>>5493144

Currently, you have two main goals. One, to find three more players to form a full pro team. Second, to collect the materials Spiritwalker requested for upgrading your dagger-axe, Tyrant’s Will. The materials are as follows:

128x [Black Tortoise Shell Fragment]
70x [Abyssic Yin Steel]
1x [Volcanic Phoenix Pendant]
1x [Esoteric Essence]
3x [Cosmic Parchment]

Being a common crafting item, there is no lack of demand or supply for [Abyssic Yin Steel], making it the easiest of the bunch to acquire. A reasonable amount of spirit stones thrown at the auction house nets you your desired amount. No dent on your pockets, either.

To obtain the remaining four is not so simple. The [Black Tortoise Shell Fragment] and [Volcanic Phoenix Pendant] are boss drops from the final boss of the Igneous Domain, and unlike the Ancient Apothecary, it's a raid, meant for a full group of twenty players. While this is just a recommended group size, and not a precondition, two-manning a raid is no easy feat even for the best players in the pro league. Even Skyfrost mentioned that a minimal squad of five would be needed for a reasonably timed clear.

Finally, the [Esoteric Essence] and [Cosmic Parchment] will have to be produced by a high level scribe, the former being mystic ink that shall be put to the profound paper that is the latter. The raw materials needed to produce them - those being [Cosmic Dew] and [Starstreak Bark] - can only be procured within the Astral Planes. And there, only the gravest of dangers await, not from the beasts that lurk amidst the dimensional stardust - that is but a trifle when compared to the risk of going adrift, lost in portals of a volatile and desultory disposition. Once lost, the only chance at escape is hoping that a portal to the overworld conveniently appears. Otherwise, death is the only path to freedom. Even so, the resources found inside are far superior to what can be collected in the overworld. For this reason, many gladly take the risk to venture into such a hostile environment, often with the assistance of third-party software to track portal locations.


So, what do you do first?
>Prepare to raid the Igneous Domain. You'll have to find some players to regularly plunge the depths with, but perhaps the Steelport Society can help you. And if you have to, there's always the "Looking for Group'' channel in the chat box.

>Enter the Astral Plane. You're not gonna need much when going dimension diving, just a few small utility items and you can begin immediately.

>Write in.

>>5493148
>Prepare to raid the Igneous Domain. You'll have to find some players to regularly plunge the depths with, but perhaps the Steelport Society can help you. And if you have to, there's always the "Looking for Group'' channel in the chat box.

>>5493148
>>Prepare to raid the Igneous Domain. You'll have to find some players to regularly plunge the depths with, but perhaps the Steelport Society can help you. And if you have to, there's always the "Looking for Group'' channel in the chat box.

>>5493148
>Enter the Astral Plane. You're not gonna need much when going dimension diving, just a few small utility items and you can begin immediately.
wormholes>incursions

I wonder how different things would be if we rolled high in our first encounter with Skyfrost. That one botched roll established our entire apprentice-master relationship we have right now.

>>5493148
>Look for a raid group
Where else you gonna find Innovative players?

>>5493148
>Prepare to raid the Igneous Domain. You'll have to find some players to regularly plunge the depths with, but perhaps the Steelport Society can help you. And if you have to, there's always the "Looking for Group'' channel in the chat box.

>Enter the Astral Plane. You're not gonna need much when going dimension diving, just a few small utility items and you can begin immediately.
We can wormhole by ourself, and try to meet interesting people.

Also,
>Contact Bard Boy to ask if he'll be interrested in the raid one of this days
as my vote will probably not change the tide

KISMET LIVES *stomp stomp*
Good to you have you back

>>5493148
>Enter the Astral Plane. You're not gonna need much when going dimension diving, just a few small utility items and you can begin immediately.

>>5493148
>>Enter the Astral Plane. You're not gonna need much when going dimension diving, just a few small utility items and you can begin immediately.
Welcome back QM

>>5493148
>Prepare to raid the Igneous Domain. You'll have to find some players to regularly plunge the depths with, but perhaps the Steelport Society can help you. And if you have to, there's always the "Looking for Group'' channel in the chat box.

>>5493144
>Keep dueling with Skyfrost in some secluded place to get a feel for our new abilities
Stakes are high and we can't afford to die, now more than ever. Gotta practice before we venture out into open world.

>>5493148
>Enter the Astral Plane. You're not gonna need much when going dimension diving, just a few small utility items and you can begin immediately.

>>5493148
>Prepare to raid the Igneous Domain. You'll have to find some players to regularly plunge the depths with, but perhaps the Steelport Society can help you. And if you have to, there's always the "Looking for Group'' channel in the chat box.
Feels less risky than going solo. Welcome back QM.

Once again, death is not a big matter in that game.
We just have to don expandable gear and go have fun in high-risk zone

>>5493148
>>Enter the Astral Plane. You're not gonna need much when going dimension diving, just a few small utility items and you can begin immediately.


Just use some easily replaced mid-tier gear. Dying would be annoying btu run ending.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

Igneous Domain:
>>5493160
>>5493161
>>5493221
>>5493182
>>5493348
>>5493408

Astral Plane:
>>5493176
>>5493244
>>5493277
>>5493305
>>5493389
>>5493842

Rolling, 1 for Igneous Domain and 2 for Astral Plane.

>>5493934
>>5493244

We will also be contacting Bard Boy.

