Lumen 2012/05/21(Mon)17:55 No. 414898 ID: 27ea8a
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"Look, I get that this is hard for you. But with Blake's injuries and the rest of the fourteenth permanently underground, that makes you the leader by default. Right now you're the only one who knows that terrain and the surrounding tunnels well enough not to lose your own ass. I swear on my honor we'll have a replacement for you within the week, but for now you're it, so quit your arguing."

Lumen 2012/05/21(Mon)17:59 No. 414902 ID: 27ea8a
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"Here. This is a list of all the unassigned soldiers, along with their qualifications. Unfortunately I can't let you have more than half - the rest are needed up in Ninth. I'll give you a couple minutes to think it over, and let me know if you have any questions."

I don't know if I'd have been able to do this a month ago... But now I feel confident in my abilities, now that I have this secret weapon...

the power to see words through people's fingers?

Hmm... let's take the Ghossans (doubting they want to be split up), Jason Garren, and Dani.

>>414904
sounds good

>>414904
Sure.

What's the secret weapon? Also what's a SERAPH?

Lumen 2012/05/21(Mon)20:32 No. 414985 ID: 27ea8a
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> What's the secret weapon?
You. It's like having hundreds of tiny advisors I can carry around with me to help make decisions.

> Hmm... let's take the Ghossans (doubting they want to be split up), Jason Garren, and Dani.
> Also what's a SERAPH?
Seraphs? Well they look like a human, like me, but they've got big bird wings coming out of their back. I would be a little wary of taking one into battle, because they can be pretty fragile. But I will admit that even though we're underground, having flyers would be ten kinds of useful. I do like that combo you picked - so does this information change anything?

Anyway, I think it's pretty weird what you guys do and do not know. You know so much about me, but so little about my life. Like, you don't know what Seraphs are, but you probably know my name. What is it?

yeah have it right here, lumen i think.

if not then let's call you joanna

Did not take that into account, but yes, having people who can operate at range more than makes up for any fragility they may have to deal with. You don't get hurt if they never get to you and all.

>>414985
Man, we are the shittiest secret weapon ever.

Lumen 2012/05/22(Tue)01:11 No. 415071 ID: 27ea8a
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> Ghossans, Jason Garren, Dani
I tell the General my decision.

"Very well. Just to warn you, they're all a bit oddball, otherwise they'd already be assigned." he says, reaching into his desk and taking out a hat marked with the star of a commander. "Now, head on back to Gatepost. Your new soldiers will meet you there, as well as a letter detailing your orders." He hands me the hat and I salute, then leave the office.

So then... should I head to the battlefield immediately or make a stop somewhere in the city? Right now I fight with a standard issue sword and shield, but I'm nothing special with them, so if you guys think I should switch to a different weapon I should do that now.

Well, the rest of the group is leaning towards the glass cannon side, so yeah, that's not a bad setup. Spear and shield might work a little better, but it kind of depends on how heavily armored the enemy is, and what sort of terrain you're fighting on.

>>415071
Do we have many funds? How well equipped are the soldiers compared to what we can buy? What sort of things could we pick up in the mage's shop I wonder...

Lumen 2012/05/22(Tue)11:25 No. 415134 ID: 27ea8a
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> Do we have many funds? How well equipped are the soldiers compared to what we can buy? What sort of things could we pick up in the mage's shop I wonder...
Well I'm paying out of my own pocket here, and right now I'm sitting at 30 gold. The whole city was taken by surprise by these attacks, so the military resources are stretched kinda thin. All of the soldiers will have some kind of weapon with them, and some simple leather armor, but I probably don't know enough about them to buy them anything special. In any case I could probably afford some weak potions or wards at the mage tower.


> Spear and shield might work a little better, but it kind of depends on how heavily armored the enemy is, and what sort of terrain you're fighting on.
Sounds good to me. I head for a weapons shop, and the guy at the counter says I'm looking for a SHORTSPEAR, because those are compatible with shields. Oh, and he says he can't give me much for the sword, 2 gold max, but that if I want he'll let me trade it in for a nice new DAGGER.

you want to be able to swap sword and spear on the fly based on your enemy. so get a holster with the spear and have both weapons.

You said you aren't a soldier, so stay away from the trident and blade. Both require noticeable skill and training to use properly one handed.

The Lug is interesting even if you probably can't use it to catch weapons or shields yet. And with a big shield the shorter reach won't matter much compared to the simple shortspear.

what kind of shield and sword do you have? If it's Roman model short sword and big shield, keep them. If it's a small shield, get at least a medium shield, better a big shield. Fighting with a small shield takes skill, especially with a long weapon, like a shortspear or big sword.
And look at the daggers, especially if you have a big sword.

The trident actually seems like the best bet. Everyone else has things covered at range, so the shorter reach shouldn't really be a problem. Your main focus should be on being an intimidating turtle wedged between the enemy and the rest of the squad here. Actually being able to handle a quick take down if something does get in your face is a bonus though.

That said, a bigger shield would also be pretty nice.

tridents are cool.

>>415142
This guy sounds like he knows what he's talking about.

Lumen 2012/05/22(Tue)21:59 No. 415280 ID: 27ea8a
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Huh. Short spears sure are longer than I thought they'd be. Anyway I went with the lug spear for now, but I could always change things up later. And I'm not sure what Roman style is, but the sword is definitely short, so I kept it and upgraded the shield, and picked up a dagger to top things off. I now have not one, but THREE pointy things. Four if you count the shield. Maybe I went a little overboard, but just look at me.

I am so fucking prepared.

It's time to leave the shops area and head for the Tower. I really need to hurry because the alchemist's shop will be closing soon for the ni-

Lumen 2012/05/22(Tue)21:59 No. 415281 ID: 27ea8a
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"Your money or your life, bitch!"

I AM SO NOT FUCKING PREPARED

"And don't you even THINK about reaching for that spear."

>>415281
Reach for the dagger and jump as high as you can. Preferably high enough to stab them somewhere vital, or at least painful.

Now, the cliche thing to do here is to kick him in the crotch so he staggers back and handle things from there. Seeing though how you just spent almost all your money decking yourself out with fancy combat gear though, a much more sensible thing to do right now is to allow him to take your money, playing totally scared, and when he gets distracted counting it, or turns his back to run, that should give you a great opportunity to test out your new purchases however you see fit.

Don't forget the spear's pretty easily thrown if he really makes a run for it (the knife is too once you've had some practice), and if you don't particularly want him dead (what with the manpower shortage) wailing away on him with that shield is good for a non-lethal takedown. Just try more for a punching sort of action than chopping and you shouldn't cause much permanent damage.

"okay i'm getting my coin purse." and then BAM.

"That's an easy one. My money. I like keeping my life a lot more."

>>415281
Hand over your gold.

elbow him in the gut.

Lumen 2012/05/25(Fri)01:57 No. 415918 ID: 4ab2e5
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> Hand over your gold.
"Er... That's an easy one. My money. I like keeping my life a lot more." I say, reaching into my bag and taking out my coin purse.

"Right choice." he says. Is that a bit of an Authinian accent I hear?

> Reach for the dagger and jump as high as you can.
My dagger's all the way down in my boot! But my sword, on the other hand... as my attacker reaches for the gold, I carefully slide the short sword out of its sheath. My cloak neatly blocks this from my view and he notices nothing. I'll bet he thought that spear was my only weapon!

Lumen 2012/05/25(Fri)02:01 No. 415919 ID: 4ab2e5
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He backs away from me for a few steps, eyes glued to me, before turning around. He's just barely out of short sword range now, and it looks as though he's about to bolt.

I think if I jump I can get to him, but he's still got that dagger!

you are about to go into a warzone, and you are scared of a dagger?

>>415919
Do it. It's a surprise attack.

Oh, and... who are the Authinians?

He has a dagger. You are armed to the teeth. Even if you literally have no combat training at all, which is hard to believe given your position, muggers aren't really trained combatants either. Their deal is to scare people, generally unarmed, hopefully grab their stuff, and run. You have superior reach with any of your stuff, and most importantly, his back is to you.

Consider this a last minute combat drill and take him down with whatever feels most natural/can be quickly and quietly drawn.

For the record, I still say unslinging the shield and just cracking him with it is your best bet if you're feeling at all squeemish and don't want to risk injury.

Lumen 2012/05/25(Fri)02:52 No. 415928 ID: 4ab2e5
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> you are about to go into a warzone, and you are scared of a dagger?
Ah geez it does sound pretty bad when you put it that way. Alright.

