Thread 6318304

"We should keep moving and catch up to the NPC. My transformation only lasts a minute and we should make the most of it." You say motioning to the next cave entrance. Ryuji nods and tears his glaive free from the zombie just as Irene finishes her trance. The three of you regroup and begin to run through the cave system once more, all pretense of stealth lost. Not helping was the fact that Ryuji was constantly gushing and asking questions about your abilities.

"What else can you do? How long is the cooldown? What buffs do you get? Did the coat come with the costume?" He asks, eagerness overtaking any sense of restraint on his curiosity. "I don't know anyone who's ever gotten this far!" He concludes. You suppress a small sigh building up. You had expected him to explode with excitement given his love of the game but you hadn't really expected to see him get this excited. Still, you couldn't help but share a bit of his enthusiasm. How long had it been since you had eagerly spoken about the game with someone just as passionate instead of trying to avoid the conversation with non-answers? You pull back your helm, allowing it to fold back behind your head and somehow vanish causing Ryuji to let out a noise that sounded like a mix between a squeal and roar of excitement.

"It folds back..." He manages to eek out.

"It's on a 5 minute cooldown. So it's really more of a boss fight kind of ability though right now I don't think we have the luxury to hold back big CDs. While I'm in this form, these are considered two handed weapons." You say raising your fists. Ryuji's jaw drops.

"Waitwaitwait. You're dealing two hander damage with your fists alone? I've seen how fast you can swing those things and you're telling me they can hit as hard as a warhammer?" He asks.

"Yup. Only while transformed though. Untransformed I have the Brawler's [Powerful Fist] skill but it seems to scale better because I can't really wield anything else." You continue. "Also, I'm considered to be wearing light armored outside of my transformation and medium while transformed. Stacks with the bit of damage reduction my class gives. Class seems to give me a handful of abilities from other classes to pick from on level up but it seems to lean towards fighter and brawler skills." You pause for a moment. "But I get this feeling that there's more to it. Almost like the game is keeping note of what I do and adjusting for it. I got a weird quest regarding another player on the tutorial island and now I'm expected to grow under strife, whatever that means. For the moment it seems my class progression is locked until I meet some kind of requirement. Nothing about this class is straight forward and the power seems to compensate for it." You say, drawing your helmet back on. "If I'm honest...that's the fun part."

You continue on your way through the tunnels, avoiding dead ends and taking down what stragglers you find along the way. Thanks to the woman's...less that subtle approach, most of the mobs near the start of the dungeon had been taken care of. Even so, you feel a sense of unease as you continue. The scale in your pocket makes your skin tingle. It feels cold and burns at the same time. Like a flame that threatens to freeze you but leaves your body burned and charred. In a way it was like a strange interpretation of the term freezer burn. Part of you worries that your body might freeze up once more or worse. If you could get visions while touching it then what other kinds of mental effects it could have on you. Could it mind control you? Or maybe kill you with some strange magic? You grapple with the possibilities.

>What do you do?
>Keep the scale for now. It doesn't seem to be causing any damage and you don't want to worry your friends. Your small bonus to damage reduction and debuff resistance might be enough to keep you all safe.
>Give the scale to Irene. Her class has higher defenses against magical effects as a caster. She might be able to resist any ill effects.
>Give the scale to Ryuji. He has a higher HP pool and higher physical stats. If the scale deals damage, he'll be able to withstand it longer than you and Irene.
>Write in.

>>6318305
>Give the scale to Ryuji. He has a higher HP pool and higher physical stats. If the scale deals damage, he'll be able to withstand it longer than you and Irene.

Dragon spear man? We have the opportunity for guan yu here, gotta do bro a solid

>>6318305
>Keep the scale for now. It doesn't seem to be causing any damage and you don't want to worry your friends. Your small bonus to damage reduction and debuff resistance might be enough to keep you all safe.
We'll shoulder this burden ourselves, no need to force it onto our friends. We're a Hero after all.

>>6318305
>Give the scale to Irene. Her class has higher defenses against magical effects as a caster. She might be able to resist any ill effects.

>>6318304 (OP)
But also tell them about it so we can confirm the heretics involvement to them.

>>6318398
Dropped my vote
>Keep the scale for now. It doesn't seem to be causing any damage and you don't want to worry your friends. Your small bonus to damage reduction and debuff

>>6318398
+1

>>6318304 (OP)
>Keep the scale for now, bit tell your friends what's going on.
No reason to keep it secret from our friends. It is alarming that we're considering mind control as a possibility, though... This is just a game, right? We aren't playing a vidya where a shady billionaire can actually control our speech and behavior, are we??

>>6318304 (OP)
>Keep the scale for now. It doesn't seem to be causing any damage and you don't want to worry your friends. Your small bonus to damage reduction and debuff resistance might be enough to keep you all safe.
we should tell them, but not right now. i think irene already knows but i might be misremembering
>>6318508
i would be surprised if mind control can affect players. how could that realistically work? so at most the scale bearer would get some nasty debuffs i assume

>>6318333
Support, for the same heroic reasons

>>6318508
"ZenSoft and the department of Health and Safety assure you, the public, that full dive VR is completely safe. There are a litany of laws, safety restrictions, and medical studies to prove this. Any stories or records of harm resulting from the use of the full dive VR systems was purely out of misuse of the equipment or anecdotal." - Some government announcement. We can trust the government...right?

>>6318568
If you want the full mechanics for how mind control works I can give post an explanation. Right now, John has no indication that such an effect could apply to him and his friend. His mind is kind of running all over the place because he knows it's an effect that the game has but it's been so long since he's played he's not sure if it's become more common or rarer. Not to mention the fact that both Roland and Irene who have been playing all this time have said that the game is being way different than what it's ever been. So John's kind of grappling with his end game experience kicking in and expecting crazy stuff from happening.

>>6318333
We'll shoulder the physical burden for our friends but share the burden of knowledge with them. Writing.


Board thinks the post is spam. Probably from me trying to include all the posts that voted. I won't include them but I did count them.

You slowly come to a halt and dig out the scale from your pocket. It glows dully with that same blue hue that you remember from the prison. The shine seems to avoid your direct gaze, flickering and running along the edges to hide in your peripheral vision. You expect the strange tingling feeling to do the same but it persists. The icy burn lingers where the scale once rested and soon begins to spread through your hand. You quickly stuff the object back into your inventory in another pocket. By now your friends notice you lingering behind and come to a stop. "Hey man, what's up?" Ryuji asks.

"Nothing-" You begin but the fact you're absentmindedly flexing your hand to try and get rid of the strange feeling makes you think otherwise. ""The scale started feeling funny." You begin before explaining the situation. "Might mean we're on the right track, though. Or it could be that the heretics know someone picked it up and we're walking into their trap."

"Seems a bit too roundabout to get the scale to fall into the wrong hands." Irene says. "Be easier to simply leave it laying around where the guards could find it. Why go through the whole process of sending a transforming monster man to rampage throughout the city?" She motions for everyone to follow her. "If we were an organization dedicated to helping dragons attack the city what would we gain by leaving something like this around?"

"But what if it does brain control you?" Ryuji asks. "Like you'd get some kind of powerful leader under your control." He pauses at that. "M-maybe we should drop the thing."

"That's the thing. If the guards even got a whiff that this is connected to heretics, they'd put the thing under lock and key so far and fast that no one would ever see the thing again." Irene counters. "I think it wasn't meant to be found. Maybe we weren't even meant to live through that attack."

"Then those visions...we weren't meant to see it." You wonder. "Obviously the game would want us to but for the owners...I don't see why they would want anyone to get a hint of their location."

"Wait then how about that npc? How'd she know about this place?" He asks. "If the city knew about this place then they would have stormed it, right? They didn't seem like the kind of guys to let this sort of thing fester. Especially those Inquisitor guys. They could have asked one of the big guilds to take care of it as a quest." Irene seems to think about it for a moment.