>>5493934

Though no sunlight shines into your small windowless room, your body intuitively knows that morning has come, and checking the time indeed confirms that it is 0834. A week has elapsed since what has come to be known as the “Northern Wenduan Gate Incident”, or simply the “Wenduan Gate Incident,” which saw the Steelport Society and Ebonwill Sect clashing over the appearance of you, Skyfrost, and Autumn-Moon. Apparently, a few people from both sides were recording as well, and managed to capture footage of the three of you in action. Almost overnight, the names Skyfrost and Distant-Cloud were etched into the collective psyche of the sweaty JSQ playerbase. Association with an online celebrity like Autumn-Moon also probably had something to do with it. And, for a while, the forums were ablaze with rumours and hearsay, like fire sweeping through farmland. It was and still isn’t uncommon to hear statements such as: “They must be the alt accounts of pro players!” and “There’s no way they’re just regular players!” which you guess are half true given Skyfrost’s real identity.

In a few days, however, all this hype will inevitably die off. That’s just how the internet works - a consequence of reduced attention spans and constant exposure to novelty. Good for you, cause that means you can finally get back to work. You still haven’t had a real chance to bring out the full potential of your upgraded skills since breaking through Immortal Ascension. In that short period, you’re hoping to get the preparations settled for your next undertaking - the Igneous Domain. You’ve done some raids before with pick-up groups, and even soloed some before, but never an endgame one like this. If your memory serves you right, the group of twenty players recommended to tackle the Igneous Domain should at least entirely consist of Initial Ascension players. But most guilds prefer to take at least three Immortal Ascension players to make the run smoother.

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>>5493993

While brushing your teeth, you send a text to Skyfrost over Harmony.

[You]: Any ideas on how we’re gonna find people to raid with? I was thinking of asking Stormgale if we could tag along with some of the Steelport parties.
[Skyfrost]: That could work, though it’d probably be more efficient if we ran it as a five-man. I’m okay with anything though. You can ask whether Stormgale can introduce us to three competent players, as high level as possible.
[Skyfrost]: And there’s always the option of simply posting on the LFG (looking for group) channel in-game.
[You]: I’ll have a think. But won’t it be a little risky to advertise that we’re looking for players? That bounty on our head is no small amount. I bet the Ebonwill will just send a spy our way and gank us before we’re even at the raid entrance.
[Skyfrost]: True, but there’s a way around this. Just don’t mention anything about which raid we’re doing.
[You]: How does that work?
[Skyfrost]: Eh, just trust me.

Strange, but you’ll leave it at that. As you fire up JSQ on the cafe computer, you also message Autumn-Moon to see if he’s interested.


What’s the plan going forward?
>Ask Stormgale if you can join one of the Steelport Society raid groups for a few runs.

>Ask Stormgale to introduce you to some players.

>Write in.


Do you make a post on LFG?

>Yes.

>No.

>>5493994
>Ask Stormgale to introduce you to some players.
>Yes.

>>5493994
>>Ask Stormgale to introduce you to some players.
>Yes.
I'm curious what'll show up

>>5493994
>>Ask Stormgale to introduce you to some players.
>Yes.

Let's try to meet interesting people and create our own guild or pro-team.
After all, we reached internet fame once, maybe we can make it to pro player and live of playing the game?

>>5493994
>Yes.
Recruit solely from LFG, do some test runs in lesser raids first.

>>5493997
>>5494038
>>5494055
>>5494080

>Ask Stormgale to introduce you to some players.
>Yes.

Writing.

>>5494099

You proceed to send a request to Stormgale, who just happens to be online in game.

[Stormgale]: It'd be my pleasure to assist you guys. I'll ask around, but the Steelport Society is tight on manpower at the moment. The war with the Ebonwill is really taking a toll on our players and our guild finances.
[You]: That's alright, we're extremely grateful for your assistance.
[Stormgale]: :thumbsup: I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

In the meantime, you post a simple message in LFG. Something simple should suffice, you reckon.

[You]: Raid LF players, lvl 65+

There’s barely any response within the first few seconds of sending, but the moment your message is drowned out by the constant drone of other similar messages, your DMs are flooded with a multitude of players, contrary to your expectations.

“Are you that Distant-Cloud? lvl 66 Tank, Saber + Tower Shield, here is my [loadout].”

“lvl 65 DPS, Sword + Daoist Whisk. [loadout]. I know my gear is a little lacking but I can more than make up for it with mechanical skill!”

“What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you little bitch? I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in the People’s Liberation Army, and I've been…”

[User has been blocked]

“Lvl 69 DPS, Spear. [loadout]. Looking forward to working with you.”

.
.
.

Most of the people contacting you seem to be fairly serious about collaborating except for a few trolls and shitposters. In fact, some of them are even better geared than yourself, judging from their equipment. You don’t have a clue about how to begin sifting through all of the messages. To make matters worse, there is a possibility that some of them are Ebonwill spies, or those looking to get an easy kill to score that sweet Ebonwill bounty.

“Who should we pick? Heck, we can probably form two raid parties with this amount of players!” You ask Skyfrost who you’ve been streaming the contents of your chat to through Harmony’s screen-sharing feature.

“Ignore them. They all seem like opportunists looking to leech off of us.” Skyfrost answers.

“Are you sure this is a good idea? Feels like we’re just drawing unnecessary attention to ourselves.” You skim through a few more DMs.

“Hold on, scroll up.” Skyfrost suddenly requests, the pitch of his voice rising slightly. “More… More… Yes, that one!”

It’s a player by the name of LK.

>>5495316

[LK]: How many players?