I waste a precious second unslinging the shield and spear from my back so I can jump farther. As I leap forward I swing the sword in a wide, sweeping motion, and it hits him hard in the side. He grunts in surprise, and although he doesn't look to be hurt much, I can tell he wasn't expecting anything of the sort. Glancing over his shoulder, he hurls the dagger in my direction then takes off in a mad dash for the exit. I wince away, but his aim from that position is poor and it harmlessly strikes me handle first. He's too far away now, and I don't know what -

Lumen 2012/05/25(Fri)02:54 No. 415929 ID: 4ab2e5
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> You have superior reach with any of your stuff, and most importantly, his back is to you. 
> Don't forget the spear's pretty easily thrown if he really makes a run for it.
Right. I grab at the spear now laying on the ground behind me and toss it with all my strength at the fleeing man. It flies in low, but well enough to get the job done. It slices into the side of his calf and I hear him cry out in pain. He falls to his knees, dropping the money, but in a moment he's back on his feet and out the alley.

Lumen 2012/05/25(Fri)02:56 No. 415930 ID: 4ab2e5
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> Oh, and... who are the Authinians?
The Authinian Isles are - ah, this really isn't the time, but I promise I'll tell you all about Perina on the way to Gatepost.

In any case, it seems that I've somehow managed to come out of the mugging one dagger richer. The question is, has the man paid enough, or should I chase him?

Given there's a war going on and manpower is stretched ridiculously thin, I'd let him go. I mean, file a report on the incident, obviously, have him arrested when he next shows his face, possibly at the hospital. People desperate enough to become muggers are usually desperate enough to become soldiers though, so hunting him down and killing him is a waste of potential future resources.

For that matter, do you even have time to file a report? Not sure how tight a timetable you're on as far as meeting up with the troops.

He might be running to some of his friends. Best not to follow. Nab the gold and get back to what you were doing.

He isn't a local from the accent and he appears to be wearing protection if your sword strike only got a grunt. It looks like he is bleeding pretty bad from the lower leg. I'd say collect your things, including the new dagger, and follow him carefully. He won't run far and should be easy to follow with all the blood he leaves.

But this isn't about killing him. This about finding out where he is running. That might be a local thief hideout or a spy safe house. The first might yield some recruits if you ask right, the last will tell you how much trouble you are in. The protection makes a poorhouse unlikely.

If he just collapses on the streets or in an entryway, carefully rifle his pockets and check his equipment. If nothing is too good quality or rarity to indicate him as more than a thief, you can try to recruit him by bandaging him and getting him to the barrack's healer.

grab everything. follow blood trail.

Lumen 2012/05/25(Fri)12:07 No. 415968 ID: 4ab2e5
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> For that matter, do you even have time to file a report? Not sure how tight a timetable you're on as far as meeting up with the troops.
Well the plan is to sleep at Gatepost and march out at dawn... Not really sure why, since the sun doesn't matter a whole lot underground, but those're orders. It should take me about an hour to get there, though, so I'm just cutting time out of what I would spend sleeping. And I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep tonight, anyhow.

> I'd say collect your things, including the new dagger, and follow him carefully. But this isn't about killing him. This about finding out where he is running. That might be a local thief hideout or a spy safe house.
Spy house?? No, the Authinians aren't who we're at war with. We just get a few of them in our city due to our proximity to Ruthport... and they have a pretty distinct accent. Anyway, you make a good point.

I quickly gather my things, now in possession of two more daggers than I know what to do with. The man's been limping and bleeding so he's not hard to follow, but the streets are almost empty in this part of town so there's nowhere for me to hide and I'm sure he knows I'm behind him. After a while I lose track of the man, But as I turn a corner I see there's only one logical place he could have gone. The alleyway stretches before me, the only light nearby coming from a high open window near its back. A small child is playing near its entrance.

Lumen 2012/05/26(Sat)12:32 No. 416144 ID: 4ab2e5
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The kid runs inside as I approach, quickly hopping through the window. I can hear an angry male voice yelling from inside, but as the child disappears, the voice falls silent and the light goes off.

Unless you can think of a pressing reason to go in there right now, I'm just going to head out. I'll remember this location for later, but right now I just don't know enough about what's in there to warrant going in alone.

yeah sure. can't think of much else to do.

Lumen 2012/05/26(Sat)14:00 No. 416167 ID: 4ab2e5
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Right, so I said I'd tell you more about Perina. Perina City is the biggest city and capital of the district of Perina, which lies at the end of the little valley that we call home. We live in a pretty inhospitable place, with a mountain range to the west, a steep drop off a cliff to the east, and greylands filling in the rest of the area around our valley. Oh yeah, you probably don't know what the greylands are - that's what we call any area that the grey plague has taken over. The grey plague, some scientist recently discovered, is actually a sort of fungus capable of infecting nearly any kind of vegetation, and once inside it destroys the plant by growing grey thorny spikes out of its husk. It's actually dangerous to humans as well - if you stand too close to it for a while the spores can cause lung damage, and if you get any of it in your bloodstream, you're in trouble.

In any case, we don't go out into the greylands. However, we do go out UNDER them quite a bit, through the tunnel network at Gatepost. And in those tunnels lies the whole reason our city exists in the first place - veins of pure Oxium. Oxium can be refined from rock pretty much anywhere else, but here is the only place in the known world where we have it in its pure form. It's just used as a high-content energy source for the most part, but it's expensive as heck. Unfortunately, mining operations have slowed nearly to a halt, as all sorts of monsters have begun attacking anyone who goes out underground.

The monster attacks seem pretty disorganized, but everyone in Perina is worried about the same thing - that the Grexans might be behind this. They've strongly opposed our mining operations since their beginning, as they believe that the Oxium veins are the bones of their god or something stupid. Their king sent us a pretty vague warning a few months ago, and we haven't heard from then since… and then the monsters came.

Well, I'm going to sleep now. My new troops should be here to meet me in the morning.

Yeah, again. File a report on the incident when you get a chance and let someone else handle it properly. You have way way more important things to be dealing with.

Lumen 2012/05/26(Sat)16:11 No. 416191 ID: 4ab2e5
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> File a report on the incident when you get a chance
Oops, almost forgot. I fill out the necessary forms at Gatepost and give them to a recruit heading back to the city.

After that, the faint light of dawn creeping in through the windows, I head to the meeting room. In the back are two seraphs arguing about something or another, but they stop when I enter. The one on the left looks pretty old and the one on the right looks younger than I thought they allowed in the military. To the right a man sits polishing a set of armor, but he barely looks up before returning to his task. Is that... is that gold filigree? Wow, this guy must be loaded. I wonder where the druid is...

Suddenly, a female elf drops down from the rafters, holding onto a ceiling beam with her legs.

"Hello there! You must be Joanna. I'm Dani!" she says, holding out an upside-down hand to shake.

"Er, hello Dani," I say, then gasp as what I thought was a bracelet uncurls from her wrist and flicks its tongue at me.

"Benjamin says hi too," Dani giggles.

i see what they ment by odd. welcome to your unit.

Well? Don't just stand around. Introduce yourself, go around the room asking about special skills and qualifications, brief everyone on what's planned for tomorrow. Maybe relax a little and get to know people.

Disorganized monster attacks? Perhaps the monsters are running from something. Something more organized and deadly than scattered beasts.

Lumen 2012/05/30(Wed)02:52 No. 417281 ID: 4ab2e5
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> Perhaps the monsters are running from something.
That… would be disturbing. I definitely wouldn't rule that out, but the beasts have seemed very determined to injure us.

> Introduce yourself, go around the room asking about special skills and qualifications, brief everyone on what's planned for tomorrow.
Right. The orders now are pretty much just to get there and stay there for a week and stop anything that isn't on our side from passing through. Since there's currently no one out there defending the passages, we decide to head out soon after we've said our 'hello's.

As we walk I take inventory of their skills and weapons. Jason's obviously the most well off, with the best kind of steel armor money can buy, which he claims to have 'magically enhanced' with his own warding spells. He's also got a silver dagger and a longsword covered in runes, and he shows me how he can cover the blade of the sword in flames or frost. Unfortunately, he has literally no combat experience other than tutoring in battle magic.

Dani refuses to wear any armor, saying that it slows her down. The weirdo doesn't even wear shoes, and it seems she has very few material possessions. She does, however, have a pair of what look like brass knuckles with blades on the end, and a bamboo tube that she claims she can fire darts from. She can also perform a few "magiks" that involve elements or living things, with a specialization in plants.

The rest of us have some standard hardened leather armor. It turns out that the old seraph is Mikael, and while he won't be much good for fighting, he knows a few offensive spells and has military experience from his younger days. He's also got a bag full of basic medical tools and a big walking stick (he prefers to walk as flying takes a lot of energy for him). He can heal only about one or two serious injuries per day.

