- Thread starter KittyEmpress
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- anime fantasy vrmmorpg (rpg)
[x] A. Fight for victory, no matter who stands in the end, to minimize costs.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[x] A. Fight for victory, no matter who stands in the end, to minimize costs.
I feel like this just makes for better drama
I feel like this just makes for better drama
- Location
- USA
[x] A. Fight for victory, no matter who stands in the end, to minimize costs.
[x] A. Fight for victory, no matter who stands in the end, to minimize costs.
Heads up. Sufficient Velocity's vote-counting tool tallies votes according to the whole sentence of the vote, not just the letter. Using the full sentence of the vote ensures your vote is counted correctly.
[x] A. Fight for victory, no matter who stands in the end, to minimize costs.
[x] A. Fight for victory, no matter who stands in the end, to minimize costs.
LH would be pissed that she didn't get any boss kill rewards, but she'll also get pissed if we threw away the chance for the boss kill
She'll be pissed either way so might as well get a sweet title with it
LH would be pissed that she didn't get any boss kill rewards, but she'll also get pissed if we threw away the chance for the boss kill
She'll be pissed either way so might as well get a sweet title with it
Eeking It Out
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Day 23, Cont
Well, there was clearly no need for that vote!
"Everyone just focus fire the boss! We can take him down right now!" You yelled it as loud as you could as people started to pull back and shift their focus on the adds. But you could recognize that that was not a winning tactic in the least - if your group mates with their absurdly high stats and their new rare rank gear weren't able to keep up with the waves of extra enemies, how would anyone else? As if responding to that order, two arrows pierced the Slaimyo almost as one, both exploding into necrotic energy.
"Good luck!" Was all Satoshi said before crying out in pain. The flash of white light in your peripheral was matched by one from the opposite side as well - you weren't sure who had yelled out, but your group was dropping quickly.
Seto didn't say a word, but you knew where the second arrow had to have come from just a moment later - and the man was coursing with necrotic energy as he rushed in with his katana rather than his bow. Blood dripped from his pours as he utilized his boosted agility to dodge around the Samurai Slimes that were holding him back before.
You did your best to follow your own advice, rushing in to the boss as hard as you could - leaving defense to your huge shield and your new armor, while trying to utilize your staff as a weapon, not a way to protect yourself. When the flagpole struck your shield and shoved into you, you braced yourself and used your staff to catch the soft-jelly flesh of the Slaimyo. In the same moment another set of metallic claws flew through the air and dug into one of the Slaimyo's 'eyes', which just shifted position on the head-shaped blob at the top.
"Sorry Hita-hime!" The buffs on your weapons disappeared as Fluffy called that out - and you turned to see her surrounded by multiple Samurai Slimes. Rather than trying to disengage or even protect herself, it seemed she had unsummoned her wakizashi. Instead her staff remained trained on the Slaimyo as one set of metallic claws turned to two, then three. Every bit of mana thrown into launching attacks as she was literally cut apart, before turning into a white cloud of pixels.
"We're all gonna die." If it wasn't for the name above his head, you wouldn't have recognized Banyan compared to the other tortoises. "Alright, well, I guess aim over here first!" The shield on his arm was slammed into the floor, and a burst of fog came from around the lightly wounded tortoise. Unlike the usual poison, as this fog spread out it washed over everyone harmlessly - except that each and every slime it touched suddenly turned and started to rush towards him. "I should have been a healer instead." Was his comment as the toxic fog around him suddenly contracted, running right up against his skin as he called out, "Toxic Bulwark!"
The armor of the Slaimyo was showing cracks, the soft jelly was becoming harder as you beat into it - and as you watched two more of your allies get killed by his army. Could things have gone better? You questioned your choices. Should you have had your entire group just focus on the Slaimyo? Should you have all focused on the adds? Was it your call that made this a mess? Your naginata stabbed through the foot of the Slaimyo, pinning it down - and instead of quickly reshaping itself around it, it ripped back and left a chunk of itself behind.
It was only for a few moments that Banyan's taunt and final stand held off the adds all around you. But it may have made the difference as everyone threw their all into attacking the Slaimyo as it began to break down. Zanba flew straight into the creature's chest, ripping into him with bare hands - Nyakko just a second behind him in rushing in to literally dig into him, even as the acidic makeup of his body burned them. Lara's black bolt of energy struck suddenly in the moments that Banyan had pulled the enemies off of her.
The race was at its end, and as seconds passed the room became brighter with white light as more people lost their lives to the army as it redirected itself from Banyan towards the others. All the other tanks were already dead, and you weren't able to taunt. All you could do was dig in as you moved to support the burning-and-fading Tiger Claws, your staff slamming against the Slaimyo's crotch region as each of your floating blades cut at a different leg. His flag pole struck you back, and you could see your health going down - you couldn't survey to see where the healers were, but all you had was the slow regeneration. It wasn't enough, not as your shield barely managed to hold off two of the Samurai Slimes, and another half dozen seemed aware of you.
It wasn't you who struck the last blow though, nor one of your weapons. It was a pillar of white fire that engulfed the boss in it. And then a second. And a third. Kitan was standing with the two other surviving healers, Ranma and Jez both following his lead as their spells overlapped. When the explosive white fire ended, the Slaimyo slammed his flagpole into the ground, but instead of holding himself up with it... it turned to jelly, and he fell to the floor.
"I gave everything for my nation..." The boss monologued as he fell to the floor, his body slowly losing shape as he turned back into a basic blob of slime, bits of it melting away as he spoke, "And I was left with nothing." The prismatic jelly split into tiny droplets and the last look of an eye looked right towards you before it too split off and then turned to shapeless liquid. In those same moments every single Samurai Slime stopped moving... and then turned into the same liquid that made up the walls and floors once more. Even those that were midway through attacking.
You panted for air. You weren't sure how much health you were at when the fight ended, because that last triple blast of white fire had healed you back up to nearly full health... but you felt exhausted and sore. Looking around you you saw... far fewer people than you started with. Of your group, only Kitan was still standing - and of the other guild members, only six remained as the blue window announcing your victory came up.
Hana, Jez, Ranma, Lara, Nyakko and Sebast were amongst the victors who actually remained as the fight came to its complete and utter end. And none of them looked particularly well off - everyone looked drained and tired. Eight remaining out of twenty four combatants. But as everyone looked around, you let out a cheer, "We did it!"