At a first glance, it's quite an unremarkable question. Not to mention, the fact that he didn’t even link his gear made you all the more willing to dismiss it without a second thought. However, it finally clicks after a bit of thinking. The key lies exactly in the lack of information presented. You never mentioned anything about the size of your party, and while most players would assume that a raid equals twenty players, this is but a presumption - a pre-established paradigm. Most raid builds are structured and optimised for this style of large group play, but this is the last thing you’re looking for. In asking about the number of players, this reflects a non-adherence to convention, and the willingness to break it.

[You]: We’re planning on running a party of five. So far, if we include you, we have three players.
[LK]: Alright, I’m interested.
[You]: What’s your build?
[LK]: …
[You]: ?
[LK]: It’s a little weird. I hope you don’t mind… [loadout].

You hover over the link and expand the interface which brings up a menu detailing his gear, levels, and stats. The display shows a level 68 guqin player, near the very peak of the Initial Ascension realm, and an armour selection that is anything but normal.

“What the- Medium armour?” You say.

Something (likely Skyfrost’s chair) screeches against the floor over his mic as he shouts, “Bingo! Get him onboard!”

[You]: Looks fine to us.
[LK]: Well, that’s a relief. Looking forward to working with you.
[You]: Likewise. We’re just looking for players at the moment. We’ll contact you when we’ve found the other two players- Oh wait.

Another name suddenly pops up on your DMs.

[Autumn-Moon]: I saw your message on Harmony. I can join you guys for a few runs this week.
[You]: Nice!

[You]: Make that one player.
[LK]: Got it.
[You]: Here’s a link to our Harmony server. We’ll provide the specifics of the raid over there.

>>5495325

Two days later, when it seems like your final player would never arrive, you finally receive a reply from Stormgale.

“Since you guys are running Igneous Domain, I tried to ask if we could spare some Immortal Ascension players, but no luck. I did manage to get a pretty good spear guy on board, though. Here’s his contact. Good luck. This is the first time I’ve heard of a squad of five tackling such a difficult raid. I look forward to the coming storm on the forums!”

Later that night, all five of you assemble at Wenduan. There is a slight tension present in voice chat.

“I believe this is the first time that the five of us are playing together, so don’t expect things to go smoothly. Take tonight as a first session to get a feel of our playstyles.” Skyfrost addresses all of you. “Given our enmity with the Ebonwill, there is a also high possibility that we'll be ganked along the way. The rule of “you mind your own business, and I mind mine.” doesn’t apply to us in the Outlands anymore, and things will only get harder when we enter the raid itself. If any of you would like to pull out now, we won’t hold it against you.”

“Are you really asking that now, you psycho?” Autumn-Moon jeers. “What’s with the sudden seriousness?”

Skyfrost bursts out in laughter. “That’s what I like to hear, Bard Boy!”

“What the fuck did you just call me?”

This little exchange seems to lighten the mood.

“I do have a question, If I may.” Yellow-Hawk (黄鹰), the Steelport spear player asks. “What’ll we do if we run into a full party?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” A commanding aura all at once bursts forth from Skyfrost, determination and confidence booming from his calmly spoken words. “We fight.”

>>5495327

According to JSQ lore, the Igneous Domain is located deep beneath the Sanzhi Mountains, a labyrinthian cavity carved from molten rock during an ancient, earth-shattering calamity that split the continent we now know as Shiya (the landmass that players inhabit) from the mainland. But really, you all know that the devs just wanted to include some sick underground zones in the game. There are a total of two main entrances to the raid, one of them is located a good distance away from the north-eastern coast in the form of an underground cavern. The other can be found at a smaller mountain range just west of the Sanzhi Mountains. However, sometimes, smaller entrances can spawn randomly within a ring about two kilometres off the coast.


Which is your course of action?
>Take the main ocean entrance. This is the most direct path to the inner ring of the raid (where the boss rooms are located), and for this reason, also the most frequented entrance. Expect to see no shortage of groups battling it out for the chance to reach the bosses first.

>Take the main entrance on land. A less direct path, but one that offers more options in terms of routes one can take to enter the inner ring. Smaller guilds tend to favour this one.

>Find one of the smaller entrances. This is the safest option with the lowest probability of running into a group before entering the inner ring. No guarantees, though. It’ll also take longer to reach the boss rooms, giving other parties the chance to snatch them before you.

File: JSQ_map_done.jpg (1.79 MB, 2048x1536)

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I just realised I forgot to post the map and the link to previous threads...

https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Jade-Sworn%20Quest

>>5495329
>Find one of the smaller entrances. This is the safest option with the lowest probability of running into a group before entering the inner ring. No guarantees, though. It’ll also take longer to reach the boss rooms, giving other parties the chance to snatch them before you.

>>5495329
>>Take the main entrance on land. A less direct path, but one that offers more options in terms of routes one can take to enter the inner ring. Smaller guilds tend to favour this one.

>>5495329
>>Find one of the smaller entrances. This is the safest option with the lowest probability of running into a group before entering the inner ring. No guarantees, though. It’ll also take longer to reach the boss rooms, giving other parties the chance to snatch them before you.

Glad to see the good quest back with nice rhythm of updates.
Also
>Observe closely LK to scan him for a position in our future pro team

>>5495329
>Take the main entrance on land. A less direct path, but one that offers more options in terms of routes one can take to enter the inner ring. Smaller guilds tend to favour this one.

>>5495329
>Take the main entrance on land. A less direct path, but one that offers more options in terms of routes one can take to enter the inner ring. Smaller guilds tend to favour this one.

>>5495329
>Main Land entrance
It's easier to work together

>>5495329
>Take the main entrance on land. A less direct path, but one that offers more options in terms of routes one can take to enter the inner ring. Smaller guilds tend to favour this one.