Murdon tells me he's 16, but I definitely think he's younger than that. I guess it's too late to do anything about it now, though, and he does seem to be a pretty good shot with his longbow. He can even shoot while flying, which I hear takes a ton of practice to master. He has come prepared with exactly 100 arrows, though none of them have special properties.

Lumen 2012/05/30(Wed)02:53 No. 417282 ID: 4ab2e5
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I'm sure there's other things I'd like to ask them, but it will have to wait. As we pass out of the well-lit tunnels, the silent darkness begins to press in from all sides. My voice seems loud and awkward to my ears, and soon all conversation stops and we move forward in silence, led by Jason's magical light.

The going's a little rough, but nothing too bad until the faint trickle of water in the distance turns into a roar as a wide, rushing river comes into view.

This... was a dry ravine the last time I came through.

Well, the Ghossans can obviously take themselves across, but they wouldn't be able to carry anyone else. Dani says she's a pretty good swimmer, but Jason and I are mediocre at best. What should we do?

>>417282
Check for a better crossing point?

ford that shit

>>417282
Tread water with your legs have fliers help pull you across

Well, obvious question first- Do you even need to? If there's a defensible choke point on this side, you can just sit back and pick things off as they swim across. Should be quite easy.

If you definitely need to get across, I can think of a few options. The snazziest is to have Dani part the waters. Not sure if the elemental magic bit can handle that though, or if it would prevent her from doing stuff like that later today.

If anyone has any rope, it would be easy enough to string a guideline across. Don't need to know how to swim at all with one of those.

And barring both rope and magic, scout down a bit in either direction looking for a natural crossing I guess.

swim for it

have a flier take a rope accross and tie it to that pillar then everyone use the rope to help you accross.

Ice bridge? Ice boat? Ice platform?

Lumen 2012/06/01(Fri)01:11 No. 417909 ID: 4ab2e5
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> Check for a better crossing point?
Murdon checks out either end of the river and finds a whole lot of nothing. The river flows from a wide crevice on the left into a low tunnel on the right. This is probably going to be the best spot.

> Well, obvious question first- Do you even need to?
Unfortunately, yes, as there's another passage farther on that leads directly into our frontlines. Our base is situated at the fork between the two.

> Ice bridge? Ice boat? Ice platform?
Well I figure we should do this the old fashioned way, to save our magic reserves for any fights, but as soon as I mention the idea, Dani excitedly gets to work constructing… a tiny snowman. Great.

> If anyone has any rope, it would be easy enough to string a guideline across.
Ah, that'll do. The rope's secured in a few easy moments.

Done with her snowman, Dani hands her snake over to Murdon, who seems fascinated by the creature rather than frightened. With that she dives into the river, effortlessly paddling against the current to remain in place as she waits for us to begin our crossing.

> Tread water with your legs have fliers help pull you across
I tell the fliers to keep an eye on Jason and I just in case, though I figure it might be difficult for them to just drag us across themselves.

Despite the weight of my shield and all Jason's armor, with the rope holding us up it's easy to fight the current as we make our way to the other side.

Lumen 2012/06/01(Fri)01:11 No. 417910 ID: 4ab2e5
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Dani seems to be doing great, keeping with our slow pace as we drag ourselves across. Then, all of a sudden, she looks down at the water in confusion, and with a jerk she disappears beneath the surface.

pump extra power into the light so it will stay while you drop it and grab her hand. tell them fliers to get over her and help you pull.

That's no good. Those in the water really need to keep a good grip on the guide rope and hurry across. The seraphs apparently have some sort of river monster to deal with from a safe altitude. Anyone able to get a brighter light in here should probably do so too.

drop your shield and dive in... metal should be dense enough not to be carried away by the current. tell the flyers to help the other guy get out of the water quickly because he'll be helpless with all that metal he's wearing.

Lumen 2012/06/03(Sun)01:01 No. 418352 ID: 4ab2e5
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> Anyone able to get a brighter light in here should probably do so
> drop your shield and dive in
Heart racing, I shout for Jason to put everything he's got into the light as I drop my shield into the water. The initial burst from the light is blinding, and I feel momentarily lost in confusion as the light and sounds assault my senses.

> tell the flyers to help the other guy get out of the water quickly 
The Ghossans each grab one of Jason's arms, not a moment too soon. It appears that while we were distracted another two white, scaled monsters had been cutting the rope at either anchor, and the rope falls limp and useless into the water. Each of the creatures has staggered back, though, seeming more disoriented by the burst of light than I.

Lumen 2012/06/03(Sun)01:05 No. 418353 ID: 4ab2e5
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With a deep breath I dive beneath the surface. It was hard to tell from above, but the water is nigh crystal-clear, and with the bright light above me I can clearly see Dani struggling with another scaled form. She's managed to get out one of her weapons while her other hand flails futilely at the surface, and I can see blood streaming from the beast's maw.

Fighting the current, I reach out and latch onto Dani's arm while simultaneously trying to stabilize myself and reach for a weapon. It's not quite necessary, though, for as soon as the creature sees me reach Dani it releases her and darts off into the dark water.

Not sticking around to watch where it went, we both shoot for the surface and Dani gasps for breath. I can see that in those short moments the other members of our party have reached the far bank, but that three river beasts have also appeared on that side, watching them from about ten feet away. They are not armed with any weapons but their teeth and claws look nasty.

>>418353
They are just beasts, then. Regroup before you attempt to engage the enemy. It may even be possible to avoid a fight via intimidation.

after a rest you can combo move. switch to spear and dani holds on to you. then go all mecha shiva on their asses.

or for a less crazy idea sit on the outside and if they stay still shoot them with a ice spike.

>>418356

I wouldn't say that. Cutting the rope takes a fair amount of intelligence. Anyway, first priority is to get everyone who can't fly the hell on shore.

As far as the fight goes, you really shouldn't have dropped your shield, since the situation calls for a really defensive strategy. Make sure to recover it once these things are dead. The Ghossans can pretty much pick these things off at their leisure without anything to worry about. Everyone else should generally try to stick close together, backs to a wall, kill any that come within range but don't take stupid chances.

regroup. aim at them with bow and magic, but hold your fire to see how they react.

Lumen 2012/06/06(Wed)01:02 No. 419149 ID: 4ab2e5
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> First priority is to get everyone who can't fly the hell on shore. 
We make it to the far bank without incident while the three creatures watch us, making a series of guttural noises that might possibly be a language. The one in the middle is hunched over and holding its head, seemingly in some kind of pain.

> Aim at them with bow and magic, but hold your fire to see how they react.
Jason stands in front of us while we ready our weapons, sheathing his longsword with flames as he holds it at the ready. A few tense moments later, the creature that was holding its head in pain lets out a shriek and charges toward us on all fours.

Lumen 2012/06/06(Wed)01:03 No. 419150 ID: 4ab2e5
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But Murdon is ready. He lets fly and arrow and hits the beast in its shoulder. It collapses to the ground, wounded but alive.

> It may even be possible to avoid a fight via intimidation.
The other scaly creatures don't look like they're going to fight; I call for everyone to hold their fire.

Lumen 2012/06/06(Wed)01:04 No. 419152 ID: 4ab2e5
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"Are you insane? The thing just attacked us!" Jason yells, stepping forward and slicing the prone humanoid's head clean off. He takes a step toward the other two but is interrupted by the appearance of two more creatures from the river.

"Enough!" one cries, stepping onto the bank.

Jason raises his sword, looking like he's about to attack that one too!

"JASON, hold yourself or i'll have you court marshaled out the ass."

Insubordination is never a good thing but... we are all down here to kill monsters before they reach town right? Is there any reason not to just kill all these things?

>>419156
Yes.

>>419177
No. These are intelligent beings. We're supposed to be professional soldiers.

(Deleted previous posts because I just noticed that one called out "Enough!")

Order Jason to stop (threatening court martial is a little much) and ask firmly for an explanation of the attack on Dani and the rope-cutting.

court martial is too much? fuck, I think it isn't enough. nigga just comitted murder. tell him to back the fuck down or he will be marked as a criminal.

>>419206
Murder? Those guys attacked us first. Did you miss one of them pulling Dani underwater and biting her? Did you miss them cutting the rope? Did you miss the now dead dead guy charging right at us?

Now that one of them've called for a ceasefire, though, it's time to hold our fire and hear that one out.

>>419223
He was incapacitated. That soldier disobeyed a direct order and executed him. That's murder and insubordination. In the modern US military, he would already be court marshaled.