And for a second no one responded... but slowly you saw it. People started to light up as you said it, hugs between those who were standing closest to each other. You got wrapped up in a hug by Nyakko, the tiger claw girl's burns apparently healed in the same aoe that had healed you. "I can't believe we managed it!" She said it happily, squeezing you despite your armor. You were pretty sure if it wasn't for the armor she would have dealt actual damage.
The blue windows were numerous.
[Congratulations on defeating the Slaimyo, Commander of the Fallen. You have gained 'Slime's Bane' title for being amongst the first to kill him. All damage done to 'slime' type monsters is improved by 25%.
Additionally, your guild fame has gone up by 1 for finishing this achievement as a guild.]
[Congratulations, you have reached level 13.]
[Congratulations, you have reached level 14.]
[Congratulations, you have reached level 15]
[Congratulations, you have reached level 16]
[Call Blade has improved to rank 6.]
[Heavy Armor Proficiency has improved to rank 3]
[Heavy Armor Proficiency has improved to rank 4]
[Beginner's Staff Proficiency has improved to rank 6]
[Call Shield has improved to rank 5. Please pick a talent.
[x] A. Efficient Calling - Halves the amount of Mana reserved by Call Shield.
[x] B. Double Call - You may summon two called shields at once with Call Blade, with 25% reduced stats.
[x] C. Distant Calling - Triples the distance at which your called shield may travel from you, to 9 feet.
[x] D. Physical Calling - Called shields scale more strongly off your physical stats rather than mental.
[x] E. Defender's Call - Your called shield can now be summoned to defend an ally, rather than yourself. Range is determined from designated ally.
[x] F. Sympathetic Calling - Whenever you take damage, 25% of it is transferred to your called shield(s).]
You shot up four levels in a single fight, and the beating had apparently caused a large amount of growth in your skills and especially your armor proficiency. Everyone seemed near equally overwhelmed with choices as you all had grown extremely quickly.
"Ooh, should I go for making my claws sharper, oooor make them bleed people... ooh, or I could make armor... that'd make clawing slimes less annoying..." Nyakko asked it out loud, giving you just the smallest amount of information on what she was faced with.
[Congratulations on reaching level 15. Please pick a class skill to learn.
[x] 1. Alter Weapon (Buff) - The Armory Priest warps their weapons according to their whims, changing the physical damage type of a weapon by altering its shape. Percentage of damage type changes based on Intelligence and skill rank.
[x] 2. Crush (Buff) - By increasing the force transferred through their weapon, the Armory Priest increases the damage of a blunt weapon by 10% +1% per 10 points of wisdom.
[x] 3. Unburden (Buff) - Decreases the weight of a target's metal equipment, providing a base 4% dexterity buff per piece of metal armor worn, to a maximum of 20%. Buff scales with wisdom and skill rank.
[x] 4. Disarm (Attack) - The Armory Priest focuses the metal mastery of their progenitor through prayers, pushing away an enemy's weapons and ripping them out of any grasp. Disarm strength scales with Intelligence and skill rank.
[x] 5. Flying Claws (Attack) - Calling upon their progenitor's mighty claws, the Priest strikes an enemy far away. Fire one to five metallic claws out of your staff, striking an enemy up to one hundred feet away, with a chance of causing bleed. Damage is determined by Intelligence. Chance to bleed scales with Wisdom.
[x] 6 Repel Metal (Continuous) - Rejecting all foreign metal around them, the priest creates a small aura that weakens weapon attacks or attacks made with metal elements targeting them by a flat amount dependent on wisdom and skill rank. This aura requires no mana to maintain, but becomes inactive if the user is unable to cast spells for any reason.
[x] 7. Repair (Ritual) - The Tiger is the master of all metal, and bypasses the needs of the forge. By praying over a metal piece of equipment for a period of time (determined by item level and rarity as well as character level and stats) the Tiger can repair without need for forge nor hammer.
[x] 8. Tiger's Leap (Special) - By focusing on the natural blessings in their blood in a similar manner to a Tiger's Claw, an Armory Priest can physically bolster their ability to leap large distances, crossing the battlefield much more quickly. Maximum distance scales based on Strength and Dexterity. This is a non-magical skill.
[x] 9. Attractive Forces (Utility) - By drawing upon magnetism, the Armory Priest can draw metallic targets towards themselves. This can be used on allies, enemies, or metallic scenery. When used on an enemy wearing metallic weapons or armor it pulls them inwards, and raises the Armory Priest's threat to maximum for a period of five seconds, the enemy unable to escape until that time ends. Strength of pull is based off Wisdom + Intelligence.
[x] 10. Repulsing Forces (Utility) - By drawing upon magnetism, the Armory Priest can push metallic targets away from themselves. This can be used on allies, enemies, or metallic scenery. When used on an enemy wearing metallic weapons or armor, it pushes them away from the user and drops all threat from the Armory Priest. This effect can deal damage when pushing enemies into scenery. Strength of push is based off Wisdom + Intelligence.]
It seemed like every time new skills were available, more just appeared. It boggled your mind as you tried to look through them and make a decision - but you were also drawn to looking towards the loot on the ground. It was literally at your feet after all. A spear, a heavy helmet, a pair of light boots, a staff, a rod, and a book all lay where the Slaimyo had died out, all of them looking to be made out of the same diamond-like slime as he had been. Each and every one of them required level twenty to even be used... but only the staff really caught your eye.
[Staff of the Diamond Slime (Rare)
This staff is made from the purest form of slime, known to carry the corrupted divine power of a Youkai more strongly than any other form of slime. It aids its wearer in channeling all forms of magic with its bolstering divinity.
It wasn't really something you would use... but you were pretty sure that Fluffy would make good use of it... when she got to the level for it, at least.
Kitan was the one who brought it up, as the others were distracted, "What are we going to do about all this gear, Hita-chan?" He frowned, unlike you who was beaming, "This is where being the leader's gonna be a pain, you know? There's probably always gonna be someone with complaints about how we handle it."
"Why don't we just... I dunno, make people roll dice on stuff they're interested in and can use?" You didn't think it was that complicated, Kitan was clearly being needlessly worrying.
