You nod. You’re sure you could always come back here if you wanted to learn those other spells, and for now you just need the protection Light Magic can give. “Alright. So how do you do them?”

Mika holds out a hand. “First off, watch this.” She clenches her hand into a fist, then all of a sudden a burst of light explodes out of her fist. You wince as it passes. “That’s Light Emission. Technically it’s the same spell as the basic light spell, but just on a different level.”

You raise an eyebrow. “So what’s it useful for, other than blinding people?”

Mika grins. “Hitting things, of course. I can’t really demonstrate it in here, but it’s the thing I did against those guys two days ago. Basically, if you release a burst of raw magic from your fist when you hit someone, it amplifies the power of your punch. It doesn't have to be your fist either. You can emit raw magic from any part of your body, like your feet, knees, head, or even your back.”

“Wait, hold on,” you say. “I get that it’s useful for strengthening unarmed combat, but I mostly fight with a spear. How’s this going to help me?”

“Oh yeah.” Mika frowns. “Well, it’s better to know it than to not, I guess. Plus, it’s useful for understanding Healing.”

“Ah,” you say. “So how do you do that? Healing, that is.”

Mika thinks about it for a moment. “You know how cells divide, right? How cuts and stuff are healed by the cells reproducing to replace the damaged ones?” You nod. “Well, what we do when we want to heal cuts is, we emit Light Magic into the cells around the injury, and that makes them reproduce faster to heal the cut. The same thing happens with broken bones, damaged organs, stuff like that.”

You nod. “So all I have to do, if I get injured, is emit Light Magic around the injury?”

“That’s pretty much it, yeah,” says Mika. “Once you get enough Magic in reserve, I suggest having your whole body suffused with Light Magic, just in case. That’s how I can instantly heal myself from almost any injury. You’ll probably need a lot more practice to build up your reserves, though.”

“Wait, are you saying my reserves are small?” you say, slightly miffed.

Mika smirks. “Don’t worry, Leo. Despite your small reserves, I’m sure they’re grow bigger later on. I mean, nowhere near as big as mine…”

“Wait hey! You have a head start, I’m sure I’ll catch up soon,” you insist.

Mika holds up her hands, shrugging. “I’m just saying, girls have naturally larger reserves than guys. It’s a fact of life, Leo. Add that to my already naturally large reserves and…” She pauses. “Well, sometimes having small reserves is good. After all, you won’t have to deal with Limit Bands.”

“Wait, Limit Bands?” you ask.

“Oh yeah, you don’t know,” Mika says. She pulls back the sleeves of her robes to reveal white bands around her wrists. “I’ve got four of these, two on my wrists and two on my ankles. They help to keep my Magic under control. Without them the magic wouldn’t be contained, and my body would try to burn the excess however it could. Generally by making me glow, but sometimes by growing body parts quickly. Like, you know, my fur. Before I got them, I had to get a haircut every couple days”

You frown. “And I guess I don’t need them then, since my reserves are so small.” Somehow, that makes you feel kind of inadequate.

“Don’t worry Leo,” Mika says. “If you really want Limit Bands, we can get a set for you. For now though, let’s go see the others.”

You nod. Well, now that you understand Light Magic a bit better, you can say that you’re ready in that respect.

[+2 Light Training]

What will you do?

>Go see Charlie
>Go see Est
>Go out to the Bus Stop
>Go back to Town Hall
>Other [Write in]

File: ACMap9.png (56 KB, 640x400)

56 KB PNG

QM Twitter: https://twitter.com/CubedQm
Quest Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Yagreth
Leo’s Stats and Inventory: http://pastebin.com/icbFDUjA
Whiteport Citizens: http://pastebin.com/7Ke76Vw4

----------

For any newcomers, this Quest is based on Animal Crossing, with elements from Rune Factory as well as completely original elements. The MC is a human boy named Leo, and he is mayor of a town called Whiteport, the map of which is attached here.

As always, there is a 20 minute voting period after every update (except the OP, which gets as long as it needs). If you just barely miss the window, though, I’ll probably still count it.

Today’s thread question is: How’s the pacing? Do you feel like the quest is going too slowly? Maybe you feel that it’s moving too quickly? I’d love to hear your feedback, so feel free to let me know.

