>>580189
> Check your group chat.

>>580189
>> Check your group chat.
> Say something aloud. "Sorry bout that, testing my relic out."

>>580189
"No need to fret. It's just me."

>Check your group chat.

>>580189
>Check your group chat.

>>580218
This.

Turn our damn artifact off and wave at them.

>>580236
I kinda wanna see how long it lasts though

>>580189
>> Check your group chat.

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>>580218

The last vestiges of the Artificer’s power creep across your body – ice cold, amethyst light – before you think to deactivate your artifact, Strife Memoriam’s energy reserve depleted after your last battle. The artifact clicks and whines, folding behind your head. You cough and sputter for a moment, ropey threads of black ichor dripping from your lips.

“Sorry about that.” You call out to break the nervous silence, wiping your chin with the back of your hand. “Just testing my Artifact out.”

There’s no response. Some stare for a few more moments before meandering on or returning to work. You shrug, pulling up your menu.

>>580209
>>580222
>>580282

> [[ UI Messenger – Group Chat ]]
> [[ Conversation Topic: BATTLE FOR THE EARTHSEA (set by Ascheritte) ]]
> [[ Aelriss ]]: Alright, Tatsumaki and I are done shopping.
> [[ Aelriss ]]: Thanks for the creds, Smith.
> [[ Smith ]]: You’re welcome, love.
> [[ Smith ]]: It will be well worth the expense to see this endeavor succeed.
> [[ Shadow Master Crow ]]: Just got word in from Red-Bird.
> [[ Shadow Master Crow ]]: The rabble is rounded up and moving out now.
> [[ Shadow Master Crow ]]: Where’s Scrapbook?
> [[ Aelriss ]]: Is he not back?
> [[ Aelriss ]]: Fuck.
> [[ Aelriss ]]: Ashe, if you get this, we’re tailing the caravan.
> [[ Aelriss ]]: Catch up when you can.

Looks like you only just missed them.

> Hit up the general store.
> Go catch up with the raid.
> Other.

>>580294
>Go catch up with the raid.
I can't think of anything we need to buy

No time to waste.

>Catch up with the raid.

>>580294
>> Go catch up with the raid.

>>580294
>> Go catch up with the raid.

there's nothing that we *really* need to buy, anyways

>>580294
> Go catch up with the raid.

>>580294
>You cough and sputter for a moment, ropey threads of black ichor dripping from your lips.
We'll that ain't good.

>>580294
>Catch up! We're fine for now.

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>>580353
>>580315
>>580303

> [[ Ascheritte ]]: I’m on my way now.

You dart out the front door and down the stairs, maneuvering through a thin and loosely-assembled crowd; most everyone has already departed for the lower branches, and you follow the familiar route, feeling the underground pass you by. You recall the subterranean heat - the beasts of the magma chamber, the thrill of your raid, the allure of Celestial Gems, each one of them its own little memory.

Voices echo toward you from deeper in the earthen tunnels as the Observatory vanishes behind you. You turn corners and leap from natural bridges to make your own shortcuts, crystal growths and rock spires as your landmarks.

Catching up isn’t hard; they’re staying together while you’re moving at near full-sprint, and you see your group a distance behind the back of a larger crowd as it pulls into view, Aelriss and Tatsumaki walking backwards to keep an eye out for you. They wave you down as you approach.

“There you are.” She says.

“What took you so long, Scrapbook?”

[[ 1 ]]
> “Got caught up with some stuff IRL.”
> “Don’t worry about it.”
> Other

[[ 2 ]]
> Ask Crow what became of the other group leaders.
> Ask Crow what your group should be doing.
> Other.

>>580371
>> “Got caught up with some stuff IRL.”
> Ask Crow what your group should be doing.

>>580371
> “Got caught up with some stuff IRL.”
> Ask Crow what your group should be doing.

>>580371
>"Logging in got freaky."
>Ask Crow what's going on right now

>>580371
I wasn't actually gone long IRL.
> Ask Crow what your group should be doing.

>>580403
Backing the logging in thing.

>>580403
>>580371
Backing

>>580403
>>580403
backing this actually

Get the feeling we are approaching the time that the logout option is going to be disabled and we end up trapped.

>>580480
It's not that the logout will be disabled, but rather the time acceleration inside the game will reach a point where trying to logout does nothing because an eternity will pass inside the game before the logout command can be processed by the layer than handles real world interaction.

>>580480
I don't think the "trapped in an mmo" trope is gonna happen in this quest

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>>580475
>>580459
>>580403

“Logging in got weird.” You begin.

“The login server might be having trouble.” Smith says, glancing over at you with a characteristic smirk. “This game has become rather popular, after all, so it doesn’t sound unreasonable. I imagine even one so sophisticated might have such simple problems.”

"Yeah, I had that problem once." Crow says. "Didn't keep me too long, though..."

You nod – you’re not sure how to explain exactly the trouble you had without getting weird yourself, and so elect to settle for something a bit more mundane. “I got caught up with some stuff, too. I wasn’t actually gone for long in real life, so…”

“Oh, yeah? Honestly, I figured it was something more like that.” Crow responds. “You know how this game can be, right? You're gone a minute, and...”

“Yeah, uh.” Aelriss says. “Does that bother anyone else?”

Tatsumaki shrugs, after looking pensive for a moment.

“What's up, Pretty-Bird? You’re not having fun?” Crow asks, looking over at Ael.

“I didn’t say that.” Aelriss sighs. “Just – playing has a way of really taking it out of me, especially since I’ve made a bad habit of binging. When I come up I feel like human garbage, and if I stay gone for too long I miss so much, and they keep changing the scale in both directions…”

“I’m sure that’s just part of trying to solve the problem.” Crow laughs to himself – no one is laughing with him. “The way I see, it just means I can play more without losing as much time out of my real life.”