"That is weird...but we can't spend all this time speculating. We'll have to ask her once we get out of this cave." She says. You all pick up the pace and make your way though the cave system. A cold wind begins to blow through, leading you all to the exit. The bright light blinds you for a moment but you soon see the bridge before you full of scattered corpses. In the center of the dead, you see a makeshift campfire and the woman sitting next to it tying a bandage around her arm. She pulls it tight with her teeth before slowly getting up as you approach. "I appreciate the assistance. The Fury herself must have come through in my time of ne-" She stops midway just as a necklace begins to glow a faint blue...and you feel the scale in your pocket flare up with a wave of cold. A second seems to stretch for hours before the woman brings her weapon to bear, gun leveled against her arm. "Heretics! I should have assumed you'd turn against one another but you'll not find me so easily fooled!"

>What do you do?
>Sprint forward. Attempt to disarm the woman. With your speed, you might have enough of an edge.
>Try the diplomatic route. Explain what you're doing here and that you have a dragon scale.
>Keep the scale a secret. Try and turn the conversation around. Ask what she's doing here without backup in the middle of a blizzard no less.
>Argue that now is not the time to fight. Both parties are injured, you're deep in enemy territory, and you should find a better place to rest. For now, the enemy of your enemy is your friend.
>Write in.

>>6318878
>Try the diplomatic route. Explain what you're doing here and that you have a dragon scale.
I assure you the dragon man that rampaged in the city is quite dead, could you explain why this scale is so important to them?

>>6318878
>Keep the scale a secret. Try and turn the conversation around. Ask what she's doing here without backup in the middle of a blizzard no less.

>>6318878
>Try the diplomatic route. Explain what you're doing here and that you have a dragon scale.

>>6318878
>Sprint forward. Attempt to disarm the woman. With your speed, you might have enough of an edge.
i dont think shes in the mood to talk
that might change if we can disarm her and force her to hear us out tho

>>6318878
>Sprint forward. Attempt to disarm the woman. With your speed, you might have enough of an edge.
I think it'll be easier to negotiate with her when she's disarmed

>>6318878
>Try the diplomatic route. Explain what you're doing here and that you have a dragon scale.
She's a hysterical zealot, disarming her might just piss her off.

QM?

>>6318880
>>6318926
>>6319436
Apologies gents combination of a busy weekend and a bad cold knocked me out of it. We're trying the diplomatic route. Maybe the scale can give us the proof we need.

>>6321060
Glad you're back (and hopefully feeling better) QM!

"Hey! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" You shout, drawing back your helmet and raising your hands up. "We're not your enemy!" You say shifting slightly and adjusting your center of gravity to get ready to throw your self out of the way. The woman remains unconvinced.

"I'll not suffer your lies, heretic! You may have found a perch among the weak willed and desperate but you'll find no such leverage with me." The woman scowls as she prepares to fire.

"Waitwaitwait! We're here following a lead! Just like you! The attack on the prison! We were there too! We helped fight back the prisoners! If you ask any of the guards there they'd vouch for us!" You say quickly. You motion to your coat. "We found something there. Something that we think is connected to this place. Just...let me show you. I think it's what your necklace is reacting to." You say.

"He's telling the truth." Ryuji says behind you. "We didn't come here to fight you. We're on the same side. You know the saying, The enemy of my enemy is my friend?"

"He's right. Don't be stupid and think. If we were really enemies of Valford, it'd have been better off to let you die. More importantly, if we were lying how do you think I got one of these?" Irene adds and you hear the mechanical clicks of her weapon unfolding itself. "I doubt the city guards are the kind to give away their own equipment to their enemies. Especially during a prison break." A mixture of curiosity and doubt seem to soften the woman's eyes but only just. She slowly cocks the hammer on her weapon. More of a show of force than anything as you've seen that simply pulling the trigger would do the same thing or perhaps there was some hidden feature you weren't aware of.

"Just let me show you." You say as you slowly reach inside your coat. "I swear we're not up to anything."

"Not helping..." Irene says through her teeth. You fumble for a bit and pull out the scale which was now glowing furiously in your hand. Likewise, the woman's necklace was glowing just as brightly. "We found this on the body of one of the prisoners who transformed into a kind of dragon like monster. You must have heard of that at least, right?" You ask but the woman doesn't reply leaving an awkward silence. Her eyes, however, never seem to pull away from what lay in your hand.

"We figured that it must have come from somewhere close by but away from the eyes of the city. This seemed to be the only location that fit the description. We didn't expect to find anyone else here." You conclude. The woman's stance doesn't change but she does finally pull her gaze from the scale.

"Quite the tale if true. You'll forgive me if I find it rather difficult to believe 3 random strangers to brave a blizzard simply on a hunch." She says.

"Why else would we do it?" Irene asks growing annoyed. "Clearly we've come to get to the bottom of this. No one else is stupid enough to run through a blizzard and risk being disemboweled by the undead. Present company excluded of course." She adds, voice ripe with faux politeness. The woman narrows her eyes.

"Your glibness does you no credit Astrologian." She says as she slowly uncocks the hammer of her weapon and cautiously lowers it. "Enemy of my enemy indeed. I've heard tales of adventurers' eccentricities. Would that I have known The Fury would have my path cross the strangest of the lot..."

"So...we're cool?" Ryuji asks tentatively.

"For now, it seems we share a common ground." The woman says. "But know this, I'll not suffer your greed or ambition to stray me from my path. You may have whatever trinkets or treasures these abominations have stolen. I only care for the extermination of this filth that plagues my country but should your avarice get in my way, I'll not hesitate to cut you all down. In truth, I only ask one thing to prove your sincerity." She points to the scale in your hand. "We cannot allow it's existence to continue. If such an object truly has the power to transform a man into a monster, we cannot allow it to fall into the wrong hands. Or worse, allow it to return to it's owners."

You only half hear her what the woman is saying. Unbeknownst to everyone around you, your hud has been blinking red for the last second or so.

Warning: Item [Dragon Scale] has bonded with you and cannot be removed from inventory at this moment nor stolen from you by other players/NPCs.
Warning: Item [Dragon Scale] has bonded with you and cannot be removed from inventory at this moment nor stolen from you by other players/NPCs.
Warning: Item [Dragon Scale] has bonded with you and cannot be removed from inventory at this moment nor stolen from you by other players/NPCs.

New Quest Unlocked: Bound in Heresy
Assist the Inquisitor in clearing out The Frozen Gorge while bonded by Heretical item. Whether you choose reveal this bond to her, attempt to remove it, or keep it is up to you.

>What do you do?
>Try and convince the woman that you need to keep it. Say that as long as it's intact, the heretics won't unleash their full power. Like holding a hostage.
>Say that you won't keep it. Perhaps it's powers can be used against the heretics or crafted into a weapon against them. This could be an opportunity you can't afford to lose.
>Say that she can shoot it out of your hand. As proof of your sincerity or maybe devoutness, you'll let the gods choose what happens to you. Even if she can take you down in one shot, you still have you [Indomitable Will] effect which prevents your HP from going to 0 once per 24 real world hours.
>Be honest and say that you can't let the scale go of your own accord. It seemed to have been cursed on to you. Maybe the woman knows more about what's going on.
>Try and shift the conversation to something else. Maybe you can put off making a decision for now until you know more.
>Write in.

>>6321136
>Be honest and say that you can't let the scale go of your own accord. It seemed to have been cursed on to you. Maybe the woman knows more about what's going on.

>>6321136
>Be honest and say that you can't let the scale go of your own accord. It seemed to have been cursed on to you. Maybe the woman knows more about what's going on.

>>6321136
Oh, shit. I want to be honest, but this NPC will definitely fight us if we are, so...
>Say that you won't keep it. Perhaps it's powers can be used against the heretics or crafted into a weapon against them. This could be an opportunity you can't afford to lose.
Tell her we'll destroy it when we're done and know it won't be useful or necessary for stopping whatever they're doing.