>>42404496
>Go see Charlie

>>42404496
>Go see Charlie

Mika leads you over to Pepper’s house, where she says Charlie probably is. Sure enough as you arrive, you spot the light-furred dog through his open window. He notices the two of you arrive, and heads downstairs to greet you.

“Hey Charlie,” says Mika as he opens the door for the two of you. Behind him you see Pepper working at her desk. She glances up at you as you arrive, but quickly goes back to work.

“Hey Mike, Mayor Leo,” says Charlie. “I’m working on a piece up in my room, so I hope you don’t mind if we talk up there, alright?”

“That’s fine, sure,” you say. The three of you head up to Charlie’s room, where you notice an easel set up. On the canvas is what looks like the beginnings of a painting, but you’re not sure what. You’re pretty sure it’s a person of some sort, though.

Once you arrive, Mika gets right to the point. “We’re here about your Armor, Charlie. Leo here is trying to gain some durability, so I figured we may as well try out all the options.”

Charlie raises an eyebrow. “My Armor huh? Are we looking to recruit a fifth to our little band? I mean, I’d be fine with that, but I’m just worried what role he’d play.”

You shake your head. “Not just now. Maybe later, but right now I’m just trying to keep myself safe. For some reason I’ve been in an awful lot of dangerous situations recently.” Some of them of your own design, but you don’t say that.

“Alright, that’s fair,” says Charlie. “Alright first off, I assume you have no idea what I’m talking about when I say ‘Armor’, so I may as well give a bit of a demo.” He nods to the spear on your back. “Try attacking me with that.”

You hesitate. You definitely don’t want to hurt someone else, especially just for some demo, but Mika nods to confirm that it’s fine. You take out the Hunting Spear, and ready a thrust. You decide that you’ll stop just before hitting him, that should be enough.

You thrust the spear forwards, but suddenly you find your spear all the way to Charlie’s left, completely missing him. You look to see if he moved, but no, he’s still in the same place. You pull back and try again, but this time you find yourself rotated to the right. You’re about to try again when you notice several small glowing spheres near your spear’s tip.

“I assume that’s the ‘Armor’,” you say, strapping the spear back onto your back. “It’s weird, I didn’t feel anything pushing against my spear, but somehow I missed anyways. They redirect, right?”

Charlie nods. “That’s about right, yeah. I might not have quite the same mechanical skill as my sister, but I’ve picked up a few things.” He holds up his hand, and a swarm of tiny glowing spheres surrounds it. “These guys aren’t too strong, but they’re fast and precise, so I can use them to redirect most attacks towards me with just a little bit of pushing.”

You nod. “So, not to be rude, because those are pretty cool, but what does that mean for me?”

“Ah yes,” Charlie says. “Well, the key here is that controlling these little guys takes a lot of concentration. I could transfer a couple over to you, but I’m not sure how well you could handle them. Mika here, for instance, can barely even control one.” Mika chuckles in embarrassment. “Even Est can only handle a few at a time. So first off… catch.” With that, one of the spheres pops out from the orbit around his hand, slinging directly towards you.

What will you do?

>Try to control it with your mind. (Roll 1d20)
>Try to catch it with your hands. (Roll 1d20)
>Let it bounce against your face
>Other [Write in]

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>42406161
>Try to control it with your mind. (Roll 1d20)

File: 1206150001656.jpg (59 KB, 666x718)

59 KB JPG

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>42406161
>Try to control it with your mind. (Roll 1d20)
FUCK

Rolled 9 (1d20)

And for a final roll...

[Concentration: 19]
[Success]

Your first instinct is to grab the sphere out of the air, but you instead focus on controlling it. You concentrate your mind on the sphere in front of you, tracking it with your eyes. All of a sudden, you manage to stop it. It feels entirely different from working magic, which feels more like getting something else to do what you want it to. This is a bit more like… raising a hand that you didn’t know was there.

“Good, good,” says Charlie. “Now, try just holding it there for now. A lot of the time letting the Bit sit in place around your head is harder than moving it, since you have to dedicate a small portion of your attention to making sure they don’t fall.”