Lumen 2012/06/09(Sat)00:56 No. 420078 ID: 4ab2e5
File 133922859489.png - (71.81KB , 550x375 , q22.png )

Ahh I feel so conflicted… but one thing's for sure, this kind of insubordination can't stand.

"JASON," I yell, "hold yourself or I'll have you court marshaled out the ass."

After a glance back at me, Jason lowers his weapon. "Ah. My apologies, creature, I knew not you were sentient. But tell us why you attacked us, and quickly, or I'll deal with you as well!" he says, striking an aggressive pose once more.

The scaly newcomer walks past Jason, hissing as he passes him, and stops before me. As he draws near I notice that he is wearing a humongous necklace made from rows and rows of teeth. He looks emaciated and pale, and his eyes are large and pupil-less.

"I tell <blarble blorble>, 'Bring humans to lair! So simple!' And what does he do? Get <blarble> killed instead! He so dumb," the leader says, pointing an accusatory webbed finger back at the creature with the scratched face. "Now I have to ask, and I know you say no. Come with us back to lair? Need to talk where other ears can not hear."

"if it is a water passage we cannot. if there is a way by land we can."

there is nobody here you would hide anything from. whatever he wants to tell you he can say right where we stand.

Lumen 2012/06/12(Tue)13:56 No. 421245 ID: 4ab2e5
File 133953457787.png - (133.13KB , 550x375 , q23.png )

> "If it is a water passage we cannot. There is nobody here I would hide anything from. Whatever you want to tell us, you can say it right where we stand."

"Not hide from YOUR ears…" he says, looking to the cavern ceiling above him. "Bad news for us if the other under-dwellers know we help you. But I just hurry then."

The creature stares at us for a moment before speaking. "My name <blorble blarble>, and I leader of these people. Our god <blorble blorble> tell us you be here, but I not know it be so soon! Us under-dwellers going about business when suddenly, blood burns with rage! Our minds tell us, 'Attack city!' No reason, just 'Attack city.' And many - they do just that! But I am smart one. I know we die if we attack the city. So I tell my followers, 'You fight the urge.' And unlike our kin, we are strong!"

Here he beats his chest with one fist, then looks down at the decapitated creature. "Most of us. But that is problem - burning in blood getting stronger! Our god give us the will to fight, but not forever. He help us much! He show us where to find magic all-language water, and where to find you. He say you can make the burning stop. He say tell you, 'Monster attacks are spell cast by swamp-city people. Stop by killing magic purple-robe orc." He looks up to the ceiling again. "So, you have questions, or we leave now?"

Swamp city? He must mean the Grexans. This is bad…

updates will coming much more quickly in the next few days. hopefully i'll finish up chapter one soon. thanks for reading!

"we want to kill them as well, just point us in the direction they are in and we will go.

>>421245
That explains why they attacked us without really wanting to. Ask for him to point us in the right direction; we will do this deed.

And we'd better hurry.

ask him more about their god. i'm curious

Lumen 2012/06/12(Tue)18:47 No. 421342 ID: 4ab2e5
File 133955204881.png - (109.45KB , 550x375 , q24a.png )

> "We want to kill them as well, just point us in the direction they are in and we will go."

"Hah. All the way in Swamp-city. God did not say would be easy." the creature says.

> ask him more about their god. i'm curious
I tell the guy that we can't understand the names he tells us, and that I want to know more about their god.

"Ah, in many words, his name would be… He Who Devours. And we, the People of the Fang." the creature then proceeds to tell us about how the god first appeared to him almost three decades ago. The god taught him to use his hunger as a weapon, and gave him protection from fire, an under-dweller's most hated element. The creature was then able to recruit several others of his kind to worship He Who Devours. Several other Fangs wander the caverns alone, but this is the only organized tribe he knows of.

Since you have no more questions, the leader and his people disappear into the river, bringing the dead body with them. The one with the scratched face retrieves my shield for me before they leave.

Lumen 2012/06/12(Tue)18:56 No. 421347 ID: 4ab2e5
File 133955256347.png - (59.61KB , 550x375 , q24b.png )

"Hey Joanna," Dani pipes up, "Most of Grexan's magic-users are either Shamans or Druids. If this purple robe guy is one, then he must have some kind of locus* nearby. Probably multiple ones for such a big spell, but if we can destroy the closest one… we could certainly delay or weaken this spell's effects!"

Hmm, she's got a good point there. But it wouldn't destroy the spell completely, so it's possible that some monsters could sneak through our post while we're gone. Also, I have no idea how long it would take us to find the locus, or if exists at all. And if the orc is a cleric or a mage, we're screwed.

* Druids and Shamans do not memorize specific spells. Rather, they have skill in a specific area such as WATER, and to cast any spell involving water they need only the MANA and a LOCUS. A LOCUS is a physical object through which a spell can be channeled. For example, when Dani created her snowman earlier, she used SKILL: M!Water, LOCUS: River water, and MANA.

Should we…
> SEEK LOCUS
> GUARD POST
> SPLIT UP
> OTHER
?

send one or two people to seek the locust (danni and murdon if he's up for it)! keep the rest to guard post.

>>421435
I MEANT LOCUS

take two people with you to look for the locus. one flyer, one land unit. the rest should stay on guard duty.

Yeah, interesting as all this is, guarding against attacks like you were assigned to isn't really something you can just shirk off. Is there another unit that's supposed to come relieve you at some point?

Also, have someone swim down and grab your shield for you! Possibly one of your new friends here.

Lumen 2012/06/14(Thu)02:36 No. 422009 ID: 4ab2e5
File 133966657680.png - (83.93KB , 550x375 , q25a.png )

> Guarding against attacks like you were assigned to isn't really something you can just shirk off.
I understand. I personally will stay, though I can't help but feel this is too important an opportunity to ignore.

> danni and murdon
Sounds good, I will send them out tomorrow after we've rested a bit.

> Is there another unit that's supposed to come relieve you at some point? 
In a week.

> Also, have someone swim down and grab your shield for you!
Taken care of.


Ah damn, looks like a pair of Avim has moved into the empty camp. Better drive them off!

Lumen 2012/06/14(Thu)02:38 No. 422011 ID: 4ab2e5
File 133966672567.png - (81.98KB , 550x375 , q25b.png )

Introducing: BATTLE
There are three main combat resources: HEALTH, MANA, AND ENERGY. Physical abilities use ENERGY, while magical abilities use MANA. Joanna has a MYSTERY third resource, and Murdon's remaining AMMO is displayed as one of his resources.

Joanna:
Spear (1)
Shortsword (4)
Shield (3)
Dagger (1)

Dani:
M! Plant (5)
M! Earth (3)
M! Water (3)
M! Air (1)
Blade knuckles (4)
Blowgun (3)

Jason:
Longsword (5)
M! Fire blade (3)
M! Ice blade (3)
M! Light (5)
M! Shield (4)

Mikael:
Staff (1)
M! Healing (6)

Murdon:
Longbow (6)

Attack the closest one I guess. These are probably not threatening enough to spend magic on.

By the way, what is the blue thing on the ground?

Dani and Murdon use ranged attacks while Joanna and Jason use nonmagical melee. or if that plant magic of Dani's is binding magic, maybe bind one with that and concentrate on the other. either way, the old dude remains on standby.

Lumen 2012/06/15(Fri)18:46 No. 422751 ID: 4ab2e5
File 133981118796.png - (82.65KB , 550x375 , q26a.png )

> These are probably not threatening enough to spend magic on.
Oh, they're plenty threatening. But we should be able to scare them off with a few pokes, unless they're guarding an egg or something.

> plant magic. bind one
I have Dani do that with LOCUS: SEED, just in case. She can have the plants release it if it looks like it's going to run.

> By the way, what is the blue thing on the ground?
Sort of a magical firepit.

Lumen 2012/06/15(Fri)18:46 No. 422752 ID: 4ab2e5
File 133981121682.png - (83.03KB , 550x375 , q26b.png )

The near one tries to bite at us but I keep my shield between it and the rest of the party. After two arrows from Murdon and a slice from Jason, it runs back a little ways, but then stops and turns to fight again.

Cautiously, we move closer.

Lumen 2012/06/15(Fri)18:47 No. 422753 ID: 4ab2e5
File 133981125637.png - (111.36KB , 550x375 , q26c.png )

WELL WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT.

Seriously, how could this possibly look like a good nest location??

shuffle sideways, stay in a group. see if you can get around them without getting closer to the egg.

You have ranged weapons. Why approach them when you can shoot at them from where you are.

>>422823
because killing these things is more trouble then it's worth.

There's no chance of relocating the campsite, is there? That thing is RIGHT NEXT to one of the tents, there's no way they'll leave you alone while you uproot it. Oh well. I guess you get to add the egg to your rations.

