File: friendlist.png (428 KB, 600x800)

428 KB PNG

My apologies about last time. I'm used to running stuff much less active, and for a significantly shorter amount of time. I really thought I could beat 404, and boy was I close but uuh... them's the breaks, I guess.

I intended to run more last week but I ended up having a really busy week between job hunting and social obligations. I'll try to make up for it today.

That aside, let's have some fun. Let's get a few things out of the way though so I don't disappoint you can drop early before being horrifically disappointed. I promise offline segments won't be prominent, and I'll keep them at a few posts a session at best. I don't really like it when quests get long, so I won't be running for more than twenty threads if you're interested in a long term investment. Also, we'll just be skipping out on the grind and moving you at about five levels between threads, because the worst part of an MMO is the grind.

>>34730920
>Help greg, but don't go out for a round

>>34730920
>>Go home, gotta level up
Fuck real life, get virtual money

>>34730920
>>Go home, gotta level up
Nah, Drinking isnt really mah thang bro

>>34730920
"You really think I could help you convince her Greg? Sorry, if I could do that I'd be going with her by myself."

>>34731103
Second

File: warderskilltree.png (512 KB, 600x800)

512 KB PNG

"If I could get Ms Rebecca out for a drink, I'd go with her myself." So smooth, you're a champ.

"I certainly hope you're not flirting with me, I have a no office romance rule," Ms Rebecca says, unimpressed. Maybe, not so smooth.

"So are you going with us or what?"

"No Greg, I'm busy too, drinking isn't my thing any ways," you answer the portly man, organizing the last of your things before taking your leave.

"You're so unsociable man! I bet you're just going to play games all night!" yells Greg to your leaving back, you notice Ms Rebecca's bite her lower lip lightly as you pass by her...

...As you enter your small apartment, you see the couple next door making out in front of, well, next door. Last night they were threatening divorce and arguing about custody of their kid, today they're like tweenage puppies. You're unfortunately used to this. Ignoring them, you close the door behind you and get seated at your desk. If you have to be at a small computer all day, this is the way to do it. You stick on your AR-set and log into the game.

In short seconds, you leave your barely furnished room, enter into darkness, and exit into Granrose, the Human capital of Erquest. You take a moment to adjust the little slime crown on your head for comfort, and check through your windows for a day of adventure.

Looks like Pixie is online, but Ervin and Lloyd are off. Ervin as you know has long work days, but who knows what's keeping Lloyd, school ends at three and marking can't take him much longer than that.

At any rate, you have...

>2 Stat points to distribute
>1 Skill point to distribute

You open up your skill tree and your stat block, thinking of how to go about this. Most of the boxes in your skill tree are unavailable until you level up.

>Divide up to two points between...
>...Strength
>...Defense
>...Magic
>...Resistance
>...Speed
>...Luck

>Pick one skill between...
>...Wolf Fang
>...Stone Wall
>...Like the Sun
>...Like the Wind
>...Like the Earth

>>34730920
>Help Greg
"It's not about the drinking, but the conversation...or so I've heard."

Calling it now, "Ms Rebecca" is Pixie

Plot twist, its actually Greg!

>>34731462
>>...Speed
>...Strength

>...Stone Wall

i think that would be good

Whats up with that lip bite? she mirin?

>>34731462
>Magic
>Speed

>Like the Wind

>>34731462
>>Divide up to two points between...
>...Strength
>...Speed

>>Pick one skill between...
>...Wolf Fang

>>34731462
What are our current stats like again?

>>34731724
1 STR, 1 SPD, 1 MGC, 1 RST. You have Balanced Strike and Healing Palm.

>>34731752
Nigga start a pastebin with all the backstory and shit

>>34731462
>Like the Wind
Looks like it turns Balanced Strike into Wolf Fang anyway, and works during any round rather than just the first.

>Strength
>Defense

Kind of curious whether Like the Earth counts regenerating Balance passively, or if it only counts Balance gained from skills. If it's the former, I'd advocate for taking that instead. Defense bonus every other round seems great.

>>34731462
Voting for
>stone wall
because we want that balance spam. Alternate between stone wall and balanced strike. Get like the wind as our next buff.

>>34731462
>...Strength
>...Speed
>...Like the Wind

File: astersheetpng.png (474 KB, 600x800)

474 KB PNG

You allocate your stat points and the one skill point. Your experience bar is so close to full, and so close to that next skill tier, you can taste it.

It tastes like zombie fist mostly.

It seems that [Like the Wind] only counts for bonuses when you activate skills with it, like-wise with your other passive abilities. You make a note of that and move on.

You've picked up a good chunk of quests, but you've become a little tired of the constant grind in this game. As much fun as punching things is, the Koreans that made it could've done a better job of scaling the levels. No matter, you just need to decide on what you'll do today. You open up your list of quests, giving it a look over for some of the less mind-numbing ones.

>Escort Caravan - A caravan of merchants needs help getting from Granrose to Porkshire, you haven't been to that town yet.
>Mountain Flower - Some sap needs you to collect ten mountain flowers so he can make a bouquet for his love, mostly you just want to go rock climbing
>Fishing for Trouble - Some fishermen have run into trouble fighting fishmen, it's another grind quest but you're up for punching things
>Write-In

Maybe you should invite Pixie to your adventure as well.
>Invite Pixie to your party
>You'd rather handle this one on your own

>>34731780
He'll post the stats next post

>>34732040
>Mountain Flower - Some sap needs you to collect ten mountain flowers so he can make a bouquet for his love, mostly you just want to go rock climbing

>Just chat. Talk about how different it is experiencing things as your respective races.

>>34732040
>>Mountain Flower - Some sap needs you to collect ten mountain flowers so he can make a bouquet for his love, mostly you just want to go rock climbing
>Invite Pixie to your party
I bet the view is nice too

>>34732040
>Mountain Flower - Some sap needs you to collect ten mountain flowers so he can make a bouquet for his love, mostly you just want to go rock climbing
>Invite Pixie to your party

>>34732040
>>Mountain Flower - Some sap needs you to collect ten mountain flowers so he can make a bouquet for his love, mostly you just want to go rock climbing

>Invite Pixie to your party

Tis a date

>>34732040
>Mountain Flower - Some sap needs you to collect ten mountain flowers so he can make a bouquet for his love, mostly you just want to go rock climbing
Hardcore parkour.

>>34732077
>Just chat. Talk about how different it is experiencing things as your respective races.
This is an interesting point. Nothing's keeping us from discussing stuff even if we're not doing the same quests.

"Pixie, let's party!" you 'message' your kittish friend, "Oh, put your hand to your mouth to speak."

"What!? Who!? Who's talking to me!?"

"Aster." It seems like every time you send to her, you have to play out the same skit.

"Oh! Right! Okay, I can do that!" You tell her about the quest, and send her an invitation before deciding on where to meet...

...Monkey Mountains is aptly named after its mob-population of apes. Just from the base of the ranges, you can see a monkey-mockery of Mount Rushmore (named Mount Rushmonkey, incidentally) depicting some chimp-like image of each president.