"I mean, sure. But how do we decide who can go for what? What counts as 'can use'. Because I'd really like that Divine Slime Rod, but I can't use it for four more levels. Aaand..." He turned and yelled towards Jez and Ranma, "What levels did you guys get to with that?"
"I'm nineteen now!" Jez yelled back
"I got all the way to twenty!" Ranma yelled as well.
"Oh... I get it." You frowned as you realized what he was saying, "We'd get the most out of like... only letting people who could use it now bid for it. But... I mean, I bet people are gonna be uhm, sad to have fallen behind because... they... you know. Died. So also telling them they can't try to go for the items would..."
"It'd piss Lightning Hoof off, I know that much." Kitan said it with rolled eyes, "And I mean, I'd get it."
"Hrrm..." You frowned as you thought over it... How did you want to determine how loot was split up, at least for large scale full guild actions like today's raid on the dungeon?
[x] G. Full Access Need - Anyone whose class can use the gear type can roll for it, regardless of if they meet stat/level requirements.
[x] H. Immediate Access Need - Only those who can use the gear immediately can roll for it, anything no one can use will go to the guild bank until someone can use it.
[x] I. Limited Full Access Need- Anyone whose class can use the gear type can roll for it, but can only win one item at a time, ensuring a more even distribution.
[x] J. Limited Immediate Access Need - Only those who can use gear immediately can roll for it, and they may only win one item at a time.
I don't wanna have to have debates over where most gear will go in situations like this, so there's no 'I get full control and dole it out as I want' option. Because writing up a hundred vote options because a dozen weapons dropped would kill me.
The guild window also flashed as you looked at it, an unused perk point flashing before your eyes. You must have earned a guild level through one of the adds that your group mates had killed during the fight, because the window was no longer available - you were thankful it hadn't blocked your vision in the middle of the fight, at least.
[x] K. Strengthening (Combat) - Permanently increases the strength of all guild members by 10%.
[x] L. Good Soil (Combat) - All guild members gain an additional 10% experience from killing monsters.
[x] M. Raid Tactics (Combat) - Halves the experience penalty for larger than average groups, so long as all members are in the same guild.
[x] N. Defensive Formations (Combat) - Reduce damage taken by 2% per guildmate within 50 feet.
[x] O. Mercenary Contracts (Economy) - Increases monetary rewards from quests by 10% for all guild members.
[x] P. Blacksmith's Friend (Economy) - Decreases the cost of repairs for all guild members by 20%.
[x] Q. Sell High (Economy) - Increases gold gained when selling to merchants by 15%
[x] R. Overflowing Gold Pt. 2 (Economy) - Increases the amount of gold overflowing into guild coffers from 1% to 3%.
[x] S. Guild Tabards (Production) - Allows the production of tabards, a special equipment not offered in quests or drops.
[x] T. Quality Ingredients (Production) - All guildmembers are more likely to harvest higher quality materials, from monster drops and gathering skills.
[x] U. Guild Standard (Production) - Items created by a member of the guild may be granted a random special effect - but once added, can only be utilized by members of the same guild.]
You still weren't completely sure how the guild perk system worked... but your guild was still listed as Mercenary Band based on having one economy perk and two combat. You weren't sure what that would mean when level 5 came around, but you were getting closer to that day. It was likely that whatever you would pick today would change what you had to choose at level 5.
-----------
As you finished up in the dungeon, all that was left was finding your way back home. But luckily for everyone's sanity, a portal had appeared in place of the Slaimyo's throne as soon as he was killed. Stepping into the blue-green portal made you feel briefly ill... but weird as the sensation was, you were soon right in front of the dungeon, standing in the slimed forest. Except the forest seemed a little more... solid, and a little less corrupted. You even heard bird song where there used to only be silence. Another blue window popped up.
[The Slimed Forest's corruption has been pushed back. Slimes will no longer spawn on or nearby to roads.]
"I guess... we go back to town and report our victory to the Abbess?" The first of many problems plaguing the starter village was apparently solved, and as you looked at the quest bubble you were happy to see the 'solve problem' marked as 1/1, not just discovering the source. There was no group chat for you to call everyone together for, or get a consensus. But everyone who was alive seemed more than willing to head back to town after the draining fight against that boss. Even all the rewards didn't make them want to instantly turn back around
------
Just as promised, you encountered zero slimes on your way back to town where there once were dozens along the pathways. A group was already there waiting for you to arrive, though it didn't seem like everyone had come - only about half of those who had died. Satoshi was the one to explain, "We all got the message about the Slimed Forest, so we figured you'd succeeded. A few people decided to go practice or try to make up for the experience they lost by dying. Lightning was one of them. The rest of us figured we'd wait at least."
"Oh... well, I guess that works. We were just gonna go talk to the Abbess, if you wanna join us? I guess we can figure out the loot stuff later when everyone's together tonight." You weren't really sure what to do, but if they wanted to come it seemed like the more the merrier.
"Of course we would!" Fluffy jumped for joy as she was invited along, the only one of the group who seemed completely unphased about the losses they had gone through. No annoyance, no darkness to her eyes, not even tiredness showing. She seemed as peppy as ever.
"Eh, I'm actually gonna go lay down." Banyan gave a thumbs up, "See ya." The group split up even further as you confirmed your intentions to split the loot later.
--------
As you explained all that you had found and done in the wake of being tasked to solve the slime problem in the Eastern Woods, from hiring researchers to find the location, to delving in and defeating the Slaimyo with your group, to the details of the great battle.... Abbess Akane was remarkably quiet and respectful. And when you finished she actually gave you a smile, and reached out with a hand, "Congratulations on coming back from such a battle, warriors. Grandmother Tiger is very pleased, as am I - even with those of you of other parentage. I would have hated to have to rely on calling the Shogun's men to solve our issues. It is good to know we have reliable warriors amongst our youngest."
"I believe our agreed upon bounty for information was 2500 gold." A bag of coins was placed in your hand, "You have brought far more than just information. I would normally say that going above and beyond in such a way should be rewarded tenfold as much. Unfortunately, much of our funds will need to be used to resupply now that the route is reopened, so I cannot manage such an amount." Instead three more bags of coin were pulled from afar by the armory priestess, before being placed in your arms, bringing the total up to 10000 gold. "But I will make sure all of our residents are talking of your group's heroism. Everyone will know you are who reopened our supply lines - I am certain the merchants will be quite grateful to you and your guild. And know that White Tiger's Eyes are upon you as well."