>>6321136
>Try and convince the woman that you need to keep it. Say that as long as it's intact, the heretics won't unleash their full power. Like holding a hostage.

I agree with this anon >>6321145 about the likely outcome of telling the truth. I just don't think a zealot will be that pursuaded by repurposing a cursed item for our own uses

>>6321136
>Try and convince the woman that you need to keep it. Say that as long as it's intact, the heretics won't unleash their full power. Like holding a hostage.
for all we know, this isnt even a lie

>>6321145 is me, and I'll back these (>>6321172 & >>6321244) in a pinch.

>>6321132

>>6321136
>Be honest and say that you can't let the scale go of your own accord. It seemed to have been cursed on to you. Maybe the woman knows more about what's going on.

>>6321136
Ask the NPC if she could do you a favor and slice off your hand real quick. The scale seems to be unwilling to come off.

Seems like we're three for three on telling the lady we can't let go or skirting the truth a bit and arguing to hold onto it for insurance/using it against the cult.

>>6321145
Why would telling her the truth start a fight?

>>6321366
Just so we're clear, my vote here >>6321296
Is telling the lady the truth that we can't let the scale go, and showing a willingness to get a hand chopped off.

>>6321373
She told us that she would take us relinquishing the dangerous cult relic as a show of good faith. Going "uh, sorry, no, I can't, because it has low-key started to possess me" (to paraphrase) may set her off.

>>6321381
I am against playing the rest fo the game down one hand, so I'd need to know if losing a limb can even happen to a player character and how easy it is to get back, before I would commit to that.

>>6321384
Full limb loss is not a feature of Nevermore. Disabling limbs is possible but it's more of the cinematic kind of disabling such as slashing an arm and causing it to go dead. Such effects tend to be player skills for a guarantee on hit but can also be done without it though it's more rng dependent.

The effect lasts until someone trained in medicine treats the injury, a strong enough healing spell is used, or the affected person respawns. In universe, the company had to neuter the realism on that front to get past the censors and the fact that it basically became an instant win condition if you severed someone's limb.

NPCs don't have that luxury unfortunately. It seems like the censors only really cared about players losing their limbs and the mental effect that might have. Watching a life like AI losing an arm or leg is a-ok!

Long story short. You can't have your hand cut off but you can have your fingers broken and maybe you'll drop the item. Ryuji and Irene won't have any way to fix it though.

>>6321136
>Try and convince the woman that you need to keep it. Say that as long as it's intact, the heretics won't unleash their full power. Like holding a hostage
Allow me to break that tie

>>6321399
our lad and his friends live in a pretty weird world outside the game in some ways, huh?

>>6321416
They really do.

>>6321411
>>6321172
>>6321145
Alright, we'll argue to keep it for now. Writing.

"I think we should hold on to it for a bit longer." You say as you quickly slip the scale into your coat. Mercifully, you seem to be able to let go and leave it in your inventory. Unfortunately, it doesn't solve the issue before you. The woman's eyes narrow and the grip on her weapon tightens. "I just think that it could come in handy!" You blurt out.

"What are you doing?!" Irene hisses quietly. "Just do what the crazy lady says."

"What possible good could come from such an object?!" The woman says. "Nothing, that's what. To forsake one's humanity for power is the peak of hubris."

"Right! That's why I think we should hold on to it. It's probably important to them right? If they know we have it then they'll want to get it back. We can hold it like a hostage. They won't attack us at full force or else they risk that we might destroy it or they themselves do it in the crossfire." You explain, your tone probably more desperate than you would like it to be.

"Y-yeah! And we can probably use it against them too." Ryuji interjects. "They might have like spells or wards that only react to their own magic. If we have some of their power, we can use it to sneak by or circumvent it."

"It's actually a sensible idea." Irene agrees. "The less encounters we face the better. Unless you're somehow a cleric, we'd be better off saving our resources. Unless of course, dying is the list of things to do for your country." The woman gives you a look that seems to be a mix of a squint and a glare. After a few moments of contemplation she clicks her tongue at you and turns away.

"Tch...adventurers..." She mutters as she sits at her fire once more before motioning you all to join. Irene lets out a pent up sigh of frustration.

"We're not adventurers. We're just simple travelers." She says with a final jab before sitting across from the woman.

"Wait...we're not?" Ryuji asks in confusion. "Is this some kind of RP thing?" You blow out some air as you realize you were holding your breath just as your transformation's time runs out. You pat Ryuji on the back.

"It's...kinda a long story. I'll tell you about it tomorrow at work." You say and the two of you take your spots around the fire. The air is tense as you all huddle around the small fire. The woman quietly stares at the flame for a few minutes, her gaze unwavering, before she straightens up and digs through a small hip pouch hidden under her coat. She tosses what looks like a bundle of cloth at your group's feet. "Mend up. It'll be pointless if you end up dying before our work is done." She says.

Items Received:
10 Simple Bandages: Heals a moderate amount of HP (around 40%) over 30 seconds. User must remain in place as they tie their bandages up or lose the heal over time. Better quality bandages may heal more or require less time tending to oneself.

"Thanks!" Ryuji says as he picks them up off the ground before dividing them up. "I'm Ryuji. That's Irene and that's...uhh..."

"I go by The Traveler." You say, taking your share of the bandages. "It's simple enough for people to remember." You lie.

"Right. What's you're name?" Ryuji asks.

"Eleanor. Inquisitor Eleanor Cadieux." The woman replies.

"Oh so we can call you Ellie then." Ryuji says.

"No. Only my parents can call me that and they're long dead." Eleanor says with a cold finality that cuts the conversation short. Ryuji gives you an awkward shrug and makes a tugging motion at his collar.

Regal_20 (John Doe)
HP:65%
MP:Full

Irene d'Ange (Gloria)
HP:60%
MP:25%

Ryuji Yamada (Roland)
HP: 45%
MP: Full


>Do you use the bandages? If so, how many?
>Yes
>No

>What else do you do?
>Ask Eleanor about the cultists. Maybe she has some information to share. (What do you ask?)
>Ask Eleanor about why she's here. Seems kind of strange to only send one inquisitor into a Cultist den.
>Ask about the Dragon situation. As an Inquisitor she might know more about it.
>Say nothing and rest.

>>6321543
Use all dem bandages

>Ask if they have a recommended attack or weakness to exploit for dragon men. We had to throw enough firepower to down dozens of men, and we don't have nearly as many people this time.

>>6321543
>Yes
One on Ryuji.
>Ask about the Dragon situation. As an Inquisitor she might know more about it.

>>6321543
>Yes
Get everyone back up to full, use 4.

>Ask Eleanor about the cultists. Maybe she has some information to share.
Does she know what exactly their objective is? Who leads them? Any mission-critical stuff?

>>6321543
>Yes, one each.

>Ask Eleanor about the cultists. Maybe she has some information to share. (What do you ask?)
Supporting >>6321557

>>6321543
supporting >>6321593

Winning choices are asking about the cultists and using bandage each. Writing.

You all take a bandage and start to heal up. Unlike first aid in the real world, all a player had to do was wrap the bandage around whatever injuries they had. The game would do the rest and the injuries would heal. The bandages would remain on for a few hours before disappearing giving other players enough to note an injured player and attack if they so choose. A player wearing bandages wasn't the best indicator of their status or level of resources. Sometimes it was just better to use bandages after a battle than waste potions which could heal in a pinch so a player covered in bandages could still have plenty of healing items and resources. Looking over, Ryuji was starting to look like a mummy with all the cuts and bites he had on him. Surprisingly, he was quite adept at cutting and applying the bandage with as little waste as possible.