"Wow, they really modelled that as a joke?"

"I think it's cute," says Pixie. She's online more often than you've been, but her level is only just even to yours.

"What've you been doing with all your time in-game?" you ask, curious.

"Hm? Exploring. There's sooo much stuff to see!" She waves her hands around widely, batting her green eyes. "I can go everywhere in this body."

"It's pretty different being another race isn't it, if I was a Noman offline I wouldn't ever have to reach for a controller again..." Your experiments the last little while have turned up some results, your head, arms and legs can detach and each one can move on their own. "I bet that tail comes in handy."

"I'm mostly a fan of the legs, I'm not too good at running in real life, but I don't get tired here." Pixie smiles at you sweetly, baring her canine-fangs. Your eyes inadvertently draw down to her legs, despite better equipment allegedly offering more protection, it seems that for girls it just grows skimpier and skimpier. Her tanned skin shows well on the free tone of her body.

"Ah, well. Let's go then," you say to her and yourself, starting up the trail to your destination...

>CONT

>>34732416
>it seems that for girls it just grows skimpier and skimpier
so was the starting outfit a nun costume?

You spot a few monkeys here and there, staying clear of them. You're levelled well enough to handle the area, but turning in quests has been a lot more lucrative to your experience than punching random monsters.

You and Pixie pick the flowers you see that won't get you in too much trouble, it's twice the work collecting ten for each of you, but it's a pleasant experience having company. Why it's almost like a...

A date? ARE YOU ON A DATE RIGHT NOW!? YOU HAVEN'T BEEN ON ONE SINCE COLLEGE! Between work, Ervin's ability to grab the attention of every girl in a five block radius, and Lloyd's ability to scare them away, it's been a real challenge meeting women that aren't after you for drug money. Erquest is the best!

You entertain yourself with that thought for a few seconds before tucking it away where no one will ever see it. You don't want to get ahead of yourself here.

"Hey Aster! Look, look!" Pixie taps you on the shoulder with her tail as you fumble around over a flower, she points over in the distance.

"Get out of my hunting ground, or I'll smash your face in." A short distance away, stand two opposite figures. A raven-winged Elman with white hair in some belt-laden outfit, he's being harassed by a black-skinned Noman woman waving around a spear. Her clothes are all sorts of colourful, the curse of MMO stats. You haven't added anything to your starting outfit yet other than your wonderful crown for fear of being unfashionable.

"I-I am the Bloody Raven! S-stay back, or my cursed arm will release its power!"

"HUUUUH? Try it punk, I'll break that cursed arm of yours and they'll be calling you the Bloodied Raven!"

"HEEK! DON'T HURT ME!"

"Maybe we should do something..." Pixie looks at you, pity for the Elman in her eyes...

You know open-world combat is locked until 15, but players can duel at any level...

>Talk down the Noman woman
>Defend the Elman in a duel
>Take Pixie and ignore the two
>Write-In

>>34732686

Call the Noman a faggot. That'll show her.

>>34732686
>>Talk down the Noman woman
Let's see if we can do this peacefully

>>34732686
>>Talk down the Noman woman

>>34732686
Get the "Bloody Raven" to calm down while giving combat advice.

Nothing wrong with a bit of PvP

>>34732686
I think the noman woman is boss Rebecca's character.
Pixie is totally greg. She did say she liked running because she couldn't run fast IRL

>>34732686
>Defend The Elman in a duel
Time to show Pixie your dangerous side

>>34732686
>Talk down the Noman woman

"Hey, stop that," you shout, stepping ahead of Pixie. The two turn their heads to you, it looks like the Noman and the Elman are a Warder and a Caster respectively.

"Huh? Who the fuck are you?" The Warder looks at you, placing a hand on her hips. Her hair is red and hangs out loose and messy, she sharpens her gold eyes on you. The name 'Yzz' hangs above her head.

"Oh thank god I'm saved... I mean, I don't need any help, I can finish this battle in seconds." This 'Raven' fellow is not helping himself.

"This area is massive, there's no reason we can't share the farm here."

"The reason we can't share the farm here is because I don't need scrubs taking my spawn."

"B-but the quest mob only spawns here!" Raven's voice is deep-set, but it cracks when he tries to defend himself. "You already killed it twice!"

"Let's all get along, okay?" Pixie steps forward, smiling as sheepishly as a cat-girl can.

"The quest mob has a higher chance of dropping rares, so I'm farming it. Got a problem with that?" Yzz growls at the three of you. She's got a real attitude problem, this chick. "Come on, beat me in a duel and I'll let you have it. Otherwise, fuck off faggot."

"F-faggot...?" Raven looks like he's about to cry, poor guy. No amount of impractical belts will hold in his self-esteem at this rate.

"How about the two of you party so you can farm together? It's not like you take any experience penalty," you suggest.

"I don't want to party with a scrub like that. All you gays can play nice with each other if you want."

Gay? What is she, twelve? Actually, that's a possibility isn't it. Still...

"Go fuck yourself faggot," you bring yourself down to her level, that'll show her!

"Come at me, fag!" Yzz smacks a hand against her chest, there's a small bounce as it bounds off her body.

>Stand your ground and continue the word exchange!
>Negociations are over, duel!
>Invite Raven to your party, you're above Yzz.
>Write-In

>>34733344
>Make Raven fight. Give him advice, and keep him calm. He needs to fight his own battles.

>>34733344
Assuming kill stealing is a thing...
Invite Raven dood, outcamp this other faggot with the power of 3v1 beatdowns, drink delicious tears.

>>34733344
What kind of loser farms a quest mob you fight before level 10? What do you gain from that?

>>34733344
>Negotiations are over, its time to d-d-d-duel
Cunt 'bout to get punt

>>34733344
>Invite Raven to your party, you're above Yzz.

Use the 3-to-1 manpower advantage to steal her farm. Leave an open party invite the entire time until she acknowledges that she's been being an irrational dick and submits to our superior asshole technology.

Then once the dickwaving contest is concluded with our victory, maybe we can get to know people a little better.

>>34733344
Faito!

"Raven right? We'll help you out, so forget this and come join us." You open up your party menu and send Raven an invitation, he accepts it instantly.

"There you go, now you can run off and fuck in the bushes like a couple of boy scouts," Yzz says the last of her words, before turning and laughing as she makes her way over to a crowd of unsuspecting monkeys.

Raven breaths out a sigh of relief before turning to you and Pixie. He cups an elbow in his hand, spreading the other hand over his face, leaving space for his two red eyes to glare through. "Don't expect me to thank you... but thanks. The Bloody Raven always repays his dues, but don't get too close, or my cursed arm will scorch you."

Guess he's role-playing some kind of character. Somehow, you don't think him and Lloyd's Lluthiana are the same sort though. "Nice to meet you then... The Bloody Raven."

"I'll be careful not to get burned!" Pixie says, honest and innocent.

"Y-yes. I will be careful to control my awesome power." Looks like you made a new friend...

"I thought we were avoiding mob spawns," says Pixie, as you punch a monkey into blocks of colour.