[Total rewards: 10000 gold, +1 fame for all surviving members, 10% discount to all merchants and services in Asahi for all guild members. Stacks with other discounts. White Tiger Favorability.]
All totaled up, the pure gold rewards - before potentially selling anything - for the dungeon and quest completion came out to just short of 15k, at 14860. Splitting it 24 ways would mean a little over 600 per person... but you also had offered a potential bonus to the researchers, based on what was gained from their information. That was eighteen more people potentially draining it, and 350 gold was a week or so of money, not some major bonus. You also could make good use of the gold, maybe... 'rewarding' them with positions would be easy, if you just built a barracks. You could even have gold left over to reward people... or improve the guild hall further, which was something everyone benefitted from.
[x] V. Split the gold completely evenly, even if it's a bit disappointing to some.
[x] W. Cut the surviving raid member's gold shares, to give those who took death penalties and researched bigger shares.
[x] X. Give all of the quest reward money to the researchers so they get a large bonus, but meaning your guild has less.
[x] Y. Rather than splitting the gold with researchers, use it to upgrade the guild with a barracks and invite the researchers to your guild, without requiring them to join hunting teams. Split remainder with current guild members.
[x] Z. Y, but utilize all of the gold to upgrade guild facilities even further Additional vote next post for how to use it.
Well, there was clearly no need for that vote!
"Everyone just focus fire the boss! We can take him down right now!" You yelled it as loud as you could as people started to pull back and shift their focus on the adds. But you could recognize that that was not a winning tactic in the least - if your group mates with their absurdly high stats and their new rare rank gear weren't able to keep up with the waves of extra enemies, how would anyone else? As if responding to that order, two arrows pierced the Slaimyo almost as one, both exploding into necrotic energy.
"Good luck!" Was all Satoshi said before crying out in pain. The flash of white light in your peripheral was matched by one from the opposite side as well - you weren't sure who had yelled out, but your group was dropping quickly.
Seto didn't say a word, but you knew where the second arrow had to have come from just a moment later - and the man was coursing with necrotic energy as he rushed in with his katana rather than his bow. Blood dripped from his pours as he utilized his boosted agility to dodge around the Samurai Slimes that were holding him back before.
You did your best to follow your own advice, rushing in to the boss as hard as you could - leaving defense to your huge shield and your new armor, while trying to utilize your staff as a weapon, not a way to protect yourself. When the flagpole struck your shield and shoved into you, you braced yourself and used your staff to catch the soft-jelly flesh of the Slaimyo. In the same moment another set of metallic claws flew through the air and dug into one of the Slaimyo's 'eyes', which just shifted position on the head-shaped blob at the top.
"Sorry Hita-hime!" The buffs on your weapons disappeared as Fluffy called that out - and you turned to see her surrounded by multiple Samurai Slimes. Rather than trying to disengage or even protect herself, it seemed she had unsummoned her wakizashi. Instead her staff remained trained on the Slaimyo as one set of metallic claws turned to two, then three. Every bit of mana thrown into launching attacks as she was literally cut apart, before turning into a white cloud of pixels.
"We're all gonna die." If it wasn't for the name above his head, you wouldn't have recognized Banyan compared to the other tortoises. "Alright, well, I guess aim over here first!" The shield on his arm was slammed into the floor, and a burst of fog came from around the lightly wounded tortoise. Unlike the usual poison, as this fog spread out it washed over everyone harmlessly - except that each and every slime it touched suddenly turned and started to rush towards him. "I should have been a healer instead." Was his comment as the toxic fog around him suddenly contracted, running right up against his skin as he called out, "Toxic Bulwark!"
The armor of the Slaimyo was showing cracks, the soft jelly was becoming harder as you beat into it - and as you watched two more of your allies get killed by his army. Could things have gone better? You questioned your choices. Should you have had your entire group just focus on the Slaimyo? Should you have all focused on the adds? Was it your call that made this a mess? Your naginata stabbed through the foot of the Slaimyo, pinning it down - and instead of quickly reshaping itself around it, it ripped back and left a chunk of itself behind.
It was only for a few moments that Banyan's taunt and final stand held off the adds all around you. But it may have made the difference as everyone threw their all into attacking the Slaimyo as it began to break down. Zanba flew straight into the creature's chest, ripping into him with bare hands - Nyakko just a second behind him in rushing in to literally dig into him, even as the acidic makeup of his body burned them. Lara's black bolt of energy struck suddenly in the moments that Banyan had pulled the enemies off of her.
The race was at its end, and as seconds passed the room became brighter with white light as more people lost their lives to the army as it redirected itself from Banyan towards the others. All the other tanks were already dead, and you weren't able to taunt. All you could do was dig in as you moved to support the burning-and-fading Tiger Claws, your staff slamming against the Slaimyo's crotch region as each of your floating blades cut at a different leg. His flag pole struck you back, and you could see your health going down - you couldn't survey to see where the healers were, but all you had was the slow regeneration. It wasn't enough, not as your shield barely managed to hold off two of the Samurai Slimes, and another half dozen seemed aware of you.
It wasn't you who struck the last blow though, nor one of your weapons. It was a pillar of white fire that engulfed the boss in it. And then a second. And a third. Kitan was standing with the two other surviving healers, Ranma and Jez both following his lead as their spells overlapped. When the explosive white fire ended, the Slaimyo slammed his flagpole into the ground, but instead of holding himself up with it... it turned to jelly, and he fell to the floor.
"I gave everything for my nation..." The boss monologued as he fell to the floor, his body slowly losing shape as he turned back into a basic blob of slime, bits of it melting away as he spoke, "And I was left with nothing." The prismatic jelly split into tiny droplets and the last look of an eye looked right towards you before it too split off and then turned to shapeless liquid. In those same moments every single Samurai Slime stopped moving... and then turned into the same liquid that made up the walls and floors once more. Even those that were midway through attacking.
You panted for air. You weren't sure how much health you were at when the fight ended, because that last triple blast of white fire had healed you back up to nearly full health... but you felt exhausted and sore. Looking around you you saw... far fewer people than you started with. Of your group, only Kitan was still standing - and of the other guild members, only six remained as the blue window announcing your victory came up.