“Agreed.” Smith adds. “I’m a rather busy man. Naturally, I appreciate the spare moments; it gives me more opportunities to indulge myself.”

You change the subject. “What’s going on right now, Crow? What should we be doing?”

“The caravan vanguard is almost at the closest hunting ground to Averron where exiles have been spotted, so they’ll likely be in combat soon. It should be a total zerg, but the skeptics are expecting them to strike back to meet our numbers after a little while; Red-Bird’s got the gatherers hanging way back and has urged the herd to stay ready for anything.” Crow says.

“So where does that leave us?” Aelriss asks.

“Currently, we’re free agents.” Crow asks. “Which leaves us with a number of options, as I’m sure you’re aware.”

> Suggest aiding the frontlines.
> Suggest scouting the adjacent branches.
> Suggest shortcutting to the projected location of the Seam.
> Write-in.

>>580585
>> Suggest scouting the adjacent branches.

>>580585
> Suggest aiding the frontlines.

>>580585
> Suggest shortcutting to the projected location of the Seam.
Operation glory hog is go

>>580585
>Suggest aiding the frontlines.
Action HO!

>>580585
> Suggest scouting the adjacent branches.

>>580585
>> Suggest aiding the frontlines.
this is the best option

>>580585
>> Suggest scouting the adjacent branches.
>>580585
actually nvm this is the best option

>>580604
>>580747
>>580768
Lame. Why would you want to avoid all the action

>>580585
>> Suggest scouting the adjacent branches.

>>580845
because there's more to this than just frontline action anon

>>580585
>Scouting

Our team is almost purpose built for the job.

Still here OP?

>sylv disappears again
more like broken trust online amirite

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>>581180
>>581043
Sorry, I'm seriously tired today - didn't sleep much, had to get up early, and was out all day until I started - and that's an issue in conjunction with the other stuff I'm dealing with. I'll have something up in a bit here and will try to run for a while longer but will most likely just continue this thread tomorrow (I was planning on running tomorrow anyway).

>>581180
>>581043
>>581196
Don't worry, you still aren't as bad as Soma

>>581196
don't worry I was just shitposting mostly

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“The adjacent branches seem like the best use of our time. Our team’s pretty much perfectly suited to the task.” You chime in.

“That’s what I originally signed on for.” Crow nods. “So I’m all aboard.”

He continues – the five of you maneuver wide around the traveling caravan as the caverns ahead widen. “We’ve got a number of adjacent locations that we could feasibly scope. I’m keeping in close contact with some of the other group leaders, so I think they’ll be glad to have someone trustworthy reporting back.”

Sounds of battle echo from the vanguard. You recognize this path, leading down to the magma chamber, but see few of the typical monsters in the distance – even against the furthest walls and deepest routes. With Crow leading the group, you travel up to familiar plateaus from whence you harvested ores and fractalline crystals.

Myriad homes carved into the rock walls conceal secrets of the Earthsea, while caverns leading upward provide a vantage point from above – allowing you to see very far ahead. From here, if you draw closer to the cliff face, you can see the vanguard and what lies beyond.

> Take a look at the front of the raid.
> Investigate some of the cavernous homes.
> Travel through the caverns leading upward.
> Have Smith send a drone through the upper caverns.

>>581322
>> Travel through the caverns leading upward.

>>581322
>Investigate some of the cavernous homes.

>>581322
> Take a look at the front of the raid.
Guys come on we should really join the action

>>581348
not really, we're in a scout group with very few hard hitters and we wouldn't get much loot

>>581322
>> Investigate some of the cavernous homes.

>>581322
> Travel through the caverns leading upward.

>>581348
Changing my vote to
> Travel through the caverns leading upward.

>>581370
Says you. I'm just itching for some action. Because it's fun. Us and tats are definitely heavy hitters and the others are good support.

>>581322
>> Travel through the caverns leading upward.

>>581322
>> Travel through the caverns leading upward.

I just remembered we have that sniper. Maybe we can try it out from this vantage point. Not taking part in this once in a lifetime large scale battle is totally killing me

The oppressive heat slowly withers away as you travel upward – closer laterally to the Seam but further from the heart of the underground. Shadows dance in the dark against the distant cavern walls; this cave, too, splits off into a number of branches extending in various directions, a number of them also unexplored. It dawns on you that if you plan to journey either to the surface or to the Earthsea, you will need more than an Excavator – the city’s explorers will have to work together to generate a more complete, unified map of the territories surrounding Averron City.

“I saw movement.” Aelriss says, glaring at the cave wall, staff readied. A silken cord tied tightly around her finger warps into a strand of rainbow light; it takes the shape of Eunoia, a bird of paradise which comes to rest on her shoulder.

“Keep your eyes peeled, then, Pretty-Bird.” Crow says, constantly dialing figures into his menu and updating waypoints as he walks. “Crim-Crims are saying things are looking kind of tame at the forefront, but who knows what could be going on around us?”

“Entertaining the idea of an ambush attack?” Smith asks, and you hear a sound like that of a blender spinning up. A pair of drones – levitating spheres with gyroscopic whirling blades equipped – takes flight behind him, illuminating the floor in front of you with tiny searchlights.

“It’s happened before.” You say, approaching an overlook, a high terrace that affords a view of the magma chamber. Far ahead of the caravan is a steep cliff face; the branch below is the prospective location of your target. They’ll have to find another route, or a highly organized means of getting down assuming they’re to lead the entire army all the way to the lowest chamber.

Then, you see it: at first, your eyes deceive you, captured by the thought of the movement of tectonic plates or rolling liquid rock. Far, far below, a tide of flesh, hundreds of distorted faces naked and hungering, roils through the underground, spreading in the direction of the caravan, but currently out of their sight. Many sprawl directly toward the cliff face, while some disappear into adjacent caves, presumably aware of a different way up.