Irene had fewer injuries that you could see. Most of her damage was due to the blizzard so the most she could do was apply it in generic areas such as around her arms and waist. There were technically some injuries there so the item would still take effect but it did look a bit odd seeing her using something for cuts on injuries that weren't bleeding or open. You turn to your own share and decide that using a single bandage would be worth it. Better to use it and be at max health than risk waiting for an emergency and simply die because of it. Unfortunately, your fancy clothing and layering made it a bit cumbersome to do so. You gingerly press the cloth to the area the scale was affecting you and to your relief the strange sensation slowly faded away. For a few moments all that could be heard was the crackling of the fire and the sounds of first aid.

"Can you tell us more about the cultists?" You ask Eleanor as you tie up a bandage's end. "What exactly do they want? Do you know who leads them?"

"As far as we know they are people who have sided with the dragons. They worship them, see them as the rightful heirs to this land." She says with a scoff. "Our people have been living in these icy lands since the dawn of time. It was our forefathers that learned to harness the power of aetherium, to fold steel, to fight back against the harshness of this land and temper it to our needs. When they dragons took note that we no longer feared the dark, they swooped down and began to attack. They made no attempt to parley, no attempt at peace. The war raged for generations until the Fury Herself was born and was raised to fight against out enemies that she lead us to push them back to the Wyvernlands. Now it seems like they are back, corrupting our people with their lies, using the fact that our people had not known the horrors of war to turn them against us. These Heretics seem to have forgotten that it was the Dragons that tried to kill us first, murdered our mothers and fathers, betrayed us when The Fury asked us to lower our weapons in hopes of a peaceful end and cut her down." She continues, her anger rising.

"Alright, alright." You say gently, as you motion for her to cool down. "They want to destroy all that you've built but..." You hesitate for a moment worried that you'd set Eleanor on a rant again. "Why? Or rather why now? From what I saw Valford is quite a fortress not to mention you're probably the country most known for ranged weaponry. I would think dragons are smart enough to know that this is probably a fight they won't win."

"I don't know. Maybe they think us complacent. Maybe they think their power protects them from our technology." She says as she starts to sharpen her weapon. "If so then it'll be their hubris that'll be their undoing. We repelled them once when they first came back years ago. Slew one of the great dragons, Aramith. We lost many in those first few years but that day was the day we turned the tide as our forefathers did. The Dragonkillers were a success and they paid the price for underestimating us." You and your friends share a glance. You were all thinking the same thing. A dragon slain, a vision of icy caverns and a dungeon with a known lich in it. Suddenly, the gorge didn't feel as vast as you would have liked.

"S-so do the dragons have a leader? Like an Elder Dragon? Maybe they're the one behind all this." Ryuji asks, his grip on his weapon growing tighter. Eleanor shakes her head.

"Our tales speak of the first born dragon, Zandred the Ancient. He was there at the beginning and he survived when we forced them back. Every battle against him cost us thousands and nary a scratch was left on him. We've not seen nor heard of him in centuries. The cultists we've interrogated have not mentioned him by name or alluded to him." She explain. "If he is was behind it, I doubt he would be relying on cultists and subterfuge."

"Then is must be some other dragon maybe a younger one." Irene says. "Or maybe someone is working with them? Convinced them to return and fight." Eleanor stops cleaning her gunblade and stares at Irene.

"Don't be a fool. Why would a dragon ever choose to work with a human as equals rather than simply destroy them outright?" She asks. Irene shrugs.

"Why would a human work with a dragon?!" She snaps back. "Clearly something different is happening here. We can't just ignore if there's some kind of...super heretic or whatever. What if the dragons are mind controlled with magic? Or maybe they're using your technology to control them like with the dragon scale controlling that monster guy?"

"If there's someone with power enough to control a dragon's mind why stop at a war? Why not simply dominate the minds of everyone?" Eleanore shoots back. You and Ryuji stop bandaging for a moment and watch as the two woman argue over the complexities of magic and war.

"Gloria's kinda...different in game isn't she?" He asks a bit flabbergasted at the scene before him. You give him a weak smile.

"Yeah...she kinda is." You respond in awe and get up. Better you get people back on track before the whole dungeon hears you again. "Alright that's enough." You say sternly and getting up and pulling the two, who were now face to face, apart. You've dealt with enough angry teammates and post match fights that you were basically on autopilot. "You can shout at each other once we're not in the lion's den. Eleanor, is there anything else you can tell us about this place? Why are you even here to begin with? This place is always crawling with monsters. Sending a lone Inquisitor seems suicidal." You ask, turning the attention away from the argument to you. Eleanor pulls herself free from your grip and goes to sit back on her side of the fire while you let Irene go.

"This was supposed to be a scouting mission. We received reports that patrols were being lost in the area. It was suspected that it was simply monster attacks nonetheless I received orders to come and investigate." Eleanor pokes at what remains of the fire.

"Is it normal for the Inquisition to look into these matters?" You ask.

"Not that I know of. This was not something I did during my training. Perhaps it is something they do once we are allowed to operate alone. This is my first year as a solo." She says.

"What?! You're telling me we're doing a dungeon with a rookie Inquisitor?!" Irene shouts.

"Maybe you're used to bumbling adventurers but even the most novice Inquisitor can handle 10 of your lot. But then again, it shouldn't surprise me given that you only have your own skill to compare." Eleanor shoots back. You sigh as the shouting starts up once more. You could finally say the game was just like you remembered it, years ago.

>What do you do?
>Head out and start rushing to the next checkpoint. Take anything in your way down.
>Continue on wards but take the stealthy approach. Avoid as many encounters as you can.
>Ask about something else before moving on. (What do you ask about?)
>Write in.

>>6322416
>Continue on wards but take the stealthy approach. Avoid as many encounters as you can.
If there really is an undead dragon down here, the smallfry won't mean much. Killing them will just free up control on the big dragon, and surely a big dragon will friendly fire if they swarm us.

We could also search for possible places for dragon riders to hide here. If they were to fly out, they'd have to navigate the gaps between bridges, limiting where they could actually be.

>>6322416
>Head out and start rushing to the next checkpoint. Take anything in your way down.

>>6322424
Counterpoint: we should grind a little to level up and get loot. We may need it for the boss fight. RPG logic, no?

>>6322416
>Head out and start rushing to the next checkpoint. Take anything in your way down.
the quest we got says we need to clear the dungeon out
avoiding encounters goes against that

>>6322416
>Continue on wards but take the stealthy approach. Avoid as many encounters as you can.

>>6322416
>Head out and start rushing to the next checkpoint. Take anything in your way down.

>>6322416
>Continue onwards but take the stealthy approach. Avoid as many encounters as you can.
I forget what we were doing before. I think we were sneaking

>>6322416
>Head out and start rushing to the next checkpoint. Take anything in your way down

Rushing to the next check point wins. Writing.

"That's enough!" You shout, your voice echoing throughout the gorge. "Guys, we're here to do a job and arguing isn't going to help us right now. We need to be on top form to do this. We have no real healer and our supplies are low. So for now, we have to put everything aside and just trust one another. Our success depends on it and if what we think is true then we can't afford to fail. The heretics are here and they're probably trying to amass an army of undead. What they intend to do with it we don't know but we can't let them complete their goals. So for now, we need to set aside whatever problems we got and focus on our task." You say almost by rote. "Now, we need to clear out the gorge and our best bet is to take out the big players first. We'll rush through the caves and take down whatever gets in our way. Better to do that than risk them hitting us from behind. Once we hit the bottom of the gorge, we'll need to be on our toes. By then, we'll be deep in enemy territory and not doubt it'll be where the strongest of them are." You look up from the drawing on the bridge you were making out of ash. "Anyone else got a better plan?" When no one speaks up you clap your hands to clear them of debris. "Alright, let's get moving. Ryuji take point, I'll take back and Eleanor can back you up. Irene will be in between us to serve as support."