>>5495329
>>Take the main entrance on land. A less direct path, but one that offers more options in terms of routes one can take to enter the inner ring. Smaller guilds tend to favour this one.

>>5495329
>Take the main entrance on land. A less direct path, but one that offers more options in terms of routes one can take to enter the inner ring. Smaller guilds tend to favour this one.
While unlikely, we can see if anyone else is as crazy as us and running with a smaller group.

>>5495338
>>5495348
>>5495349
>>5495359
>>5495389
>>5495395
>>5495452
>>5495634
>>5495731

>Take the main entrance on land. A less direct path, but one that offers more options in terms of routes one can take to enter the inner ring. Smaller guilds tend to favour this one.

Writing.

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>>5496507

Since this is, for all intents and purposes, a trial run. All of you set out in disposable gear, leaving valuable equipment such as your Tyrant’s Will in the city bank. The only items remotely expensive on your persons are the high-grade flying swords you and your party members are currently riding on. They’re light and fast, if a little brittle, only able to withstand a few hits before you’re dismounted. Usually, they’re not very good for all purpose travelling, especially in the Outlands, but for a short, speedy journey without the guarantee of return, they’ll serve your party just fine.

“The path ahead looks clear.” LK comments. This is the first time you’re hearing his voice. It’s a slightly airy, lacking a little vitality, but youthful. He’s probably around your age.

“I’m sure we must’ve been spotted leaving the city.” You respond. “We can’t afford to be careless.”

“Any scouts they have stationed at the gates will only take note of the general direction we’re heading in. They probably won’t follow.” Skyfrost adds. “Still, not bumping into people is always a plus.”

“Will it really be possible to do this with only five people?” LK steers the conversation in another direction with a question.

Yellow-Hawk cuts in, “I would like to know as well. Though I have full trust in Stormgale and his high assessment of you and Distant-Cloud, I find it hard to believe that we’ll make it past the first boss.”

You hear a slight snigger under Autumn-Moon’s breath as he says, “Just wait and see, you two.”

Soon enough, the entrance to the Igneous domain enters your field of view. Flanked by tall peaks, it's a massive opening stretching terrestrially from the base of two mountains, both violently merged at the foot. The surrounding ground is ashen, dyed an obsidian black in contrast to the pallid brown grass characteristic of the Outlands. And from the depths, a menacing orange light claws forth, almost like a trapped beast longing for emancipation. Perhaps if you were in the game itself, you would be able to feel a hostile heat emanating from the caverns below. The usual packs of monsters patrolling the outskirts of this gate to hell are nowhere to be seen, indicating that other players have likely entered recently.

You and your party members take advantage of this and dive straight in. Somehow, the transition from vast skies and mountainscapes to a wide underground chasm is not the least bit jarring, making you wonder how much thought was put into the environmental design of the game. In any case, a lot of passion was poured into crafting every inch of this place, you can tell. The ground below you slopes down gently and expands outward, like a downward facing trapezium, forming something akin to a massive atrium from which many “vessels” diverge from. From the available pathways, a third of them seem to have been taken as can be observed from the lack of mobs moving through them.

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>>5496825

“LK, can you use Mistcaller’s Song?” Skyfrost asks.

“Yeah, but what do you need it for?”

Skyfrost points to one of the untouched passageways. “We’re gonna avoid the first few packs.”

“It’ll take a few seconds to cast, though.”

“We’ll cover you.”

Immediately after saying this, Skyfrost dashes straight to the path he picked out and begins pulling every mob he can see, drawing them further within. You and Autumn-Moon follow suit with LK and Yellow-Hawk trailing behind.

“Keep these boys here 25 metres from the entrance. Don’t kill them! I’ll pull a few more ahead. LK, begin casting now!”

Without the need to actually take down these fearsome raid monsters, you refrain from casting any buffs for now to conserve your qi, opting to just kite them away from LK. The warm tone of guqin strings slowly begins to envelope the surrounding space as you spot Skyfrost returning with about seven more enemies - a collection of flame-spewing beasts and demons, all of them with smouldering skin of a charred hue.

“Ready!” LK calls.

A rolling fog quickly covers the surrounding area, shrouding everything in sight. This leaves the monsters dazed, and after moving a certain distance away, they are unable to see you.

“Distant-Cloud, movement speed!” Skyfrost follows up with another command.

“On it.”

[Blessing of the Wind] activated, movement speed increased for 60 seconds.

“Straight ahead, boys! There’s a small pocket in the wall up ahead where we won’t draw additional aggro. You’ll know it when you see it.”

And just like that, all of you make a mad dash forward. Skyfrost, of course, being the one positioned most ahead, arrives first, followed by you, Autumn-Moon, Yellow-Hawk and then LK. The small little crevice here provides cover from the outside, making it a convenient place to restore your qi and stamina.

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>>5496835

“You guys are bloody insane!” Yellow-Hawk speaks. “I’d never even think to do this in a raid! But I guess with our small group size, such strategies are feasible.”

“Many things are possible once you break out of the mould of convention.” Skyfrost pops a restorative qi pill.

“Why did we skip the mobs though, I thought we were going to get some practice on them.” You ask.

“It’s quite simple.” Yellow-Hawk’s avatar moves closer to the mouth of the crevice, standing by the entrance. “Suppose another full-sized raid party was in our position. They have two choices. Those are one; to take an unclaimed passageway, and two; to enter one of the cleared passageways. Which is the better choice to make?”

You think about it for a moment and arrive at your answer, but LK beats you to it. “Ah, I see. The second one!” He replies.