You do so, holding it in place directly in front of you. In a way, it’s a bit like your old experiences in the city, always keeping a bit of attention on the sounds around you. Or, you suppose, like Fishing, where you let your mind drift while still keeping some focus on the line. “Alright,” you say, once it’s fully stabilized. “I think I’ve got it.”

Charlie grins. “Just as expected from our prodigal mayor. Orbiting or moving it should be easier, since that’s an active focus. Just remember not to let it get too far from you, or it’ll lose your mental signal and pick up someone else’s.” He spins the rest of the spheres around his hand. “Alright, now let’s see what your limit is.”

After a few more tosses and hurried mental catches, you finally max out at 9 spheres, or ‘Bits’ as Charlie calls them. As the tenth sphere is picked back up into his orbit, Charlie nods approvingly. “Good show, Mayor. Quite a bit better than average.”

Mika nods. “You’re just four Bits lower than Est, and she’s a pro at this.”

“Nine more than you though, Mikey,” Charlie says, grinning. “I must say, your ball handling skills are not up to snuff. What if, at some point, the fate of the entire world rests on your ability to juggle three spherical nukes at the same time? What then?”

“Then I suppose I know just who to drop them on, Charlie,” says Mika. “So, how’s the Bits treating you, Leo?”

You grin, orbiting the spheres around your head at various angles. “Check it out, I’m Fluorine!”

Mika rolls her eyes. “Alright Charlie, thanks for the Bits. Do you have a spare storage bag, or should we stop by Tam’s later?”

“Ah, I’ve got one,” Charlie turns and grabs a small pouch from one of his shelves. “You can store the Bits in here when you’re not using them. I suggest leaving the bag slightly open though, so that you can get them out easily.”

You nod, strapping the pouch to your belt and directing the spheres in. “Thanks, Charlie. Should I… be paying you for this?”

Charlie shakes his head. “I’m doing a favor for a friend. Consider this an early Birthday present. Or Christmas, whichever comes first.”

You thank him again, and you and Mika leave, passing by Pepper on the way out. You wave to her as you pass by, but she merely gives you a nod in return.

Well, at least you’ve gotten a new thing now, though you’re not sure you’d be able to control the Bits accurately enough to do what Charlie did just yet.

What will you do?

>Go see Est
>Go to the Plaza
>Go to Town Hall
>Go see Kaluka
>Other [Write in]

>>42407243
>Go see Est

>>42407243
>Go see Est

Finally, it’s time to visit Est. At first you think that Mika is leading you to the Museum, but after crossing the bridge, you end up going north instead.

“So where does Est hang out anyways,” you say as you walk.

Mika smiles. “Oh, you’ll see. Or maybe not, I guess.” With that cryptic comment, the two of you soon find yourselves in front of Town Hall.

“Hold on,” you say. “Here? At Town Hall?”

Mika shakes her head, and leads you instead around the side. “You see, Flint found this place a few years ago, back before I arrived. As far as we can tell it must have been created by the Mayor who built the Town Hall, way back ages ago.” She knocks on a seemingly random potion of the wall, then waits.

You try to use your Earth sense to figure out what it is. You can definitely feel a room behind this wall, but then again there’s rooms behind the other walls as well. Your Earth Magic isn’t good enough to see the internal layout, apparently. After a few moments, a small door slides open from the side of the building.

A small mouse’s head pokes out, the same as yesterday. “Oh, hello Mayor,” says Est. “Is he joining us?”

Mika shakes her head. “Not just yet, Est. Today he’s here to learn from your skills. We need to make sure our dear Mayor doesn’t have any unfortunate accidents.”

Est nods, and invites the two of you in.

The chamber inside is quite dark, lit only by a few lamps scattered here and there. Wooden boxes are stacked along the walls, but a quick peek inside confirms that they’re empty. In the center of the room is a table and some chairs, with some books and such sitting on it. Mika hops up onto one of the crates near the table, and Est stands near a chair. You take a chair as well, sitting facing Est.

Sitting down, Est begins to talk. “You’ve been trained, that much is obvious. Not primarily stealth focussed, but as part of a wider combat training.”

You’re a bit taken back by the assessment. “How… how would you know that?”