Tatsumaki moves to stand at your side; she gives you a solemn look as she pounds her fist in her hand.

“Ashe, what do you see?” Crow asks. He turns – you hear heavy breathing, growling, howling from one of the pathways hidden in the rocks up here.

> Write-in

>>581673
Warn the main caravan with a message or one of smith's drones. Then prepare an ambush for the approaching horde. I kinda wanna try the marble memory with our artifact next, is it ready yet?

>>581673
A fucking Sea of those things heading towards the caravan. We need to warn them and buy time.

Look for any rocks we could dislodge into the horde to slow them down. But also keep you eyes out for a flank we have audio on an enemy nearby.

>>581673
Warn the main forces, get that artifact working again and prepare for the onslaught. Get smith and aelriss somewhere with cover. Maybe crow could quickly go and warn the caravan with his powers and then come back.

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“A fuckton of dudes, heading straight for the main group. We gotta warn them, make sure everyone knows.” You turn, scanning the walls for the source of the noise. “Crow, can you get down there?”

“A message is the best I can do – it’s too damn bright out there, lava and whatnot.” He shakes his head, pulling up a chat window. “I could make it to the bottom of the cliff in like a second, but then I’d be dead in the metaphorical water. No good way to rendezvous with the team and it’d take some serious finagling to get me back up. I’m contacting the Artifact users now…”

“Ael, Smith, look for cover?” You ask.

“Already on it.” Aelriss responds, currently scaling a rock spire. She’s almost at the top when a humanoid her height, wrist and leg irons tailing broken chains, leaps toward her from the unseen side, a large bone knife in one hand. She shouts, falling backwards from the rock; as the troglodyte falls towards her, Eunoia, still perched on her shoulder, lashes out at it with a powerful light beam that renders it half-melted, dead, before the two of them hit the ground in a heap.

You don’t have time to ask if she’s okay before Tatsumaki elbows you, getting your attention. You turn to see a number – more than a dozen in excess of your party size at a glance – of the creatures approaching from the slope leading up, having cut off your escape route. You will to your Artifact, but it does not respond. It needs a little more time.

> Assemble in formation and hold your ground.
> Spread out and fight.
> Regroup and escape via the nearby tunnels.
> Write-in.

>>581921
> Assemble in formation and hold your ground.
These guys are best with ambush tactics, if make them come to us we'll have better odds.

>>581921
> Assemble in formation and hold your ground.

>>581921
>> Assemble in formation and hold your ground.
>have someone watch our rear, we heard noises from the tunnels too.

>>581921
> Assemble in formation and hold your ground.

So the ruby memory seems pretty straightforward. Most likely just a laser. I'm curious about the marble memory. Does it just give us claws or what?

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>>581940
>>581951
>>581952
>>581953

“Message sent!” Crow says. Taking in the moment, you think you hear shouting among the raid down below; you hope it’s enough. “Now…”

“We fight?” You lead the group toward Aelriss, who’s making her way to her feet.

“Seems they’ve leveraged the numbers against us on all fronts.” Smith adds.

“They’re ambush attackers – we hold our ground, and our odds of winning go way up.” You respond.

“They’re lacking a bit in the brute force department.” Crow grins. “Scrapbook and Mochi-Ball on point, Pretty-Bird and Mr. Robot in back.”

“And what about the Shadow Master?” Aelriss asks, dusting herself off.

“I’m just gonna do me, sweetheart.” He turns, and his medallion glows – or, does the opposite? – looking to draw light from the surroundings for a moment before he steps into the ground.

Great, how useful.

You have half a mind to tell him to get his ass back up here - wherever he went. At least then he was between you and the approaching horde. They carry crude weapons and shields fashioned of stone. They wear chains and tattered cloth, branded with the rune of the Earthsea, faces aged by eons spent in exile.

You ready your sword, prepared to hold the line.

> [[ 1d100 ]]

Rolled 11 (1d100)

>>582081

Rolled 29 (1d100)

>>582081

Rolled 58 (1d100)

>>582081

Rolled 99 (1d100)

>>582081

>>582116
ree I shouldn't have rolled

This is best of 3 right?

>>582127
cockblocked me m8

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>>582116

> [[ 58 ]]

Protecting the front of your group, you stay your blade against the charge as the horde of exiles approaches. They are greater in number even than the statues that guarded Kjorikos’s sanctum; thankfully, you think, they are not so heavily armored.

Over your shoulder, Smith chuckles as his eviscerating drones ruin their ranks, diving into the crowd and positively splattering enormous streaks of blood across the cavern floor in all directions. Some of the exiles break away from the pack to converge on one, dragging it to the ground, utterly destroying it, even if by clogging the spinning blades with their own flesh.

A swing of your blade carves deep into an abdominal wall, slicing upward through the shoulder; undeterred in its dying throes, the attacker lurches towards you to cast its chain up and over your arm, bringing your weapon low. A thrust from Aelriss’s staff knocks the creature to the ground, supine a few feet in front of you, but you feel a thin blade – an iron spike – sink into your shoulder as you recover, piercing through the rings of your mail.

> [[ HP: 27 / 35 ]]
> [[ Poisoned ]]

You need to remain undeterred as well, and fend the attacker off with another pair of slashes, red light – familiar though foreign – encircling your form as your speed increases supernaturally. Tatsumaki launches another one of them back into the crowd with a single mighty blow, foot planted forward. Near where it lands, you see Crow rise, executing it as he leaps from the dark on the ground with a swipe from a curved sword leveled at the neck. The exiles move to surround him, and he holds them at bay, inflicting meager damage before he’s forced to retreat back below.