---

The sounds of your team's footsteps echoes throughout the tunnels of the gorge. Team's. It's been a long time since you had been in one. Not just another extra person but a solid group of people who's skills you had to balance. You hadn't even intended to take the lead. In fact, you had hoped the others would have and almost expected it to be the case. Instead you found yourself at the center of the conversation, making decisions, directing tactics. But slipping back into the role feel...comfortable. You doing more than bossing people around. You were helping your friends win. It was because of their talents and skills that you were overcoming obstacles that you weren't expected to and you realize that it's this part of the game you always loved. Victory through team work or failure as a group. You either all celebrated or all commiserated. Whatever the outcome, you all did it together, as a team.

"We got incoming!" Ryuji shouts as you turn the corner. He hurls his glaive and it pierces an undead knight, pinning it to the nearby wall. A gunshot rings out and it's head explodes just as your tank rips the glaive free from the wall and thrusts it at the next nearest zombie. You're pulled from your thoughts and shift forward to cover Irene. The four of you work in concert cutting, punching and blasting your way through the group with ease. You cross the next bridge moments later and run into another group. You soon start to feel a few things off as you cut your way through the crowds of zombies.

Each group seems to get smarter the farther into the gorge you go. Their begin to block attacks sluggishly, then quickly along with a back step to create an opening, before starting to snap their own limbs and bend them in awkward angles to parry attacks no normal human could. Others would shift around in the middle of a fight to look for a gap in your defenses and attempt to flank and surround your group. You soon find yourself more and more on the back line to keep them from breaking through and converging on your open flank.

Moreover, the scale burns more and more as you progress. It seems to pulse cold then steal it back leaving only burning behind. Sometimes it feels heavier for a moment before returning to it's regular weight. The scale had not dealt damage to you yet but the pain was becoming a distraction and it's seemingly random pulses often distract you long enough for an enemy to score a hit. Fortunately for your group the tight corridors of the caves helped keep the amount of enemies you faced at a manageable number. "Is this normal?" Ryuji asks as he cleaves through a trio of enemies. "I don't remember zombies doing this."

"We must be approaching their unholy lord." Eleanor says, her hands a blur as she reloads her weapon. "But we've seen no sign of the heretics. Only their undead slaves."

"Then they have to be at the end of this dungeon." Irene calls out. She rips a card free from her globe and hurls it a Ryuji. "Once we start to run into them we're going be dealing with opponents who can plan father than just attacking what they see. Assuming we even see them before they strike."

"We might be nearing the next big fight." You say with a wince as you kick an enemy's legs hard enough to shatter them. You weren't really sure how to word it for an NPC but your group was coming up to a boss fight. The only issue was whether or not you'd be fighting the Knight Captain, some new boss, or the secret Yeti boss. You weren't sure which one would be worse or which one you'd be able to take down. You mange to break through and run through the final tunnel. Up ahead you saw light and the floor of the gorge. You and the others come to a slow halt. Ryuji and Irene knew the dungeon well enough to know about the upcoming boss and it would be best to try and take a peek before making your next move.

"What are you doing?" Eleanor hisses. "The enemy could be upon us at any second."

"There's something big up ahead." Irene says blocking her way. "Call it 'Traveler's intuition'." You slowly sidle against the wall to the exit and crane your neck to peek. A chilly wind blows through and you strain your ears to hear something through the icy mist. Part of you hoped for the clanking armor of the undead Knight Captain, part of you hoped that you could hear whispering of heretics but a small part of you hoped to hear-

The sound of crunching metal sounds out and from the mist you see a mass of steel and broken limbs fly by before slamming into the wall on the other side of the gorge. The remains of the Knight Captain lay in a heap mangled beyond recognition and a roar explodes dispelling the icy mist. A tall muscular figure stood at the far east end of the gorge. At 8ft tall, it looked as if it was carved from the very rock of the walls themselves. Twin horns portruded from it's head, a sign of it's eldritch origins or perhaps some devil deal gone wrong. It stomped around, sniffing the air and you can see the faint outlines of broken zombies buried in the snow. But just beyond that, at where your vision begins to fail you, you see something shimmering a familiar blue color. Focusing on it makes your eyes water and a funny feeling pricks at the back of your head.

"What in the Gods' name is that?" Eleanor whispers fiercely. "Another kind of abomination made by the heretics?"

"The Ancient Yeti." You say. "A monster far older than anything we've come across. Maybe as old as Valford itself."

"Shit...what do we do?" Irene asks. "You don't think we can take that thing down, right?"

"We have to try." Ryuji says. "We can't get to the end without fighting it."

"We can try and sneak by. The entrance to the second half of the dungeon is right behind it. We can use the mist to sneak by." Irene suggests.

"It might smell us." Ryuji counters. "We might not have a choice"

>What do you do?
>Attempt to sneak by. If you're very lucky, you might be able to avoid a fight. Your luck as held out so far though you can't say if rolling a secret boss while undermanned is lucky or not.
>Try and head for that blue thing. It makes you feel uneasy but clearly it wasn't here before. That seems like the right direction.
>Fight the thing head on. You'll have to play it smart. Real smart. But if you can take it down...well perhaps more fame can't be a bad thing.
>Send the group forward while one of you stay behind to hold the monster's attention. There's no doubt about it, they will die but at least the rest of the team can make it past. Whether or not they'll survive the rest of the dungeon is also unknown.
>Write in.

Party:
Regal_20 (John Doe)
HP:80%
MP:Full

Irene d'Ange (Gloria)
HP:100%
MP:55%

Ryuji Yamada (Roland)
HP: 65%
MP: Full

Eleanor Cadieux
HP:75%

>>6323687
>Try and head for that blue thing. It makes you feel uneasy but clearly it wasn't here before. That seems like the right direction.

>>6323687
>Try and head for that blue thing. It makes you feel uneasy but clearly it wasn't here before. That seems like the right direction.

>>6323687
Im guessing we can't bandage right now?

>Ask if Eleanor can see that blue thing and if her necklace reacts to it. We might need her to deal with it while we fight the yeti.

>>6323774
If we can, have Ryuji bandage like this anon suggested, before we fight. But if not...

>>6323687
>Fight the thing head on. You'll have to play it smart. Real smart. But if you can take it down...well perhaps more fame can't be a bad thing.
Just do this. It's a game, and taking down secret bosses is fun.

>>6323687
>>Fight the thing head on. You'll have to play it smart. Real smart. But if you can take it down...well perhaps more fame can't be a bad thing.
but before that we get everyone to 100% with bandages

>>6323687
>Try and head for that blue thing. It makes you feel uneasy but clearly it wasn't here before. That seems like the right direction.

>>6323687
>Fight the thing head on. You'll have to play it smart. Real smart. But if you can take it down...well perhaps more fame can't be a bad thing.
Also have Ryuji and Eleanor patch themselves up

Seems like fighting the secret boss is the winning option. I'll get to writing.

In the end, you really could help it. "Well if we can't go around it then we'll need to go through it." You say as you feel a bit grin spread across your face. "Ryuji, Eleanor. Patch up."

"Are you insane?!" Irene asks. "That thing is meant for a full party. With a healer!"

"Then we'll need to not get hit. Especially you. I'm sure that thing can one shot you." You say as you start to draw on the ground again.

"You're crazy. We can't have a normal adventure with you around." Irene continues, flabbergasted. "First dragon people and now this."

"Loathe I am to admit it. The Astrologian speaks true. I do not think that a whole squad of our best knights could fell such a creature and you expect us to do it with a motley crew of four?!" Eleanor says, her eyes almost bulging out of her face from shock.

"If it means anything, I think we can do it." Ryuji says tearing off some bandage with his teeth. He gives you a thumbs up and a smile. "I trust ya." You give him a nod and continue to draw on the ground outlining the rough area you had as an area.