"We were, now we're clearing everything in the zone."

"Truly you and I are beings of darkness Aster, we will feast upon the demise of these monsters and grow our powers greater!"

"Thanks Raven, but I'm just making sure that Yzz doesn't get any farm." Even if it's just a dickwaving contest, you will not lose to a woman--even if she may be a man

"Oh hey, the quest spawn!" Raven says, absent-mindedly turning his back to you as you aggro a pair of small monkeys.

"DON'T HIT IT!"

"Hit it?" Pixie cocks her bow up, and fires an arrow into the distance. You turn your head to see her shot connect, just in time to awaken a giant black gorilla.

Well, fuck. Looks like you have a fight. The small monkeys are running at you, swinging clubs around blindly.

>CONT

The two Small Monkeys are running towards you, flailing their arms over their heads. They wear a caveman-like cloth, tied over one shoulder and wield simple clubs. It doesn't look like they're too smart.

On your opposite side, the Black Gorilla is making large strides towards Pixie and Raven. The two of them are firing arrows and flame blasts at the thing, but it doesn't look like either is making good use of their mobility.

Your team is pincered between the groups, and although you're sure neither would be hard to deal with in a normal group of three, it doesn't look like your new friends here know the game very well yet.

The Small Monkeys get in range, they're swinging their club at you.

>You may activate up to three skills a round if your [Balance] permits it. Combat is done by rolling 3d20, picked from three pools at different priority.

>You are at [Balance].

>[LIGHT] Avoid the monkeys attacks and wear the monkeys down.
>[HEAVY] You have to take out the monkeys fast, smash them down quickly.
>[GUARD] You already have the monkey's attention, you need to intercept the gorilla to protect your party.
>Write-In

Rolled 2, 12, 1 = 15 (3d20)

>>34734150
>>[HEAVY] You have to take out the monkeys fast, smash them down quickly.

>>34734150
Kite the mobs, make a train, drag it onto Yzz. She did want all the farm here, might as well help her out.

Just make sure your party doesn't take aggro.

>>34734230
Nah, just ignore Yzz. If she want's in on this she's going to have to learn to play nice.

Rolled 5, 20, 4 = 29 (3d20)

>>34734150

>>34734230
This is mildly amusing. One Gorilla and a few adds isn't much of a train though, especially considering she's already mentioned having killed them twice.

That said, if she's already in the middle of fighting it might still throw her off, and the extra pressure is probably as good a way as any to badger her into partying with us for the sake of efficiency. C'mon, there's no XP penalty for groups. Some farmer you are if you're insisting on doing everything suboptimally.

Rolled 17, 1, 14 = 32 (3d20)

>>34734150
>>[HEAVY] You have to take out the monkeys fast, smash them down quickly.
Use Balancing Strike to take these guys down as fast as possible

You bring your quarterstaff out wide and swing it hard at the pair of monkeys, using [Balancing Strike] as you carry it.

One of them ducks under the swing, the other jumps over it. They club your in the knee and the head respectively, flashing your vision red and knocking away about a half of your health on their lucky blows. This is not a good start.

You see a chunk of Pixie's health vanish in the corner of your eye, turning your head around you catch her body flying through the air as the gorilla tosses her over his shoulder. On the bright side, the big smile on her face tells you that she's having fun at least.

"Hahahah... it seems our enemies are stronger than expected. A worthy fight for The Bloody Raven!"

"I think The Bloody Raven should be quiet and run!" You take a step back from the monkeys and run past the gorilla, it takes Raven a moment to follow your cue, but it seems he's in luck that the enemies are focused on you and Pixie respectively.

You stop to pick up Pixie, who thankfully landed on a shallow patch of grass instead of hitting some mountainous rock. You pluck the flower that's sprouted near her, before picking her up and continuing.

"BE THANKFUL I'M LETTING YOU LIVE MONKEYS! MY CURSED ARM IS STILL ASLEEP!"

"What's going on!? What's happening!?" Still cradled in your arms, Pixie takes pot-shots at the pursuing primates as you run.

You spot Yzz dealing with a pair of monkeys herself off in the distance, she's not having a hard time with it, perhaps you should help her with that farm. You are in a better position to fight now though, not caught between two monkeys and a hard spot at least. You let down Pixie and turn to your opponents, who're rolling in after you with their weapons raised high.

>You are [Unbalanced].

>[LIGHT] Slip past the gorilla and attack the monkeys.
>[HEAVY] Jump into the fray and crash into your opponents.
>[GUARD] Tank the enemies and hope Pixie and Raven can take them down.
>[1d20] Pass the enemies over to Yzz.

Rolled 8 (1d20)

>>34734691
>[1d20] Pass the enemies over to Yzz.

Rolled 13 (1d20)

Pulling a quest monster and adds was a bad start, especially if the weaker two alone were enough to take us down to half. Let's pass it over and try again with more manageable fights, making certain that we pull this time.

>>34734691
>Cast Healing Palm on whoever needs it most
>[GUARD] Tank the enemies and hope Pixie and Raven can take them down.
Hit them with another Balancing Strike to get out Speed buff up and stay then dodgy

"Okay, I need both of you to hide," you tell your party.

"Got it." Pixie goes into a [Prowl], half-fading and sneaking off between some rocks.

"I leave it to you then, do not fail me." Raven places a hand on your shoulder and pats it twice, looking at you with far more severity than a video game deserves. He spreads out black-feathered wings, and soars out of sight.

With your team mates out of sight, the mobs turn their sights on you and begin running your way. And you, with the faith of your friends and the bravery that only a non-consequential online video game can give you... turn and run towards Yzz.

The black-skinned Noman finishes off the last of her quarry, her health has ticked near nothing but for the moment she's safe from danger. The moment doesn't last, you buzz right past her, waving in her face as you run.

"I thought I told you to stay the fuck out of my grounds!" she yells, watching you scurry away.

"No problem, I can do that! You stay and fight whatever monsters you want!"

"Well... okay then..." Yzz gives you a confused look, as the ground starts to shake. Further befuddled, she turns around to see it. The giant ape just barely scratched and his two untouched monkey keepers walking after him. "Oh. Oh shit."

Were Yzz a smart woman, she'd run some way away from you, knowing that you had the monster's attention.

Yzz is not a smart woman. She raises her spear, pointing it forward at the group of three with an awkward mix of determination and terror. "Stone Wall!" she yells, in a somewhat weak voice. It's not enough, the gorilla smashes her into the ground with its club as you watch safely from behind some shadow-cast rocks...

With Yzz taken out and your party out of sight, the monsters start to stroll back to their place. What little health Pixie and Raven shaved off the gorilla regenerating quickly.

>CONT

File: nice.jpg (64 KB, 628x479)

64 KB JPG

oh hell yes, wondered when this quest was coming back

>>34735247
Hey, we get to watch how Re-Dead works.

Totally worth it.

"We did it!" Pixie comes into view beside you, bouncing up and down in celebration of your 'victory.'

"A smart move my sworn companion, you turned enemy against enemy and saved all of our lives." Raven floats down to your other side, his arms crossed and his wings folding up behind him.