“He’s nothing if not a fantastic distraction.” Smith says, his back now turned to you. His remaining drones are buzzing from behind you, and you see him raise a handcaster; exiles are climbing over the rocks behind you, attempting a sort of pincer attack.

> [[ HP: 26 / 35 ]]

The initial charge is thinning out quickly, spread far by account of umbral diversionary tactics. Tatsumaki briefly breaks rank, taking a few steps forward to throw decisive punches while you cut down those that draw too near. But you’re at risk of being surrounded; a troglodyte’s body, cut apart in myriad ways about the midsection, tumbles down from the rocks behind you, but you hear a number more climbing over to join them.

> Ask if Aelriss has anything for poison.
> Ask if Crow can support on the flank.
> Turn to face the flank with Aelriss and Smith, allowing Tatsumaki and Crow to continue fighting.
> Other.

>>582233
>> Turn to face the flank with Aelriss and Smith, allowing Tatsumaki and Crow to continue fighting.

>>582233
> Ask if Aelriss has anything for poison.
> Turn to face the flank with Aelriss and Smith, allowing Tatsumaki and Crow to continue fighting.
They'll need a good tank over there

>>582233
>> Ask if Crow can support on the flank.

here we go lads. wew.

>>582233
> Turn to face the flank with Aelriss and Smith, allowing Tatsumaki and Crow to continue
Counter charge these niggas. Put our inertia ability to good use. Don't get separated though.

>>582233
> Turn to face the flank with Aelriss and Smith, allowing Tatsumaki and Crow to continue fighting.
> Ask if Aelriss has anything for poison.

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>>582233

“Ael, we’re turning!” You shout, swirling around with a spinning slash that nearly decapitates the last of the nearby exiles; it hits to the ground limp, head hanging by a thin strip of desiccated flesh.

“Turning? Now?” She shouts, swiveling around in time for an exile to fall onto her from above with a stone knife planted between her ribs, Eunoia’s green glow immediately suffusing her body to nurse the damage.

“Oh, bother.” Smith says, extending his boot knife with the tap of a heel as he steps past you. He kicks the exile atop Aelriss in the side, then punts it in the chest from below, knocking it off, diaphragm concaved. Another wanders around the side of the rock spires closest the two of them, and the Artificer isn’t on her feet yet; Smith’s drones are moving to support the two of them, though he winces, staggering a bit as he’s struck across the neck with a chain cast forward like a whip.

Teeth grit, you look up to see another pair of exiles prepared to drop down from above.

> Dodge the Exiles above and help the support crew get out of the way and neutralize the threat before them.
> Dodge the Exiles above and challenge them when they hit the ground.
> Inertial charge to meet the Exiles in the air by running up the rock spire.

>>582381
> Inertial charge to meet the Exiles in the air by running up the rock spire.
aw yeeee

>>582381
>> Inertial charge to meet the Exiles in the air by running up the rock spire.

>>582381
> Inertial charge to meet the Exiles in the air by running up the rock spire.
Then inertia drop attack on top of another

>>582381
>> Inertial charge to meet the Exiles in the air by running up the rock spire.

wew lads

>>582381
>> Inertial charge to meet the Exiles in the air by running up the rock spire.
All or nothing

>>582393
>>582412
>>582420

> [[ 1d100 ]]

Rolled 1 (1d100)

>>582455

Rolled 53 (1d100)

>>582455
roll

>>582456
ah fucknuggets

Rolled 53 (1d100)

>>582455

>>582456
Welp.
Not rolling so hot today.

>>582456
What the fuck. Fucking dice. Now we're gonna look like a retard like always

>>582455
>>582456
Please let the artifact save us from looking like retards

>tfw dice god always fiercely opposes rule of cool in this quest

>* ??? (+1) [[ Unknown Effect ]]
That's interesting

>>582492
not really, we just have bad luck in clutch situations.

Hol up didn't the crit rules say we need 2 rolls in the crit/crit fail range for it to count?

>>582509
I can't remember. It's changed like 5 times.

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>>582512
It's changed ONCE

> [[ BROKEN SKY ONLINE ]]

> [[ Conflict resolution is decided by the highest of three 1d100 rolls. ]]
> [[ Rolls of 1-3 or 98-100 will yield “enhanced effect”, an especially poor or especially good outcome. ]]
> [[ These two outcomes offset each other when occuring simultaneously, yielding a normal outcome. ]]
> [[ A true critical failure occurs when a 1-3 is rolled, and all rolls are below the target number before modifiers. ]]
> [[ A true critical success occurs when a 98-100 is rolled, and all rolls are above the target number after modifiers. ]]
> [[ Critical successes will also occur if two rolls are within the critical success threshold, unless the third roll is within the critical failure threshold. ]]
> [[ However, the same will apply to critical failures.]]

>>582538
How about having them throw us off the cliff only to have us fly back up with our artifact?

>>582538
Well hopefully we get some good modifiers

>>582569
I wish our modifiers were visible

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>>582466
> [[ 53 ]]

>>582456
> [[ Poor Outcome ]]

> [[ Poisoned ]]
> [[ HP: 25 / 35 ]]

You step up, feet briefly planted on the rock spire, and throw yourself upward, scrambling with your hands for a moment to gain additional speed by account of your improved climbing ability. You don’t know if there’ll be enough room to build up the requisite momentum and trigger your ability. There’s a moment of uncertainty that’s dispelled by the sound of ethereal hoofbeats in the distance, an unseen cavalcade with you at the forefront, rising upward to meet your foes as they fall towards you. Wings of light appear at your back as you rise, illusory, serving no purpose other than to indicate your ability.

You charge forward, onward, upward, rising inexorably even as rods pierce your flesh.