"The Ancient Yeti will mostly stick to whoever has aggro." You say dropping all pretense of keeping within universe. If you were going to survive this you were going to have to lay out everything you knew about the boss, you could explain it away to Eleanor later. "However, after taking a certain amount of damage it will swap targets to the healer and attempt to use it's frozen breath attack to freeze them solid. The freeze deals damage upfront and then an ongoing DoT as long as the freeze keeps going. If we had someone with fire spells it can be ended early. Without a healer, it will simply target a random player so we all have to be on our guard. Any hit without a healer will simply burn us down so getting caught in it is not an option." You draw several lines through your map. "These are the bridges that run above us. The yeti also has a stomping attack. Anyone nearby will be a target of his stomps and they're fairly easy to dodge if you can see them. The tricky part is the aftermath. The stomps themselves will cause the built up ice on the bridges to rain down upon us all. Given that the bridges are not evenly spread out, the icicles will fall at random intervals. Ryuji, you're going to have to lead the boss away from the bridges so that the rest of the group can continue to attack while moving to a safe zone, here." You say pointing to a small gap on your map. "Some of the icicles will remain while others will simply shatter the ones that remain we'll need to avoid for now. The yeti will destroy them if he's too close with his wide swings. Once he hits 30% HP he'll begin to cast his ultimate power. He'll conjure a blizzard and send spikes of ice around before sending it flying out in an explosion. We'll have to hide behind one of the icicles to avoid the damage. If we have any bandages left, we can use them to heal. Once that's done, it's a simply matter of finishing him off."

The others nod along as you conclude you little lecture but you can feel Eleanor's gaze on you. "How do you know all this?" She asks warily. "I've never heard of such a creature and yet here you are giving a scholar's lecture on it's battle tactics and environment as if you've studied it for a life time."

>What do you say?
>Say that you've learned a thing or two as a traveler. It comes with the territory.
>Smile and simply deflect by asking who's to say you haven't lived a few life times.
>Tell her that it doesn't matter right now. All she needs to do is trust you.
>Write in

>How do you approach the yeti?
>Rush him down and strike before he can react.
>Attempt to sneak up for a devastating starting blow.
>Send Ryuji out first to bait him then strike while it's back is turned.
>Write in.

>>6325005
>Say that you've learned a thing or two as a traveler. It comes with the territory.
The legend grows! Well, albeit with a NPC this time, so that probably won't do anything.

>Send Ryuji out first to bait him then strike while it's back is turned.
Teach him our techniques. Trust in our team. We want our friends to play the game, too, not just stand around watching us be a pro gamer.

>>6325005
>Say that you've learned a thing or two as a traveler. It comes with the territory.
>Send Ryuji out first to bait him then strike while it's back is turned.

>>6325005
>Say that you've learned a thing or two as a traveler. It comes with the territory.
>Send Ryuji out first to bait him then strike while it's back is turned.

>>6325005
>Say that you've learned a thing or two as a traveler. It comes with the territory.
>Send Ryuji out first to bait him then strike while it's back is turned.

>>6325028
Support

>>6325028
>Teach him our techniques. Trust in our team. We want our friends to play the game, too, not just stand around watching us be a pro gamer.
Taking our old man's words to heart I see.

>>6325028
>>6325035
>>6325068
>>6325083
>>6325382
Unanimous decision. I'll get to writing.

"I'm a traveler. I've picked up a thing or two in my journeys. All part of the fun." You say with a grin. You stand up and start to limber up. "Alright, if there's no other questions then let's head out."

"Let us hope that what you say is true. Or else none of us will be participating in this 'fun' of yours." Eleanor says flourishing her weapon.

"You two are nuts." Irene says drawing a card. "But if we win..." She gives a noncommittal nod and a shrug. "Maybe I'll fire up the grill early and we can have burgers for lunch tomorrow." You feel Ryuji slap you in the back.

"Dude! We totally gotta win now." He says. "Free burgers!"

"Yeah." You chuckle as you rub the back of your head. You hope that your information wasn't too outdated but it was too late to worry about that now. You'd had gotten everyone ready. "Hey, by the way." You start, stopping Ryuji from exiting. "Don't block on this one. Even if your survive, it'll just knock you back and ruin your positioning. Use your glaive to manuver. Combining it with your Pin ability, you can stick it into the boss and use your weapon to vault or shift around the boss. With the momentum you get if you jump before grabbing it, it'll also rip it free and cause the bleed debuff." You say. Ryuji looks at his weapon and then at you.

"Huh, really? Never thought about it like that. I guess I can use it like a pole vault." He says. "Thanks!"

"Aim for gut or thighs. If you hit his arms or chest, he can easily move your weapon out of the way for you to retrieve it." You advise.

"Gotcha. Just hit and run. Keep up the aggro. Here I go." He says gripping his weapon and rushing out of the cave with a hoot and a holler. The yeti turns to face the source of the noise and the two clash with their voices long before they do physically. Both of them let out a roar as Ryuji activates his skill to taunt the boss. The yeti's body flashes red slightly indicating that the debuff effect on Ryuji's skill activated, lowering it's defenses.

"Now! Everyone go!" You shout as you break into a sprint into the cold open air. "Eleanor, Irene fire at it's face!" You order as your armor envelopes once your body once more. For the briefest of moments, you feel your body temp drop drastically in temperature and for that small moment you fear you'd had frozen solid before your transformation kicks in and regulates your temperature. You hear the sound of gunfire and a flash of light fills your vision for a moment. The yeti's head snaps back and it screams in pain as it swings it's arms wildly trying to hit whatever it could in a panic. Ryuji rolls out of the way of the first swipe, ducking behind the boss. After the second swipe, he swings his glaive upwards and cutting deep under the ribs. Another thrust and the glaive sticks before he swings on it, ripping out of the wound and causing thick blood to seep out and stain it's white fur.

"Fury take you, foul beast!" Eleanor screams as she reaches melee range. She cuts into the yeti's leg with her slashing recoil combo. It cuts and slides cleanly but like Ryuji's attacks it only left a shallow cut. Deep enough to cause pain but not enough to hobble the monster. It seems like you were going to have to slowly chip away at the monster.


Party:
Regal_20 (John Doe)
HP:80%
MP:Full

Irene d'Ange (Gloria)
HP:100%
MP:53%

Ryuji Yamada (Roland)
HP: Full
MP: Full

Eleanor Cadieux
HP:Full

>What do you do?
>Focus on kicking. Your spurs have a small chance to bleed. DoTs might be the thing that saves you all.
>Use your maneuverability to strike at the monster's face and upper body. You'll be in danger if he swats or grabs you out of the air but you'll be able to strike at a more vulnerable area.
>Ask for one of your party member's weapons. Mixing up your attack types might confuse and throw the boss if it starts feeling up similar pains from different sudden angles.
>Try and synchronize your attacks. Aim at a single spot. If the enemy's toughness is too high then focusing on a single point might break through. You're not sure if your team is coordinated enough to keep it up without losing focus on defense though.
>Write in.

>>6325566
>Focus on kicking. Your spurs have a small chance to bleed. DoTs might be the thing that saves you all.
Kite, bait, dodge, inflect bleed! Whittle it down! We'll cheese this boss.

>>6325566
>Focus on kicking. Your spurs have a small chance to bleed. DoTs might be the thing that saves you all.

What are our skills again?

Im thinking grappling the mouth to stick the glaive in, then using improvised to pull it out

>>6325754
https://pastebin.com/XLnJfzV1

Here you go. It doesn't have ryuji's stuff as I haven't updated it yet. But you have everyone else's.


Ryuji Yamada (Roland)
Class: Fighter
Level: 7

Skills/Spells:
Taunt: Goad the enemy into facing you, diverting the party's aggro onto yourself.
Warcry: Taunt now affects enemies in an area around you. Affected enemies have a chance to have their defenses lowered. Cooldown increased to 20 seconds.

Guard: Raise your defense momentarily, reducing damage taken for the next 5 seconds. Cooldown 20 seconds.
Endure: Brace your body to withstand the attack. Guard no longer requires a shield. Enemies have a harder time forcibly moving you with their attacks and spells while under the effect of Endure.