“Correct. That’s the most natural choice. If there’s one thing humans hate, it’s uncertainty. If you take an untouched path, you have no idea when or if you’ll bump into an enemy group and under what conditions. By following an already cleared route, you minimise the chance of getting ambushed while also having the upper hand on the group you’re pursuing. Of course, this is by no means a guarantee of victory. Anyway, to answer your question, by leaving the mobs in front alone, groups will be less likely to come our way, so we only need to worry about what’s ahead. Usually this would be hard to pull off effectively with a large group.”

Before you and your party proceed, Skyfrost once again reviews the battle formation you guys discussed beforehand.


What role did you assume?
>Frontline DPS. You’ll be at the very front with Skyfrost and Yellow-Hawk, dealing as much damage as you can. If you bump into any groups in front, they can expect to bear the full brunt of your party’s melee assault. [More aggressive.]

>Backline DPS. You’ll hang back with LQ and Autumn-Moon, using your ranged skills and buffing from a relatively safer position, and doubling as a rear guard to stop any groups encroaching from behind. [More defensive.]

>Write in.

>>5496838
>>Frontline DPS. You’ll be at the very front with Skyfrost and Yellow-Hawk, dealing as much damage as you can. If you bump into any groups in front, they can expect to bear the full brunt of your party’s melee assault. [More aggressive.]
We are a High-risk-High-reward formation. We need to take down other threat quickly using superior coordination and effect of surprise if we find bigger groups


Really glad you update that fast Kismet

>>5496838
>Frontline DPS. You’ll be at the very front with Skyfrost and Yellow-Hawk, dealing as much damage as you can. If you bump into any groups in front, they can expect to bear the full brunt of your party’s melee assault. [More aggressive.]

>>5496838
>>Frontline DPS. You’ll be at the very front with Skyfrost and Yellow-Hawk, dealing as much damage as you can. If you bump into any groups in front, they can expect to bear the full brunt of your party’s melee assault. [More aggressive.]

Get in, get out as quickly as possible before Ebonwill agents can strike!

>>5496838
>Frontline DPS. You’ll be at the very front with Skyfrost and Yellow-Hawk, dealing as much damage as you can. If you bump into any groups in front, they can expect to bear the full brunt of your party’s melee assault. [More aggressive.]
Take advantage of speed to stay ahead of other groups. That means frontloading damage.

>>5496838
>Frontline DPS. You’ll be at the very front with Skyfrost and Yellow-Hawk, dealing as much damage as you can. If you bump into any groups in front, they can expect to bear the full brunt of your party’s melee assault. [More aggressive.]

>>5496838
>“Why did we skip the mobs though, I thought we were going to get some practice on them.” You ask.
Why we playing the dumb one reeee

>What role did you assume?
>Backline DPS. You’ll hang back with LQ and Autumn-Moon, using your ranged skills and buffing from a relatively safer position, and doubling as a rear guard to stop any groups encroaching from behind. [More defensive.]
Rear guard ftw.

>>5496838
>Front DPS

gotta go fast.

>>5496838
>>Frontline DPS. You’ll be at the very front with Skyfrost and Yellow-Hawk, dealing as much damage as you can. If you bump into any groups in front, they can expect to bear the full brunt of your party’s melee assault. [More aggressive.]

>>5496956
>Why we playing the dumb one reeee
Distant Cloud is, in the end, a solo player getting newly acclimated to small group play. Makes sense to me our MC doesn't quite grasp it

>>5496838
>Backline DPS. You’ll hang back with LQ and Autumn-Moon, using your ranged skills and buffing from a relatively safer position, and doubling as a rear guard to stop any groups encroaching from behind. [More defensive.]
This isn't a vote for overall tactics, it's just where we'll be specifically.

>>5496956
>Why we playing the dumb one reeee
Reminder that the MC didn't realize that Skyfrost was Moonpiercer until it was literally told directly to his face. He's just not that bright all the way around.

>>5496838
>>Frontline DPS. You’ll be at the very front with Skyfrost and Yellow-Hawk, dealing as much damage as you can. If you bump into any groups in front, they can expect to bear the full brunt of your party’s melee assault. [More aggressive.]

What do you think the odds of LK being a girl are? Our MC commented on a slightly weird voice, but as mentioned he doesn’t seem to pick to be the sharpest person.

>>5497448
Whysit matter?

>>5496845
>>5496860
>>5496877
>>5496888
>>5496936
>>5496956
>>5497078
>>5497132
>>5497259
>>5497308

>Frontline DPS. You’ll be at the very front with Skyfrost and Yellow-Hawk, dealing as much damage as you can. If you bump into any groups in front, they can expect to bear the full brunt of your party’s melee assault. [More aggressive.]

Locking in with this. I'll need three players to roll a 1d20!

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>5497528
rollan

>>5497532
uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ok I'm not rollan anymore

this is all the fault of the people who voted aggressive ;_;

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Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>5497532
Well I can always double up on the 1, here.

>>5497528

>>5497532
>>5497538

You sure did double up on that 1... With an extra 8, no less!

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>5497528
14.25%

>>5497532
>>5497538
>>5497556

>18

Very epic.

>>5496838
>Frontline DPS. You’ll be at the very front with Skyfrost and Yellow-Hawk, dealing as much damage as you can. If you bump into any groups in front, they can expect to bear the full brunt of your party’s melee assault. [More aggressive.]


>>5497448
One hundred percent. Either that, or its a trap (or whatever the equivalent is in cultivators. Yin energy much?)