Hana, Jez, Ranma, Lara, Nyakko and Sebast were amongst the victors who actually remained as the fight came to its complete and utter end. And none of them looked particularly well off - everyone looked drained and tired. Eight remaining out of twenty four combatants. But as everyone looked around, you let out a cheer, "We did it!"
And for a second no one responded... but slowly you saw it. People started to light up as you said it, hugs between those who were standing closest to each other. You got wrapped up in a hug by Nyakko, the tiger claw girl's burns apparently healed in the same aoe that had healed you. "I can't believe we managed it!" She said it happily, squeezing you despite your armor. You were pretty sure if it wasn't for the armor she would have dealt actual damage.
The blue windows were numerous.
[Congratulations on defeating the Slaimyo, Commander of the Fallen. You have gained 'Slime's Bane' title for being amongst the first to kill him. All damage done to 'slime' type monsters is improved by 25%.
Additionally, your guild fame has gone up by 1 for finishing this achievement as a guild.]
[Congratulations, you have reached level 13.]
[Congratulations, you have reached level 14.]
[Congratulations, you have reached level 15]
[Congratulations, you have reached level 16]
[Call Blade has improved to rank 6.]
[Heavy Armor Proficiency has improved to rank 3]
[Heavy Armor Proficiency has improved to rank 4]
[Beginner's Staff Proficiency has improved to rank 6]
[Call Shield has improved to rank 5. Please pick a talent.
[x] A. Efficient Calling - Halves the amount of Mana reserved by Call Shield.
[x] B. Double Call - You may summon two called shields at once with Call Blade, with 25% reduced stats.
[x] C. Distant Calling - Triples the distance at which your called shield may travel from you, to 9 feet.
[x] D. Physical Calling - Called shields scale more strongly off your physical stats rather than mental.
[x] E. Defender's Call - Your called shield can now be summoned to defend an ally, rather than yourself. Range is determined from designated ally.
[x] F. Sympathetic Calling - Whenever you take damage, 25% of it is transferred to your called shield(s).]
You shot up four levels in a single fight, and the beating had apparently caused a large amount of growth in your skills and especially your armor proficiency. Everyone seemed near equally overwhelmed with choices as you all had grown extremely quickly.
"Ooh, should I go for making my claws sharper, oooor make them bleed people... ooh, or I could make armor... that'd make clawing slimes less annoying..." Nyakko asked it out loud, giving you just the smallest amount of information on what she was faced with.
[Congratulations on reaching level 15. Please pick a class skill to learn.
[x] 1. Alter Weapon (Buff) - The Armory Priest warps their weapons according to their whims, changing the physical damage type of a weapon by altering its shape. Percentage of damage type changes based on Intelligence and skill rank.
[x] 2. Crush (Buff) - By increasing the force transferred through their weapon, the Armory Priest increases the damage of a blunt weapon by 10% +1% per 10 points of wisdom.
[x] 3. Unburden (Buff) - Decreases the weight of a target's metal equipment, providing a base 4% dexterity buff per piece of metal armor worn, to a maximum of 20%. Buff scales with wisdom and skill rank.
[x] 4. Disarm (Attack) - The Armory Priest focuses the metal mastery of their progenitor through prayers, pushing away an enemy's weapons and ripping them out of any grasp. Disarm strength scales with Intelligence and skill rank.
[x] 5. Flying Claws (Attack) - Calling upon their progenitor's mighty claws, the Priest strikes an enemy far away. Fire one to five metallic claws out of your staff, striking an enemy up to one hundred feet away, with a chance of causing bleed. Damage is determined by Intelligence. Chance to bleed scales with Wisdom.
[x] 6 Repel Metal (Continuous) - Rejecting all foreign metal around them, the priest creates a small aura that weakens weapon attacks or attacks made with metal elements targeting them by a flat amount dependent on wisdom and skill rank. This aura requires no mana to maintain, but becomes inactive if the user is unable to cast spells for any reason.
[x] 7. Repair (Ritual) - The Tiger is the master of all metal, and bypasses the needs of the forge. By praying over a metal piece of equipment for a period of time (determined by item level and rarity as well as character level and stats) the Tiger can repair without need for forge nor hammer.
[x] 8. Tiger's Leap (Special) - By focusing on the natural blessings in their blood in a similar manner to a Tiger's Claw, an Armory Priest can physically bolster their ability to leap large distances, crossing the battlefield much more quickly. Maximum distance scales based on Strength and Dexterity. This is a non-magical skill.
[x] 9. Attractive Forces (Utility) - By drawing upon magnetism, the Armory Priest can draw metallic targets towards themselves. This can be used on allies, enemies, or metallic scenery. When used on an enemy wearing metallic weapons or armor it pulls them inwards, and raises the Armory Priest's threat to maximum for a period of five seconds, the enemy unable to escape until that time ends. Strength of pull is based off Wisdom + Intelligence.
[x] 10. Repulsing Forces (Utility) - By drawing upon magnetism, the Armory Priest can push metallic targets away from themselves. This can be used on allies, enemies, or metallic scenery. When used on an enemy wearing metallic weapons or armor, it pushes them away from the user and drops all threat from the Armory Priest. This effect can deal damage when pushing enemies into scenery. Strength of push is based off Wisdom + Intelligence.]
It seemed like every time new skills were available, more just appeared. It boggled your mind as you tried to look through them and make a decision - but you were also drawn to looking towards the loot on the ground. It was literally at your feet after all. A spear, a heavy helmet, a pair of light boots, a staff, a rod, and a book all lay where the Slaimyo had died out, all of them looking to be made out of the same diamond-like slime as he had been. Each and every one of them required level twenty to even be used... but only the staff really caught your eye.
[Staff of the Diamond Slime (Rare)
This staff is made from the purest form of slime, known to carry the corrupted divine power of a Youkai more strongly than any other form of slime. It aids its wearer in channeling all forms of magic with its bolstering divinity.