"It was a group effort, we must not forget the sacrifice that Yzz made for us today."

"I feel a little bad about that," says Pixie.

"She died the way she lived, grinding on monkeys."

"Nothing personal kid." Raven spins around, pointing one finger out at Yzz. Her body parts have flown all over, and her head has rolled about a meter off her torso. Her health bar is gray and emptied...

"FUCK YOU!" Yzz's head bounces up alive, a tiny sliver of green comes to view above her. "YOU FUCKING TROLLS, WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DO THAT!?"

"HOLY SHIT IT'S A ZOMBIE, KILL IT!" Raven jumps back scared, folding his wings over his face. Pixie leaps onto your arm, clinging around it with her whole body--before it falls off from her weight. "HOW IS SHE ALIVE!?" Raven asks.

"Re-Dead. Noman can resurrect at one health after they're killed," you tell your friends.

"I'M GOING TO KILL ALL OF YOU," yells Yzz, before turning her head to you, "AND I'M GOING TO KILL YOU TWICE!" The head bounces up and down, snapping its teeth and yelling profanities. The separated parts of Yzz are twitching, but still half-buried.

"Calm down, you're acting like you lost your mind."

"GO FUCK YOURSELF!"

"Do you have your head screwed on right?"

"I'M GOING TO SHOVE MY SPEAR SO FAR UP YOUR ASS!"

"Can I lend you a hand?" You remove your severed arm from Pixie's grasp, offering it to Yzz. She bites it painfully, but your health doesn't change.

>Help Yzz get her body back together
>Leave Yzz alone, go finish your Mountain Flower quest
>Mess with Yzz some more, she deserves it
>Write-In

>>34735473
Let's go finish the quest and get out of here.

>>34735473
>Leave Yzz alone, go finish your Mountain Flower quest

>>34735473
>>Leave Yzz alone, go finish your Mountain Flower quest
Okay let's get out of here

>>34735473
>Help Yzz get her body back together
But
>Mess with Yzz some more, she deserves it
At least a little bit. Put her legs on backwards or something, I dunno.

Then go finish our quest. It's gonna take time for her to regen back to full from 1 HP, so it's not like she'll be able to do the same thing back to us while we're finishing gathering flowers.

>>34735473
>Help Yzz get her body back together
Let's try not being a dick.

>>34735473
>Help Yzz get her body back together

>>34735473
>Help Yzz get her body back together

Well, you've had your fun. No sense being antagonistic to your fellow players. You slap your own arm back on, and pick up Yzz's head. "Hey, what're you doing!? Let me down asshole!" She screams, rolling about in your grasp and getting spit on your face. You slap her head back onto her torso, then help her fetch both of her arms.
She can crawl over to her legs on her own though, that'll buy you some time to make distance from her. Right now, you want to finish that quest of yours unabated, you've had enough distractions. "I swear, you better hit 15 fast, because I'm going to hunt down all of you and make you regret this! UUUUGH!"

"I don't know, I really think we should give her her legs. It feels really bad leaving her grounded like that..." Pixie frowns, as you begin your way back to the quest at hand.

"I say we fly her head off somewhere else and let the birds have at it. What a biiiiitch." Raven disagrees with Pixie's sentiments. But what's done is done, you have a job to do...

You share the quest with Raven and the three of you collect the flowers quite nicely over the next while, the sky has turned red from blue while you scour every corner and team up on a monkey here and there. It seems Raven has a couple levels on you, but he really doesn't seem used to playing. It's quite different being the most experienced in a party for once.

"One flower left and we'll have the job done!" Pixie says. Thanks to the abuse of their racial skills, the other two have caught a neat lead on you, but it's only one mountain flower left for you to finish. You and Pixie wait around a spot you picked earlier, when Raven returns, flying in.

"I peeked around, and saw a few flower spawns still in the area." He gives you the details, and you decide...

>To go back and fight the Black Gorilla, take the flower he's waiting by
>Travel further to the mountain peak to get the highest flower
>Wait for the flower near you to spawn, take it easy and talk to your party

>>34735973
>>Travel further to the mountain peak to get the highest flower
Get that view

>>34735973
Fight the black gorilla, never back down from a challenge.

>>34735973
>>To go back and fight the Black Gorilla, take the flower he's waiting by
I do kind of want to see if we can take him out, and it would be especially excellent if we lucked out and got a rare drop from it as well for maximum rub-ins.

It should be easier this time around if we're actually intending on pulling it rather than having to scramble. And we know the big guy defaults to overhead club-smashing from watching him squash Yzz, too! Totally wasn't petty and vindictive at all. It was info-gathering.

>>34735973
>Travel further to the mountain peak to get the highest flower
Gorgeous View Ahead

>>34735973
>>To go back and fight the Black Gorilla, take the flower he's waiting by

We need to get the rookies more combat experience. Get den blooded roit an proppa.

Although the peak from the mountain top sounds beautiful, you've already seen a sunrise from The Slime Prince's throne room and gotten the sparkling crown to prove it. Instead, you decide to help Raven out with his little quest, and you have him share it while you're at it...

The size of two men, the weight of two Gregs, and such a dull look on its face that even your boss Ms Rebecca couldn't compare. You watch the Black Gorilla from just out of its range. The thing just stands idle, occasionally scratching its butt and batting its chest at nothing.

The area is more or less clear of monkeys, and you have a better idea of how to fight it this time. You're ready to go. Raising your hand over your head, then pointing it forward, you gesture for Pixie and Raven to pull the target, at once they release flying arrows and seeking lightning on the ape, shaving off health and turning it around. It begins to dumbly run at your group, rolling forward on its feet and a fist, heaving a club over its shoulder.

You hold your quarterstaff in hand, and lunge forward to meet it. It ignores you at first, but a sweep to its legs grabs its attention as you roll past behind it. Your health is full, and its is barely ticked. Time to get some experience.

The gorilla grabs its club, holding it in both hands, and cleaves down at your skull...

>You are [Balanced].

>[LIGHT] Dodge the club and skirt around the gorilla to do damage.
>[HEAVY] Meet the gorilla head on, it's big but you have TWO whole points in strength!
>[GUARD] Hold your quarterstaff above your head and brace for impact, try to counter-attack.
>Write-In

Rolled 9, 16, 20 = 45 (3d20)

>>34736458
>>[LIGHT] Dodge the club and skirt around the gorilla to do damage.
As many as 2 is (We literally doubled our strength with that stat-up! That's insane!) I don't think we're as buff as the Gorilla quite yet.

Rolled 9, 13, 9 = 31 (3d20)

>>34736458
>>[LIGHT] Dodge the club and skirt around the gorilla to do damage.
Hit him with a Balanced Strike too

Rolled 19, 16, 2 = 37 (3d20)

>>34736458
>>[LIGHT] Dodge the club and skirt around the gorilla to do damage.

Rolled 9, 8, 1 = 18 (3d20)

>>34736458
>>[LIGHT] Dodge the club and skirt around the gorilla to do damage.