[[ HP: 11 / 35 ]]
[[ Bleeding ]]

There’s a sickening sound of your assailants’ bones shattering as you make contact. The exiles are balanced on your chest, stunned by the sheer force reverberating through their bodies, anchored to you only by the jagged spikes tearing into your body through your armor. You feel it, too: dullness, a buzzing where you think your ribs and collarbones are supposed to be.

You are still rising upward.

Naked and blind, the exiles are beginning to ragdoll against you, your force undeterred.

You feel a sudden awakening: like an icy needle, sewn suddenly into the back of your head, behind your ears. Your Artifact is ready for use.

> [[ Strife Memoriam: Rust ]] Stop where you are.
> Twist quickly to throw them toward the cliff.
> Fall to the ground atop them while they’re still stunned.
> Other

>>582662
> Twist quickly to throw them toward the cliff.
Kinda wanna save the artifact use for another memory

>>582662
>> Twist quickly to throw them toward the cliff.

>>582662
>Twist quickly to throw them toward the cliff.
We're gonna need a more defensive/supportive memory

.....damn, I'm late

>>582662
>> [[ Strife Memoriam: Rust ]] Stop where you are.
>>582686
We only have a slot for this memory until we get more gems

>>582662
Are we high enough to take fall damage? How does that work with our inertia?

>>582729
Nope. Check the character sheet

>>582743
• Memories Allocated [[ Max 1 ]]:
- Memory of Rust: Temporarily walk on air. Fire Celestial lightning bolts to deal non-elemental magic damage.
• Memories Available:
- Memory of Marble: ???
- Memory of Ruby: ???

Only one slot, we'll have to unlock more gems to put one of those memories into the artifact.

>>582760
I think that means we can only use one at a time. Like we can switch them at will. I could be wrong though.

>>582760
huh. In that case.....nah, now is till not the time. We're pretty low on health to be acting as a distraction, and the airwalk can only be used to reposition so many people.

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>>582729
>>582743
>>582760
While this is true, it's possible to switch. it's just not something that can feasibly be done during combat. Eventually we'll probably take some time to experiment with it..

>>582774
>>582783
This is a get out of jail card in this situation and our health is too low to gamble.

>>582803
We can chug a healing potion when we land. Idk what to do about being poisoned and bleeding though.

>>582825
The problem is that we might be damaged again while falling in addition to fall damage

>>582662
> [[ Strife Memoriam: Rust ]] Stop where you are.

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With absolutely no leverage available to you, it should be practically impossible for you to exchange your linear momentum for angular momentum.

However, you’d probably have been killed within minutes of launching BSO if you attempted tasks based only on whether or not they seem possible. With all the strength you can muster, you spin in the air, eerie curved trails of blood leading from your wounds as you hurl the Exiles from your body. One lands in a crumpled heap at the edge of the cliff, while the other is launched clean over the side.

> [[ HP: 9 / 35 ]]

Barely righting yourself, you manage to land atop the rock spires, balanced very precariously, dislodging. More Exiles are climbing up to meet you from the far side, and they’re met by a pair of bladed drones dive-bombing from directly above, sending them spinning back to the ground in a whirlwind of viscera.

> [[ HP: 8 / 35 ]]

Tatsumaki and Crow have handled themselves surprisingly well, managing to rout all but a couple of members of the charging force via shadow ambush and crowd control tactics. It’s been far too long since you held a Celestial Gem. The cavern rumbles – you, Smith, and Aelriss exchange glances – as what sounds like heavy footsteps echo from the mouth of a side-branch hidden behind long stalactites and rock outcroppings.

Your health is getting rather low, vision beginning to blur.

> Ask Aelriss for some Eunoia action.
> Eat herbs, drink potions, and pray you stop bleeding sometime soon.
> Organize a tactical retreat.
> Write-in.

>>582860
Ill take that over having those nails further gouged into us hangerons

>>582932
>> Eat herbs, drink potions, and pray you stop bleeding sometime soon.
w e w

>>582932
>> Eat herbs, drink potions, and pray you stop bleeding sometime soon.

>>582932
> Eat herbs, drink potions, and pray you stop bleeding sometime soon.
Is our combat regeneration not working?

>>582932
> Eat herbs, drink potions, and pray you stop bleeding sometime soon.

>>582932
Activate artifact, chug potions in the air, away from range. And keep your eyes out above

>>582932
>> Eat herbs, drink potions, and pray you stop bleeding sometime soon.

Maybe we could try out our rifle for a bit while we heal?

>>582932
> Ask Aelriss for some Eunoia action.

also
>It’s been far too long since you held a Celestial Gem.
That doesn't seem pertinent to our current situation, does it?

>>582948
It’s been unable to keep up with multiple damage-over-time effects.

>>582945
>>582946
>>582958

> [[ HP: 19 / 35 ]]

Herbs of the underground clear your system of poison almost immediately, while a potion aids you in recovering lost hit points. You’re still bleeding – but your health seems to stabilize. Thankfully, you weren’t hit any worse.

You slide to the ground, reuniting with the remainder of your party as the last of the Exiles is defeated.

“You guys hear that?” Crow asks. The stomping is growing louder.

“Yeah, so much for lacking in brute force.” Aelriss says. “I thought they were all numbers.”

“How are we on resources?” Smith asks.

“Good on consumables, but Eunoia’s almost spent.” Aelriss responds.

“I’ve got a couple of tricks left if we’re looking to take a fight.” Crow adds. “But I’m more worried about the raid down below.”

“If whatever’s making that noise passes us by, it might well become a problem for the raid down below.” Smith says.

> Write-in

>>583145
Can we switch to the marble memory?
Looks like the big guy is our responsibility then. We've got a few tricks up our sleeves too.

>>583145
Well I have my relic ready, and it'll hit hard. Not sure how much control or how effective it'll be though. Let's hope lightning works against it. Also if anyone van stop bleeding?