>>5497594
What if it's a squeaker

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>>5497564

Just as was discussed, you will be positioned on the frontlines together with Skyfrost and Yellow-Hawk to maximise the party’s damage potential. The first patrol ahead consists of two monsters, a large wolf-like beast known as an “Igneous Hound,” and a manifestation of pure fire, whose form is given shape only by magical rings - a “Flame Spirit.” From their stats alone, they could be considered mini-bosses in smaller dungeons, the height of their models at least twice as tall as a normal player.

“Our main target will be the Flame Spirit. LK, Autumn-Moon, we’ll take turns casting crowd control abilities on the dog. From my calculations, there should be a brief period where all of our cooldowns overlap, so I’ll kite it around when that happens.” Skyfrost instructs, his sword flying straight towards the Igneous hound the next moment. As a single patrol unit, the Flame Spirit is also aggroed and comes charging towards you.

As you and Yellow-Hawk dash towards the Flame Spirit, your fingers execute a series of well-practised key presses, casting a series of buffs in a fraction of a second.

[Enlightened Warrior Soul (明悟武魂)] activated, physical attack and attack speed increased for 60 seconds.
[Elemental Command (五行绝令)] activated, cast times reduced for the next 7 seconds.
[Ordained Dao (令道合一)] activated, magical attack increased for 10 seconds.
[Raging Phoenix Wing (怒凤翼)] activated, for the next 5 seconds, all attacks will send out a wave of fire qi.

These are the upgraded forms of [Warrior Soul], [Blessing of the Elements], [Ordained Harmony], and [Raging Phoenix Talon]. Before the flame spirit reaches you, you swing downwards with your dagger-axe, the searing golden glow on its edge bursting with radiant light that consumes your entire screen. From it erupts a roaring wave of fire qi which takes on the form of a falcon’s wing. Feathers of pure embers line its jagged boundary, and at its head is a three-pointed claw. You follow up by swiping upwards with your mouse, then diagonally, sending an entire infernal barrage at the encroaching enemy. The attacks connect before it’s able to reach you, shearing away about 4% of its health - an impressive amount for a trash mob in a raid.

Yellow-Hawk, empowered with your buffs, lunges forward with his spear. The entire weapon seems to be coated in a blue aura, and the moment his attack lands, a torrential column of water spews from the spear tip, knocking the Flame Spirit back a few steps. With an elemental advantage, the damage dealt is considerably high, but still not as high as yours, demonstrating the power gap between cultivation realms.

Spear skill: [Water Cannon]

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>>5497725

At the back, Skyfrost and Autumn-Moon distract the Igneous Hound to buy some time for LK to cast the first of many CC abilities in the stun-lock rotation planned out by Skyfrost. Guqin abilities of this type usually have long cast times (six seconds or more), and relatively longer cooldowns, but when successfully pulled off, are nothing to scoff at. Not long after, the soothing serenade of strings reaches its conclusion as wisps of emerald fog wrap around the Igneous Hound, applying the [Sleep] debuff to it.

Guqin skill: [Song of Slumber]

After this, all sights are set on the Flame Spirit. The sound of blistering pipa strings, melancholic guqin melodies, and clangour of untamed steel all weave together into a brutal symphony. And even though the sense of rhythm of your quintet is rough around the edges, and the chemistry between players appears to lack some common, binding element, it is anything but an unpleasant tune. In a few minutes, the Flame Spirit is taken down without too much trouble, and shortly following the Igneous Hound is slain. For a first time playing together, this is much better than you expected. You’re even surprised at how natural it felt to adjust to Yellow-Hawk’s flow, perhaps your recent bouts of group play have paid off.

With subsequent pulls, the time taken to clear mobs only gets shorter and shorter. About an hour in, you cover about half the distance needed to reach the inner ring and arrive at another spacious chamber. Two other pathways link up here, one seemingly untouched and the other without a single monster in sight. Another group has been through here. The only way forward forks into two passages. Like above, one path similarly remains untouched while the other has obviously been taken before. If you listen closely, you can even hear the sounds of battle, albeit a bit faintly.

"Which path should we take, Skyfrost?" Yellow-Hawk asks.

Skyfrost takes a moment to reply, "What do you think, Distant-Cloud?"


Which path do you take?
>The untouched path. Better to play it a bit safe.

>The cleared path. Sooner or later, you'll bump into a group. Might as well meet them on your own terms.

>Write in.

>>5497730
>The untouched path

I honestly DO NOT want to earn us some more infamy and emnity at the current stage. It will reveal our intentions and more importantly our location. Lets continue to bond between us.

>>5497730

>The cleared path. Sooner or later, you'll bump into a group. Might as well meet them on your own terms.
If this is steelport, Yellow-Hawk presence will turn that into auto-social win. If that's ebonwill, they will backstab anyway. If that's other/unaligned, we can maybe use diplomacy

>>5497514
>It doesn’t matter in the general sense, but I do figure it’d be a kicker if the university girl our MC likes talking to is a fellow player. If this turned out to be her through the power of plot and he failed to recognize her voice; it’d be worth a laugh.

No foul if any of that turns out wrong, I just find it amusing to consider.

>>5497730

>The untouched path. Better to continue refining your teamwork before the boss.
I’d like to continue building our skill as a group.

As an aside, any possibility of kiting the untouched mobs into more players? If Skyfrost wants to disrupt meta, tactics like that should get more airtime. Show the advantages of a small group mixing it in raids with bigger fish in the dungeon.

>>5497730
>The cleared path. Sooner or later, you'll bump into a group. Might as well meet them on your own terms.
I want blood and tears.

>>5497730
>The untouched path. Better to play it a bit safe.

>>5497730
>The cleared path. Sooner or later, you'll bump into a group. Might as well meet them on your own terms.