Pretty sure that's a crash/heavy.

>>34736516
>Balanced Strike
If we aren't automatically using Balanced Strike where we can, we should definitely make a point of using it here. The Speed boost from Like the Wind is going to be handy next round in case the Gorilla gets somewhat less careless.

>>34736584
>Pretty sure that's a crash/heavy.
I had completely forgotten we were doing a rock paper scissors thing

>>34736629
I remember because I follow DXQ

You duck past the first swing, the craters the ground behind you as you slip between the gorilla's legs. There's a certain smell underneath him that leaves wonder whether there's such a thing as too much realism, but you shut the thought away as you slam your quarter staff up into the underneaths of the gorilla. A series of [Back Stab] arrows fly into the gorilla, followed by a blast of flame that leaves a cloud of smoke hovering around the beast.

"The demon within me yearns and it burns, it cries out for freedom, for a fiery release... FIRE BLAST!"

"Damnit Raven! Just cast your spells instead of making a big show of it!"

"Oh, oh, let me try!" Pixie stalls her next shot, thinking. "Roses and red, violets are blue, you'll soon be dead, a BACK STAB to you!"

"And now you got Pixie doing it!" The gorilla lifts his leg above your head, and thrusts it down furiously. You tuck and roll past it, bringing a [Balanced Strike] into its knee, flooring the beast. It seems you did some critical damage in this round.

But the battle's not over yet, you've managed to avoid being hit but your foe still has about half of its health remaining. Another lucky series like that and you're golden, but otherwise this could be tricky.
The gorilla lifts its legs and leaps back onto its feet, it tosses its club into the air and begins lifts its arms, sweeping them left and right at you as it walks forward.

>You are [Unbalanced].

>[LIGHT] Dash between the arms and get in close where it'll be harder to hit you.
>[HEAVY] Meet its fists, with your FISTS.
>[GUARD] Parry the swings with your weapon, deflecting its blows to the ground.
>Write-In

Rolled 5, 1, 9 = 15 (3d20)

>>34736781
>[GUARD] Parry the swings with your weapon, deflecting its blows to the ground.
We got that Speed bonus to help

>>34736781
>[GUARD] we need to get balance back, if we pull off a parry alright we should be fine.

Rolled 2, 17, 8 = 27 (3d20)

>>34736781
>[GUARD] Parry the swings with your weapon, deflecting its blows to the ground.
Being forced to plow its fists through the ground over and over again is bound to slow him down a little.

Rolled 1, 18, 5 = 24 (3d20)

>>34736781
>[GUARD] Parry the swings with your weapon, deflecting its blows to the ground.

Rolled 13, 2, 17 = 32 (3d20)

>>34736839
forgot my roll

Rolled 3, 7, 6 = 16 (3d20)

>>34736781
>>[GUARD] Parry the swings with your weapon, deflecting its blows to the ground.

>>34736833
>>34736917
We may have a slight problem.

You spin your quarterstaff, and snap on it, holding it parallel to the ground in both arms. Sliding your legs out, you lower your body as the ape descends, and meet its first blow with a strike on the wrists, carrying the weight of its fist into the dirt. The second strike you similarly stop, then a third, then a fourth.
It's the fifth hit that sneaks past you, you just can't find the momentum to keep up your defense and it slip a blow past your defence. You're forced to drop your weapon, crossing your arms over your head to defend. You sink some inches into the ground when it hits you, and then some more with the several strikes following.

You're losing a chunk of health with each strike, and you can't find a way to escape. 90%. 80%. 70%. 60%. 50%. He just keeps hitting you.

"Freezing Field!" Raven swoops in, he hovers just above the gorilla and blasts a wave of frost out from his finger tips. For just a moment, the ape is stunned and you slip out from under him. Raven flies in and makes some weak slashes at the Black Gorilla's head, shaving bits of health and hair off of it. The thing is at about 30% health now, but being taken out of the round hurt your efforts.

The gorilla reaches up, bits of frost tearing off of its body and floating down onto you like flakes of snow. It grabs Raven and jumps, slamming him into the ground beside you. The caster's wings fold, but he still seems good to go.

The gorilla steps forward, it lifts both arms to its right, and then swings wide and hard with them at the two of you and Raven

>You are [Balanced].

>[LIGHT] Push Raven out of the way and try to outrun the swing, deal damage when you close the distance to the body
>[HEAVY] Hit the Black Gorilla before it hits you, if you knock it down you won't take any damage.
>[GUARD] Hold your ground, use your body to protect Raven.

Even with nine effective dice up from two, it seems that dice in my runs are cursed.

Rolled 8, 6, 11 = 25 (3d20)

>>34737256
>>[LIGHT] Push Raven out of the way and try to outrun the swing, deal damage when you close the distance to the body
Sound like Heavy, spam that Balanced Strike

Rolled 19, 17, 4 = 40 (3d20)

>>34737256
>[LIGHT] Push Raven out of the way and try to outrun the swing, deal damage when you close the distance to the body
Maybe "outrunning" isn't the best word for it, but staying low and getting closer to his body. If he's swinging at waist height or so, it'll give us more clearance for our head if we get closer to him (since he's tall and his arms have to be angled downward to hit us).

Switch to our sword rather than our quarterstaff if we're in close as well, I think. It'll be easier to swing around.

Rolled 14, 16, 18 = 48 (3d20)

>>34737256
>>[LIGHT] Push Raven out of the way and try to outrun the swing, deal damage when you close the distance to the body
Let's try not dying

Rolled 18, 2, 10 = 30 (3d20)

>[LIGHT]
Can't quote the whole thing, on mobile. Also glad to see this is back. Could turn out mucho bueno.
>>34737256

You lift your leg and slam your foot into Raven, kicking him away, not the most friendly way to rescue a partner, but you're a little strapped for time. You can't deal damage to party members any ways.

As the arms of the Black Gorilla sweep low the ground at you, you break into a run towards it. Clouds of dirt follow the beasts swing, separating you from your party. You manage to bring yourself up close to the gorilla, and as fast as you can, summon your sword out from your inventory and into your hand. The things arms return to its sides, where it lifts them ready to bring down on you.

"SWIFT STRIKE!" A red arrow flies through the dust, and pegs the gorilla in the gut. Its body lurches forward, and its hands slam into the ground to each side of you. Its health drops down, 20%.

"Balanced Strike!" You leap and swing your blade into the gorilla's face, your blade blurs in the air and shaves away half of the gorilla's remaining life. Still soaring, you use your own momentum to swing your body around again, making a full rotation as your weapon burns. "Balanced Strike!" you shout again, slashing the gorilla a second time. His health shrinks to 0, and his body explodes into fragments of light. Pieces of gold shower down with you as you land on your feet, and a small chest hits the ground with a thud where the gorilla once stood. A light shines around you, tipping you off to your level up. "HELL YEAH!" you yell.

You sheath your blade as Pixie and Raven come to join you. Raven frowns at you, probably over the kick, but it turns into a smile shortly after. "You are the only one who can strike me, my brother of a past life."