Power Through Adversity: While wearing Medium or lighter armor, gain extra attack power as your health diminishes. The lighter the armor, the greater the bonus per percentage missing.

Polearm expertise: Gain extra damage and attack speed while wielding polearms.

[Fighter/Ranger] Pin: Hurl your weapon at an enemy and pin them to the nearest object or surface for 5 seconds. If removed by you, deals extra damage and a chance to cause bleeding otherwise the weapon returns to you at the end of the pin duration. Cooldown: 20 seconds.

Steel Cyclone: Whip your weapon around in a 360 degree arc, striking everyone within your weapons range. Weaker enemies have a chance of being knocked down. 15 second cooldown.

Cooldowns are in a weird state at the moment. Trying to figure out how to tie them into number of posts or just leave them as a thematic thing.

>>6325795
>>6325566
Id really like to bleed the inside of its mouth to deter frost breaths, but i guess its too early

>Focus on kicks
>Use doublejumps to kick the face for bleed and bait grabs that you can jump out of.

>>6325566
>Focus on kicking. Your spurs have a small chance to bleed. DoTs might be the thing that saves you all.

>>6325566
>Ask for one of your party member's weapons. Mixing up your attack types might confuse and throw the boss if it starts feeling up similar pains from different sudden angles.

>>6325569
>>6325610
>>6325817
>>6325850
Kicks is the winner. Hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween or just a good day if you don't celebrate it. Had a nice BBQ with friends, myself. I'll get to writing.

https://youtu.be/ms1_fL1eJ-o?si=dCaT-QBkDlnoW8_4

You drop into a slide letting the icy and snowy ground carry you forward. As you slip between the yeti's legs you swing your legs up and spin on your back. You were a bit embarrassed at the amount of break dancing videos you had to watch to learn how to do the windmill properly in game but the Japanese Brawler mains swore by it back in your day as an offensive way to get back up from getting knocked prone. You wouldn't have believed it if you hadn't seen it in competitive videos overseas and you were always a bit sad that you never got the chance to try it out in pvp against them.

Your spurs slice into the monster's thighs making shallow cuts that were painful but didn't bleed. Just as you begin to lose momentum you kip up into a backflip then leap off of thin air to avoid the oncoming swipe. The yeti howls at you more in annoyance than pain and begins to turn towards you before Ryuji steps in. "Sorry bud but you're dancing with me!" He shouts as his ongoing taunt forces the monster to focus on him.

"Make him bleed!" You shout as you hurl yourself back at the monster. With another swift kick your spur drives a deep gas into it's cheek that begins to bleed freely. You land, drifting slightly from the momentum. "We can't beat him with sheer force, our weapons don't cut deep enough. We'll have to DoT him to death."

"And how do you expect us to accomplish that, Traveler? The beast's hide is too tough." Eleanor shouts from the other side as she unloads her ammo into the monster's back trying to keep her distance.

"We can aim for weak points we already made!" Ryuji shouts as he hurls his glaive like a harpoon right into the yeti's leg inches above a cut that was made before. "If we can hit the wounds we already made, then they'll just get deeper and bigger right?"

"Good thinking! Irene keep us buffed and keep aiming for the monster's face. We can pray that it goes blind eventually. Eleanor, try and avoid hitting the wounds with your shots we don't want to accidentally cauterize them. I'll focus on the head as well. I think with my mobility I can stay out of the yeti's reach." You instruct.

"Careful dude! This guy's faster than he looks." Ryuji cautions as he shift in to grab his weapon and rip it free. Blood begins to well up and drip freely. Eleanor snaps her weapon open and starts to shove another set of shells into the cylinder. She rushes forward and mimics your slide to avoid an attack before rolling to her feet, aiming her weapon at the ground behind her and fires. The blank goes off and she rockets forward to slash deep into the yeti's side with the momentum.

Eleanor Cadieux has learned from your aerial techniques in the heat of battle. Eleanor learned the skill [Sonic Break].

"She can learn?!" Irene shouts as she pulls a card. "Damn! Give me something better!" She growls as she shoves it back into orbit and forces another draw. The card snaps back into it's usual location in the orbit before they all begin to spin rapidly to randomize the draw. "Better! Look out, timing is gonna change!" She calls out.

"What do you mean I can learn, woman?! I'm not some kind of imbecile!" Eleanor screams as she twists in mid air to land next to Ryuji. The card flies right under her and strikes the yeti in the chest. Immediately the familiar ethereal chains spring forth and wrap themselves around it's limbs and hamper it's movements. "Now! We must press our advantage!" The three of you rush forward to strike. Ryuji flourishes his weapon into a downward swing and cutting cleanly into the monster's stomach just as Eleanor leaps over the weapon and fires off another round into a spinning slash. The gunblade cuts deeper into the flesh opening up the wound some more and causing it to hemorrhage, splattering Eleanor with hot blood.

The yeti's roar is cut short as a bolt of magic hits it in the face causing it to go blind and turn right into your kick. Your heel digs deep into it's forehead and blood pours forth into it's eyes. Another roar breaks out as icy mist begins starts to seep from the beast's mouth marking the start of it's icy breath attack. In it's desperation or perhaps due to it's programming it faces in a random direction and locks onto your Inquisitor who was stuck in her attack's animation. "Look out!" Ryuji shouts. He sidesteps and whips his weapon around, cutting into the monster again and striking Eleanor with the haft of his glaive. The impact sends her flying out of the attack's range but leaves him right in the firing line of the attack.

Skill: Steel Cyclone Activated.

Party:
Regal_20 (John Doe)
HP:80%
MP:Full

Irene d'Ange (Gloria)
HP:100%
MP:50%

Ryuji Yamada (Roland)
HP: Full
MP: Full

Eleanor Cadieux
HP:85%

Boss: Ancient Yeti
HP: 80%
Ongoing Effects: Bleed x3, Blind, The Shackles (Attack and movement speed is decreased.)

>What do you do?
>Let Ryuji tank the hit. With his defensive skill, he'll probably survive but you'll have to keep the boss away from him while you wait out the ensuing debuff and DoT.
>Try and get Ryuji out of the way. You might be fast enough if you burn all your jumps to get there but you'll take the brunt of the attack if you can't find a way to get out of the aoe yourself.
>Tell Irene to draw a card. If she can draw The Bole or the Chains then the damage will be reduced. If she can draw The Balance then she'll have a way to remove the ensuing debuff. Any one of those could drastically increase Ryuji's survival. It's a 3 out of 7 chance.
>Write in.

>>6327171
>Use grapple to wrench the head up
Wonder what freezing the ice spikes will do

>>6327171
>Tell Irene to draw a card. If she can draw The Bole or the Chains then the damage will be reduced. If she can draw The Balance then she'll have a way to remove the ensuing debuff. Any one of those could drastically increase Ryuji's survival. It's a 3 out of 7 chance.
We gamble in this household.

>>6327171
>Use grapple to wrench the head up

>>6327183
+1

>>6327183
+1
seems like that could work

>>6327171
>Tell Irene to draw a card. If she can draw The Bole or the Chains then the damage will be reduced. If she can draw The Balance then she'll have a way to remove the ensuing debuff. Any one of those could drastically increase Ryuji's survival. It's a 3 out of 7 chance.

>>6327183
Hell yeah, save the day and keep levellingnup our hero skills! +1

>>6327171
>>6327171

>>6327183
>>6327204
>>6327226
>>6327502
>>6327764
No gambling this time. Instead we're wrestling...of a sort. Writing.

>>6327966
And now I'm caught up.
I'm really glad to see you still writing Luo, and I really like the new world you've created. The action is still as crisp as I've come to enjoy and with all that gushing out of the way.

Lets kick this guys ass!