Damage: 46-54
MP +30%
In combat mana regen +30%
Requirements: Staff Proficiency Rank 4, 70 Wisdom, 50 Intelligence, Level 20
MP +30%
In combat mana regen +30%
Requirements: Staff Proficiency Rank 4, 70 Wisdom, 50 Intelligence, Level 20
It wasn't really something you would use... but you were pretty sure that Fluffy would make good use of it... when she got to the level for it, at least.
Kitan was the one who brought it up, as the others were distracted, "What are we going to do about all this gear, Hita-chan?" He frowned, unlike you who was beaming, "This is where being the leader's gonna be a pain, you know? There's probably always gonna be someone with complaints about how we handle it."
"Why don't we just... I dunno, make people roll dice on stuff they're interested in and can use?" You didn't think it was that complicated, Kitan was clearly being needlessly worrying.
"I mean, sure. But how do we decide who can go for what? What counts as 'can use'. Because I'd really like that Divine Slime Rod, but I can't use it for four more levels. Aaand..." He turned and yelled towards Jez and Ranma, "What levels did you guys get to with that?"
"I'm nineteen now!" Jez yelled back
"I got all the way to twenty!" Ranma yelled as well.
"Oh... I get it." You frowned as you realized what he was saying, "We'd get the most out of like... only letting people who could use it now bid for it. But... I mean, I bet people are gonna be uhm, sad to have fallen behind because... they... you know. Died. So also telling them they can't try to go for the items would..."
"It'd piss Lightning Hoof off, I know that much." Kitan said it with rolled eyes, "And I mean, I'd get it."
"Hrrm..." You frowned as you thought over it... How did you want to determine how loot was split up, at least for large scale full guild actions like today's raid on the dungeon?
[x] G. Full Access Need - Anyone whose class can use the gear type can roll for it, regardless of if they meet stat/level requirements.
[x] H. Immediate Access Need - Only those who can use the gear immediately can roll for it, anything no one can use will go to the guild bank until someone can use it.
[x] I. Limited Full Access Need- Anyone whose class can use the gear type can roll for it, but can only win one item at a time, ensuring a more even distribution.
[x] J. Limited Immediate Access Need - Only those who can use gear immediately can roll for it, and they may only win one item at a time.
I don't wanna have to have debates over where most gear will go in situations like this, so there's no 'I get full control and dole it out as I want' option. Because writing up a hundred vote options because a dozen weapons dropped would kill me.
The guild window also flashed as you looked at it, an unused perk point flashing before your eyes. You must have earned a guild level through one of the adds that your group mates had killed during the fight, because the window was no longer available - you were thankful it hadn't blocked your vision in the middle of the fight, at least.
[x] K. Strengthening (Combat) - Permanently increases the strength of all guild members by 10%.
[x] L. Good Soil (Combat) - All guild members gain an additional 10% experience from killing monsters.
[x] M. Raid Tactics (Combat) - Halves the experience penalty for larger than average groups, so long as all members are in the same guild.
[x] N. Defensive Formations (Combat) - Reduce damage taken by 2% per guildmate within 50 feet.
[x] O. Mercenary Contracts (Economy) - Increases monetary rewards from quests by 10% for all guild members.
[x] P. Blacksmith's Friend (Economy) - Decreases the cost of repairs for all guild members by 20%.
[x] Q. Sell High (Economy) - Increases gold gained when selling to merchants by 15%
[x] R. Overflowing Gold Pt. 2 (Economy) - Increases the amount of gold overflowing into guild coffers from 1% to 3%.
[x] S. Guild Tabards (Production) - Allows the production of tabards, a special equipment not offered in quests or drops.
[x] T. Quality Ingredients (Production) - All guildmembers are more likely to harvest higher quality materials, from monster drops and gathering skills.
[x] U. Guild Standard (Production) - Items created by a member of the guild may be granted a random special effect - but once added, can only be utilized by members of the same guild.]
You still weren't completely sure how the guild perk system worked... but your guild was still listed as Mercenary Band based on having one economy perk and two combat. You weren't sure what that would mean when level 5 came around, but you were getting closer to that day. It was likely that whatever you would pick today would change what you had to choose at level 5.
-----------
As you finished up in the dungeon, all that was left was finding your way back home. But luckily for everyone's sanity, a portal had appeared in place of the Slaimyo's throne as soon as he was killed. Stepping into the blue-green portal made you feel briefly ill... but weird as the sensation was, you were soon right in front of the dungeon, standing in the slimed forest. Except the forest seemed a little more... solid, and a little less corrupted. You even heard bird song where there used to only be silence. Another blue window popped up.
[The Slimed Forest's corruption has been pushed back. Slimes will no longer spawn on or nearby to roads.]
"I guess... we go back to town and report our victory to the Abbess?" The first of many problems plaguing the starter village was apparently solved, and as you looked at the quest bubble you were happy to see the 'solve problem' marked as 1/1, not just discovering the source. There was no group chat for you to call everyone together for, or get a consensus. But everyone who was alive seemed more than willing to head back to town after the draining fight against that boss. Even all the rewards didn't make them want to instantly turn back around
------
Just as promised, you encountered zero slimes on your way back to town where there once were dozens along the pathways. A group was already there waiting for you to arrive, though it didn't seem like everyone had come - only about half of those who had died. Satoshi was the one to explain, "We all got the message about the Slimed Forest, so we figured you'd succeeded. A few people decided to go practice or try to make up for the experience they lost by dying. Lightning was one of them. The rest of us figured we'd wait at least."
"Oh... well, I guess that works. We were just gonna go talk to the Abbess, if you wanna join us? I guess we can figure out the loot stuff later when everyone's together tonight." You weren't really sure what to do, but if they wanted to come it seemed like the more the merrier.
"Of course we would!" Fluffy jumped for joy as she was invited along, the only one of the group who seemed completely unphased about the losses they had gone through. No annoyance, no darkness to her eyes, not even tiredness showing. She seemed as peppy as ever.
"Eh, I'm actually gonna go lay down." Banyan gave a thumbs up, "See ya." The group split up even further as you confirmed your intentions to split the loot later.
--------
As you explained all that you had found and done in the wake of being tasked to solve the slime problem in the Eastern Woods, from hiring researchers to find the location, to delving in and defeating the Slaimyo with your group, to the details of the great battle.... Abbess Akane was remarkably quiet and respectful. And when you finished she actually gave you a smile, and reached out with a hand, "Congratulations on coming back from such a battle, warriors. Grandmother Tiger is very pleased, as am I - even with those of you of other parentage. I would have hated to have to rely on calling the Shogun's men to solve our issues. It is good to know we have reliable warriors amongst our youngest."