"What's in the treasure, what's in the treasure!?" Pixie drops her bow, she claps her hands together excitedly.

You step forward, and kick the chest open.

>CONT

File: warderskilltree.png (512 KB, 600x800)

512 KB PNG

Inside the chest is a...

>Pick one...
>...[Bamboo Lance], gives a [Speed] bonus when wielded.
>...[Gorilla Club], gives a [Strength] bonus when wielded.
>...[Banana Cape], gives a [Resistance] bonus when worn.

You take the item out from the chest and inspect it carefully. After that, you open your skill window to spend your newly acquired skill point on...

>Pick one skill from the first three tiers.

As you wait for a refresh, you decide to talk to your companions about...

>Write-In

Rolled 3, 12, 5 = 20 (3d20)

>>34737811
>>...[Bamboo Lance], gives a [Speed] bonus when wielded.
The fastest
>Stone Wall
Need something to get Balance back

>Write-In
How long has Raven been playing, he's kinda bad at it

>>34737811
>>...[Bamboo Lance], gives a [Speed] bonus when wielded.
Though I'm sure the Banana Cape is stylish as fuck.

>>34737858
We've got access to the first 3 tiers now, so I'd suggest
>Warding Hand
I figure Resistance is Magic Def., so it might be slightly less practical for general farming, but it can be used during any sort of action, not just Guard.

That plus a max of 3 skills per round means we can still regain Balance while having chosen an offense-oriented combat option.

>>34737858
this

also ask about Raven's backstory, and maybe come up with one of your own

>>34737811
1. Banana Cape (I want us to become a king of monsters, so we must look the part.)
2. Lion Fist, since we get a speed bonus when we lose balance, a strength bonus too would be nice.
3. Talk to The Bloody Raven about how his arm is cursed, and ask him about flying.

>>34737858
>>34737991
>>34737996
›Getting a knife strapped to some shit pandas eat
›Not using our fists like a MANLY MAN
Are you guys even trying?

>>34737996
>ask about Raven's backstory
This is always good to know, especially since it seems he's written us into it.

Minor meta question; how are item drops handled? Does everyone get something from a given drop, or are we assuming that situations where other party members get something noteworthy are off-screen?

If they do get something, we may as well ask them if they got anything interesting from the Gorilla as well.

...and make sure not to forget about that last flower.

>>34738099
Bamboo torture is brutal. Impaling things with bamboo is hardcore as fuck.

>>34737811
>...[Bamboo Lance], gives a [Speed] bonus when wielded.
>Stone Wall

>>34738151
As hardcore as PUNCHING SHIT?
WE SHALL BECOME ALTRES, KING OF MONSTERS, MANY A PLAYER SHALL FEAR OUR NAME, LEST THEY TASTE OUR FISTS OF IRON AND OUR MONSTER ARMY, WE SHALL BE INVINCIBLE

>>34737811
>Banana Cape

>stone wall

File: astersheetpng.png (477 KB, 600x800)

477 KB PNG

"Hm, I can't wield lances."

"Neither can I, I guess it's yours Aster," Pixie says, as you make practice swing with your new Bamboo Lance. Truth be told it's less of a lance and more of a pointy stick, but the equipment type is listed as a pole-arm so and you feel faster just holding it.

"Let's head back to Granrose then." You take some steps forward to where the Black Gorilla had been sitting originally, and pluck one lone mountain flower out from the grass around it. Your quests complete, you lead the way back...

"So how long have you been playing Raven? You're already level eight but..." He seemed awfully beaten the entire time you played with him.

"I started just after the expansion hit... I mean, my immortal soul has cycled for countless eons, the first prince of the Elman empires, betrayed and cursed to wretched life after wretched life by the cursed arm within... but this mortal body began with the Fall of the Black Moon."

"Uhuh." Guess he started at just about the same time you did, though he's a little lacking in a lot of ways. "So I guess you resurrected into an Elman this cycle?"

"The black feathers are proof of my curse, but the gift of flight has brought many blessings beyond its burdens." So he picked black and flying is cool, okay.

"You keep talking about your cursed arm, is that a status effect?" Pixie asks, in her little sing-song voice.

"No! An evil wizard warped my arm. It's given me great magic in exchange for my sanity!" Didn't he say something else about it a moment ago?

"And I'm your brother from a past life, right?"

"Yes, you may have forgotten but we once swore an oath of protection to each other! You are my sworn brother, and you-" He points to Pixie. "Are the assassin of our divine court, both reincarnated."

"Hahahah, is that so." Pixie laughs, guess she doesn't mind the sound of that.

>CONT

>>34738151
The latter, where party management is dealt with through hand-waves and fiat.

>>34738416
>It's given me great magic in exchange for my sanity
We've noticed.

>>34738416
I kinda like this guy. His quickly made up backstory isn't too bad. Other than his cursed arm shit.

You first turn in the reward for the Black Gorilla, and then meet up with the sap who requested the flowers...

"Thank you so much for the flowers! All... thirty of them. I'm certain my beloved will adore the bouquet!" The rabbit-eared quest-giver thanks you, as you each hand your flowers over to him. You always wondered what NPCs in other games do with the hundreds of Elephant Droppings they ask for in other games, but it's even stranger still when each one has their own sort of intelligence.

"Do you really need three bouquets?"

"It's fine, I can give them to each of my loves."

"That's... that's not okay is it?" Pixie winces.

"Rabbits mate all year round." The man winks at your party, sending chills all over. "I suppose I don't need three though, here, in addition to the reward." He puts the flowers away behind him, banishing them into who-knows-what-pocket realm, and then out from it he pulls a fully wrapped bouquet, filled with more colours and sorts than the simple mountain flowers you gave him.

"Uuh, how about you take that Aster."

"I'd rather not touch that." Neither Raven nor Pixie seem too interested in the reward, you put the [Beautiful Bouquet] away, maybe you can wait until Pixie forgets in a week and pass it off to her, or give it to Ervin as a joke.

Speaking of which, it looks like both of your friends are online now.

"Well, I thank you for the company but I must be off to acquire sustenance in another realm." Raven takes a clumsy bow, before logging out of Erquest. Guess he got hungry.

"That was enough questing for me today, I'm going to go see my friend at the lake." Pixie smiles at you, grabbing one of your hands with both of hers and shaking it.

Now let's see, what will you do...

>See what Ervin is doing
>See what Lluthiana is doing
>Go with Pixie and meet her friend
>Go meet new people at the bar in Granrose
>Write-In

Hey QM can we actually become a King of Monsters later down the road, like I suggested? We already got slimes to like us. If we can, sweet, if we can't, I can understand why.

>>34738687
I don't see why not. I'll keep in mind that you want to.

Should've gone Walker or Caster for an easier time, they get pet classes.

>>34738724
Implying tg doesnt live for hardmode

>>34738655
>Go meet new people at the bar in Granrose
I mostly want to do this because it'd make for an amusing realization that we turned down going out for drinks with work people in favor of having virtual drinks with virtual people.