>>6327992
can we get a W for Luo?
all quests i follow always seem to die after a thread or two

>>6328016
W
great QM and very enjoyable story

"Damn. Damn. Damn." You mutter as you twist in the air and expend one of your extra jumps to rocket back towards the yeti. Your knee slams into it's nose and your plant your hand on it's head to vault over behind. You grab a fistfull of hair and use your momentum to effectively slingshot both your knees into the back of the beast's neck forcing him to look upward.

Ability: Grab Activated

The icy torrent of mist and ice shard burst forward into the sky. It collides and envelopes the bridges above causing the icicles to grow. The echoing sounds of creaking and cracking rain down upon you as a threat of what might come soon. "There! Aim for it's neck! He's given us an opening!" You hear Ryuji shout. You redouble your efforts and try to leverage your weight to keep the monster's head tilted back. The yeti tries to resist but its caught between your grip and it's attack's animation. Ryuji scrambles forward and swings wide as he puts his whole back into the attack. His glaive's blade glints in the light as it streaks across the yeti's neck with such speed it almost looks like it simply slips through. You feel the the monster strain against your grip but you hold fast long enough for Eleanor to attack. You hear a gunshot and see a blur of red and black rocket towards you. A bloodsoaked Inquisitor matches the beast's roar as she fires again and spins in midair. The yeti's roars are cut short and turn to gurgles as the sword cuts the neck again. The breath attack dies down immediately and the monster staggers back as it claws at the pain in it's throat. Adding to it's pain is the searing light to it's retinas as Irene continues to blast at it's already damaged corneas.

But a wounded beast is a dangerous one. Fueled by rage and pain it begins to swing randomly at opponents it can't see. Missing wildly, it goes for the one other it can feel besides pain. You feel it's massive hand wrap around your entire forearm followed by the fleeting feeling of vertigo as everything it turned upside down and suddenly your vision grows dark as you slam into the ground once, twice, three times. Though your grip was unbreakable, the fur you were clinging too was not. It rips away from the yeti's scalp as he pulls your free. Your vision becomes fragmented in one eye as the lens in front of it cracks from the first impact. The second dents and knocks your mouth guard loose causing snow and light to seep in before the third finally causes your armor to shatter breaking your transformation prematurely. You'd probably be wondering if your cheat death would buy you enough time for the others to save you if it wasn't for the fact you felt an icy fire burning in your mind as your concentration lapsed.

---

Eleanor grits her teeth as she watches the white furred monstrosity swing around the stranger like some kind of toy. He was a strange man with even stranger, infuriating, companions but he was undoubtly a good man. Foolish, but good. Time and again, he prioritized the other's well being over whatever mission or goal his traveling band had. Case in point, only a good man would fling themselves at an enemy to save one of their own. Now he was paying the price. A burning rage builds in her chest, searing away the pain in her ribs, burning away any doubts and fears. She had made a vow. Swore an oath to the Fury herself on the day that inquisitor found her hiding under the corpses of her parents from the dragon attacks. To slay those that would dare bare their fangs against Her people. The ones who had no shield. To bring to light the evils that would dare skulk in the shadows. It was an oath she repeated at the feet of Her Holiness's statue when she were promoted to full inquisitor nearly a year ago.


To their trespass, I am witness.
Here to pass this final sentence.
No forgiveness! No deliverance!
Only justice! Only VENGEANCE!

"BARBARIAN! Throw this at the beast!" She screams as she shreds the tailcoats from her uniform. Stuffing the remaining ammo into the makeshift bag, Eleanor wraps the bundle tightly around her weapon and lights the a makeshift wick made of bandage on fire. Hurling at Ryuji, he catches it with a brief look of confusion on his face before it grows stern and he nods.

"Irene! I need a card! Any card!" He shouts as he begins to make a running start. Irene rips a card free as she wills all the luck she can into the draw.

Skill: Draw Activated.
Skill: The Shackles Activated.

"Order up, you icy fuck!" Irene screams as she hurls the card right into the yeti's chest just as the gunblade leaves Ryuji's hand and Eleanor screams a pray to the heavens.

Skill: Pin Activated.

"Guide us! O Mighty Fury!
Guide us to Victory!"

Be it divine intervention, Ryuji's skill, or a combination of both the Gunblade flights straight and true impaling the yeti in the chest. It staggers backwards from the force just as the first round goes off. The explosion knocks it off it's feet and the ensuing chain reaction of various munitions send it sprawling to the grown dropping The Traveler in the process. The yeti is concussed, set on fire, shot, hit with shrapnel and gunblade fragments all at once. At the same time the force of the explosions reverberates throughout the grotto. Already strained from the increased bulk, the icicles are freed from their perch and begin to fall upon the group below.

---

A few moments prior...

A roar rips through your mind once more in that brief moment your vision goes dark. Time seems to stretch forever as you feel the roar rip through you cold and ruinous. But it feels strangely distant, like a shout directed to someone behind you rather than at you. Almost like you're simply a bystander in an argument that doesn't involve you. Another roar ensues and this one feels directed at you, you sense that there is something comprehensible with in it. A language you don't understand and yet resonates with your mind. Comprehension is just at your fingertips when...

An explosion rips you free form whatever second of time you were frozen in, you feel heat envelope a side of you before you crash into cold snow. As you struggle to get up, your vision returns and you see a yeti with a smoldering hole in it's chest and a rain of large icicles raining down on you and your party.


Party:
Regal_20 (John Doe)
HP:25%
MP:Full

Irene d'Ange (Gloria)
HP:100%
MP:46%

Ryuji Yamada (Roland)
HP: Full
MP: Full

Eleanor Cadieux
HP:85%

Boss: Ancient Yeti
HP: 35%
Ongoing Effects: Bleed x3, Heavy Bleed (Permanent), Burning, The Shackles (Attack and movement speed is decreased.)

>What do you do?
>Book it to the safe zone. You've lost your increased speed and mobility but you might just make it.
>Try and dodge the falling ice. You're somewhat disoriented and the timing of the falling ice it off though. You're probably going to need to pull all your reflexes and knowledge together to make it work.
>Press your luck. You don't have time to think or strategize. Bunker down and see if you're hopefully in a safe spot. (requires a d100 roll. Higher the better)
>Write in.

>>6327992
>>6328016
>>6328019
D'aww thanks guys. Always makes me happy to hear people are enjoying the goofy mishmash of media that are my quests. Not to mention hearing that people from my past quest are back and enjoying it too. Makes my day it does. Here's to the future guys!

>>6328092
>Book it for the safe zone

We can dodge a few icicles rather than all of them to get there.

Rolled 42 (1d100)

>>6328092
>Press your luck. You don't have time to think or strategize. Bunker down and see if you're hopefully in a safe spot. (requires a d100 roll. Higher the better)
Roll now or once the vote is called?

>>6328092
>Jump up, all the way up. You might not reach the bridges themselves, but the spikes will hurt a lot less if they don't have speed and then you'll be safe on top of one.

>>6328092
>>6328161
Ah crap its not active while untransformed.

Are we good for a riposte? We can flowing palm strike icicles too.

>>6328123
Either is fine.
>>6328165
Riposte and the palm strike are still available while untransformed. So you can attempt them on the falling ice.

>>6328091
...Do NPCs in this game have interiority of experience? Oh no...

>>6328092
>Book it to the safe zone. You've lost your increased speed and mobility but you might just make it.
We.should slap on a bandage.

>>6328092
>>6328174
Then I'll vote for flowing palm strike to redirect the spike

>>6328092
>Book it to the safe zone. You've lost your increased speed and mobility but you might just make it.

>>6328174
Huh. . So if we Could flowing power palm ice into the snow bitch.

I'll chabge that to mine here >>6328121

>>6328092
>Book it to the safe zone. You've lost your increased speed and mobility but you might just make it.

>>6328092
>Book it to the safe zone. You've lost your increased speed and mobility but you might just make it.