They will not run, and will try to drive you away, so use that to your advantage. Hold your ground and poke them whenever they get close.

If you actually DO manage to end this without killing them you could move the egg away from the camp, I guess.

oh man, there's steak AND omelettes on the menu. thank whatever crazy gods you worship.

Lumen 2012/06/16(Sat)22:44 No. 423348 ID: 4ab2e5
File 133991184074.png - (80.10KB , 550x375 , q27.png )

> shoot at them from where you are
Murdon's attacks are able to injure both of them.

> Hold your ground and poke them whenever they get close. 
The free avim runs toward us a couple times, but with our attention focused on it, it can't find a way around my shield. Its attacks begin to look hesitant.

The trapped avim has chewed through the vines holding it!

The two of them are now working together and circle around to attack us from two different angles.

> killing these things is more trouble then it's worth
A body that size would definitely attract unwanted attention from both carrion-creatures and our noses. I think we can scare them both away if we plan our next attack right! Or, we could kill one and scare off the other.

use the SOLAR FLARE like in the river. a huge burst of light should freak them out.

Lumen 2012/06/16(Sat)23:31 No. 423369 ID: 4ab2e5
File 133991468656.png - (33.53KB , 550x375 , q28.png )

> a huge burst of light should freak them out.
Jason pumps up the light, just as the avim on our right charges! The light blinds it and it misses completely, running straight past us and it takes another arrow. Too injured to continue, it flees!

The other avim is completely demoralized! It runs after its mate down the old mining tunnels.


That wasn't so bad! I'm starting to feel like a real warrior.

Now, for this thing. It could make a tasty substitute for military rations, or I could sell it in the city for about 40g. It's heavy and has a sturdy shell.

if trained would one of those things make a kickass mount? also they will probably come back in a bit. just to see if they can reclaim their nest. if the egg is left there and you are gone i don't think they will chase.

keep the togepi

well if it's worth 40g keep it.

Dani spent a lot of mana. are all her spells so costly?

Lumen 2012/06/18(Mon)01:57 No. 423751 ID: 4ab2e5
File 134000983873.png - (62.35KB , 550x375 , q29a.png )

> if trained would one of those things make a kickass mount?
Now that you mention it… wow that would be so totally kickass. I don't know if that's practical or even possible, though. I'll keep it in mind.

> well if it's worth 40g keep it. 
It'll suck to carry it back to the city, but I'll hold off eating it for now.

> Dani spent a lot of mana. are all her spells so costly?
Unfortunately, yes. Her mana capacity will improve with practice, though, and she regenerates it quickly over a couple hours.

Lumen 2012/06/18(Mon)01:57 No. 423752 ID: 4ab2e5
File 134000987758.png - (64.47KB , 550x375 , q29b.png )

Everyone's settled down into the camp now. I feel like this is a good time to confront Jason about his actions.


How should I start?

"You disobeyed a direct order and attacked in a moment when there was no immediate threat. Insubordination will not be tolerated under my command, so you're getting corrective training. Drop and give me (X number of push ups, where X is an amount that will be challenging but doable for him). Then you'll give me 20 laps around the perimeter of camp. If I hear anything other than "Sir yes sir" I will fry up your balls for breakfast. Is that clear, soldier? Then carry out your orders!"

tell him it's your last warning. discord among the ranks will cause not just one guy but many to die- everyone here is relying on his protection and you're the one coordinating it all so he should go along with it because apparently you're the one they saw fit to do the job? I dunno.

20 laps around the perimeter is just plain cheesy though.

>>423843
Your face is cheesy.

Seriously, though, in the real person military, they have people do "corrective PTs" when they fuck up. Typically, this involves push ups or laps while wearing body armor, helmet, etc. Might as well do what the professionals do, right?

>>423873
Oh, and "PT" means "physical training." Sorry for not clarifying that.

Lumen 2012/06/20(Wed)02:26 No. 424327 ID: 4ab2e5
File 134018436833.png - (65.59KB , 550x375 , q30.png )

> Might as well do what the professionals do, right? Corrective physical training.
Well… Yes, I do want to do things the right way. But I would like to hear what he has to say for himself first.

"You disobeyed a direct order and attacked in a moment when there was no immediate threat. Insubordination will not be tolerated under my command. This is your only warning." I say.

"Look, I'm sorry, alright? I shouldn't have done that. But those things are evil. My father's told me stories of mutant lizardmen attacking his miners for years. The only reason they helped us was to help themselves." He pauses for a moment. "Actually, I think I have a way to make up for it. I'd like to lead the expedition to find the locus, rather than Dani. I can track magic just as well as she can, and it would be a great start toward- uh, it would be... good experience."

maybe when he proves himself. which he hasn't so far. until then, he'll remain in a position of taking orders, not giving them.

>>424327
Great start towards what? I'm kindof in favor of letting him do it, but let's hear what he was going to say.

Lumen 2012/06/21(Thu)01:46 No. 424681 ID: 35b22d
File 134026837370.png - (70.11KB , 550x375 , q31.png )

> "Great start towards what?"
I say.

He sighs. "Kinda let that one slip, didn't I? But I guess there's no harm in telling you. Well, to start off with, you're probably more familiar with my actual surname...DuVanian."

"Whoah whoah. You're related to Richard DuVanian?"

"The one and only. See, that's the problem. Everyone's heard of HIM, but who the hell is Jason DuVanian? Well, I figured I could get some recognition through military service - but father of course disapproved." He scowls. "He just expects me to take over running the Enterprise. But that would never really be MY accomplishment, you know? And, well, I figured destroying that locus would be a good start towards making a name for myself." He shrugs.

maybe as part of the team.

>>424681
That might be a great start to make a name for yourself. But if you go now, it probably won't be a name you'd want.
You let your emotions rule you and broke discipline, debated orders. How well do you think the others will follow you at this point? Even asking for the locus mission shows you are not ready to lead. You should know better already than to ask for a reward after disobeying orders. Or did you think dropping your relations into this will make me brown nose you? Either will destroy discipline in this unit and make it impossible to do our job.

Err, maybe we should drop the whole disobeying orders thing considering the context. He doesn't really act like a soldier but he ISN'T a soldier. Neither are we, so maybe we shouldn't ride his ass like we're in the military.

If he wants to lead the locus mission all we need to do is be sure that he knows the mission comes first, then the lives of his men, then his own life, THEN his own personal glory.

>>425011
The only one not a soldier here is us. Everyone else is a soldier if the general didn't lie to us.
Ah, yes. Third post of the thread. >>414902
>>This is a list of all the unassigned soldiers, along with their qualifications.
>> Jason Garren - mage, battle(sword)

Lumen 2012/06/30(Sat)22:39 No. 427741 ID: 6a2446
File 134112114064.png - (20.47KB , 550x375 , q32a.png )

Sorry! Forgot to say I'd be gone a week. Daily (or more) updates resuming now.

> Say:
"That might be a great start to make a name for yourself. But if you go now, it probably won't be a name you'd want.  You let your emotions rule you and broke discipline, debated orders. You should know better already than to ask for a reward after disobeying orders. Or did you think dropping your relations into this will make me brown nose you? Either will destroy discipline in this unit and make it impossible to do our job."

> The only one not a soldier here is us. Everyone else is a soldier if the general didn't lie to us. 
Well, I'll bet these lot are the more recent recruits, due to the fact that they were all unassigned. But you're right, I do have to act to maintain order...


I command Jason to run laps as punishment. He glares at me for a second and then open his mouth to speak, but closes it and shrugs. "Yes ma'am," he says with a salute, and starts to run.

Lumen 2012/06/30(Sat)22:40 No. 427742 ID: 6a2446
File 134112120879.png - (28.26KB , 550x375 , q32b.png )

That night I have trouble sleeping. I decide to talk with Mikael a bit, as he's first on guard duty.

It turns out that although he's got the gift of magic, his true love is SCIENCE, and that he actually used to work in the labs at Isle Palios before leaving to take care of his orphan nephew, Murdon. I also find out that Mikael is skilled in ALCHEMY, though he doesn't have knowledge of the local ingredients.

Lumen 2012/06/30(Sat)22:41 No. 427744 ID: 6a2446
File 134112129620.png - (54.89KB , 550x375 , q32c.png )

Dani and Murdon set off the next morning.

Hopefully they'll be back within a few days, but until then it's just Jason, Mikael, and I.

If you can think of something useful to do, let me know:
> TALK
> FORTIFY CAMP
> WAIT
> OTHER

You can probably TALK while you FORTIFY CAMP.