>See what Ervin is doing
>See what Lluthiana is doing
I'd also like to bug these two over chat, at the very least, see if they're free and/or tell them about our run-in with the raging tryhard lady. See if they've got any tips for PvP when she eventually comes to enact her poorly-thought-out revenge.

If either of them has some downtime we might as well ask them to come along.

>>34738724
Whatever, we got slimes, maybe more monsters can join us out of respect for our MANLY FISTS/power.

>>34738769
You know what's up. Also, mobile bros, sweet.
>>34738840
I support this.

>>34738840
Lets get virturally drunk

>>34739051
Thanks! I mostly lurk though. Damn tiny keyboards.

You disband the party with Pixie, and open your map. Ervin told you that the pubs are a good place to meet people if you need a party or just want to waste time, it looks like there're a few in the city, owned and invested in by different players...

You pick the closest one from your spot in one of the backstreet markets, and begin making your way there. As you walk, you open up a chat with Lluthiana.

"Hey loser."

"What's up shit-eater, the fuck do you want?" You and Lluth are good friends.

"I ran into a tryhard today and she want to kill me, what do I do?"

"She?"

"Maybe? I can't tell. How do I stop her when she comes after me at 15?" you ask, putting Lluth into some deep thinking.

"Seduce her."

"What? No. That's... what if it's a man?"

"Even better, I need to get back to my guild now. Stop by if you want, I'll introduce you to my guild leader." Lluth closes the chat, offering you her usual useless brand of advice. You sigh and open up your chat with Ervin, he's optimized for PvE, but he's optimized.

"Ervin, how do I fight a Warder mirror match? There's this murderous bitch after me."

"Get good."

"Real nice Ervin, tell me something useful."

"Take some skills you can use without allies, stay mobile and bait out their attack skills until they're staggered, then press them when they can't retaliate. Any other questions?" Ervin has always been to the point, he's pretty annoying like that. "If it's open world, you can gank them first." An interesting option, though... kind of rude.

"So what're you doing right now?"

"I'm uuuh... doing, something. Busy. Can't talk." He closes the chat. Well, that was awfully suspicious. You'll have to bother him about this later...

You arrive at the bar.

>CONT

>>34739178
Yeah, but it's comfy as shit layin' in bed, with a cold breeze coming through the window, and and hudling under a nice warm blanket with comfy pillows. I'm in the comfort zone.

The Dry Rose Pub sits in one of the quiet corners of the city, a ways away from the main gates and not close to any major quest givers or crafting spots. When you enter the building, a box pops up that alerts you the place is owned by an 'Isaac'.
The smell of liquor and wood fills your nose. Despite Ervin's telling that pubs are a busy place, you only see two people in here. A Human woman sitting against the counter with short, dark brown hair, her plate showing tell that she's a Striker and a box over her head labels her as 'Leah'; and a tall and dark-red toned Deman male, wearing a bartending outfit and polishing a glass, 'Isaac' sits on his information box.

"Should've gone drinking tonight, instead we're stuck here alone online," Leah says, swiveling some small ounce of wine in a glass cup in front of her.

"Quit complaining and go out then," Isaac sighs.

"Come on, driiink with me."

"I'm working right now."

"Working on an online roleplaying game! Jeeeeeesus, get that stick out of your ass. Not like you have any customers any ways, why'd you buy a place out here in the corner?"

"It was affordable... and anyways, I hate drinki- Oh, look, company. Why don't you sink your fangs into him or something."

Maybe you should just go...

>Take a seat and talk about...?
>Order a drink, quietly sit away from the pair.
>You know, maybe you should just leave.
>Write-In

>>34739432
>Take a seat and talk about...?
"Lets see how thick my neck is then."

>>34739432
>Write in
Ask him for some elaborate drink as a joke, see what he gives you. We have the cash for it after all.

>>34739432
Sit down and shoot the shit.
Also are we able to choose our profession yet, or is there still a bit more levels to go?

>>34739432
>Take a seat and talk about...?
Why she didn't go drinking. Were the drinking partners not good enough?

>>34739432
>>Take a seat and talk about...?
A couple things, I guess. Do they have a drunkenness debuff or something that the game applies, or is he just being a stick in the mud? If they do emulate the effects of drunkenness rather than just applying a wavy-screen debuff or something like back in the stone ages, he should join us out of pure scientific curiosity for racial alcohol tolerances.

It'll help him get a better handle on his future customers' limits, so it's totally work-related.

And/or why the heck do you buy a bar if you hate drinking? I guess you could be in it for the voyeuristic conversationalist angle, but still. It's gotta be hard to serve drinks all day if you don't have an appreciation for what you're serving.

>>34739432

Youre not biting anything till i get drunk.

>>34739324
Shure nuff same ststs overhere comfy bed window and everything. Traditional games? More like comfy games for us!

>>34739632
Mah nigga.

In your bottomless pockets you've got something like 300 gold coins, and it sounds like your class asks for a lot less spending than the others. You can afford a few drinks. Let's see if this bartender knows anything, or if they're just some kid playing Sommelier Online!

"Make me something elaborate, something that'll surprise me."

The bartender Isaac raises his brow at you. "You know, we're online but I still don't feel comfortable serving to a minor," he says.

"I'm not a minor."

He sighs and grabs a Martini glass, and a bottle of marked [Demakles Spirits] off the shelves. He pops open the seal and waves it around underneath the glass, before setting it aside entirely. Isaac grabs a tin can, filling it with ice before grabbing a [Granrose Spirits] and pouring into the can. He cups it with his hand, giving it a shake before straining it between his finger tips into your glass.

"What did you just do?" Eew, he just... through his hands.

"Don't worry, they're clean." He smirks at you, setting the glass down. It looks fine, but... "So is there a drunken debuff in this game? Or..."

"There is, but I'll warn you now that all it does is mess with your sight. Only underaged kids and people way too into the atmosphere get smashed in this game," the Striker beside you says, bored.

"She was always coming in, crying on the counter and picking fights with me until I told her that," says Isaac, making Leah glare.

"If you wanted to get drunk, why didn't you actually go drinking?" you ask.

Leah looks at Isaac, who looks back at her. Leah shrugs. You're not sure what to read from that, but it doesn't seem the lady cares too much to talk about herself to a stranger. You slip the contents of the glass down your throat, and there's a certain familiar burn--followed by the all-too-quick onset of a drunken blur.

>CONT

>>34739892
Wait, how old are we? This is probably important.

>>34739995
we work in an office building so mid 20's

"Well, I guesh it has taste." Your words slur a little, the game's certainly got some of the experience right, that awful taste being one of them. Others though...

"You can make just about anything if you figure out what's labelled what. You need the Mixer profession or it all comes out as tasteless muck though," Isaac tells you, "same thing if you take the Gastronomer profession or any of the other crafting profession."

"I can't believe you've been running around a fantasy world for a year, and you decided to run a bar of all things you could do. Go bang some short goblin chicks or something."

"This is fun... I hate drinking but I like alcohol." Isaac smiles softly.

"You mentioned professions? When do you unlock those?" you ask.