“You masked your footsteps,” Est says, nodding to the path you took from the door, “but you didn’t mask your breaths or your heartbeat. The moment you entered the room you considered the dangers, possible avenues of attack, and potential escape routes. On top of that you’ve positioned your spear in a ready position, allowing you easy access at any time.”

You grimace. You hadn’t noticed you’d been doing that, but then again, old habits die hard. “I think I’ve figured out what method of avoiding injury you’re planning on teaching me. Stealth, right?”

Est nods. “Stealth, as well as dodging. I assume you understand both.”

“Yeah, I do.” One part of your mind is wondering just how a mouse like Est got combat training like this, but most of you is wondering how far Est is planning on taking this.

“In order to dodge,” Est says, “you must first understand where the opponent's attack will be. Then, do not be there. This is not something which can be taught, only practiced.”

“This is why we came here last,” says Mika from behind you. You look up to see her sitting above your head. “Est’s method is the hardest, but if you master it you won’t need to worry about getting hit by anything again. You don’t need to, though. Of us all, Est’s also the harshest teacher.”

You consider the situation. Learning from Est will certainly keep you safe, but it feels an awful lot like the combat training from back in the City. Besides, you already have two other methods. Do you really need a third?

What will you do?

>Accept Est’s Training (Roll 1d20)
>Refuse Est’s Training
>Other

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>42408511
>Accept Est’s Training (Roll 1d20)
If we're going to shake off ring rust, we may as well do it in the name of protecting Whiteport.

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>42408511
>Accept Est’s Training (Roll 1d20)

Rolled 17 (1d20)

I'm getting dinner, but I've started writing. Just one more dice roll to finish the three.

You can’t. You consider it, you really do, but you can’t just start again, a mere four days after you decided to quit forever.

But then, you think about why Mika, Charlie, and Est are doing this for you. Why everyone in this town is trusting you. Because, as far as they’re concerned, you represent Whiteport now. As Mayor, it’s your responsibility to represent Whiteport, and one part of that is protecting it.

“I’ll accept your training, Est,” you say. “I’ll do everything I can to ensure that not only will I keep myself safe, but Whiteport as well.”

Est nods, apparently pleased with that answer. It’s a bit hard to tell. “That’s good, Mayor. I’m glad someone we can trust is leading us. In that case, why don’t you and Mike spar.” She nods to Mika, and the shrine maiden hops down from the crate, grinning as she readies her fists. “Now then, Mayor. Instead of fighting him, you must dodge his blows for as long as you can.”

Mika gets into ready position, and you do as well. You try to relax your breathing. You’ve faced this sort of thing before, and that was before gaining the Earth Sense. Like Est said, this isn’t the sort of thing that can be taught. By the time your mind has registered and reacted to the attack flying at you, it’s already too late. No, this sort of thing must be trained, until your muscles know how to dodge before even you do. You watch every movement of Mika’s body, ready for an attack from any direction.

[Best of 3: 17]
[Dexterity: 17]

There! You react, your muscles swaying you to one side, dodging around the straight punch. Another is launched at you, but that you dodge as well, letting the fist pass harmlessly. Everything from the twitches of her muscles to the positions of her feet are clues you need to understand to figure out where her next attack is coming from. A flurry of blows fly by to either side of you, but you’re like a fly, refusing to be hit.

[Reflex: 20]

Suddenly you sense something flying towards you in your peripheral vision, and you duck it. However, in the instant you’re focussed on the green shard, Mika’s fist meets your chest, knocking you down.

“Oh, sorry,” she says, helping you up. “I guess I used a bit too much force. Heh, good thing you’re pretty durable, right?”

“I’m fine,” you say as you get up, “let me just try something out.” You take the opportunity to try out your Light Magic, using an influx of magic to heal the bruise on your chest. In just seconds, you feel fine again.

Looking at Est, you identify the source of the green crystal from earlier. Floating around Est is a number of small spheres, each lit by an internal light. You raise an eyebrow at them.

“It was obvious that you would dodge all of Mike’s blows,” says Est. “Mike is powerful, but not fast. I added an additional element to increase the difficulty.”

You nod. “I guess that’s fair. So, what’s your assessment?”