>>583145
Ask if anyone would be willing to bandage us up. We gotta fight this thing. I'm pretty curious about our other memories too. Idk which one would be best for a big enemy but it's worth trying out a new one I think.

>>583145
I vote to switch to Ruby memory

>>583202
>>583161
I forget, what's our best guess on what our current memories do?

>>583223
Ruby is basically the laser from the golem in Kjorikos' lab. Claws, I'm assuming, are what the dolls had.

>>583223
Marble is claws and ruby is laser. Hopefully one of them has some defensive skill too.

>>583234
pretty much Kjorikos probably is the best since he's an end boss vs. mid boss or a mob.

>>583247
Surely we wouldn't have two shitty memories and one good one though. Like I think the limited power of the artifact kinda evens them out.

>>583145
If we can scan them for resistances, we should find the weaknesses of the big guy. Otherwise, we should just warn them and prepare a massive burstdown.

>>583234
I feel like if it's a big probably slow target, the laser might be our best bet.

>>583344
But if the claws do bleeding damage that would be a huge help

>>583356
If it's a huge slow target it most likely is better to not stay close to it.

>>583376
That's our job though. I don't wanna make Tatsumaki be our only tank

>>583384
She doesn't have to go close to it either. If we are going to get close it's better to use Rust and fly around it as a distraction

>>583145
Think I'm just going to continue tomorrow rather than exit on an actual cliffhanger as threads don't purge ever here..

>>583393
I don't think we can afford to have Tats just sit out on this miniboss fight

>>583420
Thanks for running

>>583421
She can fight the mobs.

>>581211
>don't worry about all those hobos you murdered, at least you're not Chairman Mao

By the way, am I the only one here who keeps going back to the idea about triggering cave-ins? Collapse the cavern on the horde charging the frontlines, or on the big, probably slow dude who just showed up.

>>583145
>Ambush whatever's making that noise
>Drink that lesser healing potion

Also now that I'm looking in our inventory, someone could probably make better use of the custom longcaster, and there's a potion and some spikes that'd be useful against an elite mob.

>>584090
I'm down for the poison idea but the wisdom of starting a cave in while you and a large group of people are also underground nearby is questionable

>>584123
Hey, I'm not saying it's a smart idea. But it is most definitely a very Ascheritte idea. Just think about all the things that could go right, then stop your line of thinking there and do it.

But yeah, those poison spike chains and the bottle are all ranged so we could fall back even if it turned out to be something raid-tier.

>>584190
I'd rather just dump the poison on our sword. Another downside of the cave in plan is that it would block the path that our forces need to use to get down to the seam

>>584213
You want to melee the thing? Dude, let's see what it is first. It could be a rock giant or something. You know, the kind you have to shoot with precision. The kind that stomps on you when you get close. With dozens of troglodytes blocking passage to it.

I'm pretty sure ambushing the ambushers is the way to go here. It plays to all our strengths and their weaknesses.

Also, I'll laugh if it turns out to be a machine.

>>584227
I mean if the plan is to poison it we have to use melee. Either stabbing it with the poisoned spikes or poison in our sword. We've fought every huge boss with melee in the past.

>>584235
I'd rather just sneak attack it and wait for it to get weak while it takes its time lumbering around. Cut down some of its entourage or whatever.

Or y'know just drop a cave on it but we know where you stand on that.

>>584241
I'm not even sure we're capable of starting a cave in. Maybe if smith has some explosives or something.

>>584253
We could look for some unstable stalactites and blast them in the weak spot. Ashe has several options, Edgemaster can get there via shadows, Smith and Aelriss are ranged. Dunno about Tats. Maybe someone can throw her. Or she can lure the mobs into position with another member.

What do we have to do to improve our skills with different types of weapons? For some reason our skill with swords is the same as with polearms even though we've used swords a lot more

>>585805
At level-up we just load them up with points. They aren't affected otherwise.

>>585826
I'm pretty sure that's wrong. We've only spent EXP on techniques or HP/PP increases.

>>585840
Incorrect. We've been doing that because they're more valuable to us than weapon points.

>>585840
Putting lvlups in weapons would give us some serious damage, but we've been focusing on other stuff and we don't really have a "main" weapon yet

Unarmed 1
Sabres 1
Polearms 1
Straight Swords 1
Greatswords 1
Shields 0
If we really spent 5 EXP like that we must be complete retards

>>586318
no that's due to our natural fighter's experience

>>586318
>Natural-born Fighter [[ Passive - MAX ]]: Gain basic skill in wielded standard melee weapons.

>>586369
We should also skip shields because that's one less thing to have to put exp into. Well, more than one, since it has its own perk tree and everything.

Greatswords are great. We should get one.

>>586377
Yeah I'm definitely in favor of a comically large weapon. Hammer would be cool.

>>586510
I think we're like one perk away from being able to wield oversized weapons effectively.

I'd love to have a great-greathammer.

>>586532
>>586510
I'd prefer something else.

>>586596
Like what?

“Then it looks like it’s our responsibility to take care of it.” You nod. “My Artifact is ready, and it’ll hit pretty hard. Can anyone stop bleeding?”

Smith tosses you a roll of bandages, and you don’t hesitate to apply them. Your bleeding stops, and you gradually begin to recover health.

> [[ HP: 20 / 35 ]]

You can see something over the rocks. At least twice your height, it resembles a starving ogre, built broad and muscular, but with skin pulled taut against its joints. Its head is bound in a strange sort of helmet that resembles a spiked iron cage. It’s stomping closer, heavy footsteps dislodging dust and bits of rock from above. You hear chains rattling. The shouting of the distant raid party echoes from far below at the base of the cliff you’re standing on.

Tatsumaki is already moving forward, while the other four of you remain in formation.

> [[ Strife Memoriam: Rust ]] Unleash your strength.
> Move up with Tatsumaki.
> Have the party spread out and attack from multiple angles.
> Write-in.