Lumen 2012/07/02(Mon)00:49 No. 428123 ID: 6a2446
File 134121535053.png - (58.73KB , 550x375 , q33.png )

>You can probably TALK while you FORTIFY CAMP.

Ok. Here's an overview of the camp: the red arrows show where enemies will (or might) come from, and the x is where we must not let them escape to. The circles are large stalagmites.

We have rope, sticks, canvas, vine, and one metric fuckton of rocks. Just show me where to put them.

Also, please choose either Mikael or Jason and a TOPIC.

Wait, we are only keeping things out of that one exit? Why don't we move our camp down that tunnel a bit so we can use it as a bottleneck?

TALK TO MIKAEL ABOUT SCIENCE

Lumen 2012/07/03(Tue)02:34 No. 428543 ID: 6a2446
File 134130804830.png - (59.82KB , 550x375 , q34a.png )

> Wait, we are only keeping things out of that one exit? Why don't we move our camp down that tunnel a bit so we can use it as a bottleneck?
Ordinarily we'd want to keep them out of the east tunnel as well, but after seeing that river, I know there are other passageways the creatures could get through and bypass our camp completely. Gatepost will be able to handle the ones that get through that way; protecting the frontlines is our primary goal.

The tents are now in the tunnel and we set up a few rock walls.

Lumen 2012/07/03(Tue)02:36 No. 428546 ID: 6a2446
File 134130820395.png - (59.91KB , 550x375 , q34b.png )

> TALK TO MIKAEL ABOUT SCIENCE
"So… what sort of work did you do at the labs? I mean, I know that they’re run by delegates from the World of Technology, but I never heard too much about the actual research." I say.

"Well," he replies, "We were mostly concerned with researching the origins of things there. For example, what caused the Second Cataclysm? Where did the Grey Plague come from? I, personally, worked in the genetics department. This land has some fascinatingly diverse fauna. Can you believe I was one of the only Perinians willing to take a job there? People these days are just far too dependent on magic." he scoffs. "In any case, my lab was just beginning to examine Seraph genetics when I left."

Lumen 2012/07/03(Tue)02:39 No. 428549 ID: 6a2446
File 134130836280.png - (29.57KB , 550x375 , q34c.png )

Over the next two days, several creatures make their way toward our camp, guided by their blood curse. They're all small, though, and we dispatch them easily.

On the third day, the caves feel still and silent. It's making me a little uneasy (and pretty bored), until my ears pick up the sound of running footsteps in the distance.

Dani reaches us first, out of breath. "They're after us! The- locus was guarded. We got it but- there's a Dancer, and eight- eight cave goblins!"

oh shit! first things first - how badly hurt is murdon? how far away are the attackers? what's a dancer?

Time to use the bottleneck. Set up a formation.

Lumen 2012/07/05(Thu)18:32 No. 429362 ID: 6a2446
File 134153835605.png - (66.81KB , 550x375 , q35a.png )

> what's a dancer?
A Shadow Dancer - they're a type of shadow demon given physical form. Four arms, four blades, and they're fast as hell.

> how badly hurt is murdon?
Mikael's going to fix his arm so he can shoot again- the other injuries can wait.

Lumen 2012/07/05(Thu)18:34 No. 429364 ID: 6a2446
File 134153845079.png - (62.21KB , 550x375 , q35b.png )

> Time to use the bottleneck. Set up a formation.
When I stand here Jason can't help me attack, but if I move forward it's possible I'll be surrounded.
Dani can cast spells from behind the rock wall, and she has 3 poison blowdarts.
We have about 30 seconds before Murdon will be healed enough to shoot.

The large group of goblins stops a little ways away, but the one with the hammer charges right towards us! What should we do?

dude attack that motherfucker

just maintain defensive, keep them from ganging up. you are better then them.

The single charger looks like the champion of the group, only number 1 is better armoured and the hammer is the most impressive weapon among them. That he attacks alone when everyone else stopped might make him a berserker who will attack no matter what without regard for defense.

The hammer is a dangerous weapon. Angle the shield so the goblin doesn't hit squre on but slide along the shield when he gets in range to hit you.

You can also try a surprise face or leg stab by pulling your your right arm back some and hide the exact position with the shield.

Lumen 2012/07/08(Sun)02:20 No. 430206 ID: d696db
File 134173924459.png - (62.54KB , 550x375 , q36a.png )

messed up a bit - I labeled 2 goblins as 8 in the last update, and the one in the light is 6. 8's location is uncertain because we don't have line of sight.

> just maintain defensive, keep them from ganging up.
> Angle the shield so the goblin doesn't hit square on; try a surprise face or leg stab by pulling your right arm back some and hide the exact position with the shield
He doesn't even try to avoid the shield - just swings his hammer hard right towards its center. I angle it at the last second and the heavy attack glances away, though my arm still tingles. At the same time I stab the spear forward, hitting him in the leg! He's hurt but standing.

But in that second, I leave an opening for attack. The bowgoblin fires, missing. The one with the crossbow fires and -

Lumen 2012/07/08(Sun)02:22 No. 430207 ID: d696db
File 134173933654.gif - (40.72KB , 550x375 , q36b.gif )

AH! Ow… I can't see for sure, but I think that just grazed me. I'm fine.

Dani looks worried, but asks for targets for her 3 poison darts. One hit will kill a goblin, but chance to hit is reduced by armor and distance.


20 seconds before Murdon and Mikael can help.

Have Dani shoot the crossbow and bow goblins, then whoever is closest and uninjured for a sure kill, assuming she hits both of those first two.

keep it up make sure your shield is more mobile. try to block everything. sacrifice more offense if you need to. just hold on until the others can help then make a big push.

Yep, defensive fighting is the name of the game when they have that many meleers and we have a bottleneck.

Lumen 2012/07/08(Sun)23:24 No. 430482 ID: d696db
File 134181504454.png - (62.46KB , 550x375 , q37a.png )

rolled 8, 4 = 12

---

> Have Dani shoot the crossbow and bow goblins
#6: first die roll - over 2 hits.
#7: second die roll - over 3 hits.

Waiting to see if they hit before targeting another.

> keep it up make sure your shield is more mobile
Some more of the goblins move forward cautiously, while the one in front of me yells something in his language and whacks my shield a few more times with his hammer. I block them and a couple more arrows, but it's taking a lot of energy to move the shield around this much!

Lumen 2012/07/08(Sun)23:38 No. 430484 ID: d696db
File 134181589138.png - (55.10KB , 550x375 , q37b.png )

Both archers are down! That poison stuff is pretty great. Speaking of archers, Murdon's got his bow out and is ready to start shootin.

I keep blocking, and the nearby goblins cluster around me and the rock wall.

The two with spears stand on either side of the hammergoblin and stab at me around the sides of myshield! Luckily their positioning is bad and they can't reach me… for now.

Dani now has one dart left, Murdon needs a target, and Jason… well he can't really do anything until I move, and he doesn't look too happy about it.

>>430484
Do we have to push forwards to get Jason in on the action, or can we pull to the right to keep Dani covered while allowing him an attack angle? Either way we can relax and stop going pure defense now that we're only dealing with melee foes.

Have Dani kill the unarmored spear wielder. Murdon can target the other one.

I don't suppose demons are vulnerable to poison? It probably won't drop as quickly as the goblins did, but now would be a good time to start working away at it.

We are standing right in the gap aren't we? How about calling Jason forward to our right side and taking a half step backward.

That should put the hammer goblin in reach of Jason if he keeps to charging in to maintain contact. And Jason would be on hammer goblin's off side, which means number 2 presents either us or Jason a mostly unprotected flank.
If a spear wielder steps forward, we should be able to get one of them even without Jason's help.

Either Dani or Murden should try to get number 3, the axe goblin, instead of the second spear goblin.

Lumen 2012/07/10(Tue)23:01 No. 431153 ID: d696db
File 134198647447.png - (54.02KB , 550x375 , q38a.png )

rolled 7, 5 = 12

---

> Have Dani kill the unarmored spear wielder
Dani goes for the closer speargoblin - he's blocking her shot at the other.

#5: Point blank, some metal armor. Roll over 1 hits.

> How about calling Jason forward to our right side and taking a half step backward. 
At the same time, Jason and I reposition ourselves. The goblins stop attacking, unable to strike without opening themselves for attack.

Things are getting really cramped... I wish I'd put the wall out farther from the tents...

Murdon flies as high as he can in the low tunnel to shoot over our heads at the axe-wielding goblin.

#3: Moderate range, some armor. Roll 3-9 hits, 10 instant kill.

Lumen 2012/07/10(Tue)23:09 No. 431158 ID: d696db
File 134198696422.png - (53.87KB , 550x375 , q38b.png )

#5 dies; #3 takes damage.