>>5497730
>>The untouched path. Better to play it a bit safe.
I have PTSD from rolling that 1

>>5497736
>>5497763
>>5497860
>>5497874
>>5497973
>>5498300
>>5498350

>The untouched path. Better to continue refining your teamwork before the boss.

Writing.

>>5498788

Sorry bros, didn't manage to get the post done today, and I don't have time to write tomorrow. Will try and get the update out on Sunday.

>>5499084
I know that feel. See you Sunday!

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>>5498788

“Though I’d like to see how we’d fare in a PVP situation. I think our teamwork still needs a bit more work. Let’s take the untouched path.” You say.

Skyfrost grunts in approval. “Not a bad suggestion at all. Let’s skip the first few packs in this tunnel as well.”

Just like before, your party executes Skyfrost’s prior strategy, borrowing a cloak of mist to sneak past the initial monsters. It’s carried out fluidly, with none of the awkwardness and hesitation at the beginning of the raid. However, this time, there is no convenient crack in the wall to take cover in, forcing your group to engage the nearest patrol after emerging from the fog. With no need for Skyfrost to direct, you and Yellow-Hawk quickly take up position at the front while LK begins channelling his crowd-control spells. The monsters are quickly taken care of without much trouble.

The roar of spells and steel in the distance become ever more audible as you clear further and further ahead. And after a while, a deafening howl, distorted and filled with defiance, suddenly echoes through these volcanic caverns.

“Huyan the Loyal Guardian (忠守者乎炎) has been slain.” Yellow-Hawk mentions. This is one of the bosses of the Igneous Domain, a colossal Igneous Hound. It’s one of the easier encounters in this raid. Thankfully, you have no need for any of its loot. Your only goal is the final boss which has not yet been downed as evident from the official JSQ boss respawn timers (for select bosses) and the lack of any kill notifications. For all end-game raids of this calibre, slaying the final boss will trigger a server-wide announcement.

You reach another large chamber, from which multiple other entrances lead into. On both sides, it stretches beyond your render distance, the sheer scale of the entire place leaving you somewhat awestruck. What’s immediately striking are the piles and piles of bodies scattered around the room, some freshly slain. There’s no doubt about it. You’ve reached the inner ring.

“Yellow-Hawk, are you familiar with this part of the raid?” Skyfrost asks. “It’s been a while since my last run of the Igneous Domain, heh.”

“If I’m not mistaken, we’re not too far from Huyan’s boss room.” Yellow-Hawk points to the left.

“If we rush, we might very well bump into the group that just slew him.” Autumn-Moon adds. “From the sounds of it, it looks like they’re currently fighting another party.”

A string of death notifications suddenly fill your chatbox.

[Superdog (超狗) has been slain by Grass-Mud-Horse (草泥马)!]
[Blue-Formation (蓝阵) has been slain by Death-Head (死亡头仔)!]
.
.
.

Yellow-Hawk’s voice suddenly turns jittery. “Hold on! Superdog and Blue-Formation are Steelport players. The group ahead belongs to Steelport! We need to help them!”


What do you say?
>”Yes, I agree. Let’s make haste and offer them some assistance.”

>”Don’t be so hasty. By the time we get there, the battle might already be over.”

>Write in.

>>5501405
>>”Yes, I agree. Let’s make haste and offer them some assistance.”

>And by their name, their opponents are probably ebony player, let's shred them.

Grass-mud-horse is a chinese pun that sound really close to fuck your mother but go through profanity filters

>>5501405
>Yes, I agree. Let’s make haste and offer them some assistance.”

>>5501405
>”Yes, I agree. Let’s make haste and offer them some assistance.”
I’m eh on helping others in the raid since we have a goal ourselves and it slows us down, but some PVP experience with this group wouldn’t be a bad idea anyway.

>>5501405
>>”Yes, I agree. Let’s make haste and offer them some assistance.”
Pals help out pals.

>>5501405
> agree

>>5501411
>>5501430
>>5501517
>>5501527
>>5501577

>”Yes, I agree. Let’s make haste and offer them some assistance.”

Three people please roll a 1d20!

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>5502110
if I roll another 1 I'm officially cursed and never touching another die again

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>>5502119
THIN ice

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>5502110

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>5502110

>>5502140
Thank you for your service Anon

>>5502140
OTL

>>5502119
>>5502135
>>5502140

>16

Writing.

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>>5502301

“Yes, I agree. Let’s make haste and offer them some assistance.”

You and your party follow Yellow-Hawk’s lead as he takes you through the volcanic caverns, corpses littering every nook and cranny. The stream of kill notification doesn’t cease while you hurry to the Steelport group’s aid. It’s clear, from Yellow-Hawk’s analysis of the player deaths, that they’re on the losing side. Whoever the enemy is, they must not be pushovers.

After about a minute of pure running, made faster by some of your movement speed buffs, you arrive at the sight of battle - a magnificent chamber unlike anything you’ve seen in the raid thus far. Pillars of cinnabar-red stone, spread out near the perimeter of the room in a circular fashion, reach up high into the chasmal ceiling, as if supporting its unfathomable earthly weight. At the centre rests a single round platform of irregular edge, surrounded by oceans of golden magma. And upon it, lies the carcass of a large wolf. Its fur is as dark as charcoal, and the skin beneath is lined with cracks from which some powerful, but quickly fading, orange aura spews forth. This is Huyan the Loyal Guardian, and around his corpse currently plays out a scene of absolute carnage, cultivators dressed in proud blue uniforms struggling against others clad in golden robes - the Golden Hand Sect. At a glance, about half of the Steelport forces remain, and for their adversaries, around two-thirds.