"Level ten. If you want, I can train you in the Mixer skill and you can work here, you won't get paid though."

"If you want to play boss in-game Isaac, go start a guild or something." Leah sighs. You've only been here a few minutes now, but you can tell the two have known each other a long time. There's a certain familiarity between them, and oddly, something vaguely familiar to you.

The drink wasn't real, but it's reminded you that you haven't eaten or drank anything since you got home. Ervin was right about it being hard to keep track of yourself in game. You'll need to log off soon, but first...

>Talk to Isaac and/or Leah about...?
>Message one of your friends about...?
>Write-In

Wrapping this up.

>>34740051
Talk to Leah, it why we came over there after all.

>>34740051
>Write-In
This is boring, go find Pixie and her friend.

>>34740051
Leah, not sure what to talk about though.

>>34740051
>Speak to Leah
Say that you should probably have gone drinking too.

>>34740051
>>Talk to Isaac and/or Leah about...?

>"I can't believe you've been running around a fantasy world for a year, and you decided to run a bar of all things you could do.
I figure she'd have gotten used to it if she had been playing for that long, so I guess this means she's only started playing recently?

Maybe mention our aborted drinking invitation also, a la >>34740156

Leah'll probably get a laugh out of it, at least.

>>34740051
You know what profession we should get?
Monster King/Tamer
Also when are you gonna do a new thread Libraian? Later this week?

>>34740213
I was thinking prostitute actually, we know someone who's trained in that.
That and VR actually seems to be a great way to have long-range relationships now I think about it

>>34740213
By the way, sorry for derailing the tread a bit with so many questions.

>>34740243
If total VR was real those kind of things would have there own dedicated games. But ya it would probably spill out over other games also.

VR twitter/facebook would just be a world of infinite coffee shops.

"Maybe I should've gone drinking too," you say, leaning back in your chair.

"Oh, someone invite you out tonight as well?" Leah folders her fingers over each other, putting the ball of her hands on the table and setting her chin atop of them.

"My co-workers. Turned them down to play Erquest."

"Oh, you're not the only one. This is fun and all, but it really feels like a waste when you realize how many nights you burn away on playing games with strangers miles away from you instead of actual people... it's why some women can't get married."

Isaac sets a glass of water down in front of you and Leah each. You grab a hold of it and drink, it's not doing anything to remedy that growing sense of thirst you're finally noticing, but the fresh taste washes away the glass you just had. "I don't think it's a waste," Isaac says, "you meet a lot of people online, you get to be a lot more honest when there's no airs to put on, you can do the things you really want to do."

"You're just make excuses because you're lazy," Leah says, waving a hand at Isaac dismissively.

"I don't think so, I had fun today. A lot more than I would have if I went drinking at least. How about you?" Isaac turns to you.

Today, you could've gone out with your co-workers, but you ended up rushing home so you could punch some monkeys. You spent time picking flowers with Pixie, you met Raven and Yzz, then you met Leah and Isaac... all things considered, today was...

Your stomach growls. Geez, you really ought to get something to eat. "It was nice meeting the two of you, but I really gotta get going," you tell them, opening up your menu.

"Nice meeting you then."

"Yeah, what he said." Leah and Isaac each give you their regards, and the press of a button...

You're back in your quiet apartment. The sound of the nearby bus station, slipping faintly through your window.

>LOGGED OUT

>>34740393
Shit, we didn't add them to our friends.

>>34740393
>This is fun and all, but it really feels like a waste when you realize how many nights you burn away on playing games with strangers miles away from you instead of actual people...
muh metacommentary

Thanks for running, etc.

>>34740393
danke schön

>>34740393
Thanks for running man. Hopefully you run again soon.

>>34740393
Time to waifu the boss

File: friendlist.png (439 KB, 600x800)

439 KB PNG

It's oveeeeer, thanks for playing. Slower than last time, but honestly it's a lot more comfortable for me this way.
I'd like some feedback if you would, and also for you guys to tell me what you'd like more of. I don't know if you really enjoy the fight mechanics, the long dungeons, if there's any VR-stuff you want to do, so tell me what you'd like and I'll try for more of that.

In regards to professions, I have a short list right now that looks like:
>Gastronomer
>Mixer
>Tamer I know at least one anon wants this one.
>Builder
>Couterier
>Performer
But it's professions are supposed to be fun inconsequential stuff that don't require a lot of work on my end, so if there's something that ends in -er you want to play skills with, just ask.

>>34740213
I'd like to run twice more before Monday, but my schedule has been busy lately since I'm trying to find full-time work. Hopefully we'll see each other Thursday or Friday, but who knows. Next Monday I'll probably be running though.

>>34740480
Nice to see you again Danke Schon-anon.

>>34740654
Courtier? The fuck is that?

>>34740654
>Tamer
>I know at least anon who wants this
Oh man I wonder who.

For the quest stuff, I'm down with anything, but I prefer combat a bit more.

>>34740654
Tamer for sure

>>34740654
Tamer

>>34740740
I figured he meant Couturier (which would be a designer/artisan of clothes.)

People love to nitpick about minor wardrobe details in stuff like this, so that'd be for those people.

>>34740740
/fa/.

>>34740771
>>34740776
>>34740808
I must warn you. Tamed pets are practically useless in combat scenarios as far as what I have in mind. It's just cool.

>>34740829
How about Courtesan as a profession?

>>34740829
Eh, as long as we eventually get a monster army, or at least a sizeable amount, I'll be happy.

>>34740829
Can we be a whore?

>>34740906
Riding on top of a dragon would be pretty fucking badass too.

>>34740904
>>34740933
I can't even imagine how a prostitute skill tree would look, and what they'd do that some regular bimbo couldn't.

>>34740978
Most likely physical alterations, multipliers on different positions and actions, two branch paths, one for getting it done quickly (so as to get more gold) and the other for more of a sensual path, which could delve into massages, seductive actions, not sure how limited the VR is here so I can't say more

>>34741026
I don't think it's as indepth as that, it's probably more like an actual job than anything else.

>>34741166
Well, OP hasn't stated anything so I can't fix it.

>>34733344
>Noman and the Elman are a Warder and a Caster respectively
Does this mean this is a Noman Warder? The combination that's so unusual the assistance AI commented on it?

>>34741380
I'm getting the feeling the New Character AI says that to everyone in order to make them feel special.

Or maybe just to every Noman since they're the new race in this update.

Or there are many distinct New Character AIs in order to facilitate many people making characters simultaneously, and we actually were the first of that race/class the one we met had seen.

>>34740654
Hmm, I don't mind being a tamer. If it's not meant to be game-breaking, though, I wonder what pets we'll end up having.

Slimes are very niche in their uses, but if we get something like a mount, especially for multiple people, that would be cool. Go forth, six-legged elephant-rhino!

>>34742530
Why not tame a huge amount of slimed who disable the enemy while we fight?

>>34742780
> fun inconsequential stuff
I'm worried that having an army of on-command stun might be OP. There's probably a monster limit anyway.

That being said, mounts are also pretty OP, just, well, more acceptable if they exist solely for swag.