Seeing the goblins dropping quickly, the Dancer snarls something in the goblin language. The heavily armored one pushes its way to the front of the group, and the Dancer begins to approach.

> I don't suppose demons are vulnerable to poison?
No, poison wouldn't do anything against it. But both physical and magical attacks should harm it. It may have some resistances, but I have no idea what they might be.

>>431158
I think it might be time for a push. We need to kill all the goblins before we're forced to engage the demon. I'm not sure what melee tactics to use right now, so maybe you and Jason should improvise. As you're getting a bit tired and are a little wounded, have Jason take the lead for the push.

Murdon can shoot the axe-goblin again I suppose. Hey, maybe Mikael can join the battle with his magic now. Have him target whoever's open.

Hey, ask what the eighth goblin looked like. They're hiding where we can't see them- there must be a reason for that.

Before pushing we should see if Murdon can hit the demon from here.

We should make a mental note to get some piles of rocks for Murdon to stand on next time so he doesn't have to fly and aim at the same time.

Lumen 2012/07/11(Wed)23:08 No. 431443 ID: d696db
File 134207330844.png - (53.90KB , 550x375 , q39a.png )

rolled 5 = 5

---

> I think it might be time for a push. Have Jason take the lead.
I tell him to push the goblins back, but avoid leaving the tunnel for now. He raises his sword above his head and charges forward, taking a spear jab to the leg that is mostly deflected by his armor. He swings his sword down hard at the heavily armored goblin, and the blade's flame effect leaves a gash in its metal shield when it blocks. It takes slight damage.

> Hey, maybe Mikael can join the battle with his magic now.
His spells aren't ranged, although if he can get close though, his magic attacks will bypass all armor.

> Hey, ask what the eighth goblin looked like.
Dani says he's got a dark cloak and two little daggers. I think he's trying to be sneaky, but he won't be able to ambush us from this position.

> We should see if Murdon can hit the demon from here. 
He fires.
SD: Moderate range, high agility. 5-9 hits, 10 does bonus damage.

Lumen 2012/07/11(Wed)23:18 No. 431447 ID: d696db
File 134207391978.png - (51.89KB , 550x375 , q39b.png )

The arrow hits the Dancer as it tries to dodge, and its eyes snap to Murdon. Lighting-quick, it hurls one of its daggers at him.

The dagger hits Murdon in the wing! He cries out, but he's able to lower himself to the ground without falling.

Now with a free arm, the Dancer juggles its remaining three blades in a show of agility, tossing them into spinning arcs before catching the handles without ever moving its eyes from us as it glides forward on shadowy tentacles.

Oh right, Dani can cast spells. Have her tangle up the armored goblin so that Jason can eliminate him easily by stabbing him in the face while he's immobile. Or maybe she can shift the earth to throw our foes off balance or knock them down. Or can she use her bag of sand to blind all the goblins? Whatever would be cheaper, so that she has enough mana to cast a second spell.

Joanna should move in wherever she has an opening.

Murdon should shoot at whatever target he can hit at this point, though he should do so behind some manner of partial cover. As he's not going to be moving terribly much, perhaps Mikael can heal his wing.

Jason has battle magic, doesn't he? Does he have something to get past the shield or distract the goblin itself? If yes use that first, otherwise switch to frost blade and attack him again.

Also can we put the shield on our back and use the lug two handed to attack number 1 past Jason? Stab at the goblin or even just force him to defend against the Lug to give Jason a better chance to get past the shield.

Lumen 2012/07/14(Sat)23:53 No. 432735 ID: d696db
File 134233523237.png - (49.17KB , 550x375 , q40a.png )

> Dani can use her bag of sand to blind all the goblins
Dani quickly tosses some sand from her bag at the goblins and uses M! Earth combined with M! Air to make the sand whirl around the goblin's heads, blocking their view.

> Jason has battle magic, switch to frost blade and attack him again.
Jason switches his blade to frost and swings, but the tanky goblin (1) is able to notice the swing and block just in time. The combination of heat, cooling, and force has shattered the shield!
While he's distracted by the sand and the shield, I stab him in the face with my spear. He's down.

Lumen 2012/07/14(Sat)23:54 No. 432736 ID: d696db
File 134233527435.png - (84.90KB , 550x375 , q40b.png )

> Murdon can shoot, Mikael can heal his wing.
Murdon finishes off the blind hammergoblin (2) with an arrow! The speargoblin (4) loses morale and runs!

As the goblin passes the Dancer, though, it frees two of its hands of blades, grabs the goblin by the torso, and flings it over the rock wall at us! It flails its arms, almost dropping its spear, but manages to stab Dani as it flies past her and crashes into a tent.

Lumen 2012/07/14(Sat)23:55 No. 432737 ID: d696db
File 134233530108.png - (53.03KB , 550x375 , q40c.png )

The sneaky goblin, finally realizing that he won't be able to ambush us, uses the chaos to dart out of the shadows and begin scampering up the rock wall.

>>432737
Dani: Punch that idiot in the face.
Joanna: Stab the tented goblin.
Jason: Don't get your ass killed. Try to take out the last goblin while using it as cover against the SD.
Murdon: Shoot anything.

>>432742
That sounds about right.

Lumen 2012/07/15(Sun)23:33 No. 433395 ID: d696db
File 134242041724.png - (52.56KB , 550x375 , q41a.png )

> Dani: Punch that idiot in the face. 
> Joanna: Stab the tented goblin. 
> Jason: Don't get your ass killed. Try to take out the last goblin while using it as cover against the SD. 
> Murdon: Shoot anything.

Dani punches the idiot in the face with her CLAW KNUCKLES. He falls backwards off the wall, yelling and flailing.

Jason tries to strike out at the blind axegoblin (3), but the Dancer retaliates with a double blade chop at Jason that reaches over the goblin's head! Jason has to leap backwards to avoid the blades, and bumps into me, unbalancing me. The speargoblin (4) - ouch! - manages to jab me in the leg while I balance myself. I swing my spear in a clumsy sweeping motion that injures it, and Murdon finishes it off with an arrow.

Lumen 2012/07/15(Sun)23:35 No. 433396 ID: d696db
File 134242053604.png - (64.88KB , 550x375 , q41b.png )

The Dancer, finding the goblin blocking its path (3) more of a liability than of use, stabs it from behind with its dagger and tosses its corpse from its path.

It seems that now we are dealing with a single powerful enemy, we are the ones who have become bottlenecked!

I feel like our two best options are to push past it into the main cavern and surround it, or to run down the caverns to the west, which will eventually take us to our army's front line, where we should have the reinforcements to kill it quickly.

>>433396
We only have two frontliners. It is not so much a bottleneck as it is mildly inconvenient. Cover Dani's retreat while Murdon shoots it again. Then you and Jason can fight while backing off, attempting to get a hit in every now and then.

Heck, Dani should probably cast some spell- hmm, can she collapse the tunnel on top of it, perhaps?

Once you're past the tents there's more room to maneuver.

How heavy are those tents? If you can kick over the closest one enough to stand on while Jason backs up I think you will have about enough room for the three of you. It would be kind of tight quarters, but that mostly works against the demon because it is larger and more prone to dodging.

The demon is a shadow dancer. How are they with strong lights? Jason has that light spell he can overpower like in the encounter with the Ghossans. Casting it above or directly in front of the dancer so the demon is in the fullness of the light could weaken the demon.

Lumen 2012/07/16(Mon)22:40 No. 433710 ID: d696db
File 134250364191.png - (65.77KB , 550x375 , q42a.png )

> Can Dani collapse the tunnel on top of it, perhaps?
NO - I- I'm sorry, it's too dangerous - the whole cavern could come down around us, like last time. She can, however, topple a few rocks from the wall onto the final goblin, which she does.

> The demon is a shadow dancer. How are they with strong lights?
Good thought - it seems slower now!

Lumen 2012/07/16(Mon)22:41 No. 433711 ID: d696db
File 134250367349.png - (102.40KB , 550x375 , q42b.png )

Dani uses a locus of SEED and the skill M! PLANT to bind the demon in vines! The vines sizzle with black smoke where they touch the demon, but it should hold it for at least a few seconds. The demon slashes Jason with its free blade, but his armor blocks most of the attack.

> Kick over the tents for more space.
They make for uneven ground, but at least we can move in that space now.

Lumen 2012/07/16(Mon)22:43 No. 433713 ID: d696db
File 134250378089.png - (57.72KB , 550x375 , q42c.png )

> Cover Dani's retreat while Murdon shoots it again. Then you and Jason can fight while backing off, attempting to get a hit in every now and then. 