“We’ll proceed as such.” Skyfrost speaks up, battle plans already drawn in his head. “Observe their backline- Uh, actually, we don’t have time so just jump in first. With me!”

Skyfrost charges into the fray, his sword leaving his hands before he reaches the site of battle. It flies deftly, nimbly strafing through the air before striking an enemy player.

[NMSL has been slain by Skyfrost!]

“Straight through! Yellow-Hawk, cast [Geyser] over there. I’ll keep them still.”

Blitzing through enemy lines, Skyfrost’s blade takes on a shade of icy blue that has since become all too familiar to you. With a single swing of his blade, walls of ice erupt from the ground, blocking off the most efficient path of retreat for the Golden Hand’s spellcasters and healers. Yellow-Hawk takes this chance and dashes into the mob with [Flash Step]. As the shaft of his spear strikes the ground, a complex magic circle appears underfoot. A brief moment later, a raging column of water shoots up, kicking up both Yellow-Hawk and the Golden Hand players.

“Distant-Cloud, [Wave of Force]. Into the lava!”

You fly to about the same altitude as the falling players and execute [Wave of Force] as instructed. Before the ability lands, Yellow-Hawk performs some complex movements in the air to avoid your attack. Like leaves of a tree in autumn, the Golden Hand players fall in droves to their demise, swept away by a vicious gale. What remains of them, that is to say, their frontline and tanks, quickly crumble under the shock of losing their rear support.

>>5503056

“Yellow-Hawk, what’re you doing here?” One of the Steelport players, a tank by the looks of it, asks in in-game voice chat.

“I’m assisting our friends over here.”

“Where’s the rest of your party? Guess you guys got picked off along the way as well, eh.”

“This is the whole party.”

A silence that’s hard to describe befalls the room.

“Wait, you’re serious?”

Yellow-Hawk nods, going on to explain your current situation.

“That’s… Insane! But you guys ought to leave now. The Golden Hand are lackeys of the Ebonwill. If they know you’re here, so do their masters. We were just about to leave as well after slaying Huyan, but we got ambushed while we were looting. If you guys are leaving now, we can escort you.”

“We’ll think about it.” Skyfrost responds. He continues talking on Harmony. “What’s the plan, boys? Should we leave or stay and fight? Personally, I prefer the latter, but we’ll take a vote.”

Autumn-Moon is the first to answer, “Fight.”

Next is Yellow-Hawk, “I think it would be wise to return with what we’ve gained so far.”

“I’m with Yellow-Hawk.” LK replies.


What is your choice?
>Stay and fight. You’ll see this test run to its ultimate conclusion. What better way to test your teamwork than with the most extreme PVP conditions? Being outnumbered and outgeared doesn’t necessarily mean you’re outmatched.

>Return to town. For a test run, tonight has gone much better than you expected. Why not end on a high note? The loot you’ve obtained so far can be used to fund your future runs.

>Write in.

>>5503057
Do we have our best gear on, Kismet? (Us and the party in general.)

If we do,
>Return to town. For a test run, tonight has gone much better than you expected. Why not end on a high note? The loot you’ve obtained so far can be used to fund your future runs.

If we have crappy throwaway gear,
>Stay and fight. You’ll see this test run to its ultimate conclusion. What better way to test your teamwork than with the most extreme PVP conditions? Being outnumbered and outgeared doesn’t necessarily mean you’re outmatched.

>>5503061

>Do we have our best gear on, Kismet? (Us and the party in general.)

No, we came out in disposable gear.

>>5503057
>Write in
Pass the loot to the Steelport players to bring back for us while we stay and fight.

>>5503066
I like this better. +1. Maybe keep anything really really good on us, but they can carry out the bulk of it.

>>5503066
Supportin' that. Keep XP, and funds.

>>5503066
support
Steelport are suckers and will do this for us

>>5503057
>Stay and fight. You’ll see this test run to its ultimate conclusion. What better way to test your teamwork than with the most extreme PVP conditions? Being outnumbered and outgeared doesn’t necessarily mean you’re outmatched.
We planned on potentially getting wiped here thanks to larger teams piling on us. Nothing has changed, so stick with the objective.
>Ask the Steelport players to return with some of our loot. With Yellow-Hask on our team, they’re incredibly unlikely to steal anything.
This was a good idea, so I’m backing it too.

>>5503057
We have disposable gear.
>Stay and fight

>>5503066
But I also support giving decent loot there. We're being a distraction anyway.

>>5503057
>>5503066 +1

>>5503057
>Stay and fight. You’ll see this test run to its ultimate conclusion. What better way to test your teamwork than with the most extreme PVP conditions? Being outnumbered and outgeared doesn’t necessarily mean you’re outmatched
I didn't log on to make sane sensible decisions.

>>5503057
Supporting >>5503379

Hey anons, I'm still alive, been busy these couple of days. Votes will run until tomorrow morning. Hope everyone has a great Winter Solstice!

>>5505662
Thanks for letting us know!

>>5503061
>>5503066
>>5503075
>>5503114
>>5503125
>>5503379
>>5503393
>>5504675
>>5504805

>Stay and fight. You’ll see this test run to its ultimate conclusion. What better way to test your teamwork than with the most extreme PVP conditions? Being outnumbered and outgeared doesn’t necessarily mean you’re outmatched.
>Ask the Steelport players to return with some of our loot. With Yellow-Hask on our team, they’re incredibly unlikely to steal anything.

Writing.

OP????

>>5515428
Eaten by a grue.

Rest in pepperonies, Kismet