"I believe our agreed upon bounty for information was 2500 gold." A bag of coins was placed in your hand, "You have brought far more than just information. I would normally say that going above and beyond in such a way should be rewarded tenfold as much. Unfortunately, much of our funds will need to be used to resupply now that the route is reopened, so I cannot manage such an amount." Instead three more bags of coin were pulled from afar by the armory priestess, before being placed in your arms, bringing the total up to 10000 gold. "But I will make sure all of our residents are talking of your group's heroism. Everyone will know you are who reopened our supply lines - I am certain the merchants will be quite grateful to you and your guild. And know that White Tiger's Eyes are upon you as well."
[Total rewards: 10000 gold, +1 fame for all surviving members, 10% discount to all merchants and services in Asahi for all guild members. Stacks with other discounts. White Tiger Favorability.]
All totaled up, the pure gold rewards - before potentially selling anything - for the dungeon and quest completion came out to just short of 15k, at 14860. Splitting it 24 ways would mean a little over 600 per person... but you also had offered a potential bonus to the researchers, based on what was gained from their information. That was eighteen more people potentially draining it, and 350 gold was a week or so of money, not some major bonus. You also could make good use of the gold, maybe... 'rewarding' them with positions would be easy, if you just built a barracks. You could even have gold left over to reward people... or improve the guild hall further, which was something everyone benefitted from.
[x] V. Split the gold completely evenly, even if it's a bit disappointing to some.
[x] W. Cut the surviving raid member's gold shares, to give those who took death penalties and researched bigger shares.
[x] X. Give all of the quest reward money to the researchers so they get a large bonus, but meaning your guild has less.
[x] Y. Rather than splitting the gold with researchers, use it to upgrade the guild with a barracks and invite the researchers to your guild, without requiring them to join hunting teams. Split remainder with current guild members.
[x] Z. Y, but utilize all of the gold to upgrade guild facilities even further Additional vote next post for how to use it.
[x] Q. Sell High (Economy)
Merchants will be coming soon, so better get this now
[x] Z. Y, but utilize all of the gold to upgrade guild facilities even further
We promised the guild members to improve the guild territory before, so I think they would appreciate this more than just dividing the money. We would also be rewarding the researchers by inviting them to the guild, so I think this option is pretty good.
Merchants will be coming soon, so better get this now
[x] Z. Y, but utilize all of the gold to upgrade guild facilities even further
We promised the guild members to improve the guild territory before, so I think they would appreciate this more than just dividing the money. We would also be rewarding the researchers by inviting them to the guild, so I think this option is pretty good.
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
[x] E. Defender's Call
[x] I. Limited Full Access Need
[x] L. Good Soil (Combat)
[x] Y. Rather than splitting the gold with researchers, use it to upgrade the guild with a barracks and invite the researchers to your guild, without requiring them to join hunting teams. Split remainder with current guild members.
[x] I. Limited Full Access Need
[x] L. Good Soil (Combat)
[x] Y. Rather than splitting the gold with researchers, use it to upgrade the guild with a barracks and invite the researchers to your guild, without requiring them to join hunting teams. Split remainder with current guild members.
- Pronouns
- He/They
[x] A. Efficient Calling - Halves the amount of Mana reserved by Call Shield.
[x] 6 Repel Metal (Continuous) - Rejecting all foreign metal around them, the priest creates a small aura that weakens weapon attacks or attacks made with metal elements targeting them by a flat amount dependent on wisdom and skill rank. This aura requires no mana to maintain, but becomes inactive if the user is unable to cast spells for any reason.
[x] H. Immediate Access Need - Only those who can use the gear immediately can roll for it, anything no one can use will go to the guild bank until someone can use it.
[x] L. Good Soil (Combat) - All guild members gain an additional 10% experience from killing monsters.
[x] Z. Y, but utilize all of the gold to upgrade guild facilities even further
[x] 6 Repel Metal (Continuous) - Rejecting all foreign metal around them, the priest creates a small aura that weakens weapon attacks or attacks made with metal elements targeting them by a flat amount dependent on wisdom and skill rank. This aura requires no mana to maintain, but becomes inactive if the user is unable to cast spells for any reason.
[x] H. Immediate Access Need - Only those who can use the gear immediately can roll for it, anything no one can use will go to the guild bank until someone can use it.
[x] L. Good Soil (Combat) - All guild members gain an additional 10% experience from killing monsters.
[x] Z. Y, but utilize all of the gold to upgrade guild facilities even further
[x] A. Efficient Calling - Halves the amount of Mana reserved by Call Shield.
[x] 9. Attractive Forces (Utility) - By drawing upon magnetism, the Armory Priest can draw metallic targets towards themselves. This can be used on allies, enemies, or metallic scenery. When used on an enemy wearing metallic weapons or armor it pulls them inwards, and raises the Armory Priest's threat to maximum for a period of five seconds, the enemy unable to escape until that time ends. Strength of pull is based off Wisdom + Intelligence.
[x] I. Limited Full Access Need- Anyone whose class can use the gear type can roll for it, but can only win one item at a time, ensuring a more even distribution.
[x] N. Defensive Formations (Combat) - Reduce damage taken by 2% per guildmate within 50 feet.
[x] W. Cut the surviving raid member's gold shares, to give those who took death penalties and researched bigger shares.
EDIT: Switched around votes for some choices...
[x] 9. Attractive Forces (Utility) - By drawing upon magnetism, the Armory Priest can draw metallic targets towards themselves. This can be used on allies, enemies, or metallic scenery. When used on an enemy wearing metallic weapons or armor it pulls them inwards, and raises the Armory Priest's threat to maximum for a period of five seconds, the enemy unable to escape until that time ends. Strength of pull is based off Wisdom + Intelligence.
[x] I. Limited Full Access Need- Anyone whose class can use the gear type can roll for it, but can only win one item at a time, ensuring a more even distribution.
[x] N. Defensive Formations (Combat) - Reduce damage taken by 2% per guildmate within 50 feet.
[x] W. Cut the surviving raid member's gold shares, to give those who took death penalties and researched bigger shares.