Est smiles. “Above average, well trained, but still needs more training to reach an acceptable level. You have a great deal of potential, and the talent to go with it. Now it’s just a matter of unlocking it.”

Yeah, that sounds like you. “Thanks, Est. I should probably get going though. Will you be here tomorrow?”

Est nods. “Just knock on the door, and I’ll open it for you. I hope to see you again, Mayor.”

You thank her, and Mika says her goodbyes, then the two of you head back out into Whiteport.

You sigh as you watch the leaves blow around on the trees. Some leaves have already begun to brown, and the wind is picking up. Autumn is coming, that much you can tell.

“So,” you say, looking to Mika. “How’d I do?”

Mika considers it. “You know what? You’re a bit like Marios. In every game he’s in, Marios is the most neutral character. He’s pretty good at everything, but not really good or really bad at anything. And as far as I can tell, that’s a bit like you.”

You raise an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t say I’m not bad at anything. Remember the burning sword thing?”

Mika shakes her head. “That’s… an issue with judgement, I’d say. After all, the character can’t be blamed for the actions of the player, can they?”

“What? Are you saying that I’m a character in a game?”

Mika chuckles. “No, but what I am saying is that you could be a really good Mayor, if you just fixed that issue with your player. For now though, I guess I’ll be your Player 2. So, what’s next?”

You look up at the sky. The sun’s just passed its halfway point, so morning has ended. You suppose you have the rest of the day to decide what you want to do.

What will you do?


>Go Somewhere [Where?]
>Visit Someone [Who?]
>Do Something [What?]
>Other [Write in]

>>42410094
>Go Somewhere [Where?]
Head to the Mayor's office to get any new projects filed. Mika did say she wanted new steps for the temple.

>>42410094
>Go Somewhere [Where?]
mayor's office

>>42404496
innuendos everywhere

>>42410094
>Other
I wasn't expecting EVERYONE here to be able to fight. Maybe I should tell them about Jet Fashion after all? They've all been pretty generous to me so far, and the town as a whole might be able to deal with whatever could come of this...

>Mayor's Office

>>42410382
We'll worry about any major self-revelations AFTER we can prove to the town we're not legitimately retarded.

>>42410407
>prove to the town we're not legitimately retarded
Ha, haha, wonder how long that'll take?

It’s a quick walk around the building to the front, where you enter Town Hall. Poppy is there as you enter, and you head over to her Post Office desk.

“Oh, hello Mayor!” says Poppy. “Hello to you too, Mike! How are you both today?”

“I’m fine, Poppy,” says Mika. “There haven’t been many visitors to the Temple recently, but I guess that’s sort of a good thing.”

Poppy nods. “How about you, Mayor? Anything new?”

“Yeah,” you say. “That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. Mika here just proposed a new Town Development project. Can we get a set of stairs installed on the ramp up to the Temple?”

Poppy thinks on it. “That’s certainly possible, yes. We’d probably have to get Velour on it, and she could probably get it done in about one day, but we can’t get a proper time frame unless we ask her about it. Would you like me to put in the order, Mayor?”

You nod. “That would be great, thank you Poppy.”

The two of you bid goodbye to Poppy, and head upstairs to your office. Mika looks around as she arrives.

“Heh, it looks like this place got hit with a hurricane or something,” she says, surveying the damage. “Wait, did this place actually get hit by a hurricane?”

“Kind of,” you say. “I opened the window, and this huge gust of wind just blew everything everywhere. I guess I never got a chance to tidy up.” You suddenly remember the rolodex card that you found. “Oh yeah, let me just put this back.” As you reattach the card to the rolodex, you notice the word written on it. ‘Messenger’ it simply says.

“Well, I’m not sure how much work you could expect to do in here,” Mika says. “Do you want to clean this up, or just start over in another room? Then again, we could probably call Poppy up to help as well.”

What will you do?


>Abandon office
>Clean up
>Other

[Sorry for lateness, I had something to deal with.]

>>42411555
Just as I'm starting to run out of battery.

>Focus on getting all the possible development projects in order, categorized either by who suggested it or what sector/who would benefit from it.