>>586644
IT'S ALIIIIIIIIIIVEEEEEE

>>586644
>>> Have the party spread out and attack from multiple angles.
Give them your poison gear, do the rest of the attack from a distance.

>>586644
>Move up with Tatsumaki.

>>586644
>Move up with Tatsumaki

>>586644
Poison our sword
> [[ Strife Memoriam: Rust ]] Unleash your strength.

Guys poisoning our sword would be a huge help here. Anybody else in favor?

>>586714
You're voting to use a power that lets us fly and shoot lightning. Why the fuck do you even want to poison the sword.

>>586671
>>586674

Nodding to the group behind you, you move forward, blade at the ready.

The ogre draws nearer. It raises a weapon – an enormous stone mace, flanged, looking decorative, somehow ceremonial – and swings to utterly destroy the rock spires in front, hurling boulders and chunks of earth in your direction that force your party to scatter. You leap to the side, watching Tatsumaki dance forward through the incoming storm toward the fiend.

Rocks hit the ground, tumbling toward the cliff edge and over. Aelriss sends Eunoia forward, and the giant swats at it, moving rather quickly for its size; drones collide, inflicting gashes but mostly rebounding off its thick flesh. Light creeps across the floor and ceiling as Smith fires bolts from his caster, which seem to be making it more upset than anything else.

Tatsumaki is staying close, dive-rolling between its legs and around its ankles in search of an opening. You draw closer too, careful not to intrude on her space. It turns, swinging the mace toward you in an arc as if to scoop you up and off the ground – or just obliterate you on contact.

> [[ Strife Memoriam: Rust ]] Sunder.
> Jump over the strike and attack with your blade.
> Leap backwards to avoid the swing.
> Write-in.

>>586754
>Jump over the strike and attack with your blade.

>>586754
>> Jump over the strike and attack with your blade.

>>586754
> [[ Strife Memoriam: Rust ]] Sunder.

>>586754
>>> Write-in.
Use the poisonous spike chains to entangle it, then knock it over.

>>586754
> [[ Strife Memoriam: Rust ]] Sunder.
It regenerates fast enough that I don't feel bad about using it

>>586743
Using our artifact doesn't mean we can't use our sword too. There's no need to get all butthurt.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>586769
>>586769
1

>>586770
>>586787
2

> [[ 1d100 ]]

Rolled 52 (1d100)

>>586902

Rolled 47 (1d100)

>>586902
HERE WE GO!

Rolled 46 (1d100)

>>586902

Why do the dice gods hate this quest so much? Fucking ridiculous.

File: JD1HZy.jpg (125 KB, 1000x800)

125 KB JPG

>>586905
> [[ 52 ]]

Time slows to a crawl as your Artifact activates, enshrining your head. You pay enough mind to pull the hood of your cloak up – then, you extend your arm, launching a blast of lightning at the mace head as it swings toward you. Part of it is blown off, chunks of melted stone trailing smoke in your direction, and you step back to clear the remainder of the damaged weapon.

More ranged attacks from Smith, with drones and Eunoia circling overhead. Tatsumaki delivers a powerful blow to one leg – you hear bone crack – but she’s swatted aside by its other foot as it turns on a heel, tumbling limply across the ground toward the cavern wall.

“Scrapbook! It’s me – don’t freak out!” You hear Crow’s voice echo from no particular direction, and speak as you wander backwards, sword extended in the ogre’s direction in search of an opening.

“Crow.” Your voice is a measure deeper. It sounds familiar, but unlike yours – unlike Ascheritte’s. “Where are you?”

“I’m in your shadow!”

“That’s a useful place to be.”

“Pipe down and give me an angle! I can’t get out if you just stand around.”

You grit your teeth, a groan of distaste escaping your lips. Ancient power crackles in the palm of your off-hand as you stare your foe down. It approaches now with an overhead swing, the stone remaining about the damaged head of its flanged weapon white hot, partially melted by your attack.

> Move forward to dodge and attack from beneath.
> Step aside and levitate.
> Write-in.

>>587336
>>> Move forward to dodge and attack from beneath.

>>587336
> Move forward to dodge and attack from beneath.

>>587336
>> Move forward to dodge and attack from beneath.

>>587336
>> Move forward to dodge and attack from beneath.

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623 KB JPG

>>587352
>>587354
>>587362
>>587529

The mace intersects with the space you occupied a mere moment ago as you dart forward, scarcely in contact with the ground, and slide beneath the chained fiend. The cave rumbles, stalactites dislodging, as you reach from beneath the titan’s legs to hurl lightning upward into its body. Bolts of raw, violet power leap across the walls and floor of the cave, dancing brightly, casting shadows in all directions. They stretch across the ceiling and peel back from each stone and pebble in sight where they touch the ground.

You pull to your feet as you glide forward across the ground, looking over your shoulder at the creature behind you. There’s another moment – an influx of Celestial power – where the very environment is still.

On the opposite side of the beast, you see Crow rise from the shadows spread by your attack, body wrapped in a second skin of darkness, eyes aglow. He looks foreign, strange, utterly malefic in his expression and stature, in a way that leaves you instinctively concerned as to whether he is friend or foe.

Your eyes meet before the moment passes. He too appears concerned – as the NPCs in the Observatory who saw Kjorikos reflected in you – but only for an instant, before his mouth curls into a wicked grin.

Reality catches up with your actions, hitting you like a bloodrush, sights and sounds occurring all at once. Blades of dark – like throwing knives, but sharp on every surface – loose themselves from Crow’s grip as he dips in and out of the earth, and the fiend roars, enraged. Chain lightning leaps from droplet to droplet as putrid titan’s blood sprays into the air. You dodge massive fist and mace strikes, and when you cannot, you lash out with bursts of the Artificer’s sacred fire, screeching bolts crossing the distance between you and your target nearly instantaneously.