EDIT: Switched around votes for some choices...
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[x] B. Double Call
Two shields gives much better coverage. Especially when we're engaging multiple combatants. This could also free up the called blades to do more damage instead of being tied up parrying.
[x] 8. Tiger's Leap (Special)
This massively increases mobility and travel speed and doesn't cost mana. Mobility is powerful.
Learning buffs seems like a waste with Fluffy already specializing in buffing.
[x] J. Limited Immediate Access Need
Immediate need because the alternative is wasteful, and limited because people are much happier if the wealth is spread around than if one person wins everything.
[x] N. Defensive Formations (Combat)
We had 24 people in this raid. Mechanically it appears this would've given us 46% damage reduction. This might've been enough to complete the raid without casualties if we'd picked it last time. Even in our smaller group 12% damage reduction is more powerful mechanically than most other options.
[x] Z. Y, but utilize all of the gold to upgrade guild facilities even further
Guild facility upgrades are powerful and offer both mechanical and QoL benefits. We might not have enough money on hand for this to be an option again any time soon.
Two shields gives much better coverage. Especially when we're engaging multiple combatants. This could also free up the called blades to do more damage instead of being tied up parrying.
[x] 8. Tiger's Leap (Special)
This massively increases mobility and travel speed and doesn't cost mana. Mobility is powerful.
Learning buffs seems like a waste with Fluffy already specializing in buffing.
[x] J. Limited Immediate Access Need
Immediate need because the alternative is wasteful, and limited because people are much happier if the wealth is spread around than if one person wins everything.
[x] N. Defensive Formations (Combat)
We had 24 people in this raid. Mechanically it appears this would've given us 46% damage reduction. This might've been enough to complete the raid without casualties if we'd picked it last time. Even in our smaller group 12% damage reduction is more powerful mechanically than most other options.
[x] Z. Y, but utilize all of the gold to upgrade guild facilities even further
Guild facility upgrades are powerful and offer both mechanical and QoL benefits. We might not have enough money on hand for this to be an option again any time soon.
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[x] B. Double Call - You may summon two called shields at once with Call Blade, with 25% reduced stats.
[x] 6 Repel Metal (Continuous) - Rejecting all foreign metal around them, the priest creates a small aura that weakens weapon attacks or attacks made with metal elements targeting them by a flat amount dependent on wisdom and skill rank. This aura requires no mana to maintain, but becomes inactive if the user is unable to cast spells for any reason.
[x] J. Limited Immediate Access Need
[x] N. Defensive Formations (Combat)
I would be more excited about Tiger's Leap if our skill level was higher.
We have a guild stash so immediate access should be fine.
Defensive Formations is really powerful and immediately useful against the Undead Challenge.
[x] 6 Repel Metal (Continuous) - Rejecting all foreign metal around them, the priest creates a small aura that weakens weapon attacks or attacks made with metal elements targeting them by a flat amount dependent on wisdom and skill rank. This aura requires no mana to maintain, but becomes inactive if the user is unable to cast spells for any reason.
[x] J. Limited Immediate Access Need
[x] N. Defensive Formations (Combat)
I would be more excited about Tiger's Leap if our skill level was higher.
We have a guild stash so immediate access should be fine.
Defensive Formations is really powerful and immediately useful against the Undead Challenge.
[x] B. Double Call
[x] 8. Tiger's Leap (Special)
[x] I. Limited Full Access Need
[x] L. Good Soil (Combat)
[x] 8. Tiger's Leap (Special)
[x] I. Limited Full Access Need
[x] L. Good Soil (Combat)
[x] B. Double Call - You may summon two called shields at once with Call Blade, with 25% reduced stats.
[x] 9. Attractive Forces (Utility) - By drawing upon magnetism, the Armory Priest can draw metallic targets towards themselves. This can be used on allies, enemies, or metallic scenery. When used on an enemy wearing metallic weapons or armor it pulls them inwards, and raises the Armory Priest's threat to maximum for a period of five seconds, the enemy unable to escape until that time ends. Strength of pull is based off Wisdom + Intelligence.
[x] J. Limited Immediate Access Need
[x] 9. Attractive Forces (Utility) - By drawing upon magnetism, the Armory Priest can draw metallic targets towards themselves. This can be used on allies, enemies, or metallic scenery. When used on an enemy wearing metallic weapons or armor it pulls them inwards, and raises the Armory Priest's threat to maximum for a period of five seconds, the enemy unable to escape until that time ends. Strength of pull is based off Wisdom + Intelligence.
[x] J. Limited Immediate Access Need
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[x] B. Double Call
Twice the shield twice the fun.
[x] 7. Repair (Ritual)
I really think we should get the essentially free repairs. It would be a useful utility to have and save the guild money by allowing us to repair it in house so to speak with magic.
[x] I. Limited Full Access Need
Seems the most fair to me.
[x] M. Raid Tactics (Combat)
Getting more XP seems like a mist to me.
[x] 6 Repel Metal (Continuous) - Rejecting all foreign metal around them, the priest creates a small aura that weakens weapon attacks or attacks made with metal elements targeting them by a flat amount dependent on wisdom and skill rank. This aura requires no mana to maintain, but becomes inactive if the user is unable to cast spells for any reason.
Twice the shield twice the fun.
[x] 7. Repair (Ritual)
I really think we should get the essentially free repairs. It would be a useful utility to have and save the guild money by allowing us to repair it in house so to speak with magic.
[x] I. Limited Full Access Need
Seems the most fair to me.
[x] M. Raid Tactics (Combat)
Getting more XP seems like a mist to me.
[x] 6 Repel Metal (Continuous) - Rejecting all foreign metal around them, the priest creates a small aura that weakens weapon attacks or attacks made with metal elements targeting them by a flat amount dependent on wisdom and skill rank. This aura requires no mana to maintain, but becomes inactive if the user is unable to cast spells for any reason.
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- Location
- USA
[x] E. Defender's Call
[x] 8. Tiger's Leap (Special)
[x] I. Limited Full Access Need
[x] S. Guild Tabards (Production)
[x] Z. Y, but
[x] 8. Tiger's Leap (Special)
[x] I. Limited Full Access Need
[x] S. Guild Tabards (Production)
[x] Z. Y, but