>>42411555
>Clean up

>>42411555
>Clean up

It takes a good while, but eventually you, Mika, and Poppy are able to put everything back in order. All files refiled, all papers sorted. You even found a couple more Rolodex cards sitting underneath all the papers, which you’ve attached back onto the Rolodex. One reads “Lights”, the other “Music”. You don’t find any of the missing event planner pages, though.

Soon enough, the office is clear. You and Mika collapse onto the huge Mayor’s chair behind the desk, while Poppy bids goodbye and heads back downstairs.

You look around the office again, now that it’s been properly cleaned up. The space now looks… well, it has some semblance of order, at least. You’re not sure you’d be able to find things on the first try, but at least you’ll be able to find them fairly soon, rather than having them lost forever. It looks… well, official. Your office as Mayor suddenly feels a bit more legitimate.

“So, what next?” you ask.

Mika thinks about it. “Well first of all, thanks loads for the whole ‘Staircase’ thing. I know that for you, it’s just a matter of asking Poppy to order it up, but for me it’s kind of a big deal. So… thanks.”

You smile. “You’re welcome, Mika. After all you’ve done for me, I owe you at least that much.” You think on things for a few seconds. “Alright, so I’ve got two ideas for how to progress. On the mundane side, Town Development is kind of a big thing, since that’s how our town becomes more than just a coastal forest with houses in it. From what Poppy said, though, we’d need suggestions from Villagers to create new Town Development projects.”

“How about finding someone to interview people about that? Say… Poppy?” says Mika.

“I’m pretty sure Poppy’s already tried,” you say. “The thing is, as far as I can tell she’s not too great at dealing with people unless she’s behind her Post Office desk.”

Mika nods. “Well, I’m sure we’ll think of somebody. Anything else?”

“Oh yeah.” You tell Mika about what you’ve learned about the Darkness from Kaluga, and what you’ve discovered on your own.

Mika thinks on it. “Wow, I can’t believe someone in Whiteport would try to destroy us.”

“Neither can I,” you say. “I’m sure there must be some sort of mistake. Maybe it’s someone hiding or something? Or maybe even that octopus from a couple of days ago!”

Mika shakes her head. “No, if someone were hiding, either you or Velour would have found them, right? So it’s gotta be one of us. Maybe they’re fueling it accidentally?”

You shrug. “The thing is, I barely know anything about Dark Magic, or most magic types in general. So I was thinking, what if I organized a meeting for all the Magic users in Whiteport? You, me, Kaluga, Velour, and Flint. Together, we could think on the Darkness issue, and see if there’s anything we could do.”

“Hmm,” Mika says. “Well, even if we assume that there is a Dark Mage somewhere in Whiteport, the only one of those people who could possibly be the Dark Mage is Velour. Maybe Kaluga, but I doubt it. So a meeting like that would probably be fine, yeah.”

You nod. You hadn’t thought that in detail yet, but you suppose it makes sense. “Wait, how about Dr. Noir? He’s a Dark Magic specialist or something, right?”

Mika winces. “I mean, I guess… The issue is, he’s a little bit, well, crazy. Plus, he could very easily be the Dark Mage, assuming there is one.

You nod. Alright, well that’s two courses of action you could possibly pursue.

You've had a productive morning, and a preparatory noon. Now you've got the whole of the afternoon to do something, possibly embarrass yourself again, and hopefully succeed in mayoring the town.

[End of Session 12]

Thanks for attending again.

Sorry for the intermittent updates. I had a few things I had to deal with, but I hope what I posted was sufficient.

Q&A for anyone who wants to stick around, and if not, check my QM Twitter for updates about the next thread.

Thanks again for reading, and good night to all.

>>42412173
What's up with the schizo tech? Nukes coupled with spears and magic? Can we get some chemistry going in this town?

>>42412271
Sure, why not? You just have to seek it out.

I'm not sure whether I'll be able to get into the explanation for that, but from a meta-perspective it's because this story is a mix of Animal Crossing (very clearly set in either the modern day or very near past/future), and Rune Factory (set in magical fantasy land). The result is a strange merged universe with both magic and nukes, mermaids and internet.

>>42412361
>online lessons
>learn enough about cement, asphault, nickel/titanium steel and boat motors that velour, flint, and kaluga can figure out the rest.