We're doing some pretty significant damage to it! But it's free of the vines now, and strikes at Jason with its glowing blue blade. Jason recoils in pain - it looks like this blade has some kind of damaging magic! Jason can conjure a magic shield, but I'd still be worried about keeping him out front.

>>433713
Have him do the magic shield, but join him and soak up some hits yourself while the both of you are attacking. Allowing it to push you back is fine for now; we could stand to get off these tents anyway.

Is Mikael's healing capable at any range or on a moving target? If possible he should attempt to assist our frontliners without exposing himself. I also wonder how confident Dani would be in fighting this thing- just how good is she at dodging?

Dani: Any skill at manipulating fire? The campfire is near the demon, so you could hit it with fire.

Murdon: shoot it some mooooore!

even if the cave can't be dropped could make it go under a stalactite and have that drop on it. big rock from high up hurts.

Try shoving a handful of MAGIC LIGHT into the Shadow Dancer's FACE. It could do with a bit of TAN.

>>433847
Oh, but be careful not to lose your HAND to one or more of those POINTY DAGGERS.

sage Suggestion 2012/07/19(Thu)22:20 No. 434819 ID: d696db
File 134276161878.gif - (54.53KB , 550x375 , q43a.gif )

-CUTSCENE ACTIVATED- (panels are animated) ((but unfortunately not everything's animated, cuz this shit takes too long))


> Is Mikael's healing capable at any range or on a moving target?
No, he needs to be in melee range. He can heal a moving target, but sometimes it causes things to heal… wrong.

I call Jason to fall back and heal a bit. It looks like my shield even blocks the damage from the magic blade, so I should be fine unless - oh - oh fuck -

Suggestion 2012/07/19(Thu)22:20 No. 434820 ID: d696db
File 134276165790.gif - (220.62KB , 550x375 , q43b.gif )

Dani darts forward to distract the Dancer. In its slowed state, she's able to completely dodge its attacks!

> make it go under a stalactite and have that drop on it.

CRAK

Suggestion 2012/07/19(Thu)22:22 No. 434821 ID: d696db
File 134276173225.gif - (109.34KB , 550x375 , q43c.gif )

> The campfire is near the demon, so you could hit it with fire. 
Dani baits the demon further back, but she has no skill in M! Fire. However, as the Dancer crosses the firepit, the flames roar up in a dramatic whoosh! Dani looks confused.

> Try shoving a handful of MAGIC LIGHT into the Shadow Dancer's FACE. It could do with a bit of TAN.
The Dancer dashes forward faster that I'd expected, taking me completely by surprise. It- ah- stabs me and I stumble back, but Jason notices the danger and leaps at the demon! The Dancer stabs at him one, two, three times - and is surprised when each attack is blocked by a magical shield. Jason slashes it in retaliation and shoves his hand in its face with a burst of light… His shield failing, he falls back.

Suggestion 2012/07/19(Thu)22:23 No. 434822 ID: d696db
File 134276182394.gif - (255.16KB , 550x375 , q43d.gif )

The Dancer falls back as well, its face dripping with its equivalent of blood. It raises its blades… but I've had enough of this!

hell yeah you go girl.

>>434822
Secret abilities unlocked?

Ask your mage buddies what the hell just happened.

Lumen 2012/07/23(Mon)22:25 No. 435611 ID: d696db
File 134310751443.gif - (20.19KB , 550x375 , q44a.gif )

the last panel wasn't particularly a 'special ability', she just turned white for effect. and so I didn't have to color in another pose.

Mikael and Jason rush over to me. I don't know why they look so concerned… I feel fine…

"Hey, is something wrong?" I say, "I think some high fives are in order." Actually it's starting to feel hard to talk…

>Ask your mage buddies what the hell just happened.

Mikael says don't move. He looks at my belly wound and says it's pretty bad. I start to ask what happened, but...

Lumen 2012/07/23(Mon)22:26 No. 435613 ID: d696db
File 134310757143.png - (3.32KB , 550x375 , q44c.png )

You feel a shift

Lumen 2012/07/23(Mon)22:28 No. 435615 ID: d696db
File 134310770077.png - (73.48KB , 550x375 , q44d.png )

The door creaks open and a feline form creeps in, glancing around. She doesn't see me.

"You're back early, Penelope."

The catfolk looks up, startled, but quickly calms.

Lumen 2012/07/23(Mon)22:30 No. 435617 ID: d696db
File 134310785060.png - (50.11KB , 550x375 , q44e.png )

"Oh, come on Miztress Kroma," she says, grabbing a cigarette. "Gimme a break. It's cold outside and the war's been makin' for real slow business."

I walk up and snatch the cigarette from her mouth. "It's the oldest bloody profession, Penny. Don't you tell me that business is slow. Now get out, and don't come back until you have something to show for it."

She looks up at me glumly before exiting and slamming the door behind her. Penny's attitude has started to become a real problem.

... I sense your presence, Spirit. You lot normally don't bother me while I'm working, so what's the matter?

We're not accompanying Penelope on her flower gathering job. That's what's the matter.

>>435617
The one we've been following lately is in critical condition and unconscious, so I guess we shifted to someone else. Strange that you can recognize and address us directly, lady. Just who are you? I don't remember bothering you even when you're not working.

I don't think we are the spirit you think we are.

Lumen 2012/07/28(Sat)17:08 No. 437187 ID: d696db
File 134352049553.png - (54.31KB , 550x375 , q45a.png )

> I don't think we are the spirit you think we are.
Ah. You must be new, then. Hoo boy, if there's one complication I don't have time for right now, it's this… look, I have some paperwork to finish for a very important meeting soon, but I'll give you the short story as I work.

Where to start…

You're a spirit, for lack of a better name. I'm a Valorkin, which is the shitty theatrical name Simon decided on for us freaks. When each of us 'Valorkin' realizes our potential, some magic hoodoo 'spirit' also awakens within us. I call mine Whisper, but whatever, you can chat it out with each other later. You can speak with any other Valorkin you've been 'attuned' to, although it may be a while before you can talk to all of us.

> The one we've been following lately is in critical condition and unconscious.
Kroma chuckles.
Oh don't worry, they'll be as good as new in a couple of days. See, thing is, we can't die. Or at least, none of us have yet. It seems to be part of this set of abilities we've each got - basic control of fire, regeneration, the dark, and super strength. Those are our powers. Don't use 'em.

> Just who are you?
Name's Kroma. First Valorkin to 'awaken.' I run a shitty prostitution ring in a shitty corner of Perina. But if tonight's meeting goes well, I'll be moving right on up. I can go into this more in-depth later, but for now I'll answer a couple more questions before I kick you outta my head. Hurry it up.

>>437187

So, does this 'prostitution' involve gathering flowers and selling them to passerby?

>Don't use 'em.
Any symptoms of their use to watch out for?

>>437187
Control of fire? That explains the campfire flaring up with no cause. She didn't use the dark or super strength yet.

Why shouldn't we use them? HOW do we use them? Our host didn't seem to use it consciously.

Lumen 2012/07/29(Sun)12:54 No. 437365 ID: d696db
File 134359166824.png - (106.15KB , 550x375 , q46.png )

> Why shouldn't we use them?  Any symptoms of their use to watch out for?
Yeah. It makes you real hungry and can give you a nasty temper. If you let it go on too long, you could lose control, and trust me, it won't be pretty. Continued use'll lead to physical alterations.

> HOW do we use them? Our host didn't seem to use it consciously.
Well, now that she knows they exist, she should be able to control them, though it might take some practice. Since this is your girl's first couple weeks or whatever, I'm sure she'll be fine. It takes a bit for the negative effects to set in. Also, not a whole lot of people know we exist, so we try to keep our existence quiet.

Last thing I've got time to mention - this shit's bloodbourne. So careful who you bleed all over, or they might end up as one of us as well. They won't get their own talking spirit, but they can hear existing ones. In any case, we have noticed that the powers passed on get weaker through the 'generations' of blood receivers.

So I guess you can either get back to this 'Joanna,' or try and contact another Valorkin. I dunno if it will work, but you seem to be developing pretty quickly... Now shoo.

Let's try to contact someone else. Having an information network would be very useful.

Lumen 2012/07/29(Sun)14:42 No. 437390 ID: d696db
File 134359816350.png - (77.56KB , 550x375 , qch1end.png )

You focus really hard on finding someone else. Wow this sure seems to be taking a long time!

In the meantime…
> Penelope: Gather flowers.

END VALORQUEST, CHAPTER ONE.


Thanks for reading! Since this is my first real quest, I'd love to get some feedback for what I've been doing well/poorly. I've opened up a discussion thread here: http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/57823.html