The air is buzzing with Celestial power. Your very steps enshrine a zone where the unworthy are fit to walk. Your actions demonstrate the punishment for trespassing; divine gifts bestowed into your ownership, such a crime might well be betraying the will of the Gods. From just outside the edge of this territory – the penumbra – Aelriss, Smith, and Tatsumaki watch, motionless.

The ogre’s strength is waning, movement slowing. But your vision is blurred, your Memory beginning to fade.

> Leap upward and strike at the head.
> Expend the last of your charge with a blast from afar.
> Take the titan down by the knees.
> Write-in.

>>587651
> Leap upward and strike at the head.

>>587651
> Leap upward and strike at the head.
Can we empower our sword with our lightning? That'd be tight.

>>587651
>> Leap upward and strike at the head.

>>587651
>> Leap upward and strike at the head.

>>587651
> Expend the last of your charge with a blast from afar.

>>587677
>>587697
>>587701
>>587706

> [[ 2d100 ]]

Rolled 53, 11 = 64 (2d100)

>>587745
Dance of Storm's End

Rolled 48, 25 = 73 (2d100)

>>587745

Rolled 99, 12 = 111 (2d100)

>>587745

So a critical and shit and usual huh

welp, looks like the titan falls on top of us

>2 hours later
Where you at OP

>>588463
Dead
I'm gonna keep the action going and the memes alive and just pick up here later. Thread's already archived in case I make a new one.

>mediocre up until the last rolls, where it's both awesome and terrible.
whelp, par for the course for BSO.

At least we have more than half health.

>>588945
We aren't allowed to look cool

>>588636
>keep the action going and the memes alive
What did he mean by this?

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946 KB PNG

>>588636
does mordhau still count as sword mastery?

File: 1448503089997.jpg (148 KB, 900x1264)

148 KB JPG

>>589707
Holy shits on a stick, anon. That is the most insipid, pants-on retarded weapon design I've ever seen. And I've seen some shit.

I mean, why not just go all-out at that point?

>>589784
What's wrong with it exactly?

>>589784
Does... does she have a bladed eyepatch?

She can't. I must be seeing things.

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618 KB PNG

>>589798
You can't use it as a hammer because you'd have to hold it by the blade to get enough leverage to swing it, which is impractical even if your gauntlets protect your hand since it's a flat blade and not a cylindrical shaft you can grip. And you can't use it as a sword because the hammer-crossguard would throw the balance way off, add too much useless weight and have zero benefits.

I... I really shouldn't have had to spell that out for you, anon.

>>589823
Gee, what kinda crazy people hold swords backwards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwuQPfvSSlo

>>589825
You... You actually think that's a good way to...

I...

Goddammit, anon. God. Fucking. Dammit.

I can't even.

>>589828
Er... Anon? That's a real thing? It offers more penetrative power than simply stabbing, and is an excellent way to pierce armor.

>>589848
I'm not saying half-swording isn't a thing. It just has nothing to do with a sword (poorly) built around having the mordhau as a main technique to the detriment of everything else about the sword.

I mean, just because there's an old tapestry of a dude using his pommel as an emergency hammer doesn't mean it's anything remotely resembling a good idea.

Swords and hammers work differently. Just get one of each instead of trying to combine them into an unwieldy abomination against common sense for fuck's sake.

>>589880
>he doesn't want a swiss army sword

>>589880
Agreed

>>589886
>doesn't want to use the free bag of holding as a magic hat of weaponry

>>589903
But I do, I just want to fill it with horrific amalgams of individually good ideas.

>>589909
You're confusing horrific with horrible.

>>589917
Anon, please stop embarrassing yourself and look up what a synonym is.

You've already shown yourself to know nothing about anything, could you maybe just stop already?

You needn't worry about the MC getting a sword with a hammer for a hilt because it just looks too goofy for a majority to vote for it.

File: 1464367739507.gif (2 MB, 245x207)

2 MB GIF

>>589928

>accuses someone of ignorance
>but can't tell a hilt from a crossguard
>and thinks synonyms don't differ contextually

>>589823
I can't say I'm an expert on weight balance, but isn't the other end offset by length? They don't seem to differ too much in actual mass, so I don't see how the balance is off.

>>589880
>I'm not saying half-swording isn't a thing.
>you'd have to hold it by the blade to get enough leverage to swing it, which is impractical
....look. Do you need to go to tg to start a new weapons and arms thread?


I don't really care if you have a problem with the weapon in the picture, it's not like that's what Asch would end up using anyway.

>>589945
Half-swording is when you grip it by the middle to put more power into your thrust. Swinging the sword pommel-first is a different thing called a mordhau. Both are done because you can't easily get past plate armor with a sword.

And if you go by how it actually looks mass-wise instead of how it should be, the crossguard-hammer is completely trivial anyway since the pommel looks far heavier than either side.

I'm not trying to get anon to not vote on it, I'm trying to get him to accept how utterly retarded that weapon is.

>>589966
and do you have a problem with mordhau?

>>589976
Of course I fucking do. 99% of the time, you have a better option. Why the fuck is it even an actual technique?

>>589982
Okay. That's nice. Didn't think we'd get someone who cared so much about this this far in, on qst of all places, interesting.

>>589997
It's not that I feel that strongly about it. It's just that Soma hasn't posted in a while, and all that built-up autism has to go somewhere.

>>590001
Fuck off Rob

>QM finally returns after a long hiatus
>clearly cares a lot less about the quest than before
kinda depressing desu

>>591039
No, no, Banished Quest is over there. This one's still perfectly fine.

>>591039
Kinda seems like he's just busier now.

last post for ayyla

>>620880
Things that